Return to Delight Regina Carlysle
Harley June Baker left Delight thinking never to return, but when circumstances draw her back to this tiny town and straight into Cooper’s strong arms, she knows she’s in deep trouble. The man she’d loved and left behind is now one sexy devil-in-denim and hotter than a Texas summer night. With his every wicked touch throwing her senses into overdrive, how could any sane woman resist? Cooper Dobbs is a man on a mission. He let Harley get away once, but never again. Knowing it’s time to burn up some sheets with the delectable woman, Cooper plies her with a raw, savage passion that threatens to incinerate them both. It’s gonna take plenty of panty-drenching sex and a fair amount of sweet-talkin’ to make Harley his, but Cooper reckons he’s up to the challenge.
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
www.ellorascave.com
Return to Delight ISBN 9781419933837 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Return to Delight Copyright © 2011 Regina Carlysle Edited by Helen Woodall Cover art by Syneca Electronic book publication March 2011 The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
RETURN TO DELIGHT Regina Carlysle
Dedication This one is for us, the fabulous Sassy Seven. So to Desiree Holt, Allie Standifer, Nicole Austin, Samantha Cayto, Brenna Zinn and Cerise Deland, here’s to starry Texas skies, late-night laughter and copious amounts of chocolate wine. You make my heart smile.
Trademarks Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Boy Scouts: The National Boy Scouts of America Mazda: Mazda Motor Corp.
Regina Carlysle
Chapter One Harley June Baker tightened her grip on the steering wheel of her candy-apple red Mazda Miata and pressed a booted foot on the accelerator as she swept past the powder blue sign that read Welcome to Delight! Serving up miles of smiles deep in the heart of Texas! Yeah, right. She did the whole mental eye roll thing. All the town of Delight ever served up was a healthy dose of boredom. Around these parts, the citizens of this tiny Hill Country town called the place Dee-light with a heavy emphasis on the “e” but as a starry-eyed teenager with a thirst for excitement and adventure, all she’d really wanted was to get the hell out. Back then the place was one dead-end road to nowhere but now she wasn’t so sure. Childhood memories rolled slowly over her threatening to take her under. The blast of nostalgia hit her, quite unexpectedly, and she blinked back tears as she thought of her mom and how much she missed her. Deborah had died a few months ago leaving Harley June a million good memories along with an aging Victorian that had been in the family for countless generations. For as long as she could remember it had just been her and Mom. She didn’t know her dad. He’d hung around long enough to name her after his favorite motorcycle and then one day, he’d gotten on it and driven away never to return. What a shithead! Her mom had been a wonderful woman but he’d been too young and stupid to see that. She and Mom had done okay though. When she reached adulthood, she realized that not only did she look like Mom but that she’d inherited a sassy streak of independence and a hard-work ethic that was pure Deb Baker. Harley stopped at a red light in the center of Main and flipped on her right turn signal. Leaving Mom a dozen years ago to chase her dreams had been one of the 6
Return to Delight
hardest things she’d ever done. She turned at the First Methodist Church and drove the three blocks to Austin Road. Her hands began to tremble and tears filled her eyes when she took in the long, tree-lined street with its neatly paved sidewalks. When she was little, she’d mastered bike riding and in-line skates on those concrete paths. In the distance she spotted the big Victorian that had been in her family for generations. She shouldn’t sell it! She should keep it and see if she could make a different kind of life for herself in this small town that held her childhood memories. “No! I can’t stay. There’s nothing for me here,” she argued aloud. Then her eyes narrowed as she saw the shiny black bad-boy truck parked in front of the house. Next to the vehicle sat a giant-sized toolbox and several cans of paint. Harley June pulled up behind the truck and turned off the ignition. She’d hired Connelly Brothers Construction to do an eensy face-lift on the house to make it more attractive to potential buyers. Obviously they’d followed her instructions and had sent someone over to begin work. She had emailed several days ago telling them she’d be in town and it was good to see they’d gotten a start on things. Grabbing her purse from the passenger seat, she stepped out and walked to the sidewalk, stopping to take in the wide, old-fashioned veranda with its large round pillars and the high gables of the roofline. Someone had repainted the double front doors a dark charcoal and had planted bold, red geraniums in the iron urns flanking the entrance. Why? It was beyond strange considering she was selling. Yes, they were lovely but who would do such a thing? Frowning a little, she advanced, her boot heels knocking smartly on the front walkway. As she headed up the wide steps to the porch, she stopped then caught her breath and held it. Nostalgia mixed with bittersweet longing curled tightly in her chest as Cooper Dobbs stood there looking at her through a pair of heavily lashed smokycolored eyes. Bare-chested and holding a well-used paintbrush, he grinned broadly. A
7
Regina Carlysle
pair of dimples dipped into his bronzed cheeks and his blacker-than-night hair was mussed as if he’d repeatedly raked his fingers through it. A portion of that sexy black stuff drooped over his forehead. His eyes crinkled at the corners as he dropped the paintbrush onto a broad swath of canvas on the floor of the porch. “Well, hey Harley June! It’s about damn time you came home,” he drawled as he reached into a back pocket to grab a crumpled blue bandanna. He wiped futilely at the pale gray paint smears on his deliciously mounded chest and dragged it over a set of washboard abs. Was there drool on her chin? Harley managed to close her mouth and when Coop tucked the bandanna back in his pocket she regained her common sense and grinned back at him. Memories swam to the surface of her brain and when he stepped clear of the drop cloth and onto the freshly painted plank floor, he held out his arms. “Come ’ere, Harley. Let me welcome you home nice and proper.” With a gasp, she dropped her purse and rushed toward him with a whoop. The practical side of her brain screamed at her to stop but the young girl who’d once loved the boy, now a man, told her brain to shut the hell up. Joy, pure and sweet, filled her up as she dashed headlong toward him. He lifted her high and tucked his arm beneath her ass as she wound her legs around his hips. Clinging like a spider monkey, she rained kisses on his face, laughing with him and holding him close. Her denim skirt was too short for this bit of business but who cared? Cooper was here and holding her in his arms! “What are you doing here, Coop? Oh my God! I can’t believe you’re here! Why aren’t you at the ranch?” Cooper laughed and slid his hand over her denim-clad ass. She jerked at the delicious feel of his warm palm cupping her there. Sucking in a breath, she unwound her legs and slid down the front of his long, rangy body trying for all she was worth to ignore the way her pussy rubbed along the long, hard ridge hiding behind the fly of his
8
Return to Delight
butter-soft jeans. Lust balled up tightly in her belly but she forced herself to step back. Harley looked up into his smiling face. Her heart tightened then thumped hard. “So many questions. Maybe if you didn’t stay away from Delight so much you’d know the answers.” His eyes darkened and the smile faded from his gorgeous face. “Sorry about your mom, Harley. She was a fine woman and so proud of you and what you’ve done with your life.” Tears burned behind her eyes but she smiled. “I miss her every day.” She looked around at the coat of fresh pale gray paint on the old house and sighed. “It’s breaking my heart to sell this place. So many memories.” Harley glanced at him again. “You still haven’t answered my question, Coop. What are you doing here?” “You’d have no way of knowing but I just bought Tom Connelly out so Connelly Construction is officially a Cooper Dobbs enterprise now. Ranching was never in my blood anyway. Not like it is with big brother Ransom. I like building things and I’m pretty damn good at it. I still help out at the Double D from time to time.” He shrugged. “Paperwork on the company just went through a few days ago and you were on the list of pending projects. So here I am to spruce the place up for you.” Well now. That surely explained why he was here. Odd how disappointed she was that he wasn’t here simply to see her. What did she expect anyway? That he’d been longing for her, aching for her all these years? Silly. Silly, silly Harley. With those thoughts swimming through her mind and before she could question him further, he smiled. “Why don’t you go on in and get settled. I’ll get your bags.” Harley didn’t argue. The drive from Houston had been long and the interstate packed with traffic. She picked up her purse, fished for the keys and tossed them to Coop. As he took off across the yard, she went inside. Instantly the scent of her mom’s favorite potpourri hit her senses, lingering in the air and bringing with it a wealth of memories. Everything was just as she’d left it when she’d walked out of here for the last time months ago but someone had definitely cleaned the place. Why? 9
Regina Carlysle
Furniture coverings had been removed and the hardwood floors shone and smelled of lemon wax. Emotion swamped her and when the front door opened, she froze in the center of the living room and turned to see Cooper watching her solemnly. He set her bag by the front door and paused for a miniscule moment before stalking toward her. Harley barely had time to draw a breath before he grabbed a fistful of her hair and gently drew her head back. She stared into smoldering pools of smoky gray. The smile he’d worn earlier was gone, replaced by a tautness she hadn’t seen before. Gone was the boy she’d known and loved all those years ago. Now he was a man and if she wasn’t seriously mistaken he was about to…kiss her. His mouth settled on hers with the determination, the hunger of a man who knew his way around a woman and he took the tasting slowly at first, as if to test her before sending his tongue deep into her mouth. Harley made a small sound before he drank it down, sipping at her as if she were a cool drink after days in the desert. Hungry. He ate at her mouth as she sank into him and his answering groan vibrated through her like a clap of thunder. Coop slid a hand from the dip in her waist, over her ribs, finally stopping near her breast. Her nipple tightened in anticipation as he slid his thumb teasingly over the side but went no further. Instant desire rose up to carry her under. Her panties were drenched and a low throb set up in her pussy. Her legs trembled with the force of her reaction to this powerful man. Finally he broke the kiss and spoke against her lips. “Had to see if you tasted as good as I remembered.” “And do I?” she whispered. His eyes crinkled and she noted the fine, pale lines at the corners. He was a man who lived and worked in the sun and those signs that he was a fully grown, darkly handsome man were evident on his face. He smiled faintly. “Better. You taste like a woman, Harley June. A beautiful, sexy woman.” He stepped back and sent his eyes on a lingering foray down her body stopping for a single hot moment at her hips and then her breasts before focusing on her face. “Like the boots.”
10
Return to Delight
Harley stepped back and glanced down at the neat little cowboy boots she’d designed herself. They were dark blue, full-quill ostrich featuring a lone wolf howling at a silver moon. She grinned. “What? These old things? Thanks. Designed them myself.” “You’re good but then, I pretty much figured you for a woman who did a lot of things well. You were always full of surprises, even back when we were in high school. I hear you’re really a hot commodity in the boot designing business. A real class act.” “I like to think so.” When had her heart started to thump so hard? Oh yeah, when he planted that hungry liplock on her! The man was two hundred pounds of sex on the hoof standing here looking like he’d stepped from a calendar featuring ruggedly handsome Texas cowboys. “Um. Enough about me. What have you been doing with yourself, Cooper?” Suddenly, he looked down at himself as if just realizing he wore a fine dusting of paint speckles. He shook his head. “Mind if I clean up a bit? Then we’ll talk. As long as you want. I took the liberty of stocking a few groceries in the kitchen and picked up some things at the deli since I knew you were coming in today.” “That’s so nice, Cooper. You didn’t have to do that.” His voice went dark. “Yeah, I did.” “But why?” He shook his head. “Later. Let me clean up, Harley and then we’ll get reacquainted.” And as if he knew every nook and cranny of the place and claimed it as his own, he walked into her mom’s old bedroom and seconds later, she heard water running in the sink. What the hell was going on and why was she suddenly entertaining the idea of staying?
