The One Real Thing (Hart's Boardwalk) (24 page)

Cooper wasn’t sure he didn’t believe her. The missing-him part. After all, he had taken care of her. Dana didn’t have to worry about being an adult with adult responsibilities when he was around. He felt almost sorry for her now. She was a woman who needed to be taken care of completely. And right now she was so busy seething at the idea of someone else having what she considered hers she couldn’t see far enough in front of her to realize there were any number of stupid men out there who would take care of her.

“I thought we were finished with this, Dana,” he said. “I told you before that I’m done. You need to respect that.”

“You’re not done.
We’re
not done.”

He saw the glint of anger she was trying to hide and that did it for him. “The only reason you’re back bothering me is because you heard something in town that you didn’t like.”

“About your doctor.” She jumped on it immediately, as he’d known she would. “Not exactly your type, Cooper,” she sneered.

“You think you’re my type, Dana?”

“Yes, I am. I am not threatened by this doctor, whoever she is.” She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared up at him.
“She’s just one more woman in a long line of women. You’ve been sticking your dick in anything that moves since our divorce.”

“Christ.” He breathed out in disbelief. “You have no class.”

“Oh, and
she
does, does she?”

Dana wasn’t even in the same league as Jessica. He’d known the doc only a few weeks, but he’d learned the hard way how to tell a good woman from a not so good one. “In spades. And she’s not just some woman. She’s
my
woman. You stay out of our way, Dana,” he warned.

Her lips parted in shock. “You don’t mean that,” she whispered.

“Every fucking word. Now get the hell out of my bar.”

And finally she left, but not without giving him the kicked-puppy look that used to work on him all too well.

She might have retreated, but Cooper knew it was only so she could plan a new strategy.

Bailey had given me a knowing grin when she saw me hurrying into the inn in the wrinkled dress I’d been wearing the day before. She was too busy talking to a guest to give me crap about it, but I knew I didn’t have long to wait until she did.

I’d just finished dressing when I heard the knock on the door, and I had to shake myself out of my stupor. Even dressing had become erotic to me. It was like Cooper had awakened something in my blood, and just the whisper of my fingers across my skin, the brush of fabric as it touched my body, set off memories of his mouth, his hands,
him
thrusting inside of me.

Oh boy
.

I knew I must be flushed and by the look on Bailey’s face when I opened my bedroom door I saw I was not wrong.

“Tell me everything,” she said, striding into the room.

I closed the door for privacy and gave in to the fact that I really had no choice in the matter but to tell her. Not that I minded. I’d never had a girlfriend to talk boys with. I’d never had a boy to discuss. I grinned, giddily.

“Oh, my God.” She gave a bark of laughter at my expression. “You’ve got it so bad.”

“You would, too,” I said defensively. “If you’d just had the night I had.”

Bailey’s excitement level went up tenfold as she clapped her hands
in delight, looking more like a teenager than ever. “Tell me everything.”

“I went to see him last night when I woke up because I just . . . I don’t know . . . I guess I needed to. When I got there . . . well . . .” I grinned, getting hot at the memory. “We had sex on a table in his bar.”

“No way!” She slapped my arm, laughing. “Which table? Because, as hot as that is, I would like to avoid it.”

I shook my head, chuckling. “I’m sure he’s already taken care of it.”

“Sex on a table in his bar. That’s hot.”

“Oh, you have no idea.”

“That good, huh?”

“Best I’ve ever had.”

“Holy shit. Then what happened?”

I told her about going back to his place, where he made love to me. How we fell asleep in each other’s arms, how safe but turned on I felt to wake up in his arms, how he made love to me again, and then fucked me in the shower.

When I was done, Bailey was looking at me with undisguised envy. “Holy shit.”

I frowned, a little surprised by the depth of her envy. “You and Tom have great sex, though, right?”

She hesitated a second before nodding too fast. “Of course.”

Hmm.

I wasn’t convinced.

And that surprised me because they seemed really in love.

But maybe you could be in love and not have great sex.

“What you and Cooper have, though, sounds like higher levels of hot,” she said, a little in awe. “It sounds very special.”

I smiled. “I think it is. I hope it is. Anyway, I’m too wired to just hang around today so I was hoping you might want to show me the ropes.”

“You want to start early?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“Of course not.” Bailey jumped to her feet. “Let’s get you started.”

