Guilty Pleasures (The Ladies of The Burling School Book 3) Page 4

  As the meal progressed, and she felt Cooper’s gaze on her, she grew irritated with him. Angry even! He was deliberately looking at her and flustering her! She wanted to kick him under the table, but she doubted he would understand her frustration. He was probably obtuse and annoying. Definitely annoying, she thought, taking a sip of her wine. Why was her wine glass filled up again? Hadn’t she just finished the wine he’d served her?

  Willow glared at him, but he didn’t seem to understand her anger. Or if he did, he only looked back at her, unimpressed with her glare.

  Focusing back on Bonnie, she asked about the house. “Why is it in such disrepair?”

  “Oh, that’s because Camilla hurt herself about a year ago. I kept offering to help her with some of the chores, but she refused, telling me that it helped motivate her to get better.” Bonnie shook her head, her eyes sad. “The woman was stubborn, but that pigheadedness probably helped her live a bit longer. She never gave up,” she sighed. “And then she went into the hospital. I was angry with her for a while. But that didn’t make much sense. I realized that the only reason I was angry was because I was going to miss her. After that, I spent afternoons at the hospital with her and we…” she smiled at the memories. “Well, Camilla and I had a grand old time there! We’d pester the doctors and nurses and I’d…!” Bonnie stopped and laughed, shaking her head as she thought back.

  “You smuggled martinis into the hospital, didn’t you?” Cooper asked.

  Willow looked over at him, startled to see that he actually admired his grandmother for violating hospital rules.

  “Well, of course I did!” Bonnie huffed, looking a bit indignant, but then smiling proudly about her antics. “Camilla and I used to have tea in the afternoons, then, as the sun went down, we’d switch to martinis most evenings. Why would we stop our traditions?” she asked.

  Willow’s heart warmed. Bonnie had obviously been very good friends with her grandmother. “I’m sorry that I didn’t know about her existence until now,” she said, feeling a bit sad and nostalgic, but also relieved that her grandmother had been good friends with a wonderful woman like Bonnie.

  “She would have loved you, dear,” Bonnie said, lifting her glass of wine in a toast.

  There was a moment, something profound that passed between her and Bonnie. Willow smiled and her eyes burned for some reason. She shouldn’t be sad about her grandmother’s passing. She hadn’t even known the woman so there was no sensible reason to mourn the stranger who had lived in the big, beautiful house.

  Except that she was. Willow suddenly realized that she was profoundly sad that she hadn’t known the woman who kept a room full of creepy dolls. And had afternoon tea. Who did that these days? Most people were too busy to sit down and enjoy afternoon tea. It was such a quaint tradition and yet, it had fallen out of style. Busy lives and everyone competing with one another.

  “I’ll clean up,” Cooper announced, interrupting Willow’s thoughts about tea and missed opportunities. Not knowing about her grandmother was yet another issue she’d take up with her father. When he bothered to call her back. She’d already left four messages for him, but he was on a concert tour in Asia. The time difference hindered ease of connection. But add in her father’s self-centered, annoying personality, which compounded the problem, and you had a mess.

  She looked over at Cooper who, amazingly, looked even more sexy and powerful as he carried the plates into the kitchen. There was something amazingly hot about a man doing household chores.

  “He’s such a good boy,” Bonnie commented, smiling at the now-closed door that connected the kitchen to the dining room. “And single!” she pointed out unnecessarily.

  Willow laughed at Bonnie’s obvious matchmaking.

  “Isn’t he in his thirties?” Willow asked, picking up several more plates and heading towards the kitchen.

  “Yes. He’s thirty-seven.” Bonnie leaned forward. “And he’s rich!” she announced, adding a wink and a nod. “A wonderful catch for a woman!”

  Willow was so stunned for a moment, she wasn’t sure how to react, then she burst out with another laugh at the same moment that Cooper stepped through the doorway again. “What’s going on?” he asked, collecting more of the plates.

