That afternoon, Phoenix texted Ridley to ask, Lunch? She needed to catch her up on what had happened. As it was, Ridley would be pissed that she hadn’t been told right away.
Ridley immediately messaged back, Yes! When?
I’m free in 5.
My place, Ridley returned.
Phoenix wondered if her sister actually had any food in her RV, but if not, they could walk down to the store. She wanted to talk to Ridley more than she wanted to eat, anyway.
Her sister was pacing under the canopy when Phoenix arrived. Ridley took one look at her, and grabbed her up close for a bruising hug.
“I swear,” she complained into Phoenix’s ear, “I see less of you now that I’m living yards away than I did when we each had our own houses.”
It said a lot, Phoenix thought, that Ridley could joke about that and neither of them winced. After all, neither of them had left their houses under ideal situations.
“What’s happened?” Phoenix asked, knowing there had to be a reason for Ridley to be so huggy.
“Baxter is still a dick.” Stepping away, she gestured for Phoenix to precede her into the RV. “He made me swoon with sex, then ran like the craven jerk he is.”
“Funny,” Phoenix remarked, “I heard he spent the night.”
“Right, he did. He also sexed me up good this morning—after he gave me a gift.”
“That all sounds really nice.” Phoenix dropped into a seat at the dinette table.
“It was—until he ran.”
“Ran?” Phoenix asked. “Or merely went to work?”
Ridley snorted. “He literally fled while I was in the shower.” Bending into the fridge, Ridley produced two loaded salads, just like Phoenix liked them. Blackened chicken, cranberries, pecans and lots of leafy greens.
“Mmm. Are we celebrating?”
Ridley put out two bottles of frosty raspberry tea next. “No.” She pulled the top off her salad bowl, then pointed her fork at Phoenix. “I can’t believe I was getting porked while some asshole was trying to terrorize you. And you didn’t tell me about it! I had to hear it from Maris, who heard it from Daron.”
Shrugging, Phoenix said, “I asked to have lunch so I could tell you now.” She dug into her salad. “Oh, man, so good.”
“You should have called me last night.”
“So you could do what?” She chewed and swallowed quickly before Ridley could argue. “I didn’t contact you because one, it was under control. Two, I wasn’t terrorized.” Much. “And three, you were getting porked.”
Ridley made a face, then conceded the point. “Fine. So give me the firsthand version. What exactly happened?”
Not a problem. Phoenix needed her sister to have the details anyway. She filled her in, only skimping on how afraid she’d really been, then summed it up with, “So of course Cooper thinks David might have had something to do with it.”
“Well, if Harry is ruled out—”
“He’s not. Cooper isn’t eliminating anyone yet, and he refuses to think it could have been a prank.”
Ridley raised a hand. “For the record, I agree with Cooper. I hate to say it, hon, but it feels like you’re being targeted.”
Yes, it did, but what to do about it, that was the big question. “Officer Clark suggested I contact David, so I tried. But he changed his number.”
Pausing in her attack on the salad, Ridley stared at her. “David changed his number?”
“It gets weirder.” She explained the plan, how she’d searched him on social media last night. “David is either off everything, or he’s set up his privacy so I can’t see him.”
“No way.” Ridley produced her phone and started searching. After a minute, she said, “Huh. I can’t find him on Facebook.” She searched some more. “Not SnapChat, either.” She feverishly scrolled again. “Instagram is a nope.”
Phoenix sighed. “So it’s not just me. As my sister, he’s probably blocking you, too. Only...why would he? Especially after stopping by to say hi and wish me well?”
Ridley scowled. “Didn’t he mention the woman he’s with now?”
Nodding, Phoenix said, “Angie Perkins.”
“Right. Weren’t the two of you friends at one time?”
“We were friendly, but we were never close.”
Ridley gave her a level look. “Do you have her phone number?”
“I...” Phoenix blinked. “Yes, I think so.”
“Call her. Ask her what old David is up to, but be tactful. Sneaky even. Don’t let her know we’re suspicious of him.”
“I’m not all that suspicious.” Still, she had to admit that it was weird for him to disappear off social media.
