Dancing Hearts

by Heather Dahlgren

  “Great. What exactly is it? You bringing me to some warehouse to kill me or something?” He shakes his head and climbs out of the truck. He opens my door and holds out his hand to me.

  “Emma, do you really think I would kill the girl who is starting to mean something to me?” Holy shit, what? My heart pounds and my head is spinning with his words. I’m so damn grateful he is starting to feel something for me, because I have feelings for him too. I put my hand in his so he can help me out of the truck. I get on my toes so I can wrap my arms around his neck. He bends and I press my lips to his.

  “I feel the same way, cowboy.” He takes my hand and leads me toward the building. “Seriously though, where are we?” He stops outside the door and pulls me to him.

  “I wanted to do something special, something different. Music is something we both love, so I got in touch with Wicked Union and they agreed to let us come to a practice. This is the studio where they practice.” I stare at him in complete shock and awe. I can’t believe how incredibly thoughtful and romantic he is. I can’t help the smile that breaks out on my face. “I did good?” He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. I shake my head ‘no.’

  “You did amazing.” We share a quick kiss before making our way into the studio. I’m so excited I’m crawling out of my skin. I’ve never been to a studio before and never seen a band perform for just me. It is a huge studio. They have a stage area set up, an area with couches for hanging out, I would assume, and they even have a recording booth. It is fucking amazing. As we go farther in the room, the lead singer, Steve, comes walking over.

  “Cooper, how the hell are you?” Cooper releases my hand to give him a quick hug.

  “I’m great, Steve. How ‘bout you?” Steve throws back the rest of his water and lifts his shoulders.

  “Can’t complain brother. So this beautiful woman must be Emma.” Cooper puts his arm around my waist bringing me closer to them both.

  “Yes. Steve, this is Emma. Emma, this is Steve, lead singer of Wicked Union.” I stick out my hand to shake his.

  “I heard you when you played at Cooper’s bar. You guys are amazing. It is a pleasure to meet you.” He winks at me and kisses my hand. Damn, there is a lot of sexy surrounding me right now. I am starting to sweat a bit.

  “Thank you, that means a lot to me. Cooper told me that you have great taste in music, so when he asked if we would play for you guys, there was no way I could say no. This guy has helped make us known, I’d do anything for him.” I smile over at Cooper proud that I can say I’m his. He truly is the most amazing man I’ve ever met.

  “I think he’s pretty great myself.” He kisses my head as the other band members make their way over. After more introductions, Steve tells us that they just need a few minutes. When they walk away, I turn to look at Cooper.

  “This is the most extraordinary thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you.” We hold onto each other until Steve gets up on stage.

  “Emma, Cooper has been rather specific with the songs we sing. I hope you enjoy them, sweetheart.” Cooper leads me closer to the stage once the opening chords start. I know immediately what it is. I Drive Your Truck by Lee Brice. I spin around to face Cooper with shock on my face. He is playing songs from the night we met. I can’t help the tears that start to fall. He guides me to him and I cry into his shirt.

  “Emma, I didn’t mean to make you cry. I’m sorry.” I look up at him with tears still running down my face.

  “Cooper, these are tears evoked by the unbelievably huge heart you have. You remembered I loved this song from the night we met. No one has ever done anything this romantic for me before. I promise you, these tears are not of sadness. They are tears of joy. Thank you.” He wipes my tears with his thumbs before kissing each eye.

  “Well then, Emma, will you dance with me?” This causes a few more tears to escape, but I gladly wrap my arms around him. We are in our own little world, just swaying to the beat while looking into each other’s eyes. Song after song is from the night we met. I don’t know how long it takes to develop feelings for someone, but I can honestly say I have feelings for this incredible man holding me.

  For almost an hour, Wicked Union plays songs from the Luke Bryan concert. Cooper and I never let go of each other. We danced, kissed, and laughed. It was the most amazing time I’ve ever had. After the last song, we go over to Steve and the guys. I hug each one thanking them over and over again for doing this for us. We say our final good-bye and head out because Cooper needs to be back in time for the bar to open.

