That christmas magic, p.18
That Christmas Magic, page 18
“Of course I have,” he insisted righteously.
“Then I dare you to do something right now.”
“What?” He looked unsure.
“Make a snowball and throw it at me,” she demanded. Breaking from his hold, she ran a few steps ahead of him. “Bet you can’t do it,” she taunted, and waved her hands at him.
With marked determination, Cooper stuffed his hands inside his coat pockets. “This is silly.”
“It’s supposed to be crazy, remember?” she chided him softly.
“But it’s not right for a man to throw snowballs at a woman.”
“Will this make things easier for you?” she shouted, bending over to scoop up a handful of snow. With an accuracy that astonished her, she threw a snowball that hit him directly in the middle of his chest. If she was surprised, the horrified look on Cooper’s face sent her into peals of laughter. Losing her balance on the ice-slickened sidewalk, she went sprawling to the cement with an undignified plop.
“That’s what you get for hurling snow at courteous gentlemen,” Cooper called once he was sure she wasn’t hurt. As he advanced toward her, he shifted a tightly packed snowball from one hand to the other.
“Cooper, you wouldn’t—would you?” She gave him her most defenseless look, batting her eyelashes. “Here, help me up.” She extended a hand to him, which he ignored.
A wicked gleam flashed from the dark depths of his eyes. “I thought you said I never did anything crazy or daring?”
“You wouldn’t!” Her voice trembled with laughter as she struggled to stand up.
“You’re right, I wouldn’t,” he murmured, dropping the snowball and reaching for her. Surprise rocked her as he pulled her into his arms. He hesitated momentarily, as if expecting her to protest. When she didn’t, he gently brushed the hair from her temple and just as softly pressed his mouth over hers. The kiss should have been tender, but the moment their lips met it became hungry and needy. The effect was jarring, as if a bolt of awareness were flashing through them. They broke apart, shocked and breathless. The oxygen was trapped in her lungs, making it impossible to breathe.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked, his voice thick with concern.
A shake of her head was all she could manage. “Cooper?” Her voice was a mere whisper. “Would you mind doing that again?”
“Now?”
She nodded.
“Here?”
Again she nodded.
He pulled her back into his embrace, his eyes drinking deeply from hers. This time the kiss was gentle, as if he, too, needed to test these sensations. Lost in the swirling awareness, Ashley felt as if he had touched the deep inner part of her being. For years she had dreamed of this moment, wondered what effect his touch would have on her. Now she knew. She felt a free-flowing happiness steal over her. He had taken her heart and touched her spirit. When he entwined his fingers in the curling length of her hair, she pressed her head against his shoulder and breathed in deeply. A soft smile lifted her lips at the sound of his furiously pounding heart.
“This is crazy,” he murmured hoarsely.
“No,” she swiftly countered. “This is wonderful.”
Carefully he relaxed his hold, easing her from his embrace. His features were unnaturally pale as he smoothed the hair at the side of his head with an impatient movement. “I’m too old for you.” His mouth had thinned, and his look was remote.
Her bubble of happy contentment burst; he regretted kissing her. What had been so wonderful for her was a source of embarrassment for him. “I dared you to do something impulsive, remember?” she said with forced gaiety. “It doesn’t mean anything. I’ve been kissed before. It happens all the time.”
“I’m sure it does,” he replied stiffly. His gaze moved pointedly to his watch. “I think it would be best if I took you home now. Perhaps we could see the marina another time.”
“Sure.”
His touch was impersonal as they strolled purposefully back toward the restaurant parking lot. To hide her discomfort, Ashley began to hum Christmas music again.
“Rushing the season a bit, aren’t you?”
She concentrated on moving one foot in front of the other. “I suppose. But the snow makes it feel like Christmas. Christ wouldn’t mind if we celebrated His birth every day of the year.”
“The shopping malls would love it if we did,” he remarked cynically.
“You’re speaking of the commercial aspect of the holiday, I’m talking about the spiritual one.”
Cooper didn’t comment. In fact, neither one of them spoke until he pulled up to the curb in front of her apartment building.
“Would you like to come in and warm up? It would only take a minute to heat up some cocoa.” Although the offer was sincere, she knew he wouldn’t accept.
“Perhaps another time.”
There wouldn’t be another time. He wouldn’t ask her out again; the whole evening had been a fiasco. Cooper Masters was a powerful, influential man, whereas she was a high school English Lit teacher.
“You’ll let me know if you hear anything from Seth and Claudia?”
“Of course.”
He came around to her side of the car, opening the door. “You don’t need to walk me all the way to my door,” she mumbled miserably.
“There’s every need.” Although his voice was level, she could tell he was determined to live up to what he felt a gentleman should be.
She didn’t argue when he took the keys out of her hand and opened the door of her first-floor apartment for her. “Thank you,” she murmured. “The evening was…”
“Crazy,” he finished for her.
Wonderful, her mind insisted in return. Afraid of what her eyes would reveal, she lowered her head and her blond curls fell forward, wreathing her face. “Crazy,” she repeated.
