His voice is deep and rumbles through his chest. I know because I am pressed close enough to feel it move with every word he says. It's why I don't realize he’s taking me back to the house and to a small patio set off to the side of it before my feet hit the stone.
"I was actually waiting for someone to come pick me up." I half point, half flail towards the parking lot and my escape.
"Don't leave now. It's not even midnight. You have to stay for the very popular midnight dance."
I try not to roll my eyes and instead keep them on the road. When he touches my mouth, I finally give him my full attention and pull away. He's not put off at all and keeps going for me. He has something akin to a baby wipe in his hand and tries to wipe my face off. My hands fly to his wrists to stop him and man, are his wrists thick and strong.
"Don't," he brings his other hand up so that he can hold my face so he can continue, "The least I can do is get the stuff off you. It is kind of my fault that it's there."
At the mention of the kiss, I remember why I was out here trying to go home in the first place. The reminder has my hand dropping away from him and trying to distance myself. The last thing I need tonight is to get into a fight with some woman when she thinks I am trying to steal her boyfriend.
"Isn't your girlfriend mad that you kissed another girl?" As soon as the words leave my mouth, I want to yank them back in. Fuck, I don't want to hear about how she is understanding and how they have an open relationship. Both things I have heard before while on first dates - first and only dates I might add. "Not that it's any of my business. I just want to wait out here for my ride to come."
His eyebrows pull in and he gives me the first frown I've seen him have tonight. "I don't have a girlfriend."
"So that hot blonde you came with is what? Just a friend?" He's stopped trying to be all sweet and nice to me now that I've called him out. Guess getting the evidence off my face isn't as important as it was a second ago.
It takes him a minute before realization finally dawns that I saw him with her and then his face scrunches up and he starts laughing, "That's my sister. Eww. Even thinking about her being described as hot is gross. Although she’ll love you forever for saying it."
I feel like a fool. I really shouldn't try to socialize. It never ends well for me. He goes back to wiping off the stuff that was in his mouth when we kissed. It's sweet and a little sticky. I had forgotten it was even on me until he started cleaning it off.
"I'm Cooper by the way."
So a guy named Cooper has my first kiss. At least I know his name now.
Chapter Four
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Saffie
"I'm Saffie." I roll my eyes, "Seraphina, but everyone calls me Saffie." Everyone being Christy since she’s the only person I really hang out with.
A series of loud pops erupts behind me and before I can process what’s happening, I’m on the ground with Cooper and he has us rolled into the shadows of the house. Another bang echoes and I think, not that I've heard a lot of them before but, they were gunshots.
"Is this another prank?" I don't care if they are trying to fuck with me again. I have a grip on Cooper's shirt and I'm not letting go until someone jumps out and lets us in on the joke.
"No, definitely not." His voice is strained.
I didn't think I would be lying with a guy on top of me tonight when Christy dressed me, so my skirt is up around my waist and my boobs are in serious danger of spilling out. What's worse is when we fell and rolled Cooper wound up between my legs so he's not only over me but he's in a position no other guy has ever been in with me.
"Stay put." His voice leaks authority but he's stupid if he thinks I am waiting out in the dark for someone to come running out with a gun. He pulls back like he is getting ready to bounce up and take off.
"What?!" he's actually going to leave me. "Don't leave me!" I curl my fingers into his shirt tighter and squeeze my knees together like I can hold him to me.
He groans before grunting out, "I'm not leaving you angel but there is no way in hell I am taking you in there when I don't know what’s going on. Just stay here and I'll be back for you. I promise." He helps me up and pushes me further into the shadows. I can see him reach for something and the next thing I know he has a gun in his hand. What the fuck did I just step into?
He must see the look on my face even in the dim light because he checks the weapon while talking to me. "I'm a cop. Seriously. Just stay here and don't move. I will be back for you." He pulls me close to him and kisses me again. This kiss isn't like the one we shared when he was pretending to be hurt. This one is something more. Possessive, and confident, this kiss is a promise in itself. This is not a light-hearted kiss from a guy who is laid back and easy-going. This is the kiss of a man in charge.
And then he's gone, leaving me in the dark. It probably only takes a couple of minutes but those minutes feel like hours when you're the one waiting outside to find out what is going on inside. I'm so jumpy that when he comes back, he has to slap his hand over my mouth so I won't be heard when I scream. He looks at me with those glittering eyes and puts his finger up to his lips. A light flicks on and light spills out onto the patio but it doesn't hit everywhere. Cooper pulls me a little further into the grass and to the side of the house. I don't even have to worry about the soft ground because he's lifted me off the ground and carried me where he wants me.
"Three armed men, no one is dead and there don’t appear to be any injuries. They seem to be taking turns, one of them will watch the people while the other one looks for something. I have no fucking idea what but he was tearing through the library when I happened upon him. Do you have your phone on you?"
I shake my head and reach down but I have a dress on and didn't have anywhere to put a cellphone so it's still in Christy's car - her locked car. I look up at him and shake my head no.
"Fuck, I don't either. It's ok. We're going to make it to the parking lot and head for the black jeep. We'll use mine to call for backup. Come on."
He takes me by the wrist but I stop him, "Oh wait," I bend down and undo the clasp on my shoes and step out of them. Not only can I not run in them if I need to, but they make a lot of noise on the pavement. After I take them off, he looks at me again with that same thing that was in his kiss -possession, like I belong to him. Like he's just now realizing what does belong to him and he likes it. But he doesn't say a word just leads me to the back parking lot so maybe I'm seeing something that’s not there.