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  Emma’s eyes widened and she jerked back her hand.

  Cooper cleared his throat and forced himself to ignore the current between them. “But what?”

  She blinked and tipped her head upward to stare into his eyes. “But what?”

  “You were saying no offense, but…” Cooper almost laughed at her obvious confusion.

  Damn, she must have felt the connection too. So much so, that the sensation had thrown her off her original train of thought.

  “Oh, yes, yes…No offense, but I’ve been in love, and I don’t relish going there again.”

  “He dumped you, huh?”

  Her back stiffened and she drew away, her eyes shooting sparks. “No, he died.”

  The words hit Cooper hard in the gut and he wished he could retract his hurtful remark. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

  She sighed, her green eyes darker, sadder. Emma turned away, wrapping her arms around her middle. “Two years ago, he was killed in Afghanistan. We were supposed to get married when he returned.”

  Cooper’s chest tightened. Before he’d realized it, he’d closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her back against his chest. “And your brothers think you should get over it and move on.”

  She laughed, the sound more of a sob, twisting a sharp-edged knife into Cooper’s heart. But she didn’t pull away from his touch this time. “Yeah. Only how do you get over losing the love of your life? It’s not like you can replace him with someone else. My brothers mean well, they just don’t get that.”

  “So, I’m supposed to throw them off.” He turned her to face him, a plan forming. One he couldn’t believe he was about to initiate. “How about this? We pretend to date a couple times to get your brothers on board, then I break it off with some lame excuse. You pretend to be hurt and your brothers leave you alone to get over the break up.” As soon as he said the words, he knew without a doubt, he was making a mistake. A big one. But the way she looked upward with those soulful, sad, green eyes and her girl-next-door fresh-faced look, he couldn’t just walk away and tell Leslie her program sucked. He’d see this through and hope, in the meantime, he didn’t make the bigger mistake of falling in love with a woman whose heart was taken by a dead man.

  EMMA RESTED HER hands on Cooper’s bare chest, her momentary lapse into morose sorrow being quickly replaced by an awareness of the man holding her in his strong arms. “You’d do that for me?”

  He nodded. “I wouldn’t have offered, if I didn’t mean it.”

  Her brows knotted. “What’s in this deal for you?”

  He shrugged. “Someone to go to dinner with a couple times. A picnic and a swim in what looks like a cool and inviting pool.” He jerked his chin toward the water.

  “Are you sure? Doesn’t sound like a good deal to me.” Her gaze roved over his face and broad shoulders, her heart rate kicking up a notch. “Who are you trying to kid? Any woman would give their best stilettos to go out with a guy like you.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t like leaving dates up to chance. I’d rather go out with someone I know.”

  “But you don’t know me.”

  “You like horses, hunting and fishing. I don’t know many girls who like to do half of that.”

  “And that makes me okay in your book?” Emma laughed.

  “Well, you’re easy on the eye. Tall, slender, nice hair.” He lifted her braid and let it slip through his fingers.

  His intense gaze made Emma hot all over, something she couldn’t get used to. Still, his offer held merit. “I guess it’ll work. But I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

  “Like you weren’t already?” He clucked his tongue. “Seriously, Emma.”

  She liked the way her name rolled off his tongue, raising gooseflesh across her skin. To dispel the feeling, she rubbed her arms. “Yeah, but you didn’t know I was using you.”

  “So, it’s okay to take advantage when I’m clueless, but not when I’m fully aware?”

  She smiled, her first real smile since Cooper showed up.

  “You know, you’re not half bad to look at, when you smile.” He chucked her beneath the chin.

  “Thanks.” Her lips quirked. “I think.”

  “So, is it a deal?” He held out his hand.

  “We’ll pretend to date?”

  “Right.”

  Her eyes narrowed again. “No…physical expectations?”

  “Not unless you want to.”

