Bliss (Entangled Hearts Duet 2)

“Limited, but I can tell you with Hunter—” She winces. “Never mind.”

“No. Tell me. I need to hear it.” I don’t want to hear it, but I need to. Hearing her talk about the two of them will only fuel me to fight harder. A reminder of what I have and what I could have lost.

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is how we do this.”

“We start by you confirming that you’re my girlfriend.” I’m not a fool. I’m locking this shit down now. I don’t want her to have any confusion or insecurities moving forward. “We said exclusive,” I remind her.

“But that’s dating exclusively. Do we have to label it?”

“Yes.”

“Cooper, we said we were going to take our time.”

“We will.” I’m quick to assure her.

“No labels, not yet. I don’t think jumping in headfirst is a good idea.”

The look in her eyes tells me she’s still carrying a load of worry on her shoulders. I want to argue with her, but pushing her away again is something I said I would never do, even from something like this. I can give her some time to get her head wrapped around the idea. Then I’m not going to take no for an answer. By then, she will see what she means to me. I won’t stop until she does.

“For now,” I concede. “We won’t label it for now.”

“Good.” She holds her hand over her mouth to cover her yawn.

“I’m sure you’re exhausted from traveling and then the drive here from your parents’ place. You ready for bed?” I ask.

“Yes.” She stands from the couch, leaving the pillow she’s been clutching behind. “Where are you staying?”

“Here.”

“You can’t stay here, Cooper.”

“Just tonight. It’s late, and I just need to be here with you. I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.” I wink as I stand and stretch my arms over my head. “Reese,” I say when her eyes travel to my waist where my shirt has ridden up.

“Tonight,” she agrees. I bite down on my lip to fight the grin at this small victory. “I’ll grab some blankets.” She turns and walks away and takes my glee with her. At least I’m still here with her. I might not be in her bed, but I’m in her home. Small steps to get to the ultimate reward.

Reese.

“The spare room is still empty from when Tess moved out. I’ll take the couch. You’re too tall. You won’t get any sleep.”

“Nope. This is perfect.” I take the blankets and pillow from her and lean over to kiss her cheek. “Night, baby,” I whisper.

“Night, Coop.”

She hesitates before turning to make her way to her room. I watch her until she disappears down the hall. I’m not looking forward to a night on the couch, but it’s a small concession to be here with her. I’ve lived the last year without her. I don’t want to do that ever again. I have three months before training camp. It’s time to show the woman I love what she means to me.Chapter 8ReeseI’m wide awake, staring into the darkness of my bedroom. I’ve been lying here for well over an hour, unable to fall asleep. How can I when I know Cooper is in the other room? Any other time he’d be sleeping next to me. When my bedroom door opens, I quickly shut my eyes. He’s quiet as a mouse as he steps into my room. I lie still, waiting to see what he does. He makes his way around the bed, something he’s used to. He stayed here a lot back in college.

I feel the bed dip with his weight as he climbs in beside me. I’m frozen as I feel his body move close to mine. He wraps his strong arms around me and sighs at the same time as I take a deep breath. “I just need to hold you. I can’t stand the thought of you sleeping in here without me.” His voice is low and deep as he whispers in my ear.

I don’t say a word as I savor the feeling of being in his arms. This is more than just a friend cuddling with a friend, something we did a lot in college. Looking back, I realize that’s not really what friends do.

“I love you so damn much, Reese.” His voice cracks and I bite my lip to fight my own emotions. “I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to realize what was right in front of me.” He’s quiet for several long minutes. “I want to build a life with you. I can’t think of anything better than spending my life with my best friend. I know you want to go slow, and I promise you I will try to respect that.” Another long pause. “I want this moment, this very thing every night. I want to fall asleep with you in my arms and wake up to see those big green eyes. You are what I want, Reese.”