Page 28 of Slick Trip

“I’m pretty sure you started it by demolishing my code.”

“You really fixed it?” he asked, quieter now.

“Yeah.”

His shoulders dropped, just slightly.

I watched him carefully. “Next time,” I said. “Don’t touch my code.”

He rolled his eyes. “Next time, don’t let me.”

There he was again, the Cooper I knew. But now I knew something else too. He’d stayed up all night trying to fix what he broke, even though he had no clue what he was doing.

I turned away before he could see my reaction. Because the damage hadn’t just been the code. The real damage was this—the way I felt.

Fuck.

I was falling for the brat. And that was a bug I couldn’t fix.

10

Only One Bed

JON

Something was very wrong with Cooper. He’d been ravenous all day despite eating nonstop. Even after napping for hours, he was asleep again, his head lolling against the headrest in a way that exposed the pale, vulnerable line of his throat. I had an urge to lean closer and suck a bruise into that soft skin. It was almost a primal need—to claim him and shield him from the rest of the world.

Protect. Control. Keep.

Something was very fucking wrong with me too.

Had he really whispered “thank you” before falling asleep again? He had sounded sincere, like he trusted me again. Didn’t he remember the last time he gave me his trust? It was a good thing I remembered for both of us.

I picked up food from a drive-thru and pulled into the motel parking lot. I needed to get drowsy Cooper inside. I weighed my options: leave him in the car while I check in, or drag him with me? The thought of leaving him alone in a dark parking lot for even three minutes made my skin crawl with an irrational fury. The idea of someone else seeing him like this—vulnerable and unaware—made something vicious twist in my gut.

“Coop?” I said, gently shaking his shoulder. “We need to check in.”

No reaction. Frowning, I touched his forehead again, but he didn’t feel any hotter than before. He was sweating, though. I pushed a damp curl off his forehead and studied him for a moment. It was difficult to describe what he made me feel. I’d never been good with words, and Cooper’s looks often robbed me of the ones I had. Sometimes what started out as a compliment came out as a grunt.

I walked around to Cooper’s side and opened the door. As I leaned in, the scent hit me like a physical wall. It was musky, floral, and so sweet it made my teeth ache. It filled my lungs and my veins, overriding everything. A very fucking inconvenient crash in my system.

I pressed my nose against his neck and inhaled before I even realized it. Then I jerked back, fast. What the fuck was I playing at, smelling Cooper like he was Sleeping Beauty and I was some starving, predatory prince?

I adjusted myself quickly. “Coop.”

He stirred, then blinked. His blue eyes, hazy with sleep, widened as he realized how close I was. I stepped back fast, my heart hammering.

“Sorry,” I said, clearing my throat. “I tried to wake you. Didn’t want to leave you in the car.”

“Please don’t leave me,” he mumbled. The neediness in his tone went straight to my gut—and lower. He was half-asleep and probably didn’t realize what he’d said. Didn’t mean it either.

The logic of it didn’t matter. Leaving him had never been an option.

“I’m awake,” he added, yawning. He climbed out, and I caught him automatically, my hand splaying flat against his narrow waist to steady him. Just in case. That’s all. He fit so easily by my side that I let my touch linger. Cooper made a weird noise that sounded alarmingly close to a purr, but unless he had turned into a cat, it didn’t make sense.

The guy at the front desk looked like he’d been cast as “Guy at Reception” in a low-budget movie. His name tag said Doug.

“Hi. One room, two beds,” I said.