  “I don’t,” she blurted. Her cheeks heated and her heart skipped several beats, then raced on at the thought of making love with this man. Not that she’d act on that thought. That was the whole point to this charade. She stuck out her hand. “Then I guess we have a deal.”

  Cooper took it. “Deal.” Instead of shaking it, he tugged hard enough to pull her against his chest.

  “What are you doing?” Emma whispered, her body pressed into his, fire burning through her veins.

  “This deal should be sealed with a kiss.”

  Before she could protest, he bent and claimed her lips, in a brief, but no less earth-moving, kiss.

  When he lifted his head, he smiled down at her. “That’s better.”

  “I thought we agreed, no physical expectations.” She pushed against his chest.

  “Oh, well, it’s a done deal and I can’t take it back.” He shrugged and loosened his hold. “Now, can I get in the pool and rinse off the dust?”

  Her lips still tingling and heat suffusing parts of her body she’d thought long cooled, Emma nodded. “You didn’t need my permission.”

  “Good, because I’m all in.” He reached for the rivet on his jeans.

  Emma’s eyes widened, her gaze fixed on Cooper’s hand. “What are you doing?”

  “You said a swimsuit wasn’t required, and I don’t relish swimming in my jeans. I tend to sink like a rock in denim.” He whipped down the zipper, and stepped free.

  Holy hell, the man went commando beneath his jeans. Emma’s cheeks heated and she turned her back, but not before she caught a glimpse of a dark thatch of hair and a rock-hard… “Geez, at least give me a little warning,” she gasped.

  His jeans flew past her to land on a tree branch.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Emma watched him enter the water, his narrow hips and tight buttocks absolute male perfection.

  Her heart thumped hard, reminding her that despite having lost the love of her life, she was still very much alive and appreciative of a fine male form.

  A niggle of guilt tamped down the rush of lust threatening to overwhelm her senses. She’d loved her fiancé, more than life itself. Then why was she attracted to this man?

  Her inner devil answered. What wasn’t to admire about a man whose body was comprised of long fluid lines and taut muscles?

  A splash behind her made her turn.

  Cooper surfaced and stood waist-deep in the water, covering all the important parts. He grinned and waved a beckoning hand. “Feels great. Aren’t you coming in?”

  “Y-yes. In a moment.” She faced him, giving him a stern glare. “And only if you don’t watch.”

  “I’ll even turn around if it makes you more comfortable.”

  “Yes. Do.”

  He turned his back to her.

  She reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her torso, pausing halfway up. What was she thinking? Getting naked and swimming in a pool with Cooper could lead to only one thing.

  If she let it.

  “How do I know you won’t take advantage of me?” she called out.

  “I don’t make it a habit of raping my dates. I only make love to willing women.” His tone was flat.

  What did she have to lose? She was hot, sweaty and the pool did look inviting. She peeled off her chambray shirt and whipped tank top over her head and tossed it over a tree branch. Her hand paused on the catches of her bra. She could leave on her underwear. What was a swimsuit anyway but colorful underwear? Unfortunately, she’d chosen white lace for her
bra and panties; they would have to do.

  Emma shimmied out of her jeans and stood in the thin panties and bra, the warm air caressing her skin. “No peeking.”

  Cooper chuckled. “No promises.”

  She hurried toward the water, splashing in as Cooper turned to face her.

  “Feels good, doesn’t it?” he said.

  “Always.” Emma kept her distance, grateful the shadows cast by the trees hid everything beneath the water. She swam past him and turned onto her back to float, closing her eyes to the bright sun shining through the gaps in the branches.

  Movement beside her made her open her eyes.

  Cooper floated on his back alongside her, his chest rising out of the water, droplets gleaming against his tanned skin.

  Emma’s gaze skimmed over his chest and down to his taut abs and lower where a dark line of hair arrowed toward… She gasped, her mouth filling with water, and her body sank. She came up sputtering, and flailing, the water too deep for her to stand.

  Strong, calloused hands gripped around her waist and held her above the water until she coughed the liquid from her lungs and she could breathe.

