not.”
“See.” He shrugged, slid the trash can to the side and moved back to his chair.
Cooper stretched out his long legs in front of him. Leaning back, he crossed his arms over his chest and focused his eyes on her. The bland expression on his face masked any remaining amusement.
With a scowl, Hannah turned back to the stove. The balance of power seemed to have shifted over the past few minutes. She didn’t like that she no longer felt in control—not of the situation and definitely not of her own damn sex drive.
Stirring the now-steaming stew, she realized she’d never finished the task she’d started when Cooper’s closeness had distracted her. Only one bowl was washed. The other remained buried beneath the rubble of dirty dishes. After flipping the burner off, she grabbed the one clean bowl she’d managed to wash. She scooped a good amount of stew into it and planted it in front of him with the spoon.
Maybe with him occupied eating, she’d be able to focus on something besides him.
His gaze swung from the steaming food on the table, to her. “Aren’t you eating?”
“I will. Just have to grab another bowl.” And wash what looked like a month’s worth of dishes.
Ignoring his doubt-filled expression, she turned back to the sink and dug into the pile. She should be able to make some headway on the mess while he ate.
“You know, I’ll get to doing those myself.”
“Will you?” Hannah imbued the words with a good bit of doubt of her own as she propped the clean bowl in the drain board and moved on to the cutlery.
“Yes. Later.” Cooper’s answer came from directly behind her, making her jump.
When had he stood? He leaned closer and braced one hand on the edge of the counter. She was caught between his body and the sink as he reached past her and turned off the hot water. She felt the heat of his body pressed against her back as he took the wet, clean spoon from her hand.
He moved away to get the bowl she’d washed from the drain board and she felt as if she could breathe again. She turned to watch as he carried the bowl and the spoon to the pot on the stove top. There he scooped her a bit of the stew.
“Come sit.” He eyed her where she stood, still frozen at the sink, as he set the food down on the table.
“Okay.” She wiped her hands on her jeans for lack of anywhere else dry them.
She sat. So did he.
Eyes focused on the bowl, he dug into the stew and shoveled a large spoonful into his mouth. Good. That was exactly what she’d wanted—for him to eat a decent meal even if it did come out of a can. And more importantly, for him to stop looking at her and making her feel as nervous as a damned teenage girl.
What she hadn’t intended was to fall victim to her attraction to him so quickly. The tremble in her hand as she reached for her own spoon proved she was just as susceptible to this man now as she had been then. It didn’t matter that his championship days were done, or that his ranch had gone to shit both inside and out. The twenty-nine-year-old woman with the unrequited crush on the playboy bull rider was alive and well inside her forty-year-old body.
So much for getting older and wiser. It was clear Hannah had only gotten older. She was still as dumb as the eighteen-year-old who’d gotten pregnant and then had to marry Skeeter’s father.
Cooper changed from staring into his bowl to focusing on her. He cocked a brow and nodded toward the spoon she had yet to lift. “You not eating?”
“I will. It’s just a bit hot.” The entire kitchen felt warmer since he’d touched her, even if it hadn’t been anything more intimate than him getting to the sink around her.
Maybe it was just her face that was warm as the blood rushed to her cheeks. Almost forty, but the way her body reacted around this man Hannah might as well have been in puberty. She remembered the spoon in her hand and took a small bite of stew even though she wasn’t one bit hungry.
“So what have you
“See.” He shrugged, slid the trash can to the side and moved back to his chair.
Cooper stretched out his long legs in front of him. Leaning back, he crossed his arms over his chest and focused his eyes on her. The bland expression on his face masked any remaining amusement.
With a scowl, Hannah turned back to the stove. The balance of power seemed to have shifted over the past few minutes. She didn’t like that she no longer felt in control—not of the situation and definitely not of her own damn sex drive.
Stirring the now-steaming stew, she realized she’d never finished the task she’d started when Cooper’s closeness had distracted her. Only one bowl was washed. The other remained buried beneath the rubble of dirty dishes. After flipping the burner off, she grabbed the one clean bowl she’d managed to wash. She scooped a good amount of stew into it and planted it in front of him with the spoon.
Maybe with him occupied eating, she’d be able to focus on something besides him.
His gaze swung from the steaming food on the table, to her. “Aren’t you eating?”
“I will. Just have to grab another bowl.” And wash what looked like a month’s worth of dishes.
Ignoring his doubt-filled expression, she turned back to the sink and dug into the pile. She should be able to make some headway on the mess while he ate.
“You know, I’ll get to doing those myself.”
“Will you?” Hannah imbued the words with a good bit of doubt of her own as she propped the clean bowl in the drain board and moved on to the cutlery.
“Yes. Later.” Cooper’s answer came from directly behind her, making her jump.
When had he stood? He leaned closer and braced one hand on the edge of the counter. She was caught between his body and the sink as he reached past her and turned off the hot water. She felt the heat of his body pressed against her back as he took the wet, clean spoon from her hand.
He moved away to get the bowl she’d washed from the drain board and she felt as if she could breathe again. She turned to watch as he carried the bowl and the spoon to the pot on the stove top. There he scooped her a bit of the stew.
“Come sit.” He eyed her where she stood, still frozen at the sink, as he set the food down on the table.
“Okay.” She wiped her hands on her jeans for lack of anywhere else dry them.
She sat. So did he.
Eyes focused on the bowl, he dug into the stew and shoveled a large spoonful into his mouth. Good. That was exactly what she’d wanted—for him to eat a decent meal even if it did come out of a can. And more importantly, for him to stop looking at her and making her feel as nervous as a damned teenage girl.
What she hadn’t intended was to fall victim to her attraction to him so quickly. The tremble in her hand as she reached for her own spoon proved she was just as susceptible to this man now as she had been then. It didn’t matter that his championship days were done, or that his ranch had gone to shit both inside and out. The twenty-nine-year-old woman with the unrequited crush on the playboy bull rider was alive and well inside her forty-year-old body.
So much for getting older and wiser. It was clear Hannah had only gotten older. She was still as dumb as the eighteen-year-old who’d gotten pregnant and then had to marry Skeeter’s father.
Cooper changed from staring into his bowl to focusing on her. He cocked a brow and nodded toward the spoon she had yet to lift. “You not eating?”
“I will. It’s just a bit hot.” The entire kitchen felt warmer since he’d touched her, even if it hadn’t been anything more intimate than him getting to the sink around her.
Maybe it was just her face that was warm as the blood rushed to her cheeks. Almost forty, but the way her body reacted around this man Hannah might as well have been in puberty. She remembered the spoon in her hand and took a small bite of stew even though she wasn’t one bit hungry.
“So what have you
Similar Books
