“I was not!” I yell, throwing snow at him.
“Cooper crawls closer to me, and my breath stops.
I think my heart does too.
He comes to a stop right in front of me, his lips only inches from mine. “What if I liked a little bit of jealousy?” he asks, his warm breath on my cheek.
“I think that makes you a bit of a loser,” I whisper, my eyes flickering down, willing him to kiss me.
His tongue darts out to lick his lips, his eyes never leaving mine. “What if I told you all I want to do is kiss you, Amara?”
“Then I’d tell you to do it already.”
His lips feel like a warm pillow; the kiss is more of a shock to my system than any fire on a snowy day.
Happiness runs through me like a rip current, pulling me under in seconds and out to sea, and all of a sudden, I’m drowning in Cooper Henry. Utterly gone for a boy I’ve spent most of my life loving.
He rolls over, grabbing the side of my face to angle me into a deeper kiss, his tongue trailing a hot trail over my lips.
I let him in.
For what felt like hours, all we did was kiss. In our own little bubble, in our own little piece of happiness. At least for now, on this snowy beach, there’s no one else but us.
And when I get home that night, my back against my bedroom door as I place my fingers where his lips kissed mine, I can’t help but dance in the glow of my alarm clock, happiness flowing from every inch of me.
CHAPTER 24
COOPER
Watching Amara get jealous has been a favorite pastime of mine my whole life, and there’s something thrilling about knowing that the jealousy is still there.
It would have been devastating if it weren’t.
I didn’t talk to this girl willingly. She came up to me, and Ididwant out. But if Amara had stayed away, or had not cared at all, I think I’d shatter.
I’d know that there’s no hope at all for us.
But it’s in there.
“I just think you could be honest with me,” I tease as I kick off my shoes, undoing the buttons on my dress shirt.
I watch as Amara wobbles, grabbing the wall as she attempts to take off her heels. Leaning against the counter, I cross my arms, enjoying the entertainment.
She gives up with a huff.
Instead, she watches me as she rounds the couch, dropping into it like a rock.
She holds up her leg. “Are you going to help or not?” she groans.
Fuck.
I’m not sober enough to process this.
Closing my eyes, I take a second to give my body a little pep talk on the importance of behaving and not gettingtoo excitedbefore I find myself standing in front of her.
I grab her calf, undoing the ties around her ankle before slowly taking the shoe off her foot and dropping it to the ground with a thud.
I was expecting her to say something sassy. Maybe call me out. But what I was not expecting her to do is moan.
