Chapter Thirteen
Cooper
I’m still hard from the kiss we shared. The desire to pull her into my arms again doesn’t just fade because I push it away.
My body hasn’t caught up to my head yet, and judging by how I have to keep my hands busy as she packs, it might be a while. A restless energy buzzes under my skin that has nothing to do with arousal and everything to do with her being near me again.
It doesn’t take her long.
She doesn’t have much, and that realization leaves a pang in my chest. A duffel, her backpack, and a couple of cloth grocery bags that she shoved a few measly food items and her toiletries into. That’s it.
No drawers to empty. No boxes tucked away. No sign that she ever intended this place to be permanent.
I don’t say anything about it. I just grab what I can and help her carry the rest out to her car. The parking lot is mostly empty now. The bar is quiet behind us.
I shut the trunk and nod toward her vehicle.
“Just follow me,” I say. “I’ll take you out there and help you get situated.”
She slips into the driver’s seat and pulls out behind my truck, her headlights cutting through the night. It’s late enough that the roads are mostly empty. The farther we get from the bar and the center of town, the quieter everything becomes.
Gravel crunches beneath my tires as we turn onto the property. It’s too dark to see much beyond the outline of the barn and the fencing that stretches out into the fields.
She glances around when she steps out.
“Are those… cows?” She smiles, nodding toward the pasture.
“Yeah.” I smile. “We have cows, goats, and horses. You can meet them tomorrow in the daylight.”
Her smile widens. One of those that she doesn’t give away easily, and my chest aches with the urge to close the space between us.
We leave most of her stuff in the car for now and just grab a couple of bags before we head inside. The barn smells like hay and wood. It’s a scent I’ve known my whole life, but seeing her take it all in feels new again.
I take the stairs two at a time, glancing back to make sure she’s behind me.
I open the door and flip on the light as we step inside. The glow spills across the worn wood floors and exposed beams.
The kitchen opens into the living area with dark cabinets and a wide island with a few stools tucked underneath. A leather sectional is situated in the center of the room with a plaid throw blanket draped over the back.
A thick rug stretches out beneath a coffee table, and a stone fireplace is centered across the wall, stacked with wood ready to burn.
“We use it as a guesthouse when family comes to visit. Sometimes friends,” I tell her, setting her bags down on the island.
She looks around slowly, taking it all in. “It’s… really nice.”
“It’s all yours,” I say. “For as long as you need it.”
I don’t miss the way her shoulders relax, as though all the tension slowly drains out of her posture.
“My sister lives in the dorms on campus now,” I explain. “So it’s just my parents out here most of the time. But Atlee and I come out here to help with chores often.”
She nods. “I’d like to help out too.”
I don’t bother telling her that it won’t be necessary.
Her fingers brush along the edge of the counter as she looks around. I show her the rest of the place, pointing out the basics like the bathroom and the bedroom tucked back behind a sliding barn door.
“Thank you for letting me stay here. I promise, this won’t be forever,” she says softly, almost like she’s reassuring herself. “We’ll figure out who’s behind all of this, and then I’ll be out of your hair.”
I nod, because it’s easier than telling her the truth.
The idea of her going back above the bar or anywhere else alone twists something low in my stomach. I’ve learned my lesson, though. Trying to tell her what she should or shouldn’t do is the fastest way to make her dig her heels in. The last thing I want is to take that choice away from her.
So I keep it to myself. For now.
As I reach up into the hallway closet and grab a few extra blankets from where they are stored, I catch her looking at me again. Or I guess where my shirt rode up.
It’s the same look she had earlier, when my hands were on her, and the world narrowed to only the two of us.
The look in her eyes is one that says she’s already decided to go with it. She’s just waiting for me to make the first move.
I set the blankets down on the arm of the couch and turn toward her.
She doesn’t look away, and that’s all it takes.
I step closer to her, grip her hips, and lift her onto the kitchen counter.
She gasps, her hands lift to grip my shoulders, her knees instinctively bracketing my waist. The floor creaks beneath my feet as I position myself between her legs.
“Now, where were we?” I murmur.
She answers me with a kiss.
It’s hungry and passionate, as if she’s been holding herself in since we were at the bar and finally decided she’s done waiting.
I kiss her, slower this time, needing to pace myself before I let this spin out of control.
