“I knew you’d be thrilled to see me again,” Cooper said. He set a box of fresh doughnuts on the table. “Is the coffee ready?” When she merely grunted, he walked into the kitchen and saw that it was not. He dumped the old filter, put a fresh one in, and spooned coffee into it before pouring a pot of water into the top.
He left the kitchen and made his way toward the living room, where she was lying on her stomach, hair fanned across her shoulders. The gown was a soft floral pattern with ruffles at the bottom that gave her a prissy look.
“Did Warren wake up during the night?”
“I gave him a pain pill right after you left last night,” she said, her words muffled by the pillow. “Once I fell asleep I didn’t hear another sound. I just crashed.”
“Fine nurse you are,” he said, grinning. “I’d better check on him.” Cooper walked toward the bedroom. His cousin was just waking. “How’re you feeling?”
“I hurt like a son of a gun, and I need to use the little boys’ room. I hate using that urinal,” he said, pointing to an odd looking plastic container sitting nearby, “because Summer has to empty it afterward and wash it.”
“Good thing I stopped by,” Cooper said, reaching for the crutches.
“Is Summer still here?”
“Yes, Nurse Nightingale is passed out on your sofa right now. I think she and her laptop partied till the wee hours. Do you think you can sit up? I can pull you up by your arms, but I don’t want to get near your ribcage.”
“It feels like every last one of my ribs is cracked,” Warren said as Cooper pulled him into a sitting position, “instead of just a few.”
“You’re due for a pain pill,” Cooper said, handing him his crutches, “but first things first.” They managed to get inside the bathroom. Hands gripping his crutches, Warren stared at the john.
Summer knocked on the doorframe. “Is everything okay in here?”
Warren looked confused. “How am I supposed to—” He glanced at Cooper. “You know.”
“Hey, don’t look at me, pal,” Cooper said, backing away.
Summer frowned; knowing there was no way Warren could hold himself up and do all that was necessary to urinate. “Oh, for Pete’s sake, Cooper, you have to help him.”
Cooper shot her a dark look. “Why don’t you help him?”
“Somebody needs to help me,” Warren said anxiously.
“Okay, I’ll help him,” Summer said, stepping closer.
“No!” Cooper held his hand up to stop her. The thought of her touching another man’s genitals was not a pleasant one. “I’ll do it. Close the door,” he ordered.
Summer stepped into the hall and closed the door. She pressed her ear against it and tried to hear what was happening on the other side.
“Okay, Warren, I’m going to help you sit on the john,” Cooper said. “I’ll hold your crutches once you’re in place. The rest is up to you.”
Summer realized what was going on and burst into laughter.
“I heard that!” Cooper said in an unfriendly tone.
Summer tried to stifle her giggles as she hurried into the kitchen in search of fresh coffee.
Once Cooper had helped his cousin back to bed, he came into the kitchen wearing a frown. Sitting on a stool beside the counter, Summer tried to keep a straight face.
“Warren needs a pain pill.” Cooper reached for the bottle next to the sink, opened it, and dumped one into his palm. He took a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water. “Why don’t you grab a couple of doughnuts and pour him a cup of coffee while you’re sitting there doing nothing. I’m having a real problem watching you prance around in that sexy flannel gown.”
“It was a gift from my grandmother,” she said. “I have ten others just like it, only different colors.”
“I feel like someone just poured ice water through my loins.” He carried the pill and water into the bedroom. When he returned, Summer handed him a plate with two donuts and a cup of black coffee. “For Warren,” she said. He left the room. When he returned the second time he looked to be in a hurry.
“I have to go to work.” He turned and reached for a pencil, then scribbled a number on a sheet of paper next to the phone. “Warren says his parents should arrive around lunchtime. Call me if something comes up.”
He turned and started out of the room, and Summer gave a sigh of relief. It was short-lived. He retraced his steps and stood there for a moment, his gaze flitting about the kitchen as though trying to avoid looking at her. “Listen, I don’t know why l act like such a jerk when I’m around you.” He looked confused, utterly baffled. He took a step closer, and this time he met her gaze. They stood there looking at each other for a breathless moment. Summer was certain he was going to kiss her, and she knew, fickle fool that she was, she would welcome it. Instead, he raised a hand to her cheek and touched it lightly. “I’ll see you later.”
She watched him walk away. The sound of the front door closing left her feeling empty and frustrated. She grabbed her work clothes and headed to the bathroom for a shower. Sooner or later she would have to go to the office and find out if she was still employed.
Warren was dozing when a fully dressed Summer checked on him an hour later. “Can I get you anything?” she asked.
He sighed. “Why didn’t you ask me that question before I broke everything?”
Summer chuckled and sat on the edge of his bed. “Get smart with me, and I’ll crack another rib,” she said.
“Did anything happen between us last night?”
“In your dreams, pal.”
“Speaking of dreams. Did I hear you and Cooper arguing earlier, or was I having a nightmare?”
“You probably heard us fussing,” she said wearily. “Your cousin is a jackass.”
“I suppose he can be at times,” Warren said.
“He’s probably the reason female tarantulas kill their partners after mating,” she said dully.
