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

  “Oh no!” Bonnie gasped. “Poor thing. Can you reach him?”

  Willow stretched herself flat on the ground. She took her phone out and turned on the light, shining it into the pile. “Hi there, sweetie,” she called in what she hoped was a soothing voice. “Are you okay? I’m going to get you out of here, okay?”

  The dog was scared and trying to push his little, black nose through the branches, but it looked like his back foot was caught.

  “Don’t move, honey!” Willow called, but the puppy kept tugging.

  Cooper rang the doorbell to his grandmother’s house, worried when she didn’t answer. Looking around, he thought about walking over to Willow’s house, thinking that his grandmother might be visiting with Willow.

  Even as he thought about their weekend together, he wanted to do it all over again. Which is exactly why he needed to check in with his grandmother before he did anything else. Because as soon as he caught sight of Willow, he doubted that he’d be able to concentrate on his grandmother.

  For some reason, this almost clawing need to be with Willow didn’t concern him. Not even a little. In the past, if a woman hinted at anything long term or any kind of dependence on him, he would end the relationship.

  Not so with Willow. He didn’t mind this need to be with her. Was it only because he knew that she’d be here for only a few more weeks?

  No, that wasn’t it. The idea that she’d be gone from his life, living thousands of miles away really pissed him off. But that was a conversation for another time, he told himself. Right now, he just wanted to speak with his grandmother, make sure that she was okay, and then find Willow so that they could spend the next several hours in bed.

  He’d been frustrated when she’d insisted on going home Sunday night. But he’d respected her wishes and had even managed to stay away until now.

  So, where was his grandmother? And where was Willow? Neither of them were answering their doors. Were they having tea? He glanced at his watch and noticed that it was later than he’d realized.

  Walking around to the backyard, he looked around, expecting the two ladies to be sitting under the trees in the shade, sipping tea and eating cookies.

  Instead, he saw Willow’s gorgeous derriere up in the air, looking enticing and inviting. Immediately, ideas about her in that position popped into his mind and he walked towards her, thinking to offer some advice.

  “Willow, I…!” He stopped when he heard the growling. “What’s going on?”

  He turned and, through the leaves of an overgrown shrub, spotted his grandmother trying to lift a heavy log. “Nan, what are you doing?” he demanded, walking over to the log and lifting it for her. “Where should this be?”

  “Willow?” Bonnie asked, barely giving Cooper a smile for his assistance. “Did that work?”

  “Keep pulling,” she directed, her voice muffled.

  He looked around, heard the strange sound again, but since his grandmother was trying to lift another log, he moved in that direction instead of bending down to see what was making that odd sound. “Nan, let me do this. Just tell me what to do.” He moved and took hold of the other log, ignoring the dirt that scuffed up the cuff of his white dress shirt.

  “Just keep lifting, dear,” she told him, pulling at the smaller twigs. Bonnie wasn’t being careful about her dissection of the pile of branches either. She simply picked one up and tossed it away, then grabbed another.

  “Almost there!” Willow called out. Cooper continued to pull the logs and twigs away, tossing them to the side even though he had no idea why he was doing this. If his grandmother and Willow needed the logs moved, he’d move the damn logs.

  “There!” Willow called. “One more. Get the big one!” she told him. Cooper had no idea which was ‘the big one’, but he continued to lift and toss the wood away. “It’s okay, sweetie! Just relax and we’ll get to you!”

  Cooper paused, not sure what the hell was going on. Was there someone under there? He moved the logs out of the way faster, not sure if the two women would even pause to tell him if he again asked what was going on.

  “There! I have him!” There was a pause and Cooper looked over at Willows legs. Yeah, his thoughts were not about whatever was under this pile of wood. Not with Willow’s legs out like that and her cute bottom wiggling backwards. He was more focused on Willow and the almost painful lust surging through him than on whatever they were trying to save.

  But then Willow pulled out, her hands cradling a small dog…a puppy…that looked half-starved and there was something wrong with the little guy’s leg.

