Chasing Dreams
Page 63
“Did you have a good conversation with Marcus?” she asked after several long minutes of silence.
“I don’t think you could describe it as good, but yeah, I talked to him,” he answered honestly.
“So when are you leaving town?” she asked, her words coming out slurred. She might appear to be stone cold sober, but she was certainly intoxicated. That was likely the reason she hadn’t stood up yet. He’d bet money that her world would tip sideways once she did.
He waited until she looked at him before he answered. “I’m not going anywhere, Tessa.” It was the truth. As far as he was concerned, Devil’s Bend was his new home and he had no intention of leaving.
He was going to wait for his father to call him back next week to figure out the logistics, but he’d been adamant that this was where he wanted to be. Then again, if Tessa tossed him to the curb, Cooper might have to rethink that decision. As sure as he looked at her now, he knew that he probably wouldn’t be able to spend the rest of his life in the same town as she was if he couldn’t have her all to himself.
“Well, you should. Probably a nice woman waiting for you in the next town you sneak off to.”
Cooper didn’t say anything. That’s the story Marcus had told her and right now, with her being drunk, he knew it wasn’t going to go well if he told her the truth. Which he fully intended to do. Tomorrow. When she woke up beside him.
“I’ve got some things to explain to you, Tessa,” he began and held up his hand when she started to interrupt. “And I fully intend to explain, but not tonight. Not like this.”
“So why’d you come here then?” she asked, her words running together more.
When she reached for the bottle of vodka, Cooper intervened, stopping her. She’d had more than enough. “This isn’t going to help, and you know it,” he told her, holding her hand in his as he leaned over her.
Without waiting for permission, which he knew he wouldn’t get anyway, Cooper settled onto the swing beside her, pulling her against him. When she started to fight him, he held her tighter. “Don’t,” he commanded softly. “Just sit here with me.”
The alcohol’s effect was probably the only thing that kept her there, but Cooper considered it a win. He’d have hell to pay tomorrow, but for now, he was going to hold her. That’s all he wanted to do anyway.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Ok, so the morning after a vodka binge could not be categorized as a good time. Not that the night before was anything to write home about either.
Unwilling to open her eyes, Tessa snuggled into her blankets, wishing like hell she’d thought to take aspirin before she went to sleep. But then again, she might have. She was so lit, she didn’t even remember coming inside. The last conscious memory was of Cooper showing up at her house, but she was pretty sure she sent him on his way.
When nature called a few minutes later, Tessa knew her morning was about to go from bad to worse. Why shouldn’t it? That seemed to be a pattern for things these days.
She had to get out of bed which meant the room was going to spin, and she was probably going to get to scrutinize her last cleaning job up close when she made friends with the toilet.
Forcing her feet over the side of the bed, she felt the mattress shift, and she knew then and there that it was worse than she thought. Once she was vertical, she grabbed onto her dresser and made her way down the hall to the bathroom. Someone must’ve been looking out for her because she didn’t get sick like she thought. After doing her business, Tessa splashed cold water on her face as she stared at herself in the mirror.
“You look like hell, woman,” she mumbled to the reflection, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and her crazy hair. “That’ll teach you not to fall for a man. It never gets you anywhere. You should know by now that karma has it out for you.”
When a throat cleared from the doorway, Tessa nearly fell flat on her face into the sink. She whirled around to see Cooper standing in the doorway of her bathroom looking impossibly sexy. He was shirtless, his jeans unbuttoned but zipped and his feet bare.
She had to blink twice before her brain accepted that what she was seeing was not just a figment of her imagination. Her mouth felt like she’d been sucking on cotton, but somehow she managed to force the words out. “Why are you here?”
Cooper didn’t say a word and that was when Tessa remembered what she’d just said. Out loud. To herself. Shit.
He’d heard her talking to herself. Glancing down at the floor, she contemplated what would happen if the tile would open up and swallow her. At least she wouldn’t have to face him this morning. It seemed that the alcohol had diluted her anger, and now she was left with confusion.
She stared at the man standing in her bathroom door, watched as he walked over to her shower and turned on the water. Well, it was nice of him to make himself at home. Shouldn’t he be leaving? And why was she having this conversation inside her head, rather than with him?
Before she could ask him directly, she felt his warm hand on hers as he pulled her closer. And just like that, all of her memories from the night before flooded back: her conversation with Marcus, hearing that Cooper was a serial runner who shacked up with various women from time to time when he felt like his world was overwhelming him too much… Crap.
“Don’t,” Cooper demanded, his voice hard and firm.
Tessa’s eyes flew up to meet his at the same time her fight or flight instinct kicked in, and she was geared up to fight him with everything that she had.
“Don’t you dare tell me –” She didn’t get the sentence finished before Cooper had pulled her into the narrow bathtub with him, both of them fully dressed. Ok, not fully, Tessa realized as she glanced down, remembering that she didn’t have on her jeans. She was confident she’d been wearing them the night before. If not, she was definitely going to have to lay off the vodka in the future.
Cooper disconnected the handheld sprayer from the wall and aimed it at her head, soaking her hair and making her sputter water. “What the hell are you doing?”
And then his mouth was on hers, his hard body pressed against her front while the cold tile met her back. Despite her brain’s insistence that she push him away, her hands had other ideas. She found herself pulling him closer, the warmth of the water running over her skin while she attempted to devour him.
