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He didn’t move. Didn’t touch her. A chunk of her hair whipped against her cheek.
“I must have known for a long time,” he said quietly, “but I didn’t understand what I was feeling until that bastard had his gun on you, and I felt my chest crack open.”
She shoved her hands in the pockets of her sweater, not believing, fighting the lure of hope. “An adrenaline rush can make you feel lots of strange things.”
“I know all about adrenaline rushes, and they go away. My feelings aren’t going to do that.”
The bitterness of reality crept up on her. “It hasn’t even been two weeks. Give it time.”
“Can you really be so cynical?”
She didn’t feel cynical. She felt as fragile as spun sugar. She’d pushed his champion’s back to the wall, and he was fighting his way out in the only way he knew, by brute force.
“Take a risk, Piper,” he said. “I’m not Duke Dove. Tell me how you feel—the truth. Either you love me or you don’t. Dig deep. I need to know.”
She didn’t have to dig deep. But saying it aloud was impossible. Yet, if she didn’t, wasn’t she taking the coward’s way out?
She was hard-core. Hanging tough was how she lived. She shoved her fists deeper in her pockets. “Yes, I love you. Sure, I do. How could I not?” She threw the words in his face. “I love you enough not to let this go any further. We’re too different to have a future, so what’s the point?”
“The only thing different about us is our bank accounts.”
“A big difference.”
“Only if you believe money is all that counts.”
“And fame. And nightclubs. And Super Bowl rings—”
“Which neither of us has.”
“—and Hollywood girlfriends.”
“People say opposites attract. The funny thing about that is we’re not opposites. We’re the same person, different sides of the same coin.” A muscle twitched at the corner of his jaw. “Except I’m clearheaded and you’re not.”
“That isn’t—”
“Here’s what I don’t get: Why is it so hard for you to believe I could love you?”
He was trying to confuse her, and she said the first thing that came into her head. “I’m not beautiful. And you’re famous. And I’m not domestic.”
He turned belligerent. “Is that all you’ve got?”
“And your money.”
“You already mentioned that.”
A group of businessmen had spotted him and began to close in. She spun on them. “Not now!”
For once, Coop didn’t try to make up for her brusqueness with a good ol’ boy acknowledgment. He didn’t even turn.
The men shot her a few dirty looks as they backed away. She didn’t care. She’d play bad cop forever to protect him.
“Here’s what I know.” His intensity was scaring her. “Your father might have meant well, but he screwed with your head so bad that you’ve lost touch with who you are inside. It’s you against the world, and you’re scared to death of anything that makes you feel vulnerable.”
She had to fight back. “This coming from Mr. Tough Guy himself.”
“I’m stubborn and I’m driven, but I’ve never pretended to be invincible. You’re the one with the will of steel.”
“That’s not true!” she exclaimed. “I fell in love with you, didn’t I? And nothing could make me feel less invincible than that.”
