Nicole Edwards - Chasing Dreams

Cooper tipped an eyebrow, looking sideways at Marcus. Well, at least that confirmed his suspicion. The man didn’t listen to a single thing he told him. Ever. Not to mention he was a liar. If the paparazzi had found him, then Marcus knew exactly what was going on in Cooper’s life. So, for him to pretend he didn’t know Cooper had officially moved, seriously pissed him off.

“I’m quite content right here,” Cooper mumbled, hoping he sounded more disinterested than pissed off.

“Look, man,” Marcus began as he leaned in close. “I’ve lined up someone that you can talk to. They’ll be real discreet, and we can get you some help.”

“Some help?” Cooper asked incredulously, knocking his beer hard enough that it sloshed out of the glass mug and onto the bar top. Forcing himself to his feet, he peered down at Marcus.

Marcus looked around, his eyes scanning the area around Cooper quickly. “Man, keep it down. You don’t want these people knowing your business, do you?”

“These people are my business,” Cooper retorted. “I’m not sure what the hell you do when I talk, but listening clearly ain’t it.”

“Come on, Coop. You’re gonna have to stop doing this,” Marcus said quietly, and Cooper’s back straightened.

He seriously wasn’t bringing that up, was he?

Fuck.

Not wanting Tessa to get an earful of conversation that he knew she wouldn’t understand, Cooper nodded his head and motioned for Marcus to follow him. They’d take this outside. At least then he wouldn’t have to worry about everyone knowing his business.

Once they were outside, Cooper moved around to the side of the building, avoiding the few people who were wandering in from the parking lot. Being a Thursday, the bar wasn’t as packed as the weekend, but he knew they would keep coming right up until around eleven.

“You really need to go,” Cooper told Marcus when they were out of earshot of anyone else. “I’m not leaving.”

“You sure about that?” Marcus asked, his eyes narrowing on Cooper’s face. The threat was there, he could feel it. Every time they had a disagreement, which was anytime Marcus felt he wasn’t getting his way, they would go toe to toe.

“I’m sure,” Cooper growled, making sure Marcus could hear the fury in his tone. He was done letting Marcus threaten him.

“How about this,” Marcus said haughtily, jerking his suit jacket straight as he stared back at Cooper. “I’m going to give you one last night to enjoy yourself. You do what you have to do, but tomorrow I’ll be right back here. You’ll meet me here with your shit, and we’re heading back to Nashville. I’m done playing games with you, Cooper.”

Although every muscle in his body tensed, his hands curling into fists and his legs beginning to sway beneath him, Cooper managed not to hit the guy. He was so fucking tired of Marcus and the way he was treated. Shit, if it weren’t for Cooper, Marcus Evergreen wouldn’t have shit. And the highhanded approach had never been warranted. It was just the way Marcus was.

Nodding his head, agreeing that Marcus was leaving and nothing more – although Marcus had no way of knowing that – Cooper waited until his manager offered up that smug grin once again.

He didn’t mind that Marcus believed he had won this round. There wasn’t a damn thing Marcus could do to Cooper to hurt him. It was just time for Cooper to accept the fact that he held all the power and this business arrangement was about to come to a very abrupt halt.

Just not tonight.

When two o’clock finally rolled around, Tessa was ready to sneak out the back door and let Eric close up himself. Since she had efficiently evaded Cooper for the last few hours, she figured the least she could do was skip out on an argument.

There would most definitely be an argument.

He had dismissed her like she didn’t matter.

And he’d hurt her feelings.

Not only that, but once he had come back inside – without Marcus, thank goodness – he hadn’t paid any attention to her at all. His escape was in the form of the stage where he spent most of the night singing, not even interacting with the crowd much like he normally did.

So maybe he was in a bad mood. Still, Tessa felt she deserved more than the easy shrug off that she’d gotten when he felt she was eavesdropping on his conversation. And what could they have talked about that he didn’t want her to hear?

That had bothered her most of the night too. He was still a mystery to her. Getting to know him had been a slow moving train when compared to how quickly their lust had caught fire.

Glancing over at Eric, Tessa contemplated sneaking out as originally planned, but before she could, Cooper walked up.

“I want to talk to you before you leave,” he told her and then he headed back to the stage.

Knowing she wasn’t going to get away that easily, she resigned herself to her closing duties, and half an hour later she was finishing up.

“Need anything more from me?” Eric asked from the other side of the bar.

“No, I’m just about done here too.”

“Awesome. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Hey, would you lock the front door on your way out?” Cooper called from his perch on the stage.

What the hell was he doing? From where she stood it looked like he was tuning his guitar.

“Sure thing,” Eric yelled from the opposite side of the room as he left.

When Eric’s car roared out of the parking lot a few minutes later, Tessa knew she was stuck having to deal with Cooper before she went home. Part of her wanted to know what he and Marcus had talked about, and why he seemed so moody all of a sudden. The other part wanted to rip him a new one for treating her so callously when Marcus had been there.

“Where’re you going?” Cooper asked as she tried to make a hasty retreat to the bathroom.

“The restroom. What? Do you want to hold my hand?” she snipped. She needed a couple of minutes to gain some of her composure, and then she’d be better equipped to deal with whatever he had to say.

She had a feeling he was getting ready to let her down easy.

Thankfully, Cooper didn’t say anything more, and she disappeared down the dark, narrow hallway heading straight for the bathroom. The first measure of business was to splash cold water on her face. She could do this. She could.

