This wasn’t the time to go wandering down lusty lane, I reminded myself.
“Where are we going?” Cooper yelled, the wind whipping his words away.
I didn’t answer. He would see as soon as I took the next turn. He’d been to my apartment a few times, well enough to know the general area.
If we were going to have this out, I wanted it to be on my turf. It was probably going to be long, drawn out and unpleasant and I didn’t want to be the one meandering around in public, trying to find a ride home, with tears streaming down my face.
At the thought, my guts twisted and a sense of impending doom settled over me.
I was really going to do it.
I was going to end things with Cooper.
I trained my eyes on the road in front of me and ratcheted the speed up another five miles per hour.
“Allison!”
I ignored him and bumped up another five.
Eventually, I had to slow as I neared the apartment complex and got off the freeway. I pulled into the lot and immediately jumped off the bike.
Cooper got off and frustratingly, he looked unfazed. His suit barely looked ruffled as he removed his helmet and set it down on the seat of the bike next to mine.
Whatever.
“Why are we at your apartment?” he asked, crossing his arms as he waited for my answer.
“I told you, I’m done with Brighton Enterprises. I told you I was going home. You’re the one who insisted on going with me, so…” I waved up at the building. “Here we are.”
“Fine. It’s not ideal, but fine. Can we go upstairs?”
I sighed with a dramatic flair and stomped up the stairs.
“All right. You insisted on this, so what do you want to say?” Once we were both inside my apartment, we squared off in the tiny kitchen. Our anger and pent-up frustration was palpable in the small space. I wanted to open a window or door in hopes of releasing some of it, but didn’t dare move. It was like encountering a bear in the wild. Small movements, don’t run like crazy or they’ll take you down. I knew I was no match for Cooper’s size, but I liked to think I could match him toe to toe in the attitude and bravado department.
“You’re not leaving Brighton Enterprises.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “Yes, I am. I don’t want to be under your thumb anymore and you can’t seem to help yourself from taking over my entire life whenever you want. It’s ridiculous. I gave you the information you needed, the job is done.”
“What is this really all about?” he asked.
“That is what it’s about, Cooper. You plotted this whole relationship, or whatever it is, from the beginning. I’m still trying to figure out how we met.”
“We met at Spotlight.”
“Tell me the truth,” I demanded.
He considered me for a moment, as if debating whether or not to give in to me. Finally, he sighed and uncrossed his arms and braced himself against my dining table.
“We really did meet at Spotlight, but before that, I saw you at the coffee shop where you used to work. I wasn’t a customer, I never met you. I was walking by one Saturday morning and saw you getting the shop ready for business. I stopped and watched you for a while and…”
He looked down and my heart jerked. I bit my lip to keep from prodding him into continuing. I was both anxious and terrified for whatever his next confession was about to be.
He lifted his eyes back to mine. “Allie, I swear to God, I fell in love with you right there. I can remember it like it was this morning. The way you looked, what you were wearing, the way your hair was falling across your face as you raced around. You were, and still are, the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life and something about you fills up a hole inside of me that’s been open and aching for a long time.”
I couldn’t breathe. My throat filled with emotion and my eyes were instantly wet with tears at his beautiful words and the look in his eyes. They were still dark but there was something behind them I hadn’t seen before, a certain raw edging.
“Say something,” he said.