Turbulent Intentions(45)

She could have told him. But that would make it so much worse for her pride.

None of that mattered. For now, it was time to go to the store, get the paper, and start job searching.

The town of Gig Harbor was small and quaint. She could easily make her way through it walking. That would mean she couldn’t carry as much, but that was okay for now. It was just her and Cooper. She’d keep it simple. It’d be a nice contrast to the emotional turmoil her housemate had stirred up inside her.

By the end of the day, there was an extra skip in her step.

The problem with her successes of the day, though, was that now she felt like she might not want to leave Cooper’s after all. After only a day, she was becoming accustomed to the wonderful little town that felt oddly like home.





CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Stormy was unsure of whether she should come down the stairs that night and have dinner with Cooper or not. But she so wanted to tell him her good news. She wanted to tell someone at least, and he was the nearest person to her. Instead of doing just that, she paced in her room.

She had heard Cooper come home an hour ago, and now she could smell something cooking. And the smell coming up the stairs was making her stomach rumble.

“Stormy, it’s time to start sharing appliances.”

Cooper calling up the stairs made her jump, though she didn’t know why. Now if she didn’t go down, she was going to look really bad. She had to join him, didn’t she? After all, he was offering her a place to stay for practically nothing.

Okay, she could do this.

She opened her door, crept to the top of the staircase, and slowly descended. Still unsure about the situation, she hesitantly entered the kitchen and found him in an apron stirring something on the stove.

“Can I help?” she asked.

“Nope, sit down and enjoy my talents as a chef.”

“A pilot and a chef?” she asked with a laugh. “Any other talents?” Where in the world had that come from?

“Oh, Stormy, I have many talents,” he said. He paused and looked into her eyes, and she lost her breath. When his lips turned up, she knew exactly what was on his mind.

Her cheeks instantly flushed. She knew of some of the man’s talents, and they were definitely noteworthy.

She tried to help again, but he wasn’t having any of it, wanting to impress her. He was doing a good job. After he’d poured a glass of wine for her, she sat on the stool as he whipped around the kitchen. The smells continued to make her stomach rumble.

“How’s the wine?” he asked as he pressed against her back, making her jump and a tiny bit of wine drip down her chin.

Before she was able to clean it up, he leaned more into her and swept the drops of wine away, his rough finger rubbing against her bottom lip for a moment before he lifted his hand and sucked his finger into his mouth. He held her gaze captive, his lips far too close to the edge of her own.

“Mmm, pretty tasty,” he told her with a low growl that instantly had her wet and wanting.

“Yeah . . . it’s pretty good,” she said, her voice husky.

She clenched her thighs together as she finally managed to turn her face forward. His breath heated her neck as he reached for a stick of butter on the counter and then finally walked away.

She didn’t breathe for several moments. When he turned and looked at her from the safety of the other side of the kitchen island, the knowing light in his eyes alerted her that he was very aware of what he was doing to her. Stormy’s eyes narrowed in frustration.

But she couldn’t seem to stop his flirting or the reaction she had to it. He continued moving over to her side of the island, touching her while he finished up, and she was a wreck before she’d had a single bite of his delicious meal.

Cooper brought out the food and placed it on the table, then pulled the chair out for her to sit. Before her was a platter of barbecued steaks, corn on the cob, and mashed potatoes with gravy. Yum. She was so happy he hadn’t made something with snails or fish eggs.

Barely having an appetite now, she took her time folding her napkin on her lap as she waited for him to dish his plate up.

“Dig in before it gets cold,” he said when she didn’t move.

“I thought I’d wait for you,” she said.

“There’s plenty here. You don’t have to worry about me getting enough,” he told her with a laugh.

She began serving herself and the smell of the steak was mouthwatering. Grilling wasn’t one of her strong suits, so she always enjoyed a perfectly cooked steak. If only her stomach would quit turning, she might enjoy the meal.

“What was your day like?” Cooper asked as he dug in to his meal.

“It’s been a good day, very busy,” Stormy replied as she took her first bite. Yep. Delicious.