Chapter 16 – Ramona
Chapter Sixteen
Ramona
I don’t remember my mattress being this comfortable. The perfect combination of hard and soft makes it impossible for me to want to move from the spot I’m in. I rarely get to wake up on my own, having alarms set for every moment of my life. I’m going to enjoy this.
My eyes blink open and take in the darkened room. It’s a lot earlier than I thought. Instead of the warm glow of the sun filtering through my window, I see nothing. The entire room is almost pitch black; only the pale moonlight filters through the open blinds.
My eyes drift shut again, wanting nothing more than to get back to the deliciously inappropriate dream I was having starring Cooper Hendrix. And by inappropriate dream, I mean imagining what it would feel like to have his hands all over me, our bodies covered in sweat and other things I’d rather not mention. My legs clench together on their own, trying to find something to soothe the ache between them. Since I woke up before my alarm, I should have plenty of time to do something about it.
My hand slides down my stomach and between my legs. I don’t have anything on beneath my shirt, but who gives a fuck. The minute my fingers brush against my swollen clit, I see stars. My entire body relaxes, snuggling deeper into the mattress as I lift my leg, bending it at the knee, when I hear something.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
My entire body freezes. That sounds a lot like a heartbeat. I listen again to see if I can hear it again.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Houston, we have a problem. My mattress shouldn’t have a heartbeat. It’s an inanimate object. Something definitely isn’t right here. I tilt my chin upward, moving slowly, as I come face to face with the star of my fantasies. Cooper Hendrix is even more gorgeous when he’s asleep, as if that’s possible. His eyes blink open, and a slow smile spreads across his face. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.”
Morning? My brain chooses this moment to remember what happened earlier today. The panic, the overwhelming feeling of guilt, and the kiss in the rain. How the hell could I have forgotten that kiss? That kiss was a pure out-of-body experience for me, heaven on earth. Was it a bad idea? Probably a terrible idea, but every nerve in my body really wants to do it again.
“Morning. Well, actually, it’s still night. So wouldn’t you say good night? But we are already in bed. Maybe good morning is the right thing to say.”
Shut the fuck up, Ramona.
Cooper rolls to his side, sliding his leg between mine and pulling me toward him. “How about hello? Would that be a better greeting when I wake up with you on top of me?”
“Sure. That works,” I squeak, burying my nose in his chest. Cooper rests his chin on the top of my head. We lie there in silence, his fingers brushing softly up and down my back. The burning need for there to be fewer clothes between us ignites again.
My nipples are hard and likely pointing through my shirt as I nibble along the curve of his neck, eliciting delicious groans from his lips. “You are making it very hard to be a gentleman right now, Beauty.”
Hard is right. Cooper pushes his hips forward. The hardness of his cock grinds into my belly. “Who said I wanted you to be a gentleman?” I whisper, sliding my hand beneath his shirt and scratching my nails across his skin.
My pussy clenches around nothing. The deep need I have to feel him inside me is almost overwhelming. I can get behind Cooper wanting to be a gentleman. If it was anyone else, I’d probably have left already. But there’s something about making this gorgeous man lose all control that excites me.
“How about being a good boy instead?” My teeth slide down the column of his throat as I slide my hand into his waistband, and my hand grips him.
Cooper groans loudly, lifting his hips as my hand slides up and down his cock in slow and steady pulls, collecting pre-cum with each pass.
“Well, that depends. Only good girls are allowed to come. Are you going to be a good girl and come for me?”
“Yes.” I let out a very undignified moan as Cooper flips us over and presses his lip against mine.
“Thank fuck,” he whispers against my lips before sliding down my body, burying his nose in my belly and inhaling deeply before effortlessly spinning me around so I’m facing his feet.
Before I do anything, he’s licking up into me. “You taste fucking delicious.” He groans, wrapping his arm around my thighs and pulling me flush against his mouth. I try desperately to move away, not wanting to suffocate him with my weight, but he pulls me closer. “Be a good girl and sit on my goddamn face, Beauty.”
Moisture pools between my legs, and I stop fighting, sinking down onto him. My hands are gripping the sheet on either side of me. Indescribable pleasure shoots through me as he licks and sucks, pulling my clit deep into his mouth.
“Fuck.” Every muscle in my belly tightens at the sound of his voice, and any chance of me maintaining some type of control in this moment disappears.
Molten lava pools between my legs as he continues, his tongue and teeth working against me, bringing me so close to the edge. It’s unreal. But I don’t want to come yet. I want this moment to last forever for both of us, and I know the perfect way to do just that.
I lean forward, dropping my hands on either side of his hips to balance myself. “I can…” My voice trails off as I palm his cock through his sweatpants. “You just need to let me know what you like.”
