“You should never tell a Hall to surprise you, darlin’,” came the low drawl in my ear that had my breath catching and my lower belly twitching.
I steeled myself and carefully turned so that I didn’t touch him. I crossed my arms as soon as I was facing him because I knew I would reach out for him if I didn’t. I thought ten years would have healed my heart, but when I took in the hat, now turned backwards, and the smile that danced on his lips, I felt like I was eighteen all over again. Only this wasn’t the boy I had known. The person in front of me was all man, and a very sexy one at that.
“You lost your privilege to call me pet names a long time ago, Cooper,” I reminded him with an edge to my voice that surprised even myself.
“Ouch, Ave,” he chuckled. “No love lost, huh?”
Now I remembered why I was pissed at him. I had fallen apart when he left, closing myself off from everyone for the summer before I had gone to college. My father had threatened to take me to the doctor, but I had bounced back eventually. I had always felt like I was holding on to a moving target with him, forever telling him he was good enough for me and that because we loved each other, it didn’t matter. Unfortunately, young love hadn’t been enough.
“You are still an ass,” I hissed, pushing on his arm to move past him so I could go back to my table, forgetting the shots.
“Wait,” he said with an exasperated sigh.
I pushed again, only to find myself in his arms, chest to chest with him. His heart was thudding just as quickly as mine, and his breathing was labored. He was as affected by me, as I was him. I tensed; I wouldn’t let myself melt at his feet after all these years.
“Dance with me,” he whispered, running his hands down my arms and gripping one of my hands in his to pull me to the dance floor.
I followed him, knowing that if I had really tried to get away from him, he would have let me go. Karaoke was still in full swing, but a couple was belting out Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now” so well that some people had migrated to the dance floor. Cooper found an empty spot and brought me close to him once again. I wrapped one arm around the outside of his bicep, resting my hand on his shoulder while the other was nestled warmly underneath his on his chest.
“I’m sorry about before,” he spoke into my ear. “You look so damn good that you still get me all tied up in knots.”
I shook my head. He could sweet talk all he wanted, but I refused to be sucked into it, though the feel of his body moving gently against mine had my lady parts wet and ready for action. His warm breath against my ear had my pelvis tilting and his hand on my lower back pressed enough to bring us tighter together.
“I’m not one of your groupies, Coop,” I told him, though I wasn’t sure if I was reminding him or myself.
“You never were,” he admitted, softly placing a kiss on my temple.
“I’m not going to forgive you that easily,” I informed him, tensing a bit.
“I didn’t expect you to,” he replied with a smile in his voice.
I let myself relax into his arms and against his body for the rest of the song. I knew what was coming in the next week and for this little moment in time, I just wanted to lose myself. I laid my cheek against his chest on the side where my hand was wrapped around his shoulder and he slid his arm the rest of the way around my waist. We still fit together like two puzzle pieces, like we were meant to be. When he started humming along with the people singing, tears filled my eyes.
“I heard about your father,” he said, as the song wound down. “I’m so sorry.”
I shook my head against his chest and tried to control the sobs that threatened to escape. I needed to be strong. I would not lean on him. That ship had long ago sailed and the last time, he had taken all I had to give. I put some distance between our bodies when the music stopped, and the crowd started to cheer.
“I need to go,” I stammered, starting to back away, and immediately missed the feel of his strong arms around me.
“If you need anything, let me know,” he whispered, cupping my face with both of his hands before I could move out of his reach. “I’m only a phone call away.”
I pulled back from him, blindly making my way through the crowd to reach the door. I caught Jen’s eye and angled my head. I saw her lean down to talk to her husband as she grabbed our stuff. He nodded and gave me a small wave as Jen headed in my direction. Keegan and Abby followed her, my brother tense and ready to fight in my honor if need be. When they all reached me, I grabbed for my jacket and walked out the door first.
The cool night air was just what I needed to clear my head. I had to keep my distance from Cooper moving forward. With everything that was going on with my father, I couldn’t deal with anything else. I wouldn’t relive the past; plus, I didn’t think my heart could take another round with him. It was barely put back together from the last time.
Fuuuck!” I roared, tossing the hammer that I had just nailed my finger with for the millionth time.
I watched as it bounced off the porch and into the kitchen window, shattering it. With nothing close enough to safely punch, I dropped down on the top step and put my head in my hands. It had been a day. I was ready to throw in the towel and start over. I needed a drink, and I needed it bad.
“What was that?” Evan asked, putting his head near the now broken window.
I growled at him, sending him back in to the room, chuckling. I had tried working inside, helping Evan pull flooring up, but my raging emotions just about brought us to blows. After I held him against the wall by the front of his shirt, I moved outside, and he had gladly kept his distance. Not that I could blame him. The look in his eyes had scared me. I had never had anyone look at me that way before.
Getting up to move and work off some of the frustration, I made my way down the driveway. This was part of the reason I had come home. Any time I needed to keep my temper in check or forget about something that hurt, I would turn to alcohol. The guys had all but ordered me to dry out or they would throw me in rehab. It had come to a head when I stumbled on stage for our last show of the tour, drunk as a skunk.