  On the ride home, I can’t stop talking about what an incredible time I had. I talk about how amazing Wicked Union is and how this was the best date I’ve ever had. He looks over at me with that sexy grin and grabs hold of my hand. “I’m so glad you like it, doll. I had a great time too. It’s the first time we’ve been together without being interrupted and I fucking loved that.” I think about it and holy shit, he is right. This is the first time since we met that we spent time together without interruption. We drive the rest of the way home talking about music.

  When we pull into my parking lot, I’m already sad because I don’t want this day to be over. I don’t want him to have to leave. I know he can’t stay though and it sucks. He gets out of the truck to open my door. He helps me out and we walk hand-in-hand to my apartment. Neither of us has said anything, and I wonder if that is because he is just as reluctant as I am to see this day end. We make it to my door and I push the key in unlocking it. I swing the door open then turn to face him. “Thank you again, Cooper. It was the absolute perfect day.” I look down at my boots because I actually feel tears welling up, which is absurd. He gently lifts my head with his finger under my chin.

  “Emma, it was the perfect day. Thank you.” He places his hands on either side of my face and runs his thumb slowly and gently over my lips while we stare into each other’s eyes. It feels so unbelievably intimate. He ever so slowly leans forward and presses his lips to mine. He sucks on my bottom lip before our tongues meet. It is slow, sweet, and romantic. He runs his hands up into my hair while mine find their way to his back pockets. I’ve been kissed by a lot of men, but not one of them holds a candle to Cooper. Whether it is slow and sweet, or rough and demanding, it is perfect. After a few minutes, he pulls away kissing my lips several times. We pull back and smile at each other. I realize we are still standing in my doorway and I laugh.

  “Cooper, would you like to come in?” I start to back away, but he pulls me in for a hug. He kisses my head and sighs.

  “I want nothing more than to come in, but if I do I’ll never leave.” This time I sigh and we hold each other a little tighter. I pull away when his phone rings. I know he will need to get it. He gives me an apologetic face and I force my best smile.

  “Go. Thank you for today. Call me later.” He kisses me quickly before grabbing his phone.

  “Hello?” He looks over at me and pulls the phone away from his mouth.

  “I’ll call you later, doll.” He turns and starts walking away while talking on his phone.

  “Thanks, Roy. Yes, that would be great.”

  That’s all I hear before he is out of my sight. I walk into my apartment and close the door, leaning against it. “Damn.” I close my eyes and think about everything that’s happened today. My phone, however, interrupts my thoughts and I grab it out of my purse.

  “Hello?” I want to smack myself at how sad my voice sounds.

  “Hey, doll. Just wanted to tell you again what an amazing time I had today and apologize for having to leave. You’ve got to know how hard it is for me to walk away from you. I hate it. I wish I could stay.” I grab a water out of the fridge and make my way to my ugly blue couch.

  “I wish you could stay too, but I understand you need to go. Working opposite hours sucks,” I whine and he chuckles.

  “It does fucking suck. I told you I would figure out a way to make this work and I will. Just hang in there.” Like he even has to tell me.

  “I
’m not going anywhere, Cooper.”

  “Damn it, Emma, I want to show you just how happy that makes me.” I smile and son of a bitch, if my pussy doesn’t start to get wet with his words.

  “I want you to show me too.” We are both quiet for a minute before he clears his throat.

  “Well, this conversation is making the situation a hell of a lot harder.” I start to laugh and after a second, he joins me. “I didn’t mean it like that, although now that you mention it.” This causes us both to fall into a fit of laughter.

  “So I forgot to ask, who is playing at the bar tonight?” He tells me all about this new band. He said they have a great sound and he really liked them when he heard them. I wish I could go listen to them, but I have work early and I was dragging ass last weekend. Maybe I’ll talk to Terry and see if I can get next Sunday off.

  “Emma, I just pulled into the parking lot. I’ll call you later.”

  “Alright. Bye, Cooper.”

  “Bye, doll.”

  I drop my head back on the couch and clutch the phone to my chest. “Ugh.” Just then someone knocks on my door. I sit up frowning because I’m not expecting anyone. I’m sure it is Rowan or maybe it might be my mom. She was supposed to drop off a package for me that was sent to her house. I swing the door open and almost shit myself when Shelly is standing there with a smug smile on her face. She’s much taller than I am, but luckily I am not one to be intimidated. “Can I help you?” Until she gives me a reason to be a bitch, I’ll be decent. She flips her hair over her shoulder making me take notice of the way her tits look like they are going to fall out of her top. She looks like a hooker. She gives me a bigger smile once she looks me up and down.

