Chapter 36
Mae
“Okay,” he says, drawing out the word. “I’m confused.”
I shiver in my wet dress, trying to gather the words. “I told my aunt I would be here for a year. I might have trouble telling my family no, but I’m also a woman of my word, and I’m not going to leave her high and dry. Plus…”
“Plus?” Cooper asks, prodding me.
“I had a meeting with Silver Spring Ranch, a venue to provide all of their flowers, which means the shop could be profitable this year.”
“Mae! That’s amazing!” Cooper says and picks me up, spinning me around. Thunder booms in the storm outside.
Even I can admit to myself that part of the reason I want to stay is because of him, and I’m taking my mom’s advice. I’m going all in.
“I’m so proud of you, stubborn,” he whispers and kisses each of my cheeks.
“Thank you, it’s not final, but yeah, thank you,” I rasp.
I search his green eyes, and my skin heats as he focuses on me.
“You earned it,” he whispers.
“Possibly,” I whisper, even though it feels like I’m screaming it.
What’s happening?
Cooper swallows thickly. Our eyes are still locked together, and the air charges as if it's noting the turning point for us.
“Mae,” Cooper croaks.
“Coop,” I breathe.
“I feel like a bull in a china shop right now. I need you to either call me off or wave the red flag.”
I take a breath, but it gets stuck.
I nod rapidly, and Cooper holds still — tense. His hard to my soft.
“I need you to say the words, stubborn,” he grits out, barely restrained.
“Yes, Coop. Yes,” I say, and his mouth smashes against mine.
He wastes no time carrying me to my room. I grab his face, falling into every graze and sip of his lips against mine.
We gasp, desperate to breathe, but I can’t stop. I ache for him.
Cooper makes the decision for me, ripping away and dragging his mouth over my wet skin.
Thunder cracks again, and lightning flashes against the walls. He takes my mouth again, making me forget all about the storm, branding me with his kiss, as he slowly slides me down his front to my feet.
He doesn’t let me go. Blood rushes in my ears as Cooper stares at me like I’m the only woman in the world.
He reaches for the buttons lining the front of my dress and flips the first one. His fingers pop each one until I can’t take it anymore and grab the zipper at my back, pulling it down.
“You could have mentioned a zipper,” he says with an amused grin.
I shrug and shimmy out of the wet dress, letting it fall to the floor with a slap. If I had even an inkling this was going to happen, I would have picked out my cute bra and panties.
He toes off his boots and sets them to the side of the door, and closes the distance between us, flipping his belt buckle.
I take the few steps back to my bed and drop onto it. My boots are still on, and I lean over to take them off, but his hand stops me.
“I’ll take care of that,” he says.
Leaning back, I watch him undress, pulling his wet shirt over his head and dropping it to the floor.
He pops the button of his jeans and pushes them over his hips, leaving him in his boxers.
I lick my lips, catching a hint of what I’m about to experience, and my heart thuds nervously.
A part of me was terrified that I’d freeze up, because I’m not ready to be so raw and vulnerable with someone. But I’m not worried about Cooper taking care of me, giving me what I need because he’s been doing that since day one, and I hate that it took me this long to notice.
“I have to ask you something, and I want to make sure you understand that I don’t care about your answer either way. I only care about you.”
“Okay,” I say hesitantly. Is it hot in here?
“I was your first kiss, so it would be fair to assume I’m your first … everything,” he says, and I swear he’s blushing, but it’s hard to tell in the dim light.
I nod, and he releases a breath.
“Okay, I uh — I didn’t want to assume anything or scare you or, I don’t know, go too fast or something,” he says nervously.
I shake my head, then attempt to take a full breath.
He chuckles. “I’m not entirely sure what that means.”
I clear my throat and look him in the eye. “It means you can do whatever you want.”
His head tilts, and he reaches for my mouth, dragging a thumb beneath the dip in my lip. “You should be careful with statements like that, stubborn. I’m not sure you know what you’re asking for.”
I lean back from his touch, spreading my knees, surprising myself. “I’m pretty sure I do, Coop, otherwise you wouldn’t be here right now.”
The corner of his mouth tilts up, and he says, “I think it’s my turn to tell you something.”
I wait with bated breath because I don’t have the slightest clue what he is about to say.
“I’ve been celibate since Naomi was dropped into my arms. I’m not a virgin, but I might as well be.”
“And here I was thinking you’d know exactly what to do with me,” I mutter.
“Hey.” He laughs. “That’s not fair. I know I’m charming. I’m aware. But people also assume things. I’m not some playboy.”
