“I’ll leave in three days and go back to San Antonio,” Lila added a moment later since Cooper appeared to be waiting for her to say something else.
“Which is less than an hour away,” he pointed out.
True. Some people in town, including teachers like her, commuted there for work each day. But not her. She liked her job well enough, teaching history at a San Antonio high school. Added to that, Lila couldn’t risk seeing Cooper on a daily basis, or she’d become another notch on his already-seriously-notched bedpost.
“I don’t want anything temporary,” she insisted. “And you’re the walking, talking definition of temporary.”
Something went through his eyes. Not the cocky lust she’d seen earlier. Hurt, maybe. A surprise since she’d always believed that he enjoyed his “love ’em and leave ’em” lifestyle.
“What if I told you I was looking for something more?” he asked.
Lila had a quick answer for that. “I’d say it sounds like a lame come-on.”
She thought she saw the hurt deepen in his eyes. He turned away from her, having a long sip of his beer, and he tipped his head to the bride and groom, who were slow dancing and gazing at each other as if they were the cure for all ills.
“What if I told you I wanted that? What they have. They’re damn happy,” Cooper muttered. That wasn’t a cocky drawl, either. It sounded genuine and coated with relief.
Lila totally got the relief part. Her sister had been a single mom for over a decade now and deserved some happiness. So did Jeremy, who’d lost his wife three years ago in a car accident. It was a second chance and a fresh start, and Lila couldn’t be happier for both of them. What she wasn’t so happy about was the three-day honeymoon.
“I don’t want to have sex with you again,” Lila spelled out.
She would have been proud of her determined tone if it’d been for Cooper’s ears only. It wasn’t. The DJ had paused the music at the exact moment she’d spoken, and without George Strait’s crooning to cover her voice, there were people close enough to have heard every word she’d said. People who included the mayor and Sheriff Leyton Jameson. But the person Lila especially hadn’t wanted to hear that was the tall, attractive brunette, Evelyn Darnell, who owned the town’s flower shop and the antiques store.
She was also Cooper’s ex-girlfriend.
Of course, he had plenty of exes, but Evelyn was the woman who had the honor of having had the longest relationship with him. Nearly a year. Their breakup had happened months ago, and judging from the smile Evelyn aimed at Cooper, she wanted him back. Evelyn had no such smile for Lila, and even narrowed her eyes a bit when she finally spared Lila a glance.
“Lila. Cooper,” Evelyn greeted them. “It’s good to see you.”
“Good to see you, too,” he mumbled back. Cooper nodded greetings to the mayor and sheriff, who stepped away to go to the bride and groom. Evelyn stayed put.
“The flowers look amazing,” Evelyn purred. Yes, her voice was a purr. Smoke, silk and sex, and she was aiming all that purring at Cooper. Evelyn definitely didn’t mention the comment she must have heard Lila make about no more sex. “I know you’re happy for your brother.”
It wasn’t an unusual remark coming from a wedding guest, but Lila read a lot into it. I know you’re happy for your brother, and figured you’d want a dose of that marital happiness, too. Well, you can have it—with me.
It probably wouldn’t have bothered Lila so much to believe that’s what Evelyn was thinking had it not been for what Cooper had said to her just a minute or two ago.
What if I told you I was looking for something more?
Lila had blown that off, but she wasn’t doing any dismissing now. Maybe Cooper was ready to settle down, and Evelyn was rich, attractive and likely in love with him. The woman definitely wasn’t a nerd and was more of a match for a hot cowboy star quarterback than Lila ever would be.
And that cut Lila to the core.
Lila cursed that feeling. Cursed herself for even wanting Cooper to be hers.
“If you need any help with Noah or Sophia,” Evelyn went on, speaking to Cooper, “all you have to do is ask.”
“Thanks, but I think we can handle it,” he answered before he slid his arm around Lila.