  “I just thought you should know that it’s not over with me and Coop. He told me he just didn’t want to hurt your feelings. I, however, don’t give a shit.” Is she fucking serious? Why the hell is she trying to start trouble like this?

  “Listen, Shelly, I don’t know what the fuck is going on in your twisted mind, but I assure you that Cooper is through with you. Thanks for stopping by.” I go to close the door, but she sticks her boot in the way. She laughs without humor and pushes the door open again.

  “I’m not done. You’ve got things all wrong. Coop is too nice a guy to hurt anyone. He may be spending time with you during the day, but have you ever spent the night with him? Have you had sex yet? I know you haven’t because once he is done being nice to you, he finds me to take care of all the naughty things he likes. You’re not enough woman to satisfy him; he need someone like me. And let me tell you, when he is pounding into me, you are the last thing on his mind. I think it’s best if you just walk away now. Make it easier for him. He was so tense last week it took forever to rub all the knots out. Just delivering the message, I’m off to see my man now.” She gives me the smuggest look before turning and walking away. I close the door and lock it.

  Holy shit, can it be true? How could she possibly know all of that personal stuff without being told? I actually start to feel sick to my stomach. How could he plan this unbelievably romantic day with me and then want to spend the night with her? Maybe she’s right, maybe he does just feel bad. No way. No fucking way. He told me he’s never cheated on someone and I believe him, or shit, I want to. Ben fucked up my trust in men, so I’m totally second guessing everything right now. It makes sense why we haven’t had sex yet or that he hasn’t asked me to spend the night with him. I close my eyes against the tears I feel. I refuse to let myself cry over something if I don’t know it’s true. I open my eyes and blow out a breath. “I’ll just call him. He’ll explain it to me.” I drop down on the couch and pick up my phone. I call him and it goes straight to voicemail. I try a few more times and each time it gets sent straight to voicemail. Now my mind is totally making things worse. “Fuck this.” I get up and go fix myself. The only way to know for sure, and for me to protect my heart, is to go to the bar and see for myself.

  It seems to take forever for me to make it to the bar. Once I get there, it is so busy I have no idea where the hell I’m going to park. I drive around for ten minutes before I decide to just park two blocks over and walk. I’m pissed, nervous, and my heart hurts as I make my way to ‘James Bar.’ I make my way in and damn it is crowded. I figure Cooper is probably behind the bar, so I push and weave my way over to it. Thankfully, I’m small and I am able to maneuver my way to the front. I look behind the bar, but I only see Roy. I look out into the sea of people, but I don’t see Cooper anywhere. This makes my stomach turn. He was sending my calls to voicemail and now I can’t find him. I feel the tears before I even realize I’m crying. Fuck. I push my way through the crowd and brave the dark hallway to the bathroom. Thankfully, it is empty so I close myself in a stall and cry silently into my hands. My heart is hurting even more than it did with Ben after being with him for months.

  After about twenty minutes, I finally feel my tears dry up. I grab some toilet paper before making my way to the mirror. I look at myself and shake my head. “You’re a fucking mess.” My makeup is running and my eyes are red and swollen. I lightly wet the toilet paper and wipe under my eyes. My eyes are still red and swollen, but at least my face is clean of running makeup. I blow out a breath trying to muster up the nerve to walk out of this bar without the answers I came for. I push my way out of the bathroom, and once the door closes behind me, I am stuck in the dark hallway alone. I move as quickly as possible without running until I feel my head being yanked back by my hair. “OUCH!” I scream trying to hold my hair against my head so the pulling doesn’t hurt so badly. I feel an arm wrap around my neck and hot breath against my ear.

  “Bitch, I told you to stay away. You just can’t listen can you?” Holy shit, Shelly. This is one crazy bitch. Instinct kicks in and I slam my elbow back into her stomach causing her to let go of me. I quickly spin around to face her. She’s doubled over holding her stomach, and I smile to myself thinking even though she is twice the size of me, I can still bring her down. Unfortunately, I let my guard down and she lunges forward knocking me to the ground. She climbs on top of me putting all her weight on me. Damn, this bitch is heavy. I try to push her off but she’s so much bigger like this. She gives me a smile before grabbing my hair again. “Thought you could get the best of me didn’t you? Let’s try this again. Stay the fuck away from Cooper.” I try kicking her while I am digging my nails into her hands to let go of my hair. I decide to start screaming for help before this bitch hurts me more.

