Ok, so the morning after a vodka binge could not be categorized as a good time. Not that the night before was anything to write home about either.

Unwilling to open her eyes, Tessa snuggled into her blankets, wishing like hell she'd thought to take aspirin before she went to sleep. But then again, she might have. She was so lit, she didn't even remember coming inside. The last conscious memory was of Cooper showing up at her house, but she was pretty sure she sent him on his way.

When nature called a few minutes later, Tessa knew her morning was about to go from bad to worse. Why shouldn't it? That seemed to be a pattern for things these days.

She had to get out of bed which meant the room was going to spin, and she was probably going to get to scrutinize her last cleaning job up close when she made friends with the toilet.

Forcing her feet over the side of the bed, she felt the mattress shift, and she knew then and there that it was worse than she thought. Once she was vertical, she grabbed onto her dresser and made her way down the hall to the bathroom. Someone must've been looking out for her because she didn't get sick like she thought. After doing her business, Tessa splashed cold water on her face as she stared at herself in the mirror.

"You look like hell, woman," she mumbled to the reflection, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and her crazy hair. "That'll teach you not to fall for a man. It never gets you anywhere. You should know by now that karma has it out for you."

When a throat cleared from the doorway, Tessa nearly fell flat on her face into the sink. She whirled around to see Cooper standing in the doorway of her bathroom looking impossibly sexy. He was shirtless, his jeans unbuttoned but zipped and his feet bare.

She had to blink twice before her brain accepted that what she was seeing was not just a figment of her imagination. Her mouth felt like she'd been sucking on cotton, but somehow she managed to force the words out. "Why are you here?"

Cooper didn't say a word and that was when Tessa remembered what she'd just said. Out loud. To herself. Shit.

He'd heard her talking to herself. Glancing down at the floor, she contemplated what would happen if the tile would open up and swallow her. At least she wouldn't have to face him this morning. It seemed that the alcohol had diluted her anger, and now she was left with confusion.

She stared at the man standing in her bathroom door, watched as he walked over to her shower and turned on the water. Well, it was nice of him to make himself at home. Shouldn't he be leaving? And why was she having this conversation inside her head, rather than with him?

Before she could ask him directly, she felt his warm hand on hers as he pulled her closer. And just like that, all of her memories from the night before flooded back: her conversation with Marcus, hearing that Cooper was a serial runner who shacked up with various women from time to time when he felt like his world was overwhelming him too much... Crap.

"Don't," Cooper demanded, his voice hard and firm.

Tessa's eyes flew up to meet his at the same time her fight or flight instinct kicked in, and she was geared up to fight him with everything that she had.

"Don't you dare tell me " She didn't get the sentence finished before Cooper had pulled her into the narrow bathtub with him, both of them fully dressed. Ok, not fully, Tessa realized as she glanced down, remembering that she didn't have on her jeans. She was confident she'd been wearing them the night before. If not, she was definitely going to have to lay off the vodka in the future.

Cooper disconnected the handheld sprayer from the wall and aimed it at her head, soaking her hair and making her sputter water. "What the hell are you doing?"

And then his mouth was on hers, his hard body pressed against her front while the cold tile met her back. Despite her brain's insistence that she push him away, her hands had other ideas. She found herself pulling him closer, the warmth of the water running over her skin while she attempted to devour him.

It was the alcohol. That's the only explanation she could come up with. The alcohol was obscuring her judgment, and she was temporarily out of her mind.

When Cooper pulled his mouth from hers, she looked up into his eyes, the usual golden brown was darker, more intense than she'd ever seen it.

"So you fell for me?" he whispered.

It took a minute for the question to register, and that's when the starch returned to her limbs, effectively allowing her to push him away from her. There wasn't much space in the shower, but at least she managed to gain a few inches of distance between them. Not that it mattered, she still felt the heat of his body emanating from him.

"I did not!" she snarled.

"That's not what I heard."

"Well, you're delusional, cowboy." Tessa tried to turn away from him, but his hard hands brought her up short.

"Listen to me, Tessa," Cooper stated firmly, his grip firm on her upper arms, forcing her to stand facing him. "We're going to take a shower, as innocent as you'd like it to be. And then we're going to go into your kitchen, have coffee and breakfast, and I'm going to explain some things to you.

"No, wait, I'm not finished," Cooper growled when she was about to interrupt. "After I explain everything to you, then I'll let you make the decision. If, at that point, you want me to leave, I will. Not willingly, but I'll go."

Tessa felt the tears sting her eyes. Or maybe it was the shower water. No, damn it. Definitely tears. She remembered everything Marcus had told her and the idea of Cooper using her temporarily was enough to make her heart hurt. Again.

"Understand?" he asked, and Tessa forced herself to nod. "Good, now come here."

