Lantern Lake

by Lily Everett

  Not anymore.

  Cooper was smiling, but his eyes were dark and hot, hinting at an inner turmoil Vivian could only guess at. With an ironic quirk of one golden-brown eyebrow, he offered his arm to her once more, as impeccable and graceful as any of the wealthy, privileged boys they’d gone to school with.

  “Let’s get to the reception,” Cooper said smoothly. “Who knows? Maybe Prince Charming will appear. Most people meet their future spouses at weddings, after all.”

  Chapter 2

  Cooper had once been invited to a Hindu wedding while he’d been in Bangladesh, a spur of the moment invitation that had resulted in him getting to participate in a raucous, colorful three-day-long celebration that involved clouds of incense, beautiful women in bright saris, and a pair of elephants. Cooper was no stranger to weddings.

  But this reception on a small, pristine stretch of beach on Sanctuary Island was like nothing he’d ever seen.

  Beside him, Vivian gasped. He glanced down at her, transported back in time by the giddy appreciation on her beautiful features as she took in the splendor of the glass-sided, clear-roofed structure. The dark blue carpet beneath their feet echoed the color of the ocean spread out under the darkening sky beyond the glass tent. From the tables to the crystal chandeliers to the bandstand set up by the gleaming parquet dance floor, Miles and Greta had created a wedding wonderland.

  It was the perfect setting for what Cooper had in mind.

  Miles and Greta were swarmed by the guests and family members trickling into the tent. Keeping a firm hold of Vivian’s hand, Cooper went in search of the table that would give them their seat assignments for dinner. He wasn’t disappointed.

  “Looks like we’re both at Table Two,” Vivian said faintly, casting a sidelong glance at him.

  Cooper smiled in dark satisfaction as he scanned the room for the table with the number two engraved on a notecard sticking out of the beach-themed centerpiece of starfish, sand dollars, and blue flowers. If Miles had known what Cooper intended to do with Vivian Banks, he probably wouldn’t have been quite so helpful about setting them up for a romantic evening together.

  Let the punishment fit the crime. It was a sentiment Cooper had seen played out in countless cultures, all over the world. And even though in this case there was no proportional response to the way Vivian had betrayed everything they’d had together with no explanation, Cooper wasn’t one to pass up an opportunity.

  He had tonight. One night. A single night of seduction, sensual pleasures and temptations. A night to exorcise his demons and lay his memories of this woman to rest once and for all.

  And in the morning, he’d walk away from Vivian without a backward glance. Poetic justice. All he had to do now was sweep her off her feet.

  Putting his plan into effect without delay, Cooper deftly snagged the bouquet from her grasp and set it on one of the gilded place settings at table two. Then he plucked his tuxedo jacket from her shoulders and draped it over the back of the chair at the next place setting. “Now our seats are saved. Come on, let’s get this party started.”

  “The band is still setting up,” Vivian protested. “And aren’t we supposed to wait until after the bride and groom have their first dance?”

  “You snooze, you lose.” Cooper took her hand and pulled her across the dance floor to the bandstand. Waving the band’s front man over, Cooper leaned up to mutter his request in the guy’s ear. He didn’t totally get the amused smirk the punk-haired Englishman gave him when Cooper slipped a fifty dollar bill into the pocket of his silky blue shirt, but a moment later, the familiar strains of the song he’d requested picked up.

  Whirling Vivian onto the dance floor, Cooper took her into his arms and spun them both into a languid waltz as the guy he’d tipped crooned, “At last, my love has come along.”

  “This can’t be happening,” Vivian shook her head as if to clear the haze of sleep from her mind.

  “But it is,” Cooper said, the hand gripping her waist flexing to feel the supple curve of her body.

  Her pupils dilated, black and lush with heat, and she let out a nervous laugh. “I mean, I would swear that’s Dash and the Danger Boys up there.”

  Cooper had no idea who that was, but he stole a glance over his shoulder at the band. “But one of them is a chick. Playing the drums. With pink hair. That’s kind of hot.”

