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I let out an uneasy laugh. “Why a new phone? Think she infected it somehow?”
“I don’t know what any of them are doing, but we’re not taking any chances.” Rather than put me down, he held on to me as he started to rise—only to thunk back down hard in the chair when I pounded on his chest. “What now?”
“Are you just going to carry me everywhere? Maybe lock me in a safe room with no windows?” I would’ve laughed if he hadn’t narrowed his eyes as if he was seriously considering it. “Um, no, you are not. I’m here because I want to be. Not because you’re going to chain me up.”
“If I’m chaining you, it’s not for that, and you’ll be agreeable first.”
I stared at him and tried not to wiggle on his lap like an overeager puppy.
Not the right time, horndog.
“I’m already agreeable. When can we start?”
His quick grin warmed me way down deep. “Yeah, we definitely wasted a lot of time.” He rested his hands on either side of my waist. “Tell me what happened.”
I told him every snippet of conversation I could remember. For these few minutes, he wasn’t just my new lover. He was my best friend, the guy I trusted with my life.
Who I knew cared about me enough to respect my choices even while I watched him swing between concern and annoyance.
“You’re not going alone.” His tone brooked no arguments.
“No, I figured not, and I don’t want to, since I have a preference to not end up tied up in the back of a van.” I shuddered. “Or worse.”
His jaw flexed. “Don’t even joke about it.”
“I have to. I’m really fucking freaked out that she got my number and seems to have a vendetta against me.” Goosebumps formed along my arms despite the warm night, and Cooper rubbed his big, callused hands over my skin. “You’re really good at that.”
“I have a number of uses. Including taking care of a duplicitous fake who got the drop on me once but won’t again. I’m still pissed she managed to drug that drink right under my damn nose.”
“It’s not your fault.” I covered one of his hands with mine. “Right from the start, she felt off to me. I couldn’t understand why. I figured it was the emotional, exhausting day, but it wasn’t. She didn’t know anything I was talking about. Obviously, she’d done some research about our connection but not enough to get the backstory down. Maybe she didn’t think she had to. She probably found out I was a former cheerleader and current rocker and assumed I had the brain power of a block of Swiss.”
“Her mistake,” he said lightly, winding one of my damp curls around his finger. “And that whole cheerleader thing has to happen now, since you dug the uniform out and brought it here. You can’t keep taunting me.”
“I have pictures. Well, my parents do. Someday I’ll get brave enough to actually try it on. Hopefully, my Cheetos habit hasn’t made wearing it out of my reach.”
“You’re perfect as you are.” He pressed a light kiss to my forehead. “Every inch and ounce.”
“You’re good for my ego.” I stroked my fingers through the ends of his hair. “She thought I stayed home every night junior year.”
“Did you?”
“No. I liked dating. It was fun. And back then, nothing was too serious, so we just partied and had a good time. Partying for me, mind you, was one drink. I didn’t get drunk until I was like twenty. Too much of a goody two-shoes. Pretty sure that’s how Ricki saw me.”
“Being mindful doesn’t make you a goody two-shoes.”
“Good, because I didn’t deny that I was. I never wanted to go too far. Not with substances or sex or anything else.” I frowned. “Do you think I’m making too much of this? That maybe she’s exactly who she says she is, and her memory’s just spotty? And maybe she wasn’t the one to roofie the drink, or whatever the hell was done to it?”
“She forgot a lot. You gave her ample chances. Better question, why did she say not to bring me if she’s so innocent?”
“Because men are mouthy?” I laughed for his sake when he poked my side. “Yeah, all right. All my instincts are saying she’s off, so I need to face it. Even if I don’t understand why I’m a target.”
“Newest member of the band, maybe. Could think you’d be an easy one to get to.”
“You poison anyone’s drink, you can get to them pretty well.”
Again, I thought of Pat. Could he be this diabolical? What would be the point? Just to get revenge?
Then again, we didn’t know the point to any of this. I wanted so badly to make it logical, and the missing pieces were making me crazy.
