Page 42 of Broken Heart

COOPER

This had been the best night of my life.

I should have expected nothing less, because I was quickly learning that with each opportunity I had to spend time with Skye, it was always better than the occasion before had been. Not one time that I’d been around her had I ever been disappointed, and tonight was no exception. In fact, it had all gone far better than I had anticipated.

Following dinner, I didn’t hesitate to get up and whisk Skye out onto the dancefloor. I wasn’t typically the kind of guy who was the first to get up and dance, but I’d occasionally been known to have a good time.

Tonight was different for me.

Because I had been thinking about it all night, wanting nothing more than to be able to hold Skye in my arms with her body pressed close.

And my desire to do exactly that had nothing to do with proving anything to her ex-boyfriend. From what I could tell, Skye hadn’t thought about him or Maria since she and I walked away from them at the start of our evening.

Initially, I had been worried that encountering them almost as soon as we arrived could have been problematic. I was concerned that Skye might have been truly upset by seeing them—especially since she’d shared her concerns on the drive here with me—and it bothered me to think our night could have been ruined.

In the end, I think it was for the best that we saw them when we did. Skye didn’t have to spend the rest of the night worrying and wondering how that encounter would go, and it gave her the chance to just enjoy herself and have a great time.

On the plus side, even though I’d spotted the pair two or three times throughout the evening, they never approached us again. Maybe that was their pride or ego that wouldn’t allow it, or perhaps they realized Skye had moved on and was happier without them. Whatever the reason, I was grateful.

I enjoyed having her all to myself. From the moment we walked away and left Simon and Maria standing at the bar, nothing but showing Skye a good time had been important to me. And I believed I had accomplished that if what I’d observed was any indication.

The two of us barely stopped talking to one another all throughout dinner. The only moments when I stopped were when she was speaking or if I was watching her eat.

She hadn’t been lying—she loved food like nobody I had ever met. Watching her eat made me feel things I didn’t know were possible to feel. What I thought was strange was that I hadn’t noticed how much she enjoyed food when I’d taken her out to dinner. But it hit me that the reason for that might have had something to do with her feeling more comfortable with me now than she had then.

That comfort came through in other ways throughout the evening, too. I noticed the way her body visibly shivered when I touched her at the small of her back and how she didn’t flinch, but instead grew slightly turned on when I placed my hand on her thigh.

Once I had her up and dancing in my arms, I took note of how she held herself. When I’d met her in her bookstore and had taken her out for dinner the first time, there had always been a touch of tension lingering in her frame.

Not tonight.

Tonight, Skye willingly held my hand, sought it out. She leaned into me more than once. And when we were dancing, her hands would grip my biceps or press firmly against my chest whenever she threw her head back with laughter.

There were quiet moments, too. At one point, Skye had come down from her laughter, the music rolled from one slow song into another, and she rested her cheek against my shoulder.

All evening long, I felt her softening more and more toward me. It gave me hope. I wanted to be optimistic about all of it, and I thought tonight would be the perfect opportunity to tell her what I wanted.

Things were finally winding down at the event, and many people had already left. Skye was still in my arms, dancing with me, and I was torn about what to do.

She must have realized something was up, because she asked, “Is everything okay?”

“It is,” I assured her. “I just, I’m a little bit disappointed that this night is nearly over.”

The corners of her mouth tipped up, revealing a gorgeous smile. “Yeah, me too. I’ve honestly had the best night tonight, Cooper. I know we came here with a plan, but I forgot about it roughly two seconds after we walked away from the bar. The nerves I’d been feeling all day long vanished, and I’ve been so caught up in just having a wonderful time with you. On the bright side, we get to see each other tomorrow.”

That was exactly what I didn’t know I needed to hear. Reassurance that she enjoyed herself tonight and was looking forward to the next time we’d see each other. Any doubt that had been lingering about what I’d do tonight went out the window. I was going to take a shot and hope she’d be receptive to the idea.

But since I didn’t want to risk things getting awkward while we were still here, I decided I’d wait until I took her home. This way, she wouldn’t feel any pressure, and she could react however felt most natural to her.

“You’re right. I do get to see you tomorrow,” I replied. “Now I don’t feel so bad anymore.”

For the next minute or two, we fell into a comfortable silence, our bodies still swaying to the music. When the song ended, Skye looked up at me expectantly, and I figured it was time.

“What do you say? Are you all partied out, or did you want to stay a little longer?” I asked her.

Truthfully, as much as I wanted to tell her what I planned to say when I took her home, if she wanted to stay here for a bit more time together, I wouldn’t have cared. There were far worse things I could have experienced in my life than to have a woman I was beyond attracted to and interested in wanting to spend more time with me.

“I think it’s probably a good idea to get going,” she said. “If I’m going to be able to function at work tomorrow morning and have the stamina to help you celebrate later in the day, I should try to get some sleep tonight.”