I smile. “Could have fooled me.”
He narrows his eyes. “I didn’t want to be that kind of father. Coming home late, having random women over. Leaving her with other family members so I could go out all the time. She deserves better, and honestly, on top of running the ranch, I’ve never had time for it.”
“But I thought you were dating.”
Cooper rubs the back of his neck. “I was. I have been, and it’s not like I haven’t had the opportunity, but nothing felt right.”
“So why does it feel right now?” I ask him.
He pins his lips together, as if he’s keeping his answer to himself. “Everyone is different, and this is…” He reaches for my hand. “This is different and—” He cuts himself off. “And this is what I believe it should feel like.”
“What does that mean?” I ask him.
“It means …” Cooper trails off, and I can barely see the conflict in his eyes, but it’s there.
Is he not telling me something?
Cooper puffs out a breath and seems to come to a decision. “It means that I told myself that I wouldn’t be with another woman who isn’t going to be my wife,” he says the last few words quickly, but they hit me square in the chest.
“But I’m not going to be your wife,” I whisper. “Am I?” I ask him, or maybe I’m asking myself. I’m not sure of anything.
“Do you really want me to answer that?” he asks.
“I —” I cut myself off because I think I might want that.
“We don’t have to talk about this right now if you don’t want to,” he says.
Cooper stands there staring at me, and everything he does makes me feel special, like his. He is who I see for myself. He is who I’ve always hoped and dreamed of.
“Okay,” I whisper.
“Do you still want this?” he asks.
“Yes,” I whisper.
He leans over me, devouring me with renewed passion. While his large, calloused hand slips under my ribs and guides me further back into my messy bed.
I told myself if this moment ever came, I would let my instincts take over. Sex is not rocket science, but my brain would find a way to overcomplicate it.
My knees bracket his hips, and he rocks against me, making me moan, but he drinks the sound in.
With trembling hands, I push his hair out of his face, and he stares at me.
“What?” I ask shyly.
“I wanted to give you a minute,” he says.
“Don’t stop,” I whisper.
He nods, slipping his hand between my thighs, dragging a knuckle through me, and I gasp as a pleasing curl of heat rockets through my body like gasoline to a fire.
Cooper trails his mouth over my neck and down between my breasts, pausing on each, pulling the cup of my bra down.
“I want to obsess over every inch of you,” he says into my skin. The friction of his beard makes me writhe, arching my back.
“Take it off,” I plead.
He reaches behind me and unclasping my bra. I shimmy out of the front and Cooper groans at my chest.
“Perfect,” he mumbles. Skimming his tongue over every inch of my breasts while he looks up at me, his hand dives back to my center, drawing light circles in the same rhythm as his mouth, working me up, driving me crazy.
I grab his bicep, squeezing, digging my nails into his skin, and he grunts at the sting.
“You okay?”
“Coop, I—” I cut myself off, body tensing, inhaling sharply, and then he pulls away.
“Wha—”
He grabs my face, planting a long kiss on my mouth, and sits up.“There might be a tornado going on outside, but right now it’s just you and me, Mae. Tell me what you want. I’m yours,” he says.
“I want you to finish what you started.”
“I will, I promise, but I’m going to take my time with you,” he rumbles.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” I whisper.
He lifts his hand and drags a finger over my chest down to my navel. “There is no right way or wrong way. We’ll figure it out together.”
Heart pounding, skin hot, I say, “I want you to show me.”
“I can do that,” he rasps, slipping his hand to the back of my neck, drawing my lips to his.
It’s slow, sensual, as his heat seeps into my skin. The pulse between my legs grows unbearable, and I rock my hips searching for brief relief.
“Lay back,” he says, gently.
He slides his hands over my thighs, up my ribs, punctuating each touch with his lips, stopping at my breasts before taking my hands above my head.
“If you want something different, say the word,” he says.
I nod and he releases my hands, leaning down, framing me in with his forearms. My nose brushes his, and time stands still, both transfixed. I pant from the building tension in my chest until he puts me out of my misery, inhaling me.
As his tongue flickers against mine, he drags his hands over my small belly and stops between my thighs.
“You’re so beautiful, stubborn,” he rasps.
I roll my hips, meeting his hand as he keeps a slow, agonizing pace. I sob in frustration, and he flattens his palm against me. My hips chase the pressure, feeling the build. “Faster?” he asks.
“Yes,” I whine, closing my eyes.
His mouth finds mine, and I gulp in air.