Chapter 18
Mae
My chest flutters and I bite my lower lip. I always wondered what it would be like and for once, I’m not disappointed.
“Yes,” I whisper.
Cooper gently palms my cheek and draws my lips to his. I follow his lead, realizing I don’t have a clue what I’m doing, but whatever we’re doing feels good, really good.
I naturally tilt my head to the side, and he leans in, nipping my lip again, making me gasp, and he gently brushes his tongue against mine.
Warmth like nothing I’ve ever felt before slides down my chest and pools in my stomach, slipping lower and lower.
Cooper hums, and I lean in. My body has taken control at this point. I didn’t know it could feel like this. I hoped it would, but I expected a lot less.
“Come’re,” Cooper mumbles against my lips as he grabs my thighs, pulling me onto his lap.
I pull back and look him in the eye, mostly because I’m surprised with myself. I’ve never … done this.
“Is this okay?” he asks.
I nod, tongue tied.
Is this because he’s my first kiss, or is it more? I wouldn’t have said yes if I didn’t feel something for him. I don’t have time for that. These feelings are all new to me, but I’m aware enough to know this is more.
“Hey, where did you go?” Cooper asks me, cupping my cheek.
I force my eyes up to his, hoping I’ll come up with an answer by the time I get there, but all the possibilities get stuck in my throat.
“We can stop, Mae. It’s okay,” he says gently.
My immediate answer is no, please don’t. I need more. I huff. “No, that’s definitely not it,” I rush out.
“Is it too much, too fast? Was it a bad second kiss? You can give me critique. I’m open to correction,” he says with a mischievous gleam in his eye.
A laugh bubbles out of me and I can’t help but smile. I like that he makes me smile.
“Talk to me. I want to know what you’re thinking,” he says gently.
I don’t know if it’s his openness or the way he simply listened to me, or it’s his desire to hear what I have to say, but I feel safe enough to try.
Pursing my lips, I search for the right words. “It wasn’t a bad second kiss.”
Cooper smiles and rubs his hands up and down my thighs. “Okay, that’s good.”
“It is.”
“And?” he says.
“And… this is as far as I’ve ever gotten with a guy, and I don’t know what to do next, and…”
“Keep going,” Cooper encourages.
I take a deep breath, somewhat appalled at myself for saying this out loud, but I seem to throw any and all caution out the door when it comes to Cooper. “And I’m a little overwhelmed, but in a good way,” I rush out.
Cooper nods thoughtfully and studies my face.
“Can I kiss you again?” he asks.
“Now you ask?” I say with too much attitude.
He chuckles and gently grabs my chin, pressing his lips onto mine.
It’s brief, but I can feel it all the way down to my toes. I keep my eyes closed, trying to remember how it feels in case I never feel it again.
Then he surprises me and lingers on my mouth once more before pulling back.
“Why did you do that?” I sigh.
“I wanted to check,” he says.
“Check what? To see if I’m a terrible kisser? I can already confirm. But also, if you asked me before you kissed me the first time, I could have warned you.”
Cooper’s body vibrates under mine, and I finally open my eyes as his shoulders shake with silent laughter.
“Great, that’s good, awesome. Yep, I’m going to just walk away until I die of embarrassment,” I say, getting off his lap and planning to hop out of this truck and never look back.
Sorry Auntie Francesca, you’ll have to handle the flower shop on your own because I died of embarrassment.
Please bring pretty flowers to my grave.
“Hey, hey, hey,” Cooper says, grabbing my hips with his large hands and pulling me back onto his lap.
“I’m not laughing at you, Mae.”
“Then please explain to me what’s so funny because I don’t get the joke,” I mutter.
“You’re not a bad kisser, I enjoyed myself and—”
“You’ve kissed me three times. How in the world could you come to that conclusion?” I ask him.
He grins. “Well, I could tell you, but I’m not sure you’ll believe me.”
“Try me,” I snap.
“Oh, and she’s feisty, I like it,” Cooper says, far too amused.
I roll my eyes and realize his hands haven’t left my hips, and his thumbs are dragging light circles on the crease of them.
“As I was saying, you’re not a terrible kisser. I like the way you kiss me. So get that out of your head because you have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. And I was going to say, if you’re feeling the way I am right now. I think we’ll have plenty of time to practice.”
“But why don’t I believe you?” I ask him.
