But damn, she wanted him, wanted what she couldn’t have. This insane longing to run her hands over his hard muscles and through his thick hair drove her crazy. Of course, her fantasies didn’t stop there. Not by a long shot. Instead they stopped with both of them naked and him pumping into her until they both had epic orgasms and lay spent in each other’s arms.
That was so not happening. Fantasies would be the only piece of him she’d allow herself to have.
Unfortunately, he had to be the sexiest man on earth.
If Izzy had been a sculptor she’d have sculpted his well-defined muscles. If she’d been a painter, she’d have painted his handsome face with those sexy lips, intense blue eyes, and unruly mane of dark hair. But she was just a woman, a party crasher by night and a barista by day, and Izzy couldn’t do his body or his face justice, wouldn’t have the first idea how to capture this strong, proud man on canvas or paper or even in a photo, but she’d definitely sign up for the task of preparing him for posing—in the nude.
She swallowed and licked her lips. She’d strip him naked and oil those rippling muscles, brush his hair away from his face, and kiss away the worried wrinkles in his brow.
Seriously? She had it bad, and she’d been the one to break it off with him.
Part of her was sorry she’d done it.
Izzy bit her lower lip as she raised her hand to ring the doorbell. She was early.
Her Aunt Barb’s car wasn’t in the driveway so she’d left for the day. Barb hadn’t said much other than Riley was quiet and non-communicative. He’d communicated just fine with Izzy the day they’d gone shopping. In fact, he’d been animated.
Enough stalling.
Izzy rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, Cooper opened the door and her breath caught in her throat. Cooper’s Sockeyes T-shirt molded to every muscle in his well-defined chest. Despite Izzy’s five-foot-ten height, the man towered over her, making her feel delicate and feminine. She gazed up at him, sucked in by his clear blue eyes, which darkened with desire at the sight of her on his doorstep.
“You’re early,” he stated the obvious.
“I know. I thought I’d spend a little time with Riley.”
“He’d like that.” Cooper stood aside to allow her in, but close enough her body brushed his as she squeezed past him. She followed him into the large kitchen and breakfast nook area, staring at his strong back the entire time, admiring those broad shoulders and the muscles at play as he walked with pure male, athletic grace.
Cooper stopped in the doorway, and she was so busy drooling, she ran into his back. Chuckling, he turned and winked at her, holding her arms to steady her weaving body. “Having issues with gravity today?”
“No, I’m fine.” Her face burned from her neck up to her forehead. Even the roots of her hair prickled with embarrassment.
“Sure, you are,” he said way too smugly, as if he knew the effect he had on her. The bastard.
She stepped around him and approached Riley who appeared to be doing his homework at the breakfast table. Riley glanced up and did a double-take. A welcoming smile spread across his face.
“Izzy.” He grinned with absolute joy at seeing her and made her feel like a bit of a bitch for avoiding him.
Izzy slid onto the bench across from him and smiled. “How are you, Riley?”
“Great, now that you’re here.” Riley shot a quick glance at his uncle and frowned.
“I’ll be in the living room. I have a few things to finish up before everyone gets here.” Cooper took the hint, but not before Izzy saw a flash of hurt in his blue eyes.
Riley visibly relaxed as soon as Cooper left. “Wow, it’s really good to see you.”
“How’s school going?” Izzy nodded at the books, laptop, and miscellaneous papers scattered on the table.
He shrugged one shoulder. “It’s going. I’m behind, but I have a tutor a couple days a week.” He brightened, showing all that youthful enthusiasm Izzy admired. “I’m playing on the freshman football team. Would you come to one of my games?” He bit his lower lip, and his hopeful expression was so adorable, Izzy couldn’t possibly say no.
“I’d love to. When’s the first one?”
“Thursday night.” He literally squirmed with excitement, giving Izzy the distinct impression no one had ever bothered to attend any of his activities in the past. Sadly, she could relate.
“Two nights from now?”
“Yeah. Maybe you could go with Uncle Cooper. He has that night off,” Riley added hopefully.
