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He gavesmile
“No”
“Yes”
“No”
“No?”
How could I do this without being mean? “Um” I didn’t think there was really a way to be not a littledishonest, and really at this point I didn’t think anything else but honesty would convince him “I don’t want to be in a relationshipwith you”
“But you just said—”
“I said I’ve come to want more than to be someone’s casual sex partner But that doesn’t mean that I want more with you”
He let this sink in and then his eyes narrowed “That Neanderthal bartender you weremoon eyes at this afternoon? You want him over me?”
Hot anger fired my blood “He owns the bar”
“Oh, well, that makes it so much better”
Arrogant asshole!
“It’s not even about him,” I said and that was the truth “It’s about me I like it here”
“With the shirtless bartender?” He guffawed
“Ugh, you actually think you’re better than him”
“I know I’m better than him”
“You knohat, Andrew, here’s the truth I liked having sex with you, but I have never liked you I respected you because you’re a great surgeon and you save lives and I found that hot But that’s all it was Because as wonderful as it is that you do all thatyou are quite possibly the ant asshole I have ever met”
His lips parted in shock at my brutal honesty
And somehow I still couldn’t shut up! “Cooper is not selfish Not arrogant He’s just a good man And you are so far up your own superior ass that you can’t see what’s important anymore”
“You know all this about a nored the part about hi he hadn’t
“I know this because of the way the people here are around hienuinely care about hi else does”
Andrew shook his head and heaved a sigh “Oh, Jessica” He stared out at the water “I’ you just said because”—he turned back to h soet out of whatever midlife crisis this is, you will realize that you’ve just throay et your career back But I won’t be waiting”
I didn’t knohether to laugh or cry at his pomposity
“I don’t want you to wait, Andrew”
His expression turned cold as he studied ave me a clipped nod “Good luck, Jessica”
I watched hi but relief I took a few o back into the bar
I didn’t knohat my sudden decision to stay meant for me and Cooper or if there was even a chance for ive up the autono, and that scared the shit out of me Because I was terrified that so about me he didn’t like and I’d lose him
But I realized right then that I was equally afraid that he wouldn’t even want to give me a second chance to explore as between us I knew if I walked back into that bar and he turned away froht for the rest of my life
Because what Cooper had said tolike this before
Gathering ht for where he stood at the bar He was pouring a draft and he looked up from between his lashes as I came to a stop across from him
Quickly he looked back down at what he was doing, but his tone gave hieon?”
I perched on the stool and leaned over a little closer to say, “I told him to leave I also told him it was over between him and me”
He stopped what he was doing and put the draft on the bar without looking at me
“I also told hi Hartwell anytime soon”
His head jerked up at that and he stared at me in surprise
“You were right” I shrugged “I wasn’t happy”
Cooper just continued to stare
Uncertainty h me “Do you think I’m crazy? Was it a bad call?”
His ansas to wrap his hand around the nape of my neck and pull me across the bar into his kiss
It wasn’t any ordinary kiss
It was hot and hungry
I iht before
I’d never met a man whose kiss could make me burn for so much more
Whoops and catcalls suddenly ainst my mouth, “Good call, Doc”
THIRTEEN
Cooper
The energy in the bar went up a level after he impulsively kissed her in front of everyone The tourists had no idea as going on, but his regulars did Even if they didn’t know the doc too well, they knew hi random women in public
They understood there was soulars were good people he knew they were happy for hi smile