Cooper chuckles and brings my hand to his lips. “Because it only took once for me to know.”
“Know what?”
“That I absolutely, without a doubt, have feelings for you, Mae Morgan, and it took one kiss to confirm it.”
My heart thuds in my chest. In fact, it feels like it’s dancing like that movie Step Up, and it’s doing backflips and all the hip-hop moves. I can’t catch my breath, and a little part of me wants to maul him.
“You’re right. I don’t believe you,” I tell him, looking him in the eye.
Cooper throws his head back on a laugh. “I told you.”
“‘I told you so’ is not what a woman sitting on your lap wants to hear, Cooper,” I snap.
“Okay then, how about I knew it,” he says.
“Knew what?” I ask him, crossing my arms.
He smiles and unfolds my arms, placing them on his shoulders before he wraps his around my ribs, tugging me closer.
“I knew there was something I liked about you.”
I grumble, and he catches my lips again. There’s no other choice but to lean into his kiss. I could do this forever. No wonder people love making out.
My fingers slide into his hair, and it makes him moan, startling me a little. I start to pull away, and he holds me tighter. “I like that,” he rasps.
I keep my hands in his hair, diving deeper into our messy, uncoordinated kiss, while his other comes to the back of my neck and his hand draws through my hair.
“You’re going to get stuck,” I mumble.
“I really like your hair,” he says, tugging on a large corkscrew.
“Thanks,” I say breathless.
He hums and kisses me again, and I can sense him letting me take control and experiment.
I slip my tongue past his, and he sits up a little straighter as if to chase my mouth.
His hands slide to my butt and squeeze gently.
And I realize I might have control of this kiss right now, but I’m at his mercy.
I pull back to breathe, and Cooper presses light kisses along my jaw and down my neck. My lips feel raw and my body feels like lava.
“Cooper?”
He hums into my neck, making me shiver.
“You okay?” he asks.
“Yes, but…”
Cooper pulls back to look me in the eye. Ever the patient man.
“I leave in a year,” I rasp. I feel like I need to be clear about that because what I’m feeling, though confusing and overwhelming, does not feel like a temporary thing. And I don’t want temporary, even if it feels really good.
“A lot can change in a year, Mae,” he says.
“I’m not sure how to respond to that.”
He kisses my cheek. “You don’t need to. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. As we learn about each other, you might find that I annoy you more than anyone else in the world, and I’ll have to watch you leave.”
“I already find you annoying.”
He chuckles. “Well, I guess it’s settled then.”
“But what if—”
Cooper places his finger on my lips, silencing me. “We’re on our first date, Mae. You’ve been here for what, a month? If you’re here for a year, then that means we have eleven months to figure it out.”
“But that feels unfair to you, especially if you want to go out again after this.”
Cooper grins and drags his thumb across my kiss swollen lips. “I can promise you we will go out again after this. But why a year?” he asks.
I slide off his lap, and he lifts his arm, tucking me into his side.
“Aunt Francesca said I have to run the flower business for a year, and then I can do what I want with it. And after that, I’ll probably need to get back to Colorado.”
He tilts his head. “Why is that?”
I bite my lower lip, wondering how much to tell him. I can’t leave my parents high and dry. Right?
“How are things actually going?” he asks.
“I think you’re single-handedly keeping me in business.”
“I bought about four arrangements,” he says.
“That day you bought me flowers was my only sale,” I mutter.
“Oh man.”
I sigh. “It’s okay. I have a plan. I just have to work up the nerve to do it.”
“Can I help you?” he asks.
I smile and drag my hand through his soft hair. I really like his hair.
“I’m sure your hands are full with Naomi.”
He smiles. “They are, but that’s okay. I’m happy to help.”
“Tell me more about Naomi.”
“What do you want to know?” he asks.
I want to know how he became a single dad, but that feels like a very intense conversation for a first date.
“I talked to her for five minutes. What’s she like?”
He smiles to himself and looks up at the moon. “She’s everything. She’s seven, almost eight, too smart for her own good, creative, and the type of little girl who plays in the mud in her princess dress.”
I laugh. “She sounds amazing.”
He grins with pride in his eyes. “Right now we’re working on roping and mutton busting for the fair coming up.”
I make a face. “Mutton busting?”
He chuckles and puts his hands on his hips. “You basically put a kid on a sheep and they hang on as tight as they can until they fall off.”