  “HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE!” This gets her to remove her hands only to cover my mouth.

  “Shut the fuck up. I’ll let you go in a minute, I need to make sure you’ve got the message.” As gross as it is, because God only knows where her hands have been, I spit on them before licking them. “Eww.” She lets go long enough to wipe her hands and I scream at the top of my lungs. I don’t know if it will do any good since the bar is so damn loud, but I continue to scream until she wraps her hands around my throat, causing me to stop immediately. “I told you to shut the fuck up.” I am frantically clawing at her hands when suddenly she is gone. I hear an ‘umph’ but I’ve got my eyes closed trying to catch my breath. Tears are pouring out of my eyes, rolling down into my ears because I actually was scared.

  “What the fuck is going on? Holy shit, Emma!” He sits me up cradling me in his arms. This causes me to cry harder. “Oh my God, Emma. Doll, please tell me you are okay. Do you need an ambulance? Emma, please look at me.” I turn my head to look up at him but he is looking off in front of him. “Roy, don’t let her go. Levi, call the fucking cops and get this bitch arrested.”

  “Coop, no baby, come on. I did this for you … for us.” I feel him go rigid behind me.

  “What the fuck did you just say? You attacked my girlfriend for me? I knew you were one crazy bitch, but I didn’t think you were this fucking crazy. She will be pressing charges and you better believe I will be too. If you ever come anywhere close to my bar or my girl again, I promise you it won’t be her who is in
need of medical assistance.” He gently brushes the hair off my face. “Emma, do you need me to take you to the hospital?” I clear my throat before I try to speak.

  “No. I don’t need to go. I’m alright.” He kisses my head and searches my eyes.

  “Are you sure you’re not hurt?” This causes more tears to start falling and he holds me against him. “Oh doll, I’m so sorry.” Just then the cops come rushing into the dark hallway.

  “What’s going on here, Cooper?” He explains everything to them. They already put handcuffs on her, but they want to hear my side. I tell them everything from her showing up at my apartment to attacking me in the hallway.

  “She came to your apartment?” Cooper shouts, never once letting go of me. I just shake my head. “How the fuck did you know where she lives?” he growls out. Shelly, who is now crying, looks over at him. “Fucking tell me!”

  “Easy, Cooper,” says one of the cops. “Shelly, we need to know how you knew where Miss Harris lives.” She lets out a sob before answering.

  “My friend, Tracy, works with her. She told me. She told me everything.” That fucking conniving bitch. It all makes sense now. I told her that Cooper and I hadn’t had sex yet when I was defending our relationship. She’s the one who told Shelly. I feel like a complete fool for letting her get into my head.

  Once the cops are gone and I convince them I don’t need medical attention, Cooper scoops me up in his arms. “Roy, Levi, handle the bar. The band’s money is on my desk. I’ve got to take care of Emma.” He doesn’t wait for a reply, he just carries me up to his apartment. When we get into his apartment, he carries me straight to the bathroom. He flips on the light with his elbow and sets me down on the toilet. Neither of us have said a word yet. He reaches over and begins to fill the tub. Once he has the water to the temperature he wants, he turns to face me. “Emma, I’m so sorry I let this happen. I promise you it will never happen again.” I begin to cry, not because of his sweet words or even being attacked. I cry because I let her get the best of me. I let her get into my head, making me believe this amazing man would do anything like that to me. He’s not Ben. He kisses my head. “Let me help you, please. I need to make sure you aren’t hurt.” He gently pulls off my boots and socks, dropping them on the floor. He carefully checks both of my legs for any injury. He gently pulls my dress off of me, leaving me completely exposed to him except for my panties. Normally, he would be all over me, but not this time. He is lovingly checking every inch of my body. Slowly running his hands on me, he doesn’t take his eyes off of me. “You’ve got to tell me honestly Emma, does anything hurt?” I want to say my heart, but I don’t. He is now searching my eyes with a look of absolute heartbreak on his face. He has his hands on my thighs and is running his thumbs up and down.