  “Oh my gosh, then it definitely is them,” Vivian exclaimed, laughing. “I can’t believe it. Only Miles would have the number one rock band in the country playing his wedding reception.”

  “What was your wedding like?” Cooper wished he could call the words back the instant they left his mouth. He cursed silently as the happy glow died out of Vivian’s eyes. Great seduction technique, Casanova. Bring up the failed marriage she ditched you for!

  But before he could change the subject, Vivian shook her head. “Nothing like this. My wedding was…an event. Everyone who was anyone was invited. All my society friends, my parents’ business partners and investors. It was more of a board meeting or a country club social than a wedding.”

  “Sounds like a blast.”

  A corner of her mouth kicked up. “No, it wasn’t fun, but then, it wasn’t meant to be. It was meant to show off who we knew, how much money we had, and how much power my parents wielded. Now this wedding…”

  With a sweep of her arm as they circled past the wedding cake, a multi-layer confection of curlicued white frosting, filigreed gold leaves and blue flowers made of sugar, Greta said, “This wedding is a reflection of the personalities of the bride and the groom. If you’d never met Miles and Greta and somehow stumbled into this wedding, you’d get a good idea of who they are and what’s most important to them.”

  Their next turn around the dance floor swung them past the receiving line by the tent door, still lively with congratulating guests, hugs, and joyous greetings. “Family and friends,” Cooper agreed.

  Vivian nodded. “And making sure we all have a fabulous time. Miles and Greta pull everyone they love into their orbit, spreading the wealth of their happiness and letting the rest of us bask in the reflected glow. It’s not a bad deal, especially when you’re low on glow of your own.”

  Glow was one thing Vivian Banks had never lacked. Although now that Cooper had his arms around her and an ironclad reason to be studying her closely as they danced, he could make out some small changes to the face that had been etched in his memory. Vivian had always been bubbly, with all the charm and fizz of a glass of champagne—but faint new lines beside her eyes and a slight translucence to her skin gave Cooper’s dance partner a more reserved, mature look.

  This was a woman who had lived, not a girl with her whole life still ahead of her. Cooper couldn’t help wondering exactly what cares had put those shadows under Vivian’s eyes.

  It didn’t matter, he reminded himself. It was none of his business how her life had gone once she chucked him out of it. His only business with Vivian Banks was a quick and dirty seduction.

  Steering back on course, he murmured, “As far as I can tell, your glow hasn’t changed in ten years. You’re as beautiful as ever, Viv.”

  He expected a pleased smile or a blushing laugh—anything but the unmistakable skepticism that tightened the corners of Vivian’s shuttered eyes. She tripped, throwing them off step for half a second, but it was enough to turn their easy, sensual dance into something mechanical and awkward.

  “Sorry about that,” Vivian murmured, still pale as sea foam. “At least I’m still as clumsy as ever.”

  She acted as if she didn’t believe him. How could she not know how beautiful she was?

  Frowning, Cooper tightened his grip on her and drew in a breath to ask what the hell happened to turn a confident, vivacious girl into the somber, withdrawn woman before him. But the music died, and Vivian pulled away with an air of relief. She used to love dancing, too.

  Cooper fought down his growing awareness of the mystery of Vivian Banks. He didn’t want to see a mystery. All h
e wanted to see was Vivian, naked and splayed over his sheets, reaching for him with a sultry smile.

  “Excuse me,” Vivian said, her gaze landing somewhere in the vicinity of his chin and sticking there. “I should really go see if the bride needs any help with anything.”

  “I’m pretty sure the wedding planner and Greta’s mom have everything in hand.” Cooper studied her downcast eyes and nervously twisting fingers. “But sure, let’s go talk to Miles and Greta. I have a little something for them, anyway.”

  She hesitated, confirming his suspicion that she’d suggested helping Greta at least partly to get away from him. It’s not going to be that easy, Cooper wanted to tell her. As if she’d heard his silent promise, Vivian blew out a breath and nodded. “Okay, lead the way.”

  Triumph smoldered in his chest like a white-hot coal. Oh, I’ll lead you, all right. Straight to my bed. And after tonight, I’ll never think of you again.

