Agony(Entangled Hearts Duet #1) - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,46
furniture has all been pushed to one side of the room, so it’s not exactly comfortable, but we’re managing.
“Nope. They said they would be home by two. That gives them plenty of time to load the dishwasher and wipe down the counters. Because, let’s be honest, we didn’t exactly make a huge mess.”
“True,” I agree as the front door flies open.
“Ladies, I smell the goods. Where are they?” Hank jets off to the kitchen. “I can’t find them!” he calls out, and we both laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Cooper asks, sitting on my lap.
“Oompf. Get off me, you giant.” He’s not putting all of his weight on me, but still. He wiggles his ass, laughing his head off before he finally stands, pulls me up from the couch, takes my seat, and pulls me onto his lap.
“Better?” he asks, resting his hand on my thigh.
“Much.”
“Hello? Brownies?” Hank asks.
“We made them,” Tessa tells him.
“I can smell them. Where are they?” Hank points over his shoulder to Dustin and Trey. “We all three looked.”
“We hid them,” I say, barely containing my laughter at the look on his face.
“Why would you hide them?” Dustin asks as he literally scratches his head.
“You have kitchen duty.”
“Come on. We just put in two hours at the gym,” Trey moans.
“And we put in two hours of making your damn brownies,” Tessa fires back.
“Hey, you.” Nixon walks in the room, and pretty much mimics what happened between Cooper and me a few minutes earlier; however, he doesn’t squish her before pulling her to stand and then sets her on his lap.
“Where were you?” she asks him, kissing his cheek.
“I moved my truck around back. The guys all moved theirs before we left this morning.”
“Do we need to move?” I ask him.
“No. That’s why we all moved. We want the two of you to be in the driveway. Everyone else can fend for themselves or park on the street,” Cooper speaks up.
I turn my head to look at him. “Thanks, Coop.” He pats my leg where it’s resting on my thigh.
“Go on now.” Tessa waves her hand toward the kitchen. “I can’t eat all those brownies on my own. Nixon will want this shiny new ring back,” she teases.
“No way.” Nixon cuddles her close to his chest.
“What about the two of you?” Dustin whines.
“Our girls baked,” Nixon says with a smirk.
“Thought she wasn’t your girl?” Dustin counters. His gaze is locked on Cooper.
“Best friend is close enough,” Cooper fires back.
“Come on,” Hank grumbles. “The sooner we get this shit over with, the sooner we get the goods.” The three of them amble off to the kitchen.
Tessa looks at me, and we both burst out laughing. “We better go get the goods,” she says in her best Hank impression.
“Agreed.” I turn to look at Cooper. “We hid them in your rooms. Be right back.”
Tessa and I race upstairs and grab our three containers each. Our thought process was each guy could have their own, and then one left over for the party. The guys are already in the living room by the time we make it back downstairs.
“That took like three seconds,” Trey says, holding his hand out.
“Your reward.” I hand him a container.
Tessa gives one to Dustin, Hank, and Nixon. I put one on the table next to the chips on the far wall and hand the other to Cooper.
“Thanks, Reese’s Pieces.” He pulls me back onto his lap, and I go willingly. I’m just a friend, sitting on another friend’s lap. No one has to know that I’m pretending it’s more—that it’s real, and his intentions are just like Nixon’s. A girl can dream.
The party is in full swing, and I’ve lost count of how many times my cup has been filled, and emptied. I said I wasn’t going to drink too much, but watching all the cleat chasers hang all over Cooper made the decision for me. I don’t have the right to be upset or even irritated. He’s not mine. However, I care about him. He’s still my best friend, even if my heart sometimes forgets that’s all he is. I don’t want him to get trapped by some floozie and be stuck with her for the rest of his life. Everyone at CU knows that Cooper, Hank, and Nixon are going to the draft. They all know they’re kickass football players. They also know that comes with fame and fortune.
“Hi, Reese, right?” a masculine voice asks.
Slowly, I turn my head to find a guy standing there