Because she hadn’t been expecting the contact, Lila went stiff, and it took her a moment to realize this was an act. It was Cooper’s way of getting Evelyn to back off. That pleased Lila. Sort of. She didn’t want his ex using the kids to try to make a play for him. Still, Lila didn’t like being used, either. Especially since Cooper’s mere touch sent her body into a heated tizzy.
“All right,” Evelyn said. Her voice was a little less purry now. “But the offer still stands.” She patted his arm, letting her fingers trail down his sleeve before she finally stepped away.
Cooper did no such stepping away from Lila, though. He kept his arm around her, probably because Evelyn didn’t go far. The woman went over to the bride and groom to offer her well-wishes and congrats.
“Eighty million germs,” Sophia muttered to Lila as she walked behind Cooper and her.
Obviously, her niece had noticed the embrace. Thankfully, though, no one else seemed to be gawking at them. The mayor was partly responsible for that. He bumped into one of the chairs and sent it crashing to the floor. The noise caught everyone’s attention. Everyone but Evelyn. Aiming another smile at Cooper, she walked out of the reception hall.
Lila released the breath she’d been holding and looked up at Cooper. “Evelyn’s gone now, so you can cut the act.”
Cooper still didn’t move, and he stared down at her. Not good, because those amazing eyes could do amazing things to her already-needy body. So could other parts of him.
And Lila soon remembered that when Cooper lowered his mouth and kissed her.
CHAPTER TWO
COOPER DIDN’T HAVE to guess if what he was doing was stupid. Nope. It was stupid with a capital S to kiss Lila in a place where half the town would see them. Where it would stir up enough gossip to get back to every ear in the county.
However, the actual kiss wasn’t a mistake.
Cooper was certain of that. This was just a case of the wrong time, wrong place, but that didn’t make it wrong. Not totally, anyway. He’d wanted to let Lila know that he hadn’t been using her to try to distance Evelyn. Also, he’d thought it best to clarify that he hadn’t been BS-ing when he’d asked her—What if I told you I was looking for something more?
More was exactly what he wanted, and he thought he might have a chance of getting that with Lila.
Or not.
Lila didn’t exactly look aroused or pleased when he pulled back from the kiss. Her cat green eyes were wide with shock, and color had pinked up her cheeks. Her mouth was slightly open, too, making him wish that he’d just gone ahead and tried for French. He’d do that later. If he got the chance. For now, though, Cooper stood there in case Lila was about to give him a piece of her mind.
“You,” she managed to say.
So, definitely not an eloquent bashing of why he shouldn’t have done that. She attempted to say something else, but when that failed, Lila took hold of his arm. Weaving them through the other guests, she led him outside. She had to keep leading him, though, because there were people at every turn.
Cooper wanted to tell her that the quest to find a secret place for them to talk would only fuel the gossips, but he wanted to hear what she had to say. And there were some things he wanted to say to her. For now, though, he just watched her move, the silky bluebonnet-colored dress slipping and sliding with each step she took.
The woman had curves. Curves that she hadn’t had in high school, that’s for sure, and the dress was doing them justice.
Lila finally stopped under a massive oak that would hopefully prevent them from getting heatstroke, and she whirled around to face him. Her cheeks were even pinker now, and
she shifted her long brown hair to get it off her neck, probably as a way to cut down on the sweating. But Cooper figured sweat was a given, which hopefully meant Lila wouldn’t want to waste too much time fussing at him.
“You kissed me,” she said, clearly going with the obvious.
He nodded, readily admitting that. “You left me a note.” Judging from her blank stare, Cooper should have given her a bit more info. “When you sneaked out of my bed, you left me a note.”
Huffing, she threw up her hands. Since she was still holding the bouquet, it went in the air, too, and tiny white flowers came fluttering down on both of them. “That was two years ago. The kiss just happened.”
Cooper saw the point she was trying to make, but damn it, that note had hurt. He’d thought Lila and he had made a real connection that night. One that’d gone beyond just sex, and she’d left him a “son of a bitching” note.
