Chasing Dreams
Page 14
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“If I kiss you, Tessa, I won’t be able to stop,” he warned, but she found her gaze straying to his lips.
Please, please, please let him kiss me.
Oh, hell. What was she saying? She didn’t want… Before she could finish the thought, Cooper’s velvet soft lips were on hers, and her breath escaped her in a rush.
He was gentle, yet firm, his big, warm hands tilting her head slowly as he seemed to be monitoring her reaction. Her body relaxed instantly, and she knew he felt it too because as soon as a sigh escaped her, his hands moved down lower, pulling her body against his. When his tongue slid slowly over her lips, Tessa found herself opening for his kiss.
And the fireworks that exploded behind her closed eyelids nearly knocked her off of her feet, a blinding collision of colors melding together. Kissing him was like coming home for the first time in years. The comfort and familiarity was there, although this man was no more than a stranger to her. But something in him had connected with something in her.
The low rumble that echoed in his chest only added fuel to the fire, and Tessa found her arms were sliding up over his chest to wrap around his neck and pull him closer. His Stetson was nearly knocked off when she latched her fingers into the silky hair at the nape of his neck.
As far as kisses went, this one was the equivalent of an unpredicted hurricane, sweeping over her and knocking her sideways, leveling everything she held near and dear.
Sweet mercy, the guy could kiss.
Minutes passed before either of them attempted to come up for air, and by the time they did, Tessa was practically trying to climb his body. She was both embarrassed and shocked at her behavior, but when she tried to pull away from him, Cooper’s arms locked around her.
“Don’t run from me, please,” he whispered, his voice so rich and sultry, she let the tone settle her nerves.
Momentarily.
Their eyes met, and Tessa fought the urge to cry again. What the hell was wrong with her? She wasn’t supposed to be kissing this man. He’d never be able to give her what she needed – no one could – and she had no desire to give in long enough to find out for herself.
“I can’t do this,” she said firmly, forcing him to release her. “Please. I just can’t.”
Without looking back, Tessa fled back inside her bar, sneaking into the relative safety of the bathroom. It was the only place she would possibly find solitude for long enough to get herself under control. And she desperately needed to.
By the time the night was over, Tessa had managed to successfully evade Cooper at every turn. She had to admit, when he went up on stage and surprised the customers with a thirty minute set, she had been enthralled. Again, this man had a voice that captivated her. Not that she would let him know that.
The few times she’d caught him looking her way, Tessa managed to pretend she didn’t see him. She was just having one problem with that. She did see him. Everywhere. Even when he wasn’t near her, she saw him. That kiss had rocked her world, and she feared she would never be able to forget it, no matter how hard she tried.
“Can I walk you out?” Cooper’s deep, panty melting drawl oozed over her as she wiped down the last of the glasses and put them in their place beneath the bar.
“I’ll be here for a while. Thanks though.” That was a monumental lie, but there was no way she wanted him to walk her out.
In fact, she wanted to pretend she didn’t know him. She hadn’t had this kind of reaction to any one man in a very long time, and she continued to remind herself that she shouldn’t be having a reaction to him. It had to be because he was famous. Maybe she was star struck.
No. No, that definitely wasn’t it. Tessa didn’t get star struck. She had learned, no matter how big or how small their stardom reached, their egos exceeded that tenfold. If there was a possibility of her ever settling down again, it undoubtedly wouldn’t be with the likes of Cooper Krenshaw.
“I’ll wait.”
Tessa flinched from the sound of his voice. He was much closer than he had been, and she hadn’t realized he snuck up on her.
“How much longer you got? Can I help?”
Good Lord. Could the guy just take a hint? Why did he have to be the perfect gentleman?
“I’m not going to sleep with you.” Tessa slapped her hand over her mouth as she turned to look at him, her eyes wide with horror because her thoughts had just tumbled right out of her mouth.
His chuckle reverberated through every molecule in her body and Tessa found she liked that too.
“Well, I’m sorry to hear that. It’s a good thing I wasn’t asking, or you might’ve bruised my ego a little bit.”
She couldn’t help but smile at his reaction to her verbal blunder.
“I’d still like to walk you out. I promise, it doesn’t require either of us to get horizontal.”
His words produced a vivid image in her mind, and it had nothing to do with them being horizontal and everything to do with her plastered against the wall while this big, sexy cowboy was pressed between her thighs.
Damn. It was definitely time to go home. Alone.
Figuring she wasn’t going to be able to talk her way out of it, Tessa finished up the last glass and then removed her apron, tossing it beneath the bar. At least she’d have tomorrow off, which meant she would be able to officially get Cooper out of her system.
Chapter Six
“Come in, Tessa,” Luanne Deluth said in a curiously fake accent when Tessa arrived at her house on Sunday afternoon. It was a fact that Luanne was born and raised in Devil’s Bend, however, somewhere along the way, she’d adopted some variation of a northern accent. She sounded awkward and confused because she was dropping her Rs as well as mixing in a few y’alls. Tessa wasn’t sure how her husband even understood what she was trying to say.
Ignoring the need to tell her to remember her roots, Tessa simply walked into the house, letting the screen door slam behind her as though it were an accident. It had taken some pleading, but Luanne finally relented and agreed to meet with her. If that weren’t a sign that something was going on, Tessa didn’t know what was.
“Thanks,” she said matching the saccharine sweetness in Luanne’s tone although she honestly wanted to grab the woman by the hair and ask her what the hell was going on.
It wasn’t a secret that Tessa and Luanne didn’t get along well. They had grown up together, graduated in the same class, but for whatever reason, as of their freshman year of high school, their friendship had turned to loathing. For various reasons, Tessa had always made a point to stay out of Luanne’s way.
