Chasing Dreams (Devil's Bend) (19 page)

“You
really need to go,” Cooper told Marcus when they were out of earshot of anyone
else. “I’m not leaving.”

“You
sure about that?” Marcus asked, his eyes narrowing on Cooper’s face. The threat
was there, he could feel it. Every time they had a disagreement, which was
anytime Marcus felt he wasn’t getting his way, they would go toe to toe.

“I’m
sure,” Cooper growled, making sure Marcus could hear the fury in his tone. He
was done letting Marcus threaten him.

“How
about this,” Marcus said haughtily, jerking his suit jacket straight as he
stared back at Cooper. “I’m going to give you one last night to enjoy yourself.
You do what you have to do, but tomorrow I’ll be right back here. You’ll meet
me here with your shit, and we’re heading back to Nashville. I’m done playing
games with you, Cooper.”

Although
every muscle in his body tensed, his hands curling into fists and his legs
beginning to sway beneath him, Cooper managed not to hit the guy. He was so
fucking tired of Marcus and the way he was treated. Shit, if it weren’t for
Cooper, Marcus Evergreen wouldn’t have shit. And the highhanded approach had
never been warranted. It was just the way Marcus was.

Nodding
his head, agreeing that Marcus was leaving and nothing more – although Marcus
had no way of knowing that – Cooper waited until his manager offered up that
smug grin once again.

He
didn’t mind that Marcus believed he had won this round. There wasn’t a damn
thing Marcus could do to Cooper to hurt him. It was just time for Cooper to
accept the fact that he held all the power and this business arrangement was
about to come to a very abrupt halt.

Just
not tonight.

When
two o’clock finally rolled around, Tessa was ready to sneak out the back door
and let Eric close up himself. Since she had efficiently evaded Cooper for the
last few hours, she figured the least she could do was skip out on an argument.

There
would most definitely be an argument.

He
had dismissed her like she didn’t matter.

And
he’d hurt her feelings.

Not
only that, but once he had come back inside – without Marcus, thank goodness –
he hadn’t paid any attention to her at all. His escape was in the form of the
stage where he spent most of the night singing, not even interacting with the
crowd much like he normally did.

So
maybe he was in a bad mood. Still, Tessa felt she deserved more than the easy
shrug off that she’d gotten when he felt she was eavesdropping on his
conversation. And what could they have talked about that he didn’t want her to
hear?

That
had bothered her most of the night too. He was still a mystery to her. Getting
to know him had been a slow moving train when compared to how quickly their
lust had caught fire.

Glancing
over at Eric, Tessa contemplated sneaking out as originally planned, but before
she could, Cooper walked up.

“I
want to talk to you before you leave,” he told her and then he headed back to
the stage.

Knowing
she wasn’t going to get away that easily, she resigned herself to her closing
duties, and half an hour later she was finishing up.

“Need
anything more from me?” Eric asked from the other side of the bar.

“No,
I’m just about done here too.”

“Awesome.
I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Hey,
would you lock the front door on your way out?” Cooper called from his perch on
the stage.

What
the hell was he doing? From where she stood it looked like he was tuning his
guitar.

“Sure
thing,” Eric yelled from the opposite side of the room as he left.

When
Eric’s car roared out of the parking lot a few minutes later, Tessa knew she
was stuck having to deal with Cooper before she went home. Part of her wanted
to know what he and Marcus had talked about, and why he seemed so moody all of
a sudden. The other part wanted to rip him a new one for treating her so
callously when Marcus had been there.

“Where’re
you going?” Cooper asked as she tried to make a hasty retreat to the bathroom.

“The
restroom. What? Do you want to hold my hand?” she snipped. She needed a couple
of minutes to gain some of her composure, and then she’d be better equipped to
deal with whatever he had to say.

She
had a feeling he was getting ready to let her down easy.

Thankfully,
Cooper didn’t say anything more, and she disappeared down the dark, narrow
hallway heading straight for the bathroom. The first measure of business was to
splash cold water on her face. She could do this. She could.

“If
he’s going back to Nashville then that’s what was meant to be,” she told her
reflection.

She
spent a few minutes righting her clothes, making sure she looked more at ease
than she felt. Frowning at her choice of outfit, Tessa fixed the sagging
shoulder of her lightweight sweater. She’d actually dressed up tonight. Well,
dressed up for her anyway. Her blue jean skirt and off the shoulder olive green
sweater had made her feel pretty when she first put it on. The boots on her
feet had made her feel normal.

