The Very Naughty List

4. Hailey

4

HAILEY

Everyone sitting around us at the bar seems a bit stunned by Nick’s declaration. Even some people who weren’t paying much attention to the women interrogating me before glance our way now, curiosity and surprise in their expressions.

Hell, I’m surprised too.

Not only did I not expect to see him here, but I sure as hell didn’t expect him to jump to my rescue and claim to be dating me. What are the chances of this happening twice within the same twenty-four-hour time period? Not one but two Cooper brothers swooping in to save me from the perils of the small town rumor mill?

And just like with Reid, I don’t know how to react.

“I thought you didn’t really date anyone anymore.” The woman beside me, Casey Powell, frowns slightly. She had a crush on Nick all through high school and was determined to have his baby one day, although that clearly hasn’t happened yet.

I can’t say I blame her for being a bit obsessed with him though. Despite the fact that he doesn’t talk much, there’s something about Nick that draws people’s eyes wherever he goes. He’s enigmatic and classically gorgeous, with hair the color of dark chocolate and a beard that I have to curb myself from thinking about too much. I bet it tickles wherever he kisses you, in the most satisfying of ways.

For fuck’s sake, why do I keep doing this?

I keep letting my thoughts slide right down into my panties every time I’m around one of these Cooper men.

There’s something so serious and capable about his demeanor that I’ve always felt safe and secure in Nick’s presence though. And that goes for right now too.

“I don’t really date… much,” Nick confirms, nodding a bit stiffly. “But I made an exception for Hailey.”

“Wow.” Casey shakes her head, shifting her focus from him to me. “You are one lucky girl.”

I nod in response to her words, although I feel a bit like I’m having an out-of-body experience. And just like I did with Reid when he swooped in to save me from Dylan, I lean into this lie too.

“Yeah.” I nod weakly. “I know.”

As the ladies around me all start to chatter excitedly, I’m very keenly aware of Nick’s presence beside me. He squeezed himself right up between all the women and barstools, and his body is practically glued to mine.

Nick is the tallest, burliest, and grumpiest of the three Cooper brothers. And since he’s so quiet, especially around me, I always thought he kind of disliked me. But maybe I was wrong because here he is, standing stoically beside me like a wall of muscle and claiming to be dating me just so that the gossip vultures in high heels will back off.

It was shocking enough when Reid did it, but it’s even more of a shock now that Nick has proclaimed that we’re dating.

“So how long have you two been a thing?”

I don’t know which of the women around us just asked that question, but honestly, it doesn’t even matter. I’m swimming around in my head trying to make sense of how nonstop crazy things have been since I’ve gotten back home.

“A while.”

Nick is clearly following the same instinct as his brother, to save me from interrogation. His answer is a lot less elaborated on than Reid’s was though. He’s definitely not quite as good at bullshitting as the charming middle Cooper triplet is.

Once, I accidentally ran into him coming out of my brother’s room with his shirt off after the two of them challenged each other to some stupid pushup contest. I actually literally stumbled and tripped over a rippled piece of the old carpet on the hallway floor and put my hand out to brace for my fall. But I never hit the floor, because my palm wound up landing on Nick’s chest instead.

I was mortified, but I also didn’t want to pull my hand away, because even back then the definition of his muscular frame was impressive. I remember trying to apologize and then standing there blushing as heat swept over me. In my teenage brain, I had a mini fantasy about how maybe Nick would put his hand over mine and we’d have some sort of romantic interlude in the hallway.

Obviously, I was amped up on teen hormones. The thought of that actually happening was a ludicrous one. Nick just muttered, “no problem,” and pushed past me down the hall as if he couldn’t stand to be in the same space as me.

After a few more minutes of chatter, the ladies around me seem to realize that Nick has no plans to move from his spot, so they move on and go hit up some of the guys at the end of the bar. Once they leave, my brain finally fully catches up with what has just happened. My breath whooshes out of me in a rush, and suddenly, I can’t hold in a laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

I turn at the sound of Reid’s voice and see him standing nearby with Sebastian right beside him. All three of the Cooper men apparently decided to come out tonight, and being surrounded by all of them somehow makes me feel even more giddy and off-balance.

Nick shrugs in response to his brother’s question. He jerks his chin toward Casey and her posse of pink rosé drinking friends down at the end of the bar.

“I don’t know. I just told those ladies that Hailey and I were dating to get them to leave her alone.”

“Wait, you what ?”

Reid looks shocked, and then he too bursts into laughter.

“Am I missing something here?” Sebastian exchanges a look of mutual confusion with Nick while Reid tries to get his laughter under control.

“I told the exact same lie to Dylan Montgomery earlier today,” Reid informs them, still chuckling.

Nick blinks at him in silence for a second. “Wait, what?”

“Yeah, Dylan was harassing her outside the general store, so I told him that Hailey and I were dating so he’d back the hell off.”

“You failed to mention that earlier.” Nick looks slightly annoyed at Reid’s omission.

The middle Cooper brother shrugs. “It didn’t seem relevant until just now.”

Sebastian takes advantage of the space that opened up when the other women left and sidles up on my other side. When I turn my face to look at him, he grins, and I can feel myself instantly flush in response as his blue-green eyes pierce through me. He still has that “always messy” hair that I want to tousle between my fingers so badly, and the crooked smile that curves his lips is downright mouthwatering.

“I guess this is the perfect way to get people to stop talking about how you got cheated on by Dylan,” he says. “Calling off a wedding isn’t nearly as dramatically juicy as showing your ex that you’ve got plenty of prospects still here in town.”

