Page 33 of Rebels and Roses

“Not all the time.”

Her fingers brushed his crotch once and then again. She didn’t have any new moves. He’d seen these before. Shifting in his chair so he was turned toward her, he gave her a shake of his head.

“We’re not going there, Fi. That was a long time ago.”

“Since when do you turn a woman down?” she teased, this time running her fingers down his arm, the nails scraping slightly against his skin.

At one point, that would have turned him on, but he didn’t feel anything when he looked at her. Not anymore. If anything, he was wondering what he’d ever seen in her. Had she acted like this back then? He didn’t think so. This was…different. Hecouldn’t quite put his finger on how her behavior had changed, but she never would have been this obvious. That wasn’t her game at all.

“Most of the time,” he replied, brushing her hand off his arm. “Let’s face it. We weren’t good together. Let’s leave it in the past where we still have some good memories. I don’t want to ruin it.”

Her eyes narrowed as her gaze raked him from head to toe.

“Since when did you get squeamish about a little fun in the sheets? Usually, your cock is hard and ready for action twenty-four-seven.” Her gaze dropped to his lap, and then her eyes widened comically. “Oh…do you have a…problem?”

His only problem was that his ex-wife was sitting next to him instead of thousands of miles away. And her brother was only a few feet, as well. It wasn’t the most erotic setting he’d ever been in.

“No.”

“I’ve always loved your silent, tough guy attitude,” Fiona laughed, taking a gulp from the glass the server had just placed in front of her. “You’ve always been the cool macho type.”

“I guess I don’t have much to say.”

“You were too busy putting your words on paper to talk to me.”

“You’re not wrong,” he conceded. “I can be a selfish asshole when I’m working on a book.”

“Does your family still not know? I didn’t mention it because they didn’t.”

“I’ll tell them eventually.”

“You should tell them now,” Fiona said, knocking back the rest of her wine and slapping the glass on the table. He hadn’t even touched his beer. “What would your daddy say?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care.”

“You care. You want his approval,” she said with a giggle. Jesus, she was drunk. “You’ve always wanted his approval.”

“Whatever you say. Your drink is done. Are you ready to go now?”

“Sure. Okay, if you’re going to be this way.”

Fiona reached for her purse, fumbling with the closure before pulling out a tube of lipstick.

“Where am I taking you? Did you get a room at the inn?”

She looked up from her compact, another laugh escaping from her now red lips.

“Baby, I don’t have a room. I’m staying with you and Tom.”

“You are not staying at my place,” Cooper replied between gritted teeth.

“Why not? We’ve shared a bed thousands of times.”

“We’re not doing it tonight.” He leaned forward so their faces were close. He wanted her to see that he wasn’t fucking around here. “You need to get on a plane tomorrow morning. You and Tom. I’ll drive you myself.”

“I’ll leave whenever I want,” she said breezily, laughing in his face. “I kind of like it here, and I need to keep an eye on Tom. Besides, you’re not the boss of me anymore. I do what I want.”

Fucking hell. Fiona Kemp thought she was going to get her way.

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