Cooper takes a step toward him, and Calvin shrinks back.
I giggle at how absolutely terrified he looks.
Calvin keeps his hands up, backing away, muttering something about how I probably wasn’t worth it anyway.
Cooper looks down at me, brows raised. “You actually talked to that dude?”
I shrug. “You told me to mingle. I mingled.”
“Guy is a tool.”
“Tell me about it. It’s especially funny because he’s the one who ditched me. Last I saw him he was making out with some chick.”
“What an idiot.” Cooper shakes his head, leading us to the bar.
He lifts his hand when we find a spot, waving to a bartender on the other side. She shoots him a grin and makes her way down to us.
The closer she gets, the more familiar she becomes. I recognize the stunning blonde from the last time we were here.
“Hey, handsome,” she drawls in an obvious I want to sleep with you tone. “What can I get for you tonight?”
“Hey, Shayla.”
Cooper says her name with a familiarity I don’t like one bit. That same fleeting feeling of jealousy I had when Maya talked about Cooper’s lips zings through me again.
“I’ll have my usual,” he tells her. “And a spiced rum with root beer.”
Shayla slides her eyes to me for the first time, and recognition dawns. I’m sure she remembers the last time we were here and I was sitting in this same spot flirting with a different guy.
“Oh,” she says quietly. “I didn’t realize you were with someone tonight.”
“Yep.” Cooper slides his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. “This is my girlfriend, Caroline.”
And there it is: the first time he’s introduced me to anyone as his girlfriend and not just his best friend.
I wait for the surge of Well, this is weird to hit me, but it never comes.
It just feels natural.
That’s how it is with him. Easy.
Almost like we don’t have to try at all. We just ebb and flow together.
All my insecurities about Shayla dissipate as Cooper’s eyes shine down at me with affection.
Cooper’s past is his past, just like mine is mine. And none of it matters because nothing has ever felt this good before.
How could I have missed out on this feeling for so long?
“Well, in that case…” She slides her hand over the bar toward me, giving me a genuine smile. “Hey, Caroline. I’m Shayla. I work pretty much every Friday night and have been slinging drinks your guy’s way for way too long now. He’s mentioned you several times. It’s nice to officially put a face with the name.”
“Hi.” I give her hand a shake. “It’s great to meet you. I just hope he hasn’t told too many embarrassing stories.”
“None I’ll ever repeat.” She winks, then taps the bar. “I’ll be right back with those drinks.”
She hurries down the bar, and I turn toward Cooper.
“So,” I say.
“So,” he mocks.
“I take it you have a thing for blondes?”
He grins, like he knew I was going to say something about the girl he’s obviously slept with before.
“Just one,” he tells me. I lift a brow, and he shrugs. “She was brunette then.”
I shake my head, grinning at him. “You’re hopeless.”
He leans down, pressing a kiss against my shoulder. “Ly devoted to you, babe.”
“Here you go.” Shayla slides our drinks across the bar. “I put it on Eli’s tab. Paul said that’s where all your drinks are going tonight.”
She shoots us another smile before taking back off in the other direction.
“Are you guys really going to saddle Eli with the whole tab tonight?”
“Yep,” Cooper says, taking a sip of his drink. “That asshole ruined over twenty hours of work this week all because he didn’t back his crap up. We’re pissed.”
“Then why’d you invite him to drinks tonight?”
“So he could pay.”
I laugh. “In that case, I may have more than one.”
“That’s my girl.”
He clinks his glass to mine, and I take a hefty drink from my cocktail, the alcohol burning my throat on the way down.
Damn, Shayla must be making these things doubles because I instantly feel the booze go to my head.
We lean against the bar, looking out at the crowd.
We’re quiet, and it’s nice that we don’t have to fill the silence with meaningless chitchat. We’re comfortable, and comfortable is nice.
“All right, ladies and gents and all non-binary folks!” someone says from the stage. “This is your final warning. We’re starting our karaoke hour in ten minutes.” They hold their hand over their eyes, scanning the room. “Who’s going to be our first victim?”
“Right here!” Cooper shouts, pointing to me. A few heads turn our way, their stares burning holes through me. “This one! She wants to!”
“Cooper Bennett!” I try to hide behind him, but he’s too big to move. “Stop it!”
“Come on, Care. Don’t be shy. You have a great voice.”
“I have an awful voice. You’re always yelling at me when I sing in the shower.”
“Because it sounds like there are at least three cats in there dying.”
“And you want me to do that here? In public?”
“Yes. It’ll be hilarious. Live a little.”
“No, thanks.” I set my drink down, turning for the exit.
He winds his arm around my middle, tugging me back to him, laughing into my ear.
“Nice try,” he says as I wiggle out of his grasp. “You’re not getting away that fast.”
“I’m not singing either.”
“How about this…if you sing, I’ll sing.”
“No.”
“Fine. Will you sing if I sing?”
“That’s the exact same offer.”
He pushes his bottom lip out, batting his dark lashes at me for the second time tonight. “Please, Caroline.”
I shake my head. “Uh-uh. No. You are not going to pull the batty lashes again.”
“Why not? It totally worked last time.”
“If you think your batty lashes are what got me here, you’re wrong.”
“Oh, right.” His lips fall to my ear again. “Do you want me to eat your pussy again? Is that what this is?”
I flush, and this time not from embarrassment.
I squeeze my thighs together, that sweet burn his stubble left behind not letting me forget a moment of him being between them.
I want him again.
Bad.
“Stop,” I hiss. “We’re in public.”
“Then let’s go home.”
“I thought you wanted to come out tonight? Drinking and dancing?”
“I want you more.”
I laugh. “You act like you’re sex-deprived.”
“I am. Horribly so. You should probably suck my cock way more often.”
“Like I said, hopeless.”
“Like I said, hopelessly devoted to you.”
I try not to grin, shaking my head.
Going home to have sex with Cooper—again—sounds amazing, but I also know he really enjoys his nights out, and I don’t want him to give that up for me.