Chapter 3
RYAN
My head sinks into the pillow, a grin stretching across my face that I can’t hold back. Damn. That was… there are no words.
Cooper slips out of bed to use the bathroom, and I take a moment to catch my breath. When she returns, she leans down, reaching for her shirt.
“Uh-uh.” My voice comes out rough, lower than I intended. “Come back to bed. Don’t leave yet.” I try not to sound needy, but fuck, I’m not ready for this to end.
She hesitates, casting me a look, one eyebrow raised as if she’s considering her options. “Fine… just for a little longer. Do you have something comfy I can wear?”
“Yeah.” I stand to grab a T-shirt from my suitcase, wondering why she’d need one when I’ve already seen every inch of her. Tossing it her way, I watch as she slips it on, the edge skimming just past her thighs. I take my turn in the bathroom. When I return, the room’s dim, lit only by the faint glow of the TV. Cooper’s curled up under the light sheet, eyes following me as I slide in beside her. She shifts closer, draping a leg over mine, her hand tracing a slow path up my chest. Her face tilts up, and our lips meet.
She tugs gently on my bottom lip, teeth grazing. I groan. “God, when you do that…” My voice trails off as a sultry smile spreads across her face. My hand finds her thigh, fingers trailing the skin beneath the shirt. A rush hits me as I realize—she didn’t put anything else on. She shifts, her bare skin brushing against my hip, and that’s all it takes—I’m hard again, desire flaring even stronger than before.
She presses her lips to mine again, and I respond instantly, gripping her ass and pulling her body flush against mine.
She breaks the kiss, biting back a grin. “So… Ryan,” she murmurs, dragging a fingertip down my chest and abdomen. “Do you do this kind of thing often?”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “Not even close.” I pause, choosing my words carefully. “I was in a relationship for a while. Still adjusting to single life.” My thumb strokes her hip. “What about you? How often does a guy get lucky enough to have a night like this with you?”
A smile spreads across her lips. “Not often.” Her voice is quiet.
I raise an eyebrow. “Hard to believe.”
“Why is that?”
I shrug, my gaze drifting over her. “You’re gorgeous, confident, and, well… you did make the first move.”
She laughs, shaking her head. “That doesn’t mean I do this all the time.” Her fingers drift lower, tracing the line of my hip, close to where my cock aches with need. Every touch feels new, as if we didn’t just spend the last hour tangled up in each other.
A sharp breath escapes me as her fingers graze the inside of my thigh. Her eyes flick up, a smirk following. She’s in control, and I’m not sure I want that to end.
I move my hand down the curve of her ass, brushing lightly along her skin. She closes her eyes as my fingers glide over the sensitive spot at her core. “God,” she whispers, her lips finding mine. We melt together, losing ourselves again—hands exploring, breaths mingling. I slip a finger inside her, and her hand wraps around my length, her grip tightening, sparking a fresh surge of need between us. Our kiss deepens, urgent and almost desperate.
After a few intense moments, I pull back, catching my breath, my gaze locked on hers. “Cooper,” I murmur. “Where do you live? Because, fuck… I could do this again. As many times as you’ll let me.”
She laughs, but her expression’s unreadable. She rolls onto her back, and I’m afraid I just ruined the moment.
But then she turns to face me. “Ryan, don’t take this personally, okay? I’m just here for a good time—which I am definitely having, by the way. You’ve been amazing, but that’s all this is. I don’t want to answer personal questions because that’s how feelings get involved. And I don’t want any feelings, except the physical ones that feel good. So, ask me something else. Anything that doesn’t cross that line.”
I grin, unable to hide my admiration. “Damn. I’ve never met a woman like you.” It’s the truth. “So, what counts as a non-personal question?” I roll onto my side, scootching closer until our faces are only inches apart.
“I don’t know. Random questions that aren’t personal.” She laughs softly.
“Like?”
“Hmm. Like… what’s your favorite city in the world?” Her hand finds mine, fingers weaving between my own.
I grin, glad she’s willing to play along—at least a little. “Rome.”
“Why?” she asks. “In one sentence.”
I raise a brow. “One sentence? That's tough—there are too many great things about—”
She cuts me off, pressing a finger to my lips. “Shh. One. Sentence.”
There’s a heat in her eyes as I take her finger into my mouth, sucking it slowly, savoring the taste of her skin.
She grins. “That was hot… Now, convince me to go to Rome… in one sentence.”
“Fucking impossible.”
She laughs, and it’s the cutest damn thing I’ve ever heard. “Just try. I’ve never been.”
“Alright… You should go to Rome because in one ten-minute walk, you’ll see ancient ruins, incredible art, sip espresso, and eat the best damn food of your life.”
“Sounds amazing… What about the sex?” she asks with a grin.
I chuckle. “Depends on who you go with, I guess. Whoever goes with you is having some of the best sex of their life, but I can’t guarantee the same for you… unless you were there with me, of course.”
She bites her lip, nudging my shoulder. “Are you saying you want to take me to Rome? God, get to know me first, Ryan. You don’t even know where