Epilogue
GAGE
Three months later…
Where the hell was he? Cooper was hardly ever late. And today of all days, he was late, when I’ve got a freshly-prepared piping-hot Italian feast waiting for him. I can’t wait for him to see the dessert. He’s gonna flip! Assuming he ever gets here, that is. Of course, he does have to make that hike, though. I, on the other hand, just hitched a ride with the helicopter that brought all of these items up here for me to create the perfect date night for Cooper. When I found out he reads those spicy romance novels, I did a little research.
I’ve pulled ideas from various books to set this up for him. I can’t give him tentacles ( Seriously! What the fuck? ), but I can give him an over-the-top romantic dinner followed by some open-air dancing. I’ve got this place decked out with tulle strung across the rafters and fairy lights draped everywhere along with some scented candles to round out the look. There’s a fabric-covered table with a centerpiece of candles and floating rose displays that’s already set to serve a romantic dinner for two.
Then, after the dinner and dancing, I’ve got a tent made specifically for glamping set up behind the tower where we can spend the night if we want, or we could just enjoy it for a few hours and go home to sleep in our own comfy beds. I had to say, the bed in the tent looked really inviting. I know I had insisted on us taking this relationship slow while I worked through my issues, but I think it’s time to up the speed a little bit… or a lot. I’d leave it up to him, but I was ready for anything he wanted to do. I turned my head around to view the area again just to ensure everything was perfect. And, it was. Even if I had to say so myself, this place turned out damned good! Did I know how to romance my man or what? Just needed the man now. Come the fuck on, Cooper!
Just as I thought that, I heard him clomping his way up the trail. I’d know that heavy step anywhere. I was sure he must have possessed some sort of stealth when he was a Ranger, but it had definitely fallen by the wayside now, because the man sounded like an elephant stomping through the forest. A few more moments passed as I listened to his footfalls before I saw the top of his curly blond head appear as he got closer. His hair had grown out really quickly from the military cut he was still sort of sporting when I met him. He looked sexy either way, but I loved his curls. I loved to grab onto them when we’re kissing. And holy hell! Can that man kiss! If I’d known he could kiss like that, I wouldn’t have had any hope of resisting him. It was just a futile effort as it turns out, anyway. As I turned my attention back to the trail, Cooper appeared in all his glory, not even breathing hard or breaking a sweat, smiling widely at me, that sexy dimple popping out just for me.
“Hey gorgeous boy! Fancy meeting you here,” I called out to him.
“Well, hello there, mountain man. What are you up to?” he asks suspiciously. “I know that look. You’re scheming something.”
I just grinned at him. He knew me too well. When he got closer to me, I stepped into him and proceeded to kiss the living shit out of him. When I pulled away, he swayed on his feet just a little, and my male pride was loving it. “You ok there, Cooper? Do I need to go find you a walking stick?” I couldn’t help teasing him the way he did me the first time we came up here.
He shot me a glare that held zero heat. “Fuck you, Gage. You and these unseasonably-warm temperatures are a lethal combination.
I cocked an eyebrow at him. “Oh, so you weren’t swooning, then? Guess I’ll have to try harder next time.”
He shoved me on the shoulder and made to walk past me. “Now, what kinds of questions do you still have that required another trip to the tower?”
I caught up to him as we were walking to the tower just as the enticing smell of the gourmet lasagna I had plated out for dinner wafted over to us.
“Oh, I do have questions for you. Things like:
‘Are you hungry?’
‘Would you like to dance?’
‘What flavor lube would you like to use?’
That last one made him miss a step, and he stumbled before he righted himself, staring at me like he’d never seen me before.
“Not the types of questions you were expecting?” I asked, smiling devilishly at him.
He narrowed his eyes at me—ready to thoroughly interrogate me, no doubt—when he caught his first sight of the tower, and his eyes went wide. My smile could not be contained.
Cooper gazed around in wonder. “Gage? What is this?”
“So, back to my first question… are you hungry? Because I have all your favorites from Antonio’s hot and ready, just waiting over there for you.”
Cooper all but sprinted into the tower. He was making a beeline for the table with the delicious food but got sidetracked by everything else. He was turning in a circle, mouth gaping open in awe, when I caught up to him.
Now that he was here, I was actually a little nervous about what he’d think of it all. I bit my lower lip as I looked at him before releasing it to ask, “Do you like it, gorgeous boy?”
