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I eyed his car across the lot. I desperately wanted to know who Angela McKinnon was, and why Cooper had been spending so much time at her residence. If she wasn’t a lover—which seemed safe to assume, since he was willing to introduce the two of us—then who was she?
I looked back to Cooper and his “still waiting” expression. He held out a hand and I swear I heard my internal voice of reason sigh loudly in the back of my mind as I took his hand and hoisted myself off of my bike.
My poor brain. I never listen.
Cooper led me to the car and opened the door.
I removed my helmet and slid into the passenger seat. A slight flicker of deja vu came over me as I pressed against the cool, leather seat. I’d been in this vehicle on two other occasions and both times, the end destination had something to do with Cooper and me fucking each other like wild animals.
I closed my eyes and waited for Cooper to get into the driver’s seat.
Not tonight, I chanted in my mind. The only reason I am here is to see who Angela is and what she has to do with Cooper. I don’t even know why I care…but I do.
We rode in silence for awhile. Cooper’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as we sped through downtown. Cooper drove like an expert, handling the curves of the road with the ease of a seasoned driver. Obviously, his expensive car helped. I was sure there was a whole mass of computers under the hood assisting him as he snaked up into the hills.
I knew the route and I could tell we were getting closer to Angela’s house. Nearly half an hour had passed and neither Cooper nor I had said anything once the car doors had closed. I snuck a sidelong glance at him and could tell he wasn’t in a conversation mood. Even though he was technically doing what I wanted, indulging my curiosity, I could tell he wasn’t happy about it.
We parked on the opposite side of the street from Angela’s house, around the same spot I’d parked Cherry Bomb when I’d been out spying on him. I looked past him, out the driver’s side window, and stared at the huge mansion.
“Let’s go.”
Now that we were here, my insides starting reacting. My heart raced and my palms felt slick with sweat as I grabbed the interior car door handle. I opened the door on the second try and stood along the curb for a moment. My mind was racing with all the possibilities of who could be waiting inside. Was she an ex-girlfriend? But then why would they still be in touch? Did they have a child together?
My hand flew to my mouth.
I’d never asked Cooper about children before. I’d always assumed that he didn’t have any, since he had no pictures in his office or home, and he’d never mentioned having a child. But…maybe it was a secret.
My stomach flipped over, sending a wave of nausea through me.
It wasn’t that I didn’t like kids…I did. I just didn’t want him to already have one.
That was perfectly normal, wasn’t it?
My internal ramblings came screeching to a halt as Cooper beckoned for me over the top of the car. “Allison, let’s go. You want to know who Angela is, right?”
Did I?
“Yeah,” I answered, although my voice sounded very unsteady.
“Okay, then what’s the hold up? You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something.”
He looked over at the house and then back to me.
He was right, I was acting crazy. Whatever—or whoever—was waiting inside, I’d come too far to back away now.
I circled the front of the car and followed two steps behind Cooper as he led the way across the street and up the front walk. He paused on the porch, his finger hovering over the doorbell. “Allison, if I take you inside and explain everything, you have to agree to stop questioning me at every turn and trust that what I tell you is the truth. Understood?”
I balked slightly at his words. It seemed an unfair tr
ade. He introduces me to one person in exchange for my unwavering trust? For how long?
My curiosity seemed to be searing a hole through me and the longer we stood there, inches away from the answer to so many of my questions, I couldn’t help but agree to his terms.
“Fine, whatever. Can we go in now?”
He gave me one last look, as if he knew I was only saying what he wanted. But, he pressed the small silver button and I heard a chime ring through the house. I avoided his eyes as we waited for someone to answer.
Chapter Eleven