“Well, I am,” Ridley said. “Call her.”
Phoenix bit her lip. “Now?”
“Why not now? Get it over with and then maybe you can put Cooper’s mind to rest on at least one dude.”
Actually, that seemed like a good idea. Her relationship with Cooper was new and she didn’t like these side distractions.
Plus there was the very real worry that it was his protective nature guiding things. If there was no threat to her, would he still ask her to stay over?
To give herself time to think on what to say, Phoenix ate the rest of her salad before picking up her phone.
As she sat there, procrastinating, Ridley, the jerk, started making chicken noises.
“I hope you lay an egg,” Phoenix grouched, then she called Angie.
On the third ring, Angie answered with a flat, almost antagonistic voice. “Phoenix.”
Just that, nothing more. Phoenix drew a breath. “Angie, hi. How’ve you been?”
“Really great, actually.”
A sneer? “I’m glad to hear it.” To end the awkwardness, Phoenix said, “Listen, the reason I’m calling—”
“You want to talk to David.”
Angie was so deliberately hostile that Phoenix wasn’t sure what to think. Across from her, Ridley mouthed the word: bitch.
Phoenix shook her head. She remembered Angie as friendly, funny and easygoing. But that was then, and perhaps more had changed than she realized. “I did have a question for him,” Phoenix said neutrally.
“You can ask me. David and I are together now.”
The way she said it, Phoenix could tell that Angie expected to surprise her. Did that mean David had come to see her without Angie knowing? Not a great way to start a relationship. “That’s wonderful. I hope you’ll both be really happy.”
Since that wasn’t what Angie expected, she was quiet a moment before snapping, “What’s your question?”
“I was trying to find David on Facebook, but—”
“I had him cancel everything because of this exact reason! I didn’t want you coming back around, causing more trouble.”
“More?” she asked, starting to get annoyed herself.
“You hurt him,” Angie accused.
Having the truth flung at her, Phoenix deflated. “I know, and I’m sorry.”
At that, Ridley stiffened and shook her head.
Phoenix ignored her. “That was never my intention.”
“It’s too late for you to apologize to him now.”
Apparently, it wasn’t, since she’d just done so yesterday—and David had accepted.
“You’re not going to worm your way back in.”
“I wasn’t trying to, I promise.”
“If you mean that,” Angie said, her tone flat, “then stay out of his life.”
“I plan to.” Best to just spit it out so she could end this awful call. “I just need to know, is he living with you?”
“Yes. He’s moved on. We’ve moved on. You should do the same.” The call ended.
Stunned, Phoenix stared at her phone, then slowly looked up at Ridley.
“Gee, is she jealous much?”
“Ridley.” It seemed Angie felt very protective of David, and that made Phoenix reconsider just how badly it had crushed him when she’d ended their engagement. She sat back and pondered what to do next. “I still don’t think it was David.”
“If it’s any consolation, I find it hard to believe too, but that doesn’t mean we should rule him out. From now on, you shouldn’t be alone.”
Phoenix almost groaned. “You, too?”
“Yes, me, too.” Ridley held up a finger to silence her complaints. “Think about how you’d feel if that crazy stuff happened to me.”
“It hasn’t been that crazy. Yes, the firecrackers were terrible, but bulbs do blow, so that might not have been all that significant.”
Ridley dropped her hands and stared at Phoenix, her voice going all gentle and big sisterly. “I just got you back, Phoenix. Humor me, please.”
Put that way, of course she would. “I’ll be extra careful at all times. I promise.”
“Thank you.” She forked her last bite of chicken. “So where does grouchy Angie live? I can drive by there to see if David is really with her.”
“No, you absolutely will not do that. It’s stalkerish.” She got up to throw away her empty salad container. “Besides, David knows you.”
They both snickered over the real reason Phoenix didn’t want Ridley going by the house, then Phoenix said, “I should get back to work.”
“Me, too.”
She paused, eyeing Ridley. “Is Baxter coming over again tonight?”
“Yup.”
“Is he staying the night?”
“Hell, no.” Ridley grinned. “I hope he tries just so I can throw him out, but my guess is he’ll stay long enough to be polite, then make his getaway.”