  “Nothing,” Willow told him, then followed him into the kitchen, giving Bonnie another smile. The older woman was undeterred and grinned as she lifted her wine glass for another sip of the wonderful wine. Willow just shook her head and walked through to the kitchen.

  It was almost completely cleaned up and Willow wanted to ask how he’d done it so quickly. But she stopped in her tracks as she watched him load the dishwasher. Was there anything more sexy than a man cleaning up the kitchen? Willow didn’t think so.

  Okay, maybe if Cooper were naked in a bedroom. That might be sexier.

  “You’re doing it again,” he teased, his voice low and husky as he walked towards her and took the plates out of her hand. He rinsed them off and put them into the dishwasher. “I think that’s everything.”

  Willow jerked her eyes away from his firm butt in the dress slacks, turning so he wasn’t in her line of vision. “I should be heading back home. You came to visit with your grandmother and I monopolized your time with those horrible dolls.”

  He wiped his hands on a dishtowel. “I’ll walk you home,” he said. “Let me just tell my grandmother. She’s probably already heading upstairs to bed.”

  Willow glanced at the clock, shocked to find that it was past eight o’clock. “Goodness! I didn’t realize how late it was!”

  “Give me a moment,” he said, touching her forearm and leaving singe marks on her skin. A moment later, he disappeared into the dining room. Sure enough, Bonnie was no longer in the dining room but was heading up the stairs to her bedroom where she’d read for an hour before falling asleep.

  Willow heard him call up the stairs to her and then there was a softer voice answer, but Willow didn’t hear what Bonnie said. She stood there for a long moment, her body tingling with…awareness? Anticipation? She wasn’t sure because she’d never met any man like Cooper Adams. He was so completely different from the men she normally dated, who were…average. Nice guys, she told herself as she stood in the kitchen, wondering if she should just slip out the backdoor and walk home herself. It wasn’t a dangerous neighborhood and besides, she lived right next door. What could happen in the fifty feet between one yard and the next? Nothing, she told herself.

  Before she could make up her mind between being rude and just walking home herself or standing here waiting for him to walk her home, he pushed back through the door into the kitchen. “Let’s go,” he announced and did that hand-on-the-back thing. She felt his touch burn through her shirt, wishing that she had some body armor. That might protect her from his heated touch.

  Or maybe not, she thought.

  “You are quiet all of a sudden. What are you thinking about?” he asked.

  She stepped over the small, wooden bridge with river rocks underneath, but there wasn’t actually a flowing river. It was just a bed of smooth rocks and the sides of the small “river” were lined with flowers. It all looked very pretty in the moonlight. The bridge connected the two yards and it was more evidence that Bonnie and Willow’s grandmother were good friends.

  “Willow?” he prompted.

  Willow looked up at him and sighed. “Body armor,” she admitted.

  He stared for a long moment, then chuckled. “Once again, that would have been the last thing I would have guessed.”

  He put his hand on her back again and she wanted to reach out and push his hand away. He didn’t know how intensely she felt his touch and…okay, a part of her really liked it there!

  They reached the back door of her house and Willow turned, her hand resting on the doorknob. “Well, thank you again for all of your help today. I truly appreciate your demon-dispensing assistance.”

  He laughed at her quip and stepped closer. “I won’t say that it was my pleasure. Those dolls�
�” he shook his head, not finishing his sentence. “But the rest of the evening was nice.”

  Willow smiled, feeling warm all over. “Your grandmother is a delight.”

  He moved closer. “Yeah, she’s wonderful.”

  “You two are very close.”

  Closer still. And this time, he rested his hands on her hips. “Willow, if you want to discuss my relationship with my grandmother, it will have to wait until another day.”

  “Another day?” she whispered, feeling her heart rate pick up. Her heart was beating so fast, she was worried that her ribs might actually crack.

  “Yes. I’m going to kiss you now. Any objections?” He was so close! His body almost touched her own.

  Did she object? “I should object,” she told him, looking at his lips. “I shouldn’t let you kiss me, Cooper.”

