“Sure.” He loved her enthusiasm and how interested she was in knowing more about him.
He led her along the streets, taking her to the park where he and his friends skateboarded, past the school where he went to elementary, along a side street where some of his childhood friends had grown up, then stopped at the old movie house.
When he saw that it was some chick flick playing, he said, “You’re not going to make me, are you?”
She sagged against him and gave him a playful grin. “You bet I am.”
“Fine, then, but we’re sitting in the back so we can make out.”
“Oh, is that what you used to do when you were a kid?”
“No, but only because I was too young.”
She gave him a playful whack, and he reached for his wallet. He bought their tickets and found seats at the back of the near-empty theater. The movie came on, and true to his word, he spent the better part of the time kissing her. From the way she kissed him back, she didn’t seem to mind missing the flick. By the time the credits rolled, it was well past dinnertime, and they walked back to his truck.
“Dinner at the saloon?” he asked.
Her cheeks were flushed from their heavy make-out session. “I’m thinking more along the lines of dinner in bed.”
He hurried his steps and dragged her along with him. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”
He opened her door for her, stepped back, and waited for her to get in. Instead, she stopped, turned to him, and put her hand on his chest. His throat tightened. Had she changed her mind? Was she pushing him away? His stomach dropped, but then she reached up and laid her hand on his cheek. A surge of warmth flooded his veins at the softness of her palm on his jaw, the rasp of his stubble against the pad of her thumb as it slid gently over his face. Such a small thing, this show of affection, so genuine that for a moment he held his breath, fearful that even pulling air into his lungs would break the incredible connection between them. She looked up at him, and the tenderness in her eyes became his undoing. His knees buckled, and he forced them straight as he leaned into her hand, overwhelmed with the things she made him feel.
“I really liked seeing where you grew up,” she said softly, and then she smiled. The faintest lift of the corner of her mouth. “Thanks for sharing it with me.” Her hand slipped from his cheek, and the loss of her touch left an emptiness in his chest. He stood there trying to remember how to breathe as she slid into the truck.
She was quiet on the way home, her glance straying to his numerous times as he drove. Whenever he returned it, she gave him a warm smile. They reached the ranch, and he circled the truck to open her door. She jumped out, and he was about to guide her inside when she went up on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his mouth. He slid his hand around her waist and drew her in close, needing the connection. As he held her, his body reacted with need.
“It seems like you might have a little something else to show me,” she teased as his erection pressed against her stomach.
“It does seem that way,” he said, and brushed his thumb over her cheek, wanting her so much he felt dizzy. “And there’s nothing little about it.”
She laughed and swatted him again, making him feel like the teenage boy who was so crazy about her.
In seconds flat he had her naked and on the bed. He kissed her mouth, her neck, her breasts, basking in her sweetness. Unable to wait another second, he sheathed himself and pushed into her. Her hand touched his back, and he sucked in a breath as heat zinged through him. Christ, he was lost. So fucking lost in her.
His mouth moved back to hers, and she slid her tongue over his bottom lip. He drew it into his mouth, so aware of how well their bodies fit together. Blood pounded through his veins, and her nipples pressed against his chest as they rocked into each other, need propelling them on. Her muscles clenched around him, her whole body trembling beneath his.
“Yes,” she murmured, and the second he felt her warm heat, he let go.
“Julia, baby,” he murmured into her mouth. He put his hands on either side of her head and inched up to see her face. She stared at him for an endless moment, then her fingers tangled through his hair. She gave a throaty purr of contentment, and his heart filled with so much love. His brain raced. He could take her every night like this, yet never get enough of her.
He rolled off her, discarded the condom, and then covered her with a warm blanket. She sank into him, and they remained quiet for a long time, both lost in their thoughts. When he could finally breathe again, he rolled on his side. His heart turned inside out to see her so sated, so comfortable with him that she’d already started to drift off to sleep.
“Julia.”
He touched her face, pulling her awake. Her eyes met his, and the smile she gave him tugged at the center of his chest. He needed to tell her everything, and pray to God that she didn’t think he’d been keeping himself emotionally closed off because all he ever wanted was sex from her.
“Yeah?” she asked.
“We need to talk.”
Chapter Eight
Julia’s stomach turned upside down. She’d thought something significant had happened between them today. Thought Coop had opened up to her, showing her another side of himself, because he might want more. But now he needed to talk, and in her book, that meant one thing. It was over. God, how could she have been such a fool to think, even for the briefest of moments, that things could have ended differently? Then again, even if he had wanted more, she’d been playing a part, which meant he didn’t know the real her. If he’d fallen for anyone—again—it was her sister.
She braced herself. “What is it?”
He opened his mouth, but his cell phone rang. He leaped from the bed and grabbed it. What—or who—was so important that it couldn’t wait a minute?
Julia listened to the one-sided conversation, barely able to comprehend what was going on. When he finished talking, he shut down his phone and said, “I have to go.”
Before she could even ask what was going on, he disappeared into the bathroom. When he came out, he dressed quickly.
He turned to her, worry backlighting his eyes as he said, “We’ll talk later.”
She nodded, and he practically ran out the door. Stunned by his sudden departure, Julia climbed from the bed and numbly made her way to the shower. He was about to break it off with her. Should she just leave, get a lift into town until the next plane came?
After washing, she pulled on a dress and walked to her window to pull open the sheer curtain. But when she did, she spotted Coop and Tessa talking on the wraparound deck of the small cottage at the foot of the mountain. At least now she knew who was so important. Julia had no idea what they were saying, but she could tell by the tension in their posture that they were discussing something very important, something very personal.
Unease moved through her as the sting of jealousy hit her hard. Her heart began racing, aching painfully, but she quickly tried to shrug it off and reminded herself that she had no claims on Coop. They weren’t dating, and he was likely only seconds from reminding her this was a week of sex and nothing else.
Feeling slightly light-headed, she backed away from the window. No matter how much her brain tried to convince her that Coop didn’t matter, her heart knew he did. Cripes, she never should have gotten on that plane, or engaged in a wild week of sun and sex.
She’d pretended to be the kind of woman he wanted to get him to like her, but deep down she most definitely wasn’t the kind of girl who could love casually.
Needing to get far away from the place, she grabbed her purse and hurried downstairs, looking for a ranch hand who could drive her to town, or possibly get her a cab. But when she stepped onto the wooden deck, she ran into a big muscular wall—Coop.