The One Real Thing (Hart's Boardwalk 1)

Cooper gave me that crooked, sexy smile again. “Doc, you do what you do and you can’t say it?”

I grinned because it seemed impossible not to when he smiled at me like that. “Fine. We are having sex, only sex, but sexual monogamy.”

“You’re fucking.”

My cheeks turned hot and I was suddenly glad for the darkness of the sky. “Yes.”

He contemplated me for about thirty seconds. And that thirty seconds felt like a really long time.

“I better get home,” I eventually said, taking a step back.

He nodded slowly. “I’m walking you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“No arguments.”

And since his tone brooked no argument, I didn’t. Instead I fell into step beside him, completely and totally aware of him. Before the kiss I’d been aware of him. Now I was aware in that every one of my nerve endings seemed to spark at his nearness. My body was tingling, hot, and pliant. In other words it was ready for sex.

My mind, however, was in a whole mess of confusion.

If that kiss was anything to go by, sex with Cooper had the potential to be the greatest sex ever. But Cooper . . . Cooper was a bad idea. He was a no-shades-of-gray guy. At least it seemed that way.

There was that.

There was Andrew.

Plus, I didn’t want a relationship so I didn’t want to complicate the situation here.

So far I loved Hartwell. What if I wanted to come back next year for vacation? If I had a one-night stand with Cooper Lawson that might make things very awkward between us. And he was Bailey’s friend. The awkwardness could bleed into my friendship with her. I didn’t want that!

“I can practically hear your mind whirring,” Cooper murmured, sounding amused.

“It is not,” I argued. “I’m too tired for whirring.”

“Right.” He shot me a look out of the corner of his eye. “Tired? After that kiss?”

I narrowed my gaze. “Aren’t we cocky.”

He smirked, staring ahead as we walked down the beach toward the inn. “I know a fantastic kiss when I share one with someone.”

My insides went mushy at the compliment. I was glad he’d felt the zinging between us, too. No! I wasn’t. Damn it. I scowled. “It was pleasant enough.”

Cooper threw his head back in laughter. “Right. You keep telling yourself that, Doc.”

I decided from there it was better if I just kept my mouth shut. Speaking to him only confused me more.

The silence was thick with sexual tension as we made our way back up onto the boardwalk near the inn. Every time his arm accidentally brushed mine it was like his touch sent signals to my breasts, and my breasts sent shooting tingles down my stomach to between my thighs.

It was ridiculous!

“I can take it from here,” I said, my voice a little hoarse with desire.

Cooper’s eyes swung to my face. There was a sudden tautness to his features, like he knew exactly what I was feeling, and was frustrated by it. By me.

That became clearer when he seemed to shake his head in irritation and continued on to the inn. He walked me right to the front door, and as I turned to say good night he placed two hands on the door by my head, trapping me.

I sucked in a breath, not sure I would stop him if he tried to kiss me again and wondering what the hell that was about.

Cooper leaned in, his warm breath whispering across my lips. “This isn’t over, Doc.”

And before I could reply to that, he jerked away from me and was striding off the porch and away from the inn.

I stared after him, in shock.

Oh boy.

How the hell was I supposed to resist temptation if temptation had every intention of being irresistible?

TEN

Jessica

It was fair to say that I was pretty worked up by the time I got into bed after my eventful evening and I had no other choice but to take care of myself.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t even control my fantasies and so when I came it was to an image of Cooper Lawson thrusting inside of me.

My sleep after that was fitful and I woke up in the early hours of the morning, just as the sun was rising. Feeling restless and unsettled, I showered and dressed, deciding to take a calming walk on the beach. Kind of like the walk I’d intended to have the previous night before Cooper showed up with the intention of kissing me.

That was hot.

And romantic.

Just appearing like that and pulling me into his arms.

Nothing like that had ever happened to me before.

No! Stop! Not romantic. Not hot!

Liar.

I groaned at my increasing confusion over the situation as I departed from the inn.

The beach was quiet. In fact, I could see only one woman with her dog way up ahead.

As I strolled along the shoreline, my sandals in one hand, the breeze blowing my hair off my face and cooling the heat in my skin, I began to relax again.

My gaze was fixed on the ocean because there was something soothing about its rhythmic waves, but the dog barking brought my head around.

I saw the golden retriever bounding away from the woman in the opposite direction, heading toward a man who’d appeared around the bend in the beach. He was running along the shoreline. I smiled as he stopped running to pay attention to the dog, kneeling down to his haunches to pet and play with the animal.

Something about the guy was familiar, and the closer I got, the faster my heart started to thump in my chest.

He looked up as the dog’s owner jogged over to him.