Tessa allowed him to pull her closer as he removed her t-shirt and bra, then her panties. She felt numb, almost like she was outside of the shower looking in at the two people there. Not bothering to move when he managed to force his jeans down his legs, Tessa held her breath when he stood back up.

Damn him for being so fucking gorgeous. She didn't want him to be. She didn't want him to be anything. She wanted to hate him and send him on his way, but she couldn't. Her brain had misfired somewhere along the way, and it wasn't listening to reason.

Now that he was standing naked in front of her, she really, really needed it to listen to reason.

Shit.

Why did that damned persistent trouble always insist on following her?

Getting Tessa naked in the shower might've been a lousy idea.

Especially considering Cooper genuinely wanted the opportunity to talk to her. Right now, he was having a hard time keeping his hands off of her. The water was sluicing over her golden skin, and he was so captivated by the sight, he couldn't focus on anything else. Including the raging hard on he knew was on prominent display now that he was just as naked as she was.

Blindly grabbing the shampoo bottle off of the shelf, Cooper kept his eyes trained on her breasts as the water cascaded over the pebbled tips. He wanted to put his lips there, to taste her, to feel her body writhe beneath the onslaught of his mouth. Filling his palm with soap, he moved forward, fully intending to wash her hair for her, but she quickly put her hand up and took a step back.

"Hold up, cowboy. You can't put that in my hair," she warned, a sudden gleam in her pale green eyes. Glancing over at the bottle he'd picked up, he noticed he'd grabbed the dog shampoo.

"Why the hell do you keep that in your shower?" he asked with a deep laugh as he let the water rinse the soap away.

She didn't answer him, but she did offer up the shampoo bottle, so he took it from her and tried one more time. This time he filled his palm and then turned her to face away from him. It was probably the only way he'd be able to focus. Looking down, he admired the perfect shape of her ass and knew he was mistaken. He couldn't suppress the growl that escaped, but he did his best to ignore his own needs.

Pulling her back against him, Cooper slid his hands into her hair, lathering up the soap as he massaged her scalp. He took his time, letting the sweet smell of strawberries fill the shower. He'd probably never look at strawberries the same again.

"I think my hair is clean now," she mumbled, her voice wavering.

"I'll be the judge of that," he answered, ignoring the demands of his body. He wanted to bend her over and slowly slide inside of her, let the warmth of her pussy grip him as he thrust deep and hard.

But there were two reasons he couldn't. One: he didn't have a condom. Two: he'd surely seal his fate and be forced to leave without having a chance to explain anything to this woman. And as much as he wanted to feel her sweet body sheathing his aching cock, he wanted to be able to look forward to it in the future as well.

He had to take things slow with her. At least right now.

Retrieving the shower sprayer from the wall again, he rinsed her hair, letting the soap run down the front of his body, the water teasing his cock, making him painfully aware of how much he was denying himself.

He observed the other bottles on the shelf and grabbed the conditioner, effectively lathering her hair once more before he picked up the body wash and the puffy thing hanging from a hook. He probably used more soap than he should have, but his brain was intensely focused on how he was going to accomplish this task without coming.

"I can do that," Tessa whispered as he began running the sponge over her breasts, keeping her back against his chest.

"Not this time," he said, his voice sounding strangled.

As if washing her body wasn't difficult enough, Tessa moaned as the sponge slid over her nipples and then louder when he reached the juncture between her legs.

Pressing his mouth to her ear, he said, "You keep doing that, and I can't promise you I'll control myself. This is hard enough for me as it is."

Tessa nodded her head, but Cooper had no idea what that meant, so he bit the inside of his cheek and slid down to his haunches, her gorgeous ass directly in front of him.

He managed to wash her legs, between them, and then made his way back up, returning to a standing position. He let the water rinse the sponge, but before he could use the sprayer to rinse her off, Tessa turned on him, grabbing it from his hand.

"I can only take so much," she warned, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at him.

He knew exactly what she was talking about. Just the thought of that sprayer directed between her legs made his dick throb.

When he thought she would climb out and let him continue by himself, Tessa surprised him. She took the bottle of body wash, but she didn't use the sponge. He watched in awe as she filled her palms and then planted them against his chest, the soap dripping slowly down his stomach as she started rubbing it in. The memory of the last time she'd massaged him right there in the very same shower assaulted him.

"Tessa." Cooper closed his eyes. "Darlin', I'm not a fucking saint."

Her chuckle made him groan. This was probably payback. Or even a test. He didn't know, but either way, he was about to fail miserably. When her hands went lower, gripping his cock firmly, Cooper fell back against the shower wall. "Fuck."

He was fucking trembling. An all-out vibration running through his body as she touched him.

Tessa didn't say a word, which was probably a good thing right about then. Only things took another turn when he opened his eyes and looked down to see her hands stroking him slowly, one on his cock, the other slipping lower to massage his balls. She was torturing him on purpose, and he knew he wasn't going to be able to hold off much longer.

