Page 29 of Slick Trip

“Two beds,” Cooper echoed.

“I already said that.”

“Well, I emphasized it.”

Doug moved the mouse around like he was doing something, then set a key on the desk.

“And there are two beds?” I asked.

“One bed.” Doug didn’t even blink.

Cooper leaned forward. “No, you don’t understand,” he said earnestly. “This is not one of those situations where one bed leads to anything good. This is the opposite of that.”

Something twisted in my chest. That was one of the smartest things Cooper had ever said, and I was what, disappointed?

I really needed to get my act together.

Doug stared at him blankly.

“Still only one bed,” he said.

“We’ll take it,” I snapped, grabbing the key before Doug could look at Cooper for another second.

“You don’t get to decide that,” Cooper declared, sounding more like himself. “This is my trip, remember?”

He inhaled deeply.

“We’ll take it.”

“Mature,” I said under my breath.

“Got a problem?” he shot back. “Maybe you should spank me for it.”

Every muscle in my body locked. My grip tightened around the plastic key card hard enough to snap it. Doug perked up as if he’d just found his evening entertainment.

Nope.

Nope nope nope.

I grabbed Cooper’s arm and marched his bratty ass out of the lobby, pushing him firmly against the wall. “What the fuck was that?” I hissed, my face inches from his. “You think that was funny?”

He shrugged, though his face had gone pink. “You said I wasn’t mature. I was just meeting your expectations.”

“There’s a difference between immature and whatever the hell that was.”

Cooper’s pupils widened, but he didn’t say anything.

“If you think I wouldn’t put you over my knee again, you’re wrong,” I grunted. A small sound escaped him. Shit. I shouldn’t have said that.

I shouldn’t want that.

We walked to the room in a tense silence. When I unlocked the door, Cooper hovered behind me, waiting for me to enter first. His body drifted closer to mine as if seeking shelter.

He had to be getting sick.

I dropped our bags on the floor.

“We cannot fit in that,” Cooper said, pointing at the bed. “It’s not one bed. It’s half a bed.”