Guilty Pleasures (The Ladies of The Burling School Book 3)

by Eilzabeth Lennox

  He kissed her again, but kept his body away from her, looking like he was just as enthralled as she was at the moment.

  “What are you used to?” he asked, his voice harsh and raw.

  She pushed her hair back, wondering where the band for her hair had gone. Her hair had been up in a ponytail a few moments ago.

  “I’m used to kisses that end quickly when I tell the man goodnight.”

  He frowned down at her. “I won’t be controlled, Willow.”

  She respected that, but felt the need to say, “I won’t either, Cooper.” Having said that, she felt raw, as if she were on a knife’s edge of wanting to tumble back into his arms. “So where do we go from here?” she asked the most obvious question.

  Cooper pulled away, even though he wanted to pull her right back into his arms and make love to her right here in the grass under the trees. It was private enough, but he remembered that his grandmother was only fifty feet away. Besides, anyone could walk around the corner of the house and find them. Exactly as he’d done several minutes ago when he’d come searching for her. He didn’t want to, but he stepped back, bracing his hands on the two trees beside her. Just standing next to her, looking down into her pretty, blue eyes, was better than being away from her.

  “Why are you here?” she asked, her voice catching in her throat.

  “Because you’ve avoided my calls,” he explained and in that instant, his amusement over their sexual predicament left him, replaced by anger over her games. Cooper was furious at her lack of understanding as to where this relationship was going.

  Willow nodded slowly and something inside of him relaxed. Not completely, he thought. When Willow was close by, Cooper was starting to understand that he was primed, ready to pounce on her at the slightest provocation.

  But with her acknowledgement that she’d been avoiding him, he remembered her comment before, about how he was “amazing” and he liked that admission.

  She smiled up at him, but the expression was self-deprecating instead of humorous. “I know. I’ll admit it, but only because I don’t think we’ll work out together.”

  He laughed, a harsh sound that echoed in the mid-afternoon sunlight. “I doubt our bodies would agree with your assessment.”

  She took a deep breath and tried again. “You’re out of my league.”

  He took her hand, pressing it against his erection. “I think you’re exactly in my league. What else?”

  She gasped at the blatant move. Willow knew that she should pull her hand away, but for a moment, she let her hand linger on his erection, her fingers curling around that fascinating shaft. Exploring. Watching his eyes as she did so. Only when he groaned and closed his eyes did she pull away.

  “Cooper, we should…”

  “You should have dinner with me tonight,” he interrupted. “And then spend the night with me.” He waited, watching. When she didn’t tell him no, he continued. “There’s something between us. It won’t go away if we avoid each other.” He kissed her, just a fast, brief kiss. “I think we should explore this and see where it goes.”

  “It will end,” she told him in a whisper.

  “Probably. But why not let it burn out?” His hand cupped her cheek. “It will burn out eventually, Willow. But why not enjoy the flames in the meantime?”

  She knew that he was wrong. That ‘enjoying the flames’ would end in heartbreak. She already had a father who toyed with her, then pushed her away when she was inconvenient. What would happen to her fragile self-esteem if she took Cooper up on his suggestion?

  He rubbed his thumb over her cheekbone, stopping her from telling him no.

  “I’ll tell you what,” he interrupted her thoughts. “I have a thing on Friday evening. Come with me. Be my date. Before the event, we can go out to dinner and get to know one another a little better.” His words made sense, but there was an unspoken activity at the end of the Friday night event. “Let’s just get to know one another,” he said. “If you don’t want to go home with me after the event on Friday night, I’ll have my driver take you home. No questions asked. If you want to come back to my place, we can explore this further. But until then, let’s have dinner together. Let’s get to know one another and see if there are any areas in which we might agree.” He smiled slightly, his thumb rubbing over her lips. “Or agree to disagree.”

  She liked the sound of that. Several days would allow her to talk with him, maybe kiss a bit more and see if this simmering fire might explode into a volcano…or die out into nothingness.