A finger placed under her chin lifted her eyes to his. His were dark and unreadable, hers soft and shining. Slowly his hand moved to caress the soft, smooth skin of her cheek. The gentle caress sent the blood pulsing through her veins, flushing her face with telltale color.
“If ever you’re in trouble or need someone, I want you to contact me.”
Although he had never verbally said as much, she had always been aware that she could go to him if ever she needed help.
“I will.” Her voice sounded irritatingly weak.
“I want you to promise me.” He unbuttoned his coat pocket and took out a business card. Using the door as a support, he wrote down a phone number. “You can reach me here any time of the day.”
“I’m not going to trouble you with—”
“Promise me, Ashley.”
He was so serious, his look demanding. “Okay,” she agreed, accepting the card. “But why?”
A long moment passed before he answered her. “I have a vested interest in you,” he said, and shrugged, the indifferent gesture contradicting his words. “Besides, I’d hate to have anything happen to Johnny’s godmother.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me.”
“In case it does, I want you to know I’ll always be there.”
The business card seemed to sear her hand. In his own way, Cooper cared about her. “Thank you.” Impulsively, she raised two fingers to her lips, then brushed them across his mouth. His hand stopped hers, gripping her wrist; his look branded her. Slowly he lowered his mouth to hers in a gentle, sweet kiss.
“Good night, Ashley.”
“Good night.” Standing in the open doorway, she watched until he drove into the dark night. A solitary figure illuminated by the falling snow.
Expelling her breath in a long quivering sigh, she tucked the card in her purse. Why did she have to love Cooper Masters? Why couldn’t she feel for Webb what she did for Cooper? Webb was nice and almost as unpredictable as she was. Maybe that was why they got along so well. Yet it was Cooper who occupied her thoughts. Cooper who made her heart sing. Cooper who filled her dreams. The time had come to wake up and face reality. She was at the age when she should start thinking about marriage and a family, because she definitely wanted children. Cooper wasn’t going to be interested in someone like her. He might care about her, even feel some affection for her, but she wasn’t the type of woman he would ever ask to be his wife.
Troubled and confused, Ashley made herself a cup of cocoa and sat on the sofa, her feet tucked under the cushion next to her. Things had been so easy for her friends, even Claudia. They met someone, fell in love, got married and started a family. Maybe God had decided He didn’t want her to marry. The thought seemed intolerable, but she had learned long ago not to second-guess her heavenly Father. She’d given Him her life, her will, even Cooper’s safekeeping. Now she had to learn to trust.
She rinsed out the cup, placed it in the kitchen sink and turned out the lights. Her eyes fell on her purse, hanging on the closet doorknob. She wondered if the day might come when she would need to use the card, not that she intended to.
* * *
—
That same thought ran through her mind several days later when the police officer directed her to the phone. She didn’t want to contact Cooper, so she’d tried phoning her family first, hoping she would catch her father at home. But there had been no answer.
“Is there anyone else, miss?” the tall, uniformed man asked.
“Yes,” she answered tightly, opening her purse and taking out the card. Her fingers actually trembled as she dialed the number.
“Cooper Masters.”
As she suspected, he’d given her his private cell number. “Oh, hi…it’s Ashley.”
“Ashley.” His voice carried clearly over the line. “What’s wrong?”
“It isn’t an emergency or anything,” she began, feeling incredibly silly. “I mean, I don’t think they’ll keep me.”
“Ashley,” he heaved her name on an angry sigh. “What’s going on?”
“It’s a long story.”
“All right, tell me where you are. I’ll come to you, and then we’ll straighten everything out.”
She hesitated, swallowing past the lump forming in her throat. “I’m in jail.”
Two
“Jail!” Cooper’s voice boomed over the line. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“But, Cooper, Kent’s a good thirty minutes from downtown Seattle.”
“Kent?” The anger in his voice was barely controlled.
“If you’re going to get so mad…” Ashley let the rest of the sentence fade, realizing that the phone line had already been disconnected.
Casting a glance at the police officer beside her, she gave him a wary smile. “A friend’s coming.”
A smile quivered at one corner of the older man’s mouth. “I heard.” Looking away, he asked, “Would you like a cup of coffee while you wait?”
“No thanks.”
Ashley heard Cooper’s voice several minutes before she saw him. By the time he was brought into the area where she was waiting, there wasn’t a person in the entire police station who hadn’t heard him. She had always known him to be a calm, discreet person. That he would react this way to a minor misunderstanding shocked her. Although…a lot of things about Cooper had surprised her lately. She was standing, her face devoid of color, when he was escorted into the room.
“Can you tell me what’s going on here?” he demanded.
His look did little to encourage confidences; she swallowed tightly and waved her hand helplessly. “Well, apparently someone took the license plate off Milligan.”
“Who the heck…?” He paused and took a deep, calming breath. “Who’s Milligan?”
“Not who,” she corrected, “but what. Milligan’s my moped. I parked it outside the Mexican restaurant where I work odd hours, and someone apparently took off with my license plate.”
“That isn’t any reason to arrest you!” he shouted.