“This isn’t about me, Beauty. This is for you and only for you.”
“But you—” I begin, but he nips softly at the flesh of my skin before sucking my clit into his mouth a second time, biting down softly on it before soothing the sting with his tongue.
“Can wait. Besides, if you touch me now…” Cooper groans against my pussy lips, his hips rising off the bed as I slide my hand back into his sweats. “I need… I need…”
“Tell me what you need and I’ll give it to you.” I lean forward, my mouth dragging across the bulge in his pants, following the path of my hand.
“Beauty, if you don’t stop, I’m going to embarrass myself.”
“That’s the idea.” I almost forget how to breathe as my orgasm rises, bubbling to the surface, before the wave of pleasure crashes over me. I moan his name loudly, pressing my chest to his legs and rocking my hips back and forth over his mouth, wanting to prolong the pleasure.
“Fuck me,” he grunts, the side of my face dampening as he comes in his pants.
I smile against the skin of his stomach as I drag my teeth along his waistband, turning around and tucking myself into his side. We are both a mixture of sweat and cum, my skin itching with the need to get up and shower, but I don’t move a muscle. I want to stay here forever. Cooper says nothing. The only hint that he’s awake is the rise and fall of his chest. The silence is unnerving, and my mind instantly goes to the worst-case scenario. I haven’t known him for long, and one-night stands aren’t my thing. But what about him? He’s a star athlete with a busy schedule. I doubt he’s wanting for partners. My mind continues to race, trying to figure out the perfect escape plan that will keep my dignity intact.
“Beauty.” He whispers my name in reverence, and my heart swells.
“Yes?” I’m not 100 percent sure I’m responding to him saying my name or asking a question. I send up a silent prayer that he isn’t about to brush me off and send me off into the night with an ‘I’ll call you later.’ Please, dear God, let this mean something to him because if it was just a passing fling, I’d be devastated.
He rests his pointer finger under my chin, forcing me to look at him. The room is still dark, but the moonlight casts an ethereal glow across his face, somehow making him even more gorgeous than before. “This means something.”
“What do you mean?” I’m pretty sure I know, but I need to be sure.
“What I mean is, nothing between us will ever be casual, Beauty.” Cooper leans down and brushes one of my locs from my face. “You’ll never be just someone I picked up at The Chill Zone or a fan that’d love nothing more than for her to tell all her friends she spent one night with Cooper Hendrix.”
I press my lips to his chest before sliding up his body and cupping his face between both my hands. “I haven’t done this in a while, Cooper. I don’t know how to be with a hockey star. Plus, your life is here in Portland, and I can’t leave Redwood Falls. I have Darius, Ma, and Alise. My entire life is there.”
His eyes lock on mine, waiting for me to tell him differently. “Ramona King, you are the only person in the entire world who has the potential to ruin me.”
“I’m scared, I whisper, dropping my forehead to his because that’s what all of this boils down to. Everything else I said a few moments ago is an excuse. A reason I’ve used for years to keep everyone at bay. But I can’t silence that little voice in the back of my head that tells me I don’t deserve any of this. A chance at happiness. Someone to call my own, to help me fight the darkness that sometimes is almost too much for me to bear alone.
Cooper could do that for me. Hell, he did that for most of today and has no idea. Can I really take that leap of faith and hope he’s there to catch me before I fall?
As if he can sense the questions in my mind, he whispers. “Are you willing to take that chance with me, Beauty?”
I don’t wait long before I give him the only answer I can bear. “Yes.”
Cooper pulls me tightly against him, his head buried in my chest. The last thing I hear before my eyes drift closed is his whisper, “Good, because I’m never letting you go.”
When I wake up a few hours later, the room is aglow with the sunlight filtering through the open curtains, and I’m alone. Fear grips my chest, wondering where the hell Cooper could’ve gone as the door bangs open and he walks through.
His hair is damp, probably from taking a shower, and he’s wearing a pair of gym shorts and a Portland Timberwolves shirt. He looks delicious, as usual, but my eyes are focused on the tray piled high with the food he’s carrying.
“Aww, you showered without me,” I whine as he comes closer, only half meaning it.
There’s no doubt in my mind that naked Cooper is a million times hotter than clothed Cooper, but there’s no way in hell I want to be naked anywhere near him right now. I barely resisted demanding that he take me right here on the bed after he made me come with his mouth. I know I wouldn’t be able to stop myself if we were naked at the same time.
“Sorry, Beauty, but I doubt you wanted me to still be wearing my sweaty workout clothes.”
“You’ve already left the house and worked out?” I question as he places the tray across my lap.
Cooper chuckles in response. “Yeah. I’m usually out of the house before six a.m. to be in the gym by six-thirty. I spend most of my morning there between meetings and practice, but I just went for a run this morning. I liked the idea of you sleeping in my bed a little too much to be gone longer than an hour.”
