Bliss (Entangled Hearts Duet 2)

Slowly, I make my way toward him. He drops his arms to his sides, and as soon as I’m within reaching distance, he snakes an arm around my waist and pulls me into his chest. His face is buried in my neck, and his grip is tight. No matter how hard I try, I can’t resist wrapping my arms around him and hugging him back.

“I missed you,” he says softly.

I pull out of his hold and realize we’re causing a scene. He might have thought pulling the hat down low was a big enough disguise, but he was wrong. People are watching with their phones pointed our way. “We’re being watched,” I say under my breath.

“I don’t care. Let them look.”

“Cooper, people are going to talk.”

“I don’t care.”

“You don’t need a scandal,” I remind him.

“How is this a scandal? I’m picking the woman I love up at the airport. They can kiss my ass if they don’t like it. There is no scandal here.”

“Until they find out what I did.”

“What did you do?”

“The wedding.”

“You didn’t break the law, Reese.”

“I know that. It was a week ago. I still need to apologize to Hunter.”

Something flashes in his eyes when I mention Hunter. “I’m not hiding, Reese. I told you that.”

“Fine, can we please get out of here?” I keep my eyes on him, not willing to make eye contact with anyone else. I can feel the stares as more and more people begin to take notice.

“That I can do.” He laces his fingers through mine, and together, hand in hand, we make our way through the airport. Pointing fingers, and even more cell phones, are aimed in our direction. They don’t know about the wedding, but it’s only going to take one nosey reporter to do some digging to figure it out. I need to call Hunter before that happens.

We reach Cooper’s Truck, and he opens the door for me. “Nice ride,” I tell him.

“Thank you.” He waits for me to be buckled in before closing the door and racing around to the other side. Once he’s in, he leans on the center console, his eyes on me. “You know why I like this truck?”

“I’m going to take a wild guess and say it’s not gas mileage.”

He leans in close. “The tinted windows,” he says before pressing his lips to mine.

I try to fight it. I hold still for as long as I can, but when his tongue swipes across my bottom lip, I know I’m in trouble. I kiss him back for the briefest amount of time before coming to my senses and pulling away.

“I missed you,” he says again, his eyes hooded.

“We should go.” I shift in my seat to face forward.

“Where are we headed? Your house or your parents’?”

Here goes. “My place. But I can drive. My car is at Mom and Dad’s. If you can just drop me off there.”

“I’ll drive you.”

“Then I won’t have my car.”

“You can use my truck.”

“How long are you planning on staying?”

“I don’t have to report to training camp until the end of July.”

My mouth falls open. “You’re staying here until then?”

“Yep.”

“You can’t do that.”

“Yes, I can. I have a couple of prior engagements with the team, but I won’t be gone longer than a day or two. Maybe you can go with me. I can finally show you my place.”

“Where are you staying?”

“With you.”

“Cooper. We can’t do this. We can’t jump into this like we’ve been dating for years.”

“We kind of have.”

“No. We were best friends. There is so much we need to talk about. You can’t stay with me, Coop.”

“I’ll rent a place or stay in a hotel. I’ll figure it out. All I know is that I’m not leaving Columbus. I want as much time with you as I can get.”

“We need to talk.”

“We will.”

“I want my car.”

“Okay.” He nods, not taking his eyes off the road. “I’ll take you to your parents’ to get your car.”

“Thank you.” That was easier than I thought it would be. Cooper is stubborn as hell, and I know how he gets once he sets his mind on something. Impossible pretty much sums it up.

He reaches over and laces his fingers through mine. “How was your trip?” he asks again, keeping his eyes on the road.

I stare down at our joined hands. I know I should let go, tell him that this is too much too soon, but maybe I can bask in his touch just this time, during the drive to my parents’. I’ve missed him. Not just since I’ve been in Mexico, but this past year and before, if I’m honest. That night he pushed me away, created a divide. I know I’m just as much to blame for not being truthful. Maybe all of this could have been avoided.

“Reese?” he asks, glancing over.