Chapter 30
“SO LET ME get this straight… You were lying in bed with a nearly naked Nick Rowen, who had just kissed your fingertips, and you fell asleep?”
I laugh lightly as I pour myself a cup of coffee and glance out the window at Marlow and Kale playing catch. “Yeah, that’s what happened.” I move my cell to my other shoulder to hear Gwen better.
“Was your car in your driveway when you came home?” she asks.
“Yep.”
“What did he say in the morning? Did you wear his shirt home? Did he kiss you again?”
I grin from ear to ear. “He told me he watched me sleep. He said he couldn’t stop staring at me.”
“I’m not sure if that’s romantic or creepy,” Gwen states with disdain.
“It sounded sweet.” I laugh. “As for your other questions, I changed back into my dress and yes.”
“Yes, he kissed you?”
I smile. “Lightly on the lips. Nothing passionate about it.”
“Are you going to see him again?”
“I suppose. At the game. Now enough about me! I want to hear about Cooper!”
“Oh man… I don’t even know where to start!”
“At the beginning, duh!” I laugh. I glance out the window again and observe Kale showing Marlow how to angle her arm to throw better. I love it when they get along.
“When I got to his house, he opened the door before I even hit the walkway. He was waiting for me with a big ole Cooper smile. Then he said, ‘Hey, gorgeous, ready to shoot up some stuff?’”
I laugh and roll my eyes. Typical Cooper.
“He was dressed in dark stonewash jeans and a black sweater. They were those jeans that accent the thighs and ass in all the right places. I have to say, he looked hot.”
“I bet he tried extra hard to look good for you,” I tell her.
“Well, whatever his plan, it worked. He asked me to come in and he showed me around his house. It’s small but enough for one person. He’s pretty meticulous for a manly man.”
“I bet it’s the Marine in him.”
“Yep, that’s exactly what he said when I complimented him on it.
Anyway, he showed me his gun case. It was drool worthy.
He’s got some high-powered stuff. If the end of the world is ever drawing near, we’re going to Coop’s house.
” She laughs but still manages to convey seriousness.
“He asked if I was ready to go and led me to his garage. He has a sweet Jeep Wrangler Freedom Edition with the Oscar Mike fender badges and a 2010 Chevy Camaro z28. He said he bought the Camaro used and had to fix it up. I chose the Camaro because it was way cool, but I made him promise me a ride in the jeep with the top off if we ever have another warm day.”
“Another date, then?” I ask with hope.
“Anyway…” She brushes over my comment of course.
I roll my eyes. “He took me about an hour north to a private range. We went inside and he asked to see my gun. He handled it like the warrior he is. He asked me if I knew anything about it and then offered me a short history lesson on Glocks and the Smith and Wesson line. He’s very serious when it comes to firearms, and it was a major turn-on. ”
I smile as I glance out the window once more just to make sure the kids are still in the back yard. All is well.
“He gave me some ear protection to wear and stood behind me to show me how to line up and aim. It could just be me, but I’m pretty sure he took his time explaining so he could keep his arms around me.”
“Oohhh!” I sing in excitement. “So?”
“Umm… yeah. I can’t lie. He smelled like sex.
His arms were muscular and strong, and I made sure to press my back up firmly against his chest. He didn’t seem to mind.
He leaned his face against mine, supposedly to get a better aim through my gun, but the second his soft beard rubbed against my cheek, I knew I wanted him. Bad.”
“Woo hoo!” I shout. Gwen laughs into the phone. “What happened next?”
“Well, we didn’t shoot right away. Once his cheek was against mine and my body tensed, he asked me if I was bothered by how close he was to me.
I told him I wasn’t bothered as much as I was hot and bothered.
He laughed and then I felt his lips near my ear.
His breath gave me goose bumps. He told me he really liked me and that I fit perfectly into his arms. Then he said he might be firing a different gun if he stayed that close to me.
He tightened his hold on me and I accidentally shot.
Would you believe I hit the marker’s chest? ”
“What did Cooper say?”
“He was impressed. I fired that gun at least fifty times before he let me try one of his. He insisted that he show me how it was done, so I backed away and watched him first. The man has awesome aim. And… he’s really tall and really firm everywhere, and when he shot that gun, holy fuck. It was hot.”
