After I poured the cereal and milk into the bowl and put everything away, I stood by the counter, unsure of what to do. I really didn’t want to sit down and eat breakfast with Cooper. I didn’t even want to be in the same room as him. I shifted from foot to foot as I debated on what to do. I decided I’d rather eat in Robert’s room than be near Cooper. I picked up my bowl and headed for the door.
“You can eat with me, you know. I won’t bite,” Cooper said.
I stopped and turned around to face him. I didn’t even try to hide my frown. “Why would I sit with you? I’d rather eat in my room than have to deal with you being an asshole.”
I couldn’t stop my eyes from trailing over him. I cursed myself as I took in his still damp hair and tight tank top. Obviously, the boy didn’t own an actual shirt. I hated the way my body responded to the sight of him. Someone who was such an asshole shouldn’t be allowed to look that good.
He laughed. “I promise, I’ll be on my best behavior.”
“I’m sure you will,” I muttered as I walked across the kitchen and sat down across from him.
I started eating my cereal, very much aware of the fact that Cooper was staring at me. I tried to ignore him, but after a few minutes, I finally gave up and looked at him.
“Why do you keep watching me?” I snapped.
Obviously, I’d woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Or the wrong bed—period.
“Am I bothering you?” he asked, ignoring my question.
“Yes, you are. It’s kind of hard to eat when I can feel you watching my every move.”
“What can I say, Claire? I find you interesting.”
“I doubt that,” I muttered.
He grinned. “Someone woke up cranky this morning. I bet you didn’t get much sleep last night, did you? I heard my dad getting his rocks off, and I’m pretty sure you helped him with that since you stayed in his room. Just so you know, it’s kind of disgusting for me to wake up and hear that.”
My face warmed in embarrassment. “That’s none of your business, Cooper.”
He chuckled. “You really are nothing like I expected. Look at you. Your face is on fire.”
“You’re being crude. Of course it’s going to embarrass me!” I glared at him.
“I’m not being crude. I’m just pointing out the fact that you’re having very vocal sex with my dad.” He paused. “You know, I heard him last night, but I never heard you. I find that kind of strange.”
I looked away from him and started shoving cereal into my mouth again. He was baiting me, hoping to either make me angry or make me talk. I refused to do either.
“I have two theories on why I didn’t hear you. The first one is, you’re just quiet during sex. I somehow doubt that though since most women are very…vocal when they’re getting off. The second theory is my favorite. Do you want to know what it is?”
I ignored him, and he laughed.
“Come on, I know you’re curious. I’ll tell you anyway even though you didn’t ask. I think the reason I never heard a peep from you was because you didn’t get off. Am I right? Did dear old Dad get off and leave you hanging? I bet he did. You must be so frustrated this morning. That’s probably why you’re so cranky. It isn’t from your lack of sleep. It’s from your lack of the big O.”
“You’re an ass.” I glared daggers at him.
“Oh, touchy. I must be right. If you want, I can talk to my dad for you and give him some pointers on how to make you scream like a crazy bitch.”
“You’re disgusting!” I shoved my chair back and stood.
He laughed as I turned and started to march out of the kitchen. My escape was halted when I met Ellie in the doorway. She smiled at me, but it slipped when she saw my face. She glanced behind me at Cooper, who was still laughing, before turning her attention back to me.
“Oh, dear,” she mumbled. She cleared her throat and spoke louder as she said, “Cooper, what did you do to Claire?”
His laugh was cut off when he heard Ellie’s voice. I glanced back to see that his face had lost all its humor.
“Good morning, Ellie,” he said politely.
I wanted to roll my eyes at his tone. There was nothing polite about Cooper.
“Don’t good morning, Ellie me, Cooper. What did you do to Claire?” Ellie asked with a sternness that would have made any mother proud.
He had the decency to look embarrassed for a split second before he wiped the emotion off his face. “I was just joking with her, and she took it personally.”
Ellie crossed her arms as her frown deepened. “You leave Claire alone, Coop. She’s a nice girl. I won’t have you running her off.”
I raised an eyebrow at the nickname. If she had a nickname for him, she obviously liked the moron.
“Sorry, Ellie. It won’t happen again.”
Yeah, right.
I watched Cooper stand. He grabbed both our bowls and took them to the sink.
How domestic of him.
“It’d better not. Now, come over here and give me a hug. I haven’t seen you since you got back.” Ellie moved past me and walked into the kitchen.
Cooper smiled as he moved toward her and pulled her into his arms. “I missed you, Ellie.”
“I missed you, too. Did you have a nice vacation?”
He nodded as they broke apart. “It was very nice.”
“Good. Now, get out of here before I beat your behind. I have work to do.” She turned to look at me again.
After watching Cooper act like a decent human being with Ellie, I was sure the look on my face was priceless.
“Robert said I needed to help you pick out something to wear tonight,” Ellie said to me.
“What’s happening tonight?” Cooper asked.
“Robert is taking her to one of those lawyer parties he goes to,” Ellie said.
Cooper rolled his eyes before glancing at me. “You’re going to be bored out of your mind.”
