Page 31 of Enticed

I swallow the dust in my throat from a lack of moisture in my entire body—because I’m convinced all of it has migrated between my legs.

“Pick me up Saturday, Cooper. And don’t be late. I paid good money for this date,” I wink as I turn back down the hallway.

“I’ll make it worth every penny, Clara,” he calls after me as I shake my hips and give him something to think about all week.

Yup. This is happening. I need to ride Cooper into the sunset—stat.

Chapter 11

Cooper

“You’d better be on your best behavior today, got it, buddy?” I swivel my head toward Roark, seated in the backseat of my truck as I close in on Clara’s house. His heavy breathing does nothing to reassure me that things will go well today.

I haven’t been this nervous about a date since college—granted I haven’t been on a date in a while. And I know that although this is technically categorized as a date according the contract we signed, it’s not the classic way to woo a woman. I came up with my idea for the auction hoping to present the least amount of pressure—a way for me to get to know someone without the imposed romantic expectation, just in case the woman who won my date was a nut job.

Never did I imagine for that woman to be Clara—and she has her own level of crazy, that’s for sure—but the more I stew on my idea, the more I had wished to offer her a more traditional date. Well, hopefully if things go well today I’ll get that opportunity.

I pull into her driveway and exit my truck, basking in the perfect weather for our run. The air is still crisp since it’s not yet eight in the morning and a slight breeze rustles through the trees. I can smell the flowers blooming from her neighbor’s yard as I walk around the front end of my truck, when I notice Penny out on her front porch.

“Today’s the day?” She asks, making her way towards me.

“You heard?” I reply, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my athletic shorts.

“I think the entire town of Emerson Falls knows since you went for top dollar. Are you ready?”

I give her a reassuring nod, bobbing my head up and down sharply to convince myself I’m not as nervous as I feel. “Yeah, I think so.”

“You’ve got to make today count, Cooper,” she leans in closer to me. “Show her what’s there between the two of you…”

“Are you trying to play matchmaker, Penny?” I smile at her, appreciating her intentions but avoiding a confession of what I know is there too.

“I think the only two people who can’t see how badly you two have it for each other is you and Clara.”

I stand tall, uneasiness coming over me. I surely haven’t felt like I’ve shown all my cards, especially when we’re around others—but apparently I was wrong.

“Let’s just see how today goes. We might end up killing each other,” I wink at her before turning to knock on Clara’s door.

My hands back in my pockets, I wait for her to answer, questioning my attire. Did I wear the shorts that make my ass look good? Is the shirt too clingy, or does it highlight my chest like I know Clara appreciates? Are the briefs I wore strong enough to help me fight the erections I know I’ll be battling all day?

“Good morning,” Clara’s voice pulls me from my thoughts as she opens the door and hits me smack in the face with how delectable she looks covered in spandex.

Her dark brown hair is pulled up off of her neck in a sleek ponytail, revealing the smooth surface of her neck and shoulders. She’s in a deep purple ensemble—a sports bra and matching shirt with a flower-printed pair of leggings in pinks and purples. Her face is free of make-up except for some mascara highlighting her gorgeous brown eyes, and I lose the ability to speak for a minute as I realize I have to run beside her in this get-up.

Holy hell, what have I gotten myself into?

“Morning, Clara. You look great, like Roark and I are about to run you ragged,” I tease her, because that’s just what we do with one another. I love our banter, the back and forth and how vulgar we can be—acting like we’re joking, but there’s a hint of truth behind our words. Eventually and hopefully today, I do want to turn our conversation to more serious topics. I want to get to know who Clara Anderson is now, not the version of her that I remember growing up. The night she broke down outside of Tony’s and her little revelation about therapy at the auction shows me the more human side of her that I’m dying to figure out.

“We’ll see who can’t keep up with whom, Coop. I run too, you know,” she spits back at me as she descends from her house and makes her way towards my truck, giving me a perfect view of her tight ass in those pants.

“Hey there, handsome,” she greets Roark as his head hangs out of the back window, his tongue flopping to the side and his hot breath right in her face. But she doesn’t retreat—nope, she snuggles into him and accepts his love—and fuck if that doesn’t make my chest tighten.

“Shouldn’t I be the one getting the compliments,” I retort, following closely behind and opening the door for her to step up into the cab as her butt lands on the seat.

“Let’s see how well behaved you are today, and then we’ll talk,” she smirks as I close her door and make my way back to my side. The engine roars to life and I pull onto the street, headed for the civic center of our town.

“Well, Roark is the one I’m worried about misbehaving. It’s hard to be on your best behavior around a beautiful woman.” I catch a side-eye glance of Clara in my peripheral, and I swear I see a faint blush on her cheeks. The corner of her lips tip up as she turns to face the passenger side window to avoid my eyes.

“Well, he’s got to learn,” she replies as we make our way to the park.

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