by Amanda Ashby
“He’s wants her to go back and work for him,” Bec explained.
“He what?” Coop’s face darkened as he turned to Pepper. “You’re not seriously considering it, are you?”
“No.” She shook her head. After everything that had happened, going back wasn’t an option.
“And even if she had wanted to, we wouldn’t have let her. The guy sounds like a jerk,” Emmy added.
“No argument from me,” Coop said, his gaze never leaving Pepper’s face. She gulped. “I’m just pleased I could help.”
“Well, it was very sweet. So, do you like the dresses?” Bec said.
“You all look beautiful. Emmy, Christopher’s going to lose his mind when he sees you,” Coop said smoothly as leaned forward and gave Emmy a soft kiss on the cheek. Then he turned his attention to Bec. “And Lincoln’s going to go bonkers—as he’d say in that accent of his. As for Pepper—”
“Please, spare me.” Pepper cut him off before all of the calmness she prided herself on, disappeared. “Besides, you shouldn’t even be here. It’s bad luck to see the bride before her wedding.”
“I think you’ll find it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding,” Coop corrected, his brown eyes full of amusement as a smile twitched at his gorgeous mouth.
“Besides, Coop’s like a brother,” Bec said, oblivious to the swirling sensation in Pepper’s belly. If only it was so simple. “How did your beer tasting with Morgan go?”
“Pretty good,” he said in a mild voice before grinning. “And by ‘pretty good’ I mean ‘nailed it.’ Morgan likes the set up and likes me. He’s going to invest. But don’t worry, Pepper. Before I discussed anything, we signed a non-disclosure.”
“Oh, Coop.” Bec let out a squeal and hugged him. “That’s great. Not that I’m surprised. Who can say no to you?”
“You’d be surprised,” he said while looking over the top of Bec’s head to Pepper. Her skin prickled in response. “But anyway, I’m here to celebrate. Dinner on me. And call up Lincoln and Christopher. Let’s make this a family affair.”
“Oh, I can’t. Lincoln’s taking me out for our four and a half month anniversary,” Bec said, still eyeing the ice cream, which was starting to melt. “I’m sorry.”
“And Christopher’s flying back in tonight and wants to work on our vows. It’s cute. He’s a writer but he can’t think of a single word to say.” Emmy let out a dreamy sigh, not that Pepper understood why her sister was so pleased. A groom without vows was a disaster waiting to happen. She mentally added it to her list.
“Which means it’ll be just the two of you,” Bec said with a grin.
Wait.
What?
Pepper’s head shot up and her entire body went rigid.
“Sorry. I’m busy too.” Pepper held up her list and hoped he didn’t notice most of the things were already ticked off thanks to her manic burst. “Someone has to get Emmy’s wedding organized.”
“Yes, and that someone doesn’t always need to be you.” Emmy plucked the list from Pepper’s hand. “You should go to dinner. Make sure you order all the expensive stuff. Now that we know the truth about everything, you can relax and enjoy yourself.”
“Emmy’s right. Unless you’re worried you might fall for Coop’s charm,” Bec teased before bursting into a fit of laughter. Pepper’s throat tightened. She couldn’t blame her sister for thinking it was a good joke. Because that’s exactly what it was. A joke. After all, nothing about her and Coop made sense. He was far too good looking. And he treated life like it was an amusement park.
It will never work.
Besides, tomorrow she was flying out for her interview and once she got the job she’d never have to spend time with Coop again. Which meant this might be the last time.
Last time to what?
Heat flickered through her body, turning her thighs to jelly and her stomach to liquid. His brown eyes—the ones that always seemed to tease her—were filled with uncertainty. He thinks I’m going to say no. Exhilaration crept under her skin. Normally she only felt powerful at work, doing her job. Never with a man. Certainly never with Paul. But seeing Coop standing there, unsure of what was she was going to say, turned her on in a way she never would’ve expected.
“Okay, fine. I’ll go to dinner and celebrate with you.”
Coop’s eyes widened, just a fraction before a familiar smile sprang to his mouth. “Excellent. I’ll be back at eight o’clock.”
“Great,” Pepper said and then busied herself with her list while her sisters shouted and giggled with amusement. At the bridge, Coop had accused her of hiding in plain sight. Was that what she was doing now? After all, no one would ever suspect there was anything between them, which meant this was her perfect chance to get him out of her system once and for all. She could put a tick next to his name and finally move on with her life. And then everything would be fine. She was certain of it.
…
Coop cleared his throat as he walked up to the farmhouse door. If anyone had told him he’d be going out on two dates with Pepper Watson in as many days, he would’ve laughed out loud. Well, once he picked himself up off the floor he would’ve laughed.
She only agreed to stop her sisters from teasing her, especially now they knew he’d played her fake boyfriend. He couldn’t blame them. Pepper had been vocal about her dislike of him for years, so the idea of them going out together, even as friends was amusing.
He was the only one not laughing.
His mind flickered to the dozens of roses her douchebag of an ex-boyfriend had sent her. She’d said there was no chance they would ever get back together, but then again it wouldn’t be the first time Pepper had changed her mind about something. He sighed.
