Lily’s attention turned back to the door as it opened. A tall, broad man in a suit and white collar stepped in from the darkened street. He held his head high, casting a condescending glare over the room with grey eyes that matched his salt and pepper hair. He strode to the check out desk.
With all that brewed in her head, all Lily could manage was a raspy greeting, “Hi, Daddy.”
“Hello, Lily.” Reverend Dixon turned to Molly. “Hello, Molly. How is your father’s crop doing?”
“Very well, sir. Thank you for asking.”
“Good. I continue to pray for him and the rest of the farmers in our community. They are the backbone of our great state.” He looked back at Lily. “Lily, who was that man who just left before I came in? He walked to Buddy’s Bar. I pray it isn’t who I think it is.”
For a split second, Lily considered lying to her father. It was best to tell the truth. He would find out eventually. “Reese Cooper.”
A small growl escaped his throat. “That’s what I thought. The prodigal son returning home. However, Braden is certainly better without him. What was he doing here?”
“Checking out some books to read while he heals his injury.”
“That boy makes his living committing violence. The sooner he is gone the better.” Reverend Dixon raised a threatening finger towards her. “Stay away from him, Lily. He is a bad man.”
Lily swallowed hard. “Of course, Daddy.”
“Good. Hurry with closing. Your mother is holding supper for you.”
“I will.”
Lily and Molly silently watched as Reverend Dixon nodded his farewell and left.
Once he had gone, Molly spoke, “I can’t believe you’re twenty-seven and still running home after work. When are you going to grow up?”
“Mom makes me dinner. What’s the big deal? I don’t live there.”
“You live in the attached apartment! Where are you going to take Reese to sleep with him?”
Lily rolled her eyes. “There will be no Reese in my apartment. Reese doesn’t want to sleep with me.”
“That’s not what I saw. It looked to me like he wanted to do you right there between the stacks.”
Lily sighed as she waved her hand around the piles of books on the counter. “Can we finish these please? My parents are waiting for me.”
Molly shook her head, her red curls bouncing. “Girl, you are never going to get a man.”
“Like you’re one to talk?”
“Lily, I’ve seen more cock than you can dream of and I don’t mean the ones strutting around my Dad’s barnyard.”
Lily couldn’t help but giggle at Molly’s statement. Her heart fell a little. Her friend was right. At this rate, she would never find a man, especially with her father involved. All the guys in Braden were terrified of him. That was all right, she supposed. She didn’t want any guy. She wanted just one. He was the only one she ever wanted. The one her daddy warned her about.
Reese Cooper.
Chapter Two
It was another warm, humid Iowa afternoon just like the rest. However, the dark tavern was nearly frigid. Reese sat hunched over the bar in a pair of faded blue jeans and a tight fitting t-shirt. He glanced down at his outfit. With the exception of the Lycra shorts he wore in the octagon, he pretty much had worn the same style since he was five. Everyone is going to recognize me like this. Even people I’d rather not know I was here.
He lifted the flashlight he was holding and pointed at the book lying open on the stained wood. Squinting at the words, he continued reading. He barely got through two lines when the door of the bar was flung open.
Buddy stepped inside, shivering violently from the sudden temperature change. “What’s up with the flashlight?”
“I’m trying to read,” Reese explained.
“You read? I didn’t think you knew how.”
“Your lighting sucks in here, dumbass.”
“Thanks for that observation.” Buddy charged past him into the back of the bar.
Reese sighed. He shouldn’t have called Buddy a dumbass. The bar owner was going out of his way to host Reese. But the fighter was sick of the assumption that he was stupid. He did enjoying reading. And he knew MMA fighters that were simply geniuses. The stereotype was just too much.
Minutes later, Buddy returned to the bar with a red, plastic basket in his hand. He set it in front of Reese. “I assume I’m feeding your crippled ass, right?”
Reese chuckled. “I have money. I can pay you.”
