The Heartbreaker (Fighting the Odds Book 1)

by Tricia Andersen

  Elijah clearly was not. “How did he check out the books he had before?” the teen demanded.

  “He borrowed mine.”

  “Miss Lily, that’s against the rules.”

  “I know it is—”

  “Elijah, I would be happy to get one of my own,” Reese volunteered. “Do you have the application?”

  “Absolutely, sir.” The tall, gangly teen squatted behind the counter to rummage in the shelves beneath.

  Lily’s gaze locked with Reese’s, the hot, hungry look they held reigniting the need in her.

  Suddenly, Elijah popped back up and handed Reese the form and a pen. “Fill that out, sir. I will get your card.” He hustled across the library to Lily’s office.

  “Sounds great.” Reese leaned over the counter and scribbled his information in the blanks.

  Lily watched him, every wild and wicked fantasy she ever had about him playing in her mind.

  Elijah returned with a sheet of plastic cards. He wiggled one out, swiped it across the scanner then handed it to Reese. “Here you go, Mr. Cooper.”

  “Thanks, Elijah.” Reese slipped the small card into the back pocket of his jeans.

  “Don’t forget to take that out of your pocket when you wash your jeans. It’ll be in pieces.”

  “I won’t.”

  Elijah typed Reese’s information into the computer then scanned the books. As he did, he frowned at his boss. “Miss Lily, what happened to your hair?”

  Lily’s eyes shot to Reese.

  He just smirked at her as he bit his lower lip.

  The act just made Lily want to bite it too. “My head itched. I forgot I had it up.”

  Elijah shrugged then handed Reese the books. “They’re due in two weeks, Mr. Cooper.”

  “Thank you, Elijah.” Reese nodded to Lily. “Miss Lily.” With one final grin, he turned and strode out of the library.

  Lily slumped against the counter behind her.

  Elijah looked at her puzzled. “Are you all right, Miss Lily?”

  “I’m fine. Could you please put these books away?” She motioned to the piles of books on the counter. “I’m going to go to my office.”

  “Of course.”

  Lily retreated to her office, slamming the door behind her. She dropped into her chair with a sigh. She always wondered what kissing Reese Cooper would be like. It definitely wasn’t what she hoped for. It was far better. His kiss left her a hot, ready puddle of goo on the library floor. She laid her hand on her thigh fighting the temptation to slip it under her skirt. Just a few moments would take the tension away…A knock at the door startled her from her thoughts. Lily blew out an exasperated breath. “Come in.”

  Molly popped her head around the door, her red curls bobbing around her head. “Am I interrupting anything?”

  “No. Come on in.”

  Molly stepped in, shutting the door behind her. She cocked her head at Lily as she plopped on the couch. “What’s up? You look flushed. Did Reese Cooper stop by?”

  Lily’s laugh was shaky. “You could say that.”

  Molly’s eyes flew open wide. “Really? What happened?”

  “He kissed me.”

  Molly squealed then whooped. “Tell me all about it.”

  “It was the hottest kiss I’ve ever known. It was better than the kisses on the movies.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. He wants to meet me at your dad’s farm at eight. He wants to go to Waterloo for pizza. Then he wants to pick up where we left off between the shelves.”

  “Awesome! Let’s close this place up, so we can get you all dolled up.”

  Lily’s smile fell. “I don’t think I want to go.”

  “Wait. Why not?”

  Lily sighed. “Reese is only here until he’s healed. Then he’s going back to Vegas.”

  “So? Have a little fun. He is sexy.”

  “If it were just having fun sure. But I’ve been in love with Reese since he kissed me on the playground when we were little. It’d be fun for the short time he was here. But when he leaves it’ll tear me apart.”

  Molly stood then tugged her friend to her feet. “Lily, it’s just pizza. And a little kissing. Nothing to get worked up over. So, go close up so I can take you to my place. I can’t wait to do your hair and makeup.”

  “No hair and makeup. If Reese can’t take me like this, he doesn’t need me.”

  “Take you?” Molly giggled. “I thought it was just pizza.”

  She nudged her friend towards the office door. “You know what I mean.”

