Newberry resident Ashley Barton claims that it was a shock to see Eden Goodnight come back to town, as she is not well liked here.
“She refused to help the town rebuild the middle school after a fire,” Miss Barton said in a candid interview. “I’m not surprised. She was always selfish like that. And now she’s got poor Coop Mayfield trapped again.”
Apparently, Cooper Mayfield and Eden Goodnight dated in high school and college, but broke up when Eden abandoned him to pursue her modeling career. Sources say it’s been fourteen years since they’ve seen each other, but they are currently residing in the same house.
I skim over the rest of the article, my blood pressure rising. I can’t believe she stooped that low, but wait…it’s Ashley…yes, I can. Still, this isn’t anything I haven’t faced before. It’s a requirement in Hollywood that you have a thick skin, and I can weather this. I just don’t want Coop brought into it. I don’t want this town brought into it.
Sadly, there’s little I can do to prevent it unless I were to leave, and well…selfishly, I’m not ready to do that.
I am nowhere near ready to leave Coop. I have no commitments, I need a vacation, and this is good for my soul.
Or the more truthful statement would be: Who the fuck am I kidding? I can feel myself falling hard for my first love again.
I don’t want this to happen, but it is happening all the same. It took absolutely no time at all for me to remember all the varied reasons I fell in love with him in the first place. Coop was the ultimate package back when we were eighteen, and he only aged better. He’s kind, funny, and keenly intelligent. He’s got a good moral compass and sticks up for the underdogs. His life is balanced and he’s a tremendously hard worker. He’s loyal, faithful, and caring. I won’t even get into how stupendous he is in bed, but that is equally important to me.
Coop is a man who is easy to fall in love with if he were able to love me back.
My understanding is he doesn’t do that anymore. It’s not something he’s interested in.
This is why I need to hold myself back and keep a clear head about him. We’ve got boundaries, and someone’s going to get hurt if they get breached.
Tossing the tabloid onto the passenger seat, I decide to put it out of my mind for now. I’m going to swing by Missy’s and grab some cupcakes for dessert tonight, then I’m going to head back to Goodnight House for an afternoon nap, something that is an absolute sinful luxury for me. Of course, I need them more now, because Coop doesn’t let me get much sleep and I have no idea how he’s functioning half the time.
Before I can even turn my car on, my phone rings and I see it’s Coop. I’d taken a picture of him one morning as he was lying in bed on his back, his hair all mussed up and looking sexy. I never mind seeing that pop up on my phone.
“What’s up, stud?”
“What are you doing?” he asks, his voice husky. I know he’s outdoors, as I can hear a lawnmower in the background. He’s working with a yard crew today.
“Grocery shopping.”
“No, you’re supposed to tell me how you’re in bed thinking about me and masturbating,” he admonishes.
“You’re a freak,” I say with a laugh. “But that doesn’t sound like a half-bad idea before I take my nap this afternoon.”
Coop laughs, and then murmurs, “That’s my girl. And if you wanted to take a picture and send it to me, I wouldn’t be averse.”
“I might just do that,” I say silkily.
“So, I called because I got my test results back,” Coop says. “And I’m squeaky clean. Have you gotten anything yet?”
“I don’t know,” I tell him. “Dr. Seegal has an online portal they’ll send me results through, but I’ll have to log onto my laptop when I get home to check.”
“Well, check and let me know ASAP,” he says. “And if they come back clear, be prepared for me to take you down right in the foyer as soon as I get home.”
“It’s a plan,” I murmur, feeling very warm and flush.
“Gotta go,” Coop says abruptly. “See you tonight.”
“Bye.” The smile on my face is dreamily happy as I disconnect.
My stop into Missy’s is quick, running in and dashing out to get the groceries home. I grabbed four cupcakes, all chocolate with vanilla icing, and thought they’d be nice to eat in bed tonight.
When I get to Goodnight House, I hurry to put the groceries away, and then immediately log onto my laptop. I access the secured portal for Dr. Seegal’s office and see a message waiting for me. I scan it furiously, right down to the conclusion that there’s no evidence of STDs. I take a moment to give a silent thank-you to Brad for keeping his dick wrapped during his escapades. In fact, I feel like I could just kiss him right now with gratitude.
I run up the stairs to Coop’s bedroom, snag the remaining few condoms from the box, and take them over to the trash can. I pull up the camera app on my phone, and after throwing the box into the trash, I take a picture of them in there.
Then I text it to him with nothing more.
His response is almost instantaneous and I go warm from head to toe. You are in so much trouble tonight. I almost feel sorry for you.
God, how can his threats turn me on?
Coop sure knows how to pull something out of me that I didn’t even know was available inside.
Feeling happy, victorious, relieved, and downright grateful for my life right now, I head to the bed to take a luxurious nap. I have a feeling I’m going to need my energy tonight.
I set my alarm to get up at four P.M. so I can take a bath and shave my legs, because more than likely Coop’s face will be between them tonight—the man loves to eat me out—and then I can get a head start on dinner.
I fall asleep almost as soon as my head hits the pillow.
I’m in Coop’s bed and that’s where I intend to stay.
—
The banging on the door downstairs penetrates my sleep and I sit up in bed instantly. I glance at the clock and I’ve been down only about half an hour.
Rolling out of bed, I hurry down the staircase as the banging continues, thinking perhaps Coop forgot his key or something. But when I open the door, I see Brad standing on my front porch looking furious.
I immediately step out of the house and close the door behind me, a clear indication he’s not invited inside. Despite having just been roused from a deep sleep, I’m surprisingly clearheaded and I’ll thank the jolt of adrenaline that rushed through my body at seeing Brad here for helping me shake off the fogginess.
“What are you doing here?” I ask him with my hand still perched on the doorknob.
He’s immediately aggressive, which is classic Brad when he feels affronted. “What did you think I’d do, Eden? You won’t talk to me and you backed out of our film. Did you think I was just going to roll over and go away?”