“Your money is no good here. However, if you’d like to slap Buddy’s Bar on your shorts the next time you fight, I won’t stop you.”
Reese grinned at his friend. “You got it.”
“Whatch’a reading?”
“Stephen King. I read this one a long time ago. But it’s worth another go through.”
“This sudden reading binge doesn’t have to do with a certain town librarian, does it?”
“What if it does?”
“Reese, my man. Don’t do it. Her daddy has terrified every man in this town. None of them, including me, will go near her.”
“Tell me exactly what he’s going to do it me.”
Buddy chuckled uneasily. “Send you to hell?”
“Been there. Done that. Have a nice summer home next to the fiery lake. He doesn’t scare me in the least. And we all know enough about the good ole’ Reverend to know he doesn’t have that kind of pull with the Big Guy.”
“Still. Lily is just not the one nightstand kind of material. She’s looking for a forever kind of man. Husband, children, the white picket fence.”
“I don’t want a one night stand. I never have. I don’t know if I’m ready for the white picket fence. But I am ready for her. I have been in love with Lily Dixon since I was five.”
“That’s really romantic, Reese. But I still think you’re a fucking idiot.”
“Thanks for that.”
“My pleasure.” Buddy chuckled as he picked up the discarded bar towel to dry a couple of damp glasses. He suddenly stiffened as he set the glass back down on the bar. “Reese.”
Reese didn’t look up. “What?”
“Reese!”
Reese’s head snapped up irritably. “What do you want?”
“Go back in the hall towards my office.”
“Why?”
“I just saw your dad pass by. I think he’s coming here.”
“Shit.” Reese slammed the book closed then grabbed it and his burger. He hustled past Buddy behind the bar and hid in the darkened hallway. Seconds later, the chime on the door rang announcing new visitors. Reese slumped against the wall as he clenched his eyes shut.
“Hey, Howie. How’s it going?” Buddy greeted hesitantly.
“Not bad. Can’t complain. Lulu here and I decided we were sick of work, so we cut out early and came here to start our drinking early.”
Reese peeked around the corner to take a look at his father. Howard Cooper looked the same as Reese remembered except the lines were deeper and his hair had more streaks of grey. A scar ran deep along his right cheek. Reese’s stomach turned as he remembered how the older Cooper earned it. Instinctively, he ran his own fingertips across an equally deep scar on his chin. It was a knock out punch. Dad split my chin open. I turned and split him open. He dropped like a load of bricks. Then I ran. I was sure I killed him. Guess I was wrong.
Buddy reached out his hand, offering it to the buxom dye-job blonde next to Howard. “It’s nice to meet you, Lulu.”
“You too!” she nearly screeched as she shook Buddy’s hand emphatically.
“How long have you been seeing Howie?”
Lulu giggled as she covered her face with her hands.
Howard swatted her across the rear playfully. “We ain’t seeing each other. Just getting’ drunk then having some naked fun back at my place.” Howard thumbed towards Buddy as he turned towards Lulu. “Buddy used to run around with my boy when they were kids.”
“Really? Do I g
et to meet your kid?” Lulu asked excitedly.
Howard chuckled. “I haven’t seen the little bastard in seven years. He’s some big shot fighter now. Been on pay-per-views and everything. Ever think he’d throw a couple bucks his ole’ pa’s way? Hell, no. Probably wastin’ it on whores and booze. Good for nothin’ little shit is what he is. Buddy, get us a shot of Jack and a couple cold ones.”
“Coming up, Howie. But remember your bar tab,” Buddy warned as he poured two shot glasses full of whiskey and pushed them across the bar to Howie and Lulu.
“Send it to the big shot. ‘Bout time he took care of me!” Howie laughed as he tossed the drink back, obviously amused with himself.
Buddy drew the two mugs of beer then excused himself from his customers.
Reese sighed as his friend joined him in the hallway.
“Sorry,” Buddy breathed.
“That? He’s been saying things like that about me all my life.” Reese shook his head miserably. “Guess some things will never change. Does he tell everyone that?”
