26. Chapter 26
Chapter twenty-six
Sutton
“ T ell me something nobody knows about you,” Cooper demands with one arm draped over my shoulders, holding me close to his side. Ever since the funeral a few days ago, the two of us have become even more inseparable.
We’ve been sharing more than ever, desperate to learn everything about each other. Neither of us is afraid of showing how much we care and crave the other.
“Something nobody knows?”
He nods. “Not even Vivian.”
“Okay, um, let me think.” I scramble to think of something, anything, that no one else knows but can only think of the really, truly weird shit. I nibble on my bottom lip. “Promise you won’t tell anyone?”
“Of course. This stays between us.”
I hesitate for a second before letting it all spill out in a jumbled rush. “Sometimes when I get a rotisserie chicken, I eat it over the kitchen sink with my bare hands while I fantasize about being a powerful lord in medieval times.”
He stares at me for a beat, his mouth opening then shutting before he finally decides on his words. “First of all, I love a good hand-eaten rotisserie chicken.”
I laugh.
“And second, why are you a lord and not a lady?”
I side-eye him before heaving out a sigh. “When you think medieval warrior, do you think woman?”
His cheeks flush pink and he swallows. “No.”
“Exactly. We are always taught men are powerful, physically and mentally. They are the leaders. Even in modern times as we step away from those ‘traditional’ roles, the titles of those in power still set us apart. We still think of a lady as being a lord’s wife. Not someone of her own strength or power. So I refuse, even in my fantasies, to be called that. Instead, I choose the title that holds the power.”
Cooper stays silent as if he’s pondering my words.
I expect him to laugh or make fun of my tangent, but he doesn’t.
“Do you want to add anything, or has my TED talk given you something to think about?”
He licks his teeth. “Can’t it be both?”
“Sure, but I am kind of feeling a little exposed here.”
He shakes his head, reaching out a hand to squeeze my shoulder. “Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting all of that when I asked my question.”
“What can I say, I live to surprise.”
He grins. “That you do.”
“So?”
“So?”
“Don’t you have something you want to tell me?”
“Oh yeah, thank you for sharing.”
I slap his toned stomach. “It’s your turn to share, you dummy.”
Cooper laughs. “Okay, fine, I’ll tell you if you keep those chicken tearers away from me.”
I scowl at him but place my hands under my thighs as I wait on him to hopefully share something of equal or greater embarrassment.
“I didn’t know what foreskin was until I was, like, seventeen.”
“What?” I bark out in disbelief.
“Yeah, I’m circumcised—”
“Yes, Cooper, I am well aware your peen is cut.”
His gaze narrows. “As I was saying, as you know, I am circumcised. But when I was growing up, I didn’t know that circumcision was even a thing. I just thought that was the way a penis looked naturally.”
“You didn’t know? Did you not look at the other dicks in the locker room?”
“Why do I feel like you’re trying to get me to admit to checking out men?”
“Because I was. But also, it’s a valid question. Did you notice something different about the other guys?”
“Nope. Every guy I grew up with that I had seen naked looked just like me.”
“That’s wild. Normally, there is at least one straggler in the group.”
“Well, not at my school.”
“How did you figure it out?”
He rubs at the back of his neck, looking away from me. “I think you already know.”
I cackle. “It was porn, wasn’t it?”
Hanging his head in shame, he mutters, “Yep.”
A shrill scream echoes from the guest bathroom down the hall. Cooper and I turn toward the sound and glance at each other.
“Do you think…?” I ask, curling my feet under me on the couch.
“Yeah, I think.”
The bathroom door whips open, and a fully nude Dillon storms out and stomps toward us, trailing water in his wake.
Cooper’s hand flies up to cover my eyes. “Dude,” he yells. “Put on some clothes in front of my girlfriend.”
A growl-like sound leaves Dillon. “You mean my ex-fiancée.”
“Yeah, like I said, my girlfriend doesn’t need to see your teeny weenie, so go put on some clothes.”
I can’t see the look Dillon’s giving Cooper, but I can only imagine it’s one meant to kill.
“It’s only teeny because someone used all the hot water.”
