Evelyn.
Cooper’s ex was dressed in a snug red top that matched her car and skinny jeans. Emphasis on the skinny. She’d scooped up her long blond hair into a ponytail and was wearing designer sunglasses that probably cost more than Lila made in a month.
Evelyn reached into her Mustang and brought out a covered casserole dish. She aimed a cool smile at Lila. “I’m here to see Cooper.”
The woman’s tone was polite enough, but Lila heard the subtext that went along with it. Evelyn was letting her know that she didn’t even consider Lila to be a rival for Cooper’s affections. No doubt because Evelyn just didn’t see Lila as any kind of real competition.
“Cooper’s not here,” Lila informed her.
That stopped Evelyn in her tracks, and she glanced around as if she thought that might be a lie. “Where is he?” Evelyn asked.
It was petty of Lila to answer “I’m not sure,” but it was possibly true. Possibly. If Cooper had finished his chores at his ranch, he could be in town on some other errand.
“Oh.” Evelyn stood in the yard a moment longer before she started for the porch. “Well, I wanted to give this to him. Lasagna, his favorite. Cooper’s not much of a cook, and I didn’t want him to starve while he’s helping out his brother.”
With the hopes of hurrying the woman along, Lila reached for the dish, but Evelyn shifted it, hanging on tight. She used her other hand to take off her sunglasses, and her eyes went straight to Lila’s.
“I’ll just bring it by later,” Evelyn insisted. “I’m guessing you’ll be around all afternoon, keeping an eye on things?”
Again, there was subtext, and Lila thought the woman was implying she was there only to be close to Cooper. “Yes, I’ll be around,” Lila assured her, and she added a sly smile that she figured would give Evelyn some subtext, as well.
Lying subtext, that is.
The smile might make Evelyn believe that something was indeed going on between Cooper and her. Something that Lila could be discouraging instead of taking a poke at Evelyn, but darn it, the woman was riling her. It didn’t help that Evelyn was turning up her nose as if she’d caught a whiff of something bad. Apparently, nerd air wasn’t very pleasant.
“And then you’ll go back to San Antonio,” Evelyn supplied, her eyes slightly narrowed.
Lila shrugged. “We’ll see.” She added another of those smug smiles. One that quickly faded when Cooper’s truck turned into the driveway.
No more narrowed eyes for Evelyn. She turned, posing for Cooper by angling her long, lean body and flashing him a smile that was bright enough to be seen from Jupiter.
“I’m glad I caught you,” Evelyn said, stepping to the side, which meant she moved in front of Lila.
Still feeling plenty riled, Lila nudged the woman aside with her elbow and matched her fake smile with one of her own. Clearly, this confused Cooper, because he stopped midstep and eyed them.
“Is, uh, everything okay?” he asked.
“Fine,” Evelyn rushed to say. She lifted the dish. “I made you some of my famous lasagna.”
“Thanks,” he muttered with his forehead still bunched up. “Is everything okay?” he repeated, this time aiming it specifically at Lila. “Where are the kids?”
“They’re with friends.” Lila widened her smile and went to him. And as if she had a perfect right to do it, she came up on her toes and kissed him.
Cooper stiffened for only a second before he made a grunt of pleasure and kissed her right back.
CHAPTER THREE
COOPER HAD NO trouble figuring out what was going on here. Evelyn had gotten under Lila’s skin—something that Evelyn was a pro at doing—and this was Lila’s way of striking back.
The kiss was just a pretense.
However, when Lila’s mouth moved over his, Cooper forgot all about Evelyn, her lasagna lure and why Lila was doing this. Hell, he forgot how to think or breathe. The only thing he was doing was reacting. And it wasn’t an especially smart reaction, either. Because he moved right into the kiss and took Lila’s mouth as if it were his new favorite thing to have for lunch.
Lila was having a reaction, too, and he didn’t think it was all part of the pretense. She made a sound of pleasure. A silky moan that rumbled deep in her throat, and her palm flattened on his chest. It didn’t stay still, either. Her fingers moved, stroking him. That gave him another reaction. One that started stirring below his belt. And that’s when Cooper knew he had to stop this and regroup.