“Do I like it? Do I like it, he says. I freaking love it! This is amazing, Gage!” Before I even had a chance to catch my breath, Cooper was on me. He pushed me up against the wall and climbed me like a fucking tree, which is not an easy feat when we’re both over 6’2” in height. My man managed it, though, as he peppered my face and neck with kisses.
“Um, Cooper? As much as I’m loving this—and I am really loving it, as I’m sure you can tell since you’re literally sitting right above my very hard cock.” I heard him moan into my ear as he ground down on my cock. Oh, sweet lord!
“As much as I’m loving it, I did pay a fairly hefty sum to get Antonio’s to make all your favorite dishes and send one of their employees along with warming plates to keep the food hot during the helicopter ride here. And right now, all those lovingly-prepared dishes are going cold. I don’t want you to miss out on any of it, so could you maybe just climb down off of my cock for now? God, now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d say to you,” I told him, laughing.
He laughed too and mercifully did climb off of my cock, but it was already so rock hard that it was difficult to walk. When I made it to the table, Cooper was already peeking under the various cloches and marveling at all the food. It made me so happy to see him happy. I’d do just about anything to see that smile of his light up his face like it was then.
“You’re insane, Gage. We’ll never be able to eat all of this. It looks and smells amazing, though.”
“Well, dig in, gorgeous. But make sure to save some room for dessert, because I’ve got something extra special for you. I really think you’re going to love it. And, no, I’m not telling you what it is now. And it’s not on the table, so don’t bother looking for it yourself. Just enjoy your food for now. I’ll bring it out when you’re done. Oh, and don’t worry about what we don’t eat. Someone will wrap it all up, and I’ll have them sent to the house so you can have them for lunch tomorrow if you want.”
He grinned at me before digging into the lasagna and moaning. “Soooo good,” he said around a mouthful of food.
“If you keep moaning like that, you’re not going to get to finish your dinner, gorgeous boy.”
He laughed as he said, “I can’t help it. It’s just so good. The moan just slipped out. Don’t worry, though, I’m sure I’ll still have plenty of moans left for you later.”
“You’d better,” I growled.
“Oooooh, I like that growl. Very sexy. You keep growling at me like that, sir, and you might not get to finish your food.
Half an hour later, Cooper pushed his plate aside and loudly declared in his best roman emperor voice, “I can eat no more.” But he quickly corrected himself, clarifying, “except for my dessert. I always have room for dessert, especially an extra special one that you picked out special for me yourself.”
“Good save,” I chuckled. I walked over and retrieved a box with a cooler inside and handed it to Cooper. “Open it.”
He opened the box, then the cooler, and stared down at the treat, looking a little disappointed. ”Truffles?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes at him. “Just try one.”
Cooper eyed the green truffle a little skeptically. He took the tiniest of bites and began to chew. Then his eyes widened. “Thin mints? You bought me thin mint truffles? You are the absolute best boyfriend on the planet!”
Then Cooper’s eyes widened for an entirely different reason. He’d called me his boyfriend, but we’d never discussed labels. We hadn’t even told each other “I love you” yet, so he was no doubt freaking out internally, wondering if he’d just screwed up since I’d been so adamant about going slow up to now.
Now, Cooper was basically looking anywhere but at me. “Cooper, please look at me.” Still nothing. “Cooper, baby, please just look at me.”
His eyes snapped to mine, “I’m sorry. It just slipped out. I know we don’t do labels. It doesn’t mean anything. I was excited, and it just slipped out.”
I got out of my chair and went over to kneel beside his. I took his hands and held them in mine while I stared into his eyes. I’d been planning to do this later in bed or maybe on the dance floor, but I think now might be the perfect time to tell him.
“My gorgeous boy, it’s ok. I’m glad it slipped out. I am your boyfriend, and someday I hope to be more. I love you, Cooper. I want to be your boyfriend, and I want you to be mine. Is that ok?”
Tears welled in Cooper’s eyes. “I love you too, Gage. I have for a long time now. I was just afraid to tell you, because I didn’t know if you were ready for that. I didn’t want to scare you away.”
“I promise you, I’m not going anywhere, baby. I love you, and I’m here to stay. That’s why I did all of this. I wanted you to see how much you mean to me, and I planned to tell you that I loved you. I just moved up the timeline a little bit. Now, eat your thin mint truffles. I feel bad that you were so excited about them, and your joy was ruined because of my old insecurities.”
“My joy is in tact. I’m looking right at it,” Cooper said, smiling at me and looking like a goddamned angel. How did I get so lucky?
“Eat your truffles now, gorgeous. You’re going to need that sugar infusion for what I have planned for you later.” I smiled wolfishly at Cooper.