  “You all right?”

  “Yes,” she said, and coughed. He stood so close, her thighs touched his and his member bumped against her belly. Fire ignited low in her belly, spreading even lower. “I’m okay now, you can let go.”

  For a long moment, he held her, his fingers tightening on her arms, his blue-eyed gaze burning into hers.

  Her breath caught and held. Cooper was going to kiss her. Her lips tingled in anticipation of tasting his again. Without thinking, she leaned toward him, her eyelids lowering, her gaze fixed on those incredibly sexy lips.

  Then he let go and stepped away.

  Down she went again, her head dipping beneath the surface. At least this time, her mouth was closed. The shock of a near miss on a kiss made her want to stay below the surface until the water cooled her cheeks and lowered the temperature of her entire body. By the time she came up, her lungs were starving for air and she was still hot and bothered.

  Yup, being in a pool with a naked Cooper Johnson wasn’t helping her keep a cool head.

  But apparently, he had no problem keeping away. He swam to the far side of the pool, ducked beneath the water and disappeared.

  Emma glanced around, searching for tell-tell ripples or bubbles. None appeared.

  When she thought he’d been down long enough, she moved toward the position where he’d disappeared. Had he gotten stuck in the mud?

  She’d only moved two feet when something snagged her ankle and yanked her down.

  Emma jerked and kicked free, surfacing to suck in air.

  Cooper came up beside her.

  “No fair. I wasn’t expecting that.”

  Cooper shook his head. “And you have brothers? Come on, Emma, you’re not as tough as you put on.”

  Challenge made and accepted. Emma launched herself at his head, and pushed him under.

  His arms circled her waist and he threw her into the air.

  Emma came down with a huge splash, laughing and sputtering. She pushed him under and he tossed her several more times before she climbed up on a large boulder and stretched out, tired but smiling. She hadn’t laughed or played with such abandon for a long time.

  She gasped and her smile slipped from her face. She hadn’t been that happy since Marcus left for the war. Not a day or hour had gone by since he left that Emma hadn’t thought about Marcus.

  Until today. She’d gone for hours, thinking about Cooper instead of Marcus. Her chest tightened. That couldn’t be.

  Water splashed on her face, bringing her back to the present.

  “Thinking of him?” Cooper’s warm, husky tones rumbled beside her.

  Emma opened one eye. “Yeah.”

  Cooper lay beside her on his belly, propped on his elbows. At least, one part of him wasn’t dangling in the wind. Unfortunately, his glorious buttocks drew Emma’s gaze like a magnet.

  To keep from staring, she closed her eyes and pretended to relax. “You know my sob story now. What about you? Why aren’t you married and herding a half-dozen children?”

  For a long time, Cooper didn’t respond.

  Emma opened her eyes, wondering if he’d fallen asleep.

  No. He stared into the shadows, his blue eyes glazed as if he looked into the past. “I grew up in foster homes. Some of them good, some not so good. I guess I didn’t want to end up in a relationship that wasn’t going to last. Plus, I’ve been too busy with my career to give time to making a relationship work.”

  “Sounds like you haven’t met the right woman.” Emma closed her eyes again, wondering who the right woman would be for Cooper. A little jab of envy twisted her gut. Whoever he chose to marry would be a lucky woman. As far as Emma had seen, the man was a gem. Hard-working, sensitive, smart and darned fine looking.

  “Maybe,” Cooper said.

  “You don’t strike me as a man who’d let a computerized matchmaker find your mate.”

  Cooper snorted. “I’m doing a friend a favor.”

  Emma turned on her side, fighting not to let her gaze travel below Cooper’s waist. “I don’t get it.”

  “Leslie is a friend of a friend. I volunteered for the program to help Leslie test her software and get her business off the ground.” He shrugged. “I have to admit to being skeptical.”

  “And look what you got…” Emma sighed. “A woman who only wanted a date to get her brothers off her back.” She pressed her lips together. “Look, don’t let me deter you from trying again. Your girl is out there. And you’ll know it when you find her.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I knew when I met Marcus that he was the one for me.”