Sebastian has a solid point. It’s kind of the perfect way to get everyone in Chestnut Hill to stop gossiping about the failed wedding and my attempt to run away from it all.

“But you know…” He drags the words out, a thoughtful expression crossing his handsome features. “Why stop there? I think you could take it even further. Really give people something to talk about.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, my stomach flipping over. The look in Sebastian’s eye is a deviously mischievous one.

I haven’t forgotten how much he always liked pushing the envelope with things. Sometimes he went too far and would get his brothers into trouble, and then he’d rely on Reid’s smooth talking and charm to get them all out of it. But there’s always been something so alluring and fun about him that it’s hard not to want to be caught up in whatever scheme he’s getting into.

“I mean, if you really want to make Dylan leave you alone and snuff out all the gossiping busybodies in this town, then what better way to do it than shutting down all their questions by taking this really over the top?”

Reid nods in agreement as if he’s already following along with Sebastian’s train of thought, but I shake my head, confused about where this is heading. “Over the top, how?”

Sebastian grins. “Instead of just one of us, you could have a trifecta of suitors.”

“You mean all three of you would pretend to date me?” My eyebrows shoot up toward my hairline.

I can’t even believe I’m asking that question. It sounds like something I might have fantasized about after the lights were out during my teen years when I knew the three guys were just down the hall sleeping over in my brother’s room.

“Yeah.” He gestures to his two brothers. “We can pretend to fight over you, act jealous when we see you with one another, and make sure that people around town see you out on one-on-one dates with each of us.”

I chew my bottom lip, trying to process what he’s saying. Sebastian’s idea definitely has the potential to stir up a lot of drama and trouble. But it also has the potential to shut down all of the comments about my almost-wedding and the pitying looks I keep getting.

“It would definitely show everyone that you’re totally over all that shit with Dylan,” Reid adds, clearly already on board with this scheme.

I glance over at Nick, whose expression I can’t read. It’s hard to tell if he’s for the idea or against it.

“What do you think?” I ask.

Nick takes a moment before answering, and I worry for a second that he’s going to shut down this totally insane proposal of Sebastian’s. Maybe that would be for the best, but for some reason, I really don’t want him to say no.

I don’t know if he can read any of my thoughts on my face, but after studying me for a moment, he gives a single, decisive nod.

“I’m in.”

My pulse instantly starts to gallop. I can barely believe this is happening. I feel slightly embarrassed to be accepting this kind of help from them. It feels more intimate than it probably should, and definitely more scandalous. Still, I can’t help but be a little excited too.

“Okay,” I whisper, barely loud enough to be heard over the ambient noise of the bar, even though they’re all standing close to me. “Let’s do it.”

This is crazy, right? Yeah, it’s definitely crazy .

But right now, I don’t care.

“All right then.” Sebastian’s smile widens, and he glances around at the still-crowded bar. “There are a lot of people in here, which means we have a captive audience.”

“For what?”

A little burst of adrenaline shoots through me, because I know he’s getting ready to do something wild. Sebastian’s always been just one step away from being a complete troublemaker, and I can tell that the years since I last saw him haven’t done anything to tame his wild side at all.

I like it though. I like how Sebastian brings a sense of unpredictable fun, and Reid coats everything with a sort of casual charm, and Nick can always be counted on to act as the responsible one. It makes it feel like between the three of them, this charade could actually work. They’re like the perfect balance for each other—a true trifecta of amazing men with bodies to match.

Fuck, there I go again. Calm down, girl .

“It’s my turn this time, shortcake,” Sebastian informs me. “I think we should take things up a notch right now. Get everyone’s attention and let the gossip mill start turning.”

‘Taking things up a notch’ by Sebastian’s terms means taking it up ten notches by everyone else’s standards. I sit straighter on my barstool, glued in place as I wait to see what he’s going to do. Nick sits down on the barstool next to me as if he’s waiting for the show to begin too, and Reid mutters something under his breath that sounds like, “This ought to be good.”

“I know my brothers are interested in you too, Hailey.” Sebastian raises his voice, speaking loudly enough for everyone in the entirety of The Old Oak to hear him. “But that doesn’t change how I feel about you. I’ve never known another woman like you, and I’m not gonna stop trying to win you over.”

The women at the end of the bar set down their drinks and turn to stare at us with their mouths agape. The rest of the patrons in the bar turn to look too, and even the bartender, Craig, stops drying a whiskey glass and watches Sebastian.

“I’m going to prove that I’m the best man for you,” Sebastian continues. “This town lost the best thing it ever had when you moved away, and now that you’re back, I’m not gonna hide my feelings any longer. So, sure, my brothers can try their best to earn your heart. But I know that in the end, you’ll choose me.”

Yup, that’s done it . He has the attention of every single person in this bar.

Sebastian moves in a little closer, the messy locks of his dark brown hair falling over his forehead as he gazes at me with a look that makes my breath hitch.

Maybe he should be an actor instead of a mechanic, because he’s convincing as hell.

He tips my chin up with two fingers, and my heart stutters in my chest. His eyes bounce between mine, his scent enveloping me. He smells like cognac and amber, and I can feel his breath ghost over my lips as he speaks in a low voice meant only for me.

“If you don’t want me to kiss you, stop me right now.”

He hesitates for a moment, giving me enough time to decide.

But I don’t say no. I’m not sure my voice would even work right now, but it doesn’t matter, because I have absolutely no desire to say anything. Instead, almost unconsciously, I tilt my chin up a little more.

A slow grin spreads across Sebastian’s face.

“Good girl.”

Then he drops his head and presses his mouth to mine.