11
Regina Carlysle
Cooper splashed water on his face then braced both arms on the girly pedestal sink. Leaning in he stared at his reflection. He was moving too fast. Way too fast for a woman like Harley. Cursing the need that raged like a flashfire through his veins, he recalled the way her curvy body filled out that tiny, form-fitting tee shirt and the way her long legs felt wrapped around his hips. Harley June had been a firecracker back in high school and nothing about that had changed except that along with the spirit that shone in her wide brown eyes was a maturity and intelligence that he found so damn hot he’d wanted to ruck up that sweet little skirt and plant his cock deep in her body until she was screaming his name. The last time he’d seen her, she had been at her mom’s funeral and it hadn’t been the time for catching up but, hell, this was a small town and he already knew she was a star boot designer for Lefflin Brothers Boots. Based in Houston, the company had been on the forefront of custom cowboy boot-making for over a hundred years and their boots warmed the toes of Hollywood movie stars, heads of state, and the average working cowboy alike. An institution. Harley was a rising star in the company and known for designing boots that were works of art. She was in high demand. He was so damn proud of her. He shouldn’t be considering messing with her head but, damn it, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking of her since seeing her at the cemetery, wrapped in grief and destroyed over the loss of her mom. Of all the women he’d known in his life, and he’d known plenty, Harley was the only female whose heart he’d truly wanted to possess. Hell, they’d only been kids and crazy wild for each other but they’d each gone their separate ways as young lovers often do. Still, she was the one person he’d never completely exorcized from his system. It only seemed right now that they were both free to see if there was anything left of that old spark. Reaching for a clean towel, he dragged it over his face and his chest then headed for the kitchen. The sounds and scents of coffee brewing filled the old-fashioned kitchen. Harley stood by the window near the sink propped on her elbows, her booted feet
12
Return to Delight
crossed and her fine ass poked out just a bit. Late afternoon sunlight caught and held in the dark brown strands of her thick, wavy hair. When he came farther into the room, she looked over her shoulder and smiled. For just an instant, he longed to trace the faint path of freckles that crossed the bridge of her cute, little nose. “You clean up good, cowboy,” she murmured before standing to give him a slow up and down look-see, then cocked her head. “I made coffee but maybe you’d prefer something else? Looks like some kind soul stocked the fridge with all kinds of goodies, including a six-pack of long-necks.” He beat her to the door of the white refrigerator and opened it to grab two of the long-necks in question. Grinning, he twisted off the caps and passed one over. “A toast?” She shrugged and flashed those pearly whites. “Sure. What are we toasting, Coop?” He moved closer, purposely invading her space. “How about we toast to your homecoming?” “Uh-uh. This isn’t permanent. Just a visit. So this can’t count as a homecoming.” She cocked her head and placed the mouth of the cold bottle against her bottom lip for just a second. A sexy, bawdy smile tilted her lips. “Why don’t we toast how damn good you’ve filled out, Coop?” He laughed, advancing until she was backed against the nearest countertop. “Um. I’m thinking that goes both ways, honey.” He settled his gaze on her pretty breasts and noted they rose and fell a little faster now. Was he getting to her? He damn sure hoped so. “You look like a woman now.” Harley rolled her eyes and shook her head making her silky hair bounce around her shoulders. “Maybe ’cause I am a woman now. Surely you can do better than that.” “You don’t know how much better, darlin’.” He grabbed her around the waist and lifted, ignoring her little girly squeak, and settled her fine ass on the counter. “Tell ya what, we’ll just toast to old friends.” “We were always more than just friends, Coop,” she said quietly. 13
Regina Carlysle
“That we were.” Forgetting the game, she set the untasted beer aside and looked away. “Heard you got divorced. I’m sorry.” Cooper took a drink of his beer and set it alongside hers on the counter. He didn’t like to talk about the colossal failure that was his marriage. Fact was, for years he’d wanted an exact replica of Harley June but no one had quite measured up and in the end, he’d gone and messed up some poor woman’s life. Bad of him but it was the past now. He took her chin and turned her face to his once more. “Don’t be.” He pressed his lips to hers quickly then sent his fingers into her hair. So soft. She smelled like something classy and utterly sexy. Good enough to eat. He shook his head. “I think we both knew a few months into the thing that it wasn’t going to work. She hated it here and let me know at every turn. That’s what happens when you try to change someone. I wanted to change her from a city girl to a country girl. Bad mistake on my part. Heard you got engaged.” Her pretty eyes darkened slightly. “And unengaged. It didn’t last long.” Taking a huge risk, Cooper settled his hands on her knees and spread them open allowing him to move in nice and tight. Ignoring her sudden, indrawn breath, he cupped her cheek. Sending his thumb across Harley’s high, beautifully curved cheekbone, he focused in on her kissable lips. “I heard. His loss. My gain. If he hurt you, you tell me, okay? I’ll head down to Houston and kick his ass.” “My hero.” Her lips quivered but she turned them into a faint smile. “I’d like to be.” Harley reached out and traced his bottom lip with the tip of her finger and Cooper swore he felt the impact of that touch all the way to his cock. His erection went hard and full, pressing tightly behind the fly of his jeans. “What are you doing, Cooper? Why are you saying these things?” Just the sound of her voice threatened to bring him to his knees. He swallowed, mentally debated with himself then did what was most true to his nature. He dived 14
Return to Delight
right in. “Haven’t you figured it out yet, Harley June? I’m trying to seduce you. Is it working?” She went utterly still and Cooper thought maybe he’d blown it by moving too fast but then she smiled. “Yeah. You know, cowboy, I think it is.” “Ah, honey. That’s just what I wanted to hear.” And then he once again did what he’d longed to do for more than a dozen years. That first little peck was nothing compared to what he had planned now. He threaded his fingers through her hair and set his lips on hers. He was already on fire and wasn’t about to stop until she was burning too.
15
Regina Carlysle
Chapter Two The first touch of his lips brought with them an avalanche of memories but the fumbling backseat caresses and the inexperienced touches of young lovers suddenly merged with far more adult feelings. Cooper’s mouth was made for sin. Full and beautifully formed, his lips swept hers seconds before his teeth nipped with tender persuasion. He moved closer between her outspread thighs, his arms going around her to pull her close enough to feel the brush of his bare chest against her breasts. A slow sigh drifted from her mouth to his. He drank it down then deepened the kiss sweeping his tongue inside to taste her more fully. Harley’s toes curled inside her colorful cowboy boots. Needing more, something deeper, she looped her arms around his neck and pressed her tingling nipples against the firm mounds of his chest. They pulled tightly, pulsing in tandem with her heartbeat, and aching for his touch. Cooper broke the kiss and fisted his hands in her hair. As she gasped for breath she was an eensy bit pleased to see he was struggling, too. “You taste so fine, Harley,” he whispered. His lips brushed hers gently, repeatedly, featherlight touches that had her gasping. “Coop. What are we—” Suddenly the doorbell rang followed by a female voice hollering out. “Harrrrrrley? Harrrrrley June? It’s Thelma Raymond from next door, honey.” Cooper stepped back and grabbed her around the waist to set her on her feet. “We’re not finished, darlin’. Not by a long shot,” he breathed against her ear, moving in for emphasis. She shivered violently then called out to her mother’s old friend. “In here, Miz Raymond!” 16
Return to Delight
Thelma, all of five feet nothing, stormed through the kitchen doorway. Her salt and pepper hair, heavy on the salt, looked like she’d just treated herself to a little back-comb at the Cut and Curl. The heavily sprayed ‘do resembled a football helmet. A pair of green plastic armadillos dangled from her earlobes. She clutched a foil-covered pan in her pudgy fingers, smiling brightly. “Harley June, as I live and breathe. Honey, it’s so good to see you again and when I saw that cute little car parked out front, I just knew you were back where you belong.” Thelma had always made herself right at home so Harley wasn’t surprised when she marched to the fridge and set the pan inside. Harley opened her mouth to speak but never got a chance, when Thelma grabbed her close, squeezed tightly then pounded her back a few times for good measure. “Oh lordy, girl, I miss your mama. I surely do.” “Me, too,” she said, hugging back. “It’s good to see you.” The older woman grinned broadly and stepped back to give her a quick up and down look. “You look great, honey. Couldn’t resist bringing a little something for your dinner. This is a homecoming after all.” Harley bit her lip to keep her smile in check. This wasn’t the first time today her arrival had been called a homecoming. Thelma laughed and gave Coop a bawdy wink. “Looks like you’re the designated welcome wagon, Cooper Dobbs. Hm. This is interesting for sure. The two of you together again just as if it was always meant to be.” Harley’s face burned but Cooper surprised her by wrapping his arm around her waist to drag her against his side. “What’s in the pan, Miz Raymond?” Thelma reddened slightly. “Aw, nothin’ much. I fixed pot roast and have way too much for just me and the Mister. Still can’t get used to cookin’ for two after the big family I raised. How’s T doing? Still making movies?” Harley hadn’t seen Cooper’s younger brother Heywood T, known to everyone as T, for many years and she’d wondered too.
17
Regina Carlysle
“Yeah, but I think he’s getting tired of all that fast living. I’ve been trying to talk him into coming back to the ranch. A stunt he did not long ago messed his knee up a bit. It’s not a healthy profession he picked for himself but then he always was a little audacious.” “A stunt man!” Thelma shook her head. “Just imagine that.” Cooper laughed. “He’s regular wild man these days but I figure he’ll come back to the ranch before city life goes to his head. Ranching is in his blood after all.” “Ain’t it just,” Thelma said with a well-known dramatic flair. “And those movie star types are so wild.” She emphasized wild with a little shiver. “That they are, ma’am.” Cooper looked down at her. She was tucked up nice and tight beneath his shoulder. “I’d better run back to the house to clean up a bit, darlin’. I’ll be back in a couple of hours and we’ll have some of Thelma’s good pot roast. How does that sound?” Harley swallowed and looked up at him, feeling more comfortable in his company by the moment. Uh-oh. Not a good thing. If she wasn’t careful, he’d worm his way under her skin and she’d think twice about heading back to Houston and her fabulous job. She’d start thinking instead of the delicious way he kissed her and about how very much she’d love to mess up some sheets with him. She’d start thinking about how lonely the years had been without him. Oh boy! “Um. Okay.” His grin almost blinded her. “Good,” he said, leaning a bit to kiss her forehead. “I’ll see you in a bit.” With that he walked toward the door and headed out. Thelma turned with a naughty smile. “That boy fills out a pair of jeans mighty good, doesn’t he?” “I have to agree, Thelma.” Boy oh boy, did he ever. She cleared her throat and tried not to think about the long, muscular length of his bare back as he walked away or
18
Return to Delight
about what he’d said and she’d said and the way his lips had felt as they gently devoured her own. Wow. She was in big trouble. Dragging her mind back to the present, she mustered up a smile. “Coffee’s ready. How about a cup?” Harley held up her barely tasted beer. “I have beer if you prefer.” Thelma grinned and, helping herself, reached into the fridge grabbed a long-neck. After she took a seat at the kitchen table, she looked up with a wicked little grin. “Okay, now let’s talk.” Sometime later Harley sank into the bath water and let out a sigh of relief. She had always adored her neighbors growing up. Maybe it was because her father was nowhere to be found, but she’d kind of been adopted by the folks on Austin Road. Funny, once upon a time children raced up and down these sidewalks on bikes. Little boys broke windows with their baseballs and jump ropes were in full swing, as it were. These days an older crowd lived here. Most likely all those kids grew up and just like her, hadn’t been able to get out of town fast enough. Big cities had movie theaters and shopping malls, concerts and museums. Nothing much ever happened in a place like Delight. Unless you counted long, tall, hotties like Cooper Dobbs. Of the three brothers only T had seen fit to leave this little burg but Ransom, the oldest and Cooper, the middle son, had seemed happy as clams to stay right here and try to make a life. To her they’d always been like the three bears. Ransom was over the top gruff and alpha, T was a rowdy daredevil with a sexy grin and a saunter in his stride and then there was Cooper. He was just right. At least as far as she was concerned. And no, she wasn’t going to jump straight into bed with Mr. Sex on a Stick. Not tonight. Probably not ever. Her deepest desires had nothing to do with the matter. These days Harley was into self-preservation and she was damn sick of having her heart broken by the men in her life. They never stayed. The whole sad story of her life 19
Regina Carlysle
began the day her dad had left and continued on to the present. Case in point: her exfiancé, whom she now regarded as “dickhead”. Harley was only here for a short while. She was going to stick to the plan, which was to oversee house repairs, say hello to friends, and list the lovely old Victorian with a competent realtor. That was just it. Finito. Done. This little trip down memory lane wasn’t doing her a damn bit of good so she did the whole leg-shaving thing, soaped up, dried off and before she knew it, she was throwing open her suitcase in a search for something wickedly sexy to wear. Uh-huh. Yeah, she was in big trouble here. Deciding on a short, summery dress of pale blue silk and foregoing shoes, just because she was home and she could, she spritzed on the light fragrance she wore only on special occasions and stepped into the living room to wait for Cooper. Who the hell was she kidding? She was nothing but big talk or as they said in these parts, all hat and no cattle. All Cooper had to do was wiggle his little finger at her and she’d be his, flat on her back in bed and shouting fuck-me-honey to the rooftops. Pathetic. Checking the clock over the mantle, she noted the time. Cooper should be getting here any minute now and nerves set up a little party in her belly. Breathe. Breathe. She repeated the words in her mind like a mantra and forced herself to sit on the couch and just chill out for a sec. Earlier, she’d placed her sketchbook on the coffee table along with some plain old number two pencils and needing something to do with her hands before she took up the nasty habit of nail-biting, she grabbed it and settled in. Playing with boot designs was her one passion. Well, make that her secondary passion. Cooper Dobbs had always been her first. Diddling around with paper and pencil, she sketched out a pair of wedding boots that had been commissioned by a wealthy Houston oil man for his only daughter’s big day. Once Harley had her ideas down, she would do another more detailed sketch in charcoal. Lefflin Brothers Boots had filled her office with every 20
Return to Delight
kind of techie tool imaginable but she still preferred doing things the old-fashioned way and didn’t mind getting down and dirty with her work. A heavy knock on the door jarred her out of her current project. Jerking a bit, she dropped her sketchbook and pencil to the table and dragged air into her lungs. Cooper! Padding to the front door, she opened it to find the star of her most wicked fantasies standing there wearing a pair of jeans that fit his fine ass to perfection, a black pearl-snapped shirt and a sexy smile. “Hey, darlin’.” “Hey yourself, cowboy. Come on in. Man, do you ever clean up good.” He stepped through the door bringing with him the scent of a summer night carefully blended with a subtle, masculine cologne. He looked her slowly up and down. Harley shivered just a little tiny bit. “You on the other hand always look good enough to eat.” Harley laughed. “Your appetite is showing.” “The only appetite I have now is for you, darlin’ and I think you know it.” Okay. Bantering was all fine and good not to mention a hell of a lot of fun but it was time to work her way out of this dangerous territory. “Hm. Hey, you brought wine.” For the first time she noted the dark green bottle in his hand. When he handed it over, she smiled at him. “That’s nice. Thanks.” “My pleasure.” Cooper’s voice went low and heat swept over her flesh at the sound of it. “Why don’t you show me where the corkscrew is and we’ll let it do that whole breathing thing? And why did you change the subject?” She turned and gave him her best faux innocent look. “Moi? Change the subject? I can tackle just about any topic with gusto.”