“Stop annoying Claire, and get out of here, Cooper,” Ellie said as she motioned toward the door.
“Fine. I can tell when I’m not wanted.” Cooper walked toward me.
I was still standing in the doorway, but there was plenty of room for him to pass. He raised an eyebrow at me when I didn’t move. After a moment, he shrugged and moved past me. As he stepped beside me, his chest pressed against my breasts. The tiny touch caused a bolt of lust to shoot through my body. Shocked at my reaction, I sucked in a breath. His body froze as he glanced down at me. Whatever he saw in my eyes made him smirk.
He pressed closer to me and lowered his lips so that they were only an inch from my ear. “You have fun at the party, Claire. Don’t forget my offer. I’ll be glad to talk to Dad for you.”
His warm breath against my skin made me shudder, and I tried to hide it. I glared at him as he pulled back, and then he walked away. He glanced back at me once before heading upstairs.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with that boy,” Ellie said once he was gone.
I looked over at her. “What do you mean?”
“He’s so darn stubborn. He’s a good boy, Claire, even though I’m sure he’s hidden that from you.”
I shrugged. “Cooper has been nothing but an asshole to me. I’m not worried about it though. It’s not like he’s a ten-year-old kid that I’ll have to spend the next eight years raising. I don’t care if he likes me or not.”
“He’ll warm up to you. Just give him some time. He comes off as an arrogant ass, but he’s really not. Losing his mother changed him, made him colder. I understand why he is the way he is, but I hate that he pushes everyone away.” Ellie sighed. “Anyway, let me get my chores finished up, and then I’ll meet you in Robert’s room. We need to find something for you to wear.”
I nodded before turning and walking out of the kitchen. I hated that Ellie’s words kept running through my mind. It would be much easier to ignore Cooper as long as he portrayed himself as an asshole.
Ellie knocked on Robert’s
door an hour later. After I let her in, she walked straight to the closet and started searching through some of the dresses we’d hung in there yesterday. I stayed silent as I watched her.
“None of these will do. Let’s go see what’s in your room,” she said as she came out of the closet.
I followed her down the hall and into my old room. We searched through my old closet until she clapped her hands together.
She pulled out a dress and held it out to me. “This is the one! You’ll look stunning in this.”
I took it from her and looked it over. It was a black dress that would reach just above my knees. The front was modest, only showing off a peek of cleavage. The back was another story. Only a few strategically placed strings of material held the almost completely backless dress together. It was obvious that I’d have to skip a bra tonight.
“It’s perfect. Thank you, Ellie.” I smiled at her.
“Go try it on!” she said excitedly.
I nodded before walking out of the closet. Exiting my room, I headed to the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I stripped down until I was wearing only my underwear, and then I pulled the dress on. I looked at my refection in the mirror. The dress really was perfect. It fit my body like a glove, but it wasn’t so tight that it looked trashy.
I walked back to my old bedroom where Ellie was waiting for me. Her face lit up as she stared at me. I did a silly little twirl in front of her, and we both laughed.
“It’s gorgeous, Claire! Those lawyers will never know what hit them!” she said excitedly.
“You really think so?” I asked.
“I know so. They’re going to take one look at you and fall in love. Once they actually talk to you, they’ll want to steal you away from Robert.”
I grinned. “You’re the best, Ellie. I hope you know that.”
“You’re too sweet, Claire.” She studied the dress for a minute. “Wear just a little bit of makeup and make sure to do your hair in some kind of updo. You’ll be stunning.”
“Okay, I will. I’m going to go change.” I turned and walked out of the room.
Just as I reached the bathroom, I heard Cooper’s door open. I froze for a second before glancing back at him. He was staring at me with his mouth hanging open. We stared at each other for a moment before I hurried into the bathroom and slammed the door closed. My hands were shaking, and I laughed at myself.
What is it about Cooper that makes me so damn nervous?
I shouldn’t care about him at all. I shouldn’t give him the power to make me nervous.
I forced myself not to think about him as I quickly took off the dress and changed back into my regular clothes. I made sure to hang the dress up on the back of the door so that it wouldn’t wrinkle. I headed back out into the hallway. Cooper was nowhere to be seen, and I sighed in relief. I didn’t want to deal with him for the rest of the day.
Ellie was standing outside my room, still smiling. “I need to head out, but I just wanted to tell you that you’re going to do great tonight. You have no reason to be nervous.”
“Thank you, Ellie. I mean it. It’s nice to have someone like you around.”
She smiled. “Don’t let the Evans men scare you. If they do, I’ll kick them both out.”
We laughed together for a minute before she finally said good-bye and left.
Ellie was good for me. It was nice to have her around the house even if it was usually only for a few hours each day. I had no doubt that the longer I stayed here, the more attached I would grow to her.
Despite Ellie’s reassuring words, I was still nervous when Robert picked me up that night. Suddenly, I began second-guessing not only the dress, but my hair as well. I climbed into the car, and by the look on his face, I knew that he approved of my dress.
I’d spent an ungodly amount of time getting ready. I’d showered and shaved before slathering almost every inch of my body with lotion. If all else failed, at least I knew I smelled good. Then, I’d applied my makeup. Remembering Ellie’s suggestion, I’d used only minimal amounts.