“They haven’t arrested me!” she yelled in return, and was humiliated when her voice cracked and wavered. “And if you won’t quit shouting at me, then you can just leave.”
Raking his fingers roughly through his hair, Cooper stalked to the other side of the room. His mouth was tightly pinched, and he said nothing for several long moments. “All right, let’s try this again,” he replied in a deceivingly soft tone. “Start at the beginning, and tell me everything.”
“There’s not much to tell. Someone took the license plate, and since I don’t have the registration on me, the police need some evidence that I own the bike. I haven’t been arrested or anything. In fact, they’ve been very nice.” In nervous reaction she looped a long strand of curly hair around her ear. “All I need for you to do is go to my apartment and bring back the registration for Milligan. Then I’ll be free to leave.” She opened her purse and took out her key ring, then extracted the key to the apartment. “Here,” she said, handing it to him. “The registration’s in the kitchen, in the silverware drawer, stuck under the aluminum foil. I keep all my important papers there.”
If he thought her record storage system was a bit unusual, he said nothing.
“There’s a lawyer on his way here, I’ll leave word at the front desk for him.” Without another word, he turned and left the room.
Within twenty minutes she heard him talking to the officer who had offered her the coffee. A few moments later they both entered the waiting area.
“You’re free to go,” the policeman explained. “Although I’m afraid we can’t let you drive the moped until you have a new license plate.”
Before she could protest Cooper inserted, “No need to worry. I’ve already made arrangements for the bike to be picked up.” He turned and directed his words to Ashley. “It’ll be delivered to your place sometime tomorrow afternoon.”
Rather than argue, Ashley mutely agreed.
“If you’re ready, I’ll take you home,” Cooper said.
Shoving her knit cap onto her head, she stood and swung her backpack over her shoulder, then gave the kind officer a polite smile. She wasn’t pleased with the way things were working out. If she didn’t have Milligan, she would have to take a series of busses to and from work, with a long trek between stops. Surely something could be done to enable her to ride her moped until she could replace the plate. One look from Cooper discouraged her from asking.
His hand cupped her elbow as they walked to the parking lot. Her attention was centered on the scenery outside the car window as they crossed the Green River and connected with the freeway. Wordlessly, he took the first exit and a couple of minutes later pulled into the parking lot to her apartment building.
He turned off the engine, then called his office. “Gloria, cancel the rest of my appointments for today,” he said stiffly, his voice clipped and abrupt. Without waiting for a confirmation, he promptly ended the call, and then turned to Ashley. “Invite me in for coffee.”
Her heart lodged someplace near her throat. “Yes, of course.” She didn’t wait for him to come around to her side of the car and let herself out. He gave her a disapproving look as they met in front of the vehicle. He opened the apartment door and returned the key to her. She placed it back on the key ring and took off her jacket, carelessly tossing it across the top of the sofa. He removed his black overcoat and neatly folded it over the back of the chair opposite the sofa.
“I’ll put on the coffee.” She moved into the kitchen, pouring water into the small, five-cup pot. She could hear Cooper agitatedly pacing the floor behind her.
“Why are you so angry with me?” she asked. She couldn’t look at him, not when he was so obviously furious with her. “I couldn’t help it if someone stole my license plate. I never should have phoned you, I’m sorry I did.”
“I’m not mad at you,” he stormed. “I’m angry that you were put through that ordeal, that you were treated like a criminal, that…” He left the rest unsaid.
“It’s not the policeman’s fault. He was only doing his job,” she tried to explain, still not facing him. Her fingers trembled as she added the grounds to the pot, placed the lid on top and set it to brew.
A large masculine hand landed on her shoulder, and she had to fight not to lay her cheek on it. A subtle pressure turned her around. With both hands behind her, she gripped the oven door for support. Slowly she raised her eyes to meet his. She was surprised at the tenderness she saw in the dark depths of his gaze, which seemed to be centered on her mouth. Nervously she moistened her dry lips with the tip of her tongue. She hadn’t meant to be provocative, but when Cooper softly groaned she realized what she’d done. When he reached for her, she went willingly into his embrace.
He held her against him, breathing in deeply as he buried his face in the curve of her neck. His hands roamed her back, arching her as close as humanly possible. Ashley molded herself to him, savoring the light scent of musk and man; she longed for him to kiss her. She silently pleaded with him to throw common sense to the wind and crush his mouth over hers. Just being held by him was more happiness than she’d ever hoped to experience. Happiness and torment all rolled into one. An embrace, a light caress, a longing look, could never satisfy her, not when she wanted so much more. Gently he kissed the crown of her head and released her. She wanted to cry with disappointment.
The coffee had begun to perk, and to disguise her emotions, Ashley turned and reached for two cups, waiting for the pot to finish before pouring.
While she dealt with the coffee, Cooper sat in the living room waiting for her. He stood when she entered, taking one cup from her hand.
“I’m sorry, Ashley,” he said, his eyes probing hers.
He didn’t need to elaborate. He was sorry for his anger, sorry he’d overreacted in the police station, but mostly he regretted throwing aside his self-control and taking her in his arms.