I smile up at him, motioning toward the full tray in front of me. “You really need to understand that I don’t eat that much.”
“Again, I didn’t know what you liked, so I got a bit of everything.” He kisses the top of my head before turning to head back out of the room. “I have to go back to the kitchen for your coffee and orange juice.”
He spins on his heels and disappears out the door before I can tell him to come back. My eyes scan the tray, looking for a place to even start eating this mountain of food. The thing is so covered with food I can’t even see the plate beneath it. Eggs, bacon, sausage, and waffles cover the plate, with a small bowl of fruit sitting in the corner. There is another small plate with mini muffins, a croissant, and what looks like a bear claw sitting on top of it. However, the best part of the whole thing is the small white vase with two of my favorite flowers, daisies, resting inside.
I smile, picking up the vase and sniffing the flower, just as he comes back through the bedroom door, coffee in one hand and juice in the other. “Here you go, Beauty.”
“Please tell me you’re going to eat some of this for me. I hate wasting food, but there’s no way I’m going to eat all of this.”
“I rarely eat much in the morning, especially after my workout at the gym.”
“Nothing? Not even some fruit or a protein shake?”
“A protein shake and fruit is usually all I can stomach. I eat smaller meals over the course of the day instead of three large ones.”
He plops down on the bed beside me before reaching across the tray and grabbing the bowl of fruit. My eyes zero in on his lips as he parts them slightly, popping a grape from the top into his mouth. I usually hate when people touch my food, but his actions don’t bother me. I’ll have to analyze that later. Right now, I can’t take my eyes off the way his mouth moves as he chews. Memories of that mouth between my legs during the wee hours of the morning filter through my mind, causing me to fidget in place.
“At least you ate something,” I mumble, grabbing the cup of coffee from the tray and bringing it to my lips, and I smile. “Someone must have called Alise.”
There’s no way that Cooper could’ve known how to make my perfect cup of coffee. Hell, Ma has been trying to figure out the right combination of cinnamon and coffee grounds. “Guilty as charged.” He grabs the fork from the tray and stabs what looks like a piece of pineapple with it before bringing it to my mouth. I open willingly. It is my favorite, after all. “I hope I wasn’t overstepping when I called her last night.”
Cooper ducks his head, looking away from me as his ear turns a rosy pink. “I wanted her to let Mrs. King know you weren’t coming home. You looked so peaceful sleeping in my bed. I didn’t have the heart to wake you. I had planned for us just to sleep, but… you know what happened.”
“Thank you for letting them know.” I giggle softly before planting a kiss on his cheek. It seems Cooper rambles when he’s nervous, as well, something we both have in common. “I also don’t eat much in the mornings. Just a cup of coffee and maybe a muffin.”
“Can you try to at least eat something?” Cooper looks down at me with perfect puppy-dog eyes that I have no idea how his mother ever resisted them. “For me.”
Bless it, this man is fucking dangerous. I immediately put my coffee cup down, grab the croissant off the plate, and pop a piece into my mouth. Cooper’s responding smile is blinding. “Thanks, Beauty. And don’t worry about not finishing everything. Beau is a human garbage disposal. I’ll let him know we have food. He’ll come running, no questions asked.”
“Beau is your brother, right?”
“Unfortunately, yes. You had the displeasure of meeting him yesterday.”
My cheeks heat as memories of my meeting with Beau come to mind. “Maybe I can eat more than just this.” The last thing I want to do is run into Beau Hendrix, especially not after he caught Cooper and me practically dry-humping on the entryway floor. I turn my attention to Cooper, but he doesn’t seem the least bit phased, as if this is something his brother walks in on regularly.
“You aren’t even a little embarrassed?” The words fly out of my mouth before I can stop them, but I really want to know the answer.
“Of what? My brother knowing how I can’t keep my hands off you for more than one minute or the fact that I was about to fuck you on my entryway floor?”
His eyes never leave mine as he gauges my reaction. On one hand, I love the fact that he doesn’t want to hide me away from his family, but another part of me is screaming to run in the other direction before I get hurt. But that part of me is a little quieter than the other, so I take another bite from my croissant.
“Besides, whether we see him this morning or later this evening doesn’t matter. He’s going to give both of us shit.”
“Later today?”
“For the exhibition game against the Wolverines.” I cock my head to the side, trying to remember when I made these plans, but come up empty. Cooper must notice my confusion because he continues speaking. “Alise is bringing Darius to watch the game with us and meet the team.”
I vaguely remember Alise bragging to Darius that she could get tickets to the game and set up a meeting for him with the players, but I didn’t think she could make it happen this fast. Being best friends with one of the star players has its perks. “How in the hell did you make this all happen so quickly?”
