“Yes ma’am.” With that, Eric swatted Tessa on the ass with a towel as he passed her by.

Initially, Cooper hadn’t been all that fond of the gesture, but once he learned that Tessa and Eric went way back, and, in fact, Eric was married to Tessa’s best friend, he’d seen a different aspect to their relationship. They were friends, that was obvious. Cooper knew that he wouldn’t walk away with his junk intact if he swatted her on the ass like that.

Damn, but he wanted to.

His dick stirred, making his jeans damned uncomfortable as he thought about his hand on Tessa’s ass. In his mind, she was naked, the sweet, rounded curves of her ass filling his hands as she rode him fast and hard. Shit.

“You plan on staying here all night?” Tessa questioned, pulling him from his thoughts at the perfect moment. If he had let his imagination wander any further, she’d be laid out on the bar top, stark naked while he...

This was so not helping.

“I didn’t realize you were ready to go,” he told her, trying to stall while he got his body under control.

“There’s nothing left to do here.”

Well, Cooper would have to disagree with that.

“Hey, come here,” he told her as he stood.

Without waiting for her, he moved to the sound system that was hidden in a panel on one end of the bar. He ran through the menu of songs until he found the playlist he was looking for and then hit play.

Moving back to Tessa, he took her hand and pulled her out onto the dance floor. She was smiling up at him, and the carefree look on her face was so rare, it stole his breath.

Pulling her in close, Cooper removed her hat, placing it on the edge of the stage before sliding one hand in hers, the other around her waist. With their bodies aligned so intimately, he had to look down to see her, but even with their height difference, they fit together like puzzle pieces. He prayed she didn’t feel the effect she had on him, but he couldn’t very well help it. They had been doing this figurative dance for more than two weeks now and honestly, Cooper was looking forward to getting his hands on her again. Even innocently.

Although his hands weren’t thinking anything innocent at the moment.

“Are you trying to tell me something, Krenshaw?”

“Me? I don’t have any idea what you’re talkin’ about,” he replied, smiling. Cooper knew she was referring to the song, and yes, he could never go wrong with Conway Twitty.

“You think you’re sly, don’t you?”

Sly or not, Cooper didn’t want to move from where he was. They danced slowly around the floor, two stepping although their feet barely moved. This was as close as they’d been since the night that he kissed her, and the feel of her soft, smooth fingers entwined with his, the crush of her breasts against his torso, were exactly how he remembered. Better even.

While the song referred to laying her down, Cooper was perfectly content with being upright. Hell, he wasn’t particular about how they went about it, he just wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep going another minute without kissing her. When the next song he had selected queued, Cooper knew his control would be shot in less than thirty seconds.

Chapter Nine

“Let me guess? You and Jason Aldean are friends?” Tessa asked as she stared up at the man whose arm was wrapped around her back, the heat of his hand scorching her skin even through her shirt.

“And what if we are?” he smirked.

They were so close, not even a breath would fit between them, yet Tessa’s body was screaming for more. Not that she would ask. It wasn’t what good girls did and quite frankly, Tessa was bound and determined to be a good girl. She’d spent the majority of her life being just the opposite. And for some reason, with Cooper, she didn’t want him to know that side of her. Despite her better judgment, she didn’t want to send him running. She had a feeling he’d be deciding to do that on his own before too long.

The way his intense brown eyes watched her, made her mouth go dry. When she used her tongue to moisten her bottom lip, she felt his body tense and suddenly, Tessa prayed he’d get the hint. If he didn’t kiss her soon, she was almost certain her body would spontaneously combust.

He picked an incredibly fitting song and suddenly not talking anymore sounded like an extremely good plan to her too. When Cooper leaned closer, pressing his lips to hers, Tessa held her breath while praying he would lose the perfect gentleman act for at least a few minutes. She wanted this man to sweep her off of her feet.

Seconds later, that’s exactly what he did.

Suddenly they weren’t moving anymore. They were both rooted in place, their hands had taken up the part of their feet as they touched and tasted as though they’d been waiting for this day.

She had.

Tessa lost her ability to think when Cooper’s tongue slid into her mouth, his taste sending her body into hyperspace as she wrapped her arms around his neck, looping her fingers into the soft, silky hair at the nape of his neck, just beneath his cowboy hat. When Cooper pulled her even closer, his hips subtly grinding into hers, she moaned.

“Lord, woman, if you keep doing that, I’m going to forget how to be a gentleman,” Cooper said breathlessly.

Tessa stared back at him. At this point, she didn’t give a damn what they did, but if he didn’t put his mouth back on hers, she might just scream. “You talk too much.”

That mischievous, crooked grin sent tingles racing through her bloodstream, taking brief breaks along the way to explode in her belly and then linger between her legs.

“Well, you don’t have to tell me twice.”

Tessa squealed when Cooper lifted her off of her feet, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist, the evidence of his arousal pressing intimately between her thighs and causing her to groan seconds before his mouth was once again on hers. This time, Tessa knocked his hat from his head and held him in place, not allowing him to get away from her until she got her fill. Based on the way he kissed, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever get enough.

Her back hit the solid wall, and yet she still didn’t allow him to get away. She couldn’t stop, couldn’t let go because she wanted more of him. Her body had a mind of its own, and she was grinding herself against his erection, his groans matching hers as he pressed her firmly against the wall, his hands bracketing her ass as he held her in place.