3
Cooper couldn’t pronounce half of what they’d eaten. That hadn’t kept him from enjoying every tiny, fussy dish. Even better had been watching Andi’s eyes light up at the colorful, edible arrangements. She’d licked fancy sauces off her fork, moaning softly as she savored the rich flavors that were presented to them throughout the multi-course meal, which lasted for hours.
Funny enough, he felt like he might be getting hungrier instead of more full as he, Reed, and Simon watched her eat. By the time they got to dessert, he wasn’t sure how he was going to survive the drive home without having a nibble or two of Andi. If he thought it would work, he’d bribe the waiter into sending them off with a bottle of the gourmet chocolate syrup drizzled over their raspberry cake so that they could finish the night properly.
Four fucking hours in the car while his dick was as hard as one of the bazillion forks they’d used. He might need to jack off in the backseat to survive it.
Especially after he spent another five minutes watching Andi relish every last morsel on her gold-edged plate. He couldn’t stop gawking at her lips.
She must have noticed because she spent extra time licking them clean of the smudges of chocolate in the corners before turning to him with a wicked grin.
Andi was teasing him? Oh no.
He couldn’t take anymore and still act like he had manners.
“Are you ready to hit the road?” Cooper asked. They all knew what he really meant. It was a long drive and they were all horny as fuck. The sooner they left, the sooner they could be home in Andi’s bed, enjoying the rest of their night.
“Would you mind walking me to the restroom first?” Andi asked, with a light touch on his forearm.
He winced, remembering a time when she would have gone on her own without a second thought. It thrilled him that she trusted him implicitly to protect her. Still, it bugged him that even now, in a swanky place like this, she didn’t feel entirely secure.
“Of course I don’t mind.” He stood and held out his hand to her.
She took it, placing her fingers over his as Reed got up and pulled her chair out for her.
“Simon and I will go get the car and pull around front so she doesn’t have to walk as far in those shoes.” Reed scanned from Andi’s face down the elegant little dress she wore, past her stockings to the killer heels she’d unearthed from the back of her closet.
She’d been holding out on them, damn.
Cooper extended his arm, sighing when she put her hand in the crook of his elbow. He would have been lying if he hadn’t admitted the pride he felt with a woman like her walking beside him. Not only because of the indecent things those shoes were doing to her already gorgeous legs, but also because of how brave, smart, and adventurous she was, too.
He was one of the three luckiest men on the face of the planet, and he wanted to make sure she knew it. When she ducked into the ladies’ room, he drew his phone from his pocket and texted Reed and Simon.
Find us a hotel room. Somewhere nice. And close. Really close.
It would be a lot smarter to stay in the city instead of making the trek home. Now that Simon had a real job, Reed’s company was getting off the ground, he’d taken on a paid internship at a law firm in Cunningham, and they were still saving money by living together, they could swing a few luxuries. A night with Andi in a posh hotel was well worth it.
Cooper leaned against the wall as he waited for a reply from the guys or for Andi to emerge. His ankles crossed, he tried not to get a boner as he thought about what could turn out to be one of the best nights of his life.
So he didn’t recognize the person approaching until they said, “Hey there. Is that you, Cooper?”
“Mr. Schone!” He stood upright and stuck out his hand automatically, shaking his boss’s. “What a coincidence, seeing you here.”
Shit. They’d picked Coeur for a few reasons. Primarily because it had been the place they’d intended to treat Andi to last year, before everything had gone to shit. It hadn’t hurt that it wasn’t anywhere near their current neighborhood, though. After Andi’s attack they’d been very careful about what they disclosed to others.
Their complex relationship wasn’t something they talked openly about outside their house. It seemed better that way, for everyone. Coming here, they hadn’t been too worried about being themselves or who would be watching if they got flirty. If anything, he figured they might bump into an old professor or maybe an underclassman waiting tables.
Not his damn boss.
At least the other guys were already out in the truck.
“Hey, hey. Don’t make me feel old. It’s just Marty out in the wild. And, yeah, I like to bring women here. Impress the panties off them, you know.” Marty wiggled his brows.
Cooper probably should have been disgusted. Before he got too judgey, though, he figured he didn’t have a lot of room to be throwing side-eye since some people would say that’s what he, Reed, and Simon were doing with Andi.
It didn’t feel quite the same, except—you know—guy talk.
“I assume, if you’re hanging out here, that you’re doing a little of the same.” His boss grinned. “I always knew I liked you, kid.”