Or at least move to a private place.
Making out in front of his ex—or anybody else, for that matter—just wasn’t right. It might get Evelyn to finally back off, but this was also something Lila would regret once she regained her senses. Which would happen within a split second after he pulled back from her.
It did.
He watched as the shock flared through Lila’s eyes, and then reality sank in. They’d just kissed the living daylights out of each other, and the heat beneath the pretense was real. This was a situation of opening a Texas-sized Pandora’s box, and that kind of heat just wasn’t going to cool without, well, sex.
Cooper hadn’t needed the kiss to urge him in the direction of sex. Lila had been on his mind all day. Heck, for months now. And now he’d gotten a really good sample of how things could be between them. Well, once they had some privacy, that is.
Evelyn cleared her throat, no doubt to get their attention, and Cooper finally took his gaze off Lila so he could deal with the woman. But Evelyn apparently wanted to deal with Lila first. She practically thrust the lasagna into her hands.
“You can reheat it in the oven, three hundred degrees for about fifteen minutes,” Evelyn said. There was no venom in her voice, no worry whatsoever in her cool eyes when she shifted her attention to Cooper. “Call me when you’re...”
Evelyn smiled but didn’t verbally fill in the blank. Cooper didn’t have to hear the words to know what she meant. Call me when you’re done with Lila.
Cooper wished he could scald her with a denial, but he couldn’t, not with his track record. Evelyn wouldn’t buy his “changed man” deal any more than Lila had, and words were cheap. It was going to take some action, and time, to convince Lila and everybody else that there was no longer a revolving door on his love life.
“See you soon,” Evelyn added, again to Cooper.
His ex didn’t even spare Lila another glance before Evelyn sauntered back to her car and drove away.
Cooper turned to Lila to see if she wanted to start the conversation they needed to have about that kiss. Or maybe he should just give her some time to vent. But she stayed quiet, sliding glances between him and the dish.
“You’re going to burn that lasagna, aren’t you?” Cooper asked.
“Perhaps.” She paused. “Yes.”
“Good. It’s not even my favorite,” he confessed. “I had it once at Evelyn’s and said it was good, and she’s been making it for me ever since.”
Lila’s shoulders seemed to relax a bit, and she took the foil off the top of the dish and upended it. The lasagna thudded onto the ground in one giant blob and splattered bits of sauce and cheese everywhere.
The air was suddenly filled with the scent of tomato and Italian spices. It didn’t make him hungry. Cooper hadn’t lied about it not being his favorite. But seeing the satisfied smile on Lila’s mouth made him want to kiss her again.
“I’m sorry I came on to you like that,” Lila said, stomping on the lasagna and grinding it into the grass and dirt. The meaty sauce oozed around her flip-flops, but she didn’t stop.
He shrugged. “Seemed like a good way to get your point across to Evelyn. And FYI, I’m not sorry. I don’t regret what happened one bit.”
Or at least he wouldn’t regret it once his body started to soften. Apparently, that brainless part of him behind his zipper hadn’t realized why Lila h
ad started that lip-lock, and it thought it was about to get lucky.
Her head whipped up, and her gaze flew to his. “Well, you should regret it. It shouldn’t have happened. I used you to get back at a woman who—”
She stopped, gathered her breath, and it appeared she was trying to steady herself. “When Evelyn and I were in third grade, she flicked gum in my hair. In middle school, she called me The Zipper because I was skinny and had no boobs. At the prom, she smeared French onion dip on my chair so I’d sit on it and ruin my dress.”
Cooper cursed under his breath. He knew that Evelyn wasn’t especially sweet, but he hadn’t known about the bullying. Hell. If he hadn’t already ended things with Evelyn, that would have done it. Instead, he assisted Lila in doing some lasagna squishing. Surprisingly, it helped tamp down his anger.