“Yeah. But Reese, everyone knows the truth. They know how he used to treat you. A bunch of folks said he had it coming when you beat the shit out of him.”
“Other folks don’t matter. He’s my dad. The only parent I’ve ever had. I could never treat my kids like that.”
Buddy clapped his hand on his friend’s shoulder as he pointed towards the kitchen with the other hand. “There’s a back door. Take the burger with you. Your dad and his friend will be drinking for hours until they fall off those stools and stagger back to his place. You don’t want to wait back here until they finish.”
“All right. I’ll see you later.” Reese slipped through the kitchen, pushing the door to the gravel parking lot behind the bar open as quietly as he could. The last thing he needed was for his dad to demand to know what made the noise and investigate.
Walking down the sidewalk clutching a plastic food basket and a book to himself had to be an odd sight to anyone watching Reese pass by. He lowered his head and hurried, weaving the path to Buddy’s house as fast as he could. Slipping the key into the lock, he threw the door open and stepped inside, slamming it behind him. He sunk into Buddy’s recliner, set the basket in his lap, and laid the book in the arm of the chair.
Once he got his breath, Reese picked up the burger nestled in the basket and took a huge bite. He moaned as he chewed. Traveling to fight, he had burgers from all over the world. None of them held a candle to this one. The meat was perfectly seasoned and the garnish accompanied it well. But nothing compared to the pretzel bun it sat on. Reese never tasted something so good. He was definitely going to have to ask Buddy where he got his buns from.
The burger was gone in just a few, brief moments. Reese picked up the book, shuffling through the pages until he reached where he left off. As he read, he popped one cold French fry after another into his mouth.
Shadows stretched across the wood floor as he reached the last page. Stretching his stiff limbs, Reese glanced at the clock. His lips twisted into a wicked grin. The library was still open. It was a great time to get another book or two. He stood and strode to the kitchen to toss the basket into the sink. Grabbing the other book, he took off out the door, shutting it behind him.
~* * * *~
The library was unusually busy for a Monday evening. Lily weaved between the tables, glancing down at the students busy scanning through book after book for answers. She glanced over at a group debating the benefits of Mountain Dew over milk in the school cafeteria. She pressed her fingers over her lips, shushing them sternly. She watched as each head dropped in embarrassment. Fighting back a giggle, Lily slipped behind the circulation desk. It was typical of finals week. It happened every year.
Lily gathered the piles of books heaping on the counter one at a time, setting them on the cart to be tucked away where they belonged on the shelves. She softly hummed a tune to herself, so the kids couldn’t hear. After a full day of obsessing over Reese Cooper, she finally got her head on straight. Granted, it took sharing a bottle of wine with Molly and all the dirty magazines in her desk drawer, but she was pretty sure he was gone. After setting the final pile on the bottom rack of the cart, she stood upright and straightened her skirt until it was once again past her knees.
“Catch!”
Lily’s heart slammed in her chest as her eyes darted up. Something soft thudded against her chest and landed on the floor. She gazed down to find the paperback on the floor, the name Stephen King staring back up at her. She lifted her gaze back up to find Reese on the other side of the counter grinning at her.
“I told you to catch,” he defended.
Lily knelt down to pick up the book as she started to tremble. So much for getting him out of my system. She heard a soft, deep groan. She looked up to see Reese leaning on the counter, his eyes glued to her chest. Her eyes followed his, right to the gaping collar of her blouse and the gentle curve of the lace of her bra hugging her breasts. She felt her cheeks blaze hot as she stood. “I thought you said you’d take care of the books you borrowed,” she chided weakly.
“I did up to the point I said ‘catch’. I can’t help it you didn’t catch it,” he answered, his voice still thick while his eyes looked narrowed and hungry.
It made Lily shudder. She glanced around the hushed room to find every set of eyes glued on Reese. Her hand snapped out to him as she clenched the other book to her. “Thank you for taking care of them,” she squeaked. “May I help you with anything else?”