A small chuckle leaves my lips. “Um, I hate to point out the obvious, Dil, but neither Cooper nor I have showered today, so there’s no way we used up all the hot water.”
Cooper hums in agreement. “Yep, looks like that petite pecker is all yours… Now, if you would please put some clothes on, my arm’s getting tired.”
“I know one of you had something to do with this,” he accuses, anger lacing his every word before he stomps off in what I assume is the opposite direction.
Cooper drops his hand from my eyes.
I give him a long sideways glance. “Was that necessary?”
“Covering your eyes? Absolutely. One hundred percent necessary. No girlfriend should be seeing another man’s peen in person while we are together.”
“So seeing a man’s peen when you aren’t around is a-okay?” I tilt my head, pondering his meaning.
“Negative, baby opossum. I meant porn is cool. Look at all the penises you want online.”
“Oh, no in-person showing. But the professionals online are free game.”
He gives me a matter-of-fact nod. “You get it.”
“Okay, just to be clear, does this mean I can interact with sex workers online or just watch?”
“Do you want to interact?”
“No. I just want to know where our boundaries are.”
“Ah,” he says, understanding. “I think watching porn is cool, great even. I love it.”
“I bet you do, perv.”
He sighs, but the corners of his lips curve up into a reluctant smile. “But interaction, like chatting or paying for special videos, is a no-go for me. Is that okay? Or is it too much?”
I tap my pointer finger on my chin, pretending to ponder his question. “I think it’s a fine boundary that I agree to.”
“You do?”
“Yeah? Do you think I am out here striking up online relationships with adult performers?”
He shrugs. “Anything is possible. But mostly, I want our relationship to have open communication. That means if you don’t like a boundary of mine, you need to speak up so I can know and reevaluate how I feel on the situation.”
“How are you not married with 2.5 kids?”
He chuckles. “You’ve met me. You know how I am.”
“Yeah, super freaking amazing, and not just in bed. With communication and romance. I just—I don’t understand how no one has snatched you up yet.”
“Sutton…” His cheeks flare to a deep red that reminds me of the flush that flows over his skin when he fucks.
Swallowing down my overactive libido, I tell him, “I’m serious, Coop, you are the whole damn package, plus some.”
After a few moments of silence, I can’t help myself. “Was it actually small?” I ask, finally remembering my original question to him.
“Dillon’s dick?”
“Yeah?”
“I guess that depends on what his dick looked like prior to his ice shower.”
I roll my eyes. “Why can’t you just answer me?”
“Because I have no frame of reference for Dillon’s dick.” Which is funnier, his dick being shriveled from the icy water, or it being average and him being super self-conscious about it?
“I bet I can find a picture of it,” I tell him, pulling out my phone.
He snatches it from my hands. “I swear to Jesus H. Christ, if you have a dick pic from Dillon still on your phone, I am going to lose my shit.”
“Ew, no,” I hiss, offended by his pseudoaccusation.
His glare tells me he’s still suspicious.
“Ugh, a little trust would be great.” I snatch my phone back from him. “I still have access to his cloud.” I smile slyly at him.
“Sutton… That seems wrong. Like an invasion of his privacy. We shouldn’t…”
“Found one.”
“Let me see.” He scoots closer to me, peering over my shoulder to get a good look at Dillon’s ding-a-ling’s not-so-glamorous glamour shot.
We both burst into laughter at picture number one, and it doesn’t stop from there.
“Why is he gripping it like that?” Cooper wheezes, clutching his stomach.
“I don’t know. I don’t pretend to understand the penis pictures, I just admire them.”
He sobers beside me. “Admire them?”
I swat at his shoulder. “You’re so sensitive.”
“No I’m not,” he grumbles, glancing at the picture of Dillon grasping his dick like a thin water bottle.
I suck my lips in to fight the grin threatening to form on my lips. My baby is jealous. And damn, do I like it.
Is that crazy?
It feels crazy.
Jealousy is supposed to be unattractive.
But nothing about Cooper could ever be considered anything but ungodly attractive.
I savor every second he shows any ounce of jealousy over me. As if I’m someone worth fighting over.
It’s dumb. But it gets me so hot and bothered.