Emma opened her eyes and rolled her head toward him. “Action.”
The thought of sitting in a darkened movie theater with Emma snuggled up against him made Cooper’s pulse quicken. He leaped from the truck and rounded to her side.
Emma perched on the edge of the seat, her long tapered legs reaching for the running board.
“Allow me.” Cooper clasped her around her narrow waist and swung her to the ground and into his arms where he held her for a long moment, inhaling the essence of Emma.
She rested her hands on his chest. “I thought we were going to a movie.”
“Umm. Right.” He took her hand and led her to the ticket window, where he bought two tickets to a spy thriller.
Once inside, they settled back as the movie started.
From the opening scene, Cooper knew the movie was a really bad idea and the feeling got worse with each passing minute.
A highly trained squad of soldiers moved through a mountain village searching for insurgents.
Beside Cooper, Emma tensed.
In the movie, a grenade landed in the middle of the shelled-out building the soldiers were searching and rolled to a stop in front of their leader.
“Run!” the leader shouted.
In the next moment, the man threw himself over the grenade.
Emma’s hand reached out and grasped Cooper’s arm, her fingers digging into Cooper’s sleeve.
He took her hand and leaned close. “Let’s go.”
Emma let him lead her out of the theater. She hadn’t uttered a word and when they exited the building into the balmy night air, she drew in a long steady breath and let it out.
“Are you okay?” Cooper asked.
She nodded. “Yes.” As soon as the word left her lip, her head shook back and forth. “No.”
“I’m sorry. Had I known, I wouldn’t have taken you to that movie.” Cooper turned her to face him.
Her head dipped. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.” Cooper studied her pale face, then grabbed her hand. “Come on, let’s walk.”
If this truly was their last date, the last night together before their fake split, he’d completely blown it by taking her to see the carnage that only reminded Emma of how her fiancé had died. The damage done, he could only hope to cheer her up before taking her home and saying a final goodbye. “Where would you like to go?”
She walked several paces before responding. “Are you familiar with Temptation?”
“Not really.” He turned to study her face in the glow of the streetlights.
She blinked then smiled, the effort stiff, but admirable. “Let me give you the fifty-cent tour.”
They strolled along Main Street, Emma pointing out the stores and naming every owner, clerk and family member, painting a picture with her words of the quaint little town.
The more she talked, the steadier her voice became.
As they neared the end of the street and town, she stopped. “That’s it. Now you know all there is to know about Temptation.”
“You must love it here.”
She shrugged. “I never wanted to live anywhere else.”
Cooper tipped his head. “Wouldn’t you have moved from post to post…” he caught his last words before they escaped, but it was too late.
“If Marcus had lived?” Emma nodded. “Yes, I would have moved from place to place, but my heart would have belonged to this little corner of Texas. We would have returned here after he retired.”
“You still miss him.” His words weren’t a question, but more of a statement. He was beginning to realize just how much Emma had loved the soldier. “He was a very lucky man.”
Emma snorted. “He’s dead.”
“Yeah, but he died knowing you loved him.”
“Let’s not talk about him.” Emma spun away. “He’s gone and never coming back.”
Cooper rested his hands on her shoulders and turned her back to face him. “No, he’s not, and I’m truly sorry for your loss.”
Emma leaned her forehead against his chest, her fingers curling in his neatly starched shirt. “Thank you for understanding.”
Cooper’s hands slid down her arms and circled around her back, drawing her closer. “He was a brave man.”
“Yes, he was.” Emma’s head tipped upward, allowing the overhead light to glint off her pupils, making them shine like stars. She leaned up on her toes and pressed her lips to Cooper’s.
When she dropped back down, Cooper smiled. “What was that for?”
“My brothers are right.”
“Yeah?”
“Cooper Johnson, you’re a good man.” She leaned back in his arms. “Most men would have pushed for more. You didn’t.”
“I don’t force myself on women.”