Reese handed her the second book. “My rehab is far from over. I need something else to read. Plus, I need to sign up for a new card if I remember correctly.”
“You can certainly see whatever else you might enjoy.”
“Could you show me were the horror books are again? I don’t exactly remember where you keep them.”
Lily’s eyes widened at his request. The horror books had been in the same place for the last thirty years. And they were clearly marked. Reese couldn’t possibly forget where they were. Or could he? She shook her head then stepped from behind the circulation desk. “Follow me.”
She led Reese through the rows of shelves leaving the rest of the occupants of the room behind until they reached the far corner of the library where they housed the horror novels. Her heart raced in her chest. Last time they were alone back here he kissed her ear. Or she thought he did. Was it an accident? She was so confused. “Here you are. All the horror Braden, Iowa offers in paperback,” she offered as she motioned towards the shelves. She turned back to Reese. “You could probably continue on wi—”
Her words were cut off by a soft, strong mouth pressed tight against hers.
She was so stunned, she wasn’t sure she was kissing back. Her eyes fluttered shut as Reese wove his fingers into her hair, knocking her neat bun loose. She felt the tip of his tongue lap at her lips before diving between them. The subtle taste of beer set her loose. She tangled her tongue with his as she gripped his muscular biceps in her hands, clinging for dear life. Holy Moses, Reese Cooper is kissing me…
“Miss Lily,” a voice echoed around the books.
Lily broke the kiss.
Reese kept her head still cupped in his hands, his brilliant blue eyes glittering.
She tried to find her voice. After a few subtle attempts, she found it. “Yes, Elijah.”
“The new computer system locked up again. Could you come help?”
Reese tugged her to him again, his lips lightly grazing hers. Lily could barely think. Her whole body was on fire with need. “I’ll be just a moment, Elijah. I’m helping Mr. Cooper find a book.”
“All right.”
Lily’s mouth was engulfed with another kiss. She couldn’t help but melt into Reese, hearing him hiss as her curves pressed against him. His body was hard, contoured and full of muscle. Only moments later, they were interrupted again. “Miss Lily.”
“Coming.” She pulled from Reese’s grasp. She absentmindedly licked her swollen lips.
“I have to go help him,” he breathed weakly.
“I don’t have my books yet.”
“Reese.”
“Fine. But I’m in the mood for pizza. What do you say you and I drive to Waterloo after you’re done?”
“Buddy’s has pizza.”
“Yeah, but it’s not nearly as good as The Other Place, right? Plus…” He tugged her back to him and pressed one last, sensual kiss to her lips. “We can start back up where we left off.”
Lily shook her head weakly as her insides turned to jello. “I can’t…my father—”
“Your daddy what?” he growled.
“He doesn’t want me near you.”
“Does your friend Molly still live on her dad’s farm?”
“Yeah.”
“Great. Meet me there at eight. Your daddy will never know.”
Lily stared into his eyes for a long time before she nodded. “All right.”
“See you then.”
Lily pulled hesitantly from his arms before she turned and nearly ran between the cases to the circulation desk.
A small line of students with books had already formed. A harried Elijah, his wire rimmed glasses almost falling down his nose, poked furiously at the keyboard with no success. He looked relieved at Lily as she stretched her fingers to tap the control, alt and delete buttons at the same time. With a few more keystrokes, the computer system fired alive. There was a round of applause from the teens in line.
Lily caught Reese at the end of the line clapping also. She felt her cheeks burn as she helped Elijah check books out. “Library card, please,” Elijah demanded as Reese stepped up to the desk.
“Elijah, Mr. Cooper doesn’t have a library card. He hasn’t been in Braden since you were ten,” Lily choked out. Her face blazed brighter as Reese grinned at her. Being anywhere near the fighter robbed her of her voice and he was clearly amused with the fact.
The Heartbreaker (Fighting the Odds Book 1) Page 2