21
Regina Carlysle
“That you can. You come from a long line of talkers, too, don’t you? Of course, I think Miz Thelma from next door might have you beat on that score. How long was she here anyway?” Harley led the way into the kitchen to fetch a corkscrew and put dinner in the oven to heat. After rummaging around in a drawer full of cooking utensils she located it and handed it over. “She and I had a couple of beers and she filled me in on everything that has happened in Delight for, oh, let’s see, the past ten years.” “That’s a hell of a history lesson.” “Don’t I know it. Love her to pieces though. Fun to see her again.” “I’ll tell you what’s fun. Talking with you again,” he said. Harley turned from the oven where she’d just popped in their dinner and looked at him. Steadily he approached, a suddenly serious expression on his face. “Some things never change, do they, Harley?” Lord help her. “And some things do, Cooper.” “Not this. Never has. Never will.” He caged her in against the kitchen appliance. He pressed and she felt the handle of the oven dig into her butt but that didn’t matter. All she could think of was how thin her damn dress was and how glorious it was to feel all that hard cock pressed against her pussy. She closed her eyes when his chest brushed her nipples. Harley suffered the glorious agony of experiencing them turning hard as gemstones against the satin cups of her bra. “Open your eyes.” Harley shook her head. “Uh-uh. I’ll just get in big trouble if I look at you right now.” “Fuck!” Her eyes snapped open in time to watch his smoky eyes narrow as his gaze devoured her lips. Cooper’s hand cupped the back of her neck, his thumb stroking that tender spot slowly, as if he had all the time in the world to tease her wild. And then his
22
Return to Delight
yummy lips took hers in a kiss meant to melt her bones. That initial little nip to her bottom lip was the first clue that he’d learned a whole lot about women and sexy kisses in the past dozen years but her brain didn’t want to examine that fact too closely. Then she couldn’t think at all as his tongue swept deep into her mouth to tease and stroke. Helplessly, she returned his kiss, melting against him as all those long-ago feelings, delicious and familiar rolled through her veins like the headiest wine. Hard hands roamed over her sides, heavily stroking the curve of her hip and waist before teasing insistently across her breasts. Harley’s nipples answered the call, pulsing in time to her rapidly beating heart. Then suddenly those busy fingers were there, right where she needed them. A soft cry met the heat of his wickedly stroking tongue and he swallowed it down increasing the pressure on her needy nipples with little squeezes of forefinger and thumb. “The wine,” she managed, breaking the kiss. “Forget it. Later.” Cooper insinuated his thigh between hers and pressed the hungry flesh of her pussy. Instantly her panties dampened, her inner hussy prodding her to rub like a cat against all that firm muscle. Grasping for any anchor in the storm, she clutched his shoulders. “Dinner. What about dinner?” “Late dinner. Damn it, Harley! You’re making me nuts.” Leaning past her, he flipped the switch on the oven, effectively postponing their meal and ending this dumb discussion. Yeah, it was futile, wasn’t it? Her body burned for him, ached for this connection and suddenly the years that had separated them fell away. Cooper’s lips settled against the column of her throat, sucking lightly, stringing kisses where they went and Harley dropped her head back, presenting herself like a gift that begged unwrapping. “God, Cooper.”
23
Regina Carlysle
His hands left her breasts to zip toward the hem of her short dress and she gasped at the feel of them on her bare thighs. Sliding under, teasing her crazily, he stroked the sensitive inner flesh until she squirmed. “I feel how hot you are, honey. How perfect. You’re wet for me, aren’t you?” “Yeah.” Harley breathed the word out and then gasped as his fingers slid over the drenched silk of her panties. He groaned and slipped his thumb inside to stroke her tender, aching flesh before plunging two fingers into her cunt. Crying out, she clung to him. It was all happening too fast but her body didn’t give a rip. She wanted him. Needed him. And hell yeah, she was going to take what he was offering. Shivering on the edge of coming, she focused on the feel of his pumping fingers and the way his thumb stroked her distended clit, pressing, nudging, pressing again. Sensation curled through her belly radiating outward. Good old dickhead, the ex-fiancé, had never in the years they were together done to her what Cooper could manage in the space of a scant few minutes. Shoving that pitiful thought to the back of her mind, she absorbed the fact that Cooper was the only man to ever wake up her sleepy libido. Oh yeah, it was wide, eyepoppingly awake right about now. Cooper sank his teeth lightly against the side of her neck then licked the spot. Another hot shiver danced over her skin. “You are the most responsive woman I’ve ever known, Harley June. Come for me, darlin’. I’ve been waiting for years to feel you come against my fingers.” His words yanked a whimper from her throat as again, he thrust his fingers deep, and Harley felt herself begin to unravel. She caught her breath, fingers digging into the firm width of his shoulders as the storm raced through her at breakneck speed. “Hell, yeah, Harley. That’s it, honey. That’s it,” he whispered in a voice gone rough with passion. “Just a little bit more.” Calling his name, she stiffened, then flew apart as pleasure expanded in ever widening waves. In the aftermath, she settled her nose 24
Return to Delight
against his chest, breathed him in and wondered how in the hell she was supposed to walk away from this.
25
Regina Carlysle
Chapter Three Cooper hadn’t meant to jump her sexy bones the second he’d walked in the house but damn it all, she was just too much temptation for this lonely man. All those sweet curves whispered fuck me in his ears and reverberated straight to his cock. Unable to resist he rubbed it along the seam of her pussy. Harley shivered against him and he’d had enough of waiting. Gathering her up in his arms, loving the way she wound those pretty, long stems of hers around his waist, he carried her through the house and straight to the big master bedroom. Luckily, he knew every nook and cranny of the old place. Years of hanging out here when he’d been a kid served him in good stead now. His heart raced just thinking about getting her naked. Her luscious lips settled on his neck and the feel of her warm breath there ramped up his need a great big notch. Raw hunger clawed through his belly. He wanted her naked and beneath him on the big four-poster bed. She’d left a small lamp shining on the end table. He liked that. He wanted to see her. Cooper set her on her feet and took her face in his hands. “Ready for me, darlin’? Cuz I’m sure as hell ready for you.” Her eyes were lambent but he noted their slight widening and the tiny flare of her nostrils. Hell, he could practically feel her need crawling over his skin like a million wicked touches. Reaching into his back pocket he withdrew a handful of condoms and tossed them onto the bed. Harley’s eyes widened again. “Pretty prepared there, Cooper.” He flashed a grin and grabbing her sexy ass, drew her closer. “Boy Scouts.” “Uh-huh. Be prepared. I see.” That cocky and teasing little act of hers didn’t work with him. He could see right through to the nerves and it was hard to miss that sexy little catch in her voice. Cooper 26
Return to Delight
could practically hear her little engine running and he planned to jump on for the ride. His own engine had been purring since learning the date of her arrival in Delight. Leaning over her, trapping her thighs against the side of the bed, he kissed her again, loving the way her breathing hitched up another notch. Cooper splayed his fingers over her sides then moved them lower until he grabbed the hem of her pretty blue dress and slid it up. He already knew she was a woman who thought things to death so without giving her time to re-examine the situation, he drew the silky dress up over her head and tossed it aside. “Damn you filled out good, Harley June,” he whispered as he cupped the cheeks of her ass and flexed his fingers over the mounds. She was wearing a thong. Lordy, he loved those things. He traced the delicate, satiny lines of it and his mouth watered. His cocked tightened harder and his balls nestled up tight against his body. Cooper wanted to take things slow, seduce her until she fell apart with his name on her lips but it was impossible. He just wasn’t that strong. Stepping back, he settled his gaze on her semi-nudity and wanted more. Without delay he stripped out of his shirt and dropped it to the floor. “Let’s take care of this bra, sweetheart. It’s beautiful but you are wearing far too many clothes.” “Jeez, Cooper. Why do you have to look so damn good? You know I can’t stay but you make me want to.” “Shh. I’m working here.” Moving in on her, he unfastened the piddly snaps at her back and watched that pretty bit of fluff fall away. His mouth found one sweet, little nipple. Drifting his tongue over the puckered flesh, he sucked lightly and then harder, alternating the pressure until a soft sound escaped Harley’s lips. “You are one delicious lady.” “Think so?” she breathed, her fingers suddenly busy playing over his shoulders, his hair, dragging frantically over his biceps. “Like I said earlier, your appetite is showing.” “Hell, darlin’, this is just the appetizer.”
27
Regina Carlysle
Lifting her up, he stretched her out on the bed and skinned out of his boots and jeans. Cooper was fully aware of her eyes taking in every bit of him and she had to know he was insane to get inside her sweet body. His cock couldn’t get any harder and that slow, sexy look of hers stirred his hunger to dangerous proportions. Promising himself to dish out a healthy dose of retribution for that, he crawled over her and captured the tiny scrap of her thong in his teeth and gave it a tug. He added his fingers to the mix, drawing the satin over her hips and the scent of her wrapped around him like the sweetest homecoming. “Cooper.” “Right here. Damn, you’re pretty.” He drew the scrap of drenched fabric down her legs and tossed them aside. Pushing her thighs apart, spreading them back against the mattress, he studied her pink glistening flesh and licked his lips. Not willing to wait another second to taste her, he settled his lips against her pussy, stroking with his tongue and finally prodding her wet entrance. Harley made a soft but frantic sound as he spread her open to fully eat her out. His lips and teeth found her clit. It was swollen, pulsing against his tongue and Cooper sucked it gently. Harley squirmed against the mattress, thrusting upward to meet his mouth and when he pushed two fingers into her eager pussy, she flew apart, crying out with frantic desire. Cooper gentled her then kissed his way up her body, nipping the soft mound of her belly, her ribs and higher. When he hovered over her, his cock aching for relief, he kissed her and sent his tongue deep into her mouth. Protection was within easy reach so he grabbed up a condom and quickly covered himself. Taking his cock in hand, he rubbed it over the layers of her flesh, dipping in slightly. Beneath him, Harley went still, staring into his eyes. “Been waiting a long time for this,” he said. For a second or two he thought she wouldn’t respond. “Me, too,” she whispered, her dark eyes filled with a beautiful look of longing that was hard to miss. Had she missed him? Thought of him? Had she dreamed of this moment as much as he? Damn. 28
Return to Delight
Cooper dragged a breath into his lungs and pushed his cock deep. Instantly, Harley rose to meet him, a sigh leaving her lips. Deeper and deeper he sank and when he was seated to the hilt, he paused to kiss her lips, her throat as her cunt clasped his erection like a greedy fist. Cooper’s eyes slammed shut at the delicious feel of her and then he began to thrust, ramming himself home. Wicked pleasure danced over his spine as head-to-toe sensation caught him in its grip. Cursing the fact he wouldn’t last long, he reached behind her bended knees and grabbed them, pushing them forward and opening her to his firmer touch. Pounding deep, thrusting hard, he opened his eyes taking in the expression of intense pleasure on her face. It was almost enough to push him over the edge. Almost. “Come for me, sweetheart. Come on now. Almost there.” He swiveled against her pussy, pressing his pelvis repeatedly against her clit, the action drawing a low moan from Harley. “That’s it, honey. Go for it. Reach.” When Harley opened her mouth, a small cry breaking free, Cooper increased his pace. Her pussy milked him, squeezing, flowing over him like fire until he went still. Harley’s tiny spasms finally, sweetly rolled over him, pulling him under and with a final thrust he came, blasting his semen into the end of the condom. Harley clung tightly, her arms around him and when he rolled aside to relieve her of his weight, she came with him, still hanging on. “Wow,” she breathed against his chest. Cooper felt the warmth sweep through him and then his belly growled in response. Harley laughed. “Um. I think you worked up a powerful hunger there, cowboy.” Grinning he looked down at her flushed face. “Reckon so. Want to grab a bite of Miz Thelma’s pot roast?” When he rolled from the bed and pulled his jeans into place, he looked up to see Harley standing there, naked, pawing through her suitcase. It sat on a needlepointcovered bench near the foot of the bed. The sight of her body on full display sent another bolt of lust churning through his system. Finally she drew a silky red thing, a small nightgown of some kind, over her head and turned with a shaky smile. 29
Regina Carlysle
Good. Nice to see he could still shake her up. “Come on. I’m starving,” she said holding out her hand. Cooper took it and followed her into the kitchen. Rather than take the old-fashioned route of heating food in the oven, she removed the big pan and set it on the counter. “Grab a couple of plates, will you?” Cooper rummaged around in the cabinets, found the plates and turned to see her slicing the roast beef into nice, big chunks. After she’d added the meat and veggies to the plates, they worked together at nuking the food in the microwave and he poured them each a glass of the wine he’d brought earlier. “Want to eat in the living room?” Harley smiled at him, not really waiting for his approval. Following dutifully, he studied the curve of her long legs and the way her butt moved beneath the short silky bit of fluff she wore. Pretty thing but he couldn’t wait to get her out of it. When they reached the living room, he set his plate on the coffee table and headed over to the entertainment center to put on some music. A soft country ballad added a little ambiance to things, he thought, as he turned to see her sitting on the couch, reaching for her wineglass. She smiled at him over the rim and patted a spot next to her. “Come on. Eat before you fall over.” “What? Do I look faint?” Harley laughed. “Not hardly but everything looks pretty good. You have to be as starved as I am.” Cooper had to agree with her assessment. They began to eat, talking, catching up as if they’d never been apart though he knew better. Still, the years fell away. He knew she’d been engaged and he’d had that disastrous marriage, if you could call it a marriage at all but he decided to keep things light. For her sake. He’d already won a major battle by getting her sexy ass under him in bed and he wasn’t about to push his luck. Once they’d finished eating and had the kitchen cleaned up, they headed back into the living room to have the rest of the wine. Cooper wasn’t much of a wine drinker but 30
Return to Delight
had to admit it wasn’t half bad. Pinkie over at Pinkie’s Beer Barn had recommended the stuff and said red went pretty good with what they were having. Lord knew he didn’t know much about that shit but for her, he’d learn. Harley leaned against him on the couch and Cooper put around his arm around her to draw her close. She belonged here, tucked away nice and tight. Closing his eyes, he pressed his face to her hair and breathed her in. “Mmm. This is nice,” she said. “I need to remember to thank Thelma for that great meal.” “I might just have to do that, too.” “I forgot to tell you thanks.” “For what?” Harley looked up at him. “All the groceries, the flowers hanging in baskets everywhere. It was so nice but you shouldn’t have. Why did you do it, Coop? You know I’m selling.” Cooper nodded. “I knew you were coming to town and just figured it was the neighborly thing to do,” he lied, the whopper tripping from his lips as if he wasn’t a man with an agenda. He shrugged. “Not a big deal. I simply made a trip to the grocery store for a few essentials to make you comfortable while you’re here. That’s all it was.” She studied him closely but he tried to keep his expression vague. “And the flowers?” “Just trying to help the resale value. Even here in the Hill Country, some of the most valued property in the state, the sales of homes are down. It’s a tough economy right now. I wanted to help. That’s it. They make the place look homey.” Harley smiled suddenly. “Hmm. You know that old saying about not shitting a bullshitter? Think you’ve been kissin’ the blarney stone a bit here but I’ll let it drop for now. And speaking of the house, any recommendations on a realtor?”
