out of his arms, putting much-needed space between us.
Oh hell. What is happening here? What the hell are we doing?
I cover my mouth with my hand, shaking my head.
Then, I run.
“Caroline!” I hear him call after me.
I don’t look back.
I don’t stop running until I’m in the hallway leading to the bathrooms.
Even back here, there are bodies, but at least it’s not as crowded, making it a bit easier to breathe.
And a breath is exactly what I need right now.
I press my back against the wall, the cool touch of the wood just what I need to calm my erratic heartbeat.
I close my eyes, sucking in gulps of air, trying to get a sense of what the hell I was thinking almost letting Cooper kiss me.
Well, technically, I almost kissed him too.
Have I seriously had so much to drink tonight I’m that unaware of what I’m doing?
You wanted him to kiss you.
Another deep breath. A long exhale.
Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Just when I think I have my shit together, I feel him.
My eyes flutter open, and there he stands. Just out of reach. Staring at me with those hungry eyes again.
I brush my tongue over my lips, my mouth suddenly dry.
He tracks the movement with his gaze, swallowing roughly, throat bobbing.
Then, he takes a slow step toward me.
And another.
I don’t move.
Not when he reaches out and slips his fingers over my hips.
Not when he steps closer, fitting himself against me like he’s done it before.
And not even when he leans forward, running his nose along my jawline up to my ear.
He pauses. And we’re back to not moving.
I can feel his chest brushing against mine, can feel how hard his heart is beating. Mine is doing the same.
I don’t know how long we stay like this. How many songs pass, how many bodies move around us. How many times his fingers tighten and loosen on my waist, like he’s fighting with himself to do something or walk away.
I’m fighting too.
Someone jostles us and he’s forced to close that last gap of space between us.
I feel him.
Everywhere.
“Fuck,” I hear him mutter quietly.
It comes out somewhere between a curse and a plea.
I don’t know who moves first, but suddenly our mouths are fused together.
Cooper Bennett is kissing me, and I kiss him back.
I twine my arms around his neck, driving my fingers through his hair, pulling at the ends. Pulling him closer.
His mouth moves against mine like he was made for kissing me. His tongue darts out to slide across the seam of my lips, wasting no time. He pushes inside my mouth, kissing me expertly.
And I guess he is an expert. His experience is much greater than mine has ever been.
Is this seriously what I’ve been missing out on? Kisses like this?
His hands hold my hips tightly, pulling me in. Holding me close like he’s scared if he lets go even just a bit, I’ll run. Scared I’ll come right back down to earth and realize this is the worst idea ever.
Oh shit. What am I doing?
Like he can read my thoughts, Cooper wrenches his mouth from mine, and we both gasp for air.
He peers down at me, eyes hazy and filled with a combination of desire and confusion.
What the hell are we thinking?
We aren’t—that’s the problem.
We’re not thinking. We’re just acting.
And we’re ruining everything.
His brows crease together. His features crumple at the realization of what we just did.
“Caroline…”
I shake my head. “No.”
I shove past him.
This time, he doesn’t follow.
7
Cooper
As soon as I got a grip on myself after the world’s worst moment of weakness, I went in search of Caroline.
I couldn’t find her anywhere.
Not even Shayla had seen her to close out her tab.
Just when I was about to head outside and run down the streets looking for her, my phone buzzed in my pocket.
Caroline: I’m fine. In an Uber.
Caroline: We’ll talk tomorrow.
Except that was three days ago and we still haven’t spoken a word to each other.
I didn’t even bother drinking myself into a stupor after she left the bar. I closed our tab, told the guys good night, and took the long way home.
I don’t know how long I walked out in the cold alone, but no matter how long it was, it wasn’t enough to cool myself off from our kiss.
When I got home, her door was closed.
And it’s stayed that way since.
I got up early Saturday morning to talk with her, but she was already gone, a pot of fresh coffee in the brewer.