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“No,” she answered, voice rough “I’m so not okay”

Apparently, she could

Cooper held her gaze a heartbeat longer and then squeezed her hand “Let’s go”

“But…” She glanced down at their half-eaten meal and the second bottle of wine that had just been delivered

“No,” he said, getting to his feet “Let’s you and et out of here”

Her eyes shot back up to his, and everything inside her stilled He knew He knew exactly who the couple was

Morgan slipped her hand into Cooper’s, hesitating because Nathan and Christy blocked her way to freedo across her neck

“Don’t worry about theot this” He tucked her into his side and they turned to face the two people who had hurt her ht possible Never in a an think she’d have the balls to face theer More in control than she’d felt in a long, long time

“Thank you,” she whispered

His hand arm at her back, they stepped forward

17

Cooper didn’t need anyone to tell hian’s expression told hi when she took his ar he could somehow calm her

There was only one exit fro area, and as they slowly threaded their way through several tables, he areSome from beneath lidded eyes, others not so shyly Humans were, for the most part, intuitive creatures—he’d ht now, everyone see

He kept his grip firan as he studied the couple From his own experience, he knew that not every situation was cut-and-dried…that the gray area could overtake black and white, and so that seemed simple was, at best, complicated in the extreme

And yet, the wave of protectiveness that rolled through hiive a crap about any of that All he kneas that this woman at his side had been hurt, and he’d do what he could to e