  “Hey there, sweet guy!” Willow soothed. “You’re free!”

  “That’s what you were trying to save?” he asked, fisting his hands on his hips as he watched Willow soothing the puppy. Even as he watched, a strange sensation filled his chest. He couldn’t define it, but for a long moment, he couldn’t pull his gaze away. Gentle hands, soothing voice, and the puppy staring up at her with adoration.

  “Water,” he blurted, covering up for that strange sensation. “I’ll get some water.”

  Bonnie smiled and moved closer to the puppy as Cooper walked into Willow’s house, searching the various cabinets for a bowl. When he found one, he filled it with water, looking out at the two women.

  Suddenly, a flash of Willow with a baby in her arms instead of a puppy hit him. The image was so clear and so powerful, he was unaware of the water overflowing over the rim of the bowl. For a moment, he had to stop and catch his breath. A baby? When had he ever thought of children? He didn’t even stop to watch the kids pass by when out on the sidewalk. And yet, watching Willow cradle that puppy, he wanted a baby. No, correction, he wanted a baby with her!

  “Hell!” he muttered, as he realized that the water was overflowing and shut off the faucet. Taking a deep breath, he carried the water outside to the puppy. From the looks of those ribs pressing against the thin fur, the little guy needed some food too, but he wasn’t sure if puppies could eat human food.

  While carrying the water-filled bowl outside, he pulled out his cell phone and called his assistant, giving Pete a list of calls to make and get back to him. One of them was to a vet.

  “Here you go,” he put the bowl on the ground next to Willow and his grandmother, who were coddling the tiny thing. Obviously, the puppy was madly in love with his rescuers and Cooper stepped back, jealous that the puppy was doing exactly what he wanted to be doing – kissing Willow and getting as close to her as possible. The wiggling mutt was snuggled up against Willow’s neck, licking her cheek every few moments.

  “Do you want some water?” Willow offered. Bonnie moved to Cooper’s side, beaming down at the duo.

  “She has a lot of love to give, doesn’t she?”

  Something flipped in Cooper’s chest at the comment, although he wasn’t sure he wanted to delve into what it might mean. “I suppose,” he replied, sliding his hands into his pocket.

  His phone rang and he answered it, listening and nodding. “Good. Send me the address.”

  Bonnie looked up at him, startled and appearing hurt. “You’re not leaving, are you, dear?” she asked, placing a hand on his arm. “But…?”

  He covered her hand with his gently. “We’re all going to the vet,” he explained and smiled when her eyes brightened. “The puppy looks hurt and might have other issues. We don’t know how long he was stuck in that pile of branches. He needs to be checked out.”

  “Oh, Cooper. That’s so thoughtful of you!” and she leaned her head against his arm.

  Cooper looked down at Willow who…damn it, she had tears in her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered, cuddling the puppy to her chest. Once again, a stab of something that felt suspiciously like jealousy hit him, except that he didn’t get jealous. Ever!

  “Come on,” he told the ladies. “The vet is waiting. My assistant is also picking up a few things at the store. He’ll drop them off here while we’re out.”

  They all piled into his car, Willow insisting on B
onnie sitting in the front seat while she stayed in the back with the puppy.

  Over the next hour, the vet announced that the puppy had a badly bruised leg, but otherwise was fine. “He needs a lot of water and he’s severely underweight. I suspect he’s a stray who wandered away from his mum,” she explained. “But otherwise, he’s in relatively good shape for what he’s been through.” She smiled as she stroked the exhausted puppies back. “He’s a fighter! But because he has so little body fat, I’m going to hold off on giving him his shots. He needs food and maybe an IV. I’d like to keep him here overnight and feed him intravenously, if it’s okay with you?”

  Willow’s eyes filled and Cooper wanted to pull her into his arms. “But…what if he wakes up and I’m not here?” she asked.

  The vet smiled gently. “Well, because he’s been through such a trauma, and because he’s so young, I don’t want him wiggling around because he might pull out the IV. So I’d give him a gentle sedative so that we can get the fluids through his system without harming him.”