I wasn’t mad at them for the ultimatum. I had been putting their careers on the line, as well as mine. Being famous gave you access to things that threw legality out the window. Drugs had never been of any interest to me, while alcohol of almost any kind had been my go-to.
I hadn’t realized it was a problem until the guys had taken it away from me, stuffing me on a long bus ride from California to Tennessee with no vices available. Chris had been with me, along with two bus drivers, allowing them to stop only for fuel. By the time we reached our house and the other guys, I was clean, anxious, and realizing I needed to find better ways to cope with my issues, while my friend sported a shiner, some other random bruises, and four stitches above his right eye. Somehow, our brotherhood had never faltered.
When I got to the end of the driveway, the sun was starting to set. I took a deep breath and let the cool air that hit my lungs calm me. Since I had seen Avery at the bar two nights before, I had been on edge. She had looked just as beautiful as she had ten years ago when I had walked away from her, if not more so. Her curves beckoned me when I saw her and Jen at the bar, talking to Willie. Watching him kiss her hand had set my temper into high gear immediately; the only thing that kept me from pummeling him was the fact that he was my brother. Even now, the idea of another man touching her sent the little green monster stirring.
I knew pinning her to the bar had been a bad decision the moment she turned around and crossed her arms protectively in front of her. Avery wasn’t large chested by any means, but her boobs were just the right size for my hands. They had been perfect as a teenager and had only gotten fuller. The smell of cherries had filled my nostrils when she turned, causing my dick to stand at attention and my mind to cloud.
Pulling her in for the dance hadn’t helped either. Her curves molded to my body like they belonged there, just like the first night we had been together. Humming had
been the only way I could think of to get my mind off stripping her down and fucking her right then and there. Then I said the one thing that had sent her running.
Shaking my head, I started back to the house. Avery had pulled away when I had mentioned her father, but not before I had seen the look in her eyes. They told me everything I needed to know. Sadness had filled them; however, behind that had been the light of desire, and something else I couldn’t define.
My body reacted again, just thinking about her. Adjusting myself, I continued my walk and thought about the other reason my temper was off kilter today. Dale had gone in for surgery. My mother had kept us posted and everything had gone as planned. The mass had been removed and they were confident they had gotten it all. As soon as he was recovered enough, they would start with the aggressive chemo treatments.
I hated knowing what he and his family would go through. I had meant it when I told Avery I was only a phone call away. I would do anything I could to make this easier for them. The lights coming from the house as I got closer stopped me. The welcome feeling that filled me gripped my heart and took me back to the conversation I’d had with Dale just last week.
We talked about everything, from family to my fame and anything in between. He never held any hard feelings against me, despite what had happened with his daughter. I think, to an extent, he understood why I had done it; I loved her and wanted what was best for her. The one thing that had stood out in our conversation was not something you would expect to hear from a man to another man. He told me to listen to what my heart told me, and that life was too damn short to let the money and my head lead the way.
Letting out a long breath, I climbed the porch steps and found that Evan had blocked the broken window with OSB we had on hand for the remodel. I smiled and could see him putting a lasagna in the oven that his mother sent earlier in the day. I was lucky he had come here to stay with me. He made sure the house didn’t have a drop of alcohol in it and when he needed some, would go elsewhere to get it.
I was just about done cleaning up my tools and heading back inside, when I heard the sound of a vehicle coming up the drive behind me. Turning, I couldn’t make out who it was in the growing darkness. I knew it wasn’t my family, but I hadn’t been in town long enough to start recognizing who drove what yet. It pulled to a stop behind my truck and the motor died, yet no one got out. I leaned against the post by the top step and waited.
When the SUV door finally opened, I couldn’t have been more surprised. Avery stepped out, shutting her door quietly and slowly started to make her way toward me. Her head was down, and her beautiful wavy hair hid her face. I put my hands across my chest to keep from reaching out for her when she got closer. All I wanted to do was gather her up and comfort her after what I’m sure had been a trying day, or to take her into my bedroom and bury myself inside her, letting us both forget about what had happened.
“Hey,” I greeted softly when she stopped at the base of the stairs and looked up. Her face was blotchy, and her eyes were exhausted and red-rimmed.
“Hi,” she whispered, wiping her face. “Keegan kicked me out of the hospital, but I didn’t want to go home to an empty house. I can go somewhere else…”
I wasn’t sure how she even knew that I had bought this house, but I wasn’t going to question the fact that she was here. I didn’t respond, just opened my arms, and she came up the stairs to lock hers around me. Closing my arms around her, I held her while the flood gates opened. Her sobs broke my heart and I whispered into her hair to calm her, as my hands rubbed up and down her back.
Time seemed to stand still. When her tears finally subsided, I leaned back far enough to cup her face in my hands and wipe away the tracks. She rested her small hands on my hips, but she didn’t completely pull away from my body. Moving like one would with a nervous colt, I maneuvered my arm around her and opened the front door, steering her gently inside.
