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"Sorry," I amended. "I was just startled to see him here, that's all."
"He's doing a little more than visiting. He lives in Hanalei now," she explained.
"What? Since when?" I asked incredulously.
"Since his injury. He went out there to get away for a while, and rehab his knee, but nobody in the league was offering him any jobs, so he started a little surfing business."
"Really?" I asked in surprise. I remembered him loving the surf almost as much as he loved playing football, but I couldn't imagine him not having any connections to football anymore.
"Yeah, he doesn't like to talk about it, but not playing anymore really did a number on his head. He tells me it's peaceful there and I don't think he gets as many questions about what happened. That couldn't have been easy for him."
"Well, I can certainly understand that," I said, my shock at seeing Cooper giving way to concern.
"It doesn’t bother you that he’s there, right?" Tess asked after I didn't answer for a moment.
I forced out a laugh. "Why would he bother me?" I asked, hoping I didn't give myself away.
Cooper and I had been together for two mind-bendingly steamy months. But it had been a secret. Tess was traveling abroad in Europe for the summer and had no idea we got together. We knew she would have a fit, but figured we would cross that bridge when we came to it and hoped that once she realized we loved each other, she would come around. But then,when it ended so spectacularly, there was no point in telling her. No sense in hurting our relationship with her after ours didn’t work.
"Besides, it’s nice to know he's there in case you need anything. I mean, Hanalei is pretty safe, but it can't hurt knowing there's a big buff football dude next door in case you need backup," she said, laughing.
I groaned internally. I didn’t need to be reminded of the "big, buff football dude next door." In fact, he was the last person I should be thinking about. As soon as the thought entered my head, images of a naked Cooper in the shadows of the moonlight consumed me. My face warmed with the memories of us out on the sand, him hovering over me, bringing me to one glorious release after another.
That memory made me realize how fucked up my relationship with Marcus had been. What I felt for Marcus could never compare to my feelings for Cooper. I chalked it up to a one-time phenomenon. Cooper was my unicorn. The one I sent riding off into the sunset without me.
But now I was here, and he was back.
"Haley? Are you still there, or did I lose you?"
"What? Yes, I'm still here. Sorry Tess, I'm distracted."
"I bet. I hope you're not letting that dirtbag take up too much of your brain space," she said, and even though I knew she was referring to Marcus, I couldn't help but bristle knowing I’d been reliving a sensual night with her brother.
"I'm working him out bit by bit, don't you worry," I assured her.
"Good. Make sure you get out and about too. I don't want you holed up in that house. It's not healthy," she chastised, because we both know that's exactly what I was going to do.
We talked about mundane things then and she informed me she packed up my clothes with some other essentials and would send them the next morning.
We hung up, and I puttered around the house, wandering to the window that looked out onto the porch. From my vantage point, I could see Cooper on his side of the wall, waxing his surfboard, the cords in his muscles flexing and popping. He was furiously waxing that surfboard like it had done something to him. He looked so intense and... incredibly sexy.
"Great job, Haley," I muttered to myself. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire."
Cooper
There were only so many times my surfboards needed to be waxed, but they were getting a hell of a working over now. Just knowing that woman was right next door... looking so goddamn good.
Of course, she would look so good after all these years, after stomping my heart into smithereens and walking away. Life’s not fair.
Like taking away my football career, dropping me on this peaceful island, and then bringing her here.
I waxed my surfboards, power washed the driveway, and I have folded every piece of laundry in the house. This bungalow was the cleanest it’s ever been in its life, but none of it was enough to distract me from the aching of my heart and the more persistent ache in my groin.
It was a cruel injustice to be this turned on by someone so heartless.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and grabbed my phone. "Tess? Why the hell is your best friend next door and not on a plane to some ritzy honeymoon resort?"
She sighed. "Why do you sound so ticked off?"
