Chasing Dreams
Page 32
And, aside from the love she had shared with Richie, Tessa had sadly learned that nothing was sacred.
Sex, even with astronomical, top of the Richter scale rated orgasms usually came with a price. As much as she wanted to let loose and go wild with Cooper – something she’d done more when she was a foolish young woman than any time in the last few years – she felt her self-preservation kick in.
She had learned the hard way that she couldn’t give in to that reckless side of herself anymore because once her passion ran high, she did stupid things… like fall in love. That possibility had been stolen from her when Richie was killed by a strung out drug addict. She didn’t have it in her to risk forsaking herself for another man. Even a man like Cooper.
“But you haven’t been down that road with me,” Cooper said, making her skin prickle with goose bumps.
Just the rich rumble of his voice sent chills racing down her spine. That and the way the night cloaked them in darkness, adding another degree of mystery to the man who was quickly getting under her skin.
She had to remind herself that she hardly knew this man. Just because he walked into her bar, singing sweet country love songs did not mean he meant them for her. And even though she did know some things about him, she still wondered what he was running from. Was it his career? Did he really get burned out? Or was there something more that he wasn’t telling people? Based on the pieces of the one-sided conversations she had heard, Tessa wasn’t so sure he hadn’t disappeared off the country music map for a reason other than the one he was giving her. And he was keeping those reasons to himself.
“Same road,” she muttered. Different guy.
When Cooper’s fingers grazed the bare skin of her shoulder, she couldn’t repress the shudder that rippled through her. Still staring into his mesmerizing brown eyes, she watched as they darkened, a compelling hunger reflected there. Oh the things this man could do to her body. She didn’t doubt his ability to make her body scream and beg for more, she just got the impression that he might want more from her than she was willing to give. And it had nothing to do with naked, writhing bodies.
Tessa wasn’t interested in love.
She wasn’t interested in romance.
Dinner on his back porch, just the two of them alone, promised so much more for her than wine and roses and fancy, expensive restaurants would have. It gave her the opportunity to explore those more powerful feelings that fluttered through her. And she had known that was a risk she was taking as soon as she realized he was bringing her to his house.
Her hesitant, uncertain heart knew better than to let her hormones make decisions for her. Right now, the term vulnerable was an understatement, and she’d do well to remember that.
She wasn’t the type to fall in love quickly. Her brothers teased her that she should’ve been a man with her convoluted ideas of sex. Sex did not equal love. Nor did she want it to. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t get caught up in the moment.
And yes, exploring a night in Cooper’s arms sounded like heaven to her. Waking up the following morning with his warm, naked body beside hers, now that scared the shit out of her.
She didn’t have more to give.
She compared all of her experiences on the love that Richie had showed her. Although he hadn’t been her first sexual partner, he had been her first true love. Her best friend. Mad, passionate sex hadn’t been in Richie’s repertoire of skills, but the lovemaking between them had been good. Heartwarming. Then again, she had known explosive, no holds barred sex, and she had learned that her emotions ran hot, made her do stupid things.
Not that she was promiscuous anymore because Chad Harper – the only man she’d been with after Richie – had pretty well put the nail in that coffin a long time ago, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t a healthy, sexually motivated woman. She just wasn’t willing to let her heart get involved. As far as she was concerned, Richie would forever hold her heart, so it wasn’t up for grabs.
Cooper leaned in, his warm breath tickling the sensitive skin just beneath her earlobe. “Take a chance with me, Tessa. One chance. I promise, you won’t be sorry.”
She doubted that. Her fight or flight instinct was kicking in, and she knew she should run and hide as fast as possible. Only she couldn’t get her feet to move. Her hands were defying her direct orders as well. Her palms flattened against the hard muscled wall of his chest, desperately aching to feel her fingers against his bare skin.
She could so get lost in him. One night. That’s all she needed. Except she would have to see him every day and the way her body responded, she knew she wouldn’t be able to control herself. If he was expecting sweet and innocent, she wasn’t sure she could give him that. No matter how badly she wanted to be that woman, she just wasn’t.
If Tessa was going to go all in, per se, she wanted wild, hot, passionate sex. All or nothing. Without the nuisance of that something more that he said he was looking for.
“I’m not interested in anything more than sex,” she blurted, confused at the lack of filter on her mouth, but not at all sorry she said the words out loud. He deserved to know after all.
Cooper took a step back, still looking down at her. He slid his hands through the strands of her hair that had spilled over her shoulder. He twined them around his fingers, pulling her forward as a thrilling tingle penetrated her scalp.
God, she wanted him to pull her hair. How fucking crazy was that?
“All right. We’ll leave it at sex for now. But I’m warning you, Tessa, I’m not a man who gives up easily,” Cooper stated firmly, keeping a tight, spine tingling grip on her hair.
Tessa wanted to believe him; however, the very fact that he had ended up in Devil’s Bend rather than chasing his country music dream made her wonder how much truth was in the statement.
“So you’re willing to give me one night?”
“I never said anything about one night,” Cooper leaned down, his lips hovering dangerously close to hers, his hands sliding up until he was cupping her jaw, tilting her head at the perfect angle that would align their mouths if he decided to kiss her.
God, why wouldn’t he just kiss her? Then she wouldn’t have to think anymore. “But nothing more, Cooper. However long it lasts, you have to remember, I only want sex.”
Cooper nodded, his lips pressing down on hers and she pushed up on her toes, forcing him even closer, opening her mouth to let his tongue tangle with hers and the world began to spin.