31
Regina Carlysle
The dead last thing Cooper wanted was to see her list the beautiful, old house. Finding a realtor would put Harley just one step closer to leaving his life for good. Couldn’t let that happen. “Remember Tammy Dean?” “Sure she was in your class in high school. Nice person.” “She is. She opened up a real estate office a couple of years ago.” Harley nodded. “Well then. I’ll head over to see her tomorrow. Any idea when the repairs will be finished?” Cooper reached for his glass of wine and took a sip. “Hmm. Figure a couple more weeks ought to do it.” “That’s good. I took two weeks’ vacation from Lefflin Brothers but that’s all the time I can spare to oversee things.” Cooper raised a brow. “Oversee me? Are you saying I’m not up to the job?” He was teasing but Harley looked appalled. “Oh no, honey. That’s not what I meant.” Honey. Cooper liked that. Laughing he placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face for a quick kiss. “Just picking on you. Oversee away, darlin’. I could use the company.” She sent a purposely wicked look down and back up his body. “Considering how we messed up the sheets in there a minute ago, I’m sure you’d like that fine.” Giving into the urge Cooper kissed her long and sweet, dragging out the moment until she was slumped breathlessly against him. Teasing, he wagged his eyebrows at her. “Wanna go for round two? Or would it be more like round three? I’m game if you are.” “Bad boy,” she whispered. “Did I tell you I have a thing for bad boys?” “Nope. I didn’t know that about you. Funny. And here I thought I knew just about everything.” 32
Return to Delight
“A girl has to have some secrets, ya know.” Just then Harley yawned. Not a little discreet one either. Obviously she was exhausted and trying mightily to hide it. Cooper finished his wine in one gulp then pulled Harley June against his chest for a hug. “Why don’t I get out of your hair, sweetheart? You’ve had a long day.” For just a second she looked disappointed. Hm. Interesting. To soften the whole thing, he brushed a kiss on her nose and then her lips. “You’ve been driving most of the day, dealt with nosy neighbors and had some pretty darn hot sex, if I do say so myself,” he teased. “And all of that followed by a nice dinner. You should rest. I’ll see you tomorrow. How does that sound?” Actually, the evening had progressed so smoothly that Cooper didn’t really want to press his luck. Nope. Nice and easy was the way to move along with this deal and if he knew one thing about Harley it was that she had a stubborn streak and didn’t much like being crowded. Is that what had ended her engagement to the fiancé? Had the man been too possessive, too controlling? Had he dogged her every move? Cooper didn’t know but he wasn’t about to make those kinds of mistakes. Not with a woman like Harley June. Finally Harley smiled. “I am a little tired.” She stifled another yawn. “Maybe it was the wine.” “The food, the wine and the sex. Don’t forget the sex.” Laughter bubbled up. “How could I? I have a feeling you’re gonna keep reminding me.” “There ya go.” Cooper stood and went to the bedroom where he pulled on his boots and his shirt. Eyeing the mussed bed linens with a sigh, he turned and headed back to say good night to the one great love of his life.
33
Regina Carlysle
Chapter Four Last night she’d made one of the biggest boneheaded moves ever and Harley spent the better part of the next morning wanting to kick her own butt over it. How on earth could she have let herself fall into bed with Cooper so easily? How? It was beyond dumb to set herself up for heartache because his life was here in Delight. Her life was in Houston. There was absolutely nothing wrong with this sweet, little town but she had a career she loved. To make matters worse, saying good night to Cooper had almost killed her. A smart woman would have tied his sexy ass to her bed and had her naughty way with him. All night long. To say she was torn was an understatement. Memories of the past blended with the present sending bittersweet emotion through her. It was time to get down to the business of moving forward but how could she do that now? Impossible situation. Vowing to go about her business today without giving Cooper Dobbs another thought was pretty damn ridiculous. After all he was a downright unforgettable man. Coop had unknowingly been the root of her problems with men for years. Nobody had ever measured up. Of course Cooper had no idea about any of this and perhaps it was a good, good thing. She had no way really of knowing if he felt the same as she did. Yes, he was loving, sexy, attentive but she supposed he was like this with all his women. The thing about Cooper was that he was unchangeable. Straightforward, honest, charming and loyal. Maybe that’s why she loved him so much. Whoa! Uh-uh.
34
Return to Delight
Hastily telling herself she didn’t mean that, she pushed open the door of Delight’s best lunch spot and grabbed the first booth she found. Mesquite Branch Barbecue served up the best chopped beef sandwiches, brisket, ham, and German smoked sausage in the county and Harley was truly glad she’d decided to leave a little early for her lunch date with Mel because the place was always packed. Country music reverberated off the walls mingling with lunchtime chatter and already a line of hungry cowboys were bellied up at the barbecue buffet. The rough wood-planked walls were decorated with Western art and ancient horseshoes, along with the heads of assorted animals, which appeared frozen in time as they stared vacantly at the diners. From the time she’d been a little girl dining here with her mom, she’d found all those heads pretty freaky but nobody else seemed to mind. A young woman she didn’t recognize walked up carrying a red laminated menu which she placed on the table in front of her. “Hey, there,” she said, smiling. “What can I get you to drink?” Harley ordered a giant-sized sweet tea. “And could you bring another menu? I’m meeting a friend for lunch.” “Sure thing. Hey! I know you. You’re Harley June Baker, aren’t you?” Harley was a little surprised because she’d never seen this woman before but she smiled and nodded. “Yes, I am.” Beaming, the waitress held out her hand. “I recognize you from some old yearbook pictures. I’m Kayla Jones and I swear I’m your biggest fan. Lookee here. I’m wearing a pair of your boots.” She slightly pulled up the hem of her jeans and sure enough, Kayla was sporting of pair of rose colored boots from her Valentine collection. The two-toned pinkish boots featured bows and arrows in white stitching and she’d ordered them made with the softest calf-skin available. “I just love these. Took me forever to save up tip money for these babies.” “Well, I’ll be damned. And you like them? The fit looks good, Kayla.”
35
Regina Carlysle
Kayla rolled her pretty blue eyes skyward. “Loooove them. When I heard folks around here talk about you, I knew I just had to have a pair from your collection.” Harley was beyond flattered and surprised to no end that people around here knew what she was up to these days. She smiled and shook her head. “Uh-oh. People are talking huh? Isn’t that Delight for you?” “Sure is,” Kayla said with a grin. “This town is like Gossip Central or something. But honey, everybody around here is so proud of you. We don’t often see one of our own go off and do something special. It means something around here.” When the waitress, who was sweet as sugar, headed off in her Cupids Bow cowboy boots—which also came in red—to fetch her tea and another menu, she couldn’t help tearing up a little bit. Even when her mom had passed on, the kindness of the people here wrapped around her like a hug and she knew she would never forget it. Damn it. Blinking the tears away, she smiled and waved when Mel walked through the door and headed her way. Melanie Honeycutt had been her best friend from kindergarten onward and even after Harley hightailed it out of town, they’d remained close. Some things never changed and her affection for Mel was one of them. She looked pretty as ever. All six feet of her. Her super curly hair, which was naturally stuck between blonde and red, was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore not a drop of makeup on her truly stunning face. Today she was decked out in her standard uniform of shorts and court shoes along with a tee shirt featuring a bucking horse and the words Delight Mustang Basketball. Harley jumped up and met her halfway. It felt so good to hug her friend again. “Aw, Mel, I’ve missed you so much, honey.” “Me, too Harley. Hope you haven’t been waiting long.” “Nope. Just got here.” Harley teasingly reached out and grabbed the whistle that hung from a blue cord around Mel’s neck. “Hey Coach, what’s this? I didn’t think you could hold practice once basketball season was over.” 36
Return to Delight
The friends took their seats in the booth, smiling at each other. Mel, who was Delight’s girls’ basketball coach, rolled her eyes. “I want to cheat and work their little butts in the gym but I’m too honest. Instead I have them volunteering for my basketball camp but believe me, this fall, they are mine.” “Oh boy. Basketball camp huh?” “Yeah, the boys’ coach and I teamed up again this year to do the camp. About thirty rowdy younglings are chowing down on hot dogs at the moment so I’m catching a break. When did you get in town?” “Last night.” “You should’ve called. I could have brought some dinner over.” “Aw that’s okay. Thelma brought something and I ended up having dinner with Cooper.” Mel’s eyes went round as saucers and then she grinned. “Cooper, huh? I’ve been tellin’ ya honey, the man still has it for you. Bad. I swear after his divorce, he didn’t look at another woman and believe me plenty of them tried their luck with him. He wasn’t biting.” “I’m sure he was just playing it safe after the divorce. I’ve never been through one but it’s bound to be painful.” Mel curled her lip a little bit. “Doubt he felt anything but relief. She was a real piece of work, that one.” Harley realized that Mel wanted to dish about the ex but, to be honest, she wasn’t really up to hearing about the woman. She had been engaged to dickhead when she learned Cooper had gotten married and the very idea of it made her ache. Not a good thing when engaged to another man. Bad of her but she just couldn’t help it. “He didn’t say much about it other than it was a mistake.” “He wouldn’t. He’s a good man. I still say he married her because he figured you were lost to him.”
37
Regina Carlysle
Harley wasn’t so sure about that but before she could respond the waitress arrived to take their lunch orders. Soon they were munching on chopped barbecue beef sandwiches and chips and Mel was catching her up on the local gossip. Of course, she’d already gotten an earful from Thelma yesterday but Mel expanded on the stories until they were both laughing. It felt so damn good to be here in the company of her best friend and surrounded by people she’d known for her whole life. Suddenly she was so glad she’d be here for the next few weeks, despite her worry about falling head over heels for one delicious blast-from-her-past. She’d just leaned back, lunch finished, and grabbed up her drink, when she saw Cooper and his older brother Ransom walk through the door. Her heart thumped wildly and she couldn’t help thinking here comes trouble when he saw her, said something to Ransom and the two of them headed straight toward her and Mel’s booth. “Cooper,” she breathed. Mel turned and waved as they approached. “Hey guys. What’s up?” Cooper, looking all yummy in his jeans and tee shirt, slid her a quick glance then looked at Mel, smiling. “Ran was in town for supplies and we decided to grab a quick bite. How ya doing, Coach?” “Better now that Harley June’s in town. We’ve been catching up.” “Good. That’s good.” Coop turned his attention to her and shocked her silly by leaning over to press a kiss to her lips. Made for sin. Yep, his mouth was made for sin but there was only so much a man would do in the face of this crowd. Harley felt her face burn as she felt the notice of several pairs of eyes. When he pulled back and grinned at her, she rolled her eyes struggling to appear playful rather than all melty and gooey. “Better stop that stuff. People are gonna talk, Cooper.” He laughed. “Let ’em.” Ransom leaned over and gave her a quick hug. He was a big man, and rather than having the lean, rangy build of his younger brothers, he was built like a truck. Or 38
Return to Delight
maybe even a warrior from a time gone by. Once Ransom might have been a happy laughing guy but, if so, she’d never seen it. Quiet and introspective by nature, that aspect of his personality had been further emphasized by a single tragedy in his life. Years ago, his young wife had been killed when the car she’d been driving had hit a patch of ice on a lonely stretch of road. The event had marked the man and shaped his relationships with others. Lonely. Careful. That was Ransom. “Hey, Ransom,” she said, hugging him back and looking into his gray eyes, so like his brothers. “How’ve you been?” “Better than I deserve,” he said, straightening. “Good to see you, Harley June. You planning to stay for awhile, I hope?” “For awhile.” Mel looked from Cooper to Ransom and then back again as she nervously shredded her paper napkin. “Have ya’ll heard anything from T? How’s he doing?” T Dobbs was the great love of Mel’s life. While Mel had been perfectly happy to pursue her own quiet dreams in this small town, it hadn’t been enough for T. The fact he’d left without a backward glance had broken Mel’s heart. Cooper’s expression gentled. “Good. He’s doing good, honey. Busted his knee up while on a shoot in Canada but he’s recovering.” “Oh. I see,” Mel said, her smile a little on the shaky side. “Boy needs to be home where he belongs.” Ransom’s tone was gruff, his disapproval of T’s life apparent. And far from a boy, T was thirty years old, the same age as she and Mel but nobody mentioned that fact. Truth was, Ransom had pretty much raised Cooper and T after the sudden death of their folks many years ago. “It was nice seeing you, ladies. Coop? I’m going to grab us a table.” “Be right there,” Cooper said. Without warning he slid into the booth next to her. He gave Mel a single glance then turned the full wattage of his smile on her. “I have a surprise for you.” 39
Regina Carlysle
“For me?” “Yeah. Pull on a pair of those fancy boots of yours around six and I’ll pick you up.” Harley arched a brow. “Hm. And what if I say no?” He shook his head. “Nope. No isn’t allowed. You’ll come if I have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you out the front door. Come on, darlin’. You know you want to. You love surprises.” “Only good ones.” “Oh it’s a good one all right. Count on it.” He kissed her again and stood, looking rumpled, yummy, and hotter than this Texas girl deserved. “See you later.” Harley watched him walk away to join his brother as heat climbed over her cheeks. Just one little touch from the man, one sexy look, and she was a goner. Mel laughed jarring her back into the here and now. “What?” “You should see your face. Oh my lord! Admit it, Harley, you’ve already been all over him like a spider monkey.” Her fiery cheeks must’ve given her away because Mel laughed again and leaned closer. “Don’t answer that. All I can say is it’s about damn time.”
***** Cooper adjusted the dial on the radio in his truck as Brad Paisley’s latest swept the cab along with a blast of cold air from the air conditioner. It was early June and already temps were steaming things up in central Texas. True to his demand, Harley had been ready when he’d shown up at her place a few minutes ago. “So tell me about this surprise, Coop.” Harley June tucked a bit of shiny brown hair behind her ear and slid a glance his way. “I mean really, I had to try to guess at things and that’s no way for a woman to choose an outfit.” “You are perfect,” he said. “Like the boots too. What is that? Mother-of-pearl inlay?” “Yep. I think these are my favorite boots.” 40
Return to Delight
They really were something else, Cooper thought, eyeing the black, full quill ostrich boots. The toes featured a bit of shiny silver and the intricate swirling pattern on the boot top was inlaid with all that beautiful pearl. They had to cost a fortune but then, maybe not. She’d designed them, after all. “Hmm. You do good work, Harley. Think you could design some new shit-kickers for me?” Cooper noted the subdued pride in her expression and realized yet again that she had accomplished a lot considering her humble roots. “Bet I could. I’ll make sure to send you a pair when I get back to Houston.” It took everything he had not to cringe but what did he expect? Did he really think she’d leave her burgeoning career and move out here to no man’s land? Hell, he was kidding himself. He believed she had feelings for him but they were rooted in a past that was sweet, young and innocent. And what man worth his salt would ask a woman he loved to give up her dreams? Mentally kicking his own ass, he headed out of town wondering if his planned trip down memory lane was such a good idea. He had a lot to think about and for an instant, he wanted to turn the truck around and take her straight home so he could do just that. He’d set out to make her realize she belonged with him but it might, in the end, not be what was best for her. Things couldn’t be just about what he wanted. In his book, that made him one selfish bastard. But tonight’s course was set and so he headed farther into the country determined to give her a nice memory for when she finally left him and Delight was a mere glimmer in her rearview mirror. His good mood dead in the water, he made a right hand turn between two limestone pillars marking the drive to the ranch and watched Harley’s eyes go wide. “We’re going to the ranch? You don’t know how many times I’ve thought of this beautiful place. I practically lived here when I was a kid. So many memories. Oh, man, I miss your folks. I still remember them. Such nice people.”