“I kissed you because I wanted you to know I wasn’t using you,” he stated. “Notice that I didn’t kiss you while Evelyn was standing there. I waited until she’d left so you’d know it was about us and not her.”
“You shouldn’t have kissed me at all,” she snapped. Lila made a shuddering sound of frustration.
Welcome to the club.
Lila had been frustrating him for months now. He hadn’t been able to get her off his mind, and Cooper had planned on using this time together to... Well, he wasn’t exactly sure yet. However, he was either going to have to get her out of his system or... He wasn’t sure about that, either, but he didn’t intend for her to leave him with only a note this time.
“We just need to focus on the kids,” Lila insisted several sweat-popping moments later.
“For three days, we will,” Cooper assured her. “For three days, we’ll be the best babysitters in the history of babysitting while I also take care of my brother’s livestock. But after that, there’s no reason why we can’t give this heat between us another try.”
She stared at him as if he’d grown another nose. “Nerd,” she said, tapping her ample chest. “Not a nerd,” she added, pointing to him.
Now he frowned. “You’re bringing up high school stuff? Good grief, Lila, we’re thirty-four. We’re past all of that.”
Her stare continued, and it became more than a little flat. “We’re never past all of that. And the only reason you’re interested in me is because I left you before you had a chance to leave me. You’ve got a reputation, Cooper, and I didn’t want to be another flavor of the week.”
That stung, bad, but he deserved it. He hadn’t exactly aimed for celibacy. Not until recently, anyway, but a man could change.
He could change.
“Maybe I could take nerd lessons,” he said.
It had the exact effect Cooper had wanted. Lila’s lips twitched with a ghost of a smile. A smile that didn’t last or grow.
“I stand more of a chance of being a hot Viking princess than you do of being a nerd,” she grumbled.
Cooper slid another long glance down her body. “You could be a hot Viking princess.”
Though he didn’t know why she’d want that. She looked great as Lila, the high school history teacher. And seeing her that way was proof that he had indeed changed. The trick would be to convince Lila of that. The second trick would be to get her in bed to test out his notion that there could actually be something more than just heat between them.
He frowned.
Cooper had to see the flip side of this, too. Because it could mean the “test” would fail. What he felt for her could be attraction and nothing else. But Cooper didn’t think so. Still, it would be a risk since he could end up hurting her.
When he glanced back up, he realized Lila was studying him, and she was also frowning. “We’re not having sex again,” she repeated. She brushed past him, her arm skirting against his before she headed back into the reception hall.
Cooper turned to watch her leave—and to give himself another cheap thrill at seeing her butt in that dress. Several other people were watching her, as well. Or rather they’d been watching Lila and him, no doubt wondering what they were talking about. One of those people was his brother, and Jeremy walked toward him.
Hell. This wouldn’t be good. Jeremy had far better things to do at his own reception than to come outside and speak to him. Obviously, though, that’s what his brother had in mind.
Jeremy joined him under the shade tree, and he turned, watching and waiting until Lila was inside and therefore out of earshot.
“You want to talk about this?” Jeremy asked.
The answer to this was simple enough. “No.”
Talking wouldn’t do any good, and it sure as heck wouldn’t convince his body to change directions toward any woman other than the very one who didn’t seem to want him.
Except she did.
Cooper had felt the hunger in that kiss. Had seen it in her eyes. He wasn’t mistaken about that. Lila wanted him, all right, but she was going to fight it tooth and nail.
Jeremy sighed. “Do you know what the hell you’re doing?”
Again, the answer was simple enough. “Nope. Not a clue.”
But Cooper was pretty sure the next three days were going to be plenty interesting.
* * *
LILA DRANK HER iced tea and frowned at her lunch companions. Sophia and Noah both had their attention fixed to their phones.
This was not what she’d had in mind when she’d agreed to babysit. She’d envisioned watching movies, playing board games or even going horseback riding with them.
