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“Um, what?” I turn to look at him, not sure I heard him right. “What do you mean?”
“I’m staying with you guys until this is straightened out.” Coop refuses to look at me as he turns onto our street, then parks in the driveway. “Give me your keys and let me clear the house before you come in.”
I pull my keys from my bag and throw open the door. “No. I’m not letting you go in without me.” He’s out of his freaking mind if he thinks I’m going to sit out here like a good little girl and let him get hurt... again.
“Goddamnit, Carys.” He slams the door shut behind him and catches up to me in two strides, grabbing my shoulder to stop me. “This isn’t going to work if you don’t listen to me.”
“Oh, I’m going to listen to you.” I wrench my arm away as a plan begins to form in my mind. “But you’re going to listen to me too, Cooper Sinclair.” I hand him my keys. “And either way, I’m going in that house with you.”
Cooper groans. “Why do you insist on being such a pain in the ass?”
“Because you won’t talk to me, but you think you have the right to tell me what to do. Well, guess what? Out of everything I’ve learned in the past year, the most important thing has been to stand up for myself and what I want.” I walk ahead of him and wait at the front door. “I’m working on my communication skills, Coop.”
He looks up to the sky as he groans, then unlocks the door, coming face-to-face with Jack and Theo.
They look between Coop and me and must sense the tension rolling off us in violent waves. “We’re out.” Theo salutes us.
“We’re on our way to see Emerson.” Jack basically ignores Cooper. “We should be back in a little while, and then, Brooklynn is coming over to run through the set one more time before we leave for the tour. You gonna be around, CC?”
“Yeah. I’ll be here.”
Jack tugs on the hoodie I’m wearing as I walk by him. “Am I getting that back before I leave?” His lips tip up in a crooked grin, and this fucker knows exactly what he’s doing, which is taunting Coop, who storms away.
“I’ll wash it tonight, you ass.” I shake my head, and Jack’s smile grows.
“You’ll be thanking me later.” He winks and closes the door behind him.
I lock it and watch Cooper drop a duffle bag, I hadn’t even noticed he was carrying, next to the couch. He stretches his arms up over his head, exposing a strip of bare, golden skin above the waist of his jeans. My mouth waters.
God, I miss this man. But two can play at this game.
“Are you ready to talk?” I lift my eyes to his after staring for a moment too long, then slowly peel the hoodie off, leaving me in a thin pink tank that’s pulled low in the front, exposing the tops of my breasts.
Cooper’s already moved to the glass doors leading to the back yard and is checking the lock, when he turns around and audibly swallows, shaking his head. “No. I’m going to check the locks, then crash on the couch for a little while too.” He lowers the blinds on the glass doors, then follows me up the stairs.
Heat colors my cheeks as exhaustion mixes with grief, frustration, and fear.
He might not forgive me yet... but I think he still wants me.
I know he still loves me.
And while nothing about this situation is good, if he’s going to be here, in this house and in my space, I’m going to get this man to talk to me if it’s the last damn thing I do.
Coop stops in Emerson’s room, while I move into mine, leaving the door open while I strip out of my sweats. Standing in my tank and black panties, I pull the blanket back on my bed as he walks into my room and forces his eyes from me while he checks the lock on my door. “Can I ask you something?”
Cooper turns around, with his eyes glued to my face like a perfect gentleman.
As if I don’t know all the ways he can be ungentlemanly...
“Did you push me away at the hospital because you hate me?” There’s a nervous quiver in my voice I wish I could hide, but I have to know. The thought has been playing over and over in my head since he admitted he thought of me when he woke up. “Or did you do it because you already knew about Axel and thought I was in danger?”
Cooper’s eyes hold me hostage until he abruptly storms out of the room.
And somehow, for some reason, I think that might count as a win.
I hadn’t givenCarys enough credit. I wasn’t expecting her to put two and two together just yet, which was stupid because that girl should never be underestimated in any way. I’m not sure why I didn’t just tell her the truth.
That’s a lie.
