Page 47 of The Love Lie
“Oh look, there’s Nina,” Cooper comments, oblivious to how she’s gone wooden by his side. He lifts his hand as if to wave and Sam grabs it.
She can’t deal with Nina right now.
She can’t deal with him.
With this.
With any of it.
Her breath catches in her lungs as she clutches the cowboy’s hand for dear life, fighting the wave of emotions threatening to pull her under.
“Sam?” he asks, suddenly noticing her panic.
“I can’t,” she starts, voice breaking before she swallows and starts again. “I can’t pretend right now. Please, Cooper. I need a minute. I can’t talk to her right now. I can’t—”
In one fluid motion she’s sure she’ll look back on with marvel, he wraps an arm around her waist and spins them untilher back hits a nearby wall. Her arms go around his shoulders instinctively as he leans in and drops his face to the nook of her neck. His broad chest hides her, keeps her safe, gives her a moment to breathe. One of his hands goes to the wall beside her head and the other clutches her hip, grounding her. And then he repeats the same words he said while they dangled four hundred feet in the sky, his presence a lifeline.
“I’ve got you.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
cooper
He hasno idea what happened. One second Sam was smiling, laughing, full of life. And the next, the blood drained from her face, leaving her paler than a ghost.
What the hell was on that phone?
The person who’s sick? The person who hurt her? Both? Neither? Nothing at all?
It doesn’t matter, not with Nina barreling down on them. Whatever it was, it was enough to leave her trembling, and that’s all Cooper needs to know. With them out in the open like this, a lover’s rendezvous was the only thing he could think of to keep the producer at bay. But she’s a shark. If he’s not convincing, she’ll go in for the kill.
“I’ve got to—”
“I know.”
It’s all the permission he needs. Cooper slides his arm behind her back and hitches her up against his chest. One of his thighs parts her legs. A surprised gasp spills from her lips. Fisting her hair, he angles her head to the side and buries his face against her throat. It takes everything within him to keep a scant space between his mouth and her skin. But they agreed on the rules.She laid out her limits. No lips, no neck, no matter how much he wants it. So he just runs his nose up the column of her throat, breathing against her, drinking in the feel of her body pressed so tightly to his that he can feel every beat of her racing heart.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Nina closing in. Sam must be aware, or maybe not. He can’t entirely decipher the motivation as she lifts one of her legs higher and hooks it around his hips, urging him closer. The need to taste her is almost painful. Blood rushes from his head, heading south so quickly he feels delirious. Her head falls back against the wall as if in invitation. She’s heaving as her fingers twist into the front of his shirt. But he needs to hear her say it if he’s going to cross her lines, so he does the only thing he can and lowers his lips to the exposed curve of her shoulder, the only place they’re allowed. Her skin is salty from the ocean spray, the tang like a drug. He lets the kiss linger, then places another, and another, peppering across her collarbone because he can’t physically pull himself away. His tongue darts out to lick a hot line across her flesh. She inhales sharply. Fingernails dig into his scalp.
He has no idea what happened to Nina. The producer could be right behind him for all he knows. But he’s about two seconds from ravaging Sam against the wall, so it’s either break their rules or break this embrace, and he’s aware enough to know what he has to do.
Cooper pulls back. A few inches is the most he can manage. With their arms and legs still entangled, he rests his forehead against hers, trying his best to cool down. Her chest rises and falls against his as their panting fills the silence. They breathe hard for one long moment, then two. Her exhales brush against his mouth with the tantalizing whisper of a kiss. She licks her lips as a frustrated groan spills from his.
“You followed the rules,” she says, tone breathless, skin flushed. He can’t tell if it’s a question or a statement. There’sa hint of surprise, an edge of disappointment, and a layer of gratitude.
“I did,” is all he can manage.
“Why?”
Jesus Christ, woman.He’s right there at the precipice, but she just keeps on pushing. Leaning back far enough to catch her gaze, he cradles her face with his hand. Then he runs his thumb along her cheek.
“Because the first time I kissed you, it was for them. I don’t plan on making that mistake again.” He shifts his hold ever so slightly and moves his thumb over her puckered bottom lip. His gaze snags on that pillowy curve for a brief second before returning to her warm brown eyes. “The next time I kiss you, Sam, it won’t be because of someone else. It won’t be because you’re upset. It won’t be out of fear. It’ll be because you want it. It’ll be because you’re begging for it. It won’t be for anyone’s benefit but our own.”
“And if that never happens?” Her lips caress the pad of his thumb.
“It’ll happen, Cuj.”
“What makes you so sure, cowboy?”
