Chapter 25
ALLY
The smell of lemon mixed with men’s cologne is the first thing I notice as I roll over in bed.
It reminds me of Cooper’s jersey I wore, his cologne mixed with his soap makes for an intoxicating cocktail.
I want to bathe in this smell, bottle it up and use it every day.
I want to wrap myself up in it like it’s a warm blanket.
I snuggle further into the covers, but then the bed dips beside me. A heavy arm wraps around me, pulling me close as I remember that I’m not the only one in this bed.
Stupid. How did I forget there was a six foot two sex god sleeping next to me?
I’m not shocked in the least that he’s still sleeping. In fact, I’m surprised that I’m even awake right now with it being only nine in the morning. After the last time we had sex, we ended up taking a bath together, and I think it was after three a.m. before we got out and went to bed.
My whole body is sore, but in a delicious way that just reminds me of how much fun last night was.
Cooper made sure it was everything I needed—even if it was something I wasn’t sure I wanted.
But I trusted him because, although I was unsure, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious in what it would feel like to run, to give up all control and let someone else make the decisions for me for once.
Allowing Cooper to take complete control of my pleasure turned out to be the best thing I’ve said yes to in a long time.
Well, I guess since I agreed to be Lucas’s nanny, but I never actually agreed to that really, sort of just following direction on that one, but it’s turning out to be a fun ride.
Rolling over towards Cooper, I snuggle my head on his chest, and I slowly trace his tattoos with my finger.
“Why are you awake?” he grumbles, his eyes still closed, and I nearly jump, but his arm curls around my body, holding me against him as he presses a kiss to the top of my head.
“I don’t know,” I say quietly, my voice raspy as I’m waking up. “I just woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep.”
“Did I not do a good enough job of wearing you out last night?” he teases as he pulls me on top to straddle him, his hands falling to my hips with a firm grip.
“I’m not sure what gave you that idea.” I giggle as he tickles my side, my hips sliding forward, grinding my bare clit against him, and fuck I’m still so sensitive.
Without missing a beat, his mouth is back on mine, his cock hardening between us as I grind against him—not actually fucking him, but it feels damn close.
His dick rubs against my clit every time I rock my hips, causing euphoric sensations I may never get enough of.
Our mouths work together, tongues tangling as we become a mess of limbs and sheets, just trying to feel everything, never getting enough of each other.
“Baby, if you wanted me again, all you had to do was ask,” he murmurs against my lips, pulling back just far enough to speak but not lose contact, and hell, he’s right.
I want him again.
“Coop, I d—” I start, the words on the tip of my tongue when his phone starts ringing.
“Mother fucker,” he mumbles as he looks over at his phone to see his mom’s name.
“Looks like Lucas is awake.” I giggle, and his hands grip me tighter, his eyes dark as he watches me.
“I know I said this last night, but I need to say it again. Thank you. For trusting me, even after all the times you’ve been hurt.
That means more to me than you probably realize.
Last night felt like something shifted between us.
Like we both let our guards down. And I don’t take that for granted—not for a second,” he says, his voice soft, ignoring his phone ringing in the background and letting it go to voicemail.
“Pretty sure I’m the one who should be thanking you,” I murmur, voice low, not sure if it’s because I’m turned on or begging for him to wreck me again. “I lost count of how many orgasms I had last night.”
“Seven,” he replies smoothly, a filthy little smirk curling on his lips, exuding all the confidence in the world.
“Don’t worry, Ally Cat. I kept track every time you screamed my name.” He winks.
And fuck, the way he says it—like he’s proud of every single one—has my thighs clenching all over again.
“Well damn, Daddy Coop, you sure know your way around a woman’s body.”
“That may be true, but I’ve never been with anyone whose body responds quite like yours,” he says as he drops his head into my neck and inhales.
“And watch it with that nickname or I’ll really have you calling me Daddy.
” For a moment, I think he’s about to say fuck the phone call and finish what we’ve started, but when the ringing stops only to immediately start back up with a FaceTime, he realizes it’s useless to ignore and reaches for his phone.