  “Why is that?” he asked, his mouth hovering over hers.

  “Because I suspect that your kiss will ruin me for other men,” she admitted.

  He smiled slightly and leaned in. He lightly brushed his lips over hers. Then again. And again. She sighed, willing him to really kiss her. Lifting her head, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him back. But he was too tall for her to really deepen the kiss. So she sighed with relief when he lowered his head and kissed her fully, his lips crushing hers as his tongue slid against her lips. She gasped, and his tongue moved into her mouth, teasing and touching, enticing her to participate.

  It was one of the most erotic kisses she’d ever experienced. Since his kiss was accompanied by him holding her against his hard body, she shivered, trembling in shock and excitement.

  When he lifted his head, she licked her lips, staring into his eyes. “Wow!” she whispered and the night seemed to absorb her exclamation.

  “Good night, Willow,” he told her, stepping back.

  And a moment later, he was gone.

  She stood there for a long moment, her lips tingling and her body on fire. She wanted to call out to him, but Willow kept her lips pressed tightly together.

  She’d been right. That kiss had been…amazing! Even now, she could feel his lips on hers, remember the tingling excitement and the heat from his body. So yeah, she’d been right on target. His kiss had definitely ruined her for other men!

  Chapter 5

  “Sir, you have the gala this weekend. Did you want me to…?”

  “No,” Cooper snapped. “I’m not going.”

  His assistant, Pete, stopped reading off discussion items from his notebook and looked up at Cooper. “I’m sorry sir, but isn’t this the gala that you organized to raise money for the environment…?”

  Cooper muttered a curse, shaking his head slightly. “I guess if I’m the host, I can’t really get out of it, can I?”

  Pete shrugged, his ill-fitting suit shifting against his too-thin frame. “The event planner that I hired could send out…”

  “No,” he snapped again. “It’s a good cause.” He sighed, rubbing his forehead. “It’s for my grandmother and I won’t disappoint her.” He loved his grandmother, but he usually avoided these types of functions unless he knew someone was going to be there that he needed to talk business with. Social niceties be damned, he wasn’t much into the gala-fundraising circuit. He found the events a monumental waste of time. They really were just society’s way of showing off how much money they had. They competed with each other to donate vast sums of money and pretend to be a hero for the night.

  Cooper was completely on board with charitable donations. But he did his giving privately and anonymously. He didn’t need to prove his wealth to anyone, much less a bunch of bored, materialistic idiots.

  “I’ve heard through the rumor mills that many people are eager to meet you.”

  Cooper stared at his assistant, irritated. “Wonderful.” That meant that a bunch of people wanted to corner him and convince him to finance their…whatever. Or dig them out of a hole, or give them advice on not falling into said hole. Basically, it meant a bunch of socializing that he wasn’t interested in dealing with.

  Then something occurred to him. If he had to attend this ridiculous function, could he get Willow to come with him? Memories of that kiss a few nights ago kept distracting him.

  He’d wanted to call her the following day, but his day had been too busy. When he’d finally left her a message on her cell phone, she hadn’t picked up, but he’d received a text reply from her late that night. He knew the game she was playing, trying to avoid him. But he also remembered the way her body had molded to his during that kiss, her heated response, and her trembling, intense desire that matched his.

  She was avoiding him. He wasn’t sure why, but it amused him. Most of the time, women threw themselves at him, blatantly offering their bodies as enticement.

  It was nice to have to pursue a woman for a change.

  Not that he wouldn’t mind if she whispered some of her erotic fantasies in his ear and begged him to make them come true. Other women had done that, but for some reason, he wanted to make Willow’s fantasies come true more than anything else in the world. She was soft and glorious and…he wanted her.

  He thought about the demonic dolls in that upstairs room and smiled. Pete actually stepped back, wary of the expression on Cooper’s face, but Cooper didn’t notice. He had a plan.

  “What time does it start again?” he asked.