Yet
now, knowing that Cooper was waiting for her, she felt significantly
underdressed. It would’ve been easier to face him if she had on her jeans and a
t-shirt.

But,
there was nothing she could do about that now.

Taking
a deep breath, Tessa flung open the door and shrieked when she ran right into
Cooper’s chest, face first.

“What
the –”

Before
she could finish the sentence, Cooper had her slammed up against the wall, his
steel hard thigh inserted between her legs pushing her skirt up high. The
brutal way his tongue lashed into her mouth had Tessa responding with all of
the frustration she had built up over the course of the night. Only her fury
matched his, equally fervent, masking itself with the passion that burned
bright and hot between them.

Tessa
was torn between yelling at him for hurting her the way he did and pulling him
closer, trying to wrap herself around him like a blanket. The hallway echoed
with their combined groans and moans, the sound of their harsh breaths
reverberating in the limited space.

“I
need you, Tessa. Right here,” Cooper groaned when his lips released hers, their
breaths mingling as they sucked in oxygen.

Was
he asking for permission? Would she give it?

“You
don’t deserve me,” she countered, her irritation with the situation
resurfacing, a vivid reminder of how he had brushed her off like she didn’t
mean a thing to him.

“You’re
right, I don’t. I won’t argue. It doesn’t change how I feel,” he said, his
finger curling beneath her chin and forcing her head back so she couldn’t look
away. His eyes were hidden by the shadow from the brim of his hat and Tessa
wished she had her hat on. At least she could hide some part of what she was
feeling. Even in the dim light of the hallway, she felt entirely too exposed.

“You
blew me off,” she bit out. “You acted like I didn’t matter.”

Cooper
let go of her chin, planting his hands against the wall on each side of her
head, his unyielding thigh still lodged between hers, making her painfully
aware of the arousal slowly gaining momentum.

“You
heard the way Marcus talks to me, Tessa. He treats me like a dog that’s
supposed to heel at his feet, and I’m the one who makes him the fucking money.
How do you think he treats people who don’t mean a damn thing to him? I wasn’t
about to let him talk to you like that.”

Well,
when he put it that way... It did kind of make sense.

“You
could’ve told me. I deserved that much.”

“Yes.
You did. He just makes me so fucking mad.” The heat emanating off of Cooper
wasn’t all from his animosity toward Marcus. He was still fuming, his anger
bubbling out of control, but there was an underlying hunger.

Tessa
wanted to be his release. Letting her own outrage at the way Marcus treated
Cooper consume her, she gripped his head, dislodging his hat as she pulled his
face down to hers. Crushing her mouth to his, she pushed him, his body slamming
into the opposite wall. They didn’t come up for air as the passion ignited like
a firestorm in that narrow hallway as they all but devoured one another.

The
next thing Tessa knew, she was ripping open his belt buckle and yanking the
button free on Cooper’s jeans. Pulling his cock free, she stroked him firmly
with her hands as she pushed against him, trying to get closer. Cooper had
different plans because Tessa found herself back against the opposite wall, his
cock slipping from her hands when he grabbed her wrists, lifting them high
above her head.

“Don’t
move,” he warned, the gleam in his eyes barely visible in the shadows. The grip
he had on her wrist wasn’t painful, but the position he put her in made her
body burn that much hotter. She was helpless beneath his strength, and although
she knew he wouldn’t hurt her, – she didn’t know
how
she knew, but she
did – Tessa wanted him to continue.

Cooper’s
rough palm slid beneath her sweater, scraping against her bare belly as he
moved upward, shoving her bra out of the way until her right breast was freed. Only
a second passed as the cool air brushed over her skin before the fiery heat of
his mouth was on her. He sucked her nipple into his mouth, making her cry out
as a bolt of pleasure/pain shot through her. When he nipped her with his teeth,
her pussy clenched painfully tight, her clit pulsing with a need so fierce, she
thought her legs might give out on her.

Then
his hand was gone from her breast, but before she could inhale he was shoving
her skirt up higher on her hips, his fingers eagerly shifting her panties to
the side before she felt the sinful rasp of his finger through her slickness.