“My point exactly.” She brushed his lips again and stepped free of his arms. “Are you going to feed me, or do I have to wait until I get home?”
Cooper let go of the breath he’d been holding and relaxed. “What’s open in Temptation at this hour?”
“How are you with pizza?”
“I like it anyway it comes, except vegetarian.”
“Good. I know a great little pizzeria on the other side of town.” She captured his hand and set off, leading the way, her pretty yellow dress brushing against his fingers. “What’s your favorite topping?”
Ace had told Cooper Emma’s favorite topping was pepperoni. “I could go for a pepperoni.” He hesitated and finished, “but I prefer the works.”
Emma smiled up at him. “Marcus loved pepperoni and we always ordered it plain.”
“We can do that, if you like.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’d rather have all the toppings.”
Cooper grinned. “I love the explosion of flavors in every bite.”
“Me too.” She laughed and hooked her arm through his, leaning into his body. “You know, you’re all right for a desk-jockey cowboy. If I was even remotely interested in starting a relationship, I’d seriously consider you.”
They walked the rest of the way across town, arm-in-arm. At the pizzeria, Cooper purchased a hand-tossed, pizza pie with everything, to go.
Emma tilted her head. “To go?”
“The stars are out, the air’s not too hot or cold and there’s supposed to be a meteor shower tonight. I thought we’d head out past the city lights.”
“I like that idea.” She walked alongside him, her hands in her pockets.
With his own hands full of a pizza box, Cooper could do nothing more than match her pace. As they passed an alley between two buildings, a lonely mewling sound caught his attention. “Did you hear that?”
Emma stopped and looked up at Cooper, brow wrinkled. “What?”
Cooper stood still and listened. After several long moments of silence, he’d about credited the sound to the wind or his imagination. He shrugged and stepped forward when he heard it again. “That.”
“Yes. I heard it that time.” Emma spun to face the alley. “Sounded like it was coming from that direction.”
“Mind holding this?” He held out the pizza box.
“Not at all.”
Once he’d passed off possession of the box, he edged into the alley, his head tipped to the side.
“Hello?” he called out softly.
The mewling sounds grew louder and Cooper zeroed in on a box lying next to a trash bin.
“What is it?” Emma called out from the street.
“I don’t know.” He opened the box and peered inside.
Nestled in a dirty rag was a tiny calico kitten that let out a pathetic wail and launched itself at Cooper’s arm, spitting and hissing.
“Whoa there, little one.” Cooper chuckled and plucked the kitten’s claws out of his sleeve and stood.
Emma, still carrying the pizza box, appeared at his side. “What is it—oh, a kitten.”
“Appears to have been dumped.” Cooper nudged the box into the light. Written in bold, but childish, letters w
ere the words, Please give me a home.
Cooper had only to stroke the kitten’s soft fur once to know he couldn’t leave it there. Ace had mentioned Emma liked dogs, not cats, and he didn’t want to put her on the spot with the tiny creature. “Guess I’ve just inherited a kitten.”
“Still want to go watch the stars?” Emma asked.
He tucked the frightened kitten into the crook of one arm and petted him until he closed his eyes and slept. “I’m game as long as Lucky is.”
Emma stared at Cooper for a long moment, a smile curling the corners of her lips. “I thought most men hated cats.”
“I’m not most men.” He tickled the kitten beneath the chin. “And this little guy doesn’t deserve to be tossed in the trash.” Cooper reached for the pizza box. “Want me to get that?”
“I can carry this.” Emma retained her hold on the box and fell in step beside Cooper. When they reached the truck, still parked at the theater on Main, Emma turned to face him. “So, where to?”
“Out of town was as far as I got with the idea.”
Emma grinned. “I know a place.”
“The Rockin’ J?”
“No. I have somewhere else in mind.” She held out her hand. “Trust me to drive your truck?”
Chapter Nine
‡
EMMA WAITED, WONDERING if Cooper would balk at a woman driving his vehicle. Marcus had always insisted on driving, never once letting Emma behind the wheel of his truck.