First we started off in her small office, where she showed me how to use their booking system. Bookings came in online through hotel sites, trip comparison sites, and her own website. Then we moved on to reception, where she had another computer with the same booking system on it.

“I’m going to go talk to Mona first, make her aware I’m bringing you into the kitchen to go over the menu, our dining schedule, blah-de-blah-blah. We have guests arriving this afternoon: Mr. and Mrs. Urquhart. Greet them in a friendly manner, casual; just be yourself. Book them in using the computer, get their key”—she pointed to the locked cabinet with keys in it behind the reception desk and handed me the master key to the cabinet—“and then show them to their room.”

It was pretty straightforward so I wasn’t concerned I’d mess it up.

“I’ll just be five minutes while I speak with Mona.”

I was looking over the booking system, familiarizing myself with how it worked and when new guests were arriving (and sneaking a peek at what lucky devils would be taking my room when my vacation officially ended), when the bell over the door jingled.

I glanced up, smiling to greet the new guests.

However, a lone woman stood in the entrance, sweeping her gaze around the inn. When her eyes fell on me she tensed.

I walked around the desk. “May I help you?”

The woman walked toward me, drinking me in from head to toe, examining every inch of me with a scrutiny that immediately rubbed me the wrong way. She was a very beautiful woman, and it pained me to be openly measured by anyone, let alone someone so gorgeous.

That irritation only grew when she gave me a satisfied, smug smile. The smugness, however, didn’t detract from her beauty. She was a little taller than me, slimmer, with a tanned, toned athletic body. Her shoulder-length brown hair framed her face attractively in waves and was lightened near the ends with caramel-blond
streaks. Her eyes were ice blue and had an exotic tilt to the corners. A perfect little nose matched symmetrical perfect lips and went well with her high cheekbones. I didn’t think I’d met anyone quite as beautiful as her.

She stood in front of me in a white summer dress that clung to her toned curves and showcased long, lean legs. I suddenly had this horrible feeling in my gut.

“Are you the doctor?” she said.

“I am.”

Her gaze narrowed. “I’m Dana. Cooper Lawson’s wife.”

That feeling in my gut worsened.

This . . . this was Cooper’s ex?

Bailey had not been lying when she described her as outrageously gorgeous.

Holy crap.

I felt a wave of insecurity roll over me and instantly resented it.

“Ex-wife, you mean.” Bailey appeared, striding out of the dining room into reception. She did not look happy, and that was putting it lightly. “What the hell are you doing here, Dana?”

Dana flicked Bailey a dirty look before turning back to me, all wide-eyed with faux innocence. “I’m just here to warn Dr. Huntington away from Cooper. It’s a friendly warning, believe me, because he’ll only break your heart.”

I narrowed my eyes on the she-witch. She was everything I’d heard and more, and I couldn’t believe she’d had the audacity to show up to spook me. “And why is that?” I said, making sure I sounded bored.

“Because he and I have unfinished business. I made a mistake and I’m going to try to make up for it. If you were any kind of good person you’d take a step back and let me fix my marriage.”

She said it like it was completely reasonable.

I was shocked. Beyond shocked. Plus, I was growing more than a little concerned this woman was going to be a problem for us.

Bailey, however, opened her mouth, looking so outraged, I knew
the put-down of all put-downs was about to come out of her. I gave her a quick shake of my head, a silent warning to leave this to me.

She clamped her mouth shut.

I stepped toward Dana and she took a step back in surprise, before trying to cover her surprise with a look of feigned nonchalance.

Hmm.

She was hoping I was going to be a pushover.

Well, I’d faced bigger and badder things in this world than Cooper’s ex-wife and there was no way I was giving him up so easily. Not when there was so much possibility between us. Cooper made me happy and right now I was too invested in that happiness to have it taken away from me.

“Let me get this right: you cheated on a good man—with his best friend in the whole world, no less, thus stealing that friendship from him as well as betraying him—and you come here warning me away from him? If you have any decency left in you, you’ll let Cooper be happy and leave him alone.”

“Cooper loves me.” Dana tilted her chin up in defiance. “We have history. You can’t beat history. I want him back and I warn you, I
always
get what I want.” She smirked at me. “Final warning: I am going to get Cooper back and I also don’t care what I have to do in order to get him.”