He gazed at her steadily. “You got it bad for him, huh?”
“Yeah.” Summer sighed heavily. “How can I be falling for him so fast and so hard when the man irritates me the way he does?”
“Maybe you’re not as irritated as you think. Could be a case of raging hormones making you jittery,” Warren looked thoughtful. “Has Cooper told you anything about himself?”
Summer was surprised by the question. “He discussed some of his past with my grandmother,” she said. “I was sitting at the table so I heard the whole thing. Why do you ask?”
“I’d feel better if he told you.”
“Don’t start holding back on me now, Warren. If he’s done something …” Her words trailed off as she waited.
“Cooper didn’t have it so easy growing up,” he finally said. “His father was a drunk. Our grandparents never spoke to his mother again once she married him. Then he took off. Left behind a pregnant wife and a son. My parents, who had tried to stay out of the fray offered to help Cooper’s mother financially, but she was too proud to take anything after all that happened. I don’t know why so many families have problems.
“Anyway, from what I gather, they did not have much, and the kids at school teased and bullied Cooper until he’d had enough. That’s when he learned to fight.”
“Summer could relate to some of it. She had been teased as well once her parents had dumped her like so much trash. Thankfully, her grandmother had been so loving that Summer was able to get past it with very little trouble.
Warren yawned before going on. “The only people Cooper was close to was his mother and his younger sister, Ashlee. His mother worked two and three jobs to support them. Cooper got a job cleaning up a bike shop before he was old enough to get a work permit, and he stayed on for a number of years because his boss was good to him.
“Then, Cooper came home from work one day and found some guy trying to have his way with Ashlee. Actually, that’s a nice way of putting it. If Cooper had arrived even five minutes later …”
Summer was almost af
raid to hear the rest of the story. “What happened?”
“Cooper beat the guy within an inch of his life. There was a hearing, and he was cleared; still, a lot of people felt Cooper had gone overboard since Ashlee wasn’t actually raped. How stupid is that, right?”
Summer nodded. “Real stupid,” she said.
“But fighting had always come natural to Cooper, and he earned quite a reputation. Some rich guy had a large barn on his property north of the city where he held cockfights. He heard about Cooper and decided it would be more interesting to watch a couple of men go at it, so he set it up. The way I heard it, Cooper was getting the best of his opponent, so the guy pulled a knife and tried to cut out Cooper’s belly button.”
Summer shivered as she remembered the jagged scar. “It’s a wonder he survived.”
“He almost didn’t. He lost a lot of blood and spent some time in the hospital. As soon as his mother knew he was out of the woods, she tore into him like a rabid pit bull. In the end Cooper promised he wouldn’t fight again.”
“Has he kept his promise?”
“As far as I know, but then, Cooper doesn’t have to fight anymore, his reputation is enough to keep trouble away.”
“And Ashlee?”
“She came through it okay, has a couple of kids. She met her husband in college. Guess you know who foot the bill for her education. Anyway, Cooper loved working on motorcycles. That became his whole life. Between bikes and his boss, he settled down quite a bit.”
“Was his boss named Harry?”
“Yeah, how’d you know?”
“It’s not important. Go on.”
“But wouldn’t you know, here’s a guy who never went to college, taught himself all about bikes, and he goes and designs a bike that has the big boys at Harley-Davidson begging for the patent. It’s like something out of a movie, you know?”
Warren was prevented from saying more when the doorbell rang. Summer glanced at the clock on his night table. “I’ll bet that’s your parents,” she said. She got up and started for the door.
Warren called out to her. “Summer?”
She glanced back. “Yes?”
“What I just told you about Cooper? I’d rather you not say anything. If he wants to tell you, fine, but he’s kind of private. I just thought you should know.”
“Thanks, Warren.” She made her way out of the bedroom, crossed the living room, and hurried toward the door. When she opened it she found herself looking into the concerned faces of Warren’s parents, Natalie and Ben Spencer.
“Summer, how nice to see you again,” his mother said, giving her a hug, then stepping aside so Ben could hug her as well. “How’s our boy?”
Summer had known the Spencer family for years, had even visited their home in Naples, Florida a couple of times. She knew they still held out hope that she and their son would end up together.
“He’s hanging in there, Natalie, but it’s going to take time for him to heal completely. I know he’ll be glad to see you.”
Natalie and Ben nodded soberly and hurried to their son’s bedroom. Summer made sandwiches and iced tea and filled a thermos with fresh coffee so they wouldn’t have to stop as often on the way home. She put all of Warren’s hospital forms in a folder and discussed his pain medication with both parents. “The prescription says he can take one every six to eight hours, but right now he needs it closer to six. You’ll note he has one refill. He’s supposed to see his doctor in two weeks, but that cast on his leg isn’t coming off any time soon.” Ben nodded toward the folder. “All the information is listed inside.”
“Thank you for looking after him until we could get here,” Ben said.
“I was happy to do it.”
They were in the process of trying to decide how best to get Warren in the back seat with the least amount of pain when Cooper arrived. Ben and Natalie stopped what they were doing and stared at him, then sputtered a hello. He nodded politely, crossed the room, and kissed Summer on the mouth, a bit more passionately than the situation called for. “Hi, sweetheart. I had a few minutes so I thought you all might need help getting Warren to the car.”
