The One Real Thing (Hart's Boardwalk 1)

“I thought we were finished with this, Dana,” he said. “I told you before that I’m done. You need to respect that.”

“You’re not done. We’re not done.”

He saw the glint of anger she was trying to hide and that did it for him. “The only reason you’re back bothering me is because you heard something in town that you didn’t like.”

“About your doctor.” She jumped on it immediately, as he’d known she would. “Not exactly your type, Cooper,” she sneered.

“You think you’re my type, Dana?”

“Yes, I am. I am not threatened by this doctor, whoever she is.” She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared up at him. “She’s just one more woman in a long line of women. You’ve been sticking your dick in anything that moves since our divorce.”

“Christ.” He breathed out in disbelief. “You have no class.”

“Oh, and she does, does she?”

Dana wasn’t even in the same league as Jessica. He’d known the doc only a few weeks, but he’d learned the hard way how to tell a good woman from a not so good one. “In spades. And she’s not just some woman. She’s my woman. You stay out of our way, Dana,” he warned.

Her lips parted in shock. “You don’t mean that,” she whispered.

“Every fucking word. Now get the hell out of my bar.”

And finally she left, but not without giving him the kicked-puppy look that used to work on him all too well.

She might have retreated, but Cooper knew it was only so she could plan a new strategy.

SEVENTEEN

Jessica

Bailey had given me a knowing grin when she saw me hurrying into the inn in the wrinkled dress I’d been wearing the day before. She was too busy talking to a guest to give me crap about it, but I knew I didn’t have long to wait until she did.

I’d just finished dressing when I heard the knock on the door, and I had to shake myself out of my stupor. Even dressing had become erotic to me. It was like Cooper had awakened something in my blood, and just the whisper of my fingers across my skin, the brush of fabric as it touched my body, set off memories of his mouth, his hands, him thrusting inside of me.

Oh boy.

I knew I must be flushed and by the look on Bailey’s face when I opened my bedroom door I saw I was not wrong.

“Tell me everything,” she said, striding into the room.

I closed the door for privacy and gave in to the fact that I really had no choice in the matter but to tell her. Not that I minded. I’d never had a girlfriend to talk boys with. I’d never had a boy to discuss. I grinned, giddily.

“Oh, my God.” She gave a bark of laughter at my expression. “You’ve got it so bad.”

“You would, too,” I said defensively. “If you’d just had the night I had.”

Bailey’s excitement level went up tenfold as she clapped her hands in delight, looking more like a teenager than ever. “Tell me everything.”

“I went to see him last night when I woke up because I just . . . I don’t know . . . I guess I needed to. When I got there . . . well . . .” I grinned, getting hot at the memory. “We had sex on a table in his bar.”

“No way!” She slapped my arm, laughing. “Which table? Because, as hot as that is, I would like to avoid it.”

I shook my head, chuckling. “I’m sure he’s already taken care of it.”

“Sex on a table in his bar. That’s hot.”

“Oh, you have no idea.”

“That good, huh?”

“Best I’ve ever had.”

“Holy shit. Then what happened?”

I told her about going back to his place, where he made love to me. How we fell asleep in each other’s arms, how safe but turned on I felt to wake up in his arms, how he made love to me again, and then fucked me in the shower.

When I was done, Bailey was looking at me with undisguised envy. “Holy shit.”

I frowned, a little surprised by the depth of her envy. “You and Tom have great sex, though, right?”

She hesitated a second before nodding too fast. “Of course.”

Hmm.

I wasn’t convinced.

And that surprised me because they seemed really in love.

But maybe you could be in love and not have great sex.

“What you and Cooper have, though, sounds like higher levels of hot,” she said, a little in awe. “It sounds very special.”

I smiled. “I think it is. I hope it is. Anyway, I’m too wired to just hang around today so I was hoping you might want to show me the ropes.”

“You want to start early?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“Of course not.” Bailey jumped to her feet. “Let’s get you started.”

First we started off in her small office, where she showed me how to use their booking system. Bookings came in online through hotel sites, trip comparison sites, and her own website. Then we moved on to reception, where she had another computer with the same booking system on it.

“I’m going to go talk to Mona first, make her aware I’m bringing you into the kitchen to go over the menu, our dining schedule, blah-de-blah-blah. We have guests arriving this afternoon: Mr. and Mrs. Urquhart. Greet them in a friendly manner, casual; just be yourself. Book them in using the computer, get their key”—she pointed to the locked cabinet with keys in it behind the reception desk and handed me the master key to the cabinet—“and then show them to their room.” o;I thought we were finished with this, Dana,” he said. “I told you before that I’m done. You need to respect that.”