Fury rushed through me, not only at what she was suggesting but at the idea of her hurting Cooper. My protective instincts had me facing up to her in a way I knew she hadn’t expected. “Are you threatening me?”

Something like uncertainty flashed in her eyes before she quickly hid it. “Just a warning.” She shrugged and then gave me a sharklike grin. “May the best woman win.”

The bell tinkled above the door as she swooped out of the inn.

Bailey and I stood in shocked silence for a few seconds.

Then . . . “What. The. Hell?” Bailey said.

I felt more than a little sick at the thought of already having an enemy in my new town.

“You’re not going to break things off with Cooper, are you?” Bailey said, visibly concerned.

“Heck no.” I screwed up my face, feeling the stubborn determination fire my blood. “That horrible witch hurt someone that I care about and there is no way she’s going to do that again on my watch.” My voice softened as I thought of him. “The truth is that I really believe there’s something special between us and I really believe he thinks that, too. I won’t take this away from him because of one spoiled little brat.”

Bailey grinned. “Good.”

“There’s a childish part of me that wants to flaunt our relationship all over town,” I admitted.

She laughed and threw her arm around my shoulders. “Oh, my God, we are
so
soul sisters.”

Laughter drifted over from the crowd of women around his pool table and Cooper did his best to ignore it.

He wouldn’t give her what she wanted.

She wanted his attention.

When Dana had walked into the pub earlier that night overdressed in a short black dress, along with a bunch of her girlfriends, all overdressed, too, he knew he couldn’t make a scene. If he made a scene then it was like he was proving she bothered him.

As it was, all his regulars kept glaring over at her, struck by disbelief that she had the audacity to turn up there.

Cooper had spent the previous night in bed with Jessica, wiping away the annoyance of Dana showing up.

Now she was back to fuck with him and he wasn’t quite sure what was the best way to handle it.

“This is unbelievable,” Ollie said as he pulled a draft for a customer. Ollie had been working nights with him for a while, and like anyone who lived in Hartwell he knew the full story about Dana.

“Just ignore her,” Cooper said.

“You should throw her out.”

“I’m not giving her the satisfaction.”

“You got more cool than me, boss.” Ollie sighed.

Cooper grunted, finished making the cocktails for Dana and her crew, and passed them to Lily.

She was not happy. “Do I really have to serve her?”

“Yes. But you don’t have to do it with a smile.”

Mischief glinted in her eyes. “Sure thing, boss.”

He shook his head in amusement, his attention then immediately caught by the bar door as it opened.

Anticipation lifted his mood as Jessica walked in with Bailey at her side. Jess wore jeans that were molded to her long legs and a black sleeveless shirt that showed off a generous amount of her cleavage. It also wrapped over and tied at the side in a big bow—practically an extended invitation for him to pull the damn thing open.

He’d definitely be doing that later.

She walked straight to him, grinning at him the whole time, and he could feel the huge smile on his face in return.

“Hey,” she said, slipping onto the stool in front of him.

“Hey back.” His eyes dipped to her mouth. “Is that all I’m getting?”

“Hmm.” She considered him. “Have you been good today?”

That ache he felt for her got bigger. “Not really, Doc,” he murmured, leaning over the bar so only she could hear. “See, I’ve been having all sorts of dirty thoughts today.”

Jessica bit her lip to try to stem an excited smile. “About me, I hope.”

“Every. Fucking. One.”

“Dirty is good,” she murmured back and leaned in to meet him.

Her kiss was soft, sweet, just the tip of her tongue touching his before she pulled back.

“Tease,” he murmured, grinning.

He heard a throat being cleared. Loudly. And that was when Cooper remembered where the hell they were.

Shit. The doc had a way of making everything in the world disappear but her.

Bailey was the throat clearer. “Just thought I’d remind you that you have an audience.” She gave him a girlish finger wave.

“Bailey,” he said in acknowledgment.

She grinned at him. “How’s it going?”

“It’s been better,” Ollie said, sidling up to them from the other end of the bar. “We have company.” His eyes flicked to the pool area.

Cooper sighed, bracing himself for Bailey’s reaction. As soon as she saw Dana, she’d explain to Jess who she was. And Cooper wasn’t looking forward to that.

To his surprise both Bailey
and
Jessica looked shocked when they turned to view the pool area.

What the hell . . .

