slowed and his courage started to falter. She turned towards him and their eyes met. Stunning really and they caught him by surprise. Startling bright green. He had expected her eyes to be blue, or brown even, to match her glossy chestnut hair. The emerald-green eyes under long, lustrous eyelashes were bright and clear and for a second he wondered if she was wearing coloured contacts, but then dismissed the idea as he neared her.
The noise in the pub was prohibitive. He would have to be standing close to her if he wanted to speak to her.
She hadn’t moved. Her eyes were still fixed on his. He leaned over to whisper in her ear, his hand automatically resting on her hip. He felt her suck in a breath at his touch. She spoke first, turning her lips towards his ear. ‘You’ve been watching me for the last ten minutes. I wondered when you were going to come and introduce yourself.’
She leaned backwards, a smile dancing across her lips as she noticed the rush of colour in his cheeks. He hesitated for a second, caught off guard as he saw the glint in her eyes. She was teasing him.
He remembered his last thought. It was time for change. He could be a whole new different person. Someone who was confident. Someone who was bold. Someone who believed himself to be attractive and who never went home alone. Tonight, he could be Jake. He cut to the chase. ‘Hi, are you waiting for someone?’
She smiled and nodded. ‘Yes, my friend appears to have got lost in the ladies.’
He felt a surge of relief—she was here with a friend. She wasn’t waiting for a man. He frowned, his natural instinct taking over. ‘Maybe you should go and check on her, she might be unwell.’ This time the glint was in his eyes. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll wait for you.’
Her face broke into a wide grin. She raised her eyebrow at him. ‘Really?’
She was totally unaware of the captivating picture she made when she smiled. Cooper nodded, gesturing towards the ladies, while the hand that was resting on her hip decided to follow another story and unconsciously pull her closer to him. Her eyes dropped to where his hand was resting. ‘Are you planning on letting go of me?’
He pulled his hand back reluctantly and gave a little shrug. ‘Sorry’.
She shook her head. ‘Actually, I don’t think I need to go check on my friend.’ She pointed towards the bar. ‘She seems to have made her way to another engagement.’
He followed where her finger was pointing and saw a small blonde figure wrapped around a man standing next to the bar.
‘Looks like you’ve been left in the lurch.’ He smiled. He glanced at her empty wine glass. ‘So, mysterious woman, can I buy you a drink?’
She glanced at her watch, as if she was weighing up her options. Cooper caught his breath. Don’t let her decide to go home! It was only eleven o’clock. She hesitated for a second, before finally handing him her wine glass and fixing him again with her green eyes. ‘I’ll have a glass of rosé wine, please.’
Cooper took the glass, his fingers brushing hers. He felt the air around him sizzle. This was what it felt like. This was how other people lived. He had forgotten about this side of life. He had forgotten about the feeling in the pit of your stomach when you met someone you were attracted to. He shot her a quick smile and turned towards the bar.
Melissa breathed a huge sigh of relief, the breath hissing out slowly through her tensed lips. She hadn’t even realised she’d been holding it. She hadn’t believed it when she’d spotted him at the other side of the bar. He was gorgeous. What was he doing in here? Men who looked like that didn’t live around here. And what was he doing, talking to her? She took another deep breath, trying to calm the clamouring heart in her chest. She had tried to be blasé when he spoke to her. She had tried to act as if men as handsome as him spoke to her every day. But now she could feel panic setting in. She glanced over at her friend at the bar. Lynn was still wrapped around her latest victim. She would be no help whatsoever.
Cooper turned back around and handed her the wine glass, his fingers brushing hers. She felt the electricity streak up her arm in a delicious buzz. She hadn’t been mistaken first time round and she could sense he felt it too. He shot her a beaming smile. ‘So, mystery woman, are you going to tell me your name?’
‘Melissa,’ she replied, before giving a little shake of her head, ‘well, Missy.’ Her breathing had finally slowed and her heart had stopped hammering on the wall of her chest. She gathered herself and her confidence grew. She could do this. She could talk to the most handsome man for miles. ‘My friends call me Missy,’ she explained, holding out her hand to shake his.
‘Missy,’ he repeated, nodding his head as if in approval. His strong hand caught her slim wrist, giving it a firm shake. And for a few seconds it stayed there, held in an automatic pause because neither party wanted to let go.
‘What’s yours?’
For a fraction of a second he seemed to hesitate. ‘Cooper,’ he answered, before regaining his composure and saying, ‘Well, actually, my friends call me Coop.’
Her hand reluctantly pulled away from his, her fingers lightly dragging down the palm of his hand, sending delicious shockwaves down his spine. His breath caught in his chest. For a second there he had nearly told her a lie. Just for some wild second he had almost told her his name was Jake. Jake, his friend at the bar, who had no history, no past to haunt him. Jake, who never went home alone. The person he had wanted to be tonight. But he couldn’t do it. Not when he was looking into those beautiful eyes. The eyes that were fixed on him right now.
‘Pleased to meet you, then, Coop.’ She had moved a little closer to him now, the noise in the bar making it difficult to be heard. He caught a waft of her perfume. Not what he’d expected. Something subtle, with a hint of orange. Most women that he knew wore floral scents, but this was something much more scintillating. He inhaled a little deeper, trying to catch her essence.
‘What brings you here, Coop?’ Her eyes flickered up and down the length of his body. ‘I’ve definitely never seen you around before.’
No. Melissa was absolutely sure she’d never seen him here before. Because he wasn’t someone that you’d forget in a hurry. Black shirt tucked into black jeans. Wide shoulders, tapering to a slim waist with long legs and a very watcher-friendly bottom. Then there was his hair. Light brown, slightly longer than normal, which sort of flopped over his right eye. His rich chocolate-coloured eyes. The kind that once you started looking at they drew you in, further and further, until you could almost feel yourself enveloped by the warm hues.
Melissa gave herself a shake. What was she doing? She never had thoughts like this! Even if the man in front of her looked like something from a jeans ad. This was the first time in months she’d felt even vaguely attracted to a man again. Had it really been that long? Had it really been six months since David had stalled once again on starting a family together? Something he knew Melissa desperately wanted. Had it really been six months since Melissa had finally had the courage to call off their engagement? Melissa gave herself another shake. The time span hadn’t even registered with her. It was definitely time to move on. Time to move from the lost-in-space zone she’d inhabited for the last six months. And here, right in front of her, was the perfect opportunity.
Cooper gave her a lazy smile, showing off perfect straight white teeth and a little dimple in his right cheek. It made him look like a cheeky schoolboy.
‘You’re right, I’m not from here. I just moved up this week.’
She quickly glanced at his left hand, cursing herself for not doing it earlier. Relief, no wedding band. ‘Did you move up yourself?’
Cooper nodded swiftly, taking another quick gulp of his drink. His right hand slipped into his pocket and subconsciously started to touch the cool metal band. He hadn’t worn it on his finger for the last few months but he just couldn’t bring himself to put it back in the box yet. So he kept it in his pocket, where every now and then he had the urge to reach in and touch it.
‘Whereabouts are you staying?’
He