Cooper gave me one of those cocky winks I love. “I have a better idea for how I want to eat these truffles—off of your body,” he purred at me.
“Oh, gorgeous boy, I like the way you think. Grab your truffles, and let’s go,” I told him and reached my hand out to him. He took it, and I helped him up from his chair and led him out of the tower and around to the tent.
Cooper gasped when he saw the tent come into view. The front flaps were tied back, so you could see inside the huge tent to the luxury oasis I had set up for us. There was a king-sized actual bed—not the blow-up variety. For our first time making love, I wanted something sturdy. So, I paid to have the bed delivered in components, which were constructed by the team I hired. The bed was covered in sumptuous bedding including the biggest, fluffiest down comforter I’d ever seen. That just might be coming home with us.
There was a stove going in the corner to keep us warm with a custom flap in the tent for the flue, and there was another table in the corner with a cooler set up on it containing a variety of drinks and snacks. We were going to need to stay hydrated for the marathon session I had in mind. We had a small generator powering a few items like the sound system and lights. I also paid some decorators to come in and turn the place into a love palace for us with tons of gorgeous pillows and fluffy rugs. They did a fantastic job. This was well worth the money I spent. It was expensive, but it’s hardly even a drop in the bucket to the inheritance I received from my mother when she died. This was the first time I’d even touched it, but making Cooper feel cared for and loved was worth it.
While Cooper was still enamored with the tent, I grabbed him by the back of the neck to turn him back around to face me. And then I kissed the fuck out of that man, and again he swayed a little when we pulled apart. And he says he doesn’t swoon… I call bullshit.
While he was still swooning, I grabbed him up and threw him over my shoulder before stomping into the tent, slapping his pert little ass for good measure. He let out a surprised squeak, then started to laugh.
“What are you doing, you Neanderthal?” he wheezed out between laughs.
“What does it look like? I’m claiming my mate, just like in your romance books,” I proudly declared.
“Claimed by my mountain man. Finally! Wait a minute. Did you actually read one of my romance books?” he asked, sounding equal parts shocked and excited.
I sat Cooper down gently on the bed and said, “I read a few of them, actually. Gave me a lot of ideas for tonight,” waggling my eyebrows at him, which just made him laugh.
“Oh, there’s definitely plenty of ideas in those books. You know those are just fantasies, though, right? It’s fiction. I don’t expect half of the things in those books would ever happen in real life. It’s fun to read about, though.”
“Well, tonight, I’m going to do my best to make some of those fantasies come true for you, gorgeous. No tentacles, though. Sorry. There’s only so much I can do.”
Cooper laughed so hard, he had tears in his eyes. “I’m just picturing your face when you read about tentacle sex. Oh, my gosh! I wish l had a picture. I’d make that shit my screensaver.”
“Okay, you little brat, that’s enough sass out of that mouth. I’ve got better ideas for how you could use it.” I pushed Cooper down onto his back and ground my erection into him, slotting in just perfectly between his thighs. I burrowed my mouth into the crook of his neck and began kissing, licking, and sucking him there. And he stopped laughing and started groaning.
“Ungh. Gage, you’re really, really good at that.”
“And you smell amazing tonight. Goddamn, it’s driving me crazy, baby. I need you naked now!”
Cooper started to unbutton his shirt, but I stopped him. He looked at me, confused.
“Let me,” I said. “I want to enjoy uncovering every inch of you, knowing that it’s all mine to do whatever I want with. And I have soooooo many wonderful ideas.” I began to unbutton his shirt one by one, kissing and licking each new bit of his warm, delicious skin.
I looked up and had to chuckle because Cooper had his eyes closed, biting his lip—obviously enjoying himself. But it was the hand he had slung over his face that was cracking me up. He was still holding on to his box of truffles with a white-knuckled grip. “Cooper, baby, I think you can put the truffles down now.”
“Whaaaaa?” he asked, slurring the word.
Oh my god, he’s so damned cute when he’s lust-drunk. “You’re still holding on to your truffles. Why don’t you set those down somewhere for now, okay?”
He finally came around once I stopped worshipping his chest. “Yeah, okay. I kind of forgot I was holding them. I don’t want them too far away from me, though. I’m looking forward to sampling my thin-mint-flavored mountain man.” He pushed the truffles to the far side of the bed and slung his arm back over his face before saying, “You may continue, sir.”
“You know, I’m kind of digging this ‘sir’ stuff. We might have to experiment with that later.” But, for now, I still had all that lovely skin of Cooper’s to uncover.