41
Regina Carlysle
Indulgently, he listened to Harley wax poetic about the Double D, which had been named years ago for his mom, Donna. Donna Dobbs. Double D. Feeling suddenly a little overwhelmed, he stopped the truck and watched a cloud of dust rise up at the abruptness of it all. Harley reached out and touched his arm. Cooper flinched then looked at her. “You miss them.” “Yeah. We did okay though. Me, Ransom and T. We got by.” Her expression went gentle and soft. Compassion filled her dark eyes. “You did good. All of you. You’re good men, Coop and your folks would be proud.” He smiled though inwardly he was a little pissed that his sudden introspection had dampened his good mood. “I hope so.” Leaning a little closer, he unsnapped her seat belt and reached for her. “Come here, Harley June. I don’t want to talk about all that. I’d much rather discuss you and how damn sexy you look.” She wore a sassy short skirt and a tiny white tee shirt that flashed a bit of skin below its hem. Her skirt was black, soft and some kind of cottony knit that simply served to set her long legs off to perfection. And then there were the boots that were pure Harley. She slid across the bench seat and sent her fingers into his hair. “You know, I don’t think any man I’ve ever known has called me sexy, Cooper. Just you.” Her lips brushed his lightly, teasingly. “I think I like that.” “Aw hell, honey,” he said with a groan as he dragged her close and set his lips on hers. She wore her shiny hair loose and free and doing what he wanted he fisted his hand in it, pulled her head back and deepened the kiss. Sending his tongue deep, teasing the sides of her cheeks, her teeth, drawing lightly on her lips, he plundered her sweetness until she sank against him. Harley’s arms went around his waist and hung on, her fingers digging in to his sides. She tasted like sunshine to him. She always had and just the act of kissing her sent blood pounding hot and heavy through his veins. Frustration was there too, along with the lust and the need. Anger, too. 42
Return to Delight
She’d come to town, played with his heart and given him hope only to snatch it away with several hastily spoken words. Breaking the frantic kiss, he looked into her slumberous eyes. “I know you’re leaving,” he gritted out. “You’ve made that plain to me at every turn but while you’re here I aim to enjoy you. Got that?” He sounded like a prick but right now he didn’t care. Harley’s mention of sending him a pair of boots once she returned to Houston had ticked him off and if she was determined to mess with his mind and then skip out of town, he would at least make her realize what she was leaving. Cooper set his lips on her again this time cupping one breast in the palm of his hand. Her nipple went hard against his palm and unable to resist, he plucked it with his fingers until Harley made a needy little sound. He swallowed it down then pressed kisses to the side of her lips, her chin and to the long column of her throat. “Harley.” “I’m here.” “Damn woman.” He drew her soft flesh into his mouth as her delicious scent filled his head. Savage need prompted his hands to move over her body, stroking and teasing at will and before he could think about anything but touching her, he swept his fingers under the hem of her skirt. Instantly his hand found her drenched pussy. She went still when he dragged a finger over the seam of her cunt. Her clit was already swollen and he wondered if she’d been thinking about this too. “Haven’t been able to get you out of my mind,” he said, his fingers busy teasing the hard little knot of nerves. “What the hell are we doing?” “Doesn’t matter. I don’t care where we are. I’m dying to get inside you.” “Jeez, Cooper.” Harley removed his hand from between her legs and gave him a panicked look. “Drive. Now.” The house was just up ahead. He could see the big ranch house set among the trees, and the green rolling pastureland on either side of the road, stretching out like an emerald jewel. Fat Herefords cropped the grass. Just beyond all that lay the barns and 43
Regina Carlysle
outbuildings, all neatly tended by him and his brother. None of that mattered a damn. All that mattered was getting inside Harley. Gripping the steering wheel, he put the truck in gear and then jerked when Harley settled her palm over his hard cock. Her nails lightly raked over the seam of his jeans and sensation curled from his balls to the head of his erection. A curse left his lips but she only smiled as she unzipped his jeans and clasped him. “Damn it.” “Shh. Just drive.” Cooper focused his gaze on the house in the distance and gritted his teeth as her hand slowly, seductively worked his cock before dipping south to cup his balls. He was ready to go off like a rocket and then she settled her head in his lap. Fuck. Fuck. Her tongue dragged over the full head of his erection, sweeping beneath the ridge and then back over the top again. Finally, finally, she took just that bit into her mouth to suck. He needed to close his eyes but damn it, he couldn’t. Not and keep them from running into the ditch. “You taste so fine, Cooper. So fine. Hurry.” Her words ripped through him, spurring him on and, sick as hell of dicking around, he stepped on the gas.
44
Return to Delight
Chapter Five Feeling a little dangerous, Harley continued to play with the head of his cock, sucking lightly and then more firmly. Tension radiated from Cooper’s body and she knew she was pushing him to the limit. Bad of her, but damn it, she wanted him at her mercy. She wanted to chase that teasing grin from his face and drive him a little bit crazy. His hand sank into her hair, palming her head as he barreled up the drive to the house and then finally, he stopped. Cooper lifted her face from his lap and Harley caught her breath at his raw expression. His eyes focused like a laser on her mouth. Without thinking, she licked her bottom lip and Cooper groaned. Yanking her to him, he kissed her hard then shoved open the door of the truck and pulled her with him until her feet were on the ground. Harley almost lost her balance but then Cooper grabbed her shoulders and turned her until she faced the door of the truck. Dear Lord! They were out here in the wide open and she looked frantically over her shoulder as Cooper slid his hands beneath her skirt to fill his palms with her butt cheeks. “Cooper!” “Nobody is here.” “God! Are you sure?” Her eyes swept the barn area and the fenced paddock where several horses wandered about. Nobody. Was someone in the barn? Someone who might wander out and see them? What about Ransom? Could he come driving up or look out a window? A little thrill swept her at the wickedly naughty thought and then every panicked fear fled as Cooper dipped a finger past the crotch of her panties and slipped his thumb
45
Regina Carlysle
into her. His fingers played at her clit, teasing until she was squirming as she pressed herself against the hard steel of the truck. “I’m going to fuck you right here. Right out here in the open.” Cooper’s dark voice whispered in her ear and a shiver shook her. “How’s that feel, honey? My thumb in your pussy? You know I’m not going to wait don’t you? I can’t. You’ve officially driven me crazy.” Cooper continued to play with her drenched flesh before snagging her panties and pulling them down. She heard him curse and realized those damn boots were in the way but Cooper solved that pesky little problem by grabbing the silk and tearing the sides until the scraps fell away. “Officially owe you new panties, Harley.” “Forget the panties.” Harley pressed her forehead to the truck’s window. Cooper’s reflection stared back at her. He stroked her harder, deeper. “Cooper. Yes.” He inserted one of his legs between hers and prodded her legs wide as he flipped her skirt up over her ass. A whip of a breeze brushed along her bare skin. For just a moment, Cooper withdrew his fingers from her cunt making her gasp at the loss. He fumbled with something, a rubber she guessed, and then before she could blink the head of his thick cock was pressed at her entrance and slipping through the wet petals, back and forth, slowly, teasingly. Heat curled through her belly and zipped to every nerve ending as anticipation raced wicked fingers over her spine. Cooper stroked her hand, which was fisted against the window then drew his fingers slowly over her arm and then finally, he cupped her breast. Her nipple reacted to the light, teasing touch that came in tandem with his cock sweeping over her pussy. Cooper bent his head to her ear. “I need you. Can’t wait.” “Don’t. Please, Coop.” When Cooper moved his lips over the shell of her ear, she shook, the need for orgasm running hot through her veins. Her pussy throbbed with each pass of his hard cock against her needy flesh. His hand settled briefly on her belly, diving beneath the hem of her tee shirt seconds before he thrust his cock deep. 46
Return to Delight
Harley cried out. Cooper grabbed her hips, steadily thrusting, brushing each screaming nerve ending until her bones fairly rattled at the fast and furious fucking. In the distance, a horse whinnied, a stark reminder of where they were. The need for speed consumed her as she widened her stance, pushing back against him wanting more, harder, deeper. Pleasure rippled through her then coalesced at the point of impact. When he reached for her hungry, throbbing clit to pinch it lightly between his fingers she flew apart, his name on her lips. Harley’s eyes opened and she stared into the glass of the truck window in time to see Cooper’s expression go hard, caught up in orgasm. His teeth flashed in the reflection and the low sound he made poured over her like liquid heat. Finally, he settled along her back, his mouth brushing the side of her throat, and he sighed. “Ah, Harley June. You always have me thinking of new ways to fuck you.” Turning her head, Harley took in his hungry expression, wondering what else he had in store for her tonight. A thrill zipped through her system. Longing too. Settling her lips against his, she finally pulled back as sanity took hold. Her eyes went wide. “Oh no. Cooper! Is Ransom here?” He withdrew from her body and Harley quickly began straightening her clothes. By the time she turned to face him, a sexy smile appeared on his face. He was tucked away inside his jeans again and obviously the frantic little fuckfest had worked its magic. Total relaxation marked his long, rangy body. He leaned in, pinning her against the side of the truck. “Nah, he bought a new stud bull and headed out of town to pick it up. He won’t be back until sometime tomorrow afternoon.” Harley gasped and gave him a little shove. “You rat! You let me think…ooooh.” Cooper laughed and kissed her again before taking her hand and leading her through the kitchen door at the back of the house, pausing only to snatch her torn panties from her ground and tuck them into his pocket. “I like to keep you on your toes. Don’t you know that by now?” 47
Regina Carlysle
Upon entering the old house, memories hit her with a blast. Cooper’s folks had built this place many, many years ago and though décor had changed and furniture eventually been replaced, it was much the same. There was an atmosphere of home here and she remembered the many hours she’d sat with the guys at this kitchen table pigging out on junk food or playing cards. She and Cooper had been a hot item back in those days and she still recalled sitting with him and looking through college brochures as he struggled to decide where he would attend school after graduation. A giant picnic basket occupied a spot in the center of the large, oval table and she lifted her brow as Cooper leaned into the fridge and began gathering things up. “What’s this?” He looked over his shoulder and handed her a plastic container. “Your surprise.” “A picnic?” “Yeah, though I can’t fully take credit for it. When Elena found out you were coming to town, she suggested it and helped put this together.” He turned, several more containers in his arms, and shut the fridge. “We have fried chicken, potato salad and a few other munchies here, I think. Sound good?” She realized it did. “Elena is still here with you? After all these years?” Elena Lopez had worked for the Dobbs family for longer than she could remember, cleaning house, cooking, and dispensing advice. Cooper opened the lid of the picnic basket and together they arranged everything inside. “Yeah. Crazy, right? She should be home bouncing those grandbabies on her knee but she says we’re just too irresistible and she can’t leave us.” “Ha. Too ornery maybe. I, for one, am glad she’s still around to keep you guys in line. Somebody needs to.” Cooper laughed and looped an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him. “You applying for the job, darlin’?” Oh boy.
48
Return to Delight
She wasn’t about to step into the middle of that question when her heart was whispering one thing and her head screaming another. Instead she lifted her face and gave him a quick kiss on the dimple on his cheek. “It doesn’t matter who came up with the idea. It’s a good one.” After they’d loaded the basket into the bed of the truck along with several old quilts and a small ice chest for their beer, they climbed into Coop’s vehicle and headed off following a well-worn path through the ranch land. Harley was terribly aware that she wore no panties. Jeez! Talk about feeling a tad vulnerable! She sighed and looked out the window. “What’s that sigh all about?” Harley looked at him and rolled her eyes. “I’m not wearing panties, Cooper.” Cooper laughed and reached over to run his hand along her thigh. “You won’t be needing those things tonight anyway, honey.” “Ya think?” “I know. Hang on. Almost there.” Finally Cooper came to a stop in the midst of a wooded area near the creek that ran lazily through the Double D Ranch and Harley recognized it instantly. She slid a glance in his direction to see him watching her carefully and giving in, she rewarded him with a smile. “Hm. I think I remember this place.” “I’m sure you do, Harley June. It’s our own little spot on the planet. Lots of memories here.” “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea, Cooper. We’re playing with fire.” Cooper’s eyes burned with intensity sending a shiver to blast through her body. She wished he didn’t affect her so strongly. She wished she could resign herself to a brief affair and then head back to Houston as if nothing had changed. It had though. Everything was beginning to change and she wasn’t sure if she liked it. Without another word, he got out of the truck, came around to her side and opened the door before she
49
Regina Carlysle
could do so on her own. She slid out, brushing along the front of his body and his arms went around her. “Don’t think about it now. Just go with the flow. Come on, let’s get this stuff set up.” Relieved to have something else to think about, she helped Cooper lay several quilts over the ground and before long they were having their meal. Off in the distance she could hear the sounds of cattle and other wildlife along with the droning of dragonflies as they dipped over the surface of the creek’s jade-green water. By the time they’d dug into the food the sun was setting, sending a blast of orange and pink across the Texas skyline. Harley had to admit it was nice. Houston was a city of five million people and though it was beautiful in a more urban way, she missed the deep emerald hills and the slower-than-molasses pace of rural areas. When darkness finally settled around them, Harley lay back on the quilt and snuggled against Cooper’s shoulder feeling lulled by the setting and the fact she was no longer starving. “This is nice. I didn’t realize how much I missed it.” Earlier she’d removed her boots and Cooper had done the same. Lazily dragging her foot over the calf of his leg, she looked up at him. “And don’t start getting ideas, ya hear? I work in Houston and I’m selling the house.” “Doesn’t mean you can’t visit or that I can’t come to see you.” “You’d do that?” “What? Visit? Damn straight I would.” Cooper turned slightly. “I want you back in my life, Harley, and I’ll take what I can get.” His deeply spoken words sank tender claws into her heart. “You realize that the odds of a long-distance relationship working aren’t all that good, don’t you?” “We aren’t most people. We have a history. Hell, why do you think I brought you out here?” “Fried chicken and hot sex?” “Smart ass. What on earth am I gonna do with you?”
