I shrugged. “I just like them.”
“Hmm. So, no particular meaning behind them?”
I sighed and relaxed my head on him, delicate sensations running over my skin as he continued to caress my arm and shoulder. “I got made fun of, a lot, growing up.”
“What? Why?” Cooper asked. I smiled at the protective fierceness to his voice.
“Well, I was a chubby red-head. You figure it out.” I cringed as a wave of anxiety swept over me. I rarely let myself think about my childhood, let alone talk someone though it. “Anyways, I got bullied and teased a lot. I didn’t fit in with anyone. My parents made me try church camps, the drama club, band. You name it, and I was probably a part of it at some point. But none of it really fit me. Eventually, I started hanging out with a rougher crowd. The misfits, I guess. We smoked, drank, got high, and partied together. Nothing too serious, but it became part of my identity. I wasn’t doing it to be rebellious or just to act out. I hung out with those guys because they were the only people who liked me and accepted me. Of course, the perk was that all the other kids were afraid and you didn’t get messed with so much.”
I sighed, letting the memories play through my mind.
“I’m really sorry, Allie,” Cooper said before pressing a kiss to my temple.
“It’s all right. I’m a stronger person for it. Once I got to high school, I worked at a sandwich shop and got enough to buy my first bike. My parents were horrified, but they couldn’t stop me. I was too stubborn.”
“There’s a surprise,” Cooper teased.
“Hey, now,” I said, laughing as I looked up at him.
His gorgeous, dark eyes were staring down into mine and I got lost, wondering what in the world I’d been talking about.
“So, then tattoos are mandatory for bike riding, tough chicks?” he asked.
I laughed. “Yeah, I guess so. They drove my parents crazy, and at the time, that was part of the attraction. I guess I’m like a crazy cat lady or something, just with tattoos. You start with one and pretty soon you have a dozen and people look at you weird.”
It was Cooper’s turn to laugh, and the soft vibrations through his chest soothed me and I nestled into him even closer.
After his laughter faded, we were quiet for a spell.
“What about you?” I asked, my curiosity getting the best of me. “I’ll bet you were the hunky jock that all the girls chased around school.”
He laughed at my assessment. “I guess. My parents sent me to prep school. So it was uniforms and very strict. At the time, I was a little resentful because I wanted to go to a bigger school and play sports and all that but my parents wouldn’t let me. My dad started this company when he was young, and it was just this expectation that someday I would take over for him. So, to them, getting a good education was more important than sports and girls.”
I nodded, slightly surprised by his answer.
“I thought I was in love once,” I said, my voice low. “But, it wasn’t love. Love is for suckers.”
“Hmm.” Cooper tightened his grip on me but didn’t argue my point.
The adrenaline rush from chasing down the virus was crashing hard and I felt myself drifting in and out of consciousness as I lay in his arms.
“Allie?”
The sound of my name roused me and I opened my eyes, startled by the brightness around me, and equally as freaked out by the feeling of another body pressed against me. I sat up and jerked around, realizing Cooper and I’d fallen asleep on the couch in my office.
And judging by the light breaking through my office window, it was already morning.
“Shit!” I said, scrambling off the couch. “What time is it?”
I smoothed my hair back, hoping I didn’t look as disgusting as I felt. My lips and tongue were dry and scratchy and my hair felt all out of place. I didn’t even want to know what my makeup looked like after my face had been stuck to the leather couch all night long.
Cooper laughed softly. “Come here.” He reached out an arm, trying to lure me back to the couch. I resisted his invitation and crossed the room so I could search my desk for my phone.
It was six a.m.
I groaned. “Cooper, how did this happen?”
He patted the couch. “Come here. It’s okay.”