Kate snickers.
I remain focused on Cooper, hoping my eyes are conveying everything I can’t say out loud. Play along. Please. I can’t have these girls gossiping about us and risk it getting back to Pres. Please play along.
The fact that I’m not acknowledging his true identity sparks guilt in me, but it doesn’t compare to how awful I felt about cheating on Preston. Kissing Cooper had been a mistake. But I came clean to my boyfriend, my conscience is clear, and now I just want to move on. Which won’t be possible if Melissa decides there’s gossip potential here. So I silently implore Cooper, who isn’t giving me an inch.
His smirk deepens, dark eyes glittering with something I can’t decipher.
By the time he finally speaks, I’m a bundle of nerves and sweating through my tank top.
“I didn’t hear Bonnie complaining that night,” he says with a wink.
I almost faint with relief. Hopefully no one notices my hand shaking as I reach for my drink. “Well, she’s not the one who had to Uber back to campus all alone at two in the morning.” I take a hasty sip before making the introductions. “Alisha, Sutton, Kate, Melissa. Guys, this is Evan.”
It’s funny, I never realized how different Cooper and his twin are until this very moment, when Cooper transforms into Evan. His normally intense, brooding eyes gleam mischievously. His tongue gives his bottom lip a teasing swipe before he flashes a cocky grin at my friends.
“So.” Even his voice sounds different now. Lighter, flirtier. “Which one of Mackenzie’s friends will I be seducing tonight?”
You’d think a line that sleazy would evoke groans. Instead, the girls all but swoon over it. Even Melissa is affected. Her face turns pink, lips parting slightly.
I don’t blame them. This guy is sex personified. Doesn’t matter if he’s being his broody self or pretending to be his manwhore brother, the sexual energy pours off him in waves.
“Keep it in your pants, Evan.” My tone is meant to be teasing but sounds like a warning.
His grin widens.
“Alright.” Sutton releases an exaggerated sigh and hops off her stool. “I guess I’ll take one for the team.” Her hazy expression tells me she’s already having sex with Cooper in her mind. “How ’bout a dance first, and then we can discuss that seduction offer?”
There’s not a single muscle in my body that isn’t coiled tight. My fingers curl around my cup, squeezing hard. I’m worried I might crush it. It’s a damn good thing it’s made of plastic, otherwise there’d be glass shards everywhere.
Cooper’s mocking eyes don’t miss my response. He’s watching me even as he answers Sutton. “A dance sounds great. Lead the way, babe.”
Three seconds later, he’s wrapped up with Sutton on the dance floor in front of the stage. Her arms loop around his neck, her slender frame pressed against his strong one. Cooper’s hands skim the back of her lacy camisole, one palm trailing lower, resting right above the curve of her ass. His other hand glides up her spine and tangles in her dark ponytail before cupping the back of her neck.
Bitter rage coats my throat. I reach for my daiquiri hoping to get rid of the vile taste, only to find my cup is empty.
“Ugh, I can’t believe her,” Alisha is griping.
Her? I can’t believe him. What is he doing, dirty dancing with a complete stranger?
Beside me, Kate pats Alisha’s arm. “I’m sorry, hon. Next time you gotta be quicker.”
“Lord, he is hot,” Melissa remarks, her attention glued to Cooper and Sutton. “If I wasn’t with Benji, I would totally consider slumming it with a townie for the night.”
I lift a brow. “I thought extracurricular activities were perfectly acceptable?”
She laughs. “Um, no. Not for us, sweetie. At least not until we’ve got the I Dos locked down. Then you can screw the pool boys and gardeners to your heart’s content.”
Kate rolls her eyes at her older sister. “You’re one classy bitch, Mel.”
Melissa shrugs. “What? That’s the way it’s done.”
I tune them out, distracted by the vertical sex display happening ten feet from our table. Sutton is now on her tiptoes, whispering in Cooper’s ear.
He chuckles, and I stiffen. What are they giggling about over there?
And he really needs to remove his hands from her ass. Like, right now. He’s laying it on thick for my expense, and I am not having it. I bite the inside of my cheek. Hard.
“I totally should’ve staked my claim the second he walked up to us,” Alisha moans. She’s also obsessively watching the dance floor.