50
Return to Delight
She laughed. “I can think of a few things.” “We sure spent a lot of time out here when we were kids.” “Yeah. Sure did.” She sighed. “In fact I think I lost my virginity in this very spot.” Cooper kissed her deeply and all those old feelings came rushing back. But he was a man now, a downright sexy, irresistible man. He looked into her eyes, a smile tugging at his lips. “Thought I was never going to get you out of your panties.” “I’m out of my panties now.” He laughed and playfully nipped her throat sending one hand below her skirt to palm her bare butt. “That you are. This is a good look for you, honey. Think I’ll keep you just like this.” “Bad boy.” Pleasure zipped through her veins like lightning and she moved just a bit closer. “And all grown up. I think I like that. Remember the night T and Mel came out here and um, kinda surprised us?” He laughed softly, drawing tiny circles on her naked skin, teasing until she wanted to squirm. “Told him to take his girl and find his own damn spot.” “Thank goodness this is a big ranch, huh?” “And fortunately for us there’s not a soul within shouting distance.” Teasing him, she widened her eyes. “You mean I could get really loud?” “Honey, getting loud is encouraged. You could even scream if you wanted. Nobody out here but me and the cows.” He was still smiling at her but his voice, in direct counterpoint, went low and husky as he curled his fingers around her thigh and then finally dipped between to find the lips of her pussy already damp from the simple thought of him fucking her. Coop kissed her again but rather than the lighthearted kisses of earlier, this one was savage in its intensity. He gripped her jaw, plundering her mouth as he drew his fingers over her moist, hungry pussy. Needing a firmer touch, she sent one leg over his hip as he partially rolled on top of her. She knew she was playing with fire and was sure to get burned but she flat
51
Regina Carlysle
couldn’t care about that right now. This man suited her in every way. Always had. Always would. Only a fool would deny it. “Cooper,” she breathed, coming up for air. “Yes, touch me.” A muscle worked in Cooper’s jaw as he leaned over her. His black hair fell over his forehead prompting Harley to push it back with her fingers. Needing to touch him, she brushed them along his neck and over sturdy shoulders. “Too many clothes.” Without a word, Cooper went to his feet and yanked his tee shirt over his head leaving his upper body bare to her gaze. Shadows mingled with the natural light of the moon to emphasize the hard angles and planes. Harley’s mouth went dry as she imagined dragging her lips over every inch of his long, lean body. After reaching into his back pocket and tossing a condom to the quilt, he stripped out of his jeans until he loomed, naked, over her. Cooper stared down at her, all sign of the teasing, playful man she loved—yes, loved—gone. Harley came to her knees and silently drew her shirt off. Her bra followed. Throughout her slow striptease, Cooper watched her with hungry eyes. Maintaining the connection, she lay back and slid the stretchy little skirt down her hips until she finally kicked it aside. She expected him to say something but he didn’t. He looked at her in the midst of a deafening silence. Harley’s pussy creamed in reaction. His expression was hard yet full of the certainty that he would take her, fuck her, make her scream in pleasure. Harley was ready for it. “Touch yourself. I want to watch,” he said into the silence. His words washed over her as she cupped her breasts, thumbing the hard nipples until they felt tight enough to burst. Sensation zinged over her skin as she squeezed and manipulated her aching flesh. Cooper’s rapt attention focused there, following the exploration of her fingers as they moved lower to play over her belly. “Spread your legs. Yeah, that’s it,” he instructed, his voice hard with lust. “God you’re pretty there. So wet and soft. Do you know how much I love to touch you? To eat you out?”
52
Return to Delight
Harley didn’t speak as she speared her fingers into her opening, thrusting them in tandem with her own heartbeat as it roared loudly in her ears. Shoving her soaked fingers in and out, touching where she most wanted, Harley gasped and closed her eyes. One finger found her clit. Working it diligently she felt her body begin to spin out of control. “Spread your pussy open, honey.” Cooper was no longer standing over her. Sliding her eyes open, she saw he now kneeled between her wide-open thighs taking in every slip of her fingers into her drenched cunt. Dear God! He settled his hands on her thighs as the momentum propelled her body into the motion of her fingers. Dark pleasure skidded to a shuddering climax and Harley caught her breath as pleasure burst through her in a hot rush. Then Cooper’s mouth was on her, bringing her down and then up again with a steady, seductive stroke of his tongue. The whole thing was beyond decadent but she didn’t want things to be just about her. Her orgasm. Her pleasure. Gripping Cooper’s hair she tugged tightly. “No. Wait. This isn’t right.” “What’s not right about it, honey? Damn, you taste so good.” Harley sat up as best as she was able and scooted out of reach. Giving his shoulders a little push, she managed to settle him on his back. Cooper didn’t protest but she watched his eyes widen. Settling in at his side, she bent to slide her mouth over the head of his cock. “That business in the truck didn’t satisfy my curiosity, Coop. Lemme have you.” “Shit. Shit, Harley, you’re killing me, woman.” Taking her time, she studied him, teased him, sent her tongue over the heavy stalk until his breath grew sharp, rapid. When Harley cupped his heavy balls, she went still at the feel of his hand stroking slowly over one ass cheek. His fingers swept downward, sliding over the wet flesh before dipping deep into her pussy. Moving against his touch, 53
Regina Carlysle
lost in the moment as lust curled slowly through her, she gasped then paused when his hand brushed her cheek, stopping her. “Enough. Don’t want to come yet. Not like this,” he said into the darkness. “Come here, sweet thing.” Cooper settled a firm grip on her shoulders, drawing her up the length of his body until she straddled him. “This ground is too hard for you, Harley. Ride me.” Cooper reached for the condom, handed it to her and she wasted no time protecting them both. She lovingly cupped his balls and, sending her fingers on a wicked glide over his cock, watched his face as he stared intently at her. Maintaining eye contact she gripped the base then lifted up until his erection was positioned at the entrance of her drenched pussy. Slowly, as if she had all the time in the world, she slid over him, taking him inside her, letting him fill her. The feeling of fullness carried her off, intensifying as lust curled tightly in her belly. Harley arched her back as a quick breeze brushed her naked flesh. Her nipples tightened and ached, practically screaming for the firm touch of Cooper’s hands and then they were there, squeezing and plying the flesh until, unable to do otherwise, she began to ride all the delicious hardness. Up and down she moved over him, rotating over his cock and taking what she needed. Pleasure whipped through her, fast as lightning and just as hot. Cooper’s hands left her throbbing nipples, whipping down her back to grip her hips as she rocked against him. Lust coiled tighter, tighter. She reached down, needing to touch his warm chest, but he suddenly sat up enough to take her nipple in his mouth. Sucking strongly at that bit of aching flesh, Cooper used his teeth in a touch of rough love that sent her careening over the edge. Caught up, going still, Harley squeezed his cock as a sharp trembling began but Cooper was there to catch her as she fell.
54
Return to Delight
Chapter Six Roughly a week later, Cooper sat with Harley in her living room. Papers were scattered across the coffee table along with two empty coffee mugs and a half-eaten plate of cookies Thelma had brought over late that afternoon. Since the night at the ranch, Coop figured he and Harley were pretty much joined at the hip, not to mention other places. Smiling inwardly, he looked down at the laptop propped on his lap as he sat working out a schedule for his crew for the coming week. Buying and beginning his own construction company had been a bold move for a man who was considered basically a ranch man but to Cooper, it had been an important step in soothing the part of his soul that wanted to build things. Ransom had a handle on the ranch and loved every bit of it. Cooper loved it too but not with the raw sense of pride that his older brother had always had in the place. In the end, Cooper realized he was a man who wanted something of his own. His own dream. Part of that dream was with him now. While he occupied a spot on Harley’s couch, she was seated on the floor in front of the coffee table answering emails. Her computer hummed cheerfully nestled among the rest of the mess. She’d placed her cell phone and sketch pad within easy reach as her fingers flew across the keys. Tonight she wore her hair up in a ponytail and a pair of dark-rimmed glasses were perched on her turned-up nose. Harley June Baker was as cute as hell. Something about her had always made him smile. Yes, she was sexually responsive and his match in the bedroom in every way but there was more too. She was funny, sweet, loyal and intelligent. Harley was the kind of woman a man could spend his life with. He was a permanent fixture in the old Victorian on Austin Road these days and wouldn’t have it any other way. If anything, this past week had shown him he didn’t 55
Regina Carlysle
want to live without her. The big question remained—could she live without him? He dreaded the answer to that question, he surely did. Already he knew that if she wanted to have him in her life, he couldn’t be the kind of asshole who would insist she give up the life she’d built for herself in Houston. Frowning, he looked down at her dark hair as she studied her own laptop screen. After dinner, they’d watched some television and hung out, working together like a married couple, comfortable in their relationship. Cooper logged off and set his laptop on the floor near the couch and sifted his fingers through the shiny sable length of her ponytail. “You’re frowning. Everything okay?” Harley shoved her glasses up with one finger and smiled over her shoulder at him. “Nah, no worries. I just have a lot to think about here.” “Can I help?” Sighing, she dropped her head back against the couch. “I don’t know. I just feel my life is in so much turmoil these days. I’ve just gotten two more job offers from rival companies.” “I thought you were happy at Lefflin Brothers.” “I am. When I left Houston to come here, I knew I had a lot to think about. They’ve been very good to me but, Cooper, I’ve been with them for a number of years now and sales of my various collections are through the roof. Still I feel like I should be advancing faster within the company. I talked with Dan Lefflin, the CEO before I left town and expressed an interest in the position of Creative Director. I’ve earned it.” She turned her head and looked at him, a tiny frown worrying between her brows. “The company might be based in Houston but they still very much have a ‘good old boy’ network going on. Someone else wants the position and I’m fairly sure they might try to appease me in some way but will give the position to him. He’s a golfing buddy of Dan’s, he’s older than me. He has a family to support. No, he doesn’t know what today’s customers are clamoring for and he wouldn’t know a bestselling design if it bit
56
Return to Delight
him on the ass. But given the fact he has personal responsibilities that are greater than mine he’ll probably get the job.” “Not very fair is it?” “Not much in life is, is it Cooper?” Truer words had never been spoken. Her talent was undeniable. Cooper reached past her and grabbed up her sketchbook. Thumbing through it he marveled at the artistry she poured into her craft. “These are great, darlin’ and for what it’s worth, they’d be fools not to promote you. Hey, these are sure fancy.” He pointed at a sketched design that had a woman’s name written along the top. Instantly he realized they were a lady’s boot and not meant for wearing in a cow pasture. They were even too fancy to wear out to the nearest country bar. Harley took the sketchbook from him and cocked her head as she studied the drawing. “Wedding boots. I’m becoming known for them.” She pointed to the intricate swirling lines on the pencil drawing. “Seed pearls here. Lace insets, here and here. All in a beautiful oyster color, full quill ostrich, mother-of-pearl at the toes. I also design boots for heads of state and often celebrities. Strictly ceremonial gifts. Pretty expensive stuff but I have so much fun doing them.” “Impressive. And here I make the lame suggestion that you whip me up a pair of shit-kickers for everyday.” She took his free hand and rubbed her cheek along his knuckles. “Not lame at all because I do those too. I’d dearly love to make you a pair of the best shit-kickers you’ve ever worn. Really. Sometimes these ‘special order’ clients can be a handful.” Cooper set the sketchpad aside and reached for her, dragging her against him until her back was snuggled against his chest. Wrapping her up, tangling his legs with hers on the couch, he slipped his hand beneath her tee shirt to settle on her belly. Though she couldn’t know it, every word she spoke scared the shit out of him. He wanted her so badly but had nothing to offer her but a small-town living. The world was open to her
57
Regina Carlysle
and she could do anything at all with her life. She deserved it. Who was he to hold her back? Only an asshole would do such a thing. “So what had you frowning?” He pressed his lips to her hair and Harley snuggled closer. “Job offer from a rival company. My third in the space of a month.” “What are you going to do?” Her sigh just about broke his heart. She sure as hell had a lot on her plate. Harley settled her hand over his and her warmth seeped right into his heart. Finally she wiggled around until she was facing him on the couch. Her brown eyes were serious behind the lenses of her glasses. “I don’t know. There’s just too much to think about and I’m so confused, Cooper.” “A lot has happened in a short amount of time, darlin’,” he said, hoping to soothe. Gently he pulled her glasses off and reached over them both to set them aside. He pressed a kiss to her lips. “You lost your mom and now, on top of that you have to sell the house and deal with that. You’ve got all these other things hanging over your head.” “I’m beginning to feel like a tumbleweed that is getting jerked around in a windstorm. You’ve been my only bright spot lately.” Her eyes misted over and he hoped to hell she wasn’t going to cry. It would flat kill him if she did. “And now I have to start thinking about leaving you all over again.” Damn. A heavy knot of tension gathered in his chest and he wondered impulsively if it was the feel of his heart breaking. She hadn’t said she loved him but Cooper knew he’d take what he could get. “I can visit.” “It won’t be the same.” “You can stay.”
