If he had anything to say about it, she wouldn’t be able to hold back. Cooper wasn’t a gentle lover, and with Tessa, he was beginning to wonder whether he’d met his match.

When they both came up for air – something they seemed to do a lot – Cooper cupped her face with his hands, holding her so that she couldn’t look away. “I doubt I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”

“No one said you had to,” she retorted, sounding somewhat frustrated.

“Trust me, darlin’. I want you more than you’ll ever know, but I’m not looking for one night. If I was, I’d have buried my cock in your pussy right there against the wall in your bar.” Cooper let the harsh words escape, wanting her to understand that the need was just as great for him as it was for her.

He was a gentleman when he was supposed to be, but when it came to Tessa and him behind closed doors, he wasn’t going to promise her soft music and candlelight all the time. He wanted everything she could give him and in no way was he just referring to sex.

The shiver that made her hands tremble told him that his coarse tone didn’t bother her. In fact, if he had to guess, she very much liked it.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Get some sleep.” He pressed his lips lightly against hers again. “You’re going to need it.”

Chapter Ten

Going back to his motel room was certainly Cooper’s original plan, however, when Tessa took a right turn out of the parking lot of The Rusty Nail, rather than a left that would lead her back to her house, he decided to follow.

He had a feeling she was going to stop for breakfast or a unusually late dinner because she had mentioned that to Eric earlier in the evening. Considering Cooper had kept her at the bar longer than usual, he figured it would only be fair for him to pay for her meal. Not to mention, he’d get the opportunity for a pseudo-date without having to ask her.

Since Tessa seemed completely against dating him, although she had relented to the bet they had made, Cooper was willing to take his chances whenever the opportunity presented itself. Like tonight – or rather this morning.

Fifteen minutes later, his suspicions were confirmed when she pulled into the parking lot of IHOP just off of the interstate in the neighboring town. Since Devil’s Bend didn’t have any options that were open that late, her choice made sense to him.

Parking directly beside her truck, Cooper climbed out at the same time she did.

“Are you stalking me, cowboy?” she asked sweetly as she made her way to the sidewalk that surrounded the building.

“I was just wondering the same thing about you,” he said seriously.

The confusion that passed over Tessa’s face briefly almost made him smile. “You’re the one following me if I do recall.”

Well, she had him there.

“Since we’re both here, we might as well eat, don’t ya think?” Taking Tessa’s hand, Cooper led her to the front doors of the restaurant and then held one open for her. Once she was inside, he followed and then instructed the hostess they needed a table for two.

When they were seated with their menus in front of them, Cooper smiled, waiting for her to look at him, which she managed to avoid for a painfully long time.

“You’re relentless,” she told him as she glanced down at her menu, smiling.

“That’s me,” he replied as he skimmed the menu, thrilled to know she still sensed him there even when she pretended to not be paying attention.

“So, are you a regular here as well? Are they going to bring something out before you ever order it?”

Cooper laughed, enjoying the way she liked to tease him. It had been quite some time since he had been on a real date with a woman. One who wasn’t more curious about his music career or the people he knew than who he really was.

“Nope. But if you’d like to join me for breakfast every morning, we can change that.”

Tessa’s face flushed, and she looked down at her menu again. He heard her mumble something along the lines of “Cowboy, you can’t handle me every morning”, but he didn’t say anything. He could show her just how much he could handle if she wished to dare him.

The waiter arrived to take their order, and they rattled off what they wanted. A few minutes later, they were sitting quietly while Tessa fussed with her coffee, adding cream and sugar. Cooper took his black, so he remained silent, waiting patiently until she was finished.

“Do you go out to breakfast a lot after work?” he asked just to make conversation.

“Every now and then Eric and I will stop somewhere. On some nights that Miranda works at the bar, we’ll stop afterward, especially if things were hectic. Just some time to unwind.”

“So why tonight? Alone?”

“I knew I wasn’t going to be able to sleep,” she said, and her honesty had that strange sensation surging through him. Cooper liked how open she was with him, although sometimes he didn’t think she meant to be.

“You weren’t gonna be the only one,” he admitted as he watched for her reaction.

There was a minute or two of silence and then Cooper realized she wasn’t going to talk if she didn’t have to. Considering there was so much he wanted to know about her, he figured he’d start tonight.

“Does your mom ever stop by The Rusty Nail?”

Ok, so jumping in with both feet might not have been the way to go based on Tessa’s horrified expression, but Cooper decided he would let the question hang until she answered with something.

“I don’t want to talk about me,” she finally said when the silence was almost suffocating.

“I didn’t ask about you. I was asking about your mother,” he explained.

“Same difference,” she retorted.

“Not really, no.”

Another round of silence sat heavily between them until, finally, Cooper saw the moment Tessa surrendered.

“My mother rarely leaves the house,” she said softly, her hands wrapped tightly around the coffee mug in front of her. “She’s been that way since I was a child.”

“She doesn’t work?”

“Not now she doesn’t. When I was younger, before she met my stepfather she did.”

“What did she do?” Cooper knew he had to keep the dialogue going, or Tessa was going to shut down on him, and he truly wanted to get to know her.