Folding her arms and leaning back on the counter, Phoenix asked, “Does that bother you?”
Ridley looked her right in the eyes and said with credible indifference, “Nope.”
Phoenix still didn’t buy it. “You said he bought you a gift?”
Lifting the hem of her shirt, Ridley showed off a small canister set inside a case that clipped onto her pocket.
“Mace?”
Ridley snorted a laugh. “Bug spray, actually.” She flipped the little container. “My own personal defense against insects. Really sweet gift.”
“Yes, very thoughtful.”
She scrunched her mouth to one side. “I got all stupidly grateful when he gave it to me, but that didn’t seem to bother him. At least, not at the time. I guess I should have just said, thanks, jerk, and left it at that.”
Phoenix couldn’t help but laugh. “Cut him some slack, sis. Diehard bachelors are always afraid of getting involved. If he’s feeling tempted, he might be more defensive.”
Ridley shook off her sour mood. “Whatever. Let’s go before Big Sexy reprimands us for slacking on the job.” On the way out the door, she said again, “Don’t go off to that maintenance building alone, okay? It’s too isolated. If you need to be there, let me know and I’ll go with you.”
“And if someone accosts us, you’ll blast them with your bug spray?”
She nodded. “Followed by a knee to the nuts. Gets ’em every time.”
* * *
That Friday night, Baxter lay next to Ridley, still sucking in great gulps of air, a sheen of sweat on his body, his muscles relaxed, and he wondered what the hell was going on.
With him, not her. Oh, he knew exactly what she was doing: giving him what he’d asked for.
And God Almighty, the lady knew how to give.
As usual, she’d drained him. He’d never known a more energetic, enthusiastic and creative partner.
Or a woman more remote.
He turned his head to see her. Like him, she rested on her back, one leg bent slightly outward, a forearm over her eyes, her hair spread over the pillow.
His gaze tracked the line of her stubborn chin and soft, parted lips, down her delicate throat and over the slope of her extraordinary breasts. Her nipples were soft now, but still rosy from their vigorous activity.
Her other hand rested limply on her stomach.
He wanted her again, which was insane since his heartbeat hadn’t slowed yet. In the past four days, he’d come to the conclusion that he couldn’t stop wanting her.
He thought about her during instruction, when he was underwater with a full class. He thought about her when other women came on to him. He thought about her when he hadn’t seen her for a few hours, or when he knew he’d see her soon, and like now, when he was still with her.
Suddenly she reached over and, without moving that arm from her eyes, blindly patted him—getting perilously close to his junk. “I’m about to fall asleep.”
Which was her way of saying, Hit the road, bud. Well, screw it. He wasn’t ready to go yet. Staying a little longer wouldn’t hurt anything.
Having her one more time would only signify that she was sexy—which was something she already knew.
Besides, it was Friday. If ever he was going to stay, Friday would be the—Stop trying to rationalize it.
Abruptly turning onto his side, Baxter caught her hand and kissed her knuckles.
She went very still, her chest no longer rising and falling with her deep breaths.
“Do you plan to sleep like this?” he asked, carrying her hand, held in his, back to her belly, then lightly brushing over her midriff, down to that soft fluff of hair. His knuckles teased over her, finding her still damp and warm, and his dick shifted in interest.
Slowly, Ridley lowered her arm. Her eyes looked like blue ice...that was quickly thawing. “No,” she said with just a hint of sarcasm. “After sex, I usually pull on a ball gown to sleep in.”
Baxter’s mouth twitched. Ridley’s prickliness was both amusing and adorable. “Is that right? Can you fit many ball gowns in that tiny closet?”
“One is all I need, right? Now if you’ll go—” she tried to tug her hand from his, but he held on “—I’ll get dressed and go to sleep.”
Ignoring most of that, he asked, “Are you sleepy? Because I’m suddenly wide-awake.”
She jerked, hard, and freed her hand. “Maybe you could jog around the park?” she said with a sneering smile. “That might help you expend some energy.”
“I can think of a better way to unwind.”
She glared. “I just unwound you, damn it.”