  “And you don’t think you could fall in love again?”

  “No.” Her throat tightened. “We were like two halves to a whole. That perfection will never happen again.”

  “You’re lucky.”

  “Lucky?” Emma choked on a sob. “Marcus is dead.”

  “Better to have loved and lost…” Cooper shrugged. “You know.”

  Emma smiled through a shimmer of tears and studied his profile. “You know, you really aren’t half bad.”

  “Thanks.” He tipped his head. “I think.”

  “No really. If I was open to loving again, I might be attracted to you.” Man, was that a big fib. Emma lay back, and closed her eyes out of self defense, unable to keep her gaze from straying over Cooper’s magnificent body. “You have a nice ass.”

  Cooper laughed out loud, the sound warming the air around Emma. She liked the sound of Cooper’s laugh. It was completely different than Marcus’s. Emma thought back, but at that moment, she couldn’t quite remember how Marcus laughed. All she knew was that Cooper’s laughter made her want to laugh with him.

  “I guess I should feed you.” She rolled away, disturbed by the idea that she couldn’t remember Marcus’s laughter. “If you’re anything like my brothers, you could eat a side of beef in a sitting.”

  “Not quite that bad.” His stomach gave a hollow growl. “Guess the hay hauling burned a few calories.”

  “Then come on.” She stood. “On second thought, you can get dressed while I lay out our picnic. The least you should get out of our day together is a meal.” And she’d be a lot better off once Cooper had his clothes on.

  Once again, Emma turned her back to the man to allow him the privacy to dress. Ignoring him wasn’t an option as Cooper passed Emma, walking tall and proud and completely naked, to fetch his jeans from the branch beside her.

  And based on how straight and stiff his member was, he wasn’t immune to her wearing just her bra and panties.

  Holy hell, she’d stirred up a hornet’s nest of desire in him. And if she was honest with herself, she was just as turned on.

  She forced herself to think of Marcus and how he looked in his uniform as he’d kissed her goodbye at the airport.

  Emma refused to
acknowledge one glaring truth: memories of Marcus seemed much more faded than they had before the day began—before she’d met Cooper.

  Chapter Four

  ‡

  TIRED AND STRANGELY content, Cooper rode into the barnyard beside Emma. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been on a picnic or swam nude in a creek, but the activities seemed so natural, giving him a feeling of home. Not a good thing, considering he’d agreed to date and then dump her. No use getting attached to Emma or her family if he wasn’t to be a part of it.

  Having grown up in the foster care system, he’d been careful not to let his heart get involved with his host family. If he hadn’t been forced into a group project with a team of guys during his second year on campus at Texas A&M, he might still be scratching out a living. As part of their class assignment, they’d researched the stock market, pooled their pathetic financial resources and invested. By the end of the semester, they’d doubled their money and pulled an A in the class. Most importantly, they’d bonded and formed a club of four guys with the optimistic name of Billionaires Anonymous. Now these guys were the family he never had, the brothers he could count on if he was in a bind or just needed someone to talk to.

  Until he’d passed through the gates of the Rockin’ J Ranch, Cooper hadn’t thought to expand his circle of friends. Now, he found himself wishing things had been different. He liked Emma’s brothers. He liked Emma even more.

  He tied Diablo to his stall door, removed the saddle and blanket and set them on a saddletree. “When did you want to go on our next date?”

  Emma tugged the leather strap through the girth. “I don’t know. In a couple days, maybe?”

  Cooper reached over her and slid the saddle off the mare’s back.

  Emma frowned. “I can do that.”

  “I know.” With a smile, Cooper settled the saddle on the rack next to his. He handed her a brush and touched the side of her cheek with his finger. “It’s one of the things I like best about you.”

  “That I can lift a saddle?”

  “That and your independent spirit.”

  “I thought most men liked women who need to be protected.”