Epilogue – Coop
“Which belonged to Darren.”
I’ve been wearing them for so long, I almost forget why I put them on in the first place. The reason knocks on the recesses of my mind. Right. I clear my throat. “When UC first started performing, it was crazy to have people—women—trying to get my attention. At the time, I was married—”
I glance at her. She motions for me to continue.
“I didn’t want to let anyone think I was interested if I was looking at them.
Some of the women wore see-through clothes, so I had little option but to look.
I checked out the tatts of some of the men, noticed whose band shirts others were wearing.
I found I could prevent my inner curiosity from being discussed online if my eyes were hidden behind sunglasses.
Soon, I wore them all the time and the media never guessed my thoughts. ” I shrug. “It sort of stuck.”
“I get it. For an introverted guy like you, having your curiosity exposed is tantamount to playing naked. So you hid them.” She giggles. “I do like the idea of you playing naked, though.”
I shake my head. “How about this? I’ll wear my guitar—and only that—tonight when I’m ravishing you if, and only if, we can get in and out of this store in under an hour.”
“Two. I’m getting a pair too, remember?” She pushes her newly-cut pixie hairdo away from her cheeks. “I want to wear them to honor my boyfriend.”
I smile. “Sure. Two hours, max, and then you can have your own private gig. Now, let me help you out of this big, bad SUV.” After a kiss on her delicious lips, I race around the front of the vehicle, pick her up, and gently deposit her on the sidewalk.
“Thank you, kind Sir.” She ruins her sweet statement by laughing.
I hide my exasperation for a second, then join her laughter. “Come on. Let’s get some sunglasses.”
Inside the store, I explore a wide variety of options. “How do these look?” I turn my head.
Nese lifts them off my face. “Too big.”
She hands me an alternative, which I put on and check out my reflection in the mirror. These are good. “What do you think?”
She looks at me from various angles. “Nope, still not right.” She passes me three more pairs. “Try these.”
Wishing I were done but knowing UC’s stylist has the best taste out of anyone, I accept all of them. The second one sings to me. “I really like these.” I turn toward her.
Nese cocks her head, then a wide smile spreads. “Definitely! These fit you perfectly. Almost as important, though, is you’ve picked up a certain swagger in them. It says ‘I’m gonna make you rock, and you’re going to have the best time of your life.’ Great choice!”
The way she describes the sunglasses makes me want to kiss her. So I do.
When we pull apart, I pick up the pair I had selected for her. “Your turn.”
She puts them on and turns toward me. Nese is sexy in anything she wears—or nothing at all—but these sunglasses make her downright dangerous. To my heart.
She screams, “I love them!” Grabbing my cheeks, she pulls my face down to hers. All my earlier crazy worries disappear. She’s everything I didn’t realize I needed.
We exit the store in under two hours. I pick her up and place her in the SUV’s passenger seat. “My ankle’s all healed now,” she notes.
I watch her buckle her seatbelt. “Maybe I like picking you up.”
Her cheeks inflate. “Maybe I like that too.”
Walking on air, I return to the driver’s side. As soon as I pull away, Mom’s call comes over the Bluetooth. “I’m in the car with Nese.”
“Hi, honey. How is my son treating you?”
Nese smirks at me. “He’s wonderful, Mrs. O’Shea.”
“Remember, please call me Pam, dear. What are you two lovebirds up to?”
I tell her about our shopping excursion. Nese supplies her version of how I chose the worst ones for me but got her a fantastic pair.
Mom laughs. “Sounds to me you both fit together like four strings on a guitar.’
“Love your analogy, Mom, but there are six strings on a guitar. 007 has four strings on his bass.”
Nese bubbles. “See what I have to live with?”
Mom simply laughs again. We continue in this vein for a while, agreeing to visit when we’re next in New Jersey.
After we hang up, Nese sighs. “I’m happy you have such a loving family.”
Knowing I’m treading into dangerous waters, I ask, “Would you like to try another time with your mother?”
“What I want and what I have are two very different things. Ma’s thrilled I’m out of the cult and her life. Remember, before I left she told me, in no uncertain terms, never to darken her doorstep again.” She looks out the window.
I don’t intrude on her inner thoughts—I’m sure she’s reliving these nightmares. The fact that Nese’s a huge success bears witness to her innate strength. One of the many reasons I find her beyond attractive.
I turn off the freeway. “What would you think of being part of mine? We have our disagreements, but generally we’re good. Andy’s having another kid, and you can join in the celebration.” Did I say too much? Scare her away?
With a small voice, Nese says, “I would love that.”