“Yes, you did,” he agreed, reaching out to trace a circle around one nipple—which immediately tightened. “But then you lay there looking unbelievably gorgeous and smokin’ hot, and suddenly I was wound up again.”
Her eyes went heavy, a flush climbing up her throat—then without warning, she scrambled out of the bed and stood beside it, feet braced apart, hands on naked—luscious—hips, frying him with the fierceness of her gaze. “Get out.”
Baxter considered her before cautiously sitting up. “Get out now, but return tomorrow?”
She rolled one shoulder. “That’s up to you.”
“Doesn’t matter to you either way?”
Her chin went up. “Hey, you’re the one who is so squeamish about staying over. I’m just following your cues.”
That bit of honesty surprised him. He would have bet money that Ridley would have gone the rest of her life swearing that she was the one who didn’t want him sleeping over. Instead, she shamed him by putting it all back on him—where it rightfully belonged.
He gave her an apologetic look. “I’m a dick.”
“No argument from me.” She turned to walk away, a hard-ass to the bitter end.
He caught her wrist, very gently, and pulled her back around. “Let’s talk.”
“Sure. Tomorrow.”
Admiration had him smiling. “Since you’re being so upfront, do you really want me to go? You know I will. But if it’s just that you’re still rightfully pissed, then I’d like to explain.”
“Ohhh, you have an—” she made air quotes “—explanation? Why didn’t you say so?” Like a princess, all haughty and smug, she perched on his lap.
With them both naked.
Baxter sighed. “You don’t make it easy.”
Wiggling her ass, she smiled at him and said, “Don’t you mean I make it hard?”
“So damn sassy.” He turned suddenly, pinning her under his chest on the mattress, her legs still draped over his thighs.
Her mouth pinched and her slim brows drew together. “This is not a position for discussion.”
“It is if we both try really hard.” He waited, his expression a question, until she nodded. “Thank you.” Why he was suddenly into self-torture, he didn’t know, but this? This defined torture.
But what else could he do?
He felt caught in the middle of two impossible situations. Wanting Ridley, while not wanting to want her.
As if that made sense.
Hating the humiliation of his past, but for some reason, driven to explain it to her. Maybe because she hadn’t pried.
Maybe because he wasn’t sure if it would matter to her. To them.
He was tired of fighting her, while also fighting himself. So he manned up and started with, “I got dumped once.”
Her bottom lip poked out in a silly, sympathetic pout. “Oh, poor baby.” Then in a meaner voice, she asked, “Is that it?”
“Not entirely.” Dropping his attention to her boobs made it easier. And besides, he liked looking at them. “I was getting serious, but apparently she was just confused.”
“Well, you’re confusing, so I can understand—”
“She was gay.” He winced at how he spit that out there, but getting it over and done with was easier than dragging it out. He didn’t want to tell Ridley about the girl’s reticence even while insisting they had sex, or how disconnected she’d been—definitely not about how she’d cried afterward, or how fucking sick he’d felt about it all.
Silence, and then: “Oh?”
She said it like a question, as if she needed him to spell it out for her. Great. He tried for some flippancy. “Yeah, see, she wasn’t sure, but apparently sex with me convinced her.”
Ridley snorted. “Don’t be an ass. I’d say if she gave up sex with you, then she wasn’t confused at all. Macho, hot, well-hung studs with crazy, mind-blowing moves just wasn’t her thing.”
Baxter almost laughed. Almost. Ridley gave him hell with both barrels, and now she’d just defended him the same way. “Well hung?” he asked, to hide how pleased he was with her very Ridley-like reaction.
“Like you don’t know it.” She slipped her arms around his neck. “How old were you?”
To hide some of the embarrassment, he played it down, saying, “A very tender twenty-two.”
“Tender? You?” She gave another rude snort. “But hey, I can see how that might kick your ego.”
Talk about an understatement. He’d been madly in love for the first time in his life—and she’d told him he was part of an experiment. A failed experiment. “She dated a lot of guys,” he admitted. “She definitely seemed into the opposite sex. Then she hooked up with me and turned to women.”
Humor curved her sweet mouth. “Bet your buddies had a field day with that one.”