Please, please, please let him kiss me.
Oh, hell. What was she saying? She didn’t want… Before she could finish the thought, Cooper’s velvet soft lips were on hers, and her breath escaped her in a rush.
He was gentle, yet firm, his big, warm hands tilting her head slowly as he seemed to be monitoring her reaction. Her body relaxed instantly, and she knew he felt it too because as soon as a sigh escaped her, his hands moved down lower, pulling her body against his. When his tongue slid slowly over her lips, Tessa found herself opening for his kiss.
And the fireworks that exploded behind her closed eyelids nearly knocked her off of her feet, a blinding collision of colors melding together. Kissing him was like coming home for the first time in years. The comfort and familiarity was there, although this man was no more than a stranger to her. But something in him had connected with something in her.
The low rumble that echoed in his chest only added fuel to the fire, and Tessa found her arms were sliding up over his chest to wrap around his neck and pull him closer. His Stetson was nearly knocked off when she latched her fingers into the silky hair at the nape of his neck.
As far as kisses went, this one was the equivalent of an unpredicted hurricane, sweeping over her and knocking her sideways, leveling everything she held near and dear.
Sweet mercy, the guy could kiss.
Minutes passed before either of them attempted to come up for air, and by the time they did, Tessa was practically trying to climb his body. She was both embarrassed and shocked at her behavior, but when she tried to pull away from him, Cooper’s arms locked around her.
“Don’t run from me, please,” he whispered, his voice so rich and sultry, she let the tone settle her nerves.
Momentarily.
Their eyes met, and Tessa fought the urge to cry again. What the hell was wrong with her? She wasn’t supposed to be kissing this man. He’d never be able to give her what she needed – no one could – and she had no desire to give in long enough to find out for herself.
“I can’t do this,” she said firmly, forcing him to release her. “Please. I just can’t.”
Without looking back, Tessa fled back inside her bar, sneaking into the relative safety of the bathroom. It was the only place she would possibly find solitude for long enough to get herself under control. And she desperately needed to.
By the time the night was over, Tessa had managed to successfully evade Cooper at every turn. She had to admit, when he went up on stage and surprised the customers with a thirty minute set, she had been enthralled. Again, this man had a voice that captivated her. Not that she would let him know that.
The few times she’d caught him looking her way, Tessa managed to pretend she didn’t see him. She was just having one problem with that. She did see him. Everywhere. Even when he wasn’t near her, she saw him. That kiss had rocked her world, and she feared she would never be able to forget it, no matter how hard she tried.
“Can I walk you out?” Cooper’s deep, panty melting drawl oozed over her as she wiped down the last of the glasses and put them in their place beneath the bar.
“I’ll be here for a while. Thanks though.” That was a monumental lie, but there was no way she wanted him to walk her out.
In fact, she wanted to pretend she didn’t know him. She hadn’t had this kind of reaction to any one man in a very long time, and she continued to remind herself that she shouldn’t be having a reaction to him. It had to be because he was famous. Maybe she was star struck.
No. No, that definitely wasn’t it. Tessa didn’t get star struck. She had learned, no matter how big or how small their stardom reached, their egos exceeded that tenfold. If there was a possibility of her ever settling down again, it undoubtedly wouldn’t be with the likes of Cooper Krenshaw.
“I’ll wait.”
Tessa flinched from the sound of his voice. He was much closer than he had been, and she hadn’t realized he snuck up on her.
“How much longer you got? Can I help?”
Good Lord. Could the guy just take a hint? Why did he have to be the perfect gentleman?
“I’m not going to sleep with you.” Tessa slapped her hand over her mouth as she turned to look at him, her eyes wide with horror because her thoughts had just tumbled right out of her mouth.
His chuckle reverberated through every molecule in her body and Tessa found she liked that too.
“Well, I’m sorry to hear that. It’s a good thing I wasn’t asking, or you might’ve bruised my ego a little bit.”
She couldn’t help but smile at his reaction to her verbal blunder.
“I’d still like to walk you out. I promise, it doesn’t require either of us to get horizontal.”
His words produced a vivid image in her mind, and it had nothing to do with them being horizontal and everything to do with her plastered against the wall while this big, sexy cowboy was pressed between her thighs.
Damn. It was definitely time to go home. Alone.
Figuring she wasn’t going to be able to talk her way out of it, Tessa finished up the last glass and then removed her apron, tossing it beneath the bar. At least she’d have tomorrow off, which meant she would be able to officially get Cooper out of her system.
Chapter Six
“Come in, Tessa,” Luanne Deluth said in a curiously fake accent when Tessa arrived at her house on Sunday afternoon. It was a fact that Luanne was born and raised in Devil’s Bend, however, somewhere along the way, she’d adopted some variation of a northern accent. She sounded awkward and confused because she was dropping her Rs as well as mixing in a few y’alls. Tessa wasn’t sure how her husband even understood what she was trying to say.
Ignoring the need to tell her to remember her roots, Tessa simply walked into the house, letting the screen door slam behind her as though it were an accident. It had taken some pleading, but Luanne finally relented and agreed to meet with her. If that weren’t a sign that something was going on, Tessa didn’t know what was.
“Thanks,” she said matching the saccharine sweetness in Luanne’s tone although she honestly wanted to grab the woman by the hair and ask her what the hell was going on.
It wasn’t a secret that Tessa and Luanne didn’t get along well. They had grown up together, graduated in the same class, but for whatever reason, as of their freshman year of high school, their friendship had turned to loathing. For various reasons, Tessa had always made a point to stay out of Luanne’s way.