  After tonight, I’ll finally be free of you.

  ***

  Vivian steadied herself and commanded her heart to stop racing like a runaway horse. There was no way Cooper’s compliments and smiles meant what she wanted them to mean. He’d always been a charmer, when he wanted to be—and from what she’d read in the gossip rags over the years, he’d honed that ability to razor sharpness as his sudden, stratospheric wealth propelled him into the highest society.

  He didn’t mean anything by dancing with you, or holding you close, she scolded herself silently. He’s being…if anything, he’s being kind.

  Vivian had no illusions that a man like Cooper Hayes, so powerful, adventurous and handsome, could ever be interested in a woman who had done nothing with her life. A woman who wasn’t suited to anything other than playing arm candy to a rich man.

  Well, she was through with that life. Even if that’s what Cooper wanted from her, Vivian was done being the silent accessory to someone else’s exciting life of action.

  She wanted her own life. And she was finally in a position to start working to get it.

  A burst of optimism warmed her belly, unfamiliar and lovely enough to distract her through the first round of hugs and congratulations with the bride and groom. She tuned back into the conversation just as Miles clapped Cooper on the shoulder and said, “So. Are Greta and I flying off for this fabulous honeymoon you’ve arranged in my helicopter? Or are you going to try to convince me you won the bet?”

  Vivian stole a glance at Cooper, whose brow had lowered like a storm cloud. “Don’t make me take those tickets back,” he growled, only half kidding.

  “What bet?” Vivian caught the quick look exchanged between bride and groom.

  “Nothing,” Cooper cut in, glowering at his oldest friend. “Miles is being an ass.”

  The groom raised a brow. “At least I’m not a sore loser.”

  “I haven’t lost anything,” Cooper insisted. “The deadline is past. I won.”

  “Debatable,” Miles said, an amused glint in his eyes. “Are you sure you’re being honest with yourself? Think about the exact terms we agreed on, and you might realize you’re mistaken.”

  Totally lost, Vivian looked to Greta for help. The bride leaned in conspiratorially. “Miles bet his billionaire bachelor groomsmen, that if they came to Sanctuary Island and helped him out with a few wedding-related tasks, they’d find their lives changed forever before he said, ‘I do.’”

  Vivian couldn’t help but smile as a rush of love for this special island filled her. She’d adored Sanctuary from the moment she stepped off the ferry for her first visit to meet her childhood friend’s fiancée five months ago. “Sounds like a sucker’s deal to me,” she observed.

  Switching his narrow glare from Miles to Vivian, Cooper demanded, “What do you mean?”

  “I can’t imagine anyone spending time on Sanctuary Island without falling in love,” Vivian said, picturing the calm, glassy surface of Lantern Lake in her mind.

  A short, charged silence followed her words, and when she replayed them silently, she had to fight down a flush. “With the island,” she hastened to add. “Everyone who comes here falls in love with Sanctuary Island. Is what I meant. At least, I certainly fell in love with it.”

  “Oh right!” Greta seized on the subject change. “How did escrow go?”

  Rock solid satisfaction expanded Vivian’s ribcage with pride. “Like clockwork. Have I mentioned that I can never thank you enough for your help with the Lantern Lake cabin?”

  “A few times,” Greta said, laughing and rolling her eyes fondly. “Here and there. I’m so glad it worked out!”

  “You bought property here?” Cooper asked, looking at her askance. “I never would’ve thought you’d leave New York.”

  The words sent a chill through her that had nothing to do with the wintry wind whipping the over the waves outside the glass walls of their tent. “There’s nothing for me in New York. Not anymore.”

  A strange expression came over Cooper’s face, something like recognition firing in his eyes. “Sometimes the only way forward is to leave everything you know behind.”

  She stared up at him for a long, suspended moment, the connection between them as strong and real and tangible as it had ever been when they were young. He was so magnetic, his presence sucking the very air from Vivian’s lungs and leaving her shaky with the knowledge of how much she still wanted him.

