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Wait, why are they staring at me?Oh shit. He asked me a question.
“Yeah. I’m good. Just needed a little air. That’s all.”
I shouldn’t stare, but I can’t stop. Coop’s been away at bootcamp for months. And he looks good. He’s gotten bigger. Broader. He was always muscular before. But he looks older now. Stronger. So fucking good.
And now, he’s my stepbrother.
I’m going to have to keep reminding myself of that little fact. Because you are not supposed to want to kiss your stepbrother. Dreaming of the way his hands would feel against your skin is absolutely not allowed to happen. And any chance I may have ever had of us together has to be packed away.
Damn it. I hate packing.
Okay... no more champagne.
My eyes well up, and I look away.
“Carys,... you sure you’re okay?” His voice softens. “You want my coat?” Coop doesn’t wait for me to answer before his tux jacket is slipped around my shoulders, and his spicy scent envelops me. I force the tears away and straighten my spine.
“Thanks.” I turn back around as music drifts through the doors and sway. “I love this song.” It’s an old Lifehouse song Mom used to play on repeat. “Everything.” I guess it’s fitting.
Cooper tugs on the lapels of the coat, bringing me in closer. “You should be inside dancing.”
“With who? Everyone else is already paired up.”
He places a hand on my waist. “Dance withme.”
I stare at him, momentarily in shock. It’s not a question, and I don’t answer with words. I just hesitantly step closer and let him wrap his arms around me. I lay my head against his chest and breathe him in as my body presses to his, like this was always meant to happen, like this is where I was always meant to be. And all I can do is pray this never ends.
It’s a beautifully haunting slow song that I’d sung around the house whenever Mom had it on.
Before I realize it, I’m singing along quietly, tucked against Coop’s chest.
His chin is resting on my head, and even in my heels, I feel tiny in his arms.
And I realize this is it.
This is all I’m ever going to get with him.
He’s all I want. All I need. He’s everything to me... and he’ll never know it.
One of Cooper’s hands is resting just above my ass. So close... but not quite there.
His other hand is resting on my shoulder, drawing circles through the coat, and I desperately wish I could rip it off my body so I could feel his skin. He’s got to know what he’s doing... right?
I tip my head up to look at his face. “Coop...”
His hand slips from my shoulder to my neck. “I love listening to you sing, Carys. It reminds me of home.”
His face is right there, and I swear he’s staring at my lips.
Holy shit. He’s going to kiss me.
His grip on my neck tightens as his thumb grazes my cheek, and I lean in.
Then nothing. What the hell?
“Hey, man,” a sexy Georgia accent says.
Oh, holy shit. How did I not hear Cooper’s buddy Lincoln come outside? He came home with Cooper for the holidays and fit in with the family like he’d always been there.
