Bind Me (Private Listing #2)

I shift in my seat, but Seth pulls me out of it and into his arms. His solid chest is against my cheek as he crushes me to him. He breathes in against my hair.

“Fuck, princess,” he whispers. His voice trembles with an edge of fear.

The tears I held back flow down my cheeks, making his shirt wet.

“I wouldn’t have…” Coop sounds fucked up. “Fuck.”

I open my eyes and turn my head so I can see him. His fingers dig into his long hair like he wants to pull it out. He puts his hands down as his eyes meet mine.

“You thought I was playing?” Coop pushes out, sounding so ashamed of himself. I don’t want that. It’s not his fault.

I shake my head. “Not really. I mean, when the lights first went out. Maybe, I hoped. But it’s a soft limit, which means we would need more discussion than a fantasy spilled out in the heat of the moment.”

Coop lurches forward and tugs me into his arms, folding himself around me. He whispers against my hair, “I never want to hear you that scared again.”

“I never want to be that scared again,” I admit as I cling to his warmth.

“They were in our building.” Blake’s voice is solid and sturdy. He’s the rock I need right now.

“I thought I might have imagined the shuffling noises.” I draw in a deep breath of Coop’s clean, crisp scent. Tears run unchecked down my cheeks. I bury my face in his shirt, trying to forget the way I felt in that moment yesterday.

Coop’s hands stroke up and down my back as he makes soothing noises in my hair.

“I forgot my—‍” Hope’s voice makes everyone freeze. She stands halfway to the kitchen with her hand over her mouth, looking at Coop holding me so close.

Fuck.

Chapter 17

Pivot

Coop

I don’t release Madison from my arms. It’s not like I can step away at this point and make Hope not have seen us.

Hope is practical and logical. And she’s staring at me holding Madison like she just discovered the biggest secret in the world. Her cheeks are bright red.

“Sorry.” She points to the food on the island. “I just wanted to grab my lunch.”

No one else moves as she walks to the counter and grabs her food. Her wide eyes meet Madison’s for a brief second before she scurries into the other room. As soon as the door shuts, Madison buries her face in my chest and groans.

My gaze flits from Noah’s disappointment to Blake’s contemplation to Seth’s resignation.

“It was bound to get out.” Seth shrugs. “But we can control how it spreads.”

Madison lifts her face to meet my eyes. I brush the hair from her cheek and give her a small smile. I’m not sure what Seth means by that, but I’m sure he’ll tell us.

Blake sighs. “Hope doesn’t spread things around. This won’t get out if we don’t want it to.”

Madison’s gaze goes to Noah. He gives her a soft smile and shrugs. Wonder what that’s about.

“It might be easier to just say that Coop and Madison are dating.” Seth’s words drive into my skull.

“Wait, what?” I grip her tighter.

Madison strokes her hand over my cheek before pulling away from me. I resist for a second before letting her go.

“Is that smart?” Madison takes a deep breath. “What if whoever is stalking me finds out? What if it makes them angry or escalates things?”