  “I tell you what,” Miles interrupted, amusement coloring his deep voice. “Let’s table the bet for the moment. We have a party to enjoy, and Greta and I have a honeymoon adventure to embark on, thanks to you. We can settle the bet when we get back in two weeks.”

  And with that, he whisked his bride onto the dance floor for their first dance.

  “I won’t still be here in two weeks,” Cooper protested, scowling after his friend.

  His words pierced right through Vivian’s heart with a dart of regret, but she ignored it. She couldn’t be silly enough to hope for more time with Cooper. But she couldn’t stop herself from saying, “That’s too bad, since winter just started for real. Sanctuary Island is supposed to be very beautiful in the snow.”

  That brought Cooper focus back to her, sharp and intense enough to make Vivian’s nerves spark. “As beautiful as Central Park in the snow?”

  Nostalgia fluttered in her chest, memories as delicate and worn from repeated handling as the pages of an old love letter. “Beautiful in a different way. Wilder, more solitary. More peaceful.”

  “You never used to like being alone,” Cooper said, studying her.

  Vivian tried to laugh. “Thanks for making me sound like the original party girl.”

  He stared down at her face, and Vivian had to fight not to squirm under his scrutiny. What did he see? Could he read the years of her marriage in her eyes, the constant whirl of empty social engagements and crowded parties where she’d been surrounded by people, yet totally alone?

  She wasn’t sure she could bear to try to explain how much her battered heart craved actual solitude—as if being truly alone would glorify her loneliness somehow.

  But Cooper didn’t push her. Instead, he smiled and arched a brow in that invitation to sin she remember so well from their school days. “Speaking of parties,” he purred. “Let’s get this one started, shall we?”

  Vivian had never been able to resist Cooper Hayes, and she didn’t intend to start tonight—when it was almost certainly the last night she’d ever spend with him.

  And it was a magical night, by anyone’s standards. He introduced her to his friends, the other groomsmen, and she introduced him to the friends she’d made during her extended visits to Sanctuary Island. They didn’t talk about the past, or their families, or her marriage.

  The dinner, catered by the Firefly Café, was course after course of spot-on, perfectly prepared Southern classics. In between the fried chicken and cornbread, there was dancing to the pared down strains of a band of rock gods turning jazz anthems into pure, liquid sex.

  Vivian savored the streng
th and warmth of Cooper’s muscular arms around her as they swayed to the music. Everything felt surreal, like a dream or a fantasy, and when he leaned down to whisper in her ear, she couldn’t hold back a luxurious, full-body shiver.

  “You were made for dancing, Vivian. I love the way you move.”

  She tipped her head back and blinked up at the brilliant explosion of stars through the clear glass of the roof. “I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe we’re both here, like this.”

  I’ve missed you every day.

  Vivian bit her tongue. She didn’t want to say anything to break the spell—especially not something guaranteed to remind them both that they could have been together all along…if she hadn’t been such a coward.

  “I learned to believe in destiny while I was traveling.” Cooper’s voice was dark with some emotion Vivian couldn’t name. Then he smiled, seductive and dangerous. “I learned to respect it. Because when the universe gives you a shot at something, you take it—or you regret it forever.”

  The idea struck a chord in Vivian’s chest. She met his gaze with all the boldness she could muster, heart thundering with nerves and anticipation. “Then we definitely shouldn’t let this moment pass us by.”

  Satisfaction blazed bright in Cooper’s eyes for the rest of the evening, even as they saw the bride and groom off in their luxury helicopter then headed down to enjoy the bonfire on the night beach.

  The rest of the party guests began to trickle home. And as the bonfire blazed high, casting a red and orange glow of heat over the few remaining wedding guests huddled in Adirondack chairs around it, Cooper said, “I want to see this house you bought.”

  After one too many champagne toasts, Vivian’s blood felt heavy and warm in her veins. She rolled her head on the wooden lounge chair to peer through the shimmery darkness at him. His face was half in shadow, half lit by the hissing, popping bonfire, but she could easily make out the broad, hard-muscled shape of his shoulders and arms, and the taut twist of his trim waist.