Kiss Me If You Can (22 page)

She cried out and he covered her mouth with his and took her up and over the edge, his hips bucking harder and harder until he came on a low groan, pumping into her again and again, wringing every last drop of her orgasm before his movements finally stilled.

She wasn't sure how long they stood like that, wrapped in each other's arms, trying to catch their breath. Finally, awareness came back to her.

She breathed in deep and smiled. “Coop?”

“Hmm?”

Clearly words were still beyond him.

“Come with me to Australia,” she said, the words shocking her the minute they'd escaped.

I
N SILENCE
, Coop pulled on his pants while Lexie adjusted her dress.

“You have something I need,” she said stiffly from behind him.

He pulled her underwear from his jacket pocket, fingering the soft material before handing the pair back to her.

Her words hung between them. “I don't know what to say.”

She redressed, pulling her panties back on. “Then do what my parents taught me and don't say anything.” Her voice was tight with hurt and disappointment.

Had she really expected him to drop his entire life and head off on one of her journeys? he wondered.

Then again, she wasn't asking about a single vacation and they both knew it. There was too much between them to think she was referring to a one-shot deal. This was a serious commitment issue they were facing here.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to face him. “Lex, I have a job, here. I can't just pick up and take off whenever the whim strikes,” he tried to explain.

“Oh. So your
I love you
came with the expectation that I'd suddenly want to give up everything in my life and settle down?” she asked incredulously.

He set his jaw, seeing stalemate all over this argument.

“It sounds like yours came with the opposite expectation. That I'd pick up and run at a moment's notice.”

Her eyes filled, causing his stomach to cramp.

She forced a cavalier shrug. “To quote you, ‘That's what I do.'And you knew that.”

Yeah, he had.

She wiped at her eyes. “Just like I knew you'd write my grandmother's story, one way or another.”

“And you're okay with that?”

She shook her head. “I still don't know. But I've made my peace with it. Because it's part of who you are. I could see that story lit a fire in you and it would be good for your writing. So, yes, I'm okay with that.”

He blew out a deep breath. “Lexie…”

She fluffed her hair with one hand, but she still looked as though she'd been thoroughly kissed, and more.

“I have to admit I didn't think it through before I
asked you to go with me, but now that I have, it's a good idea. You could write. Free from the draining confines of the news, you could explore the world and see the colors!” Excitement tinged her voice and that pink flush colored her cheeks as she shared her reasons with him. “Imagine what that would do for your creative process.”

Her words excited him. They also scared the crap out of him at the same time.

He raised an eyebrow. “Would the creative process pay the bills?” he asked more defensively than he'd meant to.

“Would it hurt to find out?” she shot back.

His head began to pound. A drink before this damn auction might also be a good idea.

Coop glanced at his watch. He was supposed to check in with the Lancaster Foundation people half an hour before the start of the auction. He was already late.

“Don't let me keep you.” She jerked away. “I'll leave first. I need to stop at the restroom anyway to freshen up.” She headed for the door, storming through it without looking back.

“Well, that went well,” he muttered, feeling like an uncaring ass.

But, really, had she expected him to uproot his entire life just for her?

Why not? He expected her to alter her entire being
to stay home for him. He might not have said as much, but by refusing her outright, he'd implied it.

He didn't have a solution, but he had an auction to emcee. He wondered if Lexie would stick around for the event or take off, leaving him to face this crowd alone. If their fundamental disagreement was anything to go by, it was something he ought to get used to.

 

L
EXIE HEADED DIRECTLY
to the ladies' room. She found herself sitting in the powder room, head in her hands, trying to pull herself together before dealing with the outside world—her grandmother and Sylvia, the crowd in general and, yes, Coop.

For a few brief minutes she had everything she could ever want and then in typical Lexie style, her impulsiveness had destroyed any chances at a future. Of course she wanted Coop to travel with her, but she could have approached him with the idea in a way he could have handled. Instead, she'd ended up alone.

Well, then. Her body still tingling from sex in a coat closet of all things, she stood and glanced in the mirror. “Just great. Look at me,” she muttered, staring at her bare lips and messed-up face.

