Lost Chances

by C. T. Nicholson

  One brow lifted. "Were? I'm still pretty cute now. I was scrawny then."

  He was not scrawny now and she didn't consider him cute. The man was sexy as hell. "Now who's full of himself?"

  "Right."

  She felt her cheeks turn red when he picked the one picture she wanted to avoid. There she stood beside him with such pathetic adoration in her eyes after his graduation. Her hair was nothing but a frizzy mess from the strong winds that day and her face had broken out like it always had since junior high up until senior year.

  "I don't remember this photo." He turned to her. "Still beautiful."

  Laughter exploded from her and she nearly fell over, but sobered up when she noticed he wasn't laughing. "I had frizzy hair, acne, braces, and was fifteen pounds heavier. There's no way you can call that beautiful."

  "I can." He stared into her eyes. She found it hard to breathe until he finally broke contact and put the picture back on the bed before he picked up the polaroid she'd found hidden beneath another picture. "Look at your brothers!"

  "I know! I've got to show them this one." Mike was probably about ten and Nick and Jacob had to be twelve. The funniest part was the dresses they wore. "Where are you at in this picture?"

  "Taking the picture. It was a bet. We raced from here to the tree-house. The losers had to put on Grandma's dresses. She was so mad and I got in trouble. I can't believe she kept the picture after she said she was going to throw it away." Cooper handed the picture to her. "You should take it. Don't let your brothers get a hold of it."

  "I bet she laughed as soon as you were out of range." Sophia put the picture in her pocket. "I'll take good care of it."

  She looked up at him and didn't miss the way his eyes watched her lips. What was he doing? Then he took a step forward. He was going to kiss her. No. She cleared her throat to stop him.

  Cooper paused for a second before shaking his head.

  Staring everywhere but at him, she noticed the darkening skies. "I should head home. I'll tell Jacob to just call me tomorrow if he needs me and I'll come back by to help you."

  "Only if you don't mind. Thanks so much for helping today." He opened his arms for a hug and there was no way Sophia would miss that opportunity.

  He wrapped his powerful arms around her waist as she stood on her tiptoes to hug his neck. They both stood there for longer than they should've but it felt good to be pressed against his hard body and feel the warmth of his skin seep into hers. Why couldn't he remember the fantastic night they shared?

  "I'll walk you to the golf-cart." He followed behind her and she felt uncomfortable with him so close. If only things had been different.

  She let the breath she was holding go when they reached the cart. "Thanks."

  "Looks like it's going to storm. Do you want me to drive you?" The hint of concern in his voice tugged at her heartstrings.

  It would be so easy to say yes but so hard to be trapped in the confines of his truck with him and his wonderful woodsy smell. She'd have to risk it. "I'll be okay."

  He watched her for what seemed like forever before nodding. "I'll see you later then."

  She pulled away, got in the golf cart and left before the tears fell down her cheeks.

  On the drive home, the winds grew stronger and large drops of rain hit her face and arms. As long as the thunder stayed away, she'd be good to go. The loud rumble caused her to jump and she jerked the wheel when she did. The cart slid across the ground and a tree stopped it in its tracks.

  The impact had her head slamming into the steering wheel hard enough to stun her. More thunder sounded and her whole body shook. She hated storms. If she had just taken Cooper's offer, the cart wouldn't be damaged and she'd be at home safe and sound.

  The sky picked that time to collapse and the rain came pouring down. It came so fast and hard, the drops of water actually stung a little. Looking around proved to be pointless since the rain made it impossible to see anything. She couldn't tell whose house was closer or even which way was which. Things were dire if she couldn't navigate a road she grew up traveling on.

  Her head really started to pound and she shivered as the combination of the rain and wind became too cold. She had to do something before she passed out.

  Suddenly she saw headlights headed her way, though dimmed by the pounding rain.

  "Sophia!"

  She heard her name but couldn't tell who it was until Cooper materialized to grab her in his arms and carry her back to his truck.

  "Maybe you should've let me drive you." He ran to get in on the driver side. "Shit. You're bleeding."

