“No?” Jack barked, never moving out of Cooper’s face. “Then why did I hear you went home last night after this shithead’s manager stopped in? How do you explain that?”

Tessa grabbed Jack’s arm and forced him back an inch. Not that she could’ve budged him if he didn’t want to move, but he placated her.

“I didn’t feel well,” she explained. That was the truth. After she spoke to Marcus, her stomach had been churning painfully from her grief. But, in Cooper’s defense, she hadn’t given him a chance to explain himself.

Jack pinned his stare back on Cooper who hadn’t moved from where he was standing, his fists clenched at his sides.

“You hurt her, and I’ll hurt you. Understand me?” Jack asked.

“You don’t want to do this, Jack,” Cooper repeated. “You’re gonna want to take a step back.”

Tessa could feel Cooper’s ire as it radiated off of him like a heat wave in summer.

“Jack, stop. Cooper didn’t hurt me,” she told her brother. She looked up at Cooper, waiting until he looked at her before she said, “He wouldn’t hurt me.” The sudden realization made her body tremble and tears rush to her eyes.

He wouldn’t hurt her. He was one of the good ones. Even if she was scared senseless about what that meant for them. She didn’t want to invite more heartache into her life, but she found that she trusted him. Something that she didn’t do easily. After Richie died, leaving her utterly alone and Chad had tried to sabotage her reputation because he didn’t get his way, rightfully so, she was jaded.

But just like Izzy suggested, Tessa had managed to give Cooper a chance. And here he was copping to his innermost insecurities, and she knew without a doubt that he wasn’t going to hurt her. At least not on purpose.

“Never,” Cooper whispered, his eyes locked with hers. “I promise you that.”

Grabbing Jack’s arm, she applied as much force as she could, pulling him backward. “Now, go on. Thank you for wanting to protect me, little brother, but it’s time for you to go.”

Jack stood motionless, staring at her like she had morphed into something alien right before his eyes. “Fine,” Jack said quietly. “Just remember that I won’t tolerate anyone hurting her. You get me.”

“Sounds like we’ve got something in common,” Cooper answered, his brown eyes calmer than they had been moments ago.

Without another word, Jack turned and stalked back in the direction he came. The screen door slammed once more, followed by the front door a few seconds later.

“I’m sorry about that,” Tessa said, pacing away from him.

Cooper’s warm hands stopped her movements as they rested on her shoulders. He turned her to face him and Tessa’s breath lodged in her chest. “Don’t be sorry. I’m glad to know that he’s got your back. I feel better knowing you’ve got someone in your corner.”

Tessa nodded, fighting the tears that had suddenly appeared to cloud her vision. There was so much emotion churning inside of her, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to hold them back much longer.

That’s when her feet were swept out from under her, and she found herself in Cooper’s arms, a squeal escaping her as she tried to kick her legs.

“Hold still, woman. I’ve got you,” he muttered as he started moving. “Barely,” he said with a laugh.

Tessa slapped his chest as she laughed. “I figured you were stronger than that, cowboy.”

Cooper managed to pull open the screen door as the dogs pushed their way into the house before he followed behind them.

“What are you doing?” she asked when he closed the back door and locked it.

“Keeping your brother out. I figure if he comes back, this way he won’t interrupt. Lord knows what he’ll do when he hears you screaming.”

Tessa laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. “You plan to make me scream, cowboy?”

“More than once, darlin’. More than once.”

“Promises, promises,” she goaded him as he moved down the narrow hall to her bedroom.

Without any finesse whatsoever, he dumped her on the mattress, making her laugh again. The giggle quickly died when his hard body came down over her, his hips fitting between her thighs until she was wrapping her legs around him and trying to pull him closer.

“Seems like we’ve got on more clothes than necessary,” Cooper said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

“Then you should remedy that,” she taunted.

The mattress dipped, and she bounced slightly as he pushed up to his feet abruptly. She couldn’t tear her eyes off of him as he stripped out of his jeans in record time. Once he was fully naked, he grabbed her shorts and pulled them down her legs, panties going with them.

When he came back down over her, the only thing she had on was her tank top and bra. “I think you forgot something,” she told him seriously.

“Working on it, darlin’,” he crooned in her ear, his tongue tracing the outer shell. “I promise, I’m going to have you naked soon.”

His voice sent chills racing down her spine. His words reminded her of all of the times she had heard him sing in the last few months. His voice was like rich, dark chocolate coating her skin. Sweet, warm, delicious.

As though he knew she was thinking about his voice, he sang a chorus from one of her favorite songs of his.

From the first time I saw her

Her smile spoke to my soul

My heart found a home

Right there in the arms of my angel in blue jeans

“I love that song,” she whispered to him, cupping his stubbly jaw as she looked into brown eyes that drew her in, held her close.

“I hope so,” he muttered with a smile. “It’s about you.”

Tessa stilled. About her? “Seriously?”

“Yup,” he answered, his fingers sliding under the material of her tank top, pushing it higher on her torso until he got it over her breasts.

A strange echo erupted in her chest, like she had been hollow before and now all of a sudden there was something swirling inside of her.

He pressed a gentle kiss to her mouth before pushing up onto his knees and ridding her of her tank top quickly. Because she didn’t want to wait, Tessa unhooked the front clasp of her bra and maneuvered out of it as fast as she could, her eyes never leaving Cooper’s.