“Fuck
me
,” he breathed against her ear. “You’re wet, darlin’.”

Just
a little bit.

“Don’t
tease me, cowboy.” Tessa was hanging by a thread, and if he wasn’t careful, she
was going to explode on impact.

“Or
what?” he growled.

Cooper’s
finger thrust inside of her, and Tessa gasped, her pussy clamping onto the
intrusion, her body instinctively working to increase the friction.

“That’s
it, baby. Fuck my finger. Just like you’re going to fuck my cock.”

Tessa
knew she shouldn’t like the vulgar words, but she did. She wanted him to tell
her all of the lewd things he was going to do to her while he did them. But she
couldn’t think clearly with his finger penetrating her, curling inside of her
at the perfect angle…

“Oh,
God!” she screamed when his thumb pressed against her clit, forcefully grinding
the swollen bundle of nerves.

Just
when she was riding the high of the release that was building, Cooper’s hand
disappeared.

“You
–” She was just about to call him a bastard when his grip on her wrists
tightened.

“I’m
going to fuck you. Right here in your bar. I’m going to fuck your sweet pussy
until you scream for me. If you don’t want me to, Tessa, I need to know right
now.”

“Yes.”
Her choked plea sounded strangled, but she was hanging on a razor wire of
ecstasy so potent, she was going to split right in two if he didn’t fuck her.

“Leave
your hands right there,” he instructed and Tessa barely registered the sound of
foil tearing.

Condom.

Thank
God he was prepared.

She
moaned, a garbled plea for him to hurry as she closed her eyes. And then he was
on her, her wrists once again secured by his powerful grip, his cock lingering
at her entrance long enough to line up and then he was slamming into her.

“Fuck,”
Cooper groaned hoarsely, his body doing exactly what he said.

He
was fucking her with wild abandon. The two of them the only people in the
place, hidden in the darkened hallway while he fucked her into oblivion. Tessa
would’ve been appalled at her behavior had this been anyone else, but what she
wanted from this man defied logic.

And
right now, she wanted every damn thing he could give her.

∞ ∞ ∞
∞ ∞

Cooper
was blinded by lust, his body moving of its own accord, his hips pistoning hard
against Tessa’s as his cock went deeper. His thighs were screaming from the
position he was holding himself in, but fuck, the pain was so worth it. Her
sweet pussy was wet, warm and so damn welcoming, he never wanted to stop.

He
watched all of the expressions play across her face as he pinned her to the
wall. Each one of them reflecting everything Cooper was feeling. His
frustration and anger had built to a crescendo, and he’d sought Tessa’s lovely
body for release. He wasn’t mad at her. The opposite actually. But he needed
her. She was like a lifeline in the violent storm he’d been battling for the
last few hours. And now, he felt a surge of relief, all of the pain and anger
dissipating beneath the onslaught of her sweet passion.

“Cooper.
Oh, God, Cooper. Make me come.”

The
way she begged made him harder, his hips driving against her painfully as his
cock buried deeper. His balls were tightening, the electric current of warning
starting at the base of his spine and slowly moving upward. She felt so fucking
good, her pussy wrapped around his cock, slick, hot. He didn’t want to stop. He
could fuck her just like this all night if she would let him.

Cooper
watched as Tessa’s eyes opened, locking with his. The rich warmth he’d seen in
her sparkling green eyes was replaced with a soul deep desire. One that he
wanted to fulfill.

“Fuck.
Me.” She didn’t close her eyes as she practically yelled the command.

With
one hand, Cooper held her wrists tightly, doing his best to ensure he didn’t
bruise her while his other hand gripped her hip. “Come on my cock Tessa,” he
growled, slamming into her once, twice, barely holding the leash on his control
as he waited for Tessa to let go.

Her
head tilted back so erotically, the sleek column of her neck taut as her jaw
thrust forward, her eyes closing. “Fuck yes!”

The
high pitched scream triggered Cooper’s release, his body stilling as he
erupted, his dick jerking as he filled her.

It
could’ve been ten minutes, hell, it could’ve been an hour. Who knew how much
time had passed after they’d given themselves over to the heat of passion in
the dark hallway of Tessa’s bar. But neither of them had moved. Not an inch.

Well,
except for him releasing her arms, which she quickly threw around his neck,
holding him against her. He rested his forehead against hers, desperately
trying to draw air into his lungs.