Chapter Thirty-one – Hanging by a Moment #3
If you’d asked me at twenty-one, when I’d been wildly in love with Eddie, I would have said yes. I would have said I wanted to be a better parent than mine had been. That I wanted to give my love to not only my husband but also any child we brought into the world.
Now, I was wondering if I could keep a long-term relationship alive.
“I can practically feel your anxiety growing in my sleep.” Cooper’s voice was deep and husky, as if I’d dragged him back from a hundred-year slumber.
“Go back to sleep. You’re exhausted,” I said softly.
He rolled onto his side, and his blue eyes were a stormy gray in the flickering television lights. He reached out, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear for the third time today. I knew because I’d counted each and every one.
“I can think of better things to do than sleep,” he said, thumb coasting over my bottom lip, sending a delightful shiver through me.
His hands went to my waist, pulling me closer as his head descended and his mouth found mine. The kiss was slow and lingering. A lazy, sleep-filled exploration. And it ignited every cell in my body, taking it from ice to flame in one long stroke of his tongue.
My nails dug into his shoulders, my hips shifted into his, and the idea of letting him rest slipped away on a sea of desire.
A hum of pleasure escaped as his lips and tongue and teeth seared a path down my neck, hovering over the pulse beating there.
And then…he bit me. Not a soft little nip, but an actual bite.
Shocked, my eyes flew open to find Cooper smiling. That large, full smile that could cause a freeway pile-up.
“Said you could take it, baby.”
I laughed softly.
“Made me hard as a rock in my parents’ kitchen and then left me alone with my father.”
“Payback for every single time you’ve opened a door for me or zipped my coat or told me you see a future for us. Pretty hard to go on with my day after those moments.”
“Yeah?” His brows raised, a pleased look appearing in his eye. “If that’s all it takes to get you wound up, we’re going to be spending a lot of time right here in this bed, because I guarantee I’m going to continue opening doors for you and making sure you wear a damn coat.”
The swelling of my heart made it difficult to breathe, let alone say anything.
I leaned in, placing a series of kisses on his chest, slowly sliding downward, exploring, with lips and tongue, every groove and line of him.
He groaned as I slid my hands below the waistband of his sweats, closing over the long length of him.
He surprised me once again by pulling my hands up and flipping me on my back.
“You keep touching me, and I’m going to go off just like you did with nothing more than my lips on those pretty breasts.”
“What’s wrong with that?” I asked.
“Baby.” He shook his head, gaze boring into mine. “We do this tonight, and I’m not going over the edge until you’ve had your turn and are ready to take another leap right alongside me.”
I fought back the emotions his words brought because it was such a complete contradiction to what I’d experienced with Eddie.
But I didn’t want that man anywhere near my memories of this night with Cooper, so I shoved all those thoughts aside, ran my hands over Cooper’s shoulders, and made sure every syllable carried a tease as I quoted, “'Teamwork makes the dream work.’”
His chuckle vibrated through me, igniting me more.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this? Tonight? Now?” he asked, concern drawing his brows together.
“Shut up and kiss me again.”
And he did. Except, it was no longer a slow discovery. Instead, every stroke, every lick held a determined purpose—one ensuring I was soft and loose and ready. Ensuring I went over the edge first, just as he’d insisted I would.
Nothing about his focus made me panic this time. He wasn’t a man taking power and control away. He was handing me the ability to let go while ensuring I got what I needed.
So I did just that…I let go. Let myself be consumed by every touch, every move, every caress.
Our clothes practically melted away, disappearing with sleights of hand, until there was nothing between us but skin and the blaze of his fingers skimming over my throat, down the valley between my breasts, along the swell of my hip, and into my heat.
Every shift, every curl, every pump heightened the delightful ache. My back arched into him, legs moving restlessly, while the beautiful tension rose and rose and rose…until I cried out with pleasure as my body shook for what felt like an eternity.
And in that moment, with every fiber of my being engulfed in the feel and scent and sound of him, three little words tumbled from my lips. Words I knew were too soon. Too fast. Too much. But they fell anyway.
“I love you.”
I wasn’t sure if he actually heard me. He didn’t acknowledge them or say them back.
Instead, his mouth captured mine once more, assailing me with more uncontrollable passion that required my complete surrender.
Not helplessly. Not in fear. But as a way of merging into something new.
So we could become the us his dreams had unlocked in the deep recesses of my soul.