  “Fine. Dinner.”

  “And Friday night,” he clarified.

  She thought about that for a long moment, then nodded. “And Friday night.” Willow trembled with…desire? Fear? Anticipation? Most likely, a mixture of all three and a whole host of other emotions. It was that flame in his eyes, she thought as she stepped back from him. Or the amazing way he smelled. Wasn’t there something about a man’s smell that attracted a woman? Humans weren’t so far from animals. We emit pheromones, chemicals that attracted the opposite sex in order to ensure that the species survived and thrived.

  “We’ll get to know one another.”

  She swallowed. “And if I’m not comfortable with you by Friday night…?” she asked, leaving the ending unsaid.

  He reached out and took her arms. “Willow, I’ve never forced a woman into my bed in my life. And I sure as hell am not going to do so with you. If you don’t feel comfortable with me by the end of this week, then just say so.” His thumbs sent electric currents through her as he rubbed them over the back of her wrists. “But will you agree to attend this function with me on Friday night? It’s going to be boring and painful, but it’s in honor of my grandmother. She’ll be there and I don’t want to disappoint her.”

  She smiled, feeling relived by the news that Bonnie would be in attendance. “Yes. I would be honored to accompany you on Friday night.”

  “Good,” he replied, stepping back and looking down at her. “I should go,” he sighed. “I have a meeting in a few minutes and I can’t cancel this one again. But,” he lifted her hand to his lips, placing an open mouth kiss on her inner wrist. “I’m looking forward to tonight. I’ll have my assistant send you the details.”

  He kissed her one more time, and hurried out of the yard. It took him no time at all to disappear into the heavy landscaping of her grandmother’s yard, although the area still glowed with excitement at his presence.

  It was only when the tingling calmed down that she knew he was gone, leaving her alone and trembling with awareness, excitement, and…something else. Something more powerful than anything she’d ever experienced before. Something indefinable, but was almost tangible.

  “You’re a mysterious man, Cooper Adams,” she whispered into the wind.

  Chapter 7

  Willow finished up an e-mail to her team, and pressed send, feeling good about her work today. She still had several tasks on her to do list for the house, but she’d connected with her team and felt excitement bubbling when she thought about the upcoming series. The plan for next year’s spring season was weddings, of course, and she’d thought up several more details on wedding crafts and projects viewers could work on for their dream weddings. The series would be finished with the edits and the marketing procedures several months ahead of next June’s wedding season.

  “Now what to do,” she whispered, looking around at the library at the back of the house. It was a wood paneled library-type of office that didn’t look like it had been used in decades. The books on the floor to ceiling shelves were covered in dust, some of them deteriorating from the mold and mildew that had crept in.

  “I don’t think I can save you,” she said regretfully to the books as she slid a finger along the volumes.

  “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for tonight?”

  Willow jumped. “Oh goodness, you scared me!” she said, resting her hand on her heart.

  “Sorry, my dear. I just…I saw my grandson’s car in your dr
iveway earlier, so I gave him a ring and asked him what was going on. He mentioned that you were going out to dinner with him tonight. That’s a good thing, right?”

  Willow sank into the big, leather chair behind a massive wooden desk. “I don’t know if it’s good or bad,” she admitted. “Your son is a very convincing man.”

  Bonnie laughed, sitting down in one of the leather chairs on the other side of the desk. “Yes, I agree. And he doesn’t really take no for an answer.” She laughed at Willow’s expression. “Okay, he understands no, but he doesn’t relent. Is that better?”

  Willow nodded. “Yes. I said no, but he suggested that we have dinner together this week so that we could get to know one another.”

  Bonnie smiled knowingly. “And is that a problem?”

  Willow debated how to explain. This was Cooper’s grandmother, after all. The kind woman’s loyalty was, and should be, toward her grandson. “Well, I was just…worried that he might not…appreciate…my hesitation.”