“You’re not done. We’re not done.”

He saw the glint of anger she was trying to hide and that did it for him. “The only reason you’re back bothering me is because you heard something in town that you didn’t like.”

“About your doctor.” She jumped on it immediately, as he’d known she would. “Not exactly your type, Cooper,” she sneered.

“You think you’re my type, Dana?”

“Yes, I am. I am not threatened by this doctor, whoever she is.” She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared up at him. “She’s just one more woman in a long line of women. You’ve been sticking your dick in anything that moves since our divorce.”

“Christ.” He breathed out in disbelief. “You have no class.”

“Oh, and she does, does she?”

Dana wasn’t even in the same league as Jessica. He’d known the doc only a few weeks, but he’d learned the hard way how to tell a good woman from a not so good one. “In spades. And she’s not just some woman. She’s my woman. You stay out of our way, Dana,” he warned.

Her lips parted in shock. “You don’t mean that,” she whispered.

“Every fucking word. Now get the hell out of my bar.”

And finally she left, but not without giving him the kicked-puppy look that used to work on him all too well.

She might have retreated, but Cooper knew it was only so she could plan a new strategy.

SEVENTEEN

Jessica

Bailey had given me a knowing grin when she saw me hurrying into the inn in the wrinkled dress I’d been wearing the day before. She was too busy talking to a guest to give me crap about it, but I knew I didn’t have long to wait until she did.

I’d just finished dressing when I heard the knock on the door, and I had to shake myself out of my stupor. Even dressing had become erotic to me. It was like Cooper had awakened something in my blood, and just the whisper of my fingers across my skin, the brush of fabric as it touched my body, set off memories of his mouth, his hands, him thrusting inside of me.

Oh boy.

I knew I must be flushed and by the look on Bailey’s face when I opened my bedroom door I saw I was not wrong.

“Tell me everything,” she said, striding into the room.

I closed the door for privacy and gave in to the fact that I really had no choice in the matter but to tell her. Not that I minded. I’d never had a girlfriend to talk boys with. I’d never had a boy to discuss. I grinned, giddily.

“Oh, my God.” She gave a bark of laughter at my expression. “You’ve got it so bad.”

“You would, too,” I said defensively. “If you’d just had the night I had.”

Bailey’s excitement level went up tenfold as she clapped her hands in delight, looking more like a teenager than ever. “Tell me everything.”

“I went to see him last night when I woke up because I just . . . I don’t know . . . I guess I needed to. When I got there . . . well . . .” I grinned, getting hot at the memory. “We had sex on a table in his bar.”

“No way!” She slapped my arm, laughing. “Which table? Because, as hot as that is, I would like to avoid it.”

I shook my head, chuckling. “I’m sure he’s already taken care of it.”

“Sex on a table in his bar. That’s hot.”

“Oh, you have no idea.”

“That good, huh?”

“Best I’ve ever had.”

“Holy shit. Then what happened?”

I told her about going back to his place, where he made love to me. How we fell asleep in each other’s arms, how safe but turned on I felt to wake up in his arms, how he made love to me again, and then fucked me in the shower.

When I was done, Bailey was looking at me with undisguised envy. “Holy shit.”

I frowned, a little surprised by the depth of her envy. “You and Tom have great sex, though, right?”

She hesitated a second before nodding too fast. “Of course.”

Hmm.

I wasn’t convinced.

And that surprised me because they seemed really in love.

But maybe you could be in love and not have great sex.

“What you and Cooper have, though, sounds like higher levels of hot,” she said, a little in awe. “It sounds very special.”

I smiled. “I think it is. I hope it is. Anyway, I’m too wired to just hang around today so I was hoping you might want to show me the ropes.”

“You want to start early?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“Of course not.” Bailey jumped to her feet. “Let’s get you started.”

First we started off in her small office, where she showed me how to use their booking system. Bookings came in online through hotel sites, trip comparison sites, and her own website. Then we moved on to reception, where she had another computer with the same booking system on it.

“I’m going to go talk to Mona first, make her aware I’m bringing you into the kitchen to go over the menu, our dining schedule, blah-de-blah-blah. We have guests arriving this afternoon: Mr. and Mrs. Urquhart. Greet them in a friendly manner, casual; just be yourself. Book them in using the computer, get their key”—she pointed to the locked cabinet with keys in it behind the reception desk and handed me the master key to the cabinet—“and then show them to their room.”