Ridin' Dirty (Beautifully Dirty #2) (9 page)

Sara
—Really, Cooper, you don’t need to do this.

Cooper
—I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to.

Sara
—Ok, so tonight sounds good then.

Cooper
—Great, text me your address. I’ll be over about seven.

Sara
—K

After getting the text with her address, once again, I remember the house from that night too; when I walked her up the porch stairs and kissed her goodbye.

Me
—Hey asshole, you want to go for a run?

Ryan
—Sure, let me throw on some shorts and I’ll be over.

Me
—K, I’ll be ready when you get here.

We head out and our run ends up being an eight mile workout. The rest of the day I stay busy by helping my mom pull things out of the attic. She is getting ready for another event for New Year’s Eve and needs a bunch of boxes brought out.

I jump in the shower around six to get ready to pick up Sara at seven. She is cute, but I can’t get my junior year out of my mind, and honestly, she is not who I will even be thinking about on this date. So, tonight I am going to plan to take her to dinner and call it a night; no need to drag it out.

Dinner goes well and we actually have a good conversation. She is so focused on her career at Child Protective Services in Philadelphia, that she hasn’t made time to find that someone special. I explain to her about my move to California and what I’ve been doing out there. She says she knows some of it from her mom, based on what my mom told her. I tell her that Supercross comes to the East Coast to race, but in the lites class we have to decide if we race the West Coast circuit or if we want to race the East Coast ones. The team decided to keep me on the West Coast this year.

After talking for two hours, she asks if I want to come back to her parents’ house; they are out for the evening with her father’s company for a holiday party. As we head out, there is a brief silence in the car. I can’t help but wonder if she is thinking of the last time we were here. I kinda chuckle out loud and don’t realize it.

“What’s so funny?”

“Well, I was thinking about the last time we were heading to your house.”

“Oh.” Is all she says as I see her turn and look out the window. I don’t want it to become awkward between us now; the evening has been going great.

“Sara, don’t worry about it, we were young and I was a bit of player back then.”

“Just back then, not now?” she asks, smiling at me and giggling.

“Ouch,” I say back, laughing also.

“Well, I was just young and didn’t have any experience, so I really had no business being in the backseat with you that night.”

“Oh shit, I didn’t even know that.”

“Don’t worry about it, I didn’t give you a reason to think anything different.”

“I’m not a total asshole. If I knew, I wouldn’t have been such a dick after I struck out.”

She starts laughing a bit harder.

“What are you laughing at?” I am trying to sound sincere because I really mean it.

“You weren’t too much of a jerk, after I stopped the hot and heavy make-out session we had going on that night.”

I can’t help but join her laugh after that statement. “Sorry about that.”

“No need; again, you had no idea.”

As I put the car in park, we both take a deep breath. I’m not sure what I am actually doing here, but I also don’t want her to feel she isn’t good enough for me. She is not Ansley, plain and simple. We walk into her house, with her leading us to the kitchen.

“Pick your poison; we have beer, wine, and a ton of liquor.” She is talking while opening the fridge and the cupboard above it.

“Poison, huh?” I ask, chuckling at her.

“Oh, you know what I mean,” she giggles back.

“Ok, how about a beer.”

She pulls out two beers, handing me one of them. She starts slowly removing the sweater she’s been wearing all night. This causes me to do a double take! She’s wearing a see through, silk black tank top, which shows me that she is also wearing a black-laced bra.
Really . . . now why’d she have to go and do that?

“Cooper, I was thinking that maybe we could have a do over?” She is moving closer and closer to me; clearly she knows what she’s doing, too.

“Ok, I’m only going to say this once, so please listen . . . if this happens, then it’s a onetime deal. My life is crazy right now, so take it or leave it, but please decide before you rub up against me again.”

All she got out of her mouth was, “I’m . . .”as she started to nod her head, before I have her up against the counter. Lifting her up by her ass, I sit her down, right on the edge of the granite. She starts pulling my shirt over my head, causing me to pull away from our kiss. Suddenly it’s like reality hits me in the face, causing me to shake my head back and forth. This isn’t what I want. This time, it’s me that stops what is about to happen.

Ansley

I’M STILL TRYING TO FIGURE
out what the hell happened at Ryan’s house a few weeks ago. Seeing Coop, for the first time in years just about threw me for a loop, a loop I was not prepared for. The feelings I’ve tried to tuck deep in my heart came rushing to the top of it, and I can’t seem to get the picture of his face out of my mind. Cooper and I haven’t really discussed anything in detail, yet. I know it’s important for us to do so soon, so we can truly move forward with whatever may or may not be going on with us.

I sit on the couch looking at my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, trying to catch up on what everyone is doing. Cara posted pictures of her at the beach with some friends, she looks good. I miss her terribly and need to give her a call soon.

