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"I doubt that'll rehab your playboy reputation," I joke.
"It makes me a good boyfriend," he counters, amusement shining in his eyes.
“Explain your postulation,” I prompt.
Cooper grins and brings his mouth to the shell of my ear. "Because I can't stop thinking about sneaking away with my girlfriend."
I shudder at the smoky allure filling his tone. It's working. I’m half-convinced that’s a great idea. While he pretends to flirt with me for the benefit of the people we pass, my determination returns. I'm going to help both of us by doing this, because past his reputation, Cooper is the best guy. He's thoughtful, genuine, and attentive to the needs of those around him. Once everyone stops seeing him as a playboy, he'll find the perfect girlfriend.
My chest twinges, but I breathe through it until the ache eases.
"There you are," Simone says slyly when we reach the girls.
“Hey,” Jenny greets with a bright smile.
I return it with one of my own. “Hi. All ready for the semester to start?”
She nods. “Totally. You should text me before our first class. We can meet up early and grab seats together.”
A warm feeling bubbles in my stomach at how easy that was. Granted, I met Jenny weeks ago at the last bonfire Cooper took me to, but the semester hasn’t started yet and I’ve already made a friend with one of my classmates.
“Sounds perfect,” I say.
Simone flicks an assessing gaze over me, smirking in satisfaction. “Only an hour late to your own birthday, Coop. But I get it. When your girlfriend is as hot as my bestie, how can you resist?”
"Dude," I interject with a nervous laugh.
I had a whole prepared conversation written out in the notes I memorized to officially announce us as a couple to our friends, but Simone doesn’t bat an eye that we’re here together.
She's the only one who knows the truth about what we were before this. The truth that we weren’t really secretly dating, but in more of a friends with benefits agreement. I didn’t tell her about this new development after Jackson caught us kissing. Making our act believable to our closest friends is the real test.
"If it were up to me, we'd be another twenty minutes at least." Cooper kisses the top of my head. "Where are the guys?"
"Organizing the beer pong tourney," Simone answers. "They're waiting for the guest of honor to get started."
“Come on then.” After Cooper finishes his drink off, he holds up a fist for me to bump, grinning when I knock my knuckles against his. “You and me, babe.”
“Me? I’ve never played beer pong.” Last time I watched while the guys played.
He shrugs as he ditches the empty cup, then steers me toward the tables being set up past the roaring bonfire people crowd around. “Don’t worry, you’ve got me. We both know what a great teacher I am.”
I roll my lips between my teeth, pulse thrumming at the double meaning hidden in those words. His hands find my hips and he moves me to walk in front of him where the crowd is thick, bouncing to the music. The girls file through behind us.
My eyes grow wide and I tip my head back against his chest to look up at him. “Can I even play if I’m sticking to water? It’s a drinking game. Isn’t that against the rules?”
“You can do anything you want.” Cooper meets my eye, brow pinching. “I’d never force you to drink if you weren’t comfortable with that.”
A pang echoes in my chest. “I know.”
“Good.” The corner of his mouth lifts. “Now I’m going to teach you how to be a bomb ass beer pong player. It’s all in the wrist.”
“There he is!” Harris crows as we approach.
Cooper receives another round of raucous back slaps from his friends. They each nod to me in greeting.
Ty smirks, gesturing between us. “You turn twenty and start cradle robbing.”
“Shut up, you dick,” Cooper counters with an easygoing laugh, wrapping his arm around my waist. “Who’s up first?”