Evan looked over when we walked in and raised his eyebrows. I shook my head to ward off anything stupid that might come out of his mouth. Instead, he silently put another setting at the table and took Avery from my arms and into his. While he helped her with her coat and sat her down, I took the opportunity to finish taking care of my tools.
When I came back in, I went straight to the kitchen sink and washed up. The smell of tomato sauce and garlic bread filled the room, causing my stomach to grumble, loudly. The quiet talk behind me stopped and I heard Avery giggle, a sound that went right to my gut. I smiled and tossed the paper towel I used to dry off my hands at her when I turned around. Making myself comfortable at the table, Avery went to work dishing me out a healthy serving of lasagna and Evan tossed me a garlic knot from the basket closest to him.
The meal was great; the food, the company, the conversation. It was unspoken that certain topics were out, so we stuck to reminiscing about our high school days. Laughter was a constant and as the meal wound down, I could see her slowly start to relax. The stress of the day was still there, but her shoulders came down, her back loosened, and her smile was quicker to grace her beautiful face.
Evan and I started to get up to gather the empty plates when we are all done, but Avery shooed us both away. Shrugging at each other, the two of us headed into the living room while the sounds of her washing the dishes came from the kitchen. It was comforting. Then, doing something we hadn’t done since we had been home, Evan handed me my guitar and grabbed his own acoustic that leaned against the wall behind the couch. We tuned them and soon sounds of ‘90s country songs filled the room.
Avery finished and came out to join us. She sat herself so that she was leaning against the arm of the couch and sang along quietly with us. This was how it had been when we were kids. Jam sessions in living rooms and basements when we weren’t practicing our own songs. It reminded me why I loved music so much before we had become famous; the escape from the reality, the ability it had to quiet my mind of every problem running through it.
We took turns picking songs to play. Neither of us played love ballads or anything that had to do with losing someone. Both doing our best to keep it light and uplifting, Avery seemed to unwind further and leaned her head on the back of the couch. I could have kept playing, but as I was tightening my strings, Evan tapped my arm and pointed at the gorgeous woman sleeping soundly on the other side of me. I looked up at the clock and noticed it was already nine-thirty. Nodding to him, I handed him my guitar and got up.
Grabbing all three of our jackets, I shrugged mine on and handed Evan his, along with the keys to my truck to open it for me. It was decided I would take her with me and he would follow with her SUV. I didn’t want her driving herself since she was obviously exhausted. Wrapping Avery’s jacket around her as a blanket, I picked her up and settled her against my chest. She barely stirred as we made the walk through the house and out to my truck. I buckled her in and made my way around to my side of the truck, signaling Evan to head out.
The drive was quiet. Deep sighs filled the cab every once in a while, and the smell of cherries had my cock straining against my thigh where it was tucked in my jeans. I shifted, trying to ease the pulsing, but when she let out a moan, I almost came. My hands gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles were white.
“Where are we?” came a sleepy voice.
“Heading home,” I replied tightly, as I glanced over and found her sitting up in her seat and stretching.
Her arms going over her head had her boobs lifting and a patch of skin showing on her belly where her shirt was riding up. Before I wrecked my Dodge, I pulled my attention back to the road and took deep breaths through my nose and mouth to calm my body’s reaction. When she moaned a second time, I felt the precum wet my leg and I shot her a warning glance.
“Where’s my car?” she asked, her voice suddenly taking on an edge.
“Evan is following us,” I informed her, hitting my blinker to turn in to her father’s driveway. “I didn’t want you left without.”
“Thank you,” sh
e replied, sounding surprised. “I should never have come over, but I appreciate your hospitality.”
“You are always welcome,” I said through gritted teeth as the twitching continued.
I could tell I was starting to get to her. I was probably blowing it, yet I couldn’t help that my body had not outgrown its reaction to her. I put my truck in park and leaned over to cup her cheek in one of my hands before she could jump out the door she had opened. Her eyes went wide and the warmth that had been there earlier quickly turned hard. The feelings she had about our past held strong.
“I’m still not ready to forgive you,” she blurted out, straining against my hand. “I had a lapse in judgment and it won’t happen again.”
“I know, sweetheart,” I sighed. “But I meant what I said the other night. I’m just a phone call away, and you are always welcome at my house.”
She huffed and pulled away. Rather than piss her off more, I let her go. I had tucked a piece of paper in her jacket back at the house that had both Evan and my cell phone numbers on it. I knew she wouldn’t take it directly from me, so I figured being a little sneaky was allowed. The door didn’t slam, so I assumed that my friend was right there; however, the woman made it obvious she was angry when she got herself into the house and shut the front door with more force than was necessary.
“You have such a way with women,” Evan chuckled, turning back to me after watching her go.
“Get your ass in the truck,” I grumbled as I shifted again. It was going to be a long night.
Okay, just send me the financials for all the Marcott homes for April and I’ll get those reviewed,” I told Julie as I logged into my Lane & Son remote desktop. “I can hear you shaking your head at me, ya know.”
The Return (The Comeback Series) Page 4