“Sure.” Cooper fished in his pocket for the keys and handed them over, no mention of being careful or a single frown of consternation accompanied his gesture.
Her heart lightening, Emma hit the button to unlock the doors, laid the pizza box on the back seat and climbed into the driver’s side, adjusting the seat so she could reach the brake and gas pedal.
Cooper eased into the passenger seat, the kitten snuggled close to his white shirt, content to be held and rubbed.
Emma headed west out of town toward the Rockin’ J, passing the arched gate without slowing. After crossing the bridge over Willow Creek, she turned in at the top of the next rise and pulled to a stop at an old gate with rusty hinges. A For Sale sign clung to the fence beside the gate, with a No Trespassing sign hanging sideways by a single wire beneath it.
“I take it you know the owner?” Cooper asked as he climbed down, still holding the kitten.
“I do. He doesn’t mind me visiting as long as I close the gates behind me.”
“Glad to hear that. Hate to think of someone shooting me and Lucky for trespassing.” With one hand, Cooper unhooked the chain looped over the fence post and swung the gate wide, closing it after Emma drove his truck through.
Emma had rolled down the windows and sat patiently while Cooper climbed back into the truck. Already, she felt as if she’d just come home. She loved this little piece of Texas heaven and couldn’t wait to call it her own. She drove to the highest rise where a cottage perched, the windows dark, not a single vehicle parked nearby.
“Abandoned?” Cooper asked.
“For now.” Emma smiled at the house with the crooked porch. “Just needs the right owner to bring it back to life.”
“Have one in mind?”
“Maybe,” she whispered softly. Pulling up in front of the house, she shifted into park and climbed down. “If Old Man Rausch doesn’t sell it too soon.”
“I keep a sleeping bag tucked behind the back seat for emergencies. We could use it as our picnic blanket.” Cooper climbed down from the passenger side and opened the crew cab and rummaged in a gym bag, dragging out a clean white T-shirt.
“What’s that for?” Emma grabbed the pizza box and tipped the backseat forward.
“Lucky.” Cooper wadded up the shirt on the floorboard and laid the kitten inside. “I think he’ll sleep for a while. If not, we’ll hear him through the open windows.”
Emma smiled at how carefully Cooper handled the kitten. “Marcus didn’t like cats.”
“And you?”
“Never had one, other than the strays in the barn that kept down the mouse population.” She grinned. “And for the record—I think all calicos are female.”
Cooper’s brows lifted and he stared across the seat at Emma. “Lucky’s a girl?”
“That would be my guess.”
“Lucky again, aren’t you?” Cooper patted the cat. “The name isn’t gender specific.”
While Cooper retrieved the sleeping bag, Emma carried the pizza box to the middle of the front yard, a prime location for viewing the stars. Even the house didn’t block much of the sky.
Cooper spread the sleeping bag on the grass and took the pizza box from Emma while she settled.
Up until that point, Emma had been completely relaxed and comfortable with Cooper. Once she stretched out on the flannel lining of the bag, her heart flipped several times. She could imagine Cooper lying naked in the bag, beside a campfire, staring up at the clear, starlit night. Even more alarming, she could picture herself lying beside him…equally disrobed.
The pizza box was the only barrier that could come between them in this scenario, and Cooper laid it at the foot of the shared blanket.
“If you’re hungry, go ahead and help yourself.” He laid back and stared up at the night sky. “Like I said, I had a late lunch.”
“I can wait.” Emma eased onto her side, staring more at the man than the sky, wondering whether he’d make a move to pull her into his arms. Or worse, that he wouldn’t. The familiar guilt only slightly nudged her this time, and that fact scared her more than the thought of Cooper kissing her.
Her lips tingled, the night air warming around her.
Cooper pointed at the sky. “Look. Venus, Jupiter and Mars are all in alignment.”