"Tessa," he pleaded. "Baby. Fuck." Cooper was slowly losing control.

Her hands disappeared, and a spray of water hit his cock, making him jump. He figured that was her ultimate punishment, but then she dropped the sprayer, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him to her until their bodies were melded together, lips, teeth and tongues clashing as they sought the release that the torturous shower had been building toward.

"Tessa, baby," he said, trying to pull back as she shifted, aligning his cock against her entrance. "Tessa, don't."

Her eyes opened, and she jerked back, pain and rejection reflected back at him and Cooper quickly pulled her closer. "I'd give anything to take you right here. But I can't," he explained. "I don't have a condom."

And wasn't that just fucked up.

"I'm on the pill," she blurted, but Cooper pulled back and looked down at her.

"That's nice to know because it will come in handy in the future, definitely," he started, "but, Tessa, until you trust me unconditionally, I'm not going to take you without a condom. And, unfortunately, I know you don't."

He hated saying that out loud, but they both knew it to be the truth. He'd never once imagined he'd turn Tessa away, but Cooper had bigger plans in mind for them than just a quickie in the shower. She'd be hurt and confused later, and he didn't think he could handle that. Not until she gave him the chance to explain. If, at that point, she wanted him to fuck her right there on her kitchen table, he was all for it.

But right now, he had to settle for holding her in his arms and praying what he would tell her in just a few minutes wouldn't send her running for the hills.

Chapter Twenty Six.

Although the temperature outside was hovering in the eighties, Tessa was tempted to put on sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt. Anything to cover herself. Not that it would've mattered. Whenever Cooper looked her way, she felt like she was naked. The way his gaze caressed her made her want things she was supposed to be denying herself.

For instance, him.

So it was safe to say that the shower was a terrible idea. His hands, on her body, made her yearn for more, almost willing to beg. And she knew he felt it too, but the stubborn man had held back.

Something about talking and nonsense.

At least one of them was thinking with their brain and not other body parts. Had she had her choice, they'd have gotten down and dirty in the shower just a few minutes ago. Anything to drown out the pain that had started as a dull ache in the center of her chest when she thought about what Marcus told her.

Instead, he'd washed her, she'd washed him, and now she was going to join him in the kitchen where she smelled the heavenly aroma of coffee brewing. After wasting enough time, Tessa finally ventured in that direction.

"Hey, puppies," she greeted her huskies when they met her in the hallway that led from her bedroom to the main living room. They were pouncing around, but neither of them actually jumped on her a feat that had taken her months to accomplish. Considering they both weighed upwards of eighty pounds, Tessa appreciated them staying on the floor rather than on top of her. "Y'all wanna go outside?"

Leading them through the house, she let them slip through the back screen door before she turned to face Cooper who was standing in front of her stove.

Shirtless.

She wasn't sure which was more mouthwatering, the sight of him barefoot or...

"Hey, where'd you get more jeans?" she asked him as she realized he was partially dressed, but a few minutes ago he'd gotten in the shower with his jeans on.

"From my truck. I keep a bag there, just in case."

The thought made Tessa's stomach churn and not in a good way. Did he keep clothes on hand in the event he spent the night with a woman?

"Don't go there, Tessa. That's not the reason," he said with a firm tone before turning back to the food he was preparing on the stove. "Get some coffee, then sit. I'll finish up here, and we'll eat."

Not wanting to argue, mainly because she didn't want to even think about what had happened the night before, Tessa did as she was told. She prepared two cups of coffee and left his sitting in front of the coffee pot while she carried hers to the table. Staring down at the scarred wood, she allowed the events of last night to play out in her mind.

She remembered Izzy coming over with just what the doctor ordered. The bottle of vodka had been just what she needed to muddle her brain enough that she didn't have to think about Cooper. Well, that was only partially true. The vodka had helped, but she never once stopped thinking about Cooper.

The rest of the night was fuzzy. At some point, she remembered Cooper arriving, and a strange excitement had filled her. Obviously she was getting too attached to him that she was glad to see him, hoping like hell he was going to tell her that Marcus was a liar.

Only he hadn't said that.

She didn't think he had anyway.

A plate full of food was pushed in front of her, and Tessa glanced up to see Cooper watching her. Rather than sitting down, he disappeared down the hall, returning a minute later with a couple of aspirin in his hand. After handing those to her, he left again, coming back with a glass of orange juice.

Why did he have to do that? Why did he have to think of everything? She'd much prefer him to be the asshole she expected him to be.

Like Chad.

Couldn't he just get defensive and blame everything on her? It would make things so much easier. More specifically, walking away would be easier.

"Eat," he commanded as he dropped into the chair beside her.

Tessa knew she should. She was famished, and the breakfast actually looked wonderful. Eggs, bacon, toast. Everything cooked to perfection and sitting in front of her, beckoning her. Only her stomach wasn't listening to her mouth.