  "Wh-what about the golf cart?" Her brothers were going to kill her. They hardly ever let her drive it even though she put in money for it too. Now they had a good reason.

  "Damn it, Sophia. The golf cart isn't important. I need to get you to your house. Do you know if Mike's home?"

  The stern sound of his voice made her flinch. Why was he so angry with her? "I don't know."

  Closing her eyes felt good and she started to drift until Cooper grabbed her hand. "Don't go to sleep. Just talk to me, baby."

  "Hmm, I like when you call me baby and your hand is so warm."

  ****

  Shit! Any other time he'd have loved to know she liked him calling her baby, but she was delirious. Cooper turned the heater to high and aimed all of the vents toward her. He was soaked but didn't care as long as he got her home safe. If Mike wasn't home then Cooper would drive her straight to the hospital. At least Mike had some medical training.

  The gash on her head was bad and she could have a concussion. "Sophia, keep talking."

  "I want to sleep."

  "I know sweetheart, but you need to stay awake for at least an hour." She needed out of her wet clothes.

  He didn't see any of her brothers' vehicles.

  "I'm fine. I don't feel dizzy. I'm just freezing." She sounded clearer than before, more alert.

  "Let's get you inside and changed out of your clothes first. Then I'll examine the gash on your head." He hurried out of the truck and ran to her side. The rain hadn't slowed any and when he had her in his arms and running up the stairs, a loud crackle sounded as a streak of lightning lit up the sky. Sophia's arms tightened around him. "It's okay. Nothing's going to happen to you."

  Inside, he hurried to her room and lowered her to stand on her feet. He didn't remove his hands in case she lost her balance. "Are you okay to stand on your own?"

  Her body shivered and he could hear her teeth chattering. She just nodded.

  Without waiting for her approval, Cooper grabbed a t-shirt and sweatpants out of the closet. He handed them to her and froze. "I've got to remove your wet clothes and dry you off."

  As cold as she was, he didn't miss the small amount of pink coloring her cheeks.

  "Just don't look."

  He hurried through the motions of removing her clothes and ran to get a towel. "I'm going to take your bra and panties off too."

  If only he was doing so like in his dreams instead of having to be professional.

  "Fine."

  As soon as he took her bra off, he wrapped the towel around her and then pulled her underwear down her legs while staring at the wall. He got the one towel around her to cover her breasts and down past her hips, then used the other towel to dry her arms, legs, and hair. Once her hair wasn't dripping anymore he looked into her face. "Do you want me to put your clothes on?"

  "I can do it."

  Cooper turned away to give her some privacy.

  "I'm done."

  The sound of her sweet voice nearly brought him to his knees. She sounded so innocent and scared. Cooper spun around and wrapped his arms around her. "Let's go to the bathroom and check out your wound. Where's the first aid kit?"

  "Are you kidding? Mike used to be a paramedic. There's a first aid kit in every bathroom and in the kitchen." She smiled and pointed to her bathroom.

  "I'm glad you've got your sense of humor back." He followed her into the bathroom a
nd after she handed the white box to him, he forced her to sit on top of the toilet lid. With the bright light and her hair out of the way, Cooper could see that the wound didn't seem as bad as he thought but there could still be a concussion.

  An opening and slamming had him jumping up. Voices reached Sophia's bathroom. He couldn't tell who it was or what was said from where they were. "I'm going to see if that's Mike."

  He hurried downstairs to find both Mike and Nick. Soaking wet. "Did y'all go for a swim or something?"

  "Yea, just like you." Nick laughed and then his eyes narrowed. "Wait. What the hell are you doing upstairs? Is Sophia up there?"

  Cooper instinctively took a step back when both brothers moved forward. "Sophia was on her way back from my house when she was caught in the storm. She hit her head when she crashed into a tree and I was hoping you'd be home, Mike, to check her out."

  Mike ran upstairs.