Under normal circumstances he would’ve just walked into the kitchen, but somehow that didn’t seem right. The jasmine climbing the porch pillars around the front door was curled in, bracing itself for winter.
“Oh, hey, you’re here.” Pepper appeared at the front door wearing a pair of black trousers and a plain white button down shirt. They were probably expensive but it still made her look more like a server than someone going out on a date.
Because according to her it wasn’t a date.
“Hey. You look great,” he said truthfully, the rise and fall of her collarbone, visible through the undone top button of her shirt. His throat went dry as he plastered on his best game face.
“Thank you.” Her voice was breathy and face colored at the compliment before she shook it off. He pictured her naked. Shit. Get it together. “And Coop, there’s something we need to discuss—”
“Don’t worry.” He cut her off as he held up his hands and pushed away his libido. Pepper had given him her message loud and clear. “I know the rules. No looking, no kissing, no inappropriate suggestions. Definitely no mention of what happened yesterday. Just dinner to thank you for helping me out.”
A flash of emotions crossed her face before she tilted her head in agreement and reached for her coat. She shrugged it on with her normal efficiency and stepped out onto the porch. The night air contracted around them, blocking out the farm, the car, the trees. Everything that wasn’t Pepper. He let out a groan. There was no way he was going to survive the entire night. He turned to her, purposely stepping out of the bubble.
“We could just cancel,” he said keeping his gaze firmly on his shoes. “Your sisters don’t need to know.”
“Except we’re in Sunshine. You know what this place is like. If you cancel the reservation someone will tell someone else and then that person will mention it to their dog walker and we’re right back where we started.”
Oh yeah, she was resigned to going out with him, regardless of how little she wanted to. Which meant if she was going along with it, he’d have to as well. He stiffened his shoulders.
“Okay. We’ll go through with it.” He waited until she’d slid into the passenger side of his car and then walked around and climbed in. “As long as you know, e
veryone in Sunshine walks their own dogs.”
“Of course they do,” Pepper said with a weird shrill laugh.
He gripped the steering wheel as he drove the short distance into town, careful to keep the conversation light and neutral. Next to him Pepper toyed with her fingers. Almost like she was nervous.
In your dreams.
She’s just counting down until it’s all over.
He pulled up to Beer and Cupcakes—the bar and bakery his friends, Lizzie and Keith, ran pleased he’d made the reservation when he thought everyone would be there. Because if he’d tried to pick a restaurant just for the two of them, the ever-hopeful side of his mind might’ve insisted on booking somewhere romantic. Just to make my humiliation complete.
Thankfully they’d have a booth in the seventies style bar, eating the plain but hearty food while the other patrons played pool, made bets on when the first snow would fall, and generally ignored them.
Totally not romantic and therefore perfect.
“Oh,” Pepper said in surprise as she looked out of the window. “Is this where we’re going?”
“Is that a problem?” A flicker of interest crossed his mind.
“Oh no.” Color diffused her cheeks as she bit down on her lower lip, sending his heart rate into overdrive. “I haven’t been here before but Emmy and Bec both talk about it a lot and I know they’ve used it for some functions. I never understood how two such different businesses could work together.”
“Neither could they.” Coop stopped the engine and circled the car to open her door. Okay, do not look at her legs as she gets out. Crap. Too late. Even in the plain trousers he could imagine the slender ankles and long limbs. “When Keith first took over the bar, the pair of them fought all the time, worried the other business was going to drive away their customers. According to Lizzie it all came to a head when he hired a punk band to play during the day, disturbing the large afternoon tea party she was hosting. Then, somewhere during the argument she threw a lemon meringue pie at him. It ended in a gigantic food fight, which led to a kiss.”
“They fell in love and merged their businesses?” Pepper frowned and he could almost see her mind processing the information before finding several logical flaws in it. Just like she’d done with him.
“Something like that.” Coop shrugged as they walked into the bar where Keith greeted them.
“Good to see you, buddy. I hope now you’re going big time, you won’t forget about us. Your barrels are still the first to go.”
“Your order’s safe.” Coop grinned. Keith had been one of his first regular customers, which had helped him get the business started in the first place.
“Good to hear, and nice to see you again, Pepper,” Keith said as he ushered them over to the quieter end of the bar before reading them the specials and returning several minutes later with their drinks.
“Here’s to your business.” Pepper raised her glass.
“The business,” he said as he held his own glass up to hers, trying and failing not to notice how the pale bar light threw shadows on the soft curve of her throat. “Without your help, it might not have happened.”
“Nonsense, you made one rookie mistake. That wouldn’t have stopped them seeing the potential. Anyway, it was a fair deal. You helped me get my interview, it was the least I could do.”
“Right,” he said. It was a reminder that everything was black and white with her. She owed him and now the slate was clean. He toyed with his beer glass. “When is it?”
“I fly out tomorrow and the interview’s first thing the following day. It if goes well, I’d like to start after Emmy’s wedding.” She put down her glass and opened her purse to retrieve a pair of black-framed glasses. She slipped them over her nose and studied the menu with military precision before shutting it, a slight frown on her face.