58
Return to Delight
He waited for the space of thirty seconds and then Harley closed her eyes and blew out a breath. “I can’t. I don’t belong here anymore.” Didn’t she? Harley was right, she had a hell of a lot to think about. “When do you leave?” Harley settled her nose against his chest and his arms tightened. “Couple of days.” She looked up and smiled a smile that looked downright wobbly to him. “Got to get back to things, you know. And you have a brand new company to build.” Ownership of his business seemed a little hollow to him at the moment but he wasn’t going to think about that now. It was far more important to enjoy every bit of pleasure from these last days with her.
***** Harley’s boots clicked smartly on the sidewalk near the corner of Main and seventh. Pausing with her hand on the door of the Willow Tree Café she looked around for Cooper’s truck and spotted it parked nearby. Dread caught her up and she sucked in a breath of heavy summer air and once again she waffled back and forth about what her plans. It was that whole pesky heart-versus-head thing at work again. Though she slept in Cooper’s arms through the night, she woke up in the clear light of day knowing it was time to leave Delight and return to Houston. To say she was terribly sad would be to seriously understate her true feelings. She ached. She wanted to cry until she had no more tears. But there was nothing to be done about it. Harley’s career was elsewhere and to ask Cooper to give up everything he’d worked for to come with her would be the height of selfishness. She loved him too much. Gathering herself up and forcing a pleasant—she hoped—expression onto her face, she stepped into the refrigerated air of the lunch spot noting Cooper seated at a booth across the room. Looking gorgeous and oh-so-yummy in a black tee shirt, his hair rumpled as if blown by the wind, he glanced up from his study of a laminated menu
59
Regina Carlysle
and grinned at her. Her heartbeat kicking up a notch, she headed toward him but was stopped short by a familiar voice. “Hey you! I think Cooper is back there in a booth somewhere.” Mel was seated with a large group of local women and Harley knew each and every one of them. A chorus of heys and howdys sounded from the largely middle-aged to older ladies and that was all it took for Harley to get swept up in a steady stream of chatter. Thelma wiggled her fingers and grinned. Today little glittery Lone Star Flags dangled from slim chains at her ears clashing profoundly with the sunny yellow pantsuit she wore. Pausing by Mel’s chair, she exchanged a few pleasantries until finally they went back to their meals. Harley looked at her friend, noting the harassed look on her face. “What are you ladies up to?” “This here is the steering committee for next month’s Miss Peach Delight pageant.” Thelma said, smiling. “Why don’t you come back to town next month and be a celebrity judge? I was gonna ask you later but seeing that you’re here, consider yourself asked.” “Mercy.” Harley widened her eyes. “A celebrity judge? Gee, Thelma, I’m no celebrity, that’s for sure.” A chorus of disagreements went up as Thelma continued. “Sure you are, honey. Your boots are everywhere and we’re downright proud of you here in Delight, aren’t we, girls?” More nods and smiles. Harley didn’t know what to say but Thelma was on a roll. “Why I think maybe you and T Dobbs might be the only folks around here who went off and did something wonderful.” She looked around at the other ladies. “T’s living that wild life with those wicked Hollywood types, ya know.” Harley glanced at Mel to see she’d gone still at the mention of Cooper’s younger brother. Eager to change the subject, she turned to her friend as the other ladies began to chatter privately among themselves. “How did you get roped into this, Miss NonBeauty Pageant person?” 60
Return to Delight
Laughing, Melanie rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Don’t ask. It’s a long story. Maybe we can get together tonight and I’ll tell you all about it.” “Sorry. I can’t.” Harley glanced across the room where Cooper was waiting patiently then turned her attention to Mel. “I have my bags in the car. Leaving after lunch with Coop.” “So soon? Have you told Cooper?” Harley shook her head. “Not yet. He knew this was coming but figured I’d be here another few days.” Mel went quiet, her expression serious. “You’re gonna break his heart aren’t you?” “Not intentionally and what about my heart? Lordy, Mel, I’m so confused. My coming back here was a huge mistake.” Mel stood up and turned her back to other ladies who paid not a bit of attention. Lowering her voice, she gripped Harley’s shoulders. “You listen to me. You have a golden opportunity to reconnect with the man you’ve always loved. Most of us never get a second chance.” Harley instantly spotted the tears in her friend’s eyes and knew she spoke of her shattered hopes of a relationship with T Dobbs. Hugging her quickly, she stepped back. “You are sweet to worry about me but, honey, I just have a whole lot to think about. I need to be clearheaded and I can’t do that here. Listen, I’d better go. Cooper’s waiting.” Sometime later Cooper snagged up one more French fry from his nearly empty plate and dragged it through a puddle of catsup. “Don’t know how you ladies survive on those piddly salads, darlin’. You need to come out to the ranch and let me cook you a steak. It’ll put some meat on your bones.” “My bones are just fine, thank you very much.” Cooper wagged his eyebrows up and down as he leered at her. “They sure as hell are, darlin’.” “You’re bad.”
61
Regina Carlysle
“Always. Want some dessert?” Harley sighed and pushed her salad bowl aside. “Nope. I’m stuffed.” Now was the time. Dread coursed through her veins as she looked at him. Cooper looked happy. He looked content. Hell, he looked like a man in love but was he? Were they both revisiting the past and simply living in some kind of fantasy world where first loves became forever loves and that love would simply fix all the problems they faced? The sad answer to that question was no. Gathering her courage, she opened her mouth to speak when Cooper reached across the table. “Let me pay this ticket and we’ll get out of here. I have a surprise.” Knowing full well the outcome of most of Cooper’s surprises, she melted just a little but she seriously doubted he’d planned another sexy little picnic at the ranch. Too bad. Harley nodded and within a few minutes they were heading down the sidewalk, crossed over onto another block and neared the end of the business district of main street. “Where are we going?” Cooper kept walking but looked thoughtful. “Just wanted to show you something. Maybe give you some food for thought.” She groaned. “I already have way too much to think about.” “One more thing won’t hurt will it?” “I guess not.” At the butt end of the block, Cooper stopped in front of an obviously empty shop and, taking a key from the pocket of his jeans slipped it into the lock. “Remember the Quilter’s Gallery? Nan Meadow’s place?” “Oh yeah. I remember. Is this it?” “Was is the appropriate word. Nan retired last month and the place is empty now. She hasn’t cleared out everything yet but she said I was welcome to take a look around at the space.”
62
Return to Delight
Wondering what Cooper was up to, she followed him into the cavernous space instantly noting the abundance of light gleaming on aged, hardwood floors. The smell of cinnamon and cloves hung heavily in the air. “Great space,” she murmured, strolling the area noting a checkout counter placed conveniently in the center of the room, dividing the front reception from a back workroom. Cooper currently leaned against that counter watching her quietly. There was a stillness about him. Anticipation maybe. Harley walked past him into the backroom where several large, wooden tables were scattered here and there and along one wall a recessed section held wooden rollers that she knew were used to hold large bolts of cloth. She turned to Cooper. Suddenly she knew why he was showing her this space but she had to know for sure. “Why are we here, Coop? What are you thinking?” Cooper didn’t move but continued to watch her steadily. “I’m thinking that you can come home again, Harley June. Don’t you think?” “I have a job. A good one.” Why was he pressuring her like this? She knew or at least she thought she did. Dampening her suddenly dry lips, she shook her head. “I know you think I should stay here but Cooper, I’d have to start all over again. I’ve built a reputation.” “You’d bring that with you,” he said, standing from the counter to stalk toward her. “You are creative, brilliant, smart, those things don’t leave you. They come with you. Don’t you get it? You have options.” She loved him. She really did and the thought of leaving him practically paralyzed her but she’d leaped before and committed to a man who turned out to be—well, a dickhead. Harley knew her judgment just wasn’t all that dependable. Still she knew Cooper, had always known him, had always loved him. Lordy, she was confused. Shaking her head she took a step back. “Damn it, Cooper. Let me breathe.” Cooper went still, a coldness settling in his eyes, a shuttered look she’d never seen before. When
63
Regina Carlysle
he just stood there looking at her, Harley gathered her courage. “I’m leaving today. My bags are already loaded in the trunk.” “Why?” “I know I hadn’t planned to leave quite this soon but the repairs to the house are finished. You did a great job, by the way. I need to get back and get settled in. Work Monday, you know.” “You’re babbling, Harley June. Just spit it out. Wait, let me spit it out for you. You are running from me now just like you ran from Delight all those years ago. Now your past has come back to bite you on the butt and it’s forcing you to make a decision.” “What the fuck, Cooper! In case you don’t realize it, I don’t have the best of luck with men.” “You’ve had plenty of luck with me, darlin’, and you know it. I’ve had you beneath me in bed and heard you scream my name when I fuck you so don’t tell me what we’ve had these past few weeks meant nothing.” “It doesn’t matter, Cooper. It just doesn’t. I don’t belong here any more than you belong in Houston. A big city would choke the life out of you but I thrive on it. I love my job and my friends. My life. And you are asking me to change all that because you know how to push all the right buttons and give me the best orgasms I’ve ever had.” Cooper moved closer. Tension radiated from his long, rangy body. His nostrils flared as his beautiful eyes narrowed. “Is that all? Best you’ve ever had, huh? Maybe I should give you a little going away present then.” Harley gasped as Cooper picked her up in his arms and carried her to the wall nearest the checkout counter. She barely had time to drag air into her lungs when he scooped up her fisted hands in one of his and pressed them over her head against the flat surface. Bending low, Cooper looked into her eyes, his breath hot against her lips. “Then think of this when you are having such a great time in the big city, darlin’. Think of me.”
64
Return to Delight
Cooper kissed her hard, his touch savage yet tender as he swept his tongue deep into her mouth. Harley could do nothing but respond. No man she’d ever known tasted as delicious as Cooper Dobbs. Everything about his leisurely ravaging of her mouth made her senses sing and then he cupped her breast with one big hand, massaging it, playing until her nipple pressed hard against his palm. His fingers plucked and pulled then drew tiny circles around the puckered flesh. She wanted to tell him to stop. She wanted to pull away and run as fast as she could out the door but she was paralyzed with pleasure, taunted by a need so great it threatened to consume her. The knowledge that she was leaving and might never see him again heightened her senses and branded every touch into her soul. Bittersweet need caused her eyes to burn with tears but she wouldn’t think about that now. If this was all she’d ever have then she’d grab it with both hands and enjoy. Cooper’s breath grew heavy when he sent his lips on a questing journey down the column of her throat not stopping until he replaced his hand with his lips at her breast. Harley gasped at the rough bite to her pulsing, aching nipple, then gasped again when his thigh insinuated itself between hers. Her denim miniskirt rode up to accommodate the heavy trunk of his thigh as it pressed her pussy. Again and again he pressed and rubbed. Unable to resist a second longer, she rode his thigh until pleasure rode her deeper, harder. “Cooper.” “Oh yeah. Thought you could forget about me but it’s all rushing back isn’t it, sweetheart?” He pressed her drenched pussy again then cursed as he changed position. The thrust of his cock, heavy and hard behind the fly of worn denim, dragged over her cunt sending lust zipping through her body to curl low in her belly. Over and over again, he dry fucked her, his jeans providing a friction that was so delicious, it sent goose bumps chasing over her skin. A bead of sweat rolled heavily down her hairline. Sliding her glance upward, she saw that Cooper was no less affected. Passion shone from his eyes and his bottom lip was slack as he drew oxygen in and out of his lungs. “Can’t hold out much longer. Got to get inside you.”
65
Regina Carlysle
“Yes,” she whispered. “Cooper, please.” The plea had barely left her mouth when Cooper stepped back and pulling her with him, bent her over the counter in the nearly empty room. Cars and trucks drove by on the street outside as he drew her skirt over her ass and yanked her panties free. Cooper went quiet and Harley knew he was looking at her naked ass. “Spread ’em.” Harley spread her legs wide and instantly felt Cooper’s hand on her wet flesh. “Love the way you look. All pink and shiny. Ready for me. You’ve always been the most responsive woman I know, Harley.” He sent his fingers deep as his other hand squeezed her butt cheek, rubbing the spot, stroking. Thrusting repeatedly, he crooked a finger hitting her G-spot and Harley gripped the counter as hard as she could. Dark pleasure curled tightly in her belly. “You like that. I can tell. Come for me, Harley.” His words were like an aphrodisiac as she tightened vaginal walls around his thrusting fingers. A low moan broke from her throat. Harley slammed her eyes shut against the lust that beat through her body like a million tiny drums. As if from a distance she heard the rasp of a zipper. Cooper removed his fingers quickly, the action wrenching a cry from her lips and then he was there, his cock sliding over the wilting flesh of her pussy. Reaching beneath her, Cooper stroked her belly, drawing circles there before sliding lower to lightly stroke her clit. It pulsed against his fingers and Harley squirmed, aching for a firmer touch, something more and then he pinched harder as he shoved deeper into her cunt. Over and over, heavier and harder he thrust, pounding deep and filling her up until she thought she’d break into a million tiny pieces. Behind her, she heard the rough sounds he made, catching a glimpse of his perfect reflection in the storefront window. The empty room echoed with the cries of their passion bouncing back to them, rough, raw, and heavy. Harley’s body clutched him, milking him, taking everything she could until frustrated tears poured from her eyes. She never wanted it to end. But even that simple plea was too much to hold on to as a ball of fiery pleasure tightened, tightened and then imploded, leaving her limp and shaking, gasping for breath.
66
Return to Delight
Cooper’s cry followed her own until he lay over her, stroking her sides, his face buried in the curve of her neck. “Remember this, Harley June. Just remember it and try to think of me sometimes. Lord knows I will.”
67
Regina Carlysle
Chapter Seven One week later, Harley sat at her office desk at Lefflin Brothers Boots watching the rain sketch out a dreary pattern on the window nearby. Since her return to Houston, the skies had opened up to pour out, it seemed, its dismal grief on her head. Listlessly, she sank back in her chair and secretly wished herself back to Delight where Cooper would be waiting with open arms making her world right again. After the wild, raunchy sex before her departure, she’d stumbled back to her car pausing only to look at him once more as he stood on the sidewalk, his arms hanging limply at his sides. Gone was any hint that he’d been her lover. Absent was any trace of emotion. She didn’t cry until making it to the outskirts of town and then the tears came so hard Harley had to pull over to regain her composure. She was beginning to think she’d made a colossal mistake. The buzzer on her intercom went off so Harley sat up and pressed the button. “Mr. Lefflin is here to see you, Harley.” “Sure, Kate, send him in.” Her boss had kept her waiting on his decision about the promotion for far too long and she knew it. Usually good news was quick in coming so she feared the worst. Mustering a smile, she stood when he walked into the room carrying a brown Lefflin Brothers boot box. “Hey, Dan.” “Harley. I thought you’d want to see what I have fresh from the workroom.” Curious, she suddenly smiled when Dan opened the box and pulled out the wedding boots she’d designed while in Delight. “Oh, Dan! They turned out great.” “Better than great, Harley. You did a fantastic job on this. The bride’s dad will be picking these up personally tomorrow afternoon.”
