“Yeah.”
Coop did that, he could take the sting out of the rage.
“I do.”
“So, do I get a verdict on whether Jake should kick his ass?”
“They’re already bruised up enough, don’t you think?”
With a shrug, Coop said, “It’s Jake, what do you think?”
I thought if Jake heard me be this upset, he’d have already gone to kick Ian’s ass. “He didn’t hear, did he?”
“Bubba was still breathing, so I’m going to take that as a firm no, he didn’t hear.”
“Then let’s keep it that way.”
“You got it.” Tapping the tip of my nose gently, he said, “Can I make you smile, beautiful?”
The corners of my lips curved. “You already did.”
“Then hold onto that and to me. Okay?”
“I think I can do that.”
“Now, I’m going to smudge the lipstick.” He dipped his head.
“It’s okay,” I breathed as his lips were a centimeter from mine. “She promised it was smudge-proof.”
The kiss sent tingles cascading through the unsettled chaos of emotions rioting through me. Gripping his shoulders, I dug my fingers in and held. The lick of his tongue against mine grounded me, even as it lit me up again. We were both panting when he finally lifted his head.
“Well,” he murmured, tilting his head. “Definitely smudge-proof. Good to know.”
The wry remark punctured the tension, and I chuckled as he looped an arm around me and we headed back to the apartment. Ian stood by the back door, hands in his pockets staring at us.
His pained expression cut at me, but I lifted my chin.
“Go on inside,” Coop murmured against my ear. “I’ll take care of this.” Did it make me a chicken that I would rather Coop dealt with it? I didn’t want to fight, but I also didn’t want Ian yanking my heartstrings around.
“Thanks.”
Ian stood aside for me and as I closed the door, Coop said, “Dude, rule number two, let’s back it up, okay?”
“We aren’t there yet, and it just kind of…popped out.”
Great, he really hadn’t even meant it. I shut the door firmly and headed for my room. Jake stood in the living room, dress pants, dark shirt, dark vest and a red tie that would match my dress. No jacket.
Holy hell.
He looked…
“Wow.”
He grinned as he glanced at me. Some of his hair tumbled over his forehead. It wasn’t quite combed, more rakish than normal. The faint bruises added to the effect. At the same time, he was gorgeous.
“You look amazing.”
“Baby girl, all for you.”