Cooper's Charm by Lori Foster

Author:Lori Foster [Foster, Lori]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: 2018-05-28T17:47:43+00:00

10

Hoping the evening wouldn’t end yet, Phoenix listened in as Cooper called Daron to see if he needed to come get Sugar. To her relief, Daron assured him they were fine. In fact, he and the dog were with Maris at her shop. They’d just taken the dog for a walk and were now settling in for a snack.

Cooper played it cool, but he grinned at Phoenix while thanking Daron.

After he disconnected, he said, “That’s an interesting turn of events.”

She shook her head. “Maris pretends to dislike Daron, but I think that’s just a front.”

“Meaning?”

“She’s super committed to her business and future, and Daron is...” The right word eluded her.

“A knucklehead?”

She laughed. “You know he’s not, not really, but most of the time he’s the opposite of serious.”

“True enough.” Cooper stepped closer. “Since we have some time left, you want to watch a movie?”

Teasing, she said, “Depends on the movie.”

“We’ll find something.” His gaze moved over her, lingering on her boobs. Typical man. “I have some ice cream if you’re ready for dessert.”

Leaning forward, Phoenix took a soft love bite of his chest. “Mmm, dessert.”

“Keep that up, and we won’t make it out of the room.” He snatched up his T-shirt and dropped it over her head, then stepped into his boxers. “I don’t want to cover you up, but I’m not into torture, either.”

Loving his playful mood and all the compliments, she laughed. “Ice cream sounds great.” By silent agreement, they moved to the living room. While he fetched the ice cream, she explored the space.

A big couch and two chairs faced a large television. Sports magazines littered an end table. A bookcase filled with biographies, mysteries and crime novels drew her.

On the first shelf, between a stack of books on the left and a row on the right, was another photo of Cooper’s wife, this one of her in jeans and a T-shirt, her hair windblown, her feet bare.

She’d just moved away to peruse his magazines when he returned.

“Sorry it’s a little messy,” he said, bowls of ice cream in hand.

“Actually, it’s really nice. You’ve set it up for your comfort, and that makes others comfortable, too.”

“Good.” He sat on the couch, patting the cushion beside him. “Come here.”

She settled beside him, half lounged against him, her feet up beside her. Cooper kept one arm around her, his feet crossed on the coffee table.

She accepted the bowl from him, agog at the massive scoop of chocolate ice cream.

“Did you ever want a house?”

The question caused a pang of remorse. To give herself a minute to think, she shoveled in a bite, waiting while the ice cream melted on her tongue. Should she be brutally honest with him?

What would he think of her once he knew?

“Phoenix?”

There was that perception again. She put the spoon in the bowl, but didn’t look up. “I had a house. Or rather, my fiancé bought a house for us. I helped to pick it, but after the...” Most people called it a robbery, but it had been so much more than that.

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