“And Naomi wants to do this?”
“Yep, she saw it last year and asked me to do it. I have to admit it’s pretty entertaining. She’s been working on roping because she sees us doing it,” he explains.
“Wow, and she’s able to hold on to the sheep?”
He nods excitedly. “We have a few sheep she practices with, and she’s always working with the fake cow, getting the rope over its head. I’m afraid she’s going to want to compete in the rodeo as she gets older.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” I ask him.
He shrugs. “I did it, my cousins did it. I won’t stop her, but I’ll probably be a nervous wreck the whole time.”
“I like that you encourage her to go for it.”
He shrugs, and it’s dark, but I see something pass through his green eyes before he says, “I want to be the best I can for her.”
“She’s a lucky girl.”
“Nah, I’m just a lucky guy,” he says with a smile.
I shift in my seat, feeling a little restless. Of all the dates I’ve been on, I’ve never felt this way with a man. It’s scary.
But isn’t this what I’ve been looking for?
Cooper takes me home and walks me to the door, waiting for me to unlock it.
“So, I’ll see you around?” I say.
He chuckles and slides his hand to my back. “I’ll be doing a lot more than seeing you around, Mae. When are you free again?”
I bite my lip, trying not to smile like a total idiot. I want to say tomorrow, but is that too eager?
“I’m not sure. I have to mow the lawn because I told my uncle I could do it myself. I don’t know why. And I have another project coming down the pipeline, and then the shop, and um…” I trail off.
Cooper hums and kisses me quickly. “You sound pretty busy, but I’m afraid you’re avoiding me.”
“I’m not.” I totally am.
“Okay, I’ll call you later and we’ll figure something out. Is that okay?”
I nod.
“Great,” he says, and kisses me again. But this time he grabs my face, kissing me long and hard, making my knees weak. I catch myself on his chest, and he takes a step, pushing me back into the door.
Standing on my toes, I fist his shirt, pulling him down to my height. He kisses me for so long it steals the breath from my lungs.
Cooper pulls back, growling into my neck. “If you keep kissing me like that, I’ll make a fool of myself, Mae.”
I giggle, hiding my face in his shirt.
He groans and stands up straight, taking a step back. “Alright, get inside,” he tells me.
I frown.
“No, I mean it. Get in that house before I change my mind,” he says.
My face goes hot and every single bit of me wants to know what he’s fighting himself over. But I listen to him and open the door slowly.
“Goodnight, Mae,” Cooper says, tipping his hat.
“Goodnight, Cooper,” I whisper.
He grins and watches me close the door.
I spin around, leaning against the wood with a giant smile on my face, and let out a shrill, “Yes!”
Then a knock startles me from my yell.
I spin around and throw the door open.
Cooper prowls toward me with hunger in his eyes as he palms my cheeks, kissing me as if we’ll never see each other again. “One more,” he mumbles against my lips.
“Do you practice in the mirror? You’re good at this,” he mumbles.
I giggle, and he swallows it.
My heart skyrockets into my throat, and I startle myself, moaning into his mouth.
The kiss turns uncoordinated, savage, and messy, but neither of us seems to care, as my body makes the decisions before my brain can catch up, looping a leg around his thigh.
He grabs my leg and, with far too much ease, picks me up and sits me down on the counter.
We kiss a little longer until I have no oxygen left in my lungs and rip our mouths away, both breathing heavily, eyes locked together, and I don’t even remember what I was scared about.
Cooper takes his hat off and takes a deep breath, nodding to himself. “Okay, yeah,” he says, staring at me.
I agree with him, but I don’t know what I’m confirming.
“I hope you sleep well,” he says, kissing my cheek, spinning on his heel, and walking back out the open door.
“Night,” I rasp.
Cooper looks at me over his shoulder. “You should really lock your door at night. You never know who might walk through,” he says with a grin, and winks before closing it behind him.
Frozen in place and not feeling strong enough to stand, I take a deep breath.
Whoa.
Cooper’s truck crunches over the gravel, and I hop up to peek through the window blinds, watching his taillights disappear down the road.
All the emotions of the night settle onto my chest, and none of them are bad. In fact, I can’t wipe the smile off my face, and I can’t recall a single date I’ve ever been on that has ended like that, first kiss or not. It might be too good to be true, but I want more.