I opened the last button and spread Cooper’s shirt apart, fully displaying his impressive upper body–his sculpted pecs and washboard abs all covered by beautiful sun-kissed skin. With his hair a little longer and curly now, he truly did look like he should be holding a surfboard under his arm and running into the ocean to catch a wave. He was an exceptionally beautiful man. And he was all mine. I’d never been possessive with a lover before–not that I’d had many–but it was different with Cooper. Everything was different with Cooper.
I kissed my way down his chest, stopping to play with his nipples, licking and lightly biting them, which made Cooper squirm and quietly whimper. His little noises were driving me crazy, like he had a direct line to my cock.
“Fuck, baby, I need to see you, need to taste you. Get naked for me, gorgeous boy.” I stood up off the bed to remove my clothes, and I pulled Cooper up off the bed so he could do the same.
I almost laughed at how fast Cooper kicked off his shoes and socks and pushed his jeans down his legs. Fuck me, my man went commando today! I was so engrossed in watching Cooper that I had stopped undressing myself, preferring to just stand and stare at the perfect specimen of male beauty standing before me. God, how did I get so lucky for him to be mine? And why the hell had I made us wait so long to do this? I seriously need to smack past me upside his head!
“Gage, I do so admire and appreciate your mountain man chic sense of style—I mean, you definitely do a henley proud, babe—but you are wearing entirely too many clothes while I am standing over here butt-ass naked. And I have been fantasizing about what’s underneath those tight-fitting jeans of yours for way too long. Strip, man!”
Chuckling, I did as he commanded, grabbing my shirt from the back and peeling it off over my head before chucking it across the room.
“Ungh. That’s so goddamned sexy! Gage, your chest is fucking perfection!”
“Thanks, gorgeous. But as they say… you ain’t seen nothing yet.” I borrowed one of his moves and gave him a cocky wink as I unbuttoned my jeans and began to slip them down my legs, snagging my boxer briefs to take them off at the same time. I stood before Cooper completely naked and just let him look his fill for a second. Lord knows I had taken my time ogling him.
“Sit on the side of the bed, Cooper. If I don’t taste you right now, I’m going to lose it!”
He immediately sat down and spread his legs wide. God bless him, he was so ready for me. There was already a bead of pre-cum sitting on the tip of his dick, and I couldn’t drop to my knees fast enough to lick it off. He tasted incredible! And I couldn’t stop myself. I dove onto his dick and sucked him down to the root, deep-throating him like a champ. Times like this, the lack of a gag reflex came in very handy.
“Fuck me!” Cooper yelled. “Fuuuuuuuck, you’re so fucking good at that! You’ve got me on the edge of coming already.”
I pulled off his dick to smirk up at him, “Well, I have sort of been edging you for the last three months.”
“I think you might be a little bit evil, mountain man.”
I chuckled darkly. “You might be right, gorgeous boy.” Then I fell on his dick again, alternating between licking and sucking the tip and deep-throating his entire cock. And damn, did he have a pretty cock!
Cooper was vibrating and panting, his orgasm right on the brink. “Oh, fuck! Fuck me, you’re gonna make me come if you don’t stop.”
Pulling off his dick, I told him, “Do it. I want it so bad. Give me your cum, baby!” And I went back to deep-throating him while gently tugging on his balls with one hand. I reached the other hand up toward Cooper’s mouth and popped off his dick long enough to say one word to Cooper.
“Suck,” I told him. And he did, getting my fingers nice and wet. I pulled them from his mouth and pulled back to lick and suck his tip. I dragged my slippery digit up and down the crease of Cooper’s ass before parting his ass cheeks and circling his hole. I went deep again on Cooper’s cock, still cradling his balls with the other hand, and just as I pushed my finger into his tight hole, I swallowed hard against his cock. And he exploded, shooting rope after rope of cum down my throat. I swallowed every drop. Because I’m not a little bitch. And because it’s hot as hell!
“Oh, fuck me, that’s good! Fucking hell, Gage! Fuck!”
I pulled off of Cooper’s cock and smirked at him while making a show of wiping the sides of my mouth for any of his cum that had slipped out and then putting those fingers back in my mouth to suck his cum off. Loudly.
Cooper just gave me a dopey smile and collapsed back onto the bed, closing his eyes and sighing contentedly.
“Oh no, you don’t,” I said. “Don’t you dare fall asleep. I’m not even close to being done with you yet.”
Cooper released a short laugh. “I’m just resting my eyes. I think you may have ruined me.”
