“And?”
“And ... maybe something inside of you recognized that the fight was wrong and you held back to protect him even though you didn’t realize what you were doing.”
“No.” Cooper immediately started shaking his head without giving the suggestion any thought. “I acted like an animal.”
“No, you didn’t.” Hannah reached over and grabbed his hand before he could pull away. “Don’t do this to yourself. I didn’t bring it up to be a jerk. I’m honestly curious in case ... well ... in case these furies tried to force us to somehow hurt each other going forward.”
The look of horror that washed across his face had Hannah wishing she’d kept her big, fat mouth shut. “I didn’t mean ... I ... .”
“No, you’re right.” He squeezed her hand tightly. “Crap. I hadn’t even considered that. What if the lust fury wants us to have sex until we die or something?”
For some reason, the way he phrased the question made Hannah laugh.
“It’s not funny,” he snapped. “I would rather jump off a cliff than hurt you.”
“I know that,” she reassured him, sobering. “Trust me. I definitely know that. It’s the way you said it.”
“It’s still not funny,” he grumbled, turning back to his dinner even though he no longer had an appetite.
“I’m really not trying to ruin our night,” she reassured him. “In fact, we should probably practice being able to fight our attackers in case we are controlled in that manner. You know ... practice a lot.”
He didn’t want to smile and encourage her, but he lost the battle before it truly started. “You’re lucky you’re cute,” he muttered.
“I am,” she agreed, delighted that he appeared to be loosening up. “The thing is, I’m being serious. I think there’s a chance something inside of you knew to hold back because you could’ve really hurt Tyler. The odds of him being able to fight you off that long seem ... slim.”
“Tyler is strong,” Cooper countered, feeling the need to take up for his friend. “He’s fit and he works out in the gym.”
“Yes, I’m a veritable god,” Tyler agreed, strolling into the saloon with Jinx at his heels. Despite the bruises on his face, he seemed to be in a relatively good mood. “Hello, loves. Please tell me some of those tacos are for me.”
“Definitely,” Hannah replied, gesturing toward the huge bags of food. “We got enough for the FBI agent should he want some, too, although we’re not purposely inviting him to join us.”
“He’s behind the dry goods store right now,” Tyler offered, gamely grabbing two tacos. “We just saw him. Jinx wanted to rush over and see what he was doing, but I talked him out of it.”
“You talked him out of it, huh?” Hannah was amused, until she saw Cooper trying to slip Jinx a taco.
“Absolutely not.” She lightly slapped her boyfriend’s hand and shook her head.
“I was just giving him a little treat,” Cooper protested. “One taco isn’t going to kill him.”
“No, but it may kill us,” she countered. “He’ll be sleeping in the same room with us tonight, in case you’ve forgotten.”
Cooper’s face was impassive. “That’s how it is every night, except for the rare occasion he stays with Tyler.”
“Yes, but if Jinx eats Mexican food, he’s going to stink up the entire apartment and we’re going to wish we’d sent him with Tyler. That’s what I’m saying.”
Tyler snorted as realization dawned on Cooper.
“Oh.”
“Oh,” Hannah agreed, ignoring the hangdog express on Jinx’s face. “He’s a tootin’ machine when cheese and taco meat are combined in his stomach. I can’t explain it.”
Tyler snickered at the profoundly sad expression on the dog’s face. It was as if he could understand what Hannah was saying ... and took it personally. “Sorry, boy. I think you’re going to have to wait to have your dinner upstairs.”
Jinx harrumphed and went to the bed Hannah kept for him close to the bar and curled up in it, his gaze dark as he watched the trio down their food.
“He might try to smother us in his sleep now,” Cooper noted. “Maybe we should just lock him out of the bedroom. He can stink up the rest of the apartment and we’ll be none the wiser.”
Jinx lifted his head, clearly intrigued by the suggestion, but Hannah was having none of it.
“No. As long as there are creatures out there trying to hurt us, I want him to sleep in the bedroom with us. I ... know he’s big and he takes up half the bed so we’re forced to cuddle together on the one side, but he’s all I had for a long time and I can’t put him at risk.”
Cooper’s heart went out to her and he grabbed her hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about that. Of course he can sleep with us.” He sent a rueful smile toward the dog. “I’m sorry, buddy. I tried to get you a taco. You’re going to have to suffer.”
Hannah made a clucking sound with her tongue and shook her head. “How did I suddenly become the ogre in this situation?”
“Because dudes are fine with farts,” Tyler replied smoothly, not missing a beat. “Not to be a glutton for punishment or anything, but I want to go back to what you guys were talking about when I came in.”
Cooper’s expression was pained as he pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. “Apparently Jinx isn’t the only one being punished.” He took a steadying breath. “Listen, I am really sorry about what happened. I would never hurt you ... or say that and mean it ... or try to demean you in any
