“I wish there was something I could say to make your pain go away.” His fingers continued rubbing her hand, which made her fidget with the silver bracelet she was wearing so she wouldn’t reach out for him. “That’s beautiful. I see you wear it a lot,” he pointed out.

“I love it,” she said with a smile. “My mom and I went to a class and made the bracelet then designed a few of the charms. Then every new place we would go, we’d add a new charm to it. It really was the thing that started my love of jewelry design.”

“It looks like there’s room for another one,” he said as he ran his finger over her wrist, making her pulse jump.

“Yep, a few more spots,” she answered with a gulp as she tugged on her hand. “It’s too bad they aren’t here to help me finish it.”

He didn’t release her right away. The longer he touched her, the more nervous she became. This wasn’t supposed to be as romantic as it was turning out to be. It was just supposed to be friends sharing a meal.

“Just remember the good times you had. And you can complete the bracelet in their honor,” he pointed out.

“When I think about making the charms, I get scared, like if I do that, then I’m really trying to go for my dream, and failing at it horribly,” she said shyly.

“I think you should go for it. Why don’t you?”

“Because school isn’t cheap and it seems like there’s never time to do it,” she told him. Yes, it was an excuse, but she didn’t believe in herself enough to make a career out of creating art.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I think you should pursue your dream,” he said as he leaned across the small table to be closer.

She was very quiet as she tried to decide if she was going to allow him to kiss her or not. But she pulled back at the last minute. It was just too intense.

Their dinner was served and it was as delicious as he’d promised. She had butternut squash ravioli with wild Maine lobster. He had the New York steak and potatoes. When they finished, both were comfortably full.

“Let’s watch the sun set,” he said.

He didn’t give her a chance to tell him no. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her over to a fire pit with benches around it. She was afraid to even breathe as they watched the sunlight dim over the creek.

“I’m glad you picked me up from work,” she told him, enjoying the feel of his arm around her. “Thanks, Cooper. The night has been perfect.”

“It doesn’t have to end now,” he said.

Something about the darkness gave her a bit of boldness. Turning to see his silhouette in the soft light from the fire, she struggled with how much she wanted to lean into him, accept the kiss he wanted to give her.

He didn’t give her any more of a choice.

He took her mouth without giving her a chance to rethink it and the kiss overwhelmed her with how right it felt, how familiar. She took pleasure in his arms, heat warming her within as his lips caressed hers, growing more and more hungry with each passing of his tongue.

Finally, she pulled back before she got to the point of no return.

“Yes, it does have to end,” she finally said.

He looked as if he was about to argue, and then he surprised her instead when he stood and helped her stand.

“Thank you for accompanying me. Now, let’s head home.”

Cooper paid the bill, hugged the hostess good-bye, and then escorted her back to his car. He played the radio on an oldies country station on the way back, both surprising and delighting her.

When they got back to the house, he walked her to the bottom of the stairs and kissed her cheek. “Thank you again.”

He turned and walked away.

She couldn’t tell how he was feeling by his tone. She almost wanted to rush back to him. But she knew that wasn’t a wise idea. So instead, she made her way up to her bedroom—alone.

When she finally lay down, she wondered why she was fighting this so badly. There wasn’t a reason to.

Maybe because she knew if she slept with him again, he was going to own her heart. And she didn’t think he would want to keep it for very long. It might just be worth a little pain now in order to avoid a hell of a lot of pain later.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Three days came and went without Cooper making another move on her. Stormy wondered if that had been his one and only attempt at romance. The thought of it was slightly heartbreaking, even if it was for the best.

Then one night she couldn’t stand being in her room any longer and found herself slowly coming down the stairs, unsure if she were intruding on Cooper or not. Before she saw anything, Stormy could hear the crackling of a fire and the smell of something delicious in the air. The darkened house was lit by the flickering glow that emanated from the great room.

The couch was positioned in front of the fire with the coffee table in between. On the table were two plates and two glasses of wine. Cooper sat quietly on one end of the couch, looking incredibly inviting.

Her cheeks flamed. What if he had a date? The thought of that made her eyes prickle with tears, though she felt like a fool to be feeling that way. It would be good if he had a date, she tried convincing herself. But the pressure on her chest assured her she really didn’t feel that way at all.

She turned around to scamper away before he could see her humiliation. But that’s when he called out to her.

“Come sit, Stormy.”

“What is this?” she questioned as she turned back to him.