“I don’t think you could describe it as good, but yeah, I talked to him,” he answered honestly.
“So when are you leaving town?” she asked, her words coming out slurred. She might appear to be stone cold sober, but she was certainly intoxicated. That was likely the reason she hadn’t stood up yet. He’d bet money that her world would tip sideways once she did.
He waited until she looked at him before he answered. “I’m not going anywhere, Tessa.” It was the truth. As far as he was concerned, Devil’s Bend was his new home and he had no intention of leaving.
He was going to wait for his father to call him back next week to figure out the logistics, but he’d been adamant that this was where he wanted to be. Then again, if Tessa tossed him to the curb, Cooper might have to rethink that decision. As sure as he looked at her now, he knew that he probably wouldn’t be able to spend the rest of his life in the same town as she was if he couldn’t have her all to himself.
“Well, you should. Probably a nice woman waiting for you in the next town you sneak off to.”
Cooper didn’t say anything. That’s the story Marcus had told her and right now, with her being drunk, he knew it wasn’t going to go well if he told her the truth. Which he fully intended to do. Tomorrow. When she woke up beside him.
“I’ve got some things to explain to you, Tessa,” he began and held up his hand when she started to interrupt. “And I fully intend to explain, but not tonight. Not like this.”
“So why’d you come here then?” she asked, her words running together more.
When she reached for the bottle of vodka, Cooper intervened, stopping her. She’d had more than enough. “This isn’t going to help, and you know it,” he told her, holding her hand in his as he leaned over her.
Without waiting for permission, which he knew he wouldn’t get anyway, Cooper settled onto the swing beside her, pulling her against him. When she started to fight him, he held her tighter. “Don’t,” he commanded softly. “Just sit here with me.”
The alcohol’s effect was probably the only thing that kept her there, but Cooper considered it a win. He’d have hell to pay tomorrow, but for now, he was going to hold her. That’s all he wanted to do anyway.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Ok, so the morning after a vodka binge could not be categorized as a good time. Not that the night before was anything to write home about either.
Unwilling to open her eyes, Tessa snuggled into her blankets, wishing like hell she’d thought to take aspirin before she went to sleep. But then again, she might have. She was so lit, she didn’t even remember coming inside. The last conscious memory was of Cooper showing up at her house, but she was pretty sure she sent him on his way.
When nature called a few minutes later, Tessa knew her morning was about to go from bad to worse. Why shouldn’t it? That seemed to be a pattern for things these days.
She had to get out of bed which meant the room was going to spin, and she was probably going to get to scrutinize her last cleaning job up close when she made friends with the toilet.
Forcing her feet over the side of the bed, she felt the mattress shift, and she knew then and there that it was worse than she thought. Once she was vertical, she grabbed onto her dresser and made her way down the hall to the bathroom. Someone must’ve been looking out for her because she didn’t get sick like she thought. After doing her business, Tessa splashed cold water on her face as she stared at herself in the mirror.
“You look like hell, woman,” she mumbled to the reflection, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and her crazy hair. “That’ll teach you not to fall for a man. It never gets you anywhere. You should know by now that karma has it out for you.”
When a throat cleared from the doorway, Tessa nearly fell flat on her face into the sink. She whirled around to see Cooper standing in the doorway of her bathroom looking impossibly sexy. He was shirtless, his jeans unbuttoned but zipped and his feet bare.
She had to blink twice before her brain accepted that what she was seeing was not just a figment of her imagination. Her mouth felt like she’d been sucking on cotton, but somehow she managed to force the words out. “Why are you here?”
Cooper didn’t say a word and that was when Tessa remembered what she’d just said. Out loud. To herself. Shit.
He’d heard her talking to herself. Glancing down at the floor, she contemplated what would happen if the tile would open up and swallow her. At least she wouldn’t have to face him this morning. It seemed that the alcohol had diluted her anger, and now she was left with confusion.
She stared at the man standing in her bathroom door, watched as he walked over to her shower and turned on the water. Well, it was nice of him to make himself at home. Shouldn’t he be leaving? And why was she having this conversation inside her head, rather than with him?
Before she could ask him directly, she felt his warm hand on hers as he pulled her closer. And just like that, all of her memories from the night before flooded back: her conversation with Marcus, hearing that Cooper was a serial runner who shacked up with various women from time to time when he felt like his world was overwhelming him too much… Crap.
“Don’t,” Cooper demanded, his voice hard and firm.
Tessa’s eyes flew up to meet his at the same time her fight or flight instinct kicked in, and she was geared up to fight him with everything that she had.
“Don’t you dare tell me –” She didn’t get the sentence finished before Cooper had pulled her into the narrow bathtub with him, both of them fully dressed. Ok, not fully, Tessa realized as she glanced down, remembering that she didn’t have on her jeans. She was confident she’d been wearing them the night before. If not, she was definitely going to have to lay off the vodka in the future.
Cooper disconnected the handheld sprayer from the wall and aimed it at her head, soaking her hair and making her sputter water. “What the hell are you doing?”
And then his mouth was on hers, his hard body pressed against her front while the cold tile met her back. Despite her brain’s insistence that she push him away, her hands had other ideas. She found herself pulling him closer, the warmth of the water running over her skin while she attempted to devour him.