Shit.

r gave me that crooked, sexy smile again. “Doc, you do what you do and you can’t say it?”

I grinned because it seemed impossible not to when he smiled at me like that. “Fine. We are having sex, only sex, but sexual monogamy.”

“You’re fucking.”

My cheeks turned hot and I was suddenly glad for the darkness of the sky. “Yes.”

He contemplated me for about thirty seconds. And that thirty seconds felt like a really long time.

“I better get home,” I eventually said, taking a step back.

He nodded slowly. “I’m walking you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“No arguments.”

And since his tone brooked no argument, I didn’t. Instead I fell into step beside him, completely and totally aware of him. Before the kiss I’d been aware of him. Now I was aware in that every one of my nerve endings seemed to spark at his nearness. My body was tingling, hot, and pliant. In other words it was ready for sex.

My mind, however, was in a whole mess of confusion.

If that kiss was anything to go by, sex with Cooper had the potential to be the greatest sex ever. But Cooper . . . Cooper was a bad idea. He was a no-shades-of-gray guy. At least it seemed that way.

There was that.

There was Andrew.

Plus, I didn’t want a relationship so I didn’t want to complicate the situation here.

So far I loved Hartwell. What if I wanted to come back next year for vacation? If I had a one-night stand with Cooper Lawson that might make things very awkward between us. And he was Bailey’s friend. The awkwardness could bleed into my friendship with her. I didn’t want that!

“I can practically hear your mind whirring,” Cooper murmured, sounding amused.

“It is not,” I argued. “I’m too tired for whirring.”

“Right.” He shot me a look out of the corner of his eye. “Tired? After that kiss?”

I narrowed my gaze. “Aren’t we cocky.”

He smirked, staring ahead as we walked down the beach toward the inn. “I know a fantastic kiss when I share one with someone.”

My insides went mushy at the compliment. I was glad he’d felt the zinging between us, too. No! I wasn’t. Damn it. I scowled. “It was pleasant enough.”

Cooper threw his head back in laughter. “Right. You keep telling yourself that, Doc.”

I decided from there it was better if I just kept my mouth shut. Speaking to him only confused me more.

The silence was thick with sexual tension as we made our way back up onto the boardwalk near the inn. Every time his arm accidentally brushed mine it was like his touch sent signals to my breasts, and my breasts sent shooting tingles down my stomach to between my thighs.

It was ridiculous!

“I can take it from here,” I said, my voice a little hoarse with desire.

Cooper’s eyes swung to my face. There was a sudden tautness to his features, like he knew exactly what I was feeling, and was frustrated by it. By me.

That became clearer when he seemed to shake his head in irritation and continued on to the inn. He walked me right to the front door, and as I turned to say good night he placed two hands on the door by my head, trapping me.

I sucked in a breath, not sure I would stop him if he tried to kiss me again and wondering what the hell that was about.

Cooper leaned in, his warm breath whispering across my lips. “This isn’t over, Doc.”

And before I could reply to that, he jerked away from me and was striding off the porch and away from the inn.

I stared after him, in shock.

Oh boy.

How the hell was I supposed to resist temptation if temptation had every intention of being irresistible?

TEN

Jessica

It was fair to say that I was pretty worked up by the time I got into bed after my eventful evening and I had no other choice but to take care of myself.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t even control my fantasies and so when I came it was to an image of Cooper Lawson thrusting inside of me.

My sleep after that was fitful and I woke up in the early hours of the morning, just as the sun was rising. Feeling restless and unsettled, I showered and dressed, deciding to take a calming walk on the beach. Kind of like the walk I’d intended to have the previous night before Cooper showed up with the intention of kissing me.

That was hot.

And romantic.

Just appearing like that and pulling me into his arms.

Nothing like that had ever happened to me before.

No! Stop! Not romantic. Not hot!

Liar.

I groaned at my increasing confusion over the situation as I departed from the inn.

The beach was quiet. In fact, I could see only one woman with her dog way up ahead.

As I strolled along the shoreline, my sandals in one hand, the breeze blowing my hair off my face and cooling the heat in my skin, I began to relax again.

My gaze was fixed on the ocean because there was something soothing about its rhythmic waves, but the dog barking brought my head around.

I saw the golden retriever bounding away from the woman in the opposite direction, heading toward a man who’d appeared around the bend in the beach. He was running along the shoreline. I smiled as he stopped running to pay attention to the dog, kneeling down to his haunches to pet and play with the animal.

Something about the guy was familiar, and the closer I got, the faster my heart started to thump in my chest.

He looked up as the dog’s owner jogged over to him.

Shit.