“Even though I’m not playing tonight, I still get tickets to the game. Damn good tickets, I might add. Alise drives a hard bargain, but I had to give her something so I could see you again before practice on Monday.”
Cooper palms my cheek, the corner of his lip pulling up in a mischievous smile. “If I’m being honest, I had ulterior motives. I hoped that you’d want to spend the day here with me. I can take you home if you want, but I’d really like to spend some time getting to know you.”
“Getting to know me? Whatever for? I’m probably one of the most boring human beings on the planet.” I chortle, nuzzling my cheek into his palm. My life revolves around my mother and Darius. Everything I do is for them or involves them. I highly doubt Cooper wants the list of medications Ma takes every day or how I need to find Darius a math tutor before he fails this year. “I work two jobs, take care of my mom and Darius, and occasionally find time to go out to lunch with Alise. Nothing special about me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I’m almost certain there is more to you as a human being than what you can do for others.”
“Try me.” I might as well get this over with. He can ask his questions, but what will he do when he finds out I’m not as interesting as he thinks?
“I already know you know nothing about sports and have horrible taste in favorite chefs. You loved cooking enough that you wanted to go to school to do it professionally.” Cooper taps his finger against his chin, pretending to think. “You love the smell of apples and vanilla, and you snore in your sleep.”
“I do not snore!” I swat at his chest as he laughs loudly.
I’m surprised at how spot-on he is about everything he’s noticed about me, except that part about me having bad taste in chefs. Ollie James is the best there is, hands down. “You also love fiercely and with your entire heart. And most importantly, you are one of the most gorgeous women I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.”
My mind zeros in on the last part of that statement, and I can’t help but ask my next questions. “And how many is that?”
“What?”
“Women,” I respond, pulling the mug of now-lukewarm coffee to my mouth and taking a healthy pull.
I have no right to ask this question. How many women Cooper has been with before me is none of my business, but I want to know. I want to know if he is a relationship type of guy or if he was blowing smoke up my ass last night because I don’t know if I could do casual with him. I’m way too far gone already.
“Is someone a little jealous?” Cooper tucks one of my locs behind my ear, his eyes sparking with mirth.
“Maybe a little.”
“Three. I won’t lie to you and say I’ve been a saint, but I’ve only been in one serious relationship, which lasted about a year before she left me. She didn’t like coming second to hockey in my heart.”
Well, that number surprises me and is fewer than I thought, but I’m not disappointed. There was no way I’d believe he hadn’t been with at least a few women with the way he used his tongue on me last night. You don’t just wake up and know that shit. It takes a lot of practice.
“How about you?” Cooper asks, looking anywhere but at me.
“Me?” I snort, trying to hold back a laugh. The lack of romantic relationships I’ve had should embarrass me. “Well, I don’t really have time for relationships. I’ve gone on a few dates over the years, but my last serious boyfriend was in high school. We broke up about a year after graduation. He didn’t like coming in second either.”
“His loss is my gain.” Cooper wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me to his side. “See, we are getting to know each other already. Imagine how much more we could learn about each other if we spent the rest of the day together?”
“I don’t have any clothes, and I doubt I could go to the game wearing your shirt.”
“You sure as shit can. I actually ordered you and Darius jerseys.” Cooper leans in closer to whisper in my ear, “I enjoyed seeing you in my clothes last night. I can’t imagine anything better than seeing my last name across your back.”
“Isn’t it the same as your brothers’?”
“Semantics.” He shrugs before removing the tray from my lap and placing it on the floor. “But it will be my number.”
Even I know this is a big deal for any athlete. We literally kissed for the first time last night. It was fucking magical as far as first kisses go, but isn’t it too soon to announce to the world that we’re together? But ?how is anyone going to know how I got it? There are probably going to be plenty of people wearing a Hendrix jersey, so wouldn’t we stand out more if we weren’t wearing one? It’s not like I’m going to piss on him for the entire stadium to see, so everything should be fine.
“If it really means that much to you, we can ask Beau if he has one I can wear.”
Cooper’s face clouds over, pure fury in his eyes, but it disappears just as quickly. “If that’s what you want, I can ask him.”
“Aww, you silly man.” I straddle his lap and kiss the tip of his nose. “I’d be honored to wear your jersey, but Darius might want one from each of you.”
Cooper chuckles before his lips brush against mine in a tentative kiss. “I’m sure that can be arranged.”
Something passes between us. A sweet silence that causes butterflies to erupt in my stomach. Like a silent conversation between two people who are terrified of being hurt, but are willing to take that leap for the other. Without hesitating. I lean in for another kiss because right now, the only thing I can think about is seeing where whatever this is between us goes.