“Where?” Emma lay down on her back and stared up at the sky.
The cowboy scooted closer and pointed at the stars. “The ones shining brighter than the others.”
His nearness made Emma’s breath lodge in her chest. “I’m not seeing them.”
“Here, lean on my arm.” He slipped his arm beneath her head and pointed again.
By that time, Emma couldn’t think past the solid muscle beneath her neck or the fresh scent of his soap and the long, hard length of his body stretched out beside hers.
“See it?” he whispered, his breath skimming across her temple.
“Oh, yes,” she said, her gaze on him, not the sky. They could have been lying in a barn for all the attention she could afford the stars. Her pulse hammered against her eardrums, and she tilted her head to the side, her cheek resting on his shoulder.
Oh wow, being in a man’s arms felt good.
No. She was wrong.
Being in Cooper’s arms felt great.
“I’m always amazed…” Cooper turned to face her, his lips only inches from hers, his words fading away.
“Amazed?” Emma asked, shocked at how breathy the word came out of her mouth.
“At how beautiful…” His tongue brushed across his lips and he inhaled, then curled his arm, bringing her closer. “How beautiful you are.” His lips brushed over hers in a feather-soft kiss.
Emma laughed, breathily. “I thought we were talking about the stars.”
“To hell with the stars.” Cooper came up on his elbow and leaned over her body. “Do you realize what you’re doing to me?”
“No.” As if of its own accord, her hand rose to caress Cooper’s cheek, the hint of rough stubble sending shivers of awareness across her skin. “Tell me.”
“I can’t be a gentleman forever.” He brushed a tendril of hair from her forehead. “Not with you.”
She dragged in a deep breath and let it go, along with her hesitation to make love to this man. “Then what are you waiting for?”
Cooper’s eyes flared, then his mouth crashed down over hers, his tongue sweeping past her teeth to claim her own.
She matched him stroke for stroke, as she flicked open the buttons of his shirt, baring his chest to her maraud
ing hands.
Cooper slid his fingers across her cheek, down the curve of her neck and across a breast, capturing it in his palm.
Emma arched her back, pressing deeper into his grip. She wanted to be closer, to feel his skin against hers.
His hand slipped lower to the hem of her dress and he paused, his lips leaving hers. “Tell me to stop, and I will.”
“No. Please, don’t stop.” She couldn’t give herself time to think, afraid she’d come up with a dozen good reasons not to make love to Cooper. Emma guided his fingers to the hem and helped him pull it up her body and over her head. The warm, balmy air caressed her skin, making her deliciously aware of her near nakedness and wanting to take the next step.
She attacked the remaining buttons on Cooper’s shirt and slid it over his broad shoulders, her fingers gliding across his smooth, tight muscles.
Fire raged in her blood, urging her to move faster, reaching for the buckle on his belt.
Cooper got there first and ripped open the belt, then the hook on his trousers.
Emma’s fingers closed around the zipper and slid it downward, ever so slowly, her knuckles grazing the hard ridge beneath. His member sprang free into her hand—hard, straight and velvety smooth.
All the long, lonely nights lying alone merged with the pent-up desire building inside her since meeting this man and burst to the surface. Emma pushed Cooper to his back and yanked off his boots and trousers. Then she straddled his hips and reached for the hooks on the back of her bra.
He grabbed her arms and held her steady. “Hey, slow down.”
“I can’t.” Staring into his gaze, she flicked the hooks, her breasts spilling free from the lace.
His gaze didn’t slip from hers. “I want you to be sure about this.”
“I’m sure.” With deliberate moves, Emma shrugged out of his hold and let her bra straps slide down her arms to the blanket.
Then she grasped his hands and guided them to her naked breasts. “Am I unattractive naked?” She froze, waiting for him to take the lead, her heart pounding against her ribs, fear clutching at gut. Now that he had her so close, would he still want her? Or would he be repulsed by her forwardness and her body?
Cowboy 12 Pack Page 34