“Who knew the way to your heart was through a pistol?” I laugh.
“So anyway, after we shot off a load of ammo, I offered to buy more for him since most of it was his, but of course, he refused. I don’t think he’d ever let me pay for anything.
We went out for a quick bite to eat and talked about everything.
He had me laughing the whole night. My cheeks were killing me.
On the drive home he reached over and took my hand in his.
It’s twice the size of mine. When we got back to his place it was almost ten and he asked me to come in for a bit. ”
“Did you?” I ask as I take out some ground beef to make spaghetti for dinner.
“Yeah, I did. He offered me a drink and we sat on the couch discussing movies. We ended up on the floor, going through his extensive Blu-ray collection. Then we started in on music. We have a lot in common. We watched the first ‘Mission Impossible’ movie. He wrapped his arm around me, and before I knew it I was completely affixed to him and my thigh was touching his.”
“Oh shit!”
“Honest to God, Ev. I was burning up. He was hot in every way, shape, and form. He’s tough yet soft.
It’s an attractive combination. In the middle of the movie, I lifted my hand and placed it on his thigh.
He turned to face me, and when I lifted my gaze to his, he said, ‘Fuck the movie.’ Next thing I knew his mouth was on mine and he was on top of me on his floor. ”
“Oh my God!” I squeal.
“His mouth… holy shit. The man can kiss. He pressed into me, and I swear he’s got the biggest bulge I’ve ever felt in my life.”
“Wait, did you sleep with him?” I whisper as I glance outside to make sure I can still see the kids and they didn’t hear me.
“God no! We just made out for a while. He might have grabbed my ass, but other than that it was just a lot of pressing and tongue. You know I have a weakness for a man who knows how to kiss.”
“And Coop?” I question. “Did he disappoint?”
“He definitely knows what he’s doing.”
“I’m so happy for you!”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, that was last night and I haven’t heard from him since he texted me to make sure I got home okay.”
“Is he working?”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe he’s just busy.”
She pauses. “Holy shit!” she shouts before she laughs.
“What?”
“He just texted me. It’s like he heard me or something!”
“See!”
“Yeah, maybe. We’ll just leave it at maybe.”
IT’S THE END of my shift and I’m dragging ass.
I stagger to my car, yawning the entire way.
I reach in my pocket to get my keys, and as I glance up, I see Nick.
He’s leaning against my van in a dark blue suit and he’s holding a cup of coffee in his hands.
My hair is in a ponytail and I’m not wearing an ounce of makeup, yet the way he smiles at me makes me feel beautiful.
“Good morning.”
“Hi,” I mouth, but I have no air.
“I wanted to make sure you had coffee. I’m worried about you driving home tired.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m used to not getting much sleep,” I assure him with a wave of my hand.
“Well, last night was my fault.”
“Yes it was. You should work on being less attractive.” I gaze up at him through the tops of my eyes and jiggle my keys in my hand nervously.
He smiles briefly before he hands me the cup of coffee. I immediately take a sip. It’s hot with cream and sugar, just like I like it. He never ceases to amaze me with what he remembers.
“I’m headed to work. I just wanted to stop by, make my delivery, and get my answer.”
“Your answer?” I question.
“I asked you to promise we’d go out again. I’m still waiting.”
I smile at him. “My answer is… maybe.”
He shakes his head, sighs, and takes a step closer to me. The smell of his cologne does something to my heart. I feel my pulse race. He inches closer and pushes a stray hair behind my ear before he leans in and whispers, “What did you say?”
“Maybe…” I stammer.
He kisses the tip of my earlobe, then just underneath my ear before I feel his hot breath whisper, “What was that?”
I close my eyes and steady myself. I can’t deny how crazed he makes me feel, and I mumble, “Okay… yes.”
He plants a tender kiss on my lips, and I linger in the air for more when he moves away. “Better. Now go home and get some rest. I’ll text you later.”
I nod, and he kisses my forehead before he smiles and jumps into his car. He motions for me to do the same, and I know he’s waiting to make sure I drive off safely before he leaves.
As I drive away, I watch him wave and turn in the opposite direction toward his office. I stop at a light and lift my coffee for another sip. It’s then that I see his writing on the cup. You’re more than enough.
I may be falling for him and it scares me. I won’t be hurt again. I won’t allow myself to fall down another hole.