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Never in her life had she fallen so quickly or so hard. Which was insane, since he was leaving for parts unknown in two days and change.
“Of all the aerobics studios in all the towns in all the world, he had to walk into mine…” she murmured, paraphrasing the famous line from another of her favorite old movies.
Stay in the moment, she ordered herself. Don’t mourn a future loss. This beautiful, sexy, kind man—this masterful Dom who somehow stole the key to all my secrets when I wasn’t looking—is here, right now, in my bed. Naked, gorgeous, and, for the moment at least, all mine.
Feeling better, she curled in around him, closed her eyes, and drifted at last into sleep.
Chapter 15
Cooper lay in bed, drifting on the edge of consciousness, still caught in the arms of a very good dream. Movement beside him made his eyes pop open. He was confused for a moment, used to sleeping alone. As he came more fully awake, he saw Lainey. She was lying on her side facing him, her hands tucked under her cheek. Her eyes were closed, a small, secret smile just lifting the edges of her mouth.
Was she dreaming of him?
Gently, he tucked a strand of hair that had fallen over her face back behind her small, neat ear. She didn’t move. Cooper glanced out the window. The sky was still dark, but its edges were turning gray with a tinge of purple.
He drew back the quilt and silently rose from the bed. Turning back to Lainey, who hadn’t budged, he carefully tucked the covers around her. Padding to the bathroom, he entered and slid the pocket door silently closed behind him. He squinted as he turned on the light, letting his eyes adjust a moment.
He peed and then splashed water on his face. He’d left his overnight bag in the bedroom, and so was without his toothbrush. Finding Lainey’s toothpaste, he squeezed some on his finger and rubbed it over his teeth. After rinsing his mouth, he ran his hands over his face. His jaw was stubbled with a few days’ growth. He would need to shave, but he could do that later.
Returning as quietly as he could to the bedroom, he pulled on his jeans, not bothering with the shirt. Lainey slept on. Good. Let her rest.
He left the bedroom, closing the door softly behind him. He made his way to her small kitchen. Turning on the light, he headed for the fridge, suddenly famished. Though their late lunch had been substantial, they’d never gotten around to dinner, too busy making love to focus on food. He pulled open the refrigerator and peered inside. He found a package of hard salami that looked good. He peeled off a few slices, and snagged an orange and a can of Coke.
Sustenance in hand, he went to the living room and moved to the sliding glass doors. He pulled them open and stepped out into the moist, cool air. The sky had lightened from gray to pearlescent white tinged with lavender. A few seagulls called to one another as they wheeled over the bay.
Taking a seat at the patio table, he ate the salami, washing it down with swigs of Coke. Then he peeled the orange. The fruit inside was sweet and juicy, and he made quick work of it.
Getting to his feet, soda can in hand, he walked to the balcony wall, which rose to chest height. Leaning forward, he settled his elbows on the ledge as he watched the sun burst above the horizon like a huge, incandescent egg yolk.
He liked being near the water. It was soothing. He liked being in Lainey’s place—getting more of a sense of her by seeing her in her own domain. She kept things neat and tidy. Her furniture was simple but comfortable, the lines clean and spare. She had a few nicely framed art posters on the walls. He got the feeling she didn’t spend a whole lot of time there, which made sense. Why stay in New Bern when you had unlimited access to awesome and amazing Desire Island, just a ferry ride away?
What would it be like to live on the island full time? Caelan had made it clear there was a spot for him as a professional Dom, should he be so inclined. It was an intriguing idea, especially with Lainey now in the picture.
“Whoa,” he blurted aloud. “Slow the fuck down. You already have a plan.”
The plan, now that he and Jake had sold the business, was to take a much-deserved extended vacation. Jake and his wife had already left for a several-month tour of the Far East. Cooper, after this brief stop at Desire Island, had planned to sail his boat up the East Coast. He intended to stop along the way at various ports, with no particular goal other than to regroup and refresh before he tackled his next project, as yet undetermined.
