“Unfortunately, the heads of my figures wouldn’t work, so I tried to put the doll heads back on and…” He grimaced. “You remember Ginger?”
The yappy poodle he’d had for years before she passed away right before high school? Of course, I remembered Ginger. She was cute. “Are you trying to tell me your dog ate my dolls?”
“Well…yeah.” He gave me a hopeful look. “She was fast, and she stole them when I went to get gummy worms.”
“You doll slayer.”
He grinned. “Technically, I’m a doll decapitator. Ginger took the bodies.”
“No body, no crime?” I asked, and he grinned.
“Something like that. But I’ll get you two new Barbies. I promise.” He slid his hands back against my hips. “Just don’t throw me over for second grade me’s vain attempt to do something cool for you.”
Snickering, I touched a finger to his nose. “If I can get over you stealing my ice cream, I think we can survive the doll-pocalypse.”
“I didn’t steal your ice cream.” He danced his fingers along my sides, tickling as he rolled me over onto my back, and I squirmed to get away even as I laughed.
He let up when I swatted him. “You know…that’s what got us into all of this.”
“The doll-pocalypse?” He blinked at me, and some of the hair fell down over his eyes. He hadn’t had a haircut in a while, and the sandy-blond cut comically down to give the illusion that he only had one eyebrow lifted.
“No, dork. You tickling me.” My breath still came in little wheezing puffs, and he frowned for a beat and then began to grin.
“Hey, you’re right. Then I messed up your shirt.” He hung his head a little and rained little kisses all over my face. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not.”
Hovering over me, he tilted his head. “No?”
“Nope. Because if you hadn’t made me mad, and we hadn’t had that fight. Then the guys being here…I might have never unloaded why I was upset.” That would have sucked.
Granted, the last few weeks hadn’t been easy. Not even by any vivid stretch of the imagination. As bad as they’d been in places, I didn’t regret them. They’d have been so much worse without the guys.
So. Much. Worse.
“You know,” Coop said slowly. “I’m not going to disagree with that.” Then he rubbed his nose to mine gently. “I’m not sorry anymore.”
I grinned and combed my fingers through his hair. “It’s your turn,” I reminded him.
“Truth or dare?” he whispered.
Running my tongue along my lower lip, I had to know. “You really want me to say dare, don’t you?”
He chuckled. “I’m good with either, Frankie. Both are fun—even if someone asks questions about elementary school.”
I laughed. “Well, I did one dare, so I’m going with truth this time.” There.
“Ah, revenge for my avoiding a dare, I see how you are.” He nipped a kiss to my chin, then another along my jaw, before he reached my ear. The soft tug of his lips and the gentle scrape of his teeth sent need sizzling through my system all over again. I wiggled a little to get my legs apart so he was more cradled between them.
He stilled until I stopped moving, and then he whispered, “Is there any part of your body that’s off-limits?”
Surprise flickered through me. That was kind of a weird question.
“Um…” I shook my head. “Nope. I don’t think so.”
“Really?” His smile grew more delighted, and I raised my brows.
“Why?”