Sliding off his lap, I get off the bed and grab some clothes. “I’m going to go shower,” I tell him as I head to the bathroom.
“Perfect, I’ll make this quick and then meet you in there…pick up where we left off,” he says with a wink before finally answering the phone call.
My body may not survive this man, but I’m starting to believe my heart just might.
If I thought Lucas was the spitting image of Cooper, he’s got nothing on Cooper and his dad because their resemblance is amazing.
Although with how strong these genes seem to be, I’m sure Lucas will grow up to look just like the two of them.
I mean, I guess there’s always the chance that he looks just as much like his mom as he does Cooper.
I’ve never even seen what she looks like.
It’s interesting—up until recently, I never really gave Lucas’s mom all that much thought.
I’m not sure why, but I guess I just knew she was out of the picture and didn’t think too much about it.
But when we talked last night, Cooper told me the story about how they were friends and she ended up pregnant, even though she had no desire to be a mother.
It’s been in the back of my mind since then.
Why hasn’t Cooper moved on in all these years if he was over her?
Or is there someone else?
I mean, I find it hard to believe that Lucas’s mom would want to be with Cooper if she didn’t want to stay with Lucas.
Cooper said when she found out she was pregnant, her only request was that if he wanted her to keep the pregnancy, he had to be okay with her signing over all her parental rights to him.
It shocked me that she was so sure of her decision, even while being pregnant.
With all the years of my life that I’ve spent avoiding kids, and a firm belief that I would make a horrible mother, I still never wrote off the possibility that one day, my mind could possibly change.
The more time I spend with this family, especially Cooper and Lucas, the more everything I thought I knew starts to come into focus.
Things I used to be so sure about—kids, relationships, even sex and intimacy—they all feel different now.
Like the ground under me keeps moving, and I’m not sure what I believe anymore.
But somehow, with them, it doesn’t feel scary. It feels like maybe I’m finally being seen in a way I didn’t know I needed. Cooper and Lucas get me.
Maybe more than anyone ever has.
How sad is that, when you feel like a four-year-old gets you more than your friends and family?
But even more than that—I understand them.
I get them. It feels like the way they show they include me, the little things they do, it’s the way I know I’m cared about.
Their love languages match mine, and it’s so interesting how much of a difference that really makes in the way you feel in friendships, or any relationship for that matter.
Like the way Lucas ran over to me as soon as he got home, dragging his grandma and grandpa over to make sure they got to come say hi to me, or the way he came to ask me to push him on the swing, not realizing how much his picking me filled me with joy.
Now I’m sitting in the backyard with Charlie, Cooper’s dad, while his mom, Trish, is inside making lunch—refusing to let anyone help because she wants everyone to relax. It’s crazy to me because I feel like I’m talking with Cooper in twenty years. Even their laughs are the same, and it’s adorable.
“I can’t believe he’s almost five years old,” Charlie says as he sits at the table watching Cooper and Lucas playing together in the yard.
“I know. I didn’t know them all that well until recently, but I remember seeing Cooper bringing Lucas around when he was still a baby, so it’s crazy to think now he’s a full blown kid running around.”
“It’s wild, isn’t it,” Charlie says with a laugh.
“I still remember the day Cooper showed up at our house with balloons in one hand and flowers in another. He looked shocked, but I’ll never forget how his face lit up the second he told us Rachel was pregnant.
We’d known Rachel and her sister for years, but we never expected this.
Rachel made it clear she never wanted to settle down, but that’s the only thing Cooper’s ever wanted. ”
He rambles on as he watches his family, his pride evident in his smile.
The warmth is his voice as he talks about his boys is incredible, truly a proud grandpa and dad.
His kindness, the way he talks about them…
it’s how Cooper talks about his family—including the boys he made his own family with.
But I can see now that Cooper is really a product of his parents, who support and love and care about him, regardless of what life threw their way.
“It really is. I don’t know much about Lucas’s mom, just that she’s not in the picture, but I can say that Lucas really won the lottery with his dad and grandparents. You guys are so wonderful, and I can see the way Lucas lights up the second you guys start talking. It’s adorable.”