My hair was another matter. I’d never been one of those girls who could make her hair look awesome with little effort. I’d spent almost two hours trying to get my hair into an updo that I thought would look both mature and flattering. I’d finally managed to get my hair into a French twist. I’d left a few strands down in front and curled them. I’d spent so long getting ready that I wasn’t even dressed yet when Robert called to say that he’d be at the house in just a few minutes. I’d hurried to pull on my dress before grabbing a small black clutch and a pair of black heels. Then, I’d moved as fast as my heels would allow me down the stairs and out the front door.
Robert started driving. “You look wonderful, Claire.”
We passed through the gate at the end of our driveway.
I looked him over. “Thank you. You do, too.”
He was wearing a dark gray suit with a matching tie and a white dress shirt. By the way the suit fit his well-muscled body, it had obviously been custom-fitted to him.
“So, what is this party going to be like?” I asked.
“It’ll mainly be about business, but you won’t have to endure much of that. Most of the men will bring their wives or girlfriends. You can socialize with them while I talk business.”
“Do you think they’ll like me?” I played with the bottom of my dress.
“I’m sure they will. They all got along with Marie just fine.”
My stomach sank. If they’d been friends with Marie, then there was a good chance that they wouldn’t like me just because I was with her husband. I closed my eyes and willed myself to calm down. Maybe I was worrying too much. Maybe they’d welcome me with open arms. I sighed. That thought was almost laughable. They’d take one look at me and realize that I was nothing like them.
What could an eighteen-year-old foster kid have in common with a bunch of rich lawyers’ wives?
It took us fifteen minutes to arrive at the party. We pulled up to Brad Buckhannon’s house. In awe, I stared up at the massive home. It was three stories high and made of stone. There had to be at least a dozen windows in the front of the house, allowing light to spill out of the first two stories.
A man opened my door for me. I thanked him as I climbed out of the car, clutching my purse to my chest like it was a security blanket. Robert handed his car keys off to another man before wrapping his arm around me and leading me up the steps to the home. I clung to his arm, terrified that he’d leave me once we were inside.
As another man opened the front door for us, Robert gave me a brief smile. “Breathe, Claire. This is a party. You’re supposed to have fun.”
I nodded, but I didn’t loosen my grip on his arm. Robert led us through the brightly lit foyer and into a room large enough to hold a small house.
Jesus, I thought as I looked around.
The floor was a dark marble, and the walls were a dark gray color. Every few feet, miniature chandeliers hung from the high ceiling.
I turned my attention from the room to the people inside. All the men were dressed in suits. I glanced at their faces, noting that most of them appeared to be older than Robert. They were standing around in groups, talking to each other, and ignoring the women on the other side of the room.
The women were dressed to the nines. Every single one of them was wearing a dress. I noticed a few of them glancing at Robert and me, but none of them approached. It took the men a little longer to notice us. Once they did, every single one of them gravitated toward us, their eyes glued to Robert.
“Robert! Glad you could make it,” a middle-aged man said as he stopped in front of us. He glanced at me and smiled. “Who’s this lovely lady?”
“This is Claire, my fiancée. Claire, this is my close friend, Brad. He’s hosting the festivities this evening.”
I noticed the way Brad’s eyes widened at the word fiancée, but he managed to hide his surprise after that. I held out my hand, and Brad shook it. He was probably in his ea
rly fifties. He was shorter than Robert by at least three inches. His frame was rail thin, making it obvious that he didn’t work out the way Robert did. Brad’s smile was nice though, and it seemed sincere.
“Wow, you have been a busy boy, Robert. Where did you find such a beautiful young woman?”
Robert chuckled. “I’ll never tell. I can’t have you trying to find one of your own.”
Brad laughed. “I would never do such a thing.”
The rest of the men had gathered around us. I kept my eyes glued to the floor as Robert spoke to each of them. It seemed like all of them were practically begging for his attention, and it made me realize just how important Robert was.
“Robert, it’s so good to see you again,” a female voice said.
I looked up to see a pretty woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties. She had dark red hair, and her skin was fair and blemish-free. Her hair was piled on her head in an updo that I would never be able to master. Her makeup was much more noticeable than mine with her dark red lipstick and heavy eye shadow.
She hugged Robert briefly before stepping away and looking at me. “Who’s this, Robert? Did you get another secretary?”
I narrowed my eyes at her. Her question had been innocent enough, but it was her tone that had caught my attention. It had been filled with sarcasm and another emotion I couldn’t identify, and I wasn’t sure that I wanted to.
“Sandra, this is my fiancée, Claire,” Robert said as he squeezed my hand.
Sandra raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Wow. Really? A little young for you, don’t you think?”
“Sandra!” Brad said, his voice filled with annoyance. He gave Robert an apologetic look.
“Not at all,” Robert said, apparently not bothered by her snide remark. “Claire’s very special.”
Sandra looked at me, no longer hiding her disdain. “I’m sure she is. If you’ll excuse me, I have better people to talk to than someone like her.”
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