Page 27 of Starring Role

Jimmy didn't seem to be on bad terms with his father, or worried about pleasing him, but there was that oddlittle crinkle in his brow for some reason.

"Everything okay?" Coop asked calmly.

"Yeah. Of course."

Jimmy leaned in for a kiss and reached up to smooth back Coop's hair.Should have remembered to fix it before turning up, Coop chided himself. Darn it. The last thing he'd wanted was to look like a slob in front of Jimmy.

"I was just telling Dad about the extra roles. He brought youup. He wants to meet you this weekend."

"Okay. Is that a problem? I mean, if we're not shooting, it's fine with me."

Coop gave Jimmy his calmest, good-boyfriend-material look, even though actually, he was nervous about meeting the pack. More nervous all the time, as he got more attached to Jimmy. It would have been an exciting novelty at first. Now, it was starting to matter.

"No, it'sgreat. Just...if they're going to meet you, maybe we shouldn't have sex again till after." Jimmy grimaced apologetically. "Because we'll smell like each other. It'll be obvious. I'd rather they got to meet you before I introduce you as a boyfriend. It would be a lot less...intense, I think."

"Oh." The emerging feeling of hurt went back into hiding—for now. "I guess, if you're sure."The word 'boyfriends' was promising, but not wanting to have sex on their second date was not. It was kind of a mixed message.

"We can eat together. And we can hang out, watch TV or something. I'm sorry."

Jimmy moved more fully in front of Coop, then gazed affectionately down at him as he took Coop's face between his hands. It was a particularly intimate feeling, and it made Coop melt.

"Yeah. It's fine," Coop managed to say. "We can just hang out for a while, then I'll go." A lump formed in his throat. Waiting till after the weekend to sleep with this gorgeous man felt like an eternity. And what if Jimmy didn't want him after that? What if how the meeting went, and his pack's opinion, influenced how he felt about Cooper—or didn't?

"I know it's a lot to ask," Jimmy said,still cajoling him, convincing him. "Have I mentioned I give a mean back rub? By which I mean, a very gentle and soothing back rub." He turned on his most charming grin, and Coop could not possibly have denied him anything at the moment. "Don't be sad, Cooper. I'm not changing my mind, I promise."

He's far too good at reading me.

"Okay," Coop said, surrendering himself to being fussed overand comforted—and not having sex. Maybe it was actually a good thing. If they ended up not liking being around each other without sex being involved, that would be a big red flag, a warning sign not to let his heart fall into silly thoughts of 'the one' and long-term: love, marriage, and all that jazz.

Yeah. This would be a good thing. Really.