Chapter Four - Coop
Coop loaded the bike into the back of Vick’s truck with a little help from Rick.
He kind of liked that the man wasn’t hesitant to jump in and do whatever was needed, even if he didn’t really know what he was doing.
It got the task completed faster, and Coop agreed to follow Rick over to the Waffle House.
It wasn’t the most romantic place in the world, not that they needed that, but it would work all the same.
There was a booth open in the back and Rick slid in across from him.
Coop tried to hide the disappointment from his face.
The man wasn’t nearly close enough, and Coop was so horny.
He always got worked up like that after a good race.
Well, after any riding, actually. Rick seemed nice, and he was certainly sexy, so he’d do. Rick would be an easy, fun time.
Rick peered over the top of the plastic card menu with his big brown eyes. “What’re you having?”
“You.”
“I mean to eat.” His cheeks pinked so nicely. Coop would not be able to resist flirting with him.
“Still you.”
Rick put the menu down. “Stop. We’ll get to that. Food first.”
Rick’s tone went from bashful and flirty to commanding faster than a gate drop at a race. Coop’s response was instant. He liked it. A lot. Familiar heat stirred in his groin. Time to order and eat fast so he could have Rick to himself. “Grilled chicken with hash browns, smothered and covered.”
“That sounds good. I think I’ll have that, too.”
“I normally eat way better than this. I’ll totally have to work the hash browns off.” Coop slid the menu across the table.
“Me too. But once in a while won’t hurt.”
“True.”
A server took the order and the menus, leaving Coop to stare across the table in silence. This wasn’t the way a hookup usually went for him. He had to say something, but he felt caught in Rick’s chocolaty eyes. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Uh...so are you from around here?”
“I have an apartment with a roommate off campus.”
“Campus? You’re in school?”
“Yeah. What about you?”
Coop had never been much good at school.
He’d been on a dirt bike before he ever thought about school, and that had been his education.
Mostly. He had a G.E.D. for whatever that was worth.
His mother had brought tutors galore to homeschool him, but he spent more time on the track than studying.
He wouldn’t let it make him feel inferior, though.
“I ride.” He held up his hand like it was a foregone conclusion.
“Generally, I live with my folks down in Savannah, but I’m meeting my coach, Dane, at his place tomorrow.
Or I’ll crash at Vick’s. I have to get some practice time in with Dane before the season starts, and that’s soon.
Too soon. It’s like southeast of here near, get this, Cross Swamp.
” Coop chuckled. “The names people come up with.”
Rick didn’t laugh. “Oh.” He glanced down at the table. Coop wondered what he was thinking, but before he could ask, the server was back.
She slid two water glasses on the table. “Food will be up in just a minute, y’all. Can I get you anything else?”
They declined. What Coop wanted wasn’t something she could bring him. Maybe no one could.
“So you’re what? In a hotel tonight?” Rick asked.
“More than likely, I’m sleeping in the truck.” He thumbed toward the window where he could see his vehicle in the parking lot. “Vick went off with women, so...”
“Who’s Vick? The guy peeling those women off you at the end of your race?” Was he jealous? Coop certainly hoped he was.
“Yeah, that’s Vick. He’s my best friend. We grew up together. He’s way spoiled. His parents were in the same country club as mine.” He rolled his eyes dramatically. “He doesn’t ride, but he’s always been there for me.”
“Friends are important.”
“Yeah, but they’re not everything.”
“What do you mean—?”
The server placed plates of food on the table. The scent of the grilled chicken had Coop’s stomach growling. He picked it up and took a big bite. Not bad. As he chewed, he watched Rick dump ketchup on his own sandwich. A ton of it. He swallowed. “You’re ruining that.”
Rick scrunched up his nose. “Everything’s better with ketchup.”
Coop thought he was cute, but ketchup was gross. “Whatever.”
Rick’s sinful humming when he took his first bite put very dirty and inappropriate thoughts in Coop’s head. He wanted to hear more of it, but in bed. They ate quietly for a bit, until most of Coop’s food was gone.
“Coop?”
“Yeah?” He forked up the rest of his hash browns.
“Maybe, uh...you could, uh...”
“Spit it out.”
“Fine. Maybe you could come stay with me tonight? I mean, my roommate won’t mind if you stay over, and I hate thinking of you sleeping in that truck, especially if you have to ride tomorrow.”