68
Return to Delight
“I hope he likes them and I hope his daughter, the bride, loves them.” Dan set the box on one corner of Harley’s desk. Harley was feeling better by the moment regarding the promotion until she saw an uncertain frown on her boss’s face. “She will. You did an amazing job and that’s why this decision about the Creative Director’s position was such a painful one to make. Harley, I’m sorry,” he blurted. “I had to give the job to John. He has been here for a mighty long time.” Harley went still as her heart sank. “But Dan, you and I both know he doesn’t have an eye for things. I hate to be brutal about it but it’s the truth.” “I know and that’s another reason the decision was so hard. You’re the best designer we’ve ever had. Your boots are in high demand all over the world but we are kind of old-fashioned around here. John is settled, older. He’s married with a family to raise and to be frank, he needs the money that’ll come with the promotion. I know he’s raw and he has a lot to learn but I figure after working with you for a few months, you’ll bring him up to speed.” Fury washed over her as she stared aghast at the man she’d respected since her intern days. “Don’t tell me the good old boy network just robbed me of a well-deserved promotion, Dan. You and I both know this isn’t right. Our shipments of hand-tooled custom boots have increased ten-fold since you gave me free rein with my stuff and now you want me to train someone else for a job I should have? I credited you with more class than this.” Dan Lefflin had the good grace to look ashamed. He knew she was right, damn it. This wasn’t fair. “I’m sorry, Harley. Maybe we can give you a raise.” “Don’t you get it? It’s not about money. It’s about respect. Right now, I have offers from three other highly respected boot companies. I hesitated getting back with them because, Dan, I understand the meaning of the word loyalty. Now, I reckon, I have quite a bit to think about don’t I?” Driving home that day in the pouring rain, fighting endless lines of traffic and blaring horns, Harley wondered what she’d ever found so absolutely magical about 69
Regina Carlysle
living in a city like this. Any city. Sitting there, stalled behind that inching-along stream of cars and trucks, she briefly closed her eyes and though about home. She thought about Delight and the people there. She recalled their friendly smiles and frequent hugs and thought of Cooper. That’s where the true magic had been all along but she’d been too stupid to see it. By the time she reached her neat little condo located in a northwest suburb, she wearily trudged into the house and flopped down on her couch. Beaten and exhausted she closed her eyes. No doubt about it, she was simply too tired to think anymore. At least not about work. Cooper was right. He’d been right about everything. Her creativity could be practiced anywhere. Her customers wouldn’t care where she worked as long as they had the product they wanted. She stupidly thought Delight held no place for her, that she’d outgrown this small town and the people in it. She couldn’t have been more wrong. And then there was Cooper. When she thought of all the years she’d wasted in living apart from him, she wanted to kick her own butt. Tears burst to the surface of her eyes and fell in a steady stream down her face. Stupid. Blind. A fool. But could she come running back to Cooper now after the way they’d parted? He had worked so hard, so steadily to make her see the truth of things and she’d turned her back on everything. Well, if Harley June Baker had ever learned anything at her mama’s knee it was that quitters never got anywhere. She’d been a scrapper her whole life, fighting to get somewhere in this world. She would go for what she wanted and the prize was clear. Feeling more energized once her course was set, Harley stood and kicked out of her shoes thinking a nice bath was definitely in order. Maybe a glass of wine or two. Hell, she was celebrating. Barefoot, she padded into the kitchen and plucked a bottle of red from the fridge. She’d just poured a glass when she noticed a light blinking on her 70
Return to Delight
answering machine. Harley pressed the button and instantly heard the cheerily, chirping voice of the realtor she’d hired in Delight. “Harley, I have great news! Fantastic news! I have a buyer for the house and I didn’t even have to negotiate on the price. You’re going to get every cent you asked for. Isn’t that wonderful? Cooper sure did a great job making that old place sparkle. Listen, we need to set a closing date. Probably sometime next week. Everything in Delight operates pretty slowly, as you know, but this is an aggressive buyer. Give me a call and let me know when you can come in for the closing.” Oh boy! Now what? Did she really want to sell Mom’s house now? Cooper hadn’t said he loved her and there had been no talk of anything permanent. Not really. In actuality, she could return to Delight, uproot herself again only to learn his feelings for her weren’t the real thing after all. Harley took a sip of the rich, red wine and shook her head. She’d taken plenty of chances in her life but this one was a doozy. Later, she sank back into a bathtub full of bubbles replaying in her mind every single moment she’d spent with Cooper. Was it love she saw in his eyes or just the aftereffects of rocking, balls-to-the-wall sex? She knew it wasn’t like that for her. In fact, it was hard to imagine a moment when Cooper wouldn’t be part of her life. Her heart thumped hard when her cell phone jangled and her instant thought was of Cooper. Simultaneously she reached for her half empty wineglass and the phone, slightly disappointed to see Melanie’s name glinting on the screen. “Mel! Hey, how’s it going?” “And don’t you sound cheerful.” Harley sighed and sank back among the bubbles. “I’m a damn fake. Not cheerful at all.” Mel’s returning sigh sounded sympathetic. “I’m sorry, honey. I just wanted to see what happened with the promotion. I take it that didn’t go well?” 71
Regina Carlysle
“Nope. They expect me to train the other guy and that sucks. After all these years with them and they treat me like crap.” “Want me to come down there and help you kick some butt?” “Hmm. Not a bad idea but I think I’ll go the non-violent route and just tender my resignation.” Mel went quiet for a few seconds. “I’m sorry, Harley. I really am. What are you going to do?” “Dunno. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about things lately.” “Are any of those thoughts directed toward a certain gorgeous long drink of water?” Harley huffed a breath. “You could say that. He’s pretty much all I’m thinking about these days. But you know, Mel, he wined me and dined me and sexed me up until I went loose as a noodle, yet never once did he say he loved me.” “He does though, Harley. Heck everyone in town knows he’s always had it bad for you. You were the one who got away and lord knows, plenty of women have gone for him but he never looked twice, except that one time. Everyone knows how that turned out.” She had to ask. “Have you seen him? Talked to him?” “No, he’s laying low and I hear from some of the guys in his crew that he has been holed-up at the ranch pretty much since you left town. Not a good sign. I think he’s licking his wounds. He’s missing you, babe. He really is.” “You have to say that.” “No, I don’t. I mean it. I’m your best friend and I would never lie to you. Come home, Harley June. Come and get your man. I know you want to and there will never be a better time than now.”
*****
72
Return to Delight
Cooper’s cell phone rang jarring him from his talk with local realtor, Tammy Dean. He sat across the desk from her and gave her an apologetic look. “Hang on, Tammy. This might be Melanie.” Sure as shootin’ Mel’s name lit up on the screen. “Mel. Is she on her way?” “Yep. Just got a call from her and she’s on the outskirts of town and heading in your direction. I feel like an ass conspiring against her like this but it’s for her own good.” He ignored that bit of guilt from Harley’s best friend. “What do you figure? About ten minutes?” “Or less. Lordy, I wish I could be a fly on the wall, Cooper. Good luck.” Cooper had laid out his plan in the best way he could, he figured. He wasn’t one for deception but the situation was desperate. Aching from the need of her, he’d gathered up a little help in the form of Tammy and Melanie. Good for him they both were suckers for a happy ever after. It was good they had his back. “Are we all set, Tammy? You didn’t tell her the name of the buyer?” Tammy, a cute little redhead with a friendly face, grinned at him, her eyes wide behind the lenses of her glasses. She gave her head a vigorous shake. “Nope. Not a word. I told her it was an anonymous buyer and that she had to be here for the closing today at three. That’s it. Cooper, I really hope this whole thing works out the way you want it to.” Was that ever an understatement! The realtor stood and headed toward the door, looking back at him. “I’m going to hang out in the reception area all casual-like, just as we planned, Coop. This will all work out. Don’t worry.” Cooper leaned back in his chair as the minutes ticked by. Backing Harley into a corner wasn’t his intent but damn it, he had to face the fire and admit to her how he felt. He owed her that. What she did with the information was completely up to her but Cooper knew he had to have her in his life. If it was meant to be a long-distance thing, 73
Regina Carlysle
then he’d make it work somehow. Nerves danced over his spine along with a healthy dose of anticipation. He ached for her, every night a torment of wanting that threatened to tear him apart. The bell over the door of the realtor’s office jangled and he stood. Here it was. The moment he’d planned. Tammy’s voice chimed out. “Hey there, Harley June. Did you have a good drive in?” She paused for a moment. “Why don’t you head on into my office, hon. I have a quick call to make and then I’ll join you, okay?” Cooper’s heart launched into his throat when Harley opened the door and stepped inside. Her eyes went wide. She was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. The past couple of weeks had been among the longest of his life. Keeping it casual, he sat with his butt propped against Tammy’s desk and nodded. “Hey, darlin’.” “Cooper! Um, what are you doing here? I don’t understand.” Instantly seeing the uncertainty and confusion stamped on her face, Cooper watched her sink her teeth into her bottom lip. “I’m supposed to close on the house today.” “Why don’t you sit down?” Harley took a seat but he stayed right where he was. “What’s going on, Cooper? Why are you here?” “Didn’t Tammy tell you that you had a buyer?” “You? But why, Cooper?” She looked so confused his heart broke just a little bit. Sitting next to her, he reached for her hands and looked her dead in the eye. “I couldn’t stand not having something of you, Harley. Even if it’s just a house.” Harley shook her head. “What are you—” “I’m saying I love you, honey. I always have and even your moving away didn’t change that. You didn’t want to hear about my first marriage and lord knows it’s not a topic for polite conversation but I did a stupid thing. When I found out you had moved
74
Return to Delight
on and were engaged, I went a little crazy.” He shook his head still unable to believe he’d been such a dumbass. “I didn’t look hard enough before I leaped and made a huge mistake. I’d promised myself I would never do such a thing again but then you waltzed back into Delight and into my life and I knew I didn’t want to let you go. At least not without telling you that I love you.” She blinked at him, a stunned look on her face. “Cooper?” He held up one hand. “I don’t want to pressure you, Harley. I saw how you reacted when I showed you that piece of rental property.” Frustrated, he ran nervous fingers through his hair. “I’m fucking this up.” Suddenly Harley reached out for him, settling her hands on his shoulders and giving him a steady look despite the tears floating in her eyes. “Stop it. Cooper, do you mean it? When I came back to Delight you were the only person I worried about seeing. I knew you’d make it impossible for me to return to Houston and my work and career. I was right to worry. Suddenly the promotion didn’t mean as much as I thought it would.” “Did you get it?” She shook her head but smiled. “No but it forced me to do some serious thinking. You were right about everything. Why not set up shop here? I have a list of contacts stored on my computer and with you to install what I need, I’m all set.” Finally she looked down as if suddenly unsure of herself all over again. When she looked up, he swallowed hard at the expression on her face and then she smiled at him. “I love you, Cooper. I always have. That has never changed for me.” Cooper couldn’t stand not touching her. He stood and yanked her up and into his arms. He pressed kisses to her mouth and tasted her response, sweet and a little wild. Tears fell down her cheeks. Kissing them away, he pressed his face to hers and held her curves against him reveling in the best kind of homecoming imaginable. “Sounds like we have a lot to talk about, darlin’,” he said quietly, loving the way she fit so perfectly against him. 75
Regina Carlysle
He kissed her then, taking it deep and slow, drinking her responsiveness on his tongue. Nothing tasted better than his Harley June. A quiet thrill swept him as he rolled the things she’d said around in his mind. “What about the house?” she whispered against his lips. “You still buying it?” Cooper nipped her lush bottom lip. “Think I need to?” “Nah, we’re good to go Cooper. Think you might want to live there with me?” Cooper kissed her again, sweeping his hands over her curves and knowing he would never let her go. “Hmm. People might gossip. You know how small towns are. Maybe you’d better marry me first.” “Oh wow. What a great idea.” She sighed heavily, nuzzling against him. When she finally looked up, her eyes were shining and her smile was as bright as a Texas summer. “Yes, yes, I’ll marry you, Cooper. Can’t have folks talkin’ now, can we?”
76
About the Author Regina Carlysle is an award-winning, multi-published author. She likes writing that is hot, edgy and often humorous, and puts this trademark stamp on all her stories. Regina lives in west Texas with her husband of 25 years and counting, and is a doting, fawning, over-indulgent mother to her two kids. When she’s not penning steamy erotic tales or hot contemporary stories, she’s indulging in long chats with friends who help her stay sane and keep her laughing.
Regina welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
Tell Us What You Think We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at
[email protected].
Also by Regina Carlysle Drilled Eagle’s Refuge Ellora’s Cavemen: Flavors of Ecstasy IV anthology Feral Moon High Plains Shifters 1: Highland Beast High Plains Shifters 2: Lone Star Lycan High Plains Shifters 3: Ringo’s Ride High Plains Shifters 4: Edge of Nowhere Jaguar Hunger Killer Curves Mistletoe Magic: Breath of Magic Mistletoe Magic: Elven Magic with Cindy Spencer Paper & Desiree Holt Panther Moon Spanish Topaz Tempting Tess Trouble in a Stetson
Print books by Regina Carlysle Aged to Perfection anthology Cougar Challenge: Needing a Cougar anthology Ellora’s Cavemen: Flavors of Ecstasy IV anthology High Plains Shifters: Lone Star Beasts High Plains Shifters: Riding the Edge Mistletoe Magic anthology Tempting Turquoise anthology Torrid Topaz anthology
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.
www.ellorascave.com