  “Do I?”

  Lily shook her head, exasperated, as she shut the door behind her.

  With Molly’s help, the staff closed the library in record time. Lily fought back the butterflies in her belly as she worked. Her mind slowly played every fantasy she conjured up of Reese. She stopped what she was doing and took a deep breath to calm the slow burn filling her. Tonight would just be about kissing. Nothing more. Nothing more could happen between them. He was only going to be around for a couple more weeks anyway.

  The thought broke Lily’s heart and quenched every bit of desire inside her. With a sigh, she went back to work.

  When Lily slipped into the passenger seat of Molly’s Beetle, the argument began.

  “A little make-up,” Molly insisted.

  “No,” Lily answered.

  Molly fired up the car and coasted down Braden’s main drag. “Then let me do your hair. Your bun is all caddy-whompus anyway. What happened to it?”

  “Reese,” Lily squeaked.”

  Molly’s green eyes looked at her then shot back to her hair then back to her. “Wow. But let me fix it.”

  “No.”

  “So you’re going to Waterloo looking like an unmade bed?”

  “Yep.”

  “Seriously, Lily. What am I going to do with you?”

  “Nothing. I’m just—wait. Is that Buddy’s truck?”

  Molly’s head shot up the drive of her father’s farm. Sitting near the barn was a black Ford F150, a shadowed figure leaned against it. “What’s Buddy doing here? I thought he’d be running the bar tonight.”

  Lily’s hands mindlessly rose to her head and undid her bun, her long brown hair tumbling down past her shoulders. “I don’t think it’s Buddy.”

  “Oh.” Molly parked the car, the headlights illuminating the truck.

  Lily sucked her breath in as her suspicions were confirmed.

  Reese squinted against the bright light as he lifted his arm to block the glare.

  “Dang girl. He really is hot,” Molly breathed the words out.

  “So much for eight o’clock.” Lily popped the door open and stepped out. She could have sworn she heard a male groan come from near the truck. Not one of those protest groans. It was more like one of those got to have it groans. She felt her cheeks warm up.

  Reese held his hand out to her. “Ready to go, Lilybug?”

  “Sure,” she answered breathlessly as she slipped her hand in his, meeting his hungry grin with a look of awe.

  He escorted her to the passenger door and opened it, helping her as she stepped up into the cab.

  “Make sure you have her home before curfew!” Molly joked.

  Reese grinned at her as he strode around the hood of the truck to the driver’s side. “Last thing on my mind. I’ll get her home before sun-up.”

  Lily’s heart raced as Reese threw the truck into reverse and spun the truck around in the farm drive. It didn’t slow as he flew down the highway towards Waterloo. “Buddy let you borrow his truck?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Is your car in Las Vegas? You didn’t drive here?”

  “I don’t have a car. My apartment was within walking distance of my gym. Everything was within walking distance. If I needed a car I rented it or hired it.”

  “So how did you get from the airport to Braden?”

  Reese winked at her. “I hitchhiked.”

  “Cedar Rapids is a hundred miles away fr
om Braden!”

  “And Iowans are the nicest people on the planet. I hitchhiked out of Braden. I hitchhiked back. No big deal.”

  Lily stared at him with wide eyes. Reese had no fear. He didn’t understand the word. The thought of trusting a total stranger to take her someplace terrified her. If he’s fearless in real life, he’s got to be wild in the sack…She shook the thought from her head. Since the moment she laid eyes on him at Buddy’s bar, all she could think of was having sex with him. Calm yourself, Lily Dixon. You aren’t going to sleep with Reese Cooper. The man is out of your league.

  “What’s on your mind, Lilybug? You’re awful quiet over there.”

  She felt herself blush again. “Nothing.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, I was just thinking how big this truck is and you’re over there being all quiet. It’s making this drive sort of lonely.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. Fix it.”

  “How? By talking?”

  Reese’s grin was devious. “No. By sliding that sweet ass over here beside me.”

  Lily gaped at him, speechless.

  He continued, “So? How ‘bout it?”