“Well, you’ve got boobs now,” he assured her. “And you’re a better kisser than she is.”
Lila gave him what could only be interpreted as a skeptical look. “You’re just saying that so I’ll kiss you again.”
“Nope.” He paused, pretended to think about it. “But maybe I should have another sample to see if I got that right.”
She laughed, just as he’d intended. He savored the moment, almost as much as he’d savored the kiss she’d just laid on him. Almost. The laughter stopped, though, when she glanced down at her gooey flip-flops. Except it wasn’t just on her shoes. The sauce had gotten on her toes, as well.
“Next time I have to stomp on lasagna, I’ll wear boots,” she muttered. The lightness was gone when she lifted her gaze to him again. “Being with you really would be a bad idea.”
He wanted to reassure her that it wouldn’t be. But instead he found himself leaning in to kiss her again so he could prove just what a good idea it would be.
She didn’t make a silky sound of pleasure this time. It was more of a protesting groan, but Lila didn’t pull back from him. Just the opposite. She melted against him, giving him her mouth.
Cooper took it.
He went for long and deep, just the way he liked his kisses. Clearly, Lila did, too, because the protest was gone from her next groan. Only the pleasure remained. Not just for her but for him, as well. They stood out in the scalding sun and kissed each other as if their lives depended on it.
Because of that sun and because someone might come driving up, Cooper began to back her toward the house. No need for anyone to see them and start gossip about them not doing their babysitting duties. Of course, since the kids weren’t around, the only thing that actually needed tending was this unfinished business between Lila and him.
It wasn’t easy to walk through the yard, but that was because neither of them stopped kissing long enough to see where they were going. He felt some flowers crush beneath his boots and figured he was going to need to fix whatever damage he was doing before Jeremy and Crystal got back. But it was damage that would be worth it since every step took them closer to having some privacy.
They stumbled going up the porch steps. There’d be bruises, but Lila didn’t seem to care about that. Neither did he, but they finally had to break from the scorcher of a kiss just so they could each take a breath. They did that, dragging in some much-needed air, but went right back for more as they finally made it through the door—which Cooper kicked shut. He decided not to go much farther, though, because he didn’t want them to crash into any furniture or get lasagna all over the floor. Instead, he pressed Lila against the wall so he could put them body to body.
All in all, that was a very good place to be.
Her breasts pressed to his chest, and the rest of them had a nice fit, too. One that allowed him to touch and kiss her at the same time.
Cooper wasn’t done with her mouth, but he took a quick detour to drop some kisses on her neck. Apparently, that was the right move on his part, because she gripped fistfuls of his shirt and dragged him even closer. That kicked up the heat even more.
Using the grip she had on him, she shifted, switching their positions and putting him against the wall. Somehow she managed all of that without breaking the intimate contact. In fact, she upped that by unbuttoning his shirt so that her hand could move against his bare chest. Cooper very much intended to do the same to her, but he had more kissing to do first. He went lower, kissing her breasts through the front of her dress.
Cooper thought the sound he heard was his ears ringing, and it took him a couple of moments to realize it was his phone. He cursed and considered just ignoring it, but it could be important. Hell, it could be his brother checking on the kids.
Cursing some more because he had to stop kissing Lila and untangle himself from her, Cooper got enough wiggle room to take his phone from his pocket. He frowned when he saw Noah’s name on the screen. He loved his nephew a whole lot, but he sure as hell didn’t want to talk to him right now.
“Yeah?” Cooper answered, and he kept his tone clipped and tight. Easy to do because that’s exactly how he felt.
There was a long silence, and it put Cooper on full alert. “Noah?” he snapped. “Are you okay?”
That got Lila’s attention, and she stepped back, tuning in to that silence, as well.
“Uh, Uncle Cooper,” the boy finally said, but Cooper didn’t feel much relief at hearing his nephew’s somber voice.
“What’s wrong?” Cooper snapped. “What happened?” And just like that, his mind started spinning a dozen worst-case scenarios.