  She smiled fondly. “What is your hesitation with my grandson? He’s a powerful, obscenely wealthy man. He’s well educated, has too much money, and too many homes around the world to count because he prefers to stay in a dwelling that he owns whenever possible. He doesn’t like staying with a friend, so it is either a home or apartment that he owns, or he stays in a hotel.” She chuckled softly. “He’s spoiled, I suppose, but he’s worked long, hard hours to get to where he is now and he deserves his creature comforts.”

  Willow smiled back, but it wasn’t with fondness. “I suppose that’s my problem,” she explained. “I don’t want to be one of his creature comforts.” She sighed, rubbing her forehead. “My father is married,” she began

  Bonnie tilted her head slightly. “That’s nice, dear.”

  Willow smiled without amusement or affection for her sire. “No, you don’t understand. He’s married, but I think this is his seventh wife.” She paused, tilting her head. “Or maybe just his sixth wife.” She pondered that for a moment, biting her lip. “No, it has to be his seventh wife. It was number five who sent me off to boarding school.” She looked out the window, hoping that her bitter resentment didn’t show on her face. She pushed a strand of red hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ear. “I was perfectly happy at home being raised by my father’s housekeeper, Ellie, where we lived in Texas.” She looked over at Bonnie. “My father is Tony Mills, in case you didn’t know.”

  “And Mr. Mills is…?” she prompted.

  Oh, Willow loved this woman! Anyone who didn’t fawn over the famous Tony Mills was a good person.

  “He’s a country music superstar. He is a fabulous musician. My father can play the piano, guitar, bass, and sometimes even fills in for the drummer when needed. Just about any instrument, my father seems to be able to instinctively pick up and play. Plus, he’s a tenor that can sing like…” she shook her head, not bothering to continue singing her father’s praises. “Well, he sings extremely well,” she finished. “I don’t approve of my father’s life choices, but I have to admit that my father can sing.”

  Bonnie leaned forward. “Oh, is he on the radio?”

  Willow laughed. “My father is everywhere! On the radio, in bars…just about anywhere music is played, one can hear my father’s songs. He’s been releasing albums for as long as I’ve been around. Probably even longer. But music and women are his passions, not children or a family. As far as I know, I’m his only child.”

  Bonnie relaxed back in the chair, her smile disappearing. “Oh, that must be very lonely.”

  Willow thought about it. “I didn’t find it so. My father employed a wonderful housekeeper. She was like a mother to me,” she explained, blinking back the tears that always appeared when she thought about Ellie. “But then he divorced one wife and married another. That one didn’t like his attention divided between herself and me, which was silly since my father barely acknowledged my existence, even then. So that wife sent me off to boarding school.”

  Bonnie might be in her sixties, but she understood what Willow had gone through. “And you hated it, didn’t you?”

  Willow sighed. “At first, yes. London was so different from home. In Texas, I had a horse and there was sunshine and lots of fun things to do. I went to school with the other kids and, although it was awkward at times, I didn’t mind. The kids all got used to me, and treated me just like any other kid in school.”

  “And then London happened?” Bonnie probed.

  “Exactly. I can’t even remember that wife’s name,” she said, tilting her head slightly as she thought. After a moment, when the name didn’t come to her, Willow shook her head and continued, “A few months after that, he divorced her, but he never came to get me out of boarding school. The next one was Agnes. Or maybe Abby. I can’t remember exactly. But she didn’t like me being around. She didn’t like having a daughter. The woman said that a teenage daughter made her feel old. So I stayed at boarding school.” She shrugged. “It was cold and horrible and I was miserable for a long time.”

  The elderly woman smiled gently. “That must have been difficult for you, my dear,” she said softly. “Your father is a fool. Children make life wonderful. He should have known that.”

  Bonnie’s words were more powerful than Willow wanted to admit. Swallowing, she blinked back tears. “Yes, well,” she cleared her throat. “About two years ago, my father remembered that I was alive and started driving me crazy. He wants me to come home and be a part of his family again. His current wife wants a daughter, he says.”

