Bliss by Kaylee Ryan Page 0,24
she can’t accept my word. I’ve never lied to her before. We’ve wanted this for so long. For us to be together like I’m offering. Her fear… it comes from having everything she’s ever wanted, and then it being stripped away from her. I know that I crushed her. Now I just have to prove to her that will never happen again. Prove to her that my love for her is real.
“Good.” I lean in and kiss the corner of her mouth.
“We just said slow,” she reminds me.
“What? Slow means no kissing?”
“Do you usually kiss on the first date?”
“My first date experience is limited at best. Yours?”
“Limited, but I can tell you with Hunter—” She winces. “Never mind.”
“No. Tell me. I need to hear it.” I don’t want to hear it, but I need to. Hearing her talk about the two of them will only fuel me to fight harder. A reminder of what I have and what I could have lost.
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is how we do this.”
“We start by you confirming that you’re my girlfriend.” I’m not a fool. I’m locking this shit down now. I don’t want her to have any confusion or insecurities moving forward. “We said exclusive,” I remind her.
“But that’s dating exclusively. Do we have to label it?”
“Yes.”
“Cooper, we said we were going to take our time.”
“We will.” I’m quick to assure her.
“No labels, not yet. I don’t think jumping in headfirst is a good idea.”
The look in her eyes tells me she’s still carrying a load of worry on her shoulders. I want to argue with her, but pushing her away again is something I said I would never do, even from something like this. I can give her some time to get her head wrapped around the idea. Then I’m not going to take no for an answer. By then, she will see what she means to me. I won’t stop until she does.
“For now,” I concede. “We won’t label it for now.”
“Good.” She holds her hand over her mouth to cover her yawn.
“I’m sure you’re exhausted from traveling and then the drive here from your parents’ place. You ready for bed?” I ask.
“Yes.” She stands from the couch, leaving the pillow she’s been clutching behind. “Where are you staying?”
“Here.”
“You can’t stay here, Cooper.”
“Just tonight. It’s late, and I just need to be here with you. I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.” I wink as I stand and stretch my arms over my head. “Reese,” I say when her eyes travel to my waist where my shirt has ridden up.
“Tonight,” she agrees. I bite down on my lip to fight the grin at this small victory. “I’ll grab some blankets.” She turns and walks away and takes my glee with her. At least I’m still here with her. I might not be in her bed, but I’m in her home. Small steps to get to the ultimate reward.
Reese.
“The spare room is still empty from when Tess moved out. I’ll take the couch. You’re too tall. You won’t get any sleep.”
“Nope. This is perfect.” I take the blankets and pillow from her and lean over to kiss her cheek. “Night, baby,” I whisper.
“Night, Coop.”
She hesitates before turning to make her way to her room. I watch her until she disappears down the hall. I’m not looking forward to a night on the couch, but it’s a small concession to be here with her. I’ve lived the last year without her. I don’t want to do that ever again. I have three months before training camp. It’s time to show the woman I love what she means to me.
Chapter 8
Reese
I’m wide awake, staring into the darkness of my bedroom. I’ve been lying here for well over an hour, unable to fall asleep. How can I when I know Cooper is in the other room? Any other time he’d be sleeping next to me. When my bedroom door opens, I quickly shut my eyes. He’s quiet as a mouse as he steps into my room. I lie still, waiting to see what he does. He makes his way around the bed, something he’s used to. He stayed here a lot back in college.
I feel the bed dip with his weight as he climbs in beside me. I’m frozen as I feel his body move close to mine. He wraps his strong arms around me and sighs at the same time as I take a deep breath. “I just need to hold