“Ahh,” I said. “I’ve been wondering what you wanted for your birthday.”
“I have everything I want right here,” he said, then he gave me another soft kiss before easing his grip and taking a deep breath. “And I really don’t want to let you go, but I have a surprise I want to share with you.”
“You mean that good morning kiss wasn’t a surprise?”
Waggling his eyebrows, Coop asked, “Were you surprised?”
I tilted my head, trying to tamp down the very real lust surging in my veins. The little voice in the back of my head that whispered it wouldn’t be so bad to skip school for once was gaining volume.
“No,” I said softly. “I pretty much knew you were going to start my day off beautifully.”
The red flushing his cheeks charmed me. I slid my hands down to rest against his chest.
“You do make things better for me. Even when I’m not looking for it or expecting it.”
“Glad to hear it,” he whispered. Then he brushed some my hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. “I’m crazy about you, Frankie.”
Excitement and trepidation did a mad dance through my system. Too much. The intensity in his eyes, the fact he was still holding me, and my body’s exceptionally visceral and vocal response to him held me hostage. Too much. “You could have stopped at I’m crazy,” I teased.
Coop laughed. “You’re right,” he teased. “While it might be true,” he continued, moving his hands to my hips. Then he lifted a hand to trace his finger against my lips where I caught it lightly in my teeth, and his pupils flared. It was impossible not to stare at him. “I adore you.”
The soft declaration bowled me over, even if I’d always known Coop cared. Coop, who always put an arm around me. Who curled up with me for years, whether I was reading or we were watching movies. Coop, who always seemed to know when I needed a pick me up or just needed someone to sit there and say it would be all right.
“Then I’m a really lucky girl,” I admitted. “Because you’re pretty cool yourself, Coop Brennen.”
One more kiss, and he pulled away entirely with a groan. “Okay, beautiful, out the door before I abandon my surprise and work on convincing you that today is our senior skip day.”
Oh, he wouldn’t have to work hard at that, but I bit those words back before they could break free. He snagged my backpack and opened the door. When I went for the trash sack, he nudged me over and took that too.
“I can carry stuff,” I told him.
“Absolutely, and when I’m not here, I know you exercise it constantly. But I am here, and I want to do this for you.”
“Fine,” I said with a flounce, and that pulled another laugh from him. I locked up and then followed him out to the parking lot. There was no sign of Archie yet, and I glanced at my watch. That was weird. He was usually here by now.
Coop tossed the bag in the dumpster, then headed toward me and wrapped an arm around my waist. “So,” he said. “About that surprise.”
He guided me over to a car—aLexus—parked next to mine.
“Surprise.”
I stared at it for a beat, then at Coop as he held up a set of keys and hit the auto unlock.
“You got a car?”
He grinned. “I got a car.”
Mind. Blown.
I threw myself at him and gave him a hug. “Oh, I’m so happy for you! Oh my god, Coop. It’s a Lexus. Did your dad finally stop acting like a horse’s ass and do something cool for you?”
“Nope,” he said, still beaming. “Archie did. The guy is a rock star, Frankie, and he got me a car so I’d have wheels to take you out.”
If I’d thought my mind had been blown before, I was stunned now.
“Pretty cool, huh?”
Archie got him a car?