When he disconnected, Phoenix waited.
After several seconds, he turned to face her, his expression still grim. “Harry and his two cohorts were in when Gibb got there. In fact, they were in the middle of a video game with about ten other guys.”
“Meaning—”
“Lots of alibis. Gibb said it didn’t look to him like they’d been anywhere. They were kicked back, shoes off, cans of beer everywhere and Harry was plenty pissed to have his game interrupted.”
“Well then...” She stalled, unsure what to think. “I guess I was right. Not a big deal.”
Cooper stood very tall, his broad shoulders looking even wider with his tension. “Come home with me for the night.”
God, it would be so easy to give in, to lean on him. But she was an independent woman. She was strong.
She had this.
Smiling, a genuine smile this time because, damn it, she was proud of herself, she stood. “I can’t.” She hugged him tight, despite his stiff posture. “But if you wouldn’t mind staying until I change that light, I’d really appreciate it.”
*
A week later, Ridley sat across from Phoenix at the little wrought-iron table she’d purchased to go outside under her RV’s canopy, a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. It was a beautiful June morning, the sky blue, the birds happily singing, children playing nearby, and she could even hear the quiet rush of water in the creek.
Bleh.
She needed to start work in another twenty minutes, and all she really wanted to do was crawl back into her surprisingly comfortable bed. But she wouldn’t.
Coop had been thrilled to sign her on as a permanent employee, just as Daron had promised. He took every opportunity to tell her what a great job she was doing. Though she wouldn’t admit it to him or Phoenix, she liked his praise, so she worked hard to always be on time.
“You look exhausted,” Phoenix noted.
Ridley made a face at her. “I lie awake every night worrying about you.”
With an eye roll, Phoenix warned, “Ridley—”
She was just irascible enough to grumble, “I get it that you wouldn’t stay with Big Sexy...” She paused, plunking down her cup. “Actually, I don’t get it, but fine, I’ll respect your decision. Sort of.”
“Gee, thanks.”
She ignored that dry tone to continue on her tirade. “But to turn away your own sister?” Ridley concentrated on her ire, more than her hurt, over Phoenix’s absurd insistence on independence. “What’s up with that?”
The hot coffee left steam on Phoenix’s glasses as she sipped. She removed them, using the edge of her shirt as a polishing cloth. “I think the fact that nothing else has happened proves there’s no reason for everyone to keep fussing.”
“I’ll damn well fuss if I want to,” Ridley snapped, though if she was being totally honest, her worry for Phoenix only accounted for part of her recent insomnia. “I should’ve never bought this stupid RV, should’ve never moved out of your cabin, never...” Made plans for Baxter. Damn the man, how dare he keep her twisted up like this?
“I thought you loved the RV.”
Yeah, she did. “It was a waste of money.”
Phoenix gave a noncommittal “Hmm.”
“Hmm? What do you mean hmm?”
Her sister laughed. “You really are touchy today, aren’t you?”
Ridley slumped back in her chair. The beautiful floral cushions made it a very comfortable seat—for a stylish RV that she actually loved. Everything inside the camper was well planned for functionality, not a single inch of space wasted.
She’d mostly bought it as a place to get busy with Baxter, and that dick was avoiding her. She hadn’t seen him at all in the past week.
She eyed Phoenix, then sighed. It wasn’t fair to take out her bad mood on her sis. “I need to get laid.”
Phoenix choked on her coffee.
“Prude,” Ridley accused, but she’d lost the heat of her anger. “You can afford to laugh since you’re doing the nasty with Coop every damn night.” Was she jealous? Hell, yes.
Quickly sobering, Phoenix asked, “Have you actually, ah...invited Baxter to your bed?”
“Of course not. The bum has to ask me, not the other way around.”
A rich, male voice interjected, “Well, maybe someone should have told me that.”
Both women swung around to find Baxter himself—still a dick—standing there looking good enough to eat. Phoenix went wide-eyed...and then grinned. Ridley scowled.
Morning sunshine stroked Baxter’s fair hair. He wore only black board shorts with unlaced sneakers and God Almighty, his body was better than the coffee.
She looked at her own reflection in his mirrored sunglasses, saying succinctly, “Go away.”
“Nope.”
He couldn’t take a seat—there were only two—so Ridley turned back to her coffee, intent on ignoring him.
Phoenix, the rat, had other plans. She hastily stood. “I should be on my way.”
Ridley was really too tired to come up with an adequate insult for the deserter, so she said only, “Paybacks are hell, sis.”
Smiling, Phoenix came around the table, bent for a hug and said quietly in her ear, “The cure is right here. All you gotta do is grab it.”
“Oh, I’ll grab it all right—”
“Shush.” She gave Ridley a loud kiss on the cheek and stepped away. As she passed Baxter, she muttered, “Play nice. I’m partly to blame for her grumpy mood.”
“I will if she will.”
Shaking her head, Phoenix walked away.
An odd mix of expectation, dread and annoyance kept Ridley bitter. She gave all her attention to her coffee cup and did her best to ignore the stud-vibes coming off Baxter.
Of course, he refused to be ignored.
“The silent treatment is interesting.” He spun the vacated chair around, straddled the seat and braced his bare arms over the back. Softer now, he added, “But I heard what you said, and there’s no taking it back.”
Temptation, that’s what he was. Pure, hot temptation.
Ridley sniffed in disdain. “I may not be interested anymore,” she lied, and went back to sipping her coffee.
Keeping her eyes off him took all her concentration. The struggle is real. When he said nothing else, she sighed dramatically. “Run along, Baxter.”
Instead, he took off his sunglasses and placed them on the table.
Oh, unfair! Those stunning green eyes drew her like a damned magnet.
“I was away from the park the last few days.”
Away? Well, damn, no wonder she hadn’t seen him. She pretended only mild interest.
As if he knew her ploy, his eyes glittered. “I sometimes teach private classes in different locations. Coop has no problem with me adjusting the schedule here when I need to be somewhere else, especially since Kelly can fill in for me then.”
“Kelly?”
“She’s an assistant.”
Only an assistant? Ridley wondered.
Again, he seemed to know her thoughts. “I have a scuba shop in town, too. Kelly’s usually there—except for when I need her here.”
She’d need to meet Kelly to decide how she felt about that. With any luck the woman would be sixty, leathered by the sun, and with an ugly temperament. Until then... She shoved to her feet. “Well?”
His brows shot up. “Well, what?”
“Ask already—and you damn well better make it pretty.”
A slow, cocky smile sharpened his appeal. Slowly, he stood too, flattening both hands on the tabletop, and leaned toward her, his gaze on her mouth. With his voice whiskey-rough, he whispered, “Let me fuck you, Ridley. Pretty please.”
Oh, yeah... She swallowed. That’d work. She folded her arms under her breasts. “Eight o’clock, here. Tonight.”
His attention dipped to her cleavage, enhanced by her stance. “It’s going to be a very long day.”
Yeah, tell me about it. She lifted her chin. “Not for me. I’ll be too busy to watch the clock.” For a little payback, she added, “Daron is going to do some repairs to a cabin while I’m cleaning it—”
He came around the table so quickly, she almost squeaked.
Before she knew it, he had her chin caught gently between long fingers, his other hand pressing at the small of her back.
Somehow she was flush against his lean body and her senses rioted with pleasure. Nice.