Page 23

O h, God. Anthony was going to rape her. Would have if not for Cooper showing up. Cooper held his hand out and she took it, letting him pull her up from the floor. She didn’t resist when he tucked her next to him. Even though she was safe now, her body wouldn’t stop trembling. The only thing keeping her on her feet was the support of his arm around her waist.

“You need to go,” Cooper said to Anthony.

Anthony glared at him. “My wife and I were having a little disagreement that doesn’t concern you.”

“Sounded like more than a little one to me.” Cooper lifted his brows as he glanced at her. “Didn’t know you were married.”

“I’m not.” She willed her body to calm down, not to show Anthony how badly he’d unnerved her. She didn’t want to, but she forced her eyes to meet his. “Unless you want me to call the police, you need to leave.” She should call the police anyway, but what good would it do? Nothing would come of it other than making Anthony angrier.

“You need to listen to the lady and go,” Cooper said.

“And you need to mind your own damn business. You don’t want to be on my bad side.”

Cooper laughed. “You’re funny, dude.”

Then at the blink of an eye, Cooper morphed into a man she would be afraid of if she didn’t know him and know he was here for her.

His eyes went cold and deadly as he leaned toward Anthony. “I’m done with messing with you.” He put his hand behind Anthony’s neck, did something that brought a gurgling sound out of him and marched her ex out the door.

As soon as Anthony was in the hallway, Cooper closed and locked the door. “There.” He grinned. “Took the trash out.”

“Thank you.” But now that Anthony was gone, how close she came to being raped hit her. She tried to hide her shaking hands, but apparently, Cooper was observant.

“Hey, you’re safe now. You’re lip’s bleeding. What did he do to you?”

She shook her head. “I want Grayson.” She could tell him what had almost happened.

“He’s on the way. Why don’t you sit. I’ll stay until he gets here.”

“Okay.” She managed to walk to the sofa without deciding the floor was a good place to land. Again. “Thank you, Cooper. How did you know to come here?”

“Grayson called. He saw it on the Ring camera.”

“I forgot about that. Well, thank you for putting that in. If you hadn’t…” She couldn’t go there. She’d never thought Anthony would physically hurt her, not the way he almost had. That he’d used their son to get her to open the door was despicable. She had to get Tyler away from him.

“Can I make you a cup of tea? Maybe you’d like something stronger?”

“Tea would be lovely. I can make it.”

“I got it.”

“Just fill a cup with water and stick it in the microwave for two minutes. Tea bags are in the cabinet to the left of the sink. A chamomile would be nice.”

His phone rang as he headed for the kitchen. He pulled it out of a pocket, looked at the screen, then returned to her. “It’s Grayson. Why don’t you talk to him while I make your tea.”

She took the phone. “Grayson?”

“Hey. Are you okay?”

“Yes…no, not really. Cooper said you’re on the way here?”

“I’m a half hour out. Pressley’s gone?”

“Yes, thanks to Cooper. I…” She didn’t know what she wanted to say. Only that she needed him.

“We’ll talk when I get there.”

“Okay.” Just hearing his voice calmed her, and she didn’t want to hang up. But she was being silly. Anthony was gone, and nothing had happened. Other than her ex-husband scaring her to death. Cooper brought her the cup of tea, and she handed him back his phone.

“Your lip’s still bleeding.” He held out a wet paper towel. “Gray’s going to go ballistic if he sees blood on you.”

Was it wrong to like the idea of Grayson going ballistic on her behalf? She took the wadded-up paper towel and put it on her lip. It was cold from the water and soothed the stinging from Anthony’s bite.

Einstein peeked around the corner from the hallway. For once, he was silent. “Come here, sweet boy. The bad man’s gone.” Was he hurt? He studied Cooper for a moment and apparently decided he wasn’t a bad man and ran to her.

“Last time I saw him, he was talking my ear off.” Cooper settled in the chair across from her.

“He’s confused. He’s never met a bad man before.” She ran her hands over him, checking for any swelling. “Maybe I should take him to the vet.”

“Did something happen to him?”

“He tried to be a hero and attacked Anthony. Anthony threw him against the wall.”

“Just another reason your ex needs to be taught a lesson.”

“One of many.” Einstein hadn’t flinched or made a sound when she’d pressed her fingers against him, and she hoped that meant he was okay. He made a tiny chirping noise, then curled up on her lap and went to sleep.

“Gray told me that you’re designing us a new website. We need one. I slapped up something, but it’s not great.”

“It’s not bad, but I can do better.” It seemed as if he understood she needed a break from thinking about Anthony and what had almost happened. “Want to see what I have so far?”

“I’ll wait until you’re finished and be impressed all at once.”

“Give me a few days, and I’ll have it ready for you guys to see.” There was something really sweet about Cooper, and she wondered if he had a wife or girlfriend. He wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. He was going to be a great husband or boyfriend to some lucky woman.

A ding sounded from Cooper’s watch, and he glanced at it. “Your man is here, so I’ll take myself off.”

“Thank you for—”

“No thanks necessary.” He shook a finger at her. “No more opening your door to that scuzzbag.”

“Good word for him.”

“I have more, but they’re not as nice as that one.”

She chuckled, surprised that she could find something amusing after what had almost happened.

After looking through the peephole, Cooper opened the door. He and Grayson talked for a minute, their voices too low to hear. As he spoke with Cooper, his gaze slid to her, and he winked. And whoa, her stomach had more butterflies fluttering their wings than she had room for. Like thousands. Millions maybe.

She didn’t know what to do with the happiness his being here gave her. Was it a good thing or not? But she needed to remember that being with him was only a temporary thing. That meant she had to guard her heart. Keep it tucked away where it wouldn’t be vulnerable. Her time with Grayson was simply something she was selfishly taking for herself while she had the freedom to do so.

Cooper gave her a smile, and then left.

The door closed behind Cooper, and silence fell between her and Grayson as they stared at each other. Cooper must have told him what little he knew about Anthony being here. There was fury in Grayson’s eyes, and if she were the enemy, she’d be looking for an escape exit because the man standing in her foyer looked lethal.

She should be afraid of a man who by all appearances would be deadly to anyone who got in his way, but she wasn’t. Not at all. This man would offer his body to protect hers, and as cliché as it sounded, she knew in her heart that he would take a bullet for her. That truth hit her with a force that took her breath away. There had never been anyone in her life—including her mother, who’d often neglected the needs of her daughter to march for her latest cause—who made her feel as safe and secure as he did.

“Hey,” he said as he came to her, his gaze never wavering from hers as the eyes that only seconds ago had been hard and filled with rage changed, the hardness in them turning soft, the cold in them turning warm.

She lifted Einstein and set him on the floor. She didn’t want anything between her and Grayson. Of course, Einstein found his voice and let her know his feelings about being dumped, but whatever.

“Hi,” she whispered when he stopped in front of her. When he dropped to a knee, she gasped. “Uh…” He’s not about to propose, silly girl. Right, she wasn’t going to have to refuse an offer of marriage. She was still unsettled by what had almost happened before Grayson arrived, and obviously, her brain wasn’t working so great.

“Uh,” she said again, proving that she really was a silly girl when Grayson was on a knee in front of her because out of nowhere, an image of him actually proposing flashed through her mind. That wasn’t what unsettled her, it was hearing herself say yes that flustered her.

A grin lit his face. “Einstein steal your words?”

He had no clue.