Turbulent Intentions (Billionaire Aviators #1) - Melody Anne Page 0,58
thinking the same,” he said as he signaled the waiter to pay the bill.
She stood up, and he quickly jumped to his feet. “Can I give you a lift home?”
She looked him over for a moment and then smiled. “Maybe next time, Cooper,” she finally said. “Here’s my number. Give me a call.”
She turned to see where her friend was, but Nick and Debbie were quickly approaching.
“We’re going to get out of here,” Nick said with a smile sent Cooper’s way.
“Yeah, me too,” Coop said as he grabbed his coat.
Nick raised a brow at his brother, and Coop gave a slight shake of his head. Nick gave him a taunting smile.
“All right, Captain, get some rest before you take up one of the big ones in the morning,” Nick said.
Coop sent a glare his brother’s way. He didn’t need Nick to tell the ladies he was a big, bad pilot so he could get some tail. It was a game they’d played for years. At least the ass knew better than to tell them he was the damn CEO. He’d had enough wallet chasers to last him a lifetime.
“A big one?” Julie asked, pausing in her exit.
“Yeah, my big brother here is a pilot,” Nick said as the four of them made their way toward the front of the bar.
“Ooh, that’s impressive,” Debbie said as she gave Cooper a look of interest.
“Not as impressive as Nick being a chopper pilot for the Coast Guard,” Coop quickly said, and Debbie’s eyes went right back to Nick.
His brother didn’t care all that much if she was interested or not. He’d either sleep with the woman or he wouldn’t. And then he would disappear in the morning. Nick was even more of a bachelor than Cooper, and that was saying a lot.
They made it out front, said their good-byes, and Cooper eagerly headed home. Maybe he’d see his elusive housemate. It was sad how much that thought perked him up.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Shooting straight up in bed, Stormy frantically wiped the sleep from her eyes as the pounding of her heart thumped in her chest. It took a moment, but finally she was able to brush the panic away and calm herself.
With surprise, she swiped her fingers against her cheek and found tears. Never before had she had such a vivid nightmare, one that woke her with terror.
Now that she was awake, there would be no use going back to sleep. She’d had a hard time falling asleep the night before, tossing and turning. When she’d heard Cooper walking in the hallway, then pausing at her door, it had made her heart race for an entirely different reason than this nightmare.
Living in this place for the past few weeks hadn’t been good for her health, unless she counted it as a cardio workout because her pulse was racing all the time. That could be great for her since she didn’t work out nearly as much as she needed to.
Taking her time in the shower, Stormy washed away her worries and fears, and then got ready for the day. She didn’t have to work this afternoon, which was great. If it was nice out, she’d take a stroll down by the water and then maybe go and play in Cooper’s garden.
She loved all the flowers he’d planted—or to be more realistic, that his gardener had planted. But she’d contributed a lot to the yard’s maintenance since her arrival, so maybe that would save him some money eventually. Today would be a good day to mow if she could figure out how to get the blasted machine started. She’d never done it before. She hadn’t lived in a place that required mowing.
When she began her descent down the stairs, she heard voices, and it made her pause. Maybe Cooper had company over and wanted privacy. She wasn’t sure what to do. After standing there for several moments, ultimately the smell of coffee pushed her forward.
If he had guests, she’d just get her caffeine and then be on her way. When she stepped into the kitchen, Cooper was sitting at the breakfast bar with two of the three men she’d seen in the pictures all over his house.
Damn! Their pictures hadn’t done them justice at all.
“Come and join us for breakfast, Stormy,” Cooper called, not seeming to mind her interruption. She was shocked by how nice he was being all of a sudden.
They hadn’t spoken two decent words to each other since she’d walked from his bedroom. She