For Love & Bourbon (23 page)

“Me too, Slick.” She released a steadying breath, undone by the open honesty in his eyes. “Me too.”

LATER THAT
evening, she pulled into the parking lot of the Fox Hills Inn and cut the engine. Cooper shifted in the seat beside her, his hands clenched tightly over his knees. He cast a curious look in her direction, as though gauging what she wanted to do.

Funny, she thought. She’d never had a guy care so much about what she thought was best before. It was incredibly refreshing.

Her lips curved as she unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over, pressing a smooth kiss to his cheek. She felt him slowly breathe out, then back in as he cupped her face and brought her mouth to his. Her heart raced as she swiftly climbed into his lap.

She took advantage of the moonless night and the late hour to savor the moment. Her hands drew back into his dusted gold hair as her body shivered beneath his touch. When he caressed the arch of her back, soft and slow, she deepened the kiss and gave it all she had.

Cooper held her close, vaguely concerned over who may wander by and catch them and at the same time recklessly indifferent about it. At that moment, he couldn’t have given a rat’s ass if his boss of all people stumbled upon him engaged in a heated kiss with the daughter of a suspect. All that mattered was that she was there with him, this fireball of heat and light and boundless passion.

He realized then that he had never wanted anything—or anyone—more than he wanted Ava Brannon. Even if it was a fool’s errand, destined to leave him burdened with regret and heartache, at least it was real. The most real thing he had ever experienced.

“Come up with me,” he murmured, not even realizing he was saying it. He was too caught up in the taste of bourbon on her tongue and the scent of spiced apples in her hair.

She let out a laugh, low and deep and delightfully husky, letting her head fall back so he could sample the skin along her throat. “A Southern lady doesn’t sleep with a man on the first date, Slick. We require courtship.”

“Okay, I can do that,” he panted, pulling her face back to his for another kiss. “Just don’t leave yet.”

She nodded, her body molded around his as he took what she offered without hesitation. Her breath quickened and shook as his hands tightened over her hips, fingers digging into her skin. Marveling at the display of power blended with the tender, slow-burning way he kissed had her lost and found all at the same time. He had this ability to tear down every last thought in her brain while filling her with a vibrant, impossible desire.

Overtaken by it, she nearly gave in then and there. The thought of what it would be like to slide over him, skin-to-skin and nothing but heat, stole her breath with its intensity. Propriety, and an ounce of panic over her own emotions, had her retreating from the urge.

Peeling away from him, she noticed that steam clouded the windows, encasing them in a misty cocoon. Her lips curved as her eyes met his. “Good Lord, the boy can kiss.”

Cooper grinned. “Tell me you’ll be back for more, then.”

“I couldn’t stay away even if I tried.” She brushed back strands of hair from his forehead, admiring the smooth planes of his face and the rich blue of his eyes. “They grow ‘em good up North. I can’t believe I’ve been missing out all these years.”

“I could say the same thing about you.” He reached for her hand, brought her palm to his lips. He pressed a tender kiss to her skin, eyes closing as he breathed in her scent one last time. “When can I see you again?”

She pulled her hand away, though it pained her to do so. In that moment she wanted nothing more than to follow him upstairs, away from the prying eyes of the world, and explore every last inch of him. Because she knew she shouldn’t, she eased back into the driver’s seat and released a long sigh.

“I don’t know. I’ll come by. Or call you. I still have that business card.”

“Okay.” He saw she was struggling inwardly with something and had a pretty good idea what it was. Taking her hand in his, he offered her a smile. “If at any time this stops feeling right for you, you can tell me. I’ll back off the second you no longer want this.”

Her throat clenched, moved by how caring he could be. How considerate. Instead of responding, she simply leaned over to kiss him one last time.

“Goodnight, Slick.”

“Night, Ava.” He slipped from the truck and closed the door. She watched him wander around to the front of the hotel, hands tucked into his pockets, until he disappeared from view.

With her heart soaring, she started the truck and headed on home.

F
resh from her morning run, Ava danced into the kitchen singing Miranda Lambert’s “Heart Like Mine.” Her voice clashed with the sound of her mother’s music, some old country tune Ava hadn’t heard in ages.

She turned it down and gave her mother a cheek kiss and a big smile. “Morning, Mama. How’d you sleep?”

“Just fine. You’re in a good mood,” Sandra observed. The morning sunlight angled in from the window and lit up her auburn hair and the smooth lines of her youthful face. Her linen apron was lightly dusted with flour from the dough she’d made minutes before.

“It’s a beautiful day.” Ava moved to sniff happily at the bacon crackling on the stove. “I’m thinking of seeing if Daddy wants to go shooting with me later. After work, of course.” She grabbed the orange juice from the fridge. As she poured some into a glass and started singing again, she caught her mother staring at her. “What?”

“Nothing.” Her mother returned to whisking a bowl of eggs, a knowing smile on her face. “Do you need anything at the market? I’m heading down there today.”

Ava dumped the last of the orange juice into her glass and raised the carton. “More juice.”