Sex, even with astronomical, top of the Richter scale rated orgasms usually came with a price. As much as she wanted to let loose and go wild with Cooper – something she’d done more when she was a foolish young woman than any time in the last few years – she felt her self-preservation kick in.
She had learned the hard way that she couldn’t give in to that reckless side of herself anymore because once her passion ran high, she did stupid things… like fall in love. That possibility had been stolen from her when Richie was killed by a strung out drug addict. She didn’t have it in her to risk forsaking herself for another man. Even a man like Cooper.
“But you haven’t been down that road with me,” Cooper said, making her skin prickle with goose bumps.
Just the rich rumble of his voice sent chills racing down her spine. That and the way the night cloaked them in darkness, adding another degree of mystery to the man who was quickly getting under her skin.
She had to remind herself that she hardly knew this man. Just because he walked into her bar, singing sweet country love songs did not mean he meant them for her. And even though she did know some things about him, she still wondered what he was running from. Was it his career? Did he really get burned out? Or was there something more that he wasn’t telling people? Based on the pieces of the one-sided conversations she had heard, Tessa wasn’t so sure he hadn’t disappeared off the country music map for a reason other than the one he was giving her. And he was keeping those reasons to himself.
“Same road,” she muttered. Different guy.
When Cooper’s fingers grazed the bare skin of her shoulder, she couldn’t repress the shudder that rippled through her. Still staring into his mesmerizing brown eyes, she watched as they darkened, a compelling hunger reflected there. Oh the things this man could do to her body. She didn’t doubt his ability to make her body scream and beg for more, she just got the impression that he might want more from her than she was willing to give. And it had nothing to do with naked, writhing bodies.
Tessa wasn’t interested in love.
She wasn’t interested in romance.
Dinner on his back porch, just the two of them alone, promised so much more for her than wine and roses and fancy, expensive restaurants would have. It gave her the opportunity to explore those more powerful feelings that fluttered through her. And she had known that was a risk she was taking as soon as she realized he was bringing her to his house.
Her hesitant, uncertain heart knew better than to let her hormones make decisions for her. Right now, the term vulnerable was an understatement, and she’d do well to remember that.
She wasn’t the type to fall in love quickly. Her brothers teased her that she should’ve been a man with her convoluted ideas of sex. Sex did not equal love. Nor did she want it to. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t get caught up in the moment.
And yes, exploring a night in Cooper’s arms sounded like heaven to her. Waking up the following morning with his warm, naked body beside hers, now that scared the shit out of her.
She didn’t have more to give.
She compared all of her experiences on the love that Richie had showed her. Although he hadn’t been her first sexual partner, he had been her first true love. Her best friend. Mad, passionate sex hadn’t been in Richie’s repertoire of skills, but the lovemaking between them had been good. Heartwarming. Then again, she had known explosive, no holds barred sex, and she had learned that her emotions ran hot, made her do stupid things.
Not that she was promiscuous anymore because Chad Harper – the only man she’d been with after Richie – had pretty well put the nail in that coffin a long time ago, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t a healthy, sexually motivated woman. She just wasn’t willing to let her heart get involved. As far as she was concerned, Richie would forever hold her heart, so it wasn’t up for grabs.
Cooper leaned in, his warm breath tickling the sensitive skin just beneath her earlobe. “Take a chance with me, Tessa. One chance. I promise, you won’t be sorry.”
She doubted that. Her fight or flight instinct was kicking in, and she knew she should run and hide as fast as possible. Only she couldn’t get her feet to move. Her hands were defying her direct orders as well. Her palms flattened against the hard muscled wall of his chest, desperately aching to feel her fingers against his bare skin.
She could so get lost in him. One night. That’s all she needed. Except she would have to see him every day and the way her body responded, she knew she wouldn’t be able to control herself. If he was expecting sweet and innocent, she wasn’t sure she could give him that. No matter how badly she wanted to be that woman, she just wasn’t.
If Tessa was going to go all in, per se, she wanted wild, hot, passionate sex. All or nothing. Without the nuisance of that something more that he said he was looking for.
“I’m not interested in anything more than sex,” she blurted, confused at the lack of filter on her mouth, but not at all sorry she said the words out loud. He deserved to know after all.
Cooper took a step back, still looking down at her. He slid his hands through the strands of her hair that had spilled over her shoulder. He twined them around his fingers, pulling her forward as a thrilling tingle penetrated her scalp.
God, she wanted him to pull her hair. How fucking crazy was that?
“All right. We’ll leave it at sex for now. But I’m warning you, Tessa, I’m not a man who gives up easily,” Cooper stated firmly, keeping a tight, spine tingling grip on her hair.
Tessa wanted to believe him; however, the very fact that he had ended up in Devil’s Bend rather than chasing his country music dream made her wonder how much truth was in the statement.
“So you’re willing to give me one night?”
“I never said anything about one night,” Cooper leaned down, his lips hovering dangerously close to hers, his hands sliding up until he was cupping her jaw, tilting her head at the perfect angle that would align their mouths if he decided to kiss her.
God, why wouldn’t he just kiss her? Then she wouldn’t have to think anymore. “But nothing more, Cooper. However long it lasts, you have to remember, I only want sex.”
Cooper nodded, his lips pressing down on hers and she pushed up on her toes, forcing him even closer, opening her mouth to let his tongue tangle with hers and the world began to spin.