“I don’t think that’d be a good idea.”
Riley’s face fell. “Don’t you like him? I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. He’s a hard ass.”
“I do like him, and he’s a great guy.” Izzy found herself defending Cooper. “You should cut him some slack. He’s not used living with anyone or having the responsibilities that come with a teenager in the house.”
“He doesn’t want me here,” Riley’s jaw jutted out stubbornly, reminding her of Cooper.
“Of course, he does,” she lied, and Riley saw right through it.
“I didn’t ask to live here. I just wanted help finding my mother.” Riley crossed his arms over his chest. “I can take care of myself.”
“I’m sure you can, but you shouldn’t have to. Now’s the time to enjoy being a kid without adult responsibilities.” Izzy spoke softly. She understood, more than he’d ever know.
“I’m not complaining. My mom needs me.”
“I’m certain you’re a good son.” She patted his arm and he managed an embarrassed smile. “I had absentee parents, Riley. They were gone a lot. While they sometimes left us with food and money, it was never enough. That’s how Party Crashers got started. At first, my three sisters and I crashed parties to have a meal, especially weddings because everyone doesn’t know everyone else. My parents taught us to play instruments, sing, and dance at young ages, so we entertained in exchange for our supper. If they had karaoke, we sang. If they had dancing, we danced up a storm. If there was a piano, we’d play it. No one ever complained. In fact, those that realized we were party crashers thanked us for making the most epic parties ever. That’s when we realized we could make money crashing parties.”
“That’s so cool. Can I crash a party with you sometime?”
Izzy smiled indulgently. “We’ll see.” She glanced up to see Cooper leaning in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, and an unreadable expression on his handsome face. A muscle ticked in his jaw, giving away how upset he was.
The doorbell interrupted any further conversation. A few seconds later, Tanner appeared with his buddy and wide receiver Hunter McCoy, followed by Cedric. Cooper stood behind them, scowling and looking as if he’d like to use his stick to smack that arrogant grin off Tanner’s pretty face.
Tanner immediately headed for Izzy and gave her a kiss on the cheek, while Cooper literally steamed. Tanner obviously loved every minute of it. He straightened and focused his laser-sharp quarterback gaze on the teenager who was gaping at him with an open mouth.
“Hey, buddy.” Tanner grinned and reached out to shake hands. Riley fell all over himself in his haste to stand.
“Oh my God, you’re Tanner Wolfe.” Riley looked ready to pee his pants, while Cooper looked ready to strangle Tanner with his bare hands. Izzy stood, poised to run interference or break up a fight, whichever came first.
“One and the same. And you’re—”
“—my nephew.” Cooper stepped between the two. “You have homework to finish, Riley, and we have a meeting.”
Riley’s face fell, and he shot Cooper a look of pure dislike. Cooper caught it, judging by the jerkiness of his movements and the hardening of his jaw. Izzy’s heart went out to him even when it shouldn’t.
“Get that homework done, Riley, and we’ll talk later.” Tanner squeezed his shoulder and offered a friendly smile.
“Would you come to my game Thursday night? Izzy and Uncle Cooper are going.” Riley couldn’t seem to
contain himself, but when he caught the annoyance on Cooper’s face, he stared at his feet. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that.”
“Hey, just so happens I’m free Thursday night. I’d love to.” Tanner winked at Riley, who immediately brightened again, despite the murderous glare on his uncle’s face.
“That’d be awesome,” Riley gushed like only a kid could. “You’re my favorite athlete.”
Cooper stiffened as if he’d been slapped across the face, but only Izzy appeared to notice. She moved closer to him and touched his arm. He stared down at her, the pain stark on his face. For a moment they were the only two in the room, as they gazed into each other’s eyes.
Cooper bent his head and spoke only for her ears as they followed the rest of the group into the living room with Cedric leading the way as if it were his house. “That’s fucking awesome,” he said sarcastically. “He never treats me like that. Most of the time I think he hates me. The rest of the time, he barely tolerates me.”
