War Woman (15 page)

Isabelle woke with a start and sat bolt upright. She looked around, taking a few seconds to get her bearings, before she remembered where she was. Relaxing, she leaned back on the headboard. She’d been wondering if she would have the dream again. It had been recurring over the past several months but she didn’t know what it meant. She’d never seen the waterfall in real life before and there had never been a figure in the pool until tonight. Previously it had always just been her. Why was Cooper now in her dream?

Well that’s obvious. He mentioned there’s a waterfall on his farm and that he swims in it. You’ve just merged that information into your dream.
Yeah, that would explain it. So why did she have the nagging feeling that that wasn’t the explanation? She glanced at the time on her phone next to the bed. It was two AM. She listened for any sound but the house was quiet.
I think I need a drink of water. As long as I’m quiet, I shouldn’t wake Cooper.

Pushing the cover back, she quietly got out of bed and opened the guest room door. Jazz wasn’t in sight and presumably must have gone to Cooper’s bedroom on the second floor. Isabelle stepped out into the hallway but she didn’t want to switch on the light in case she disturbed Jazz, who might come down to see her and wake Cooper in the process. However the kitchen was at the end of the hallway and the moonlight that filtered through the kitchen windows was sufficient enough that she could make her way down the hallway without bumping into anything. Barefoot, she padded softly along the wooden floor until she reached the kitchen and fumbled for the light switch at the side of the door. Flicking the switch, the kitchen was bathed in bright light, illuminating a surprised-looking Cooper who sat at the kitchen table, a spoon of cereal halfway to his mouth.

“Geez!” Isabelle jumped slightly. She’d just dreamed of him with his slicked-back hair and muscled torso on display above the water. The last thing she had expected to see right now was Cooper shirtless, his wet hair skimming his shoulders. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were in here. I thought you were asleep.”

“No, I just got back about twenty minutes ago. Decided I would have a quick shower and grab something to eat before heading to bed.”

She glanced down at the pair of running pants he wore, obviously as sleepwear. Then her gaze traveled slowly back up over his toned body. It was impossible not to. He was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. Dream Cooper didn’t have a thing on the real deal. Surely it was illegal to look that good… Suddenly realizing she was staring, she snapped her gaze back to his face, but his handsome features didn’t help her to clear her mind.
Think of something to say!
“Long night.”
Oh great, just state the obvious, why don’t you.

“Yeah, my neighbor’s tractor got stuck in a ditch. It took longer than expected to get it out.”

They stared at each other in awkward silence for a few seconds before Isabelle folded her arms self-consciously across her chest. “Um, I just came to get a glass of water.”

“Yeah, sure, of course. I’m almost done. In fact, I’ll finish the rest upstairs.”

“No, don’t leave. I’ll just be a second.” She walked quickly to the cupboard he kept his glasses in and reached up on her toes to get one down. Filling her glass from the tap, she turned back to face him.

“I’ll take this back to my room.” She indicated the glass of water. “Uh, good night. Guess I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Sleep well, Isabelle.”

“You too.” She tried to walk as calmly as she could out of the kitchen without appearing flustered and then slipped quickly back into her room, closing the door behind her and leaning against it with a deep, slow breath.

***

Yeah right, like he had any chance of sleeping well after that encounter. Cooper sighed as he finished off his cereal and then sat, staring at nothing in particular as he contemplated what had just taken place.

He could move around his kitchen blind-folded and hadn’t wanted to put the lights on in case they reached under Isabelle’s door, so he’d left them off while he’d rummaged around for something that would pass as a meal before he went to bed.

He hadn’t heard her approach at all and had been startled when the lights had suddenly flicked on and she had been standing in the doorway. Then any rational thoughts had taken a nosedive as he’d stared at her. Free of its ponytail, her long black hair hung to halfway down her back and was sexily mussed from sleep. Her cami top skimmed over her figure, accentuating her slim waist and the curve of her breasts. The sleeping shorts she wore were just that – short. They reached to just above the halfway mark of her thighs and displayed her toned legs beautifully.

The fact that she looked just as startled as he did, shortly followed by self-conscious, only added to her appeal. When she’d folded her arms in front of her chest the action had caused the swell of her breasts to rise slightly above the neckline of her top – no doubt the opposite effect that she was aiming for and one that necessitated him placing his hands in his lap surreptitiously. The last thing he needed was for her to know how happy his body was to see her. However when she’d turned and reached up to get a glass, her shorts had displayed her bottom to perfection and after that it had taken all his willpower to remain nonchalantly in his seat as she wished him goodnight and exited the kitchen. 

 
I am so screwed.
The next couple of days living under the same roof with her were going to be torture.
I could always leave early in the morning and come back late at night, that way I’ll hardly see her, if at all.
The inner protest at not seeing her was sharp and immediate.
Hold on, if I see her outside of the house, nothing can happen.
He smiled as an idea began to form in his mind. She was probably almost finished with his family records, which would mean she would soon be leaving. With this plan, he could keep her near him a little bit longer while he tried to figure out what to do.

Rising from the kitchen table, he walked down the hallway and came to a stop outside the guest room. His hand raised above the door, he hesitated.
Just do it!
Knocking softly twice, he lowered his arm and waited. Seconds passed but there was no answer. Maybe she hadn’t heard him? Perhaps he hadn’t knocked loud enough or she had already fallen asleep. Or maybe she
had
heard him and still felt self-conscious enough that she didn’t want to speak to him right now.

The door suddenly opened partially and she appeared in the gap.

“Oh, hi…sorry to disturb you.”
Just be cool.

“That’s okay, I wasn’t asleep yet.”