“Dana?” Bailey whipped her head around to glare at him, but Cooper was too busy studying Jessica, who had paled.

“Doc?” he said, an ugly suspicion creeping into his mind. “Please tell me you haven’t met Dana before.”

Bailey frowned. “Of course she has. Yesterday. When the bit—”

“Bailey.” Jessica hushed her.

Instead of hushing, Bailey glowered at her. “You didn’t tell him?”

“Tell me what?” he snapped.

“I didn’t want to stress him out,” Jessica hissed.

“Stress him out? He has a right to know she threatened you.”

“What?” His voice was louder this time, drawing attention, but Cooper couldn’t give a fuck. His blood was quickly turning hotter than sense could handle.

Jessica looked at him, reluctance in her gorgeous eyes. “She came to the inn yesterday to warn me to back off—she promised that she was going to do whatever it takes to get you back and that I was only going to get my heart broken in the end when she won.”

“Oh, and she also referred to herself as your
wife
,” Bailey huffed. “Present tense.”

What the fucking fuck!

The idea that Dana would try to take Jessica from him, after everything she’d already taken, ripped through him.

There was no way he was going to sit back and let her get away with that shit.

“Hey, guys.” Dahlia suddenly appeared beside Bailey, smiling broadly at them all.

Cooper barely even registered her. He couldn’t see anything past his anger.

Storming around the bar, he threw up the counter with so much fury he almost ripped the thing off its hinges. He was vaguely aware of his name being called, but he wasn’t stopping for anybody.

Dana looked up from taking a shot at the pool table and her girlfriends turned to watch him storm toward them.

He saw uneasiness in her expression as he approached.

Good.

He pushed past two of her friends and leaned on the pool table so his face was level with Dana’s. He wanted this to truly sink in at last. “You listen to me, and you listen good. You and I are over, Dana.
Over
. I don’t want you. I’ll never want you again and I don’t know how many ways I can say that before you get it. So . . . you threaten Jessica again or harass me again, I will go to the sheriff, because you’re acting like a fucking crazy person.”

Dana flinched.

“Do you understand me?”

She stared at him in shock.

“Do you understand me?” he yelled.

The whole bar silenced behind him.

Dana swallowed and straightened away from him. She nodded slowly.

Cooper stood up.

He couldn’t stand the sight of her.

Calming a little as he sensed he’d finally gotten through, he said, voice soft but no less angry, “Now get the fuck out of my bar and don’t ever come back.”

Some of her friends looked embarrassed as they grabbed their purses, but not Dana. She held her head high as she strode out of his bar, refusing for even a second to be humbled.

When he was younger he’d thought she possessed sexy confidence. Now he knew it as blind, ignorant arrogance.

Cooper looked out over the crowd. Everyone was staring at him. His regulars wore looks of sympathy, while tourists looked unsure.

God damn it.

“Sorry about the interruption,” he said, striding back to the bar. “Next round is on the house.”

That should settle the tourists.

As for him . . . his blood was still pumping. His eyes fell on Jessica. He knew exactly how he wanted to work out the adrenaline racing around his system, but the look of worry she was wearing warned him off.

He slipped behind the bar.

“It had to be said, Coop.” Ollie clapped him on the shoulder.

He gave him a nod but made his way over to Jessica.

He didn’t know what to say.

He wanted to know what she was thinking.

She looked like she wanted to know what he was thinking.

But there were too many people around for that conversation.

“Um . . .” Dahlia said, “what did I just walk into?”

Bailey grinned up at her friend. “Dahlia, meet Jessica. Jessica is Cooper’s new girlfriend and our new best friend.”

Dahlia laughed as she gazed at a still shell-shocked Jessica. “Ah. Now everything makes sense.”

“What makes sense?” Vaughn was suddenly there, slipping into the space between Jessica and the customer on her left.

Bailey glowered at him. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to give you all the good news,” he said, his tone suggesting it was anything but.

“And what good news is that?” Dahlia said.

Vaughn looked at Cooper and the uneasiness in his eyes made Cooper still, distracting him from the bad scene with Dana. “George Beckwith is selling up. Ian Devlin is gloating all over town about how he’s finally going to have a spot on the boardwalk.”

“Fuck!” Bailey snapped.

Vaughn flicked her a rueful look. “For once, Miss Hartwell, we are in absolute agreement.”