“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Cooper asked, sounding serious as he took her hand in his and stood, pushing her to her feet.

Tessa glanced at his parents and then back at him, her confusion probably more than obvious.

“Excuse us for a minute,” Cooper said to his parents and Dalton before leading her inside.

Once they were in the darkened hallway, Tessa was about to apologize for monopolizing the conversation when she found herself pressed up against the wall, Cooper’s hot mouth on hers. The moan that escaped was followed by her arms going around his neck automatically, holding him closer.

“Woman, I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted you more than I do right now,” he whispered in her ear, making her clit pulse as she thought about him taking her right there in the hallway.

Feeling a tad rebellious and a whole lot lighter because of last night’s conversation with Cooper, Tessa leaned her head back, lining her mouth up right by his ear and whispered, “Prove it.”

Cooper’s body hardened beneath her hands and he pulled back, his whiskey brown eyes pinning her in place, a smile tipping the corners of his mouth. When he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her against him and then turning so they were just inside his bedroom, Tessa had to swallow her squeal.

“I’m going to make you wear skirts in the future,” he growled as he unbuttoned her jeans while she toed off one of her boots. Without letting one another go, they managed to ease her jeans from one leg while Cooper shoved his down over his hips.

“Turn around,” he growled against her ear and Tessa quickly turned to face the wall, her hands flat. “Just remember, you have to be quiet, or my parents will hear you.”

The warning sent a shiver down Tessa’s spine. Last night had been hard enough knowing Dalton was in the house. But what if his parents came inside? What if they heard them?

When he kicked her foot out to the side, widening her stance as he put his hand on the middle of her back and forced her down slightly, Tessa wasn’t sure she could wait until he was inside of her so she would just have to be quiet. His rough touch set a fire inside of her unlike anything she’d ever felt before.

Sure, she’d felt desired when they made love, but never like when he wanted her fast and hard. Like the man couldn’t wait another second to have her. This was beyond explosive, and she wanted nothing more than to have him inside of her.

Luckily, she didn’t have to wait much longer. His fingers were teasing her pussy seconds before his cock slid home, driving into her and forcing her to hold herself away from the wall. When he leaned over, his mouth brushing against her ear, she turned her head slightly.

“Fuck me, Cooper,” she whispered so low, she barely heard herself, but his answering growl had her pussy spasming.

“Tessa.” Her name on his lips sounded like a warning, and when he stood back up, gripping her hips before slamming into her, she braced herself.

She felt the tingles in her core almost immediately, and they slowly radiated outward, growing stronger as they went until she was sweating and hanging by her fingernails to the fragile edge of an orgasm that was going to rock her to her very core.

“Darlin’, I could do this forever,” Cooper growled, but he never slowed, slamming into her as she pushed back against him.

She had to grind her teeth together to keep from crying out as her orgasm detonated, making her legs weak and her arms even weaker. She barely managed to remain standing as he slammed into her once, twice, three more times before his body was motionless behind her, his fingers gripping painfully on her hips. The pain disappeared abruptly as he filled her.

“Darlin’, you do that to me much more, and I’m not sure I won’t have a heart attack,” he joked, his voice still just a whisper so no one else could hear them. “Go get cleaned up and I’ll meet you back outside.”

With that, Cooper pressed a light kiss to her cheek, lingering a second before he pulled out of her and disappeared out the door. She heard the door to the other bathroom close, and she smiled before limping into the surprisingly spacious bathroom that was in Cooper’s bedroom.

Being an old farmhouse, and one that Mr. Deluth had never wanted to remodel, Tessa was surprised to see that, at some point, they had made some significant changes to the bathroom. Tessa never had met Mrs. Deluth, she had passed away when Luanne was just a baby, but she knew from her talks with Mr. Deluth just how much he had loved her. Didn’t surprise her that he’d made a change like that for the woman he loved.

Tessa knew all too well just what lengths one was willing to go through for love.

When she stood in front of the mirror, she froze, noticing the woman whose smile was radiating from her flushed face, her hair a tangled mess. She looked different. Well fucked, maybe? No, that wasn’t it. Tessa felt different too. Like the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. Like she was… in love.

Tessa was beginning to think that life was finally taking a turn for the better. Right where she’d always hoped it would be. And, for the first time, she actually thought she might have a chance at finding the happily ever after that had been eluding her for so long.

Chapter Thirty Two

The following Saturday night turned out to be the equivalent of an unchaperoned teenage dance.

A full week had disappeared quickly, everyone busy, including Cooper’s parents who had remained in town for several days to help Cooper get things in order.

Thanks to his mother, his house was in much better shape. And thanks to his father and Dalton, they had everything on order to get the fences mended, the concrete poured for the new stable as well as the barn, and they had an outpouring of volunteers coming the following week to help with what was needed.

And somewhere along the way, Dalton had decided to do a benefit concert, donating all proceeds to various organizations that Tessa worked with. Maybe the guy felt guilty that his questions had spurred her breakdown, or maybe Dalton was just being Dalton, Cooper didn’t know. But either way, trying to keep up with the man wasn’t easy.

On Thursday, Dalton had informed him that he was working with the local radio stations to announce the benefit concert in order to garner more attendance.

Because The Rusty Nail could only hold so many, Dalton had asked Cooper if they could set things up on his property. After learning that Dalton had targeted radio stations that spanned three counties, he hadn’t had much of a choice but to agree. There was no way to handle it otherwise.