"I-" her mouth has gone dry as she looks at Cesare. She hadn't thought about it that way at all, and it showed on her face. Slowly, she sat back down in the chair.

"You know that wasn't my intention." She didn't want to embarrass anyone. Cooper had been proud of her. The way he looked at her that night had been absolutely astounding, the way he went soft around his eyes and mouth.

"He's not a mess." Because she couldn't just let him insult her boyfriend like that. "He's a good person. I came because I wanted to have a good night with him, because he asked me." She just hadn't thought it through.