So far, none of that was happening.
Both Sophia and Noah had slept until nearly lunchtime and then had told Lila they’d be hanging with their friends all afternoon. Friends who would be arriving to pick them up right after lunch. Lila had cleared the “hanging out” part with Jeremy and Crystal, but she hadn’t expected the kids to want to do that on their first day with Cooper and her.
Of course, Cooper wasn’t actually around, either.
All four of them had headed straight for bed after the reception that hadn’t ended until well after midnight. They’d been too tired to do any hanging out then. Too tired for any more kisses or sex talk between Cooper and her.
Lila had been thankful there was none of that sex talk/kissing. She’d been exhausted and hadn’t wanted to tangle with Cooper while her defenses were down. But not only had he not tried anything before they’d gone to their separate guest bedrooms, he’d been up and out of the house before dawn. He’d left her a note to say he needed to take care of some chores on his own ranch before coming back to do the ones at Jeremy’s. Noah had pitched in, too, and had done an hour or more in the barn and stable before coming in to shower and have lunch.
Cooper’s crammed work schedule was for the best, Lila assured herself. If the next two days were the same, then she wouldn’t see him all morning. Maybe not in the afternoons, either. But that left the evenings. Three of them, to be exact. And while her willpower told her she could hold out long enough to resist him, her body was urging her to take him up on his offer.
There’s no reason why we can’t give this heat between us another try.
There was a reason. A huge one. Lila didn’t want to spend the next decade of her life trying to forget a man who was basically unforgettable. And that was something she would have to live with, because despite the other things Cooper had said, he wasn’t the sort to settle with just one woman. Especially someone like her.
“Forty percent of teenagers fail the test for their learner’s permit on their first try,” Sophia said.
Lila glanced up from her “yet to be eaten” sandwich to see what’d prompted her niece to volunteer that tidbit. The girl had stopped peering at her own phone screen long enough to look at Noah’s.
“He’s already studying for his learner’s permit,” Sophia told Lila.
This wasn’t the first Lila had heard about that. Noah had mentioned it to his father, Crystal and Cooper.
“I can’t even take the test for another six months and four days,” Noah grumbled. He looked up at Lila, and there was some hope in his eyes. “But I can get a waiver if there’s like some hardship in the family. You know, if I really need to be able to drive because everybody else is too sick or something to do it. I could really help out more around here if I had a license,” he added.
Lila wasn’t sure what he expected her to do about that. “Six months isn’t that long to wait,” she settled for saying, which was similar to what he’d already heard from Crystal.
“It’s forever,” he complained, but then he immediately jumped to his feet. “Gotta go,” Noah said, stuffing the rest of his sandwich into his mouth before he hurried to the door.
She hadn’t heard the vehicle approaching the house, but she saw the minivan as it pulled into the driveway. Sandy Kellerman gave Lila a wave, and Noah piled into the back seat with Sandy’s son, Jace, and another boy whom Lila didn’t recognize. Jace’s older brother, Beckett, was in the front, riding shotgun.
Lila nearly went out to the minivan just to find out what the boys had planned—probably some of the same “hanging out” ideas as she’d had. But if she did that, Noah would probably consider it hovering. So instead, she waved goodbye to him, called out a reminder that he had to be home by nine o’clock, and she turned to Sophia to see if she could manage any quality time with her before she, too, headed out.
Nope.
Lila heard another vehicle, an SUV this time, and Sophia scooped up her backpack that she’d already positioned by the front door. “I’ll be at Ella’s,” the girl said, hurrying out to the SUV.
She repeated the goodbye wave, this time with Ella Benton and her dad, Taylor, who was apparently doing chauffeur duty for his daughter. Then Lila stood there on the front porch, wondering what to do with this unexpected free time. However, it wasn’t a decision she had to make, because another vehicle pulled into the driveway. A candy apple–red vintage Mustang this time. And the woman who stepped from it wasn’t there for the kids.
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