Page 61 of Her Greatest Adventure

I dread being left alone.

“It’s a nice place,” Cooper notes, shutting the door behind us. “I expected more pink, to be honest.”

I slip off my shoes and walk further inside. The apartmentisnice. It’s one big open floor plan with tall windows and grey wood floors. Modern, but not too modern. Two bedrooms and one bathroom.

“Ivy wasn’t a big pink girl. I toned it down a little.”

“That’s a shame.”

“Is your favourite colour secretly pink, Sparrow?”

He smirks, eyes darkening. “No. But some of my favourite things are pink.”

My stomach begins to flutter as I look away, my skin suddenly feeling too hot. “Stop trying to get a rise out of me.”

“I can’t help it. It’s become one of my favourite pastimes.”

I change the subject before I overheat. “Are you going to do your scary-husband apartment check now? I’d like to take a shower with decent water pressure again.”

“Right. Do you want me to put your bags in your room for you?” He pushes my suitcase in front of him.

“You can leave them there. I’ll probably keep them unpacked for the next week, anyway.”

He laughs softly. “Okay. I’ll be back.”

“Do you want a weapon, or are you planning to tell the imaginary killer hiding in my bathtub a bunch of lame jokes until he simply dies of boredom instead?” I ask before he gets too far.

“One thing you didn’t mention being on your dirty list was spanking, but keep at it and I’m going to add it to the lesson plan anyway,” he sings over his shoulder and then disappears into Ivy’s old room.

My exhale is strained as dirty images fill my head. Suddenly, the thought of Cooper bending me over a table and spanking my ass seems like an all-too-appealing idea.

“I don’t think an empty bedroom is a likely hiding spot,” I call, following after him.

Popping my head into the room, I find him shutting the closet doors. The lack of furniture in Ivy’s room is startling.

Thankfully, he doesn’t linger after completing his look. We walk down the hall to the first of two bathrooms. Pausing outside the door, I nod to the shower curtain.

“Would you like a weapon? You could use the plunger,” I suggest.

He narrows his eyes at me. “What am I going to do with a plunger? Suction it to his face?”

“How do you know the robber is a man?”

“I’m going to suction the plunger to your face if you don’t leave me alone.”

I throw my hands up in front of me. “Sorry. Do your thing, big boy.”

“Big bo—you know what? Never mind.” He stalks toward the shower curtain and rips it open. “All clear.”

“Where to next, Captain?” I ask. He brushes past me and heads to the second bedroom. “Are you sure you can handle being alone in my room with me and all my girly unmentionables?”

“I’m not a teenage boy. You and your unmentionables don’t scare me,” he grunts.

“Oh, I’m well aware of that fact.”

He throws a smirk over his shoulder. “Is that so?”

“Mmhmm. You’re obviously far too old to be a teenage boy.”

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