  Her fingers trembled as she undid her seatbelt and scooted against him. Before she could fasten the lapbelt of the middle seat, Reese already had a firm grip wrapped around her knees. A knot tightened in her belly as she snuggled against him. She breathed deeply. He smelled of shower gel and a hint of sweat. The hard contours of his arms were covered by the soft fabric of his t-shirt. She bit her lower lip as the hand on her knee slowly slipped up her thigh nudging her skirt up.

  “Fuck, Lilybug. You are beautiful,” Reese purred.

  She blushed deeper in response.

  “Molly was kidding, right? Or do you have a curfew?”

  “Reese, I’m twenty-seven years old. No, I don’t have a curfew.”

  “I just wanted to know. Your daddy has a crazy amount of control on you.”

  “He is a highly respected man in Braden. I don’t want to bring shame to him.”

  “Yeah. Being seen with the town bad boy would do that, huh?”

  Lily shrugged. “I suppose so.”

  “You need to live your own life, baby.”

  “I like my life.”

  “Really? We’re sneaking off to Waterloo for pizza because you don’t want your daddy to know we're together. You are that concerned about his precious reputation. Baby, if you only knew…”

  “Knew what?”

  Reese sighed. “Nothing. It’s just that I could think of a lot of things we could to without leaving Braden.”

  “Like what?” Lily laughed.

  Reese stopped at the red light and gazed into her eyes. As he did, he slid his hand inside her skirt, his fingertips grazing the edge of her panties.

  Lily whimpered half in protest, half in need.

  Reese pulled his hand free and rested it back on her knee as the light flipped to green.

  Chapter Three

  The rest of the ride was silent but the tension between them was thick. Lily buried herself closer to Reese to escape it. It wasn’t anger. She knew the tension anger caused. She had felt it multiple times when Rose, her little sister, and her would fight. Or, she had felt it frequently with her father. His overbearing ways wasn’t to protect her from the riffraff that prowled around Braden. It was to protect his precious reputation. Sometimes, being the preacher’s daughter was just too much to take.

  No. This kind of tension left a dull burning ache in her belly that only Reese could fix. Part of her hoped he would soon.

  Reese parked the truck and stepped out, offering his hand to help Lily down from the cab. She clung tight to him as they walked into the restaurant. Memorabilia from several sports teams were nailed to the wood paneled walls. The waitress showed them to a booth along the wall, setting the menus on either side of the table. As she walked away, Reese slid them on the same side. “Don’t get me wrong, Lilybug. I could stare at you all night. But I don’t want to look at you. I want to feel you. I want to taste you. I bet you taste far better than their pizza.”

  Lily shuddered at his words. The thought of being touched and tasted by Reese completely melted her into a puddle of goo. She slid into the booth, planting herself into the vinyl seat.

  He slipped in beside her until his thigh was pressed tight against hers. To insure there was no space, he gripped her leg and tugged it against him.

  Her gasp was swallowed up by a kiss, the kind of kiss she only saw in the movies. His tongue invaded her mouth, teasing hers to play. Lily had absolutely no experience with public displays of affection. The way Reese was going, by the end of the meal she would happily let him do her right there in the booth.

  Reese pulled from her with a devilish grin then handed her one of the menus. “Suppose we better know what we want to drink when she gets back, huh?”

  “Uh-huh,” she squeaked. She wasn’t even sure she took the menu. It was suddenly in her hand. Lily shook her head to clear the fog from her mind. Tearing the menu open, she looked at the items but the words didn’t make sense. Reese Cooper put a spell on her. What was worse—she didn’t want free of it.

  “Lilybug, what do you want to drink?” Reese nudged her.

  “Water is fine,” she answered softly.

  “Are you sure? They have some great beer on tap.”

  “I’m fine with water.” Lily never noticed the waitress until the girl was returning to the kitchen with their drink orders.

  Reese cocked his head at her. “Are you all right?”

  “It’s just…I never—” It didn’t matter that Lily couldn’t get her words out. Reese cut them off with his lips. She melted against him, bracing her hands against his broad chest. When their lips drifted apart, she could only make out one word. “That.”

