raced through me and my
fingers tightened. I took one breath—and
two more just to be sure of myself—then I
met his gaze full on. The way his blue
eyes alternated between confusion and
want and astonishment made me want to
melt into him.
Made me breathless all over again.
His lips parted. “Don’t.”
“Why?” I whispered in a voice that
was too heavy and pleading for my own
good.
“I’ll take you.”
Our lips were inches from connecting.
I glanced away and tried to focus on the
vacationers lounged out in beach chairs
several feet from his deck, but even then
the sound of their radio became fuzzy, the
sight of their Corona bottles clinking
together became a haze. The only thing
that was vivid was Cooper’s face when he
tucked his finger under my chin and
compelled my gaze back to his,
whispering my name in that accent.
“You’ve got work,” I said, but my
words were more for myself. He had a
rule about clients. I was his client and at
the end of the summer, my movie would
be shot and I’d have to leave. I couldn’t
want him like this if I didn’t want to have
my heart ripped out when that time came.
Holding my chin steady, he traced his
other hand from my wrist up to my elbow,
and from there to my shoulder. He bent
forward, dipping his head a little, so that I
could feel his breath hot against my
throat.
“I’m my own boss, Willow.” One of
his fingertips brushed over my lips, and—
I couldn’t help it—I flicked my tongue out
over the rough skin. His grip on my
shoulder tightened and he cursed against
the delicate skin at my collarbone.
“I can call Miller.”
“I’m taking you.” His voice was more
determined than before.
“What the hell makes you think I want
you to take me anywhere?”
He drew away from me and my chest
deflated. I struggled to keep the
uninterested look on my face as he linked
his hands behind his head. I was anything
but bored and by the way he was grinning,
he knew that too. “Because of the way
you’re looking at me right now.”
“And how is that?”
“Like if Eric and Paige hadn’t come
back just before I walked out here, I’d
have your legs wrapped around my waist
in five minutes.”
“Your confidence makes me want to
blow chunks all over you.”
He dropped his hands from behind his
head. “Get dressed before—”
“Before what?” I challenged.
He pulled me down onto the deck
floor with him, like he didn’t care whether
or not anyone could see us or that we
were out in the open or that he’d known
me for all of a week. And while his lips
and tongue probed mine, my brain
screamed at me, begging me to remember
that it had only been a week.
Shoving his chest hard with the palm
of my hands, I stumbled backwards and to
my feet. Turning my back to him, I
grabbed my clothes from the bench and
angrily began yanking them back on. My
breath came out in ragged little gasps and
I was trembling. I was mad at him for
making me want more and with myself for
being stupid enough to let him affect me.
When I was calm enough to face him,
he was still on the floor of the deck and
his eyes were gleaming.
“Why are you laughing?” I snapped,
plopping down in a patio chair to shove
my feet into my sandals.
He stood, staring down at me like he
wanted nothing more than to tear my
clothes off. “Because you didn’t puke on
me and because you’re going to break
your neck cleaning gum from park benches
in those shoes.”
I rose to my feet and smoothed down
my sundress. His breath hitched as I shook
my long, dark hair out before knotting it at
the top of my head. “Ready?”
“You’re not going to argue with me?”
he asked and I glared at him, evoking a
grin that made me want to run my lips
across the dimple in his left cheek. “God,
I love when you come undone, Wills.”
Chapter Eight
Cooper was wrong about me having to
clean gum off park benches—the card that
Stewart had
fingers tightened. I took one breath—and
two more just to be sure of myself—then I
met his gaze full on. The way his blue
eyes alternated between confusion and
want and astonishment made me want to
melt into him.
Made me breathless all over again.
His lips parted. “Don’t.”
“Why?” I whispered in a voice that
was too heavy and pleading for my own
good.
“I’ll take you.”
Our lips were inches from connecting.
I glanced away and tried to focus on the
vacationers lounged out in beach chairs
several feet from his deck, but even then
the sound of their radio became fuzzy, the
sight of their Corona bottles clinking
together became a haze. The only thing
that was vivid was Cooper’s face when he
tucked his finger under my chin and
compelled my gaze back to his,
whispering my name in that accent.
“You’ve got work,” I said, but my
words were more for myself. He had a
rule about clients. I was his client and at
the end of the summer, my movie would
be shot and I’d have to leave. I couldn’t
want him like this if I didn’t want to have
my heart ripped out when that time came.
Holding my chin steady, he traced his
other hand from my wrist up to my elbow,
and from there to my shoulder. He bent
forward, dipping his head a little, so that I
could feel his breath hot against my
throat.
“I’m my own boss, Willow.” One of
his fingertips brushed over my lips, and—
I couldn’t help it—I flicked my tongue out
over the rough skin. His grip on my
shoulder tightened and he cursed against
the delicate skin at my collarbone.
“I can call Miller.”
“I’m taking you.” His voice was more
determined than before.
“What the hell makes you think I want
you to take me anywhere?”
He drew away from me and my chest
deflated. I struggled to keep the
uninterested look on my face as he linked
his hands behind his head. I was anything
but bored and by the way he was grinning,
he knew that too. “Because of the way
you’re looking at me right now.”
“And how is that?”
“Like if Eric and Paige hadn’t come
back just before I walked out here, I’d
have your legs wrapped around my waist
in five minutes.”
“Your confidence makes me want to
blow chunks all over you.”
He dropped his hands from behind his
head. “Get dressed before—”
“Before what?” I challenged.
He pulled me down onto the deck
floor with him, like he didn’t care whether
or not anyone could see us or that we
were out in the open or that he’d known
me for all of a week. And while his lips
and tongue probed mine, my brain
screamed at me, begging me to remember
that it had only been a week.
Shoving his chest hard with the palm
of my hands, I stumbled backwards and to
my feet. Turning my back to him, I
grabbed my clothes from the bench and
angrily began yanking them back on. My
breath came out in ragged little gasps and
I was trembling. I was mad at him for
making me want more and with myself for
being stupid enough to let him affect me.
When I was calm enough to face him,
he was still on the floor of the deck and
his eyes were gleaming.
“Why are you laughing?” I snapped,
plopping down in a patio chair to shove
my feet into my sandals.
He stood, staring down at me like he
wanted nothing more than to tear my
clothes off. “Because you didn’t puke on
me and because you’re going to break
your neck cleaning gum from park benches
in those shoes.”
I rose to my feet and smoothed down
my sundress. His breath hitched as I shook
my long, dark hair out before knotting it at
the top of my head. “Ready?”
“You’re not going to argue with me?”
he asked and I glared at him, evoking a
grin that made me want to run my lips
across the dimple in his left cheek. “God,
I love when you come undone, Wills.”
Chapter Eight
Cooper was wrong about me having to
clean gum off park benches—the card that
Stewart had
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