Nicole Edwards - Chasing Dreams

“Tessa,” Cooper turned to look at her. “Do you mind?”

“Well,” she said in a huff, feeling as though Cooper had just slapped her square in the face.

Feeling like a sulking child, she stomped toward the opposite end of the bar, hating how she was acting. Forcing a fake smile, Tessa walked right up to another group and insinuated herself right in the middle. It was either that or go pout.

No matter what, she was damn sure not going to let Cooper see her pout.

Cooper ignored the way Tessa stomped off, mainly because he was more concerned with why Marcus had just shown up in Devil’s Bend. Completely unexpected.

Ok, so maybe not entirely unexpected. After all, Cooper did disappear right off the grid, and until now, he hadn’t come face to face with anyone that knew him. But for Marcus to get his arrogant ass on an airplane and fly to Texas, well, that meant he was up to something.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” Cooper told him, turning to face the bar. He gripped his beer, more worried about keeping his hands busy so that he didn’t strangle the man sitting beside him than his thirst.

“Well, I figured someone had to do it. You’ve pushed your limit this time.”

A grainy, red haze clouded Cooper’s vision as soon as the words left Marcus’ mouth. He was always hearing that, listening to Marcus act as though he were some unruly kid who needed to be reined in.

“Whoa, buddy. You need to just relax.” Marcus’ hand gripped his shoulder firmly, and that’s when Cooper realized he was growling, his anger apparently trying to escape so that his head didn’t explode.

Shrugging Marcus’ hand from his shoulder, he took a drink of his beer, hoping to clear his head before he lost it right there in Tessa’s bar. Hell, he’d already pissed her off, no need to make matters worse.

Cooper knew Marcus wouldn’t be able to hold out for long before he would start to talk, so he kept his mouth shut. He had nothing to say, so it really wasn’t a hardship. As far as he was concerned, Marcus’ trip was wasted, and if he were smart, he’d hop right back on a plane home as soon as possible.

“So, where’re you staying? We can head on over, get your things and then head on back to Nashville tonight. All of this forgotten.”

Cooper tipped an eyebrow, looking sideways at Marcus. Well, at least that confirmed his suspicion. The man didn’t listen to a single thing he told him. Ever. Not to mention he was a liar. If the paparazzi had found him, then Marcus knew exactly what was going on in Cooper’s life. So, for him to pretend he didn’t know Cooper had officially moved, seriously pissed him off.

“I’m quite content right here,” Cooper mumbled, hoping he sounded more disinterested than pissed off.

“Look, man,” Marcus began as he leaned in close. “I’ve lined up someone that you can talk to. They’ll be real discreet, and we can get you some help.”

“Some help?” Cooper asked incredulously, knocking his beer hard enough that it sloshed out of the glass mug and onto the bar top. Forcing himself to his feet, he peered down at Marcus.

Marcus looked around, his eyes scanning the area around Cooper quickly. “Man, keep it down. You don’t want these people knowing your business, do you?”

“These people are my business,” Cooper retorted. “I’m not sure what the hell you do when I talk, but listening clearly ain’t it.”

“Come on, Coop. You’re gonna have to stop doing this,” Marcus said quietly, and Cooper’s back straightened.

He seriously wasn’t bringing that up, was he?

Fuck.

Not wanting Tessa to get an earful of conversation that he knew she wouldn’t understand, Cooper nodded his head and motioned for Marcus to follow him. They’d take this outside. At least then he wouldn’t have to worry about everyone knowing his business.

Once they were outside, Cooper moved around to the side of the building, avoiding the few people who were wandering in from the parking lot. Being a Thursday, the bar wasn’t as packed as the weekend, but he knew they would keep coming right up until around eleven.

“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.