“Not yet, gorgeous. But I will. That’s my evil plan—to ruin you for all other men so you never leave me.”
“Well, it’s working so far, believe me.”
“Alright then, rest time’s over. On your hands and knees, soldier.”
Cooper hopped right up and got into position, shouting, “Yes, sir!”
God, I liked the sound of that a little too much. I think Cooper’s unlocked a whole new kink for me. “You stay right there. I’ll get the lube and be right back. Damn, you’ve got a nice ass, Cooper.”
He looked over his shoulder with a cocky smirk. “Why, thank you. Now, hurry up with that lube so you can fuck it.”
Fuck me, this man is perfect! I was back with the lube in record time. Cooper’s perfect peach of an ass was staring right at me, and I just wanted to take a bite out of it. So, I did.
“Hey,” Cooper yelled, “warn a guy first before you go all primal on him. Maybe I wanted to watch.” Then he grinned at me, popping that damn dimple. I swear, he uses that thing like a weapon. And he wields it well.
“You’re a naughty little minx, aren’t you?”
Cooper gave me that cocky wink of his when he replied, “You know it, big man.”
“Then you’re going to love this. Do you have any idea how perfect this ass is? Do you know how long I’ve fantasized about this ass? How many times I’ve jerked off to mental images of this ass? A fucking lot! So, now that this ass is mine, I’m going to explore and worship every inch of it… with my tongue. Now, stay still for me.”
I got up on the bed behind Cooper and put the lube down beside me. I didn’t need it just yet. I was going to get Cooper ready with my tongue first. I pulled his ass cheeks apart and licked down the seam of his ass, moaning as I did it. Mmmmm, that’s good. I found his tight little hole and licked around it, getting closer and closer to my goal.
“Oh, fuck.” Cooper was writhing and moving around so much, I had to lightly slap his ass to remind him to stay still.
I finally took pity on Cooper and licked straight across his hole, then up and down and around before I stiffened my tongue and plunged it inside.
“Holy shit! Do it again, please. Do it again,” he pleaded.
“Well, since you asked so nicely…” I plunged my tongue inside again and again. And then I really went to town, eating him out like he was my last fucking meal–licking and sucking and kissing and fucking him with my tongue. Cooper was moaning and writhing and whimpering. You’d never know he’d just come like a geyser not ten minutes ago. His sexy-as-fuck noises were making me so hard, I was afraid I was going to come the minute I got inside of him. I couldn’t wait any longer, though. I needed to fuck him!
I picked up the lube and opened it, pouring some down the seam of Cooper’s ass, coating the outside of his hole. I poured a little more lube in my hand and rubbed my hands together to warm it before pushing a finger inside of Cooper. He was already relaxed from my tongue, so he took it easily. I added a second finger and scissored them inside to start opening him up. He was so damned tight! He was going to feel like heaven around my dick. I stroked my fingers over Cooper’s hole and his whimpers went up an octave. And when I removed my fingers, he whined.
“I’ve got you, gorgeous boy. Move to the top of the bed and get on your back. I want to see your face when I fuck you. I want to watch when you come apart on my cock.”
Cooper quickly moved to the top of the bed like I’d asked. And before I’d even had the chance to say anything to him, he had already pulled his legs up and opened wide for me.
“Damn, that’s a pretty sight! You are a beautiful man, Cooper James Jackson. And I’m so glad you’re mine.” I poured some lube on my cock and stroked it a couple of times.
“You ready for me, gorgeous boy? You want my cock?”
“Oh, god, “Cooper whined, “so fucking much!”
I moved into position above Cooper, ready to plunge into the heaven that was his body. But, first, I met his eyes and made sure he was listening to me. “I love you so much, Cooper,” I whispered to him before kissing him deeply. “This might be hard and fast, though, because I am right on the ragged edge of my control. You think you can come again for me?” Cooper nodded his head.
“I want to hear you say it. Are you going to come again for me, gorgeous boy?”
“Yes, sir. I can come again. I want to come on your cock. Want it so bad,” Cooper whined.
“Fuck, you’re killing me with that ‘sir’ thing, baby. Don’t come until I tell you to, okay? I want us to come together.” Cooper nodded again, but I let it slide and didn’t make him say it out loud. He looked like he was as on edge as I was. His dick was rock hard despite just coming in my mouth. Damn, that’s hot.
I lined up my cock with Cooper’s hole and started to push in. There was a little resistance at first, but Cooper relaxed his body, and the tip of my cock pushed through.
