For Keeps by Karen Booth Read Free Book Online Page A

less than a dozen different scenarios in a matter of seconds. I feed him and he leaves and I’m miserable. I feed him and we have sex again and I’m confused. I feed him, we have sex, and he tells me what he’s thinking. Like that’s going to happen. It felt as if she were a mixed-up teenager again. “Eggs and bacon?” she asked, trying to focus on something with a logical conclusion. “I usually make mine over medium.”
    “Perfect. I’m going to use your bathroom.”
    She slapped bacon into the cast-iron skillet and cracked eggs onto a griddle pan as soon as it was hot. Slices of multi-grain bread went into the toaster. Cooper returned and stood a few feet from her, crossing his arms over his chest.
    She’d hoped he would do his trick of standing behind her while she cooked, but his body language was unmistakable. Her heart plummeted into the depths of her stomach. He doesn’t need to tell me anything.
    “There’s juice,” she sniped. The bacon crackled as she turned it in the pan. Stop it. This is better. Staying friends is the most important part now.
    “Good idea. Want some?” He went to the cabinet and got out a pair of glasses.
    “Um, sure.” Allie buttered the toast before she blotted the bacon with a paper towel and slid the eggs from the pan. She handed him his plate and took her own to the center island, sitting on a barstool.
    “Thank you for breakfast.”
    “Uh huh.” She exhaled much more loudly than she’d intended to. It hurt to know he’d only hooked up with her, but she’d been a willing participant, they’d established zero ground rules. Everything they’d left unsaid ate at her now.
    Why am I being such a wimp? He doesn’t have to be the one to clarify everything. “I want you to know that I’m fine with what happened the other night. You don’t need to worry about getting the whole clingy routine from me.”
    Cooper’s eyes nearly doubled in size and he coughed with his napkin held to his lips.
    Shit. That didn’t sound right. “I mean,” she continued, “I know that’s what guys your age do. And believe me, I’m flattered. I just want you to know that I don’t expect anything.”

Chapter Five
     
    Cooper struggled to swallow his last bite of toast. “Uh, I’m not totally sure what to say to that. I don’t think you’re clingy. I like hanging out with you. And I really enjoyed the other night a lot.” Dumbass. Of course you enjoyed it.
    Allie scrunched up her face as if she couldn’t stand to hear what he was saying. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.” She pushed her food around on her plate and set down her napkin. “I’m not hungry. Do you want my bacon?”
    “I’m good.” He took another bite of his eggs and toast and the silence washed over him. The mix of no sleep and Allie’s words had him off balance at best. Tired, he decided that it couldn’t get any more awkward than it already was. “Allie, I didn’t just hook up with you on a whim if that’s what you’re getting at. I’m very attracted to you and I have been for a long time. I guess I just thought I should finally do something about it. I don’t want it to make things weird between us. Can we spend time together and see what happens?”
    Allie let out a quiet sigh. “I don’t want to end up ruining our friendship.”
    He felt the skin between his eyebrows pinch together. “I don’t either. I just think there might be a way for us to have more.”
    “But I’m twelve years older than you. Would we really be doing anything more than having fun together?”
    “First off, I told you I don’t care about the age thing. Secondly, what’s wrong with having fun? We both have insanely stressful jobs. We have so little free time. You and I get along great, we like a lot of the same things.” He reached for her hand. “I think that you and me having fun is a great idea.”
    “I don’t know.” Allie looked down as his thumb caressed the side of her pinky. “Maybe.” A smile