“Can I offer you some makeup?” Sara strode over.

“I didn't hear you come in.”

The other woman shrugged. “Here I am.”

“Ditto.”

“What happened?” she asked, opening her gold purse and pulling out an array of makeup products.

“Too bad I didn't think to bring any with me. Thanks.” Lexie forced a smile and began repairing the damage both her own tears and Coop's beard had done to her face.

“I'm a good listener,” Sara pushed.

Lexie sighed. “I didn't run away, if that's what you think. In fact, it was just the opposite. I asked Coop to come with me to Australia.” She met the other woman's gaze in the mirror.

Sara let out a slow whistle. “You've got guts.”

“But not many brains. I scared him to death.” She patted concealer beneath her eyes and applied some blush to her cheeks.

“I'll just bet you did. Coop's such a creature of habit it's almost scary. He likes what's comfortable.”

“Then how do you explain his attraction to me?” Lexie asked, choking back threatening tears.

She'd promised herself she'd never let a man hurt her the way Drew had. Well, she'd certainly kept that promise. Falling for Coop had caused her far worse pain than Drew ever could. Because she loved him so much more.

Sara shook her head. “There's no explaining chemistry. I ought to know.”

Curious, Lexie glanced at her. “Sounds like you're talking about one person in particular.”

She shrugged. “We're not discussing me, remember? We're talking about you. And Coop. When I warned you not to hurt him, I never considered the possibility that he might do a number on you. I'm sorry.”

Lexie raised one hand in the air, letting it helplessly drop to the ground. “The course of true love never runs smooth.”

“Is that what this is?” Sara asked.

“It is for me. And Coop said the same thing. Until I blew it.”

Sara's eyes opened wide. “You don't walk away from love. Unless you're in my family,” she said, laughing. “Lexie, what is it you want from life, if you don't mind my asking? I mean where do you see yourself five or even ten years from now?”

She shrugged. “I don't know. I've never looked that far ahead.”

Sara glanced at her watch. “Auction starts soon. I have to go, but can I offer you a suggestion?”

Lexie nodded.

“Think about it. Before it's too late.”

 

C
OOP WAITED A FEW
extra minutes to get himself under control before walking out of the coatroom. He stopped in the men's room before checking in with the foundation people, who briefed him on his role. They'd hired an auctioneer, so all Coop had to
do was read descriptions from notecards and let the professional do his thing.

He caught sight of Amanda mingling with potential bidders, looking beautiful as always, and practically salivating at the prospect of being the only journalist in the room. He waved and continued scanning the crowd.

Sara walked into the room, her eyes alert as she strode around. To all the world she appeared to be looking for someone. To Coop, she was surveying the guests, making certain everyone belonged. Seemingly satisfied, she headed for the bar to order her standard club soda with a twist of lime.

Coop's father stood off to one side along with his date, Felicia. Coop admired the woman with his dad, a brunette who appeared larger than Coop's petite mother, but who wore the same expression his mother had around the old man. A look of adoration.

Jack Cooper had obviously met someone who cared for him. And if Jack had brought her here, he obviously felt the same way. Coop was happy for him, and headed over to meet the woman who'd finally woken his father out of his long coma.

During the introductions and conversation, Coop looked around for Lexie, wanting nothing more than to share this momentous occasion with her.

But she was nowhere to be found.

“Where's your lady?” Jack asked, reading his mind.

“Sara is by the bar,” Coop said, being deliberately obtuse.

Jack glanced at the ceiling. “Did I really raise him?”

Felicia laughed. “Maybe he wants to keep his private life private. I'll go freshen up,” she said diplomatically.

Coop shook his head. “Please stay.”

His father shot him a look of gratitude.

“Look, Lexie's here. We just had a disagreement and she's probably taking a minute to compose herself,” Coop admitted.

“Are you still being stubborn? Insisting you can't be with a woman who loves to travel?”

“She asked me to go with her.” Coop's head still spun from the question.

