Free Slow Ride by Kat Morrisey Page B

nibbled at her lower lip.
    Kyla seemed to hesitate again before he felt some of the tension ease from her, though
     she kept her eyes on the water. “I don’t need to ask around; it’s not something I
     need to be concerned with. She likes you, that much I could tell.” Her tone was slightly
     aloof, uninterested, and it pissed him off.
    Cooper pressed his fingers into her hip and turned her so her chest was pressed against
     his. He dipped his head, a breath away from those pouty lips of hers. “If you could
     tell she liked me, then I’m guessing you can tell the difference in how I act with
     someone I’m interested in and someone I’m not.”
    Kyla shrugged and tried to push away. “Cooper, this is . . . fast. You, the way you
     are. . .” She looked down at his hands that were on each hip now, “and I don’t know
     if I can. . .”
    He cut her off. “I’m not asking for anything other than a chance to get to know you
     better, Kyla, and see where this goes. Unless you got a man at home or something.
     ‘Cause if you do, I’ll step aside. I’m not the kind of man to horn in on someone else’s
     woman.”
    Cooper watched the emotions on her face: shock, fear, pain, then anger.
    “I’m not anyone’s woman,” she bit out as her body went ramrod straight in his arms.
    “Hey, Kyla, it’s okay. Just didn’t want to mess with your head if you were tangled
     up with someone else.” His words seemed to soothe her as he felt the tension ebb away
     from her again.
    “I’m not tangled up with someone else. It’s just . . . complicated. My ex is not a
     good man. He never was. I don’t make good choices and I have a tendency to screw things
     up.”
    “It sounds like you blame yourself for shit.” He cut her off as she opened her mouth
     to say something. “You don’t have to tell me about this guy right now. I already can
     tell he did you wrong. And really, there isn’t a need to rush this, Kyla. I’m a patient
     guy. Kind of. Why don’t we just get to know each other better and see what happens?
    He watched her nod but could see the topic of the two of them getting to know each
     other made her nervous. So he changed the subject. For now. “Are you comfortable in
     Ashten Falls? It seems like you’re making friends: Maggie, Steve, Rose. . .”
    “I met them at the bookstore a few days ago. Steve introduced me. They were all so
     nice, they invited me to the party. Maggie invited me to her shop.”
    “You might want to head over there then. She sells a lot of that underwear you had
     stuffed in your bag,” Cooper quipped.
    Kyla’s cheeks turned pink. “You’re obsessed with underwear,” she muttered. “Let’s
     talk about something else, like why you stopped to help me.”
    Cooper chuckled. “Because I own a garage and it’s my job?”
    Kyla rolled her eyes. “Phil was working that night. You didn’t have to stop.”
    Cooper lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “I offered to help Phil and then as I drove
     up I saw this hot chick on the back of the car. That pissed me off and got me interested,
     in that order. The rest, as they say, is history.” He leaned in and kissed the tip
     of her nose quickly, and then gave her a light squeeze before turning his head to
     observe a fishing boat coming in for the night.
    “But why me? You don’t even know me, and I’m not from here, and you want to get to
     know me? Why?”
    Cooper didn’t answer right away, taking his time to form a response. “I don’t know
     for sure, Kyla. I saw you, heard you singing, and something clicked. I have no idea
     where it’s going but I know we both feel an attraction to each other. And since you’re
     going to be in town for a while, why not you? You’re beautiful, intelligent, funny,
     and have an attitude that I like. What more could a guy ask for?”
    “Thanks.” Kyla’s voice was soft as Cooper pushed her back against the railing. “You’re
     not trying to save me, are you? You don’t see me