  Bonnie groaned. “So, he’s still catering to his wives, eh?”

  Willow hadn’t thought about her father’s latest requests in that light, but it made sense. “Yes,” she finally replied.

  “I understand.” She nodded sagely. “You’re worried that my grandson won’t find you worthy.” The woman looked down at her wrinkled hands. “I can’t guarantee anything, my dear.” She looked Willow in the eye. “But I know my grandson. And something new and exciting is happening between the two of you. I saw it the other night when the two of you were at my house for dinner. He couldn’t keep his eyes off you,” she teased. Her eyes sparkled as she said, “And if my memory is correct, and that’s not always the case these days,” she laughed, “I seem to remember that you had a very hard time focusing on anything other than my grandson during that very same dinner.”

  Willow didn’t want to concede the accuracy of Bonnie’s words, but nor could she deny them. “That was just the newness of the attraction,” she asserted. “I might not be an expert at a lot of things. But I know my craft projects,” she said firmly. “And I know attraction. I watched my father wiggle in and out of marriages like they were sleeping bags. Attraction doesn’t last.”

  Bonnie nodded. “You’re right. And very smart to understand that. Which is why I think that there’s something more, something stronger, between you and my grandson. Again, I can’t guarantee anything,” she said with a wave of her hand, “but I saw Cooper at dinner. And I felt the electricity in the air. Something is there.” She narrowed her eyes. “Your grandmother Camilla wasn’t afraid of anything, my dear. She would race out into the road chasing a raccoon away, even though those creatures can be vicious, and she slept in this house for years with those demon-dolls upstairs.” She laughed at her own joke. “She might have needed a martini before she worked up the courage, but Camilla was strong and unafraid.” Bonnie nodded firmly. “You’re just like her. So don’t allow your abandonment issues hold you back from something special.”

  Abandonment issues? Willow didn’t like the sound of that. “Yes, but what if…?”

  Bonnie shook her head. “Don’t worry about ‘what if’s’ dear. Worry about missing out on something potentially wonderful. I don’t know if everything will turn out perfectly. And most likely, your relationship, no matter how good, will have bumps along the road. But don’t hold back, dear. You’ve watched your father meander in and out of relationships. I’m betting that he only gav
e half of his heart. You’re not like him, Willow. I haven’t known you very long, but I can see your grandmother in you. And she gave her everything to the world. She married your grandfather when they were just eighteen years old and stayed married to him for the next fifty-three years. They were only blessed with one child.” She sighed. “I don’t know what happened between your father and Camilla. But don’t let that bad relationship interfere with what could be a wonderful romance, my dear.”

  Willow thought about that for a long moment. Bonnie was right. She was holding back out of fear. That wasn’t a good place to start and she straightened her shoulders, determined to get to know Cooper, no matter what happened. “You’re right,” she agreed with emphasis. “You’re absolutely right. I’m not a coward. And yes, your grandson terrifies me, but that is all the more reason not to shy away from whatever might happen between us.”

  Bonnie laughed, clapping her hands. “That’s the spirit!” she said and stood up. “Now, what are you going to wear to dinner tonight? If I know my grandson, he’ll most take you to some place fancy.”

  “Ugh!” Willow groaned. “You’re probably right,” she sighed and shook her head. “What’s wrong with just a regular burger joint?” she asked but stood up. “I have no idea what to wear, but I’ll figure something out.”

  Bonnie stood as well, although a bit slower as her older joints didn’t work as fast. “Oh, don’t worry about wearing anything special. I’m sure that he’ll be more interested in the conversation.”

  Chapter 8

  Willow paced back and forth across the wood-floored foyer, wringing her hands and worrying. Was she dressed appropriately? Would she make a fool of herself at dinner? No, that wasn’t going to happen. She wasn’t a social idiot. Boarding school hadn’t only focused on academics, she had also learned social rules and protocols. She knew which fork and spoon to use and knew not to drink out of the finger bowls.