Page 44 of The Cowboy Complication

He followed behind her, sticking close as she opened the door and went up the stairs, letting them into her apartment.

Then Cooper was inside her home. Filling it up with his presence.

“It’s not as nice as your place.” She suddenly felt hesitant. A little uncertain as he looked over the first home that had ever been just hers.

The apartment was way nicer than any of the ones she’d had before it. Up until coming to Moss Creek, she’d either lived close to a college or in the city. So her earlier rentals were either a little run down or teeny tiny.

This one was neither.

It was actually huge, with soaring ceilings and large windows. It was also newly renovated, with a gorgeous open kitchen and beautiful hardwood floors.

But it was still a one-bedroom apartment over a diner.

“Damn.” Cooper slowly walked through the combined living room/dining room/kitchen. “I didn’t realize how nice this place was.”

“Mae used to live here before she got married, so I’m sure that’s why.” Isla’s eyes found the clock on her microwave. “I should probably jump in the shower.” She headed for the bathroom, motioning to the television and sofa with one hand as she hurried away. “Make yourself comfortable.” She ducked into the bathroom, popping her head back out to say, “There’s food and coffee in the kitchen. Get anything you want.”

Closing the door again, she switched on the shower and peeled away her clothes from the day before, tossing them into the hamper before pulling up her hair and stepping under the spray. There wasn’t time to wash and dry her locks, which was okay since she usually wore it up while she worked anyway, so she focused on quickly scrubbing down.

Except knowing Cooper was right outside the door had parts of her tingling with excitement. Places that didn’t normally get all hot and bothered during shower time. It was distracting and made her a little…jumpy when certain areas had to be washed, but she powered through.

Mostly.

By the time she was drying off, standing completely naked with nothing but a door separating Cooper’s eyes from her body, she was starting to throb.

Fuck.

The way he’d said it when she sent that first photo set her libido on fire and made her almost hope there could be more than friendship between them. But then—to her dismay—everything went right back to normal.

Everything except her libido. It hadn’t gotten the memo that she and Cooper really were just friends. Friends who spent time together almost every day. Friends who talked every night.

Friends who sent sexy pictures to each other.

But that was just… a fun little… thing they did. Friends did fun things together. Right?

Right.

So she was just going to ignore the thrum happening in her neglected clit and continue on like everything was normal. Because it was.

Turning to grab her clothes, she stopped short, stomach dropping.

Or maybe clenching. Not in fear, but in anticipation.

Because, like usual, she was a bad friend.

A bad friend with no clothes to put on and only a towel to wear while getting from point A—the bathroom—to point B—her bedroom.

Shoooot.

After wrapping the towel around her middle, she pulled the tie from her hair, finger combing the waves left from the day before so they fell around her shoulders in a tousled sort of way. Then she took a deep breath, belly fluttering with something a whole lot like excitement, and opened the door.

Cooper’s eyes came her way almost instantly, his expression changing just as fast. His nostrils barely flared as his whole body went tight. Tensing like he was about to stand.

Or pounce.

After spending six months feeling like the least sexy woman alive, part of her thought she’d never see a man look at her with desire. And if she did, she wouldn’t recognize it, because obviously she was clueless to that sort of thing.

But it almost seemed like there was want in Cooper’s gaze. Like maybe it was need tightening his jaw and clenching his fist.

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