“Do they do the salad without dressing? I’ll ask them myself. Oh, and while I’m up there, I might as well order for both of us. Because the sooner we eat, the sooner we can go home,” she said, her blue eyes barely visible behind the heavy frames of the glasses.
“Right.” Coop let out a sigh and told her what he wanted before shutting his menu. He might as well just pour cold water over himself and be done with it, because his chances of getting Pepper to change her mind about him were slim-to-not-going-to-happen-buddy.
As she marched over to where Keith was working behind the bar he rolled his shoulders and gritted his teeth. This was going to be a long night.
Chapter Eight
Pepper climbed into Coop’s car. The plan was not working. At all. Which was annoying. Especially since she prided herself on being a skilled organizer. Get a job at a great Seattle law firm by the time she was twenty-five. Done. Buy her own apartment. Easy (well, apart from the fact she’d been forced to sublet it. And let’s not mention the job). But managing to convince Coop she wanted to sleep with him before she went back to her regular life?
Apparently impossible.
She squirmed in her seat and rubbed her brow. The worst thing was, after spending all night hoping it would happen, trying to convince her body she’d failed was proving to be a problem. It was like being on fire. Correction. She was on fire.
“Everything okay?” Coop climbed back into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
A combination of shame and lust rose up into her chest.
“Fine.” She looked straight ahead. “And thank you for a nice dinner. You were right. The food was great.”
“Good,” he said in a polite voice, much like he might to someone he barely knew. Her throat tightened as he turned left. It was in the direction of the farm.
Except if they went back to the farm the evening would be over and she’d spend a sleepless night before flying out in the morning. Her one chance at getting Coop out of her system would be gone.
Why was it so hard? When she and Paul had first started dating, it had been simple. They’d been the last two left at an office function and he’d suggested they share a taxi home since they lived in the same direction. From there he’d invited her in for a nightcap, kissed her before saying they’d make a great team. It had all been done with a businesslike efficiency she’d respected.
Unfortunately, it was no help to her now. Especially since the idea of sleeping with Paul had never left her heart racing. How had she not noticed sooner?
Whereas she seemed to notice everything about Coop. With bionic vision.
And if she didn’t do something, it would all be for nothing. She coughed and fiddled with the next button on her blouse. Undoing one button obviously hadn’t worked, neither had her rushing their orders through to go back to his place sooner.
“You know what?” she said as she continued tugging at the button. Why wouldn’t it undo? “We’ve been celebrating your business, but I’ve never seen it.”
Coop slowed his speed down just a fraction and seemed to stiffen. “What do you mean? I run it at the barn at the farm. You’ve seen the barn before.”
“I haven’t been there since you’ve moved in and started brewing.” Her brow heated up, though she was unsure if it was because she was nervous or hot. The button finally loosened and she used her hand to fan herself down. And what were we talking about? Oh yes. The barn.
“You want to see where I brew beer?” He slowed the car down to the side of the road and came to a stop before turning to her. “Pepper, spill. What the hell’s going on?”
Crap.
Part of her wanted to try and talk her way out of it, but the other part admitted defeat. She leaned back in the passenger seat as his aftershave caught in her nose. This was torture—and it had been for a long time—she might as well put an end to it. After all, it couldn’t be more humiliating than trying to invite herself around to his place and being rebuffed.
“Fine. I’m trying to seduce you.”
Silence hung in the air between them as Coop opened his mouth and closed it again, his eyes searching her face. Probably looking for
signs of insanity.
“Just to be clear. You said ‘seduce’, right? I’m not mishearing you?”
“No, Coop. You’re not mishearing me. I said seduce.” She gritted her teeth, waiting for some kind of smart reply. He let out a long breath.
“But why?” He finally spoke.
Because I’m sick of holding everything together.
Sick of being in control.
“I honestly don’t know. There’s a small chance I’m losing my mind.” She dragged her gaze away as humiliation pounded in her veins. “I’ll be leaving when the wedding’s finished, and I thought this might be a good chance to—” she broke off searching for the right word. Was there even a word for the emotions surging through her? “—to have one night.”
“Okay,” he said, his face unmoving. She was often accused of being difficult to read and now she finally understood the frustration.
“Look, can we please, just forget it ever happened?”
“Forget what happened, Pepper? I had no idea that’s what you were doing. You didn’t even dress up. I think you’d better talk me through it.”
She squirmed in her seat and took a deep breath. “I didn’t want my sisters to know, so I purposely didn’t wear anything out of the ordinary. You saw what they were like the other day with the damn sweater. Besides, I undid the top button.”
“One button.” He raised an eyebrow and his mouth turned into a frown. “That’s the extent of your efforts?”
“Sorry I don’t have a PhD in seduction,” she said, her embarrassment turned to annoyance. “And why are you mad at me? You’re the one who kept looking at me like I was naked—don’t think I didn’t notice.”
“Yeah, okay I was, which is why I did something about it. I told you how I felt. But what do you do? Undo a button. I mean you really threw everything on the line there.”
“What’s does that mean?”
“It means you can’t go swimming if you only put one foot into the pool. You need to get all the way into the water. Be committed. I’m not just a toy you can pick up and play with whenever the mood strikes you.”