“That's great!” Jack met his gaze before realization dawned in his eyes. “You said no. Son of a bitch.”

Coop shook his head. “How did I become the bad guy? I have a life here. A steady, successful job. An apartment.”

So why did he feel so empty? How could all the things he'd valued suddenly not be enough?

“If you're lucky enough to find love, you don't run away from it,” his father insisted. And to Coop's surprise, he hooked his arm through Felicia's.

Coop glanced around the banquet room, the glittering chandeliers and the elite of society surrounding him, but he only had eyes for one woman. Who was destined to drive him crazy.

“Do you think it's normal that she doesn't have a home to call her own?” Coop asked, keeping his voice low but firm.

Jack shrugged. “Doesn't mean she can't. Or that she won't down the road. So she doesn't have a home. Did you offer her yours?” his father asked.

He hadn't. Not in those exact words. Coop reeled at the realization. “We both assumed it could only be all one way.”

“Hmm. I wonder why you wouldn't want to run off with the girl of your dreams. Let me think. You'd have more time to write. And no excuses if you failed,” Jack said, rubbing Coop's face in the one thing he knew his son could not handle.

“Not now,” Coop warned him.

“Then when? Do you really think I give a damn that you couldn't be a cop because of a bum shoulder? Or that your marriage bottomed out because your wife couldn't be faithful? None of that's a reflection on the man you are, but you're too damn stubborn to see it.”

Coop massaged the back of his neck. He heard his father. He even acknowledged that the man had a point. So maybe it was time to rethink his future.

 

L
EXIE KNEW
C
OOP
had a job to do tonight. He didn't need more personal drama before the auction and she needed time to think. So she headed for the jewels. She wanted to take a look at the pieces of the set her grandmother and friends had kept hidden for years.

To her surprise, it was hard to get near them. For items Lexie had always considered ugly, they sure were attracting a lot of attention. Which was a good thing for the foundation, she thought, since it probably meant someone would bid on them. Too bad she couldn't afford to buy the necklace back for her grandmother, but the jewels were worth more than the price of a house. Who knew?

She hadn't seen her grandmother and Sylvia yet, and hoped they were staying out of trouble. The town house was spacious and they could be walking around or in the ladies' room.

She glanced around. Waiters were serving champagne, taking drink orders and returning with requests. Lexie accepted a glass of bubbly and strode around, waiting for an opening to get closer to her grandmother's necklace.

She looked at the guests, wondering if she was mingling with the rich and famous without realizing it. A pretty blonde, who looked like a news anchor on television, walked by in a red dress Lexie absolutely adored.

She caught Lexie staring and smiled.

“Do I know you?” the other woman asked.

Lexie laughed. “I thought you looked familiar. Maybe from TV? The news?”

The other woman shook her head. “You flatter me. I'm actually a behind-the-scenes kind of woman. Amanda Nichols, fashion editor at the
Daily Post.
”

Lexie's eyes opened wide. “Oh! You work with Coop. I'm Lexie—”

“Lexie Davis, I know. From the paper. The Bachelor Blog mentioned you,” Amanda said.

Lexie rolled her eyes. “Don't remind me.”

“I think the Blog is kind of sweet. In a matchmaking sort of way.” Amanda smiled. “Anyway, are you having fun tonight?”

“I am,” Lexie lied. She wasn't about to burden a stranger with her problems. “I was hoping to get a look at the jewelry being auctioned off before it's gone for good.”

Amanda nodded. “I think I can help you with that.” She grabbed Lexie's arm and brought her around the side of the table. “Excuse me,” she said, pushing past people who were talking but not really looking at the items.

Lexie finally had her one last opportunity to see the ring and the necklace that had brought Coop into her life. It still seemed odd to her that the necklace
her grandmother had worn with her housecoat was now being sold for a small fortune.

She shook her head, amazed before turning back to Amanda. “Thank you. I really was curious about them.”

The lights above began flashing and a voice on the loudspeaker announced that the auction would begin in five minutes.

“Ma'am, I have your drink,” a waiter said, speaking to Amanda as he arrived with a glass of red wine on his tray.