Bingo. “That’s really nice of you, but...” Coop protested, knowing he would totally take Rick up on his offer, and hopefully sleep in his bed.
“Seriously. Come on.” He held up a hand, encouragingly.
“You don’t even know me.”
“I know enough.”
Does he? Did Coop know enough about Rick? They were both young and eager for fun. Rick was totally sexy, and the scorching energy was already pinging between them. He couldn’t deny wanting that. “Well...you don’t look like a serial killer or anything.”
When Rick smiled, the light in the room increased tenfold. He was stunning. All-around gorgeous, but it was the spark in his eyes that hooked Coop. Then he wiggled his eyebrows. “Yeah?” And that oh so charming smile! Coop couldn’t resist him if he wanted to.
“Yeah. Okay. I’m sure it will be better than sleeping in the truck.” Coop pulled his phone out of his back pocket. “Let me text Vick where I’ll be. Not that he’d worry or wonder. Fucker.”
He followed Rick uptown toward the university.
Apparently, he lived in an apartment complex near there with his roommate, Drew.
Coop wasn’t interested in meeting the guy at all.
It was too much like meeting the parents, leaving a nervous twitch under his collar.
Coop was the bad boy, the rebel, not the nice kid-next-door you brought home to mama.
Or roommate. He huffed to himself but still pulled up next to him in the parking lot in front of a chain-link fence.
He put the truck in park and took a long breath.
Would sex with Rick be worth all of this?
If the roommate were there, they probably wouldn’t get all that far anyway.
At least he’d have a better place to sleep than the hard bench seat in the truck.
He slung his duffle over his shoulder and got out.
“How safe is my bike going to be?” he asked, jutting his thumb toward the truck.
Rick glanced at the bed of the truck where he had his 450 strapped down.
“Oh. We don’t have problems like that here.
We have security patrolling.” He shrugged.
“I don’t think it’s a problem. Come on.” He nodded to the front of the complex.
It wasn’t a huge place but still sported three stories in a U configuration with a pool area in the center.
Rick led him to a ground-floor corner unit on the far side.
He would prefer to see his bike out a window or something, but he could live with it for one night.
“Here’s my place.” Rick opened the door and gestured for him to enter.
His heart pounded hard in his chest as he stepped into the open living room.
Surely, this couldn’t be as difficult as racing.
He took another breath and exhaled through his nose.
The apartment was nice. Black appliances and dark cabinetry, not like he thought college students’ dorms would be, lined the wall to the left.
To the right was a couch that was in decent shape, but obviously not new.
It faced a flat screen on a stand that held game consoles, but what really stood out was the big ass print of a military plane on the far wall.
When he stepped around the couch, he found other prints, this time of helicopters, three of them hung in a column between the window and the wall.
“Those are Blackhawks,” Rick said, pointing to the pictures.
“Okay?” He glanced at Rick, looking for some sign that he was a military fanatic, but he looked normal.
“We’re in ROTC. I’m going to be an officer.”
Well, Coop had been wrong. “At least I know you’re not going to kill me, though I bet you could.”
“Shut up.” Rick blushed.
“Hey, that you, Rick?” came from the hallway.
Coop froze.
Rick put his hand on Coop’s shoulder. Warmth flooded through him.
He was pretty damn sure he wanted more of that—Rick touching him.
“Relax,” he whispered, then yelled, “Yeah!” He nodded toward the hallway.
“That’s my room.” He pointed to the door on the right, then stuck his head in the left. “I have someone over. Okay?”
Coop couldn’t hear the answer, and he didn’t care.
He was in Rick’s room. It was dark, but he could see well enough from the light peeking in through the blinds.
He had a desk and dresser on the other side of the bed.
A model of an airplane, like the one in the picture in the living room, hung from the ceiling above the desk.
Across the bed, he’d hung pictures of army dudes in green camo jumping out of the plane.
Another of them parachuting like black mushrooms against a blue sky.
He found an en suite bathroom. “Great. Can I take a shower?”
“Yeah, sure. Clean towels under the sink.”
Coop went in and shut the door, happy for a quick moment of privacy.
He didn’t want Rick to see him melting. He had to maintain his cool front.
Maybe it was all the military-esque decor, but more than a college education was separating them.
Rick was like noble or some shit. Serving his country and loving it.
Something Coop had never even considered.