  “That’s fine,” Cooper agreed when Willow leaned against him. He pulled her close, trying to protect her from the pain of being separated from the little guy. “He’s pretty wiped out already,” he pointed out, which was obvious since the puppy was sound asleep, sprawled on his tummy with his legs at the odd angles that only a puppy could manage.

  “You’re right, of course,” she replied, but her finger reached out and stroked the puppy’s nose gently. “What time do you open in the morning?”

  The vet smiled gently. “We open at nine o’clock, but I’m here at eight and I will let you in then. Is that okay?”

  Willow sniffed. “That’s wonderful,” she said, bending to kiss her new friend.

  Tenderness swept over Cooper as he watched Willow say goodbye to her puppy and, again, he pictured her doing that to a child. Their child. He looked away, not sure what to make of the image and his eyes locked onto his grandmother’s. Bonnie looked as if she understood exactly what he was thinking, a smug, knowing smile blooming on her face.

  He rolled his eyes and his grandmother chuckled.

  “He’s asleep, love,” he said to Willow. “We’ll come get him in the morning. My assistant has already dropped off supplies at your house.”

  She looked up at him with a startled expression, then hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her, startled by her sudden affection. “It’s just puppy supplies,” he mumbled, looking over Willow’s head at his grandmother who was still smiling. Was there a spark of triumph in her eyes now?

  “Let’s go get some dinner,” he grumbled, leading both ladies out of the vet’s office and back into his car.

  He took them out to a nice restaurant, but the talk was all about puppies and how to train them, what they needed, how to walk them, and whatever tidbits of canine knowledge that Willow and his grandmother could dredge up. Cooper sat back and listened, amused and more turned on than he’d thought possible. He wasn’t sure why, though. Willow was just talking about taking care of her new puppy.

  But after dropping his grandmother off and ensuring that she was safely inside, he walked across the yard to Willow’s house. He didn’t knock but instead, stepped inside, locked her door and…took her into his arms since she was waiting for him right there in the foyer. That night, he made love to her in a ferocious way. He couldn’t get enough of her. Every time she snuggled up against him, he had to have her again. He had to hear those gasps when she climaxed and he had to touch her. Taste her. Feel her against him.

  It was well past midnight before they fell into an exhausted sleep.

  The following morning, Willow woke up early, eager to get her puppy. “Let’s go!” she urged, poking Cooper to wake him up.

  “Go?” he growled. A moment later, his hand snaked out, grabbing her waist, and pulled her back into bed. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Willow sighed when he nuzzled her neck and started melting into him. But then she remembered the puppy and pulled back. “No, wait!”

  “Wait for what?” he grumbled, his hands sliding under the tee shirt she’d pulled on. “Why are you dressed?”

  She laughed and straddled his stomach, ignoring his incredibly obvious erection. She pinned his hands to the mattress and beamed down at him. “We have a very important errand. But if you need to sleep, I can do it, and be back here in…”

  He sighed. “You want to go get your puppy, don’t you?”

  Willow’s smile widened. “Yes! If you…?”

  Sitting up, he wrapped his arms around her waist, proving that he was stronger. “Give me ten minutes to shower.” With that, he rolled so that she was underneath him and he kissed her, teasing her with his hands as “punishment”.

  She’d just started to melt into the kiss when he pulled away, a glimmer in his eyes that told her his teasing had been deliberate. “I’ll be right back.” And then he was gone, disappearing into the bathroom. She heard the shower start up and groaned, closing her eyes to stop herself from following him into the bathroom so that they could finish what he’d started.

  “Puppy,” she reminded herself, and jumped out of bed.

  Thirty minutes later, Willow jumped out of Cooper’s vehicle only moments after he pulled into the parking spot. The vet was already there, holding the door open for Willow.

  “He’s doing well. He’s awake and eating solid foods, but he’ll still be pretty hungry until he gets his body weight back up.”