I’ve thought about this moment since the first time I laid eyes on her, and I want to take my time with her.
She lets her hands roam over my shoulders, down my chest, and over my stomach before slipping her fingers beneath the material of my shirt. Her fingers are cold against my warm skin.
I groan against her mouth, and she instinctively rocks against me. I suck in a sharp breath when she grinds against my growing erection. She must feel it too, judging by the low gasp that follows.
My hand grips her chin, holding her firmly in place as I lean away. Her eyes are heavy with desire, and it takes everything in me not to spread her out on this counter and devour her here.
All I can think about is earning this, knowing that she trusts me to take care of her. If she’d only let me.
She drags her fingers into the hair at my nape and pulls me in, her lips brushing my ear. “Take me to the bedroom, Coop.”
I want to growl when I hear her use my nickname.
She doesn’t have to explain what she’s asking for, but I pull away to meet her gaze.
“Are you sure that’s what you want?”
Her eyes search my face before she nods. “I don’t have a single doubt in my mind.”
I smile against her mouth, kissing her again, as my hands slide under her thighs to lift her in my arms.
She giggles and tucks her face into the curve of my neck, as though she belongs there. She starts peppering kisses on my skin, and I groan, carrying her down the short hallway. I nudge the bedroom door open and kick it shut behind us.
I lower her onto the bed and drop to my knees on the floor, staring up at her.
She holds my gaze, eyes dark, her cheeks flushed, and her hair falling loose around her face.
For a moment, I just sit there and take her in.
“Cooper.” Her voice cracks. “Will you do something for me?”
I nod, brushing her hair away from her face. “Anything.”
“I want you, and I want this,” she says, her eyes meeting mine. “But I’m not breakable. You’re not going to hurt me.”
I exhale a heavy breath.
“What I need... what I want from you... tonight... is to help me turn my mind off. Make me forget everything that’s happened outside this room.”
I know what she’s asking me, and I’ll be whatever she needs me to be.
This time, when my hands move up her thighs, it’s not slow or gentle.
I slip beneath her shirt, pushing her bra down, and she rolls her eyes shut, a soft “Yes” falling from her lips.
At that moment, I commit to being everything she could ever need if it means seeing her like this again.
I tweak and pinch her nipple. Without hesitation, she grabs the hem of her shirt and quickly tugs it over her head.
She’s wearing a gold necklace that I haven’t noticed before. It’s an infinity symbol encrusted with diamonds. I lean in and press a kiss against her chest, right over the necklace.
Brinley slides her hands into my hair, holding me against her, as I trail a path of kisses over her chest to her breast and suck her nipple into my mouth. She helps me shed her bra, slipping her hand behind her to unhook it, leaving her bare between us.
Once she does, her hands are back on me. Roaming over my chest before drifting to the hem of my shirt, silently begging me to take it off.
I lean just enough to shed my shirt. Next, she reaches for the button of my jeans. It’s on my lips to tell her to slow down, that we don’t have to rush.
We have all night, but when I lean away and see the eager look in her eyes, I can’t find it in me to say a word.
I give her the space to unbutton my jeans before her hand slips into my boxer briefs and wraps around my hard length. I suck in a sharp breath, my head tipping back as the rush of the moment makes it spin.
“Fuck, you’re so hard,” she says under her breath, almost like she didn’t realize she said it out loud.
She swipes her thumb over my slit, her breathing picking up, and I clench my jaw to try to control myself, letting her explore me at her own pace.
“Will you stand up for me?” she asks.
I fumble, my dick still half out as I stand, letting her set the pace.
I’ve been with women before, and I usually take the lead. I like being in control and want to be the one to take care of her, but I have no problem letting her set the tone, too.
Her eyes light up when I stand in front of her, and it dawns on me now that we’re at the perfect height in this position.
She quickly shoves my pants and underwear over my hips, just enough to release my aching cock. For all I’ve done to try to take my time with her, those thoughts fly out the window when she eagerly wraps her hand around me again.
She tilts her head, our eyes locking as she softly flicks her tongue out to lick the tip. I can’t even contain it.
I growl, sliding my fingers into her hair, earning me a devious grin.
“There he is.” She smiles.
My nostrils flare at her, at the sight of the victorious gleam in her eyes.
“Is this what you wanted, baby?”
She nods, never taking her eyes off me as she sucks me into her mouth.