To put it mildly. He’d been the butt of every joke for a damned year. None of it had been deliberately cruel, just guys being guys, and he’d done his best to take the gibes with chuckles...but it had still sucked. If he hadn’t been personally involved with her, if he hadn’t thought she was the one... “Yeah, everyone really yukked it up.”
“If I’d been around then,” she said, leaning up to nibble on his bottom lip, “I’d have taken advantage of your weakened state and used. You. Up.” She sealed her mouth over his and kissed him in that scorching way she had, using lips and tongue and teeth. “No one would have dared to tease.”
“Yeah?” The past slid away into the recesses of his mind, overshadowed by the present—with Ridley in it. “Why don’t you show me?”
She dodged his reciprocal kiss. “We’re talking, remember?”
Right. The talk. “We’re not done?” Because he was definitely done.
Ridley rolled her eyes. “Where’s that woman now?”
“In a happy five-year relationship.” He smiled, thinking of the only good thing to come out of that time. “Great job, great partner, good life.”
She tipped her head, studying him. “How do you know?”
“We live in the same neighborhood.” Which, of course, since they shared some of the same friends, meant the jokes resurfaced every so often. Hell, sometimes even she told them. Sometimes he did, too. They were past it, he was happy for her...but it had definitely been a lesson learned.
“And you chat with her? You two are friends?”
“You realize there’s no reason to be jealous, right? I mean, she’s definitely not into me—proved that years ago.”
Ridley smacked his shoulder. “I’m not jealous. I’m...awed.”
That didn’t make any sense. “Why would you be?”
“Because this woman impacted you, and not in a good way, right?”
“I got over it.” Eventually.
“But you don’t resent her for it?”
Ridley’s boobs were really distracting him now. “Wasn’t her fault, was it? She had a right to be happy, same as everyone else.” He’d mostly blamed himself for falling in love—or at least as in love as a horny twenty-two-year-old could.
Something strange brightened her eyes. Her lashes half lowered and she wore this odd smile. “You’re not such a dick after all.”
“I have my moments.”
“Well, if you were a saint, you wouldn’t be nearly so appealing.” She pushed against his chest until he rolled to his back so she could climb atop him. “Here’s the deal. Are you listening?”
Baxter clasped her ass with both hands and pressed her closer. “You have my undivided attention.”
“I’m not interested in a serious relationship, but like anyone else, I enjoy a good cuddle now and then. If you want to stay over, ask. I’ll either say yes or no, but it won’t be vindictive. If I want you to stay, I’ll ask. If you say no, I’ll assume you have a good reason and I won’t be offended. But no more darting off unexpectedly. I don’t like that.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Was she into him sleeping over? He got hard, or rather harder, just thinking about it. “How’s tonight looking?”
“I don’t know,” she said, all sassy attitude. “Will you make it worth my while?”
He grinned. Somehow, in some bizarre way, having what should have been a very uncomfortable talk with Ridley had turned into a very relaxed thing, a sexy thing. Damn, she was unique. “You have a quick answer for everything, don’t you?”
“Are you being evasive?” she countered.
“Not at all.” Rolling, he tucked her beneath him. He kneed her legs farther apart, settling between them, then opened his mouth on her throat, her shoulder, down to her breasts. “I promise,” he whispered against her warming flesh, “you won’t have any complaints.”
Slender fingers tunneled into his hair, holding him closer as she whispered, “You can stay.”
* * *
With a little lurch to her heart, Phoenix noticed that the photo of Cooper’s wife was missing from the bookshelf in the living room. She’d gotten used to seeing it there, and now the empty space between the books made the bookshelf look like a puzzle with a piece missing.
Wondering why he’d moved it, she sat on the couch. Immediately, Sugar began hopping, wanting up. The dog’s legs were just a little too short to make the leap easy. Phoenix bent and lifted her into her lap. “Now that you’re eating regularly, you’ve really filled out.”
On alert, Sugar stared at Phoenix and flipped her head to one side. Her ears followed. She flipped it the other way, and her ears followed again. Phoenix laughed, holding the dog’s face and kissing her furry little forehead right between her big dark eyes. “You don’t understand, do you? Only we humans are self-conscious about weight.”
