Page 60 of Enticed

“Seems surreal, doesn’t it?” He asks before exiting the truck and retrieving me from my side of the vehicle. “I’ve been wanting to take you on a real date for weeks, Clara. But you know… the rules…”

I can hear the disappointment and annoyance in his voice, and I so badly want to replace it with the same excitement I feel. But that fear is still overpowering the guilt. If there is anything I’m hoping I can resolve this weekend is that—deciding to come clean to everyone that Cooper and I are together—because no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise, I know that I’ve fallen for him. And I want everyone to know he’s mine—especially after our little encounter with the hostess at the resort.

It felt so good to put her in her place and claim Cooper right in front of her. I think I needed that—the opportunity to mark my territory without thinking twice. If we were back home, I would have hesitated, which I’ve had to do many times when I almost mentioned him in a conversation or shared something we spoke about one night in bed that made me laugh. But when she looked at him with that man-eater gaze and then blew me off like I wasn’t even there—I felt no hesitation about putting her in her place. And damn, that was empowering.

Dr. Martinez has been helping me with accepting my relationship with Cooper too, and I can’t wait to tell her the progress I made during that declaration alone.

“Well, there aren’t any rules this weekend, Coop,” I declare as I grab his hand and hold it proudly as we walk into the restaurant. “So show me all the affection, all the dating moves… I want it all,” I kiss him on the lips softly before the hostess at the podium asks for our names.

As we follow her to our booth, I admire the ambiance of the western tavern—the steel farming equipment on the walls, the wooden tables and chairs that are well-worn, the black iron chandeliers hanging from the tall ceilings, and the smell of mesquite and hickory wafting through the air.

We arrive at our booth and Cooper ushers me inside, resting comfortably next to me. I thread my hand through his bent elbow holding up the menu so we can browse the selection together as I rest my head on his shoulder.

This feels so perfect—touching him without fear. It’s a calmness I haven’t felt in months—or probably ever with a man.

“What sounds good?” He kisses me on the top of the head as we read through our choices.

“Everything,” I chuckle. “I’m so hungry.”

“Let’s get an appetizer then and I recommend a steak because that’s what they’re known for.”

“I trust you,” I say, but his head turns to me quickly as the words escape my lips. I truly meant I trust his decision with food, but when I see those deep green eyes studying me, I know that trust extends far beyond pleasuring my palette.

“I do trust you, Coop—more than I’ve trusted any other man in my life,” I whisper, stroking the stubble on his jaw before he leans down and runs his tongue along my lips to kiss me. He drops the menu and then pulls me to his chest, blocking out our surroundings as we enjoy touching each other in public. Even though there’s a crowded dining room around us, the only two people in existence right now are us.

“Uh, would you like me to come back?” A small voice breaks our moment as Cooper pulls away from me reluctantly and we both start to laugh.

“Sorry. No, we’re ready,” Cooper says before listing off our order to the waitress.

“Sounds great. I brought you water, but would you like anything from the bar?”

Cooper turns to me and raises his brow.

“Um, I’ll have a glass of cabernet, thanks.”

“I’ll take a Coors Light,” he adds before she walks away.

“So, Clara… seeing as how you’ve never been to Hyatt Lake before, would you like to walk around the village after dinner? They have these little shops to walk through and they light a fire pit at night you can sit around in the heart of the square.”

“That sounds great,” I nuzzle my nose against his neck. “But you’d better not try to prolong sex too long, or else I won’t be able to stay awake.”

Cooper chuckles in my ear as the hot breath leaving his mouth hits the delicate skin on my neck. “Don’t worry. I’ll have you naked and moaning before your bedtime, princess.”

“Can’t wait.”

We enjoy our meal as each course comes out, inhaling some of the best steak I’ve ever had. Cooper says they cook them in a cast-iron skillet and smother them in butter. I’d have to say, it’s game-changing. I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to eat a steak cooked any other way ever again.

Once we’re stuffed like turkeys at Thanksgiving and Cooper pays the bill, he leads me back to the truck and we cruise up the road to the village, parking in an alley between two businesses. The crowd is already large as we struggled to find a parking space and the noise of people conversing on the other side of the buildings rings loudly. Cooper grabs our jackets from the backseat as the air has taken on a chill now that the sun has disappeared from the sky and hand in hand, he leads me through the alleyway as we exit onto a bustling sidewalk with couples and families cruising along, peering into store window fronts and admiring the lights strung in the trees planted along the sidewalk.

“Wow, how gorgeous,” I tilt my head back to look up in the trees, the white orbs reflecting against the dark midnight sky, the tiny twinkling lights mimicking fireflies with how small and delicate they are.

“I know. Come on,” he pulls my hand as he picks up his pace to arrive in front of a candy store. “This place makes their own candy and then mixes it in ice cream. If you think Ben & Jerry’s is the shit, then just wait until you try this place.”

Cooper and I open the door and walk right into a long line directed through retractable stanchions—those poles with the stretchy fabric that connects them and forms ropes for a crowd to wait in line in an orderly fashion. He wraps his arms around me and holds me to his chest as we wait for our turn to order. Being encapsulated by him around all of these people only reminds me of how safe he makes me feel—and the rush of touching him in front of people hits me again in a wave.

Although the crowd is mighty, the line moves fast and before I know it, I have to decide about what I want.

“I’m so full, Cooper… I don’t know if I can eat this.”

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