  The vet let them back into the clinic. One of the vet’s assistants was holding the puppy, but when the little guy saw Willow, he started squirming. The assistant put him down and he galloped toward her. He limped slightly, but looked much better than he had the day before.

  “Look at you!” Willow soothed, bending down to pick up the puppy. “Goodness, you look wonderful!” she laughed, enjoying his enthusiastic kisses. “Oh, goodness, you’re all cleaned up and you look so handsome.”

  Cooper stood back, watching with amusement as Willow greeted her new friend. After yesterday, he’d known to brace himself for the impact of seeing Willow holding the puppy. Unfortunately, not even being ready for the image could stop the idea of her holding a baby in her arms.

  Cooper couldn’t look away. Seeing her like this brought out strange feelings and ideas.

  He paid the bill while Willow laughed and snuggled with the wiggling ball of fur. Afterwards, he drove them back to her place to find Bonnie waiting on her porch, waving as they pulled into the driveway.

  Cooper left the two ladies to care for the puppy, heading to his office for the day. “I’ll be back tonight,” he said to Willow.

  He’d fully expected her to ignore him, too intent on the puppy’s antics as he explored her house. So, it was a surprise when she stood up, leaving the puppy with Bonnie as she walked him out.

  “Thank you!” she whispered to him as she hugged him. Cooper wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer as he kissed her goodbye. “My pleasure,” he told her. “And you’re going to make up for this morning when I get back tonight, understood?”

  She laughed, then lifted onto her toes. “Understood!” She kissed him again.

  With a growl, he turned and hurried down the walkway before he dragged Willow back up the stairs.

  Chapter 13

  “I agree,” Willow tapped her pencil against her chin. “Okay, so what do you think about…” she went into a list of other projects. She was on a video conference call with her team, discussing projects and filming schedules for the next few months.

  Willow tried to hide her sadness during the conversation. But she suspected that her team knew anyway. She didn’t want to leave London. She didn’t want to leave this house. She’d made it her own over the past several weeks.

  She’d hoped to use the house as her next series since there were so many projects they could do, but the labor laws were tricky. She’d discussed options with her lawyers, but the cost of moving everyone here and the fees involved for even just a short
period of time were prohibitive.

  The strategy meeting ended and she stared at the blank screen. “I don’t want to leave Cooper,” she admitted aloud, her words echoing through the room. Looking around, she wondered how she could sell this place. “It’s my heritage,” she murmured as she took in the high ceilings and polished floors. There were workers putting the final touches on each of the bathrooms upstairs and the new appliances for the kitchen should arrive any day.

  But she’d cleaned and repaired the rest of the house by herself. “How can I leave this?” she asked, staring up at the lovely crystal chandelier that she’d polished over the course of two days, lovingly cleaning each crystal in soap and water, then carefully reconnecting the prisms with stronger ties so the crystals wouldn’t break.

  Her phone rang and she looked at the number. When she realized who was calling, she beamed. “Tam?” she answered. Tamara and Lana had been her best friends at The Burling School so many years ago. They’d remained close since and Willow considered them to be the sisters that she’d never had growing up. Tamara might be a queen something now, married to the sheik to whom she’d been betrothed since childhood, and Lana was married to a Greek shipping tycoon, but the three of them managed to talk at least once a week. They used to meet up in one city or another several times a year for vacations or long weekends. But now that the other two were married, those get-togethers were less frequent.

  There was a pause on the other end of the line before Tamara demanded, “What’s wrong?”

  Willow laughed at her friend’s no-nonsense demand, but it came out sounding a bit desperate. “Nothing! How is married life? What’s going on? Everything good on your end?”

  “Blissful,” her friend replied, impatiently. “What’s wrong?”

  Willow chuckled and sat down in the peacock blue chair she’d sanded and reupholstered last week. “Nothing is wrong. I’m just…looking around at my grandmother’s house and wondering how I’m going to sell this place. I’ve put so much energy into it and…” she trailed off with a sigh. Buddy wandered in from his nap, looking happy and eager to play with his stumpy tail wagging, his golden fur looking healthier every day.