Cooper strode in, his hair damp from his shower, wearing only loose shorts that hung low on his hips, leaving his chest and abdomen utterly bare. “You don’t have to be self-conscious. Your curves are in all the right places.”
She grinned at him. He said things like that often, as if he truly appreciated her extra pounds. At every opportunity he showed her how much he enjoyed her boobs and behind. Good thing, since she wasn’t into strenuous exercise or crazy diets. “Cooper?”
“Hmm?” He sat next to her and picked up the TV remote.
That was standard for them, a comfortable routine that she’d come to cherish: work during the day, dinner after sex, sometimes sex again and if not, a movie on the television.
She looked forward to those quiet, private moments together.
He chose an old horror flick, Evil Dead—another of her favorites! He knew her tastes so well, but luckily, they meshed with his. Settling back, he rested his arm over her shoulders and propped his feet on the coffee table, his body relaxed.
“Where is your wife’s photo?”
It was slight, but she saw the way he paused before turning to her. Wearing no expression at all, he said, “I put it away.” While answering her, he stroked Sugar’s ear, then went on to say, “Her ear is completely healed now.”
“I know. And her coat is so shiny. She looks beautiful and healthy, but more importantly, she’s happy.” Like me, Phoenix wanted to say, but first she needed to make things clear to him. “The photo?”
He hugged her closer so he could kiss her temple, just above the arm of her glasses. “I put it away.”
That much was clear. “You don’t need to do that.”
With a short laugh, he shook his head. “You’re the only woman I know who would argue in favor of leaving it out.”
“She was your wife. You loved her. She loved you.”
“Yes.” He kissed the end of her nose, then her chin. “But she’s gone.”
Phoenix turned her head to his big shoulder. So strong, so sturdy. She remembered when she’d first met him, how she’d made note of his size because it reminded her of the men who’d attacked her. Now she knew his strength would only shield her, never hurt her. Cooper wasn’t a man who’d use his strength against another, only if it was in self-defense or to protect someone he cared about.
She knew he cared about her.
“You’ll never forget her,” Phoenix said softly. “It doesn’t matter if the picture is there or not.” Her hand moved over his chest until she felt his heartbeat. “She’ll always be here.” And she was okay with that.
“Yes.” His hand covered hers. “She’ll always be an important memory. But as you said, the photo doesn’t need to be on my bookshelf.”
She belonged there, though. Phoenix didn’t want to be responsible for her image being tucked away. “You know I’m not the type of woman to be threatened by a memory.”
“No, you’re special.” He nudged up her face. “Very special.” The kiss he pressed to her mouth was soft and exploring, tender and revealing.
Sugar climbed up to lick their faces, and Cooper leaned away, laughing. “Cock blocker,” he accused, resettling Sugar between them. The dog’s tail swung wildly, her joyous expression bouncing from Phoenix to Cooper and back again.
Phoenix couldn’t resist hugging them both. It got her face wet with more licks, but it was worth it.
Cooper held the remote, but he didn’t start the movie. Instead, he looked down at her until she turned her face up to his.
The somber concern in his eyes alarmed her. She started to straighten. “What?”
His arm around her shoulders kept her close. “I realize nothing else has happened in the past week, and I’m willing to agree that dangerous nonsense with the firecrackers could have been no more than a prank.”
If he thought that, why did he look so grave? “But?”
“But on top of David being impossible to reach, Harry has gone missing, too.”
Whoa. “What do you mean he’s gone missing?”
Cooper shrugged. “Gibb goes by there every so often and he hasn’t seen him, so he asked a couple of his friends, and they all say they haven’t seen him, either.”
“Weird. Did he check with his grandmother?”
“He opted not to. He doesn’t really have a reason to be checking up on him.”
Just as she didn’t really have a reason to check on David. “Try not to worry, okay? I’ll continue to be careful, I promise.” What she couldn’t do was to continue relying on others to escort her around the park. It was getting absurd and was most likely unnecessary. “And since I’ll be careful, I want things to go back to normal.”