I roll to a stop in front of my house. Where it all began with UC’s stylist and me. We pass the Zen Garden, which she helped me rake this morning. As witnessed by Mom’s call, things are the same but different, in the best possible way.
In the music room, I make good on my promise. She squeals like a true UC fan when I shake my naked ass at her.
Unlike fans, she bites my butt. Then kisses it to cleanse the tiny sting.
Facing her, I play the iconic guitar solo from “Crushing Blow” and she jumps like a madwoman when I finish.
Rushing me, she says, “You’re so talented Coop. I think you deserve a little something-something for your performance.”
She winks at me, then lifts my guitar and licks my balls. My head falls backward. “Oh, God.”
She giggles. “Nope. Not Him. Just little old me.” She does it again.
I spin my guitar to my back and pump my hips. On her knees, Nese takes me in her mouth and sucks until I see stars. Hanging onto my sanity by a guitar string, I step away. “Not.” I pant. “Here.”
The guitar is placed onto its stand with much more tenderness than I feel.
“Pool deck. Now.”
We race up the stairs, Nese shedding her clothes as we go. I join her on the secluded deck. Her cheeks are pink with arousal. Or excitement. Both work for me.
Picking up a towel, I lay it down on one of the chaise lounges and slide in behind her. My arms steal around her boobs and I kiss her neck. I’m willing to take this next step—assuming she is. “Are you still on the Pill?”
“Yes.”
“Are you okay if we do this without a condom?”
“More than okay.” She doesn’t wait for me to respond, simply pulls my hand to her pussy. I test her core with my fingers. “So ready for me.” I bring them to my mouth and suck.
“Always.”
Her answer spurs me on. “I can’t wait.” Adjusting our position, I thrust forward and enter her body. A new melody forms in my mind as we pummel toward completion.
When we’re resting, I hum the bars I heard when we made love. Nese toys with my hair. “That’s a nice song. Who plays it?”
“Me.” I kiss her hair. “Us.”
“Then I love it even more.” She listens to me hum it a few more times. A chorus forms:
I was living for others
Sharing in joys from afar
Offering help, when what I needed
Was someone to give it to me
And there was you.
Knowing my personal inclination is to keep this to myself—and Nese is the exact opposite—I ask, “Think I should share it with the guys? It could become our next hit, and only you will know it’s about you and me and how you make me feel.”
She turns toward me. “Oh, Coop. I love the sharing idea.” She kisses me. “And we definitely have to keep the genesis only for us.”
The woman who lived out loud wants to keep something for only us? “You got it.” I kiss her again.
And again.
The night before we’re scheduled to take off for Australia, Luke arranges for the band to meet up at a trendy club in Los Angeles.
Partially to be seen, since we’ve been off tour for a month.
But also to bring the group back together one last time for fun, before the tour officially starts and we’re “on the clock” again.
I adjust my watch. “This is the first time we’re going to be out with everyone as a couple. I have something to admit though.”
I pause. How will she take my revelation? I hope she’s not upset I confessed it to my best friend. Not everything, of course. He doesn’t know about Georgia or afterward. Nese interrupts my rambling thoughts.
“Admit what?” She bends down to adjust the strap on her sandal.
“I told Río we had sex.” The weight shifts between my legs. “Only about the first time.”
I allow the bomb to settle.
She straightens. “Oh. Yeah, I mentioned it to Jenna and Hayden when we went out for brunch. They teased me we were going to end up together.” She puts her hands on her hips. “Guess they were right.”
All of the ladies’ knowing looks when I was at Bennett’s house making s’mores fall into place. “They knew?”
“That we had sex in the pool? Yup.” She fixes her other sandal.
“It was private. Between us,” I argue.
“And now Río,” she points out.
She has me there. Looking at it from her point of view, she used to have sex with several partners. Until me.
Right?
I don’t want to know, but a part of me has to. “After we happened that first time, you didn’t go to bed with anyone else, did you?” Noah comes to mind. She went out with some people on UC’s crew for dinner on that one occasion too.
“Coop, I haven’t been with anyone except for you since that night.” She walks to my side and places her hand on my arm. “Full disclosure, I had opportunities, but I turned them all down. Because, well, they weren’t you.”
I let her words sink into my bones.
Hope goes off like a flare.
My heart feels lighter.
“I guess this won’t come as a surprise to them, huh?”
“I don’t know, Sugar,” she replies with a smirk. “I bet we’ll get some ‘I was right’s,’ but others will be shocked. How do you want to play it?”
I consider her question from multiple angles. “How about we simply walk in arm in arm?”