“Well I just wanted to let you know that I’ve got some free time tomorrow and I thought you might like a tour of the farm. It could be a little break from your work, some downtime on your vacation.”

“That sounds really nice. I’d like that.”

“Great. Is three o'clock okay?”

“Sounds perfect. It will give me time to finish reading the journal and going through the rest of your family’s records. Then I can get out your way and leave you in peace.” She offered him a slightly teasing smile.

Cooper knew there would be no peace if she left. It was bad enough with her here but it would be worse if she was gone. His body was partly obscured behind the wall, effectively concealing the hand that he now bunched up into a fist. The urge to kiss her was almost overwhelming, sending heat across his body as need burned inside him.
Do not go there! Think of the farm. Think of the farm. Think of the farm.
“You’re not in my way, Isabelle. You can stay as long as you want.”
Stay forever.

Cooper cursed inwardly.
Are you serious?! Get a grip, this isn’t like you.
The click-clack of nails on the floor caused him to turn his head and offer up a silent prayer of thanks for the distraction. “Hello, girl. Gracing us with your presence?”

Jazz shuffled happily up to Cooper, her tail wagging, but on spotting that Isabelle’s door was open she pushed past Cooper and stuck her head in the gap, desperately trying to make contact with Isabelle.

“Hey, you,” Isabelle laughed and opened the door wider before bending down to scratch behind Jazz’s ears.

“Oh, you’re definitely her favorite now.” Cooper lowered his hand and scratched the top of Jazz’s head. The dog stood contentedly, lapping up the attention for a while, and then she ambled off towards the kitchen. “Scouting for a midnight snack,” Cooper watched the tail disappear into the kitchen before turning back to face Isabelle.

“Yeah, she’s managing to wiggle into my favorites’ list too. Considering our initial meeting, it’s definitely unexpected.” Isabelle laughed softly and the sound sent a warm shiver over him.

“Kind of like us, don’t you think?” Cooper stared at her intently.

“What do you mean?”

“Well when we first met you sized me up like you were getting ready to kick my ass but now we get along just fine.”

“I’m still going to kick your ass, Cooper. I don’t agree to represent people if I think I’ll lose.” She offered him a cocky smirk.

“Hmm, maybe it’s time I concede defeat.” With the door now open, all it took was a single stride for Cooper to close the distance between them. Reaching his hand up, he gently pushed her hair back from her shoulder, watching as it brushed over her skin to fall back behind her. Then he skimmed his fingertips slowly from her shoulder towards her neck, watching the way her eyes widened and her lips parted slightly.

“Cooper, what are you doing?”

“What feels right,” he trailed his fingers softly, teasingly up the side of her neck. Lowering his mouth so that it hovered mere inches from her own, his chest grazed hers, causing the slightest of gasps to escape her lips. He glanced down and noticed her nipples were hardened beneath her top.
It’s not just me.
The thought was fleeting as he lowered his mouth to hers, slowly and deliberately, before their lips met and he was lost.

***

This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening.
The sane part of her mind tried desperately to grab her attention but it was difficult to think clearly with Cooper’s lips on hers.
Damn, the man could kiss.
He took his time, tasting and savoring her as he might a rare wine. Then his arm came up to wrap itself around her waist as the kiss deepened, his tongue slowly entering her parted lips, teasing and tormenting all at the same time.

He raised his other hand to her hip, his fingers lifting the hem of her top slightly before grazing her skin beneath. The sensation of his calloused fingers on her skin sent her body into overdrive and she arched involuntarily against him.

“Isabelle,” his voice came out strained, “I need you.” 

“Cooper, wait.” Wrenching back from their kiss, she rested her forehead against his, trying to calm her senses and catch her breath. “Hold on a minute. We need to stop. We can’t do this.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m representing the protestors. It would be unethical.”

“That’s our working relationship. It doesn’t need to dictate every aspect of our lives. Let’s forget everything else; it’s just you and me tonight.”

“Cooper, it doesn’t work like that. If we let this go where it’s leading, it would be impossible to keep it from impacting our working lives.”

“You don’t know that.”

“You’re not thinking clearly.”

Cooper glanced sharply at her, before disengaging himself from her and stepping back. “No, I’m not. I can’t think clearly around you.” He leaned back against the door frame and closed his eyes. “I don’t know what’s happening to me. I’m not like this. I don’t lose my head.” His eyes flicked open again and pinned her with a hard stare. “I need to ask you something and I need you to answer me honestly. No bullshit. Can you do that?”

Isabelle nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“I told you that you seemed familiar to me but it’s more than that. I feel like I’ve known you for ages, not just the past few days. I don’t understand why. Here comes the really crazy bit. When I shook your hand that day we first met, I was immediately bombarded with all these emotions; love, grief, joy, absolute sorrow. It only lasted a second but they all felt so
real
, like I had experienced them personally. I need to know if you’ve felt anything similar since you’ve been around me.”

Isabelle stared at him, unsure how to answer. She paused to consider her words, before eventually responding. “I haven’t felt what you’ve felt but there is something about you that gets under my skin. You can push my buttons without much effort and that’s saying something – trust me, in my line of work a lot of people have tried and failed to do that. I don’t feel completely in control when I’m around you, sort of restless or edgy like I’m trying to gather evidence and missing a clue that’s right in front of me.”

She shrugged and folded her arms. “I don’t know why that is, it just is. But there’s something else. When I came to your farm for the first time it felt like coming home. I’ve never been here before; hell, I’ve never been in Crooked Creek before. But something called to me about your land, just as something called to me to get involved with the protestors.” She scowled slightly. “I don’t like not knowing what’s going on.”