  Pete checked his notebook. “Seven-thirty, sir,” he replied.

  Cooper smiled, and the look was a bit feral. “Thank you. That will be all for now.”

  Cooper grabbed his car keys. No point in giving her another call. She’d just avoid him and he wasn’t going to allow that. More importantly, he wanted to know why she was even trying. That kiss the other night had been mind-blowing and he wanted to experience it again.

  “I’ll be out of the office for a while,” he told Pete.

  “But sir!” he called out. Cooper was already halfway to the door. “What?”

  Pete rushed after him. “You have that meeting with the developers in three hours, sir!” he informed Cooper. “The meeting has already been canceled several times.”

  Cooper muttered a curse. He paused and considered his options. “Fine. I’ll be back in time for the meeting.” He rushed out the door. He was on a mission and the lovely Willow was going to answer a few questions.

  Chapter 6

  Willow walked across the back yard, fuming and trying to calm down. “He’s such a jerk!” she muttered to the trees. Thankfully, they all agreed with her. “I know I shouldn’t think it, but he’s a self-righteous, irritating, self-centered ass!” she snapped.

  “I hope you’re not talking about me,” a deep voice called out.

  Willow spun around and found Cooper standing underneath the trellis that separated the backyard from the side yard. It had a beautiful climbing rose bush that was in full bloom now that it had been rescued from the weeds. A moment ago, the roses had looked quaint and pretty. But with Cooper underneath them, they seemed out of place. Too frilly to frame a man like Cooper Adams.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, stepping back as she watched him approach her.

  “I wasn’t going to leave you another message that you would return late at night,” he told her, his voice warning her that he was out of patience.

  She shrugged slightly, allowing one, short delicious perusal of his broad shoulders before she forced herself to focus back into those startling, blue eyes of his. “It was just the most convenient time.”

  “You’re avoiding me. Why?” he asked and now he was standing next to her, looking down and seeming even larger than he had a few days ago.

  “I…I told you before you kissed me,” she told him, her chin going up a notch. “You can’t kiss me.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because…” she closed her eyes and reached for the tree trunk, trying to steady herself before she threw herself into his arms and begged him to kiss her again, just like he had that night. It had haunted her dreams and
made her body ache for something she had never ached for. “Because you’re too…amazing,” she whispered.

  The next instant, his arms closed around her and he kissed her. He pulled her against his hard body and she whimpered, sliding her hands up his chest. And yet, she wanted to pull away, afraid that she’d get burned if he continued to hold her like this.

  His hands played in her hair, his teeth nibbling on her lower lip and she whimpered. But then his mouth moved along her neck, kissing, biting, and scraping his teeth along her overly sensitive skin. She shivered, pressing her body against his, needing more. She felt his hands cup her bottom, and a part of her mind wondered why she wasn’t protesting him touching her there. She never allowed anyone to touch her there, but for some reason, she liked his hands there, moving against her and pressing her hips against his erection.

  Power! The sensation surged through her whole body and she loved the sensation. She’d done this to him! She’d made him want her simply with a kiss!

  The power that surged through her with this knowledge was unlike anything she’d ever experienced in her life. She wasn’t a powerful person. Her father thought that his wives were more important. His wives had thought she was useless, hence the banishment to boarding school. Her friends, Lana and Tamara, were both married and off doing their own thing. And no, she didn’t think that they’d rejected her. But yes, she knew that the men in their lives were wonderful. She was secondary.

  So feeling this kind of power was…breathtaking. To have this kind of power over a man…?

  Willow wanted to savor this feeling. But then he moved his hands higher along her back and she lost track of her thoughts.

  “Cooper!” she gasped when his fingers tweaked her nipple, his fingers teasing the taut peak.

  She grabbed his wrist, pulling away. “We have to stop!” she gasped.

  Thankfully, Cooper pulled away, but his eyes warned her that this wasn’t his choice. “Sorry, but…” She pushed her hair out of her eyes. “I’m not used to this.”