“Meaning what?” He straightened. “If you’re talking about staying the night in the cabin, it’s a lousy idea—”
“I wasn’t.”
Cooper visibly relaxed. “Good.” With a crooked smile, he added, “I like having you here.”
Other than a few overnight necessities, like a toothbrush, hairbrush and her favorite lotion, all her things were still in the cabin. Sometimes she showered with Cooper, sometimes she showered at the cabin. The arrangement was loose, but also convenient, and neither of them had pressed for more; for now, she didn’t need more.
She loved her job, she loved the environment of the Cooper’s Charm resort and she very much enjoyed sleeping with Cooper. How long that last part would continue, she didn’t know, but she planned to savor every moment of it.
“I like being here,” she assured him. “What I meant is that I need to take full responsibility for my job—a job I’m good at. A job I enjoy.”
He waited, patience personified, and she realized that he was actually pretty good at that. He wasn’t a man who pressured or tried to impose his will over everything. Oh, he had his opinions and he wasn’t afraid to share them. But never, not once, had she felt disrespected, as if he discounted her thoughts on things.
The realization made her smile.
Which made him suspicious. “Am I missing something?”
“Only that I think you’re wonderful.” She stroked his face, feeling the rasp of his beard shadow and the warmth of his skin. “Believe me, whenever I go in the maintenance building now, I’ll be on the lookout for shady people. I won’t linger in there—” Even now, with someone always with her, she felt jumpy in the building. “And I’ll make sure to go only during busy times of day, when vacationers are around. But I need to do my job—without a babysitter.”
For Cooper, she knew the worry was real, especially given how he’d lost his wife. She could only imagine the scenarios that ran through his mind, the old, hurtful memories that intruded. She couldn’t relent. The situations were entirely different, and she wasn’t his wife.
“Cooper?”
He flexed his neck, his gaze averted.
Phoenix could see he didn’t like it, just as she knew he’d agree anyway.
Finally, he looked at her. “You won’t get distracted?”
“I’ll be like a hawk.”
“You won’t text your sister while you’re in there?”
She crossed her heart.
Cooper sighed. “That’s all well and good, but I can’t shake a gut feeling that something bad is going to happen.”
Phoenix didn’t mention that the tragedy with his wife likely caused that gut feeling. What he felt for her wasn’t the same as the deep love he’d had for Anna, but it would still be natural for him to fear losing her.
“I don’t want you to worry.” She hated the thought that she might cause him any concern at all.
“Great. Then I’ll add a security camera to the building.”
“A security camera?”
“I should have had one anyway,” he explained before she could feel too bad about the expense. “Now we know it’s necessary. And how about we set up a schedule? If I know when you’ll be in the maintenance building, that’ll help. Do you think you could limit it to two trips a day? Maybe get everything you need in the morning, then return it by five or six at the end of the day?”
“Entirely doable,” she promised, already thinking ahead to how she’d work it. “And in fact, I could put the tools I use most often in the supply shed instead.” While the maintenance building was at the farthest end of the property, out of the way, the supply shed was situated between there and the lake. Hookup sites for RVs and campers flanked it on two sides, with a playground and the lodge in front across one of the in-park roadways. The creek and woods were behind it, but she’d have no reason to go around to the back anyway.
Cooper tugged her toward him so he could give her a kiss. “Hell of an idea, and I’ll help you move some things over in the morning.”
“You have the time tomorrow?”
“I’ll make the time.”
Sugar must have gotten tired of all their talking and smooching because she stretched, then gingerly dropped down off the couch. They watched her go down the hall and knew she was going to bed.
“You know,” Cooper said, “that’s not a bad idea.”
“Moving some things to the supply shed?”
Shaking his head and nuzzling against her ear, he whispered, “Heading to bed.” He trailed a hand up her thigh, then over her bottom.
Teasing, she asked, “Can we watch the movie tomorrow then?”
“Or the day after.” He opened his mouth on her throat. “Or next week.” She felt the abrasion of his whiskers, the roughness of his tongue. “Or we can save it for Halloween.”
Meaning she’d be with him months from now?
That thrilled her almost as much as the way he slipped his hand into her panties.
But in a very different way.