“Uh, I’m in trouble. Don’t get mad,” Noah quickly added. “Please don’t get mad.”
Cooper wasn’t mad, not yet, but he got the feeling he soon would be. After all, he’d once been a teenage boy, so he knew what kind of trouble one could get into. “What happened?” he repeated.
“I need you to come and get me,” Noah finally said after more of that snail-crawling silence. “I’m at the police station. I’ve been arrested.”
Cooper heard each word, but it took a few seconds for them to sink in. It obviously sank in a little faster for Lila, because she gasped and took the phone from him. She hit the speaker button.
“Arrested?” Lila repeated. “You only left the house a half hour ago. Why were you arrested?” she demanded.
Noah didn’t answer, but there was a shuffling sound, and several moments later, Cooper heard another voice.
“I arrested him because he was driving without a license,” Sheriff Leyton Jameson said. “Noah ran Sandy Kellerman’s van into the Crocketts’ mailbox and then their fence. At the time, he had both of Sandy’s boys in the vehicle with him.”
Like those worst-case scenarios, plenty of emotions and thoughts flooded Cooper’s mind, but he quickly picked through them and came up with his biggest concern.
“Are Noah or the other boys hurt?” Cooper asked.
“No,” Leyton quickly answered. “Thankfully, they were wearing their seat belts, but there’s damage to both the van and the Crocketts’ property. They’re pissed and are filing charges.”
Of course they were. The Crocketts were a crotchety couple in their eighties who didn’t get along with anyone—including each other.
“Sandy’s on her way here,” Leyton continued, “but I need you to come in and deal with Noah.” He paused. “Noah asked me not to call his dad, and we’ll discuss that when you get here.”
Cooper waited for Leyton to end the call before he cursed a blue streak and yanked his truck keys from his pocket.
“I’m going with you,” Lila insisted, grabbing her purse.
There was no trace of the heat between them now. No, that phone call had managed to chill them down fast.
Hell’s bells.
What was the boy thinking? And what the devil was Jeremy going to say about this, especially if he had to be called back from his honeymoon?
After they cleaned up and Lila changed her shoes, they hurried to his truck. As he drove toward tow
n, Cooper forced himself to settle down. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if he lost his temper and yelled at Noah. Even if yelling was exactly what he wanted to do.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long to get to the police station. That was the advantage of living in a small town. Everything was close. The disadvantage was that soon, very soon, everyone would know what’d happened. Word might have already gotten back to Jeremy.
Cooper parked next to Sandy’s minivan, and he had no trouble seeing the damage to the front end. The bumper was crumpled, and one of the headlights had been broken. It wasn’t much more than a fender bender, but that wasn’t the big issue here. Noah had been the one behind the wheel, and he damn well shouldn’t have been.
Lila and he practically ran from the parking lot and into the police station, and Cooper immediately spotted Noah. He was sitting in a chair in Leyton’s office. Standing next to him was Sandy Kellerman and her two sons, Jace and Beckett. No one was shouting. In fact, no one was saying anything, but Noah groaned and lowered his head when he saw Cooper.
It was a tight fit when Lila and he went into Leyton’s office, and the sheriff shut the door even though there were no other deputies around. However, there was a dispatcher/receptionist, and Leyton probably wanted to try to keep this as private as he could.
“They’re okay,” Sandy assured Lila and him. The woman didn’t seem angry, just worried.
Cooper knew how she felt. He was worried as well, and it relieved his mind a little when he didn’t see a mark on any of the boys.
“Please don’t call Dad,” Noah said, still looking at anything but Cooper.
“He’ll have to know,” Cooper fired back.
“Yeah, but wait until he’s home. Then I can tell him face-to-face.” Since Noah had a “firing squad” tone, it was obvious that the boy knew that wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.
“I’ve got insurance, so that’ll pay for most of the repairs.” Sandy spoke up. “But the bigger issue here is my sons allowed a friend to drive when they didn’t have my permission and when the friend didn’t even have a license.”
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