Chapter 24 #3
“This isn’t some kind of ploy, stubborn. Though I will do everything I can, this is a result of my determination to get you to stay,” he says with a knowing smile.
I look away, realizing I’m entirely out of my depth, but I need to tell him.
“I’m thirty-one and I’ve never had sex, but it’s the reality,” I blurt, looking at the picture above the dining table. I’m sure he already guessed that, seeing as he was my first kiss. My dating life has been full of frustration, including the sexual nature.
Cooper brushes my hair back and cups my cheek. “Okay,” he says.
“Okay,” I mumble, still looking at the picture of mountains.
He chuckles, and my heart plummets to my stomach.
“Mae, look at me,” he commands, rubbing my cheek with his thumb.
I shudder and slowly force my eyes to his. I need to face this — him. I’m not ashamed of being a virgin. That’s not the problem. But I’m nervous about how he’ll see me. It’s clear he has plenty of experience, and I feel like a loser.
“Though I like that you think I’m a freak in the sheets, that was not my expectation tonight. I hope I haven’t given you a reason to think that. We can stop whenever you want,” he says.
“You haven’t,” I mumble.
“A one night stand is not how I’m going to get you to stay,” he says.
“It wouldn’t.”
He rubs his chin thoughtfully. “I thought so. Not that I was going to try tonight,” he says quickly.
I swallow my laugh, but struggle to hide my smile.
“Don’t laugh, you’re a tough nut to crack.”
I lift a shoulder.
“For the record, it’s not just you. I’m tired of giving pieces of myself to someone who won’t appreciate them.
Especially some random woman who wants me for one night,” he mutters.
I almost say, I don’t want him for one night.
But I keep my mouth shut. This is new territory for me, and it’s hitting me that I have very little control over the way I feel about Cooper Hayes.
“But you’re not some random woman,” he says gently.
“You don’t care that I’m thirty-one?” I ask him.
He shrugs. “I’m twenty-nine, why should I care?”
“I’m … not sure,” I say because I don’t have any solid reasons why he should care, other than I’m older than him.
“Your age doesn’t matter to me,” he says.
“That’s good.”
“I suppose it is.” He chuckles. “I’m going to kiss you now,” he says, leaning in.
“Okay,” I breathe.
He captures my lips again. His tongue flickers against mine, drawing a moan from me. Butterflies replace the bitter taste of anxiety, and I slide my hands over his chest, holding the back of his neck, and press my chest into his. He leans back, letting me experiment as I take my fill of him.
He gathers the edges of my shirt and pulls back, asking for permission. I nod, lifting my arms.
Crap, is this happening? Am I ready for this? I already like him, which will make this so much harder. But I’m living in the moment. I’m not counting down the days right now. I’m here.
Cooper groans, staring at my nude bra with lace around the edges. I like this one. It makes me feel pretty. Whoever said a nice pair of underwear and a cute bra doesn’t make you walk a little more confidently is lying.
He takes a thick finger and drags it over the rise of my breast, brushing the lace on the edge of the cup.
My breath grows short, and flames engulf my skin.
“You are so damn beautiful,” he says in awe.
I reach for the buttons on his shirt and push it open, groaning in frustration because he’s wearing an undershirt.
He snorts and angles back, unbuttoning the bottom of the shirt and jerks it out of his waist. I grab the hem of his undershirt and pull it over his head, sending his hair in ten different directions.
Breath ragged, I stare at him in astonishment, dragging my hand over his muscular chest covered in a dusting of hair. My palm stops over his heart, beating as hard as mine, with a tattoo of a flower covering his skin.
“What is this tattoo?” I ask him.
He shivers, watching my finger tracing the lines of the uneven flower.
“Naomi went through a stint where she was drawing anything and everything. She was into drawing birth flowers. Hers is a water lily for July, and she was so proud of it when she showed me. I know these years won’t last forever, I wanted to keep that moment on me, so I go it tattooed onto my chest.”
My throat goes dry and I blink rapidly, trying to keep the tears back. His devotion to Naomi is not only attractive, but it’s everything I’ve hoped for in a man.
“It’s kind of a terrible drawing. She’s much better at it now. Hindsight I probably should have waited. But no time like the present.”
“It’s amazing,” I say, still staring at it, not because of the jagged line art but the meaning.
“When’s your birthday?” he asks.
“November tenth,” I tell him.
He tilts his head. “If I remember correctly, your flower is a peony?”
My eyes drag from his chest to his face. “I think so.”
“I don’t know why I still remember that,” he says, hands twitching on my skin.
“When is your birthday?” I ask.
“April fifteenth,” he says.
“What’s your birth flower?”
“Don’t remember,” he mutters, and leans in. This time when our lips touch it feels desperate, a frantic embrace, dizzy with need, and I forget all about flowers.
Our bodies brush, and the friction makes both of us groan. He turns us so my back is against the couch and leans on one arm, staring down at me with his velvet gaze.
“Is this okay?” he asks.
I nod and lift my knees to his hips.
He dips down, dragging his nose over my neck, stopping between my breasts. Warm lips kiss my sternum and move to the place above the cup of my bra.
I grab his hair, keeping him there, relishing the way he feels against me.
Cooper chuckles, making my nipples peak harder.
He lifts his head and watches me as his thumb grazes the point. I bite my lower lip, holding back a whimper.
His lips part on a pant, and I lift my chin, seeking his lips. He meets me head-on, keeping his hand on my chest. He groans into my mouth, seductively thrusting his tongue against mine. It’s messy and raw, and I need more. I want more.
We break apart in short, frantic gasps, giving and taking as much as we can from each other.
Cooper’s hand slides between my breasts and over my small belly, stopping between my legs.He draws gentle circles on my inner thigh, and my legs tremble, but he waits.
“I’m not sure what to do now,” I say hesitantly, and try to ignore the burn of embarrassment.
He kisses my pulse and says, “Be in the moment with me. Let me make you feel good. Kiss me until we can’t breathe, then I’ll force myself to leave you alone for the evening.”
“You have it all figured out, don’t you?”
He grins and drags two fingers over my panties.
My mouth drops open, inhaling sharply as fireworks erupt under my skin.
“I wouldn’t say I have it all figured out because this caught me by surprise.”
“Oh, come on, you know exactly what you’re doing.”
He grins and brushes my nose, and his mouth drops into a serious line. “Do you want it to keep going?” he asks.
I nod.
“Then tell me, stubborn,” he says, teasing a finger in the crease of my hip and thigh.
“Yes,” I say with more confidence.
He smiles against my mouth, dropping a small kiss. “But if we do get to that point. I want you to know I’ll take care of you.”
“Okay,” I rasp.
“Okay.”
And he devours me. His thick fingers slip past the strip of fabric between my legs, and his fingers and mouth do all the talking while I meet the stars.