Page 64 of The Love Rematch
He closes in on the target.
Three.
Two.
One.
BAM!
His lance slams into the center of the dummy’s chest. Straw explodes. The head flies off. Armor goes sailing in every direction as the thing is completely pulverized.
Cooper doesn’t even bother to look back at his handiwork. He knows exactly what he did without having to see it. Instead, he guides his horse around and stops in front of Emily. In slow motion, he takes off his helmet with a self-satisfied grin. Red curls frame his tanned and chiseled face, rugged and boyish and sexy as freaking hell.
“My lady,” he says.
Emily can’t even breathe as she leans forward. She grips the bannister for dear life as she offers him a kiss. Ever the gentleman, he presses his lips to her cheek. A surprising amount of disappointment floods her chest, until he leans a little closer and whispers, “Want to go somewhere a little more private?”
The mics must pick it up because in her peripheral vision, the crew mobilizes.
They’re not fast enough.
Emily nods. Cooper snakes his arm around her waist and yanks her over the railing, corset, skirts, and all, truly like something out of a movie. The second she’s settled on his lap, they’re off.
“I’ve never been on a horse before,” she screams, burying her face in his chest as she hugs him for dear life.
“I’ve never kidnapped someone before,” he shouts back.
“Good to know we’re in this together.”
He barks out a laugh and says, “Hold on.”
Somehow, they launch into an even faster pace, but she never feels scared, not really. It’s a mix of adrenaline, exhilaration, and nerves, but not fear. Caged in by Cooper’s arms, she never worries about falling. He’s got her. He won’t let her get hurt. They’ve had exactly one solo date in front of cameras and a few group interactions, but she’s shocked to realize she trusts him—truly trusts him. Maybe more than Jake. Definitely more than Ethan, or anyone else on this set.
He’s good.
He’s safe.
Which is why she rips off their mics and throws them to the ground somewhere in the middle of their escape. And why, as the horse slows down, giving her a moment to finally lean back and look up at his handsome face, she says something she never expected to say to any of the men.
“Can I be honest?”
He cocks his head to the side, taking a moment to read her expression. She wishes she knew what it conveyed. “Of course.”
“I’m not sure I’m over my ex.”
He nods, absorbing that for a moment. Something in his eyes shifts, as if the curtain is pulled aside and the walls are down and finally, without the cameras and the mics and the crew, he can relax. She feels the same. Then he says, “Can I be honest?”
“Of course.”
“I didn’t pull that stunt because I’m desperate to spend time with you, though I think you’re a great girl and I’ve been having a lot of fun. I just really, really miss being on a horse.”
It takes a moment for the words to sink in.
When they do, her reaction is immediate.
Emily laughs hard—harder than she’s laughed since waking up to find her mother onWake Up, America!and her world forever changed. It’s the kind of laugh that starts in her toes and barrels up her chest until her whole body is quaking. The kind she can’t stop once started. And as soon as he hears it, Cooper laughs too. A release. A camaraderie. A confession. Emily drops her head against his chest, and he puts an arm around her waist to keep her from falling as the giggles settle.
“That may have come out wrong,” he finally says, his deep voice full of mirth.