Adam sauntered into the kitchen, already showered and dressed for the day. Ava shot him a look as she closed the fridge, her mood dampened at the sight of him. Guilt and resentment swirled within her. “You’re up early.”

He ignored her, like he’d done for the last few days since their argument, and prepared himself a cup of coffee. He took a quick sip and faced their mother, a polite smile on his face. “Morning.”

Sandra let him kiss her cheek and continued to whisk the eggs, clearly trying to ignore the tension in the air. “Adam, honey, would you like some breakfast?”

“No, thanks. I need to run.”

“You know, the bar’s not open this early,” Ava reminded him, leaning against the kitchen island and folding her arms.

He couldn’t resist correcting her. “I ain’t goin’ to the bar.”

“That’s a surprise.” She cocked her chin with a sneer. “Don’t tell me you’re heading into the city looking for trouble. Last time I nearly had to bail you out of jail.”

Sandra let out a sigh and rested her hands on her hips, her eyes darting between her two children. “Will you both just quit it? There’s too much fightin’ going on in this house. I’m sick of it.”

Ava rolled her eyes. “He’s the one who’s been ignoring me all week.”

Adam’s jaw clenched as he lifted his coffee mug to his lips. Ava knew he wouldn’t be stupid enough to bring up the details of their argument in front of their mother. They were both too committed to preserving her cheerful ignorance on the issue to let it slip.

“Hard to talk to you when you’re not around. Where’d you go yesterday?” he asked, his statement challenging her to lie. He would know if she did, anyway, which she knew made lying pointless.

“To the races.” She pushed away from the counter, deciding to shower before breakfast in an attempt to avoid further questioning.

He stepped in front of her as she tried to pass. “With that FBI agent? I heard you picked him up at the Inn.”

Ava silently cursed the wagging tongues of a small town. “Who said that?”

“Josie over at the pharmacy. She was walking to work and saw him get into your truck. Naturally, she told old man Thornton and he told Miss Joy who spread the word around the bakery, which then trickled into the bar. I only found out because Brandy asked me about it, wonderin’ if I knew where the two of you were headed.”

“I invited him to the races with me, that’s all it was. You can reassure everyone that nothing immoral is going on.”

“You sure about that?” Adam’s lips spread in a sick smile. He knew her too well. “I still stand by what I said the other night. I’ll take it back when you prove me wrong. So far, you’re doing a shit job.”

“Go to hell,” she growled, pushing past him. When he started to follow her down the hall toward her room, she whirled around, hands in fists at her sides. “How would you like it if I went around town spreading gossip about you and Brandy, huh? I know something happened between the two of you. Not sure what exactly, but she’s God awful at hiding things from me and Lord knows you’re not much better. Maybe I should start a rumor that you slept with her and then dumped her like all the other poor women you come into contact with. How d’you think that’d go over with the folks in town?”

Adam’s eyes blazed with fury. “You wouldn’t.”

Ava let out a huff of breath. “No, I wouldn’t. But only because I love Brandy too much. If it wouldn’t hurt her then I’d seriously consider it just to teach you a lesson.”

“I ain’t ever laid a hand on her that she didn’t want placed there,” he defended, his face flushing. “Just leave her the hell out of this. She doesn’t deserve to be dragged into our family’s shit.”

Her brows furrowed at the passion in his tone, the righteousness. She’d never heard him defend anybody so ardently before. “For once, you and I agree. Christ, Adam, you love her, don’t you?”

His breath came out in shallow huffs as he averted his eyes. “No. I slipped up and we kissed, but no. She doesn’t feel that way about me.”

Ava blinked. “Um, we are talking about Brandy here, right? The same Brandy who I’ve watched fawn over you forever?”

His gaze shot back to hers. “She said no.”

“Well, she’s obviously just tryin’ to save face.” Ava softened, weary from the fight and the notable unhappiness in her brother’s eyes. “Whatever. Why should I care if you want to ruin your life? Not like I can offer you advice, anyway. My love life’s always been just as big a train wreck as yours.”

He angled his head. “So you are seeing this agent, then?”

She shifted her weight. “It’s complicated, okay? But it has nothing to do with Daddy or the case or anything at all.”

“Have you ever thought that he might be using you?”

She started laughing. “He’s not that clever. He’s got too honest of a face to pull off a lie like that.”

“What do you really know about him, Ava? Seriously?” Adam asked, lowering his voice so their mother wouldn’t hear. “He wants to pin this IRA shit on Dad. That makes him enemy number one as far as I’m concerned. How do you know that he’s not just hanging around trying to get you to slip up on something that could put Dad behind bars?”

“What the hell could I possibly say that would incriminate him?” Ava charged, fighting to keep her temper in check. “I don’t know anything and Cooper knows that. He’s been nothing but honest with me.”

“Has he?” Adam distanced himself, eyeing her doubtfully. “Be careful, darlin’. I’ll be watching you.”

After he’d walked away, she drifted into her bedroom and quietly shut the door, her heart not wanting to give credence to his words.