“Cut him some slack, Cooper. You don’t know what kinds of ideas his mother put into his head.”
“I have a good idea they weren’t complimentary toward me.”
“Of course not. She’s an addict, and her life is everyone else’s fault but hers. You’re doing right by him. That needs to be enough for now. Let him hero worship Tanner. Your role isn’t to be his buddy, but his parent.”
Cooper ran his hand through his hair, pushing it off his face. “I never wanted to be anyone’s parent, let alone a teenage boy’s.”
“Sometimes we don’t get a vote when it comes to the challenges life throws at us.”
“You’re right, Izzy. As always.”
“And don’t you forget it.” She nudged a smile out of him with those words.
He opened his mouth to say something, but Tanner interrupted, hating it when he wasn’t the center of attention.
Izzy settled them all down and tried to run a meeting. It would’ve been easier to herd cats than to channel the testosterone in that room tonight.
At least she kept Tanner and Cooper from duking it out, even as they argued over every little thing. It was going to be a long evening. And forcing herself to stay out of Cooper’s magnetic pull made it exponentially more difficult.
* * * *
Cooper shut the door behind the last of his guests, except for Izzy, who volunteered to help clean up. Riley ran upstairs to call his teammates and brag about meeting the great Tanner Wolfe. Cooper wanted to gag. The guy was no role model for an impressionable teenager. His reputation as a partier and womanizer wasn’t even the half of it. His big mouth and outrageous behavior completed the overall picture of a jerk.
Cooper already had a negative opinion of the guy before he ever laid eyes on him based on Tanner’s hockey-playing brother, Isaac. Yeah, the three Wolfe brothers, dubbed by the press as the Wolfe Pack, all played professional sports. One hockey, one baseball, one football. Each one as arrogant and obnoxious as the others.
With a sigh that the torture had ended for another night, Cooper turned back toward the kitchen. Izzy bustled around, putting dishes in the dishwasher and wiping the counter.
Cooper paused to watch her zipping around like a mini tornado in his kitchen. Instead of wreaking havoc though, she transformed the chaos into neat, tidy order. Cooper liked things orderly, and he liked Izzy in his kitchen. Hell, he just plain liked her.
It’d been a weird night for him. He couldn’t stand Tanner Wolfe. To watch the asshole flirt with Izzy all night was just about more than he could stomach. Yet, the ultimate betrayal came from his nephew who clearly worshipped the jerk. Now that hurt. Not that Tanner’s obvious interest in Izzy didn’t hurt, too, because it did, but Izzy didn’t return the man’s interest, which gave Cooper some satisfaction. Maybe he really could trust her. Maybe she wasn’t like all those other women.
He missed her, and he wanted her back. He wasn’t sure whether the gaping hole in his heart could get any bigger. He missed the way she smiled at him and lit up his day. He missed how her eyes sparkled as she sang along to “Hotel California,” her favorite classic rock song. Hell, he even missed the frown on her face when he wore faded jeans for a night out on the town. Oh, yeah, he was a sap, and he fucking missed her.
Izzy finally glanced up and saw him standing there. Her expression softened, and he knew he must be wearing his heart on his sleeve.
Dropping the towel on the counter, she moved toward him. He stood his ground, waiting for her, his entire body buzzing with anticipation.
She stopped a foot from him and gazed into his eyes. God, he loved her brown eyes with those little gold flecks in them. He could lose himself in those eyes all day long.
“Are you okay?” Izzy brought up her hand and stroked his rough cheek.
“Yeah.” As long as she kept touching him like that, he’d be more than okay. Cooper swallowed and fisted his hands to stop himself from pulling her into his arms. He breathed in her sweet perfume. Like spring flowers on a sunny day, her scent surrounded him, enveloped him, wrapped him in a warm cocoon of contentment.
“He does look up to you, Coop,” she said, mistaking his distress as being upset over Riley, which might be partially true, but Izzy was a big piece of that puzzle, too. She rested her hands on his shoulders, and he resisted trembling at her touch. Only a weak man did that, and she’d witnessed too many vulnerable moments lately when it came to him.