  After about twenty-minutes, Mike had Sophia bandaged up and asked her multiple times if she had a headache, felt dizzy, and other questions Cooper lost track of. Sophia had already mentioned that she was hungry and he felt better about her when she did.

  The rain slowed outside and the thunder had nearly disappeared by the time Sophia sat on the couch, eating.

  "I should be going. Let me know if y'all need anything."

  Sophia bolted off the couch and hugged him. "Thanks for being there for me again."

  Chapter Fifteen

  Sophia felt like an idiot for wrecking the golf cart and needing Cooper to rescue her. And she'd already offered to go back to his house to help out again. After Mike checked her out, before he left for his shift, she'd gotten ready to head over to Cooper's house.

  "So, you're ditching me at work?" Jacob never removed his attention from the blue prints and his cup of coffee.

  "I told Cooper I'd help him some more. We started on his grandparents’ room yesterday before it started to get dark." None of them mentioned the golf cart and she hadn't asked about it yet.

  He finally pulled his gaze away. "Are you sure you're up to that?"

  "Yes, I feel fine. Really. Have y'all looked at the cart yet?"

  "It's good. Just a couple scratches, a big dent, and a little muddy. We don't really give a shit about that. You should've let Cooper drive you home. Did he even offer?" His hands crinkled the blue print.

  She spoke up before he took off to kick Cooper's ass. "He offered, but I told him no. Don't be angry with him. He came to find me after the storm started." Funny how it wasn't the first time he'd saved her in a storm.

  He stood and pulled her in for a hug. "I'm sorry. You scared us all."

  A tear slipped down her cheek. "I promise I'm okay. Where did I crash anyways? The rain was so heavy, I couldn't tell."

  That brought a laugh from her brother. "I think we should just get rid of that tree house altogether. It seems to be bad luck for you.

  "You've got to be kidding me!" Sophia couldn't believe she'd wrecked at the tree house.

  "No, I'm definitely not kidding." He pulled back and watched her silently.

  "What?" She had a feeling she really didn't want him to tell her what was really bothering him.

  "Do you still have feelings for Cooper?"

  Oh man. She bit her lip and contemplated what to say. She'd never thought anyone knew how she felt except for Ryan and Cooper.

  "You may have fooled Nick and Mike, but I could see how you felt and I was there when you broke down after he left the first time. I just don't want that to happen again. I'll have to chase him down and kick his ass if you have to go through that again." Jacob cleared his throat and rolled up his blue prints, then placed his cup in the sink.

  All she could do was stand there at first until he looked at her again. "I can handle it. I don't know what or if anything will happen between him and me, but I'm not running scared. He might and if so, then I'll get over it again. I'm older now and not the same girl I was then."

  She really hoped what she said was true; if not, she was going to go through hell when Cooper left.

  "Okay. Well, I'm heading in. Do you need a ride to Cooper's or you just going to drive your jeep?"

  "I'll drive." She shook her head when one dark brow rose. "I'm fine!"

  He held his hands up and walked backwards to the door. "Okay, okay. See you later, Baby Bear."

  Soon after, she made it out the door, headed to Cooper's. And if it was possible, she felt even more nervous than the day before.

  ****

  Cooper slowed his run to a jog when he spotted the jeep coming down the drive. She stopped behind his truck and he continued toward her. If she actually thought he'd be letting her help him, then she'd hit her head harder than he thought.

  "What the hell do you think you're doing?" When she jumped, he regretted his tone. "I mean you should be at home resting."

  That stubborn little chin lifted high and she crossed her arms. "I'm fine and I told you I would come back today to help."

  Damn it. She was the most hard-headed woman he'd ever known. "You sure know how to drive a man insane. If I wasn't trying hard to give you time, I'd kiss you right now."

  Her cheeks turned bright red and her mouth opened slightly as her breath quickened. "Is that what you want?"

  The whispered words came out so low he was sure he'd misunderstood. He answered anyways. "Hell yes."

  She took one step closer. A step that would've ended his control if not for him having just gone on a run.

  "I'm sweaty." And now maybe even more so with nervousness. He fisted his hands at his sides to keep from grabbing her. It was a test to his restraint and he had a feeling he was going to fail miserably.