“If he’s going back to Nashville then that’s what was meant to be,” she told her reflection.

She spent a few minutes righting her clothes, making sure she looked more at ease than she felt. Frowning at her choice of outfit, Tessa fixed the sagging shoulder of her lightweight sweater. She’d actually dressed up tonight. Well, dressed up for her anyway. Her blue jean skirt and off the shoulder olive green sweater had made her feel pretty when she first put it on. The boots on her feet had made her feel normal.

Yet now, knowing that Cooper was waiting for her, she felt significantly underdressed. It would’ve been easier to face him if she had on her jeans and a t-shirt.

But, there was nothing she could do about that now.

Taking a deep breath, Tessa flung open the door and shrieked when she ran right into Cooper’s chest, face first.

“What the –”

Before she could finish the sentence, Cooper had her slammed up against the wall, his steel hard thigh inserted between her legs pushing her skirt up high. The brutal way his tongue lashed into her mouth had Tessa responding with all of the frustration she had built up over the course of the night. Only her fury matched his, equally fervent, masking itself with the passion that burned bright and hot between them.

Tessa was torn between yelling at him for hurting her the way he did and pulling him closer, trying to wrap herself around him like a blanket. The hallway echoed with their combined groans and moans, the sound of their harsh breaths reverberating in the limited space.

“I need you, Tessa. Right here,” Cooper groaned when his lips released hers, their breaths mingling as they sucked in oxygen.

Was he asking for permission? Would she give it?

“You don’t deserve me,” she countered, her irritation with the situation resurfacing, a vivid reminder of how he had brushed her off like she didn’t mean a thing to him.

“You’re right, I don’t. I won’t argue. It doesn’t change how I feel,” he said, his finger curling beneath her chin and forcing her head back so she couldn’t look away. His eyes were hidden by the shadow from the brim of his hat and Tessa wished she had her hat on. At least she could hide some part of what she was feeling. Even in the dim light of the hallway, she felt entirely too exposed.

“You blew me off,” she bit out. “You acted like I didn’t matter.”

Cooper let go of her chin, planting his hands against the wall on each side of her head, his unyielding thigh still lodged between hers, making her painfully aware of the arousal slowly gaining momentum.

“You heard the way Marcus talks to me, Tessa. He treats me like a dog that’s supposed to heel at his feet, and I’m the one who makes him the fucking money. How do you think he treats people who don’t mean a damn thing to him? I wasn’t about to let him talk to you like that.”

Well, when he put it that way... It did kind of make sense.

“You could’ve told me. I deserved that much.”

“Yes. You did. He just makes me so fucking mad.” The heat emanating off of Cooper wasn’t all from his animosity toward Marcus. He was still fuming, his anger bubbling out of control, but there was an underlying hunger.

Tessa wanted to be his release. Letting her own outrage at the way Marcus treated Cooper consume her, she gripped his head, dislodging his hat as she pulled his face down to hers. Crushing her mouth to his, she pushed him, his body slamming into the opposite wall. They didn’t come up for air as the passion ignited like a firestorm in that narrow hallway as they all but devoured one another.

The next thing Tessa knew, she was ripping open his belt buckle and yanking the button free on Cooper’s jeans. Pulling his cock free, she stroked him firmly with her hands as she pushed against him, trying to get closer. Cooper had different plans because Tessa found herself back against the opposite wall, his cock slipping from her hands when he grabbed her wrists, lifting them high above her head.

“Don’t move,” he warned, the gleam in his eyes barely visible in the shadows. The grip he had on her wrist wasn’t painful, but the position he put her in made her body burn that much hotter. She was helpless beneath his strength, and although she knew he wouldn’t hurt her, – she didn’t know how she knew, but she did – Tessa wanted him to continue.

Cooper’s rough palm slid beneath her sweater, scraping against her bare belly as he moved upward, shoving her bra out of the way until her right breast was freed. Only a second passed as the cool air brushed over her skin before the fiery heat of his mouth was on her. He sucked her nipple into his mouth, making her cry out as a bolt of pleasure/pain shot through her. When he nipped her with his teeth, her pussy clenched painfully tight, her clit pulsing with a need so fierce, she thought her legs might give out on her.

Then his hand was gone from her breast, but before she could inhale he was shoving her skirt up higher on her hips, his fingers eagerly shifting her panties to the side before she felt the sinful rasp of his finger through her slickness.

“Fuck me,” he breathed against her ear. “You’re wet, darlin’.”

Just a little bit.

“Don’t tease me, cowboy.” Tessa was hanging by a thread, and if he wasn’t careful, she was going to explode on impact.

“Or what?” he growled.

Cooper’s finger thrust inside of her, and Tessa gasped, her pussy clamping onto the intrusion, her body instinctively working to increase the friction.

“That’s it, baby. Fuck my finger. Just like you’re going to fuck my cock.”

Tessa knew she shouldn’t like the vulgar words, but she did. She wanted him to tell her all of the lewd things he was going to do to her while he did them. But she couldn’t think clearly with his finger penetrating her, curling inside of her at the perfect angle…

“Oh, God!” she screamed when his thumb pressed against her clit, forcefully grinding the swollen bundle of nerves.

Just when she was riding the high of the release that was building, Cooper’s hand disappeared.

“You –” She was just about to call him a bastard when his grip on her wrists tightened.