Chapter Eight
For a moment Ben and Natalie simply stood there, looking dazed. “You two know each other?” Natalie asked.
“Certainly looks that way,” Ben said. “He just kissed her and called her sweetheart.”
Natalie looked slightly embarrassed. “You’re looking well, Cooper. The motorcycle business must agree with you.”
“I have no complaints,” he replied evenly.
“We called your mother on her cell phone,” she said. “She was herding cattle of all things. We knew about the farm, but we had no idea you were raising cattle.”
“It’s a small operation,” Cooper said, “Keeps her busy.”
“We’d love to see it. I suggested we get together for lunch on our return trip. Warren doesn’t look so good.”
“He got pretty banged up in the accident,” Cooper said. “I’ll be glad to help you get him settled in the back seat.” It was obvious he wanted to get on with the business at hand and leave. “He’s not real handy with his crutches yet, and he hates having a brace around his ribs.”
“We would appreciate any help we can get,” Ben said.
Things moved quickly after that, and Summer suspected Ben and Natalie felt ill at ease with their nephew, especially after watching him kiss Summer the way he had. Warren seemed oblivious of the tension as he made his way to the car, struggling with his crutches. Cooper was right behind, ready to catch him if he fell. Once Warren was in the backseat, Natalie fussed over him, propping a pillow beneath his broken leg and another behind his back. Cooper shook his hand and Summer leaned forward, giving him a chaste kiss on the cheek. “Take care of yourself,” she said.
“Just don’t let my ficus trees die,” he replied. “And call me if you need help on those accounts. I have copies of everything in my briefcase.”
“I’ll lock up,” Summer told Ben as he climbed into the driver’s side of the car. Natalie was already in, her seat belt strapped in place. They said their good-byes and were on their way. Summer went inside the apartment for her things. Cooper followed.
“I hope I didn’t make you feel ill at ease,” he said. “Ben and Natalie rub me the wrong way. They think they’re too damn good for everybody. My grandparents were the same way.”
“Has it ever occurred to you that maybe you rub them the wrong way? For example, was it necessary to kiss me like you did in their presence?”
“What was wrong with the way I kissed you?”
“Not only was it inappropriate under the circumstances, you had no right to kiss me because we are not a couple.”
Cooper shook his head. “Do you have to make everything so complicated?” he asked. “It was a kiss.”
“No it wasn’t. It was a pissing contest.”
“Whoa, did those words really come out of your mouth?”
“Are you saying Warren never mentioned I was friends with his parents? That I’ve visited them several times?”
“I can’t remember everything Warren tells me. He stepped closer. “I like you in that color.”
“You’re changing the subject.”
“You’re much more interesting as far as subjects go. I’m sure we’re not the only family to have problems. It’s not up to me to solve them.”
“Who is it up to?”
“My mother and her sister. They’ll either settle it or they won’t. Now, let’s talk about us.”
Summer could feel the heat of his body, feel herself being drawn by his sensuality. “I have to go to work.”
“Your first appointment isn’t until three. It’s not even noon yet.”
She took a step back. “But surely you have to get back.”
He shrugged. “I pretty much come and go as I please.”
“Yes, well, I don’t have that luxury.” She started to turn.
He grasped her upper arms, bringing her
to a complete halt. “Stop running from me,” he said.
“I’m not run—”
He cut off her words with a kiss. Giving a deep moan of pleasure, he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer as his tongue pushed past her lips and made a sweep of her mouth. Summer felt her body go weak. When he pulled away, his dark eyes searched hers. “Let’s make love.”
Her eyes suddenly became round as saucers. “What, here? Now?”
“What’s wrong with here and now? We’re not likely to be disturbed, unless your grandmother has a key to the place.”
There was a tingling in the pit of her stomach as Summer considered it. She turned slowly and made her way toward the dining area, pressing her palms against her cheeks, trying to weed through her emotions. “I’m not … uh … prepared for intimacy,” she said at last.
“I am.” He reached into the front pocket of his jeans and tossed several foil packs onto the table.
Summer tried to still the currents racing through her body. She felt him move closer, felt the energy that flowed from his body to hers like a magnet. Her heart beat out a frantic message. She ached for his touch; she dreamed of being crushed within his embrace. The thought of their bare flesh touching made her breathless and dizzy. But what about the emotional risks?
“I want you, Summer,” he said softly, his warm breath brushing the back of her neck like dandelion fluff. “I need you.”
Summer shivered. All her self-control seemed to fizzle out at the confession. Cooper needed her? She turned around and looked into his eyes. They blazed and glowed with desire, yet there was a softness, a vulnerability that she hadn’t noticed before. Was this man going to break her heart before it was over? “I want you, too, Cooper,” she said on a whisper.
He studied her, searching for signs of doubt. He saw his own desire mirrored in her green eyes. He reclaimed the square foil packs and stuffed them in his pocket once more. Taking a deep, unsteady breath, he leaned forward slightly and lifted her in his arms.
“What’s this?” she said, surprised by his unpredictability.
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