“Fuuuuuck, that’s good,” I rasped out, gritting my teeth as I slowly pushed the rest of the way into Cooper’s body. I didn’t want to hurt him, so I was taking it slow and easy. But it was taking every bit of the little control I had left not to plunge straight in all the way to the hilt.
“Gage, just fuck me already. You’re not going to hurt me. Please, I’m so ready for you,” Cooper pleaded. Apparently, his control was every bit as shot as mine.
He didn’t have to ask me twice. Without another word, I pulled out a little, then pushed in hard until I bottomed out.
“Oh, god,” Cooper moaned. “That’s so fucking good. Fuck me hard, mountain man!”
"You got it, gorgeous," I growled, driving into him with a relentless rhythm—hard, deep, so fucking good.
"Oh—oh, God… fuck! That’s—" Cooper gasped, his words breaking apart on a moan. "Please, baby. Make me come. I need it—I need you."
I shifted my angle, grinding my cock against his prostate with every thrust. His whole body jerked beneath me, a wrecked cry spilling from his lips.
“Oooooooo, my god! Oh, fuck, that’s good. I’m not going to last if you keep doing that. I don’t want to come until you tell me, but you’re killing me here.”
“I know, baby. I’m close. I’m really close. Stroke your cock, gorgeous boy. We’re going to come together. Stroke that beautiful cock of yours. I want to see it. God, you’re so sexy! I want to see you explode and shoot all over yourself, all over me.”
Cooper did as I asked, stroking his cock in earnest. He was panting and gritting his teeth, trying to hold back his orgasm. I increased my speed, hammering into Cooper’s body. I felt my orgasm building at the base of my spine. I was about to come.
"Come for me, Cooper," I growled, feeling the pressure coiling tight inside me. "Now. I want to feel you."
His body tensed, muscles shuddering as he let out a strangled cry. Hot ribbons of cum painted his stomach, and the sight sent me over the edge. I thrust deep, pleasure ripping through me like wildfire.
"Oh, fuck—fuuuuck!" Cooper gasped, clutching onto me as he shuddered through the aftershocks.
But I might have drowned him out with my own cries. "Fuck—holy shit! Goddamn, Cooper… you feel so fucking good." My whole body trembled. As my orgasm barreled through me, I pumped out rope after rope of cum into Cooper’s body. I finally collapsed onto Cooper, trying not to put my full weight on him. He looked as wrung out as I was.
“Good lord, mountain man! How are you this damned good at sex? I guess since you’d never had a true relationship with a man, I’d assumed that meant you hadn’t actually had like full-on sex with a man before. But after that performance, I’m guessing I assumed wrong on that?”
I looked down, slightly embarrassed. “Yeah, you would be wrong on that. You are my first real relationship with a man.” And my last, if I have my way, I thought . “But I have had sex with men in the past… only hookups, though, I’m kind of ashamed to say. The first year I moved here, I went a little crazy on the apps and had quite a few hookups in the surrounding towns—never here in Ashwood. And it’s been close to a year since I’ve done that at all. I’m glad I got the experience just for the confidence boost, but meaningless hookups weren’t really my thing it turned out. They left me feeling empty most of the time. I was always safe, though, and got tested quarterly. So, you’re safe, I promise.”
Cooper gave me a soft smile and squeezed my hand in his. “I know that. I trust you, Gage. I know you’d never put me in harm’s way. I think you’ve definitely ruined me now, though. I think I might be addicted to your cock.”
I chuckled at that. “Well, I’m more than happy to give you daily injections to keep the addiction at bay. You know, Cooper. It would be a lot easier to give you those daily injections if you were living with me, if we were living together.”
Cooper’s head shot up and he looked me straight in the eyes. “What are you saying, Gage? What do you want?”
“I want you to move in with me, move into my cabin. I want it to be our cabin—our home. I know we haven’t been together for long, but I feel like I’ve known you forever, like you’ve been mine forever. And we both know better than most that we’re not promised tomorrow. I don’t want to waste a minute I could be with you. I love you, gorgeous boy. Move in with me. Please.”
Cooper’s beautiful brown eyes filled with tears, and he nodded his head, unable to speak.
“Yes? You’ll move in with me? I need to hear you say it, baby.”
Cooper grabbed my face and kissed me softly, then whispered against my lips, “Yes, mountain man. You’ve claimed me good and proper now. I will move in with you. Let’s make a home together.”
“You are my home, Cooper. And you always will be.”
And someday soon, you’re going to be my husband. You might not know it yet, but you’re my future, gorgeous boy.