  “I suppose I better stop kissing you or you’ll never be able to eat, huh?”

  “Yeah.”

  Reese chuckled. “What kind of pizza do you want?”

  “Anything is fine.”

  “Do you like bacon cheeseburger?”

  “Yes. I love it.”

  “Me too. Not the pizza I imagine beautiful librarians eating but I’m glad it is.”

  “Reese—”Her voice was caught up by another kiss. This time, her fingers wandered into his thick, dark hair. She moaned at the softness against her skin. There isn’t a part of this man that isn’t perfect.

  He laughed. “I promised to stop that, didn’t I?”

  “You did.”

  “I know. Lilybug, you are addicting. It’s hard to stop. When you look at me with those big brown eyes and you bite that soft bottom lip of yours, it just makes me want to suck it too.”

  Lily trembled at his words. Every syllable the man uttered was turning her into jello right there in the booth. He’s such a smooth talker. She waited for him to turn his charm on the waitress, a super cute blonde who must have been from the nearby college.

  By her beaming smile as she returned with the drinks it was obvious, she was hoping to flirt with Reese.

  Instead, Reese offered a cordial grin as he ordered the pizza and a side of breadsticks.

  The waitress frowned as she turned and stormed back to the kitchen.

  Lily stared at him, dumbfounded, as he turned back to her, that sinful smirk back on his lips. His fingers gently brushed against her thigh. “So, I heard you went to the University.”

  Her voice was nothing more than a squeak. “Yes. I got my degree in Library Science.”

  “Iowa City can be a wild town.”

  Lily shrugged. “I studied. Sometimes, I would go to the fitness center. At the most, I went out for a drink or two. My freshman roommate would get blacked out drunk quite a bit. Partying didn’t seem appealing after living with that.”

  “Then you came back to Braden.”

  “I like Braden. It’s home. Everyone I love is there.”

  Reese’s smirk grew larger.
“Everyone?”

  Lily could see her face glow beet red in the glass bar sign across from her. “Well, maybe not every single person. And now it is sort of everyone…” Flustered, she sunk her teeth into her bottom lip to stop talking.

  Reese brushed a stray lock of hair from her face then caressed her cheek. “Aww, Lilybug. Are you saying that you love me?”

  “Well, yeah—I guess I am s-saying—that.”

  “That what?”

  Lily swallowed hard. “That I love you.”

  Her mouth was suddenly engulfed in another kiss, leaving her breathless. In fact, Reese didn’t stop kissing her until the savory smell of pizza filled her nose. He pulled away from her lips with a sigh then let her go. Reaching for the plates, he scooped a couple of pieces onto one and handed to her before he did the same for himself.

  Lily smiled at him even though her heart fell. He dragged out of her that she was in love with him. He hadn’t said the same himself.

  It didn’t take long to finish the pizza and breadsticks. With the drive from Braden, they must have been starving. Reese paid the pretty waitress, then offered his hand to help Lily from the booth.

  She couldn’t miss the scowl directed at her from the waitress. All Lily could do was shrug. I have no idea what he sees in me either. Lily’s attention then locked onto a building across the street as Reese gave her a little boost into the cab of the truck.

  His hand on hers kept her from scooting to the passenger. “Whatcha’ looking at?”

  She squirmed a little. “The tattoo parlor. I kind of thought about getting a tattoo once or twice.”

  “Have you?”

  “Oh, no. My father has warned me not to get one. He told me only tramps get tattoos.”

  “Do you know Jenny? Buddy’s waitress? Sings in your dad’s choir?”

  “Yes.”

  Reese rubbed his fingers on the right side of his ribcage. “One of those creepy dia de muerto skeletons right there. And she’s far from a tramp.”

  “Oh.” Lily frowned. How did he know Jenny had a tattoo there? “Do you have a tattoo?”

  “I have a couple.” He tugged up his t-shirt sleeve to reveal a barbed wire tribal pattern around his arm.

  “You said a couple,” Lily pried.

  Reese’s devilish grin was back as he wrapped his fingers around her knee. “Baby, you’ll have to get me naked to see the other.”