“He has a funny way of showing it,” he said tersely, even as his brain fogged up. He fought to clear it, not sure he was capable of that feat.
“Cooper, give him time. He’s struggling. Tanner is a safe choice.”
“And I’m not?”
“No, because you matter. In the greater scheme of things, Tanner doesn’t. Not to Riley.”
“You think?” Cooper didn’t understand her logic, not really. From where he was standing, Riley hero-worshipped Tanner and considered Cooper the latest incarnation of the devil. Cooper didn’t know what the hell to do about it or even if he should.
“I know.” She stroked his cheek, her eyes bright with emotion that drew him in while terrifying the shit out of him.
“I miss you.” Unable to resist any longer, he leaned into her, his hands on her shoulders, while he searched her face for any sign that she missed him just as much.
She looked away for a moment, then looked back. “I miss you, too, but we’re not a good match.”
His heart sank just a little. “We never made it past third base, so how do you know that?”
Izzy rolled her eyes and backed away from him, putting physical and emotional space between them. “I’m talking about more than sex. You’re the jealous, controlling type, and I’m the free-spirit, I’ll-do-what-I-want type. Not exactly a good combination.”
“I could change. Give me another chance.” He was begging, he heard it in his voice. “I want you back.” There he’d said it, laid it out there, opened himself up for her to either put a bandage on his partially healed wounds or rip them wide open.
Uncertainty wrinkled her cute little nose and gave him hope. He moved in, knowing her body had the hots for him. Even though she’d managed to hold back from doing the deed when they’d been dating, in a few more dates he’d have gotten her naked and in his bed.
She shook her head, her dark hair falling across her shoulders. He wanted to bury his face in those silky strands and inhale the scent of her.
“Izzy—” He took another step toward her, but she sidestepped and put the counter between them.
“No, Coop. No.” She held up her hands to ward him off—as if she could stop him.
“Give me another chance.” He circled the counter and cornered her in the kitchen.
She sucked her lower lip into her mouth, a sure sign she was considering her options. In his playbook, that was a helluva lot better than an outright refusal. She gazed up at him, her eyes bright with a challenge. “Show me.”
“Show you?” He grinned and started to unzip
his jeans.
She smacked his hand. “I mean, show me you can change. Show me you can release control and let me be my own person. Show me you can trust me. Show me you can tolerate my job and all the men I’m required to hang out with and schmooze. Show me, and I’ll reconsider.”
Damn, that was a tall order, considering how he craved every aspect of his life to be in perfect control. Yet, he’d never been one to back down from any challenge, and Izzy was worth it. Yeah, he could do this or he’d fucking die trying.
He clicked his heels together and saluted her. “You’re on. I’ll be the perfect gentlemen who trusts you implicitly.”
“We’ll see.” He heard the skepticism in her voice, but rather than taking offense, he grinned all the more.
“How about we kiss on it to seal the deal?”
* * * *
Izzy’s good sense, or what was left of it in Cooper’s presence, floated out the window like an unleashed bundle of balloons into the stormy Seattle sky. His smile was an odd combination of wolfish and hopeful.
She leaned forward and looked up at him. His uncertain grin shifted to predatory, while her body hummed with giddy anticipation. She should just jump the man’s bones and get it over with.
Like that would satisfy her longing for him. Yeah, right.
It’d only whet her appetite for more. She knew that as sure as she knew her parents hadn’t had a hit song in twenty years, but that hadn’t stopped them from wanting one either.
“Izzy,” Cooper whispered, his deep voice a husky growl.
She leaned back and grabbed the edge of the counter to stop her knees from buckling. Sliding to the floor in a pile of overheated female mush wasn’t the way to end this evening.
Neither was jumping in bed with this hot man who pushes every one of your buttons like he’s been fully trained on how to drive your body crazy.
Besides, no one said anything about bed. Just one little kiss. That was all.
He advanced on her, ready to claim what she knew was his, even if she didn’t want him to know it.
Crashing the Net Page 6