  One step closer. "I don't care."

  Cooper groaned, then grabbed her around the waist. Without wasting any time, he dropped his head until their lips clashed.

  She opened instantly and he took full advantage. That warm honey taste was still the same just like in his memories and dreams. The feel of her hands clasping his shoulders brought the picture of her writhing beneath him as he took them both over the edge.

  The reminder of his erotic dream made him pull back and rest his forehead against hers. "This is not taking it slow."

  Black lashes framed her cheeks when she closed her eyes. She opened them back up to reveal more green than blue. "I didn't realize we were planning on slow or fast."

  "I want you Sophia. I also know how much I hurt you and just want to give you the time and space you need. One more chance is all I want." God, he would fall to his knees and beg if she turned him down. "Will you let me take you to dinner tonight? A real date and not just stolen kisses."

  Relief filled him when she smiled. "I don't think it's considered stolen when I wanted it too and I guess we've never had an actual date."

  "Is that a yes?"

  "Yes." She stepped out of his hold and laughed. "See you at seven."

  Cooper watched her leave and just shook his head. There were times when she seemed so shy and innocent, and then she blew him away with her confidence. She sure knew how to tease.

  The sound of his phone pulled him back to reality. He looked at the caller ID to see his agent's name. "Cooper."

  "Hello, good-lookin'! I have some almost good news." She sounded excited, more than her usual perky self.

  "What does almost good news mean?"

  "It means, when you played last at the club, a scout for a big music producer happened to be there and he loved your music. This is huge. Gabe is one of Jay's closest friends. If he likes what he hears, then you're in!" The background sounds in the phone sounded muffled for a second and then it got clearer. "Sorry. I've got someone on the other phone waiting, but I had to tell you the news."

  "When you say Jay, you don't mean Jay Morgan, founder and owner of Morgan's Music Productions?"

  "Yes! Okay, I've got to go, but keep your fingers crossed."

  The phone clicked off and he could only stand there with the phone still to his ear. T
hen he started jumping up and down. He couldn’t stop smiling, even when his cheeks started to hurt. He had a date with Sophia and now he might actually be getting somewhere with his music. This was the best damn day of his life.

  Crazy how bad he wanted to go to Sophia and tell her the news. Not yet, though. He had to know it was really happening before he told anyone. Then, no one would pity him if it all fell through.

  Damn. Jay Morgan. He produced so many famous country singers and now Cooper could be one of those same people he'd looked up to and envied for so long. The big stage with a crowd of people had been a dream nearly forgotten.

  He put his phone away and walked inside to work some more on the upstairs to the house. Soon, he'd be taking out the girl of his dreams and that was all he needed to worry about.

  He went to work on the yard with a huge smile still glued to his face. It stayed there when he heard a car coming back up the drive, but was disappointed to see it wasn't Sophia.

  Instead, a little silver sports car rode slowly toward him. He stood and watched as the blonde stepped out in high heels, a black skirt that stopped a couple inches above her knees, and a dark blue blouse that fit tight around her breasts. A pretty woman, but a little fake to him.

  "Can I help you?"

  "Yes, are you Cooper? I'm sorry, but I don't think I got a last name when we spoke on the phone."

  Ah, the realtor. He could see that in the way she dressed. "That's okay. Cooper is my last name, but everyone calls me that. It's Sebastian Cooper. I actually just remember your first name."

  "It's a long one. Rodenbelcher. You can most definitely call me Michelle. I never expect anyone to say my last name correctly." She laughed and held her hand out.

  He grimaced at the dirt on his hands. "I don't think you want to shake my hand. I've been working outside."

  "I understand. I know I'm a little early to look around, but I finished earlier than expected with another client. Is it okay if we go ahead and check everything out?"

  Damn, he completely forgot he'd even set up a meeting and wasn't a hundred percent he still wanted to sell. If he and Sophia worked out, then he wanted his home to be right there. No matter if he got a music contract or not.