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I was no fragile flower. I’d been honed and burned and strengthened in the fire of what I had watched my mother go through. I had promised myself I would never be vulnerable to any man. I treated sex like a transaction. I gave men something, and they gave me something in return. Of course, the exchange of sexual favors wasn’t particularly equal. Orgasms were rarely part of the exchange for me. I usually had to take care of that myself.
I had no clue how much time had passed since Cooper had helped me carry groceries into my apartment. It could’ve been hours, but I suspected it had only been a matter of minutes. The force of my climax left me shaking. There were still little aftershocks echoing through my body.
I felt safe and protected, held against him with his fingers still buried inside me. His other arm wrapped around me, holding me close. He was strong. I could feel the muscles in his arms, the planes of his chest, and the hard, hot length of his arousal against my thigh.
A distant corner of my mind tried to nudge through my awareness, telling me I should take care of him. But it didn’t feel right. I sensed he didn’t want that, which confused me and made me feel even more vulnerable.
I found power in giving a man pleasure. It was vulnerable to let myself go and be the only one who found pleasure. As much as I tried to collect myself and find some sense of a casual attitude, some sense of distance, it was a struggle.
I finally forced myself to lift my head. I took a shaky breath and braved a look at his face. Cooper’s cognac gaze met mine. Seeing that he looked as shocked as I felt, I found just a hint of comfort.
A moment later, his fingers were no longer buried inside me. He tugged my leggings back into place and buttoned the last button on my blouse. I sat on the kitchen counter, my body sated with pleasure still spinning in little eddies inside.
I didn’t know what to say, but I had to say something. It wasn’t like I was never going to see him again. He lived across the hall. Willow Brook was a tiny town, like a little snow globe in winter, the world contained in a small circle.
I took a breath, wondering just what to say. He lifted his hand and smoothed my hair away from my cheek, tucking it behind my ear. Even though I’d just had an explosive climax, that subtle sensation of his fingers brushing against the shell of my ear and down along the side of my neck before his hand fell away sent another shiver chasing through me.
“I don’t do relationships,” he said. “I don’t mean that to be harsh.”
When I searched his eyes, I saw a flicker of vulnerability and some kind of pain under everything. Somebody hurt this man. I wanted to hunt them down and hurt them on his behalf to assuage his pain. Because maybe I didn’t know Cooper all that well yet—even though he had just given me the best orgasm of my life—but I knew he was a good man.
He couldn’t know it, but he’d just handed me a gift, something that helped me find a way out of my own vulnerability at this moment. “I don’t either, so it’s okay. Don’t worry. Even if I see you every day, this doesn’t have to be awkward. Maybe we can give each other what we need.”
He angled his head to the side, his eyes narrowing in consideration. I sensed he wanted to say something more but appeared to think better of it. His tongue pressed into the side of his cheek before he nodded. “Maybe we can.”
ChapterThirteen
FARRAH
I didn’t see Cooper for a few days. Even though I wanted to see him every day. I was impatient for more, impatient to see what might happen next. Yet not seeing him for a few days was probably for the best. That gave us both a chance to get back on a firm footing of remembering this thing between us didn’t have to mean anything. It could be just some fun sexy times.
As autumn approached, the air in Alaska cooled. A burst of fireweed bloomed, a plentiful and stunningly beautiful weed that left the landscape awash in bright fields of fuchsia.
A bunny bounced across the reception counter. “Dragon,” the little girl said.
I had to fight back my laughter at the name bestowed upon this gray bunny with floppy ears who looked absolutely nothing like a dragon.
“Is he going to be okay?” she asked, her wide brown eyes peering up at me.
Alice stood in the doorway to the back hall and glanced over when she heard the little girl’s question. “Dragon will be just fine. He had a hairball, and it’s all taken care of.”
The little girl let out a dramatic sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Dragon nosed the lid on the jar of treats I kept on the counter.
Alice walked over, uncurling her palm and handing the little girl several pieces of lettuce. “This is better than the dog treats,” she offered with a smile.
While the little girl fed Dragon his lettuce, I checked the family out, watching Dragon and his owners disappear through the doorway a moment later.
I was making a few adjustments in our payment portal when the bell chimed on the door. I glanced up to see Mae Townsend walk in. She smiled as her cat eyed me suspiciously from the carrier she held.
“Hey there.” With a smile, I stood and rounded the desk.
I greeted her cat, Sassafras, with a treat through the carrier’s grated door. Mae gave me a quick hug and stepped back. I had gotten to know Mae through Alice and Tiffany. Returning to the back of the desk, I tapped the calendar. “Oh, that’s right. Sassafras is scheduled for her annual appointment today.”
Mae nodded. “As soon as I put her in the carrier, she gave methatlook.” She gestured to the carrier, where Sassafras gave both of us a haughty glare. “She’s not thrilled about this appointment.”
I chuckled. “It’ll be fine. Alice is always good at keeping pets calm. She’s finishing up another appointment,” I added. “She’s running a little behind. It’s been a busy day.”
After she set the carrier on the floor in a patch of sunlight cast through the windows, Mae leaned her elbows on the counter. “I’m so glad Alice has gotten this clinic up and running smoothly again. They were never closed, but not having a regular vet meant the schedule was hit or miss.”