Thomas Rhett’s album is coming through the Bose speakers we have set up next to the T.V. Kenna comes over and jumps on the couch next to me. She starts singing his song,
Call Me Up,
to me.
“Whatcha doing sitting at home all alone, girl? I’m free tonight, just sayin.’”
She continues for a good a minute or two before we both get to laughing so hard the tears start.

“Selfie?” she asks, holding up her phone.

“Duh, of course.” She leans in close and snaps a dozen pictures of us in different poses.

“When does your sister come in?”

“She should be here later today. What about your mom?”

“She’s flying in tomorrow around six. She has to work the three to eleven shift today, so she booked her flight for first thing in the morning.”

“How long is she staying for?”

“Until the twenty sixth; she has to get back for work bright and early on the twenty seventh.”

“Why isn’t she staying any longer?”

“Cause babies don’t stop coming,” I say, laughing.

She is laughing too, then she tells me her sister is staying for four days. Her sister has only been here one other time, but seemed pretty cool. I’m looking forward to having the company around.

Maddie took a flight home yesterday, so she won’t be back here until December thirtieth. We all have to attend a party that the director of Supercross is throwing on New Year’s Eve. After the first of the year, our schedules are all going to be crazy; it all starts on January second, when we do our first photo shoot for the upcoming racing season.

KENNA, JOSIE, HER SISTER
and myself, all get up early today to head to the mall. It’s Christmas Eve and I want to get a couple more things for the girls, my mom and well, my two best friends that I really haven’t shopped for in the last couple of years. Kenna and I weren’t expecting the bonus we got in the mail yesterday. Because of it, I am buying the new black thigh high boots I have been eyeing for the last month as well; until now I couldn’t justify buying myself something before Christmas. Maddie is thrilled when we call her; she says she will be sure to spend hers the minute she returns, and I have no doubt she’ll do just that.

“Ok, you two better spill it about the guys you all have to work with.” Kenna’s sister just turned nineteen but grew up with Kenna’s father and stepmother. Josie is actually her half-sister. If fact, they’ve really only been sisters for about five and a half years.

“Haha, wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Hey, I had to beg Mom and Dad for me to come here, so you, my favorite sister, better give me some details about all these hot riders.”

“First, I am your only sister and second, Dad and your mom went to Hawaii for the holidays, which means you tag along with them or you come here.” Kenna gives Josie a little shove to her shoulder.

“Oh, Josie, you’d love some of the riders that we have to work with at times.”

“Shut up, Ansley, she will never leave if you tell her that.”

We continue talking about the races and riders throughout the whole day. Pulling into our driveway, my phone beeps. After putting the car in park, I grab my phone out of my purse. It’s a three way conversation with Ryan and Coop.

Ryan
—Hey, what are you doing?

Me
—Who, me?

Coop
—Well, it can’t be me, I’m sitting right next to him. Lol

Me
—Then why are we in a three way conversation? Lmao

Ryan
—Because we can.

Coop
—You should’ve come home, it would have been just like old times with us all here.

Me
—My mom wanted to come here this year, plus I think it’s going to be fun showing her around a bit before she heads back.

Ryan
—Have fun, girl.

Coop
—Yeah, enjoy the time with your mom.

Me—
I will but I have to get going. Miss you both.

Coop—
Have a good night Ansley. We miss you too.

Ryan—
We will, night.

WE GET BACK FROM
the airport Christmas Eve night around seven thirty after picking up my mom. We spend most of the night sitting on the couch talking. She is telling me about her job and how busy it is since a couple of the nurses have changed departments. She’s been working crazy hours, though the money’s been great, she’s getting burnt out. Having a few days to relax and visit is going to be nice. She is seeing a guy that works at the hospital as a physician’s assistant; he seems like he treats her right, based on what she tells me. I’m happy for her and she deserves nothing but the best after all she’s been through.

“So, have you talked to Coop?”

“Not about the kiss but we have spoken about other things and he texts quite often.”

“You know you’ll have to have that conversation soon or it’s going to linger over the both of you every time you’re around each other.”

“Ugh, Mom I hate it when you’re right.” I smile at her, as she hugs me.

“You’re scared to admit your feelings. Maybe it’s time to share them with the one that they are intended for. You’ve spent too much time denying them.”

“I don’t know anymore. Cooper doesn’t seem to have changed at all. What I witnessed at Ryan’s told me what I needed to know.”

“Sometimes people do things they don’t mean or do things they normally wouldn’t do in different circumstances. That is possibly what’s going on with Cooper. He’s a good guy, Ansley, you know that about him.”

“I do, Mom. Ugh, I don’t know what to do anymore. One part of me wants to go to him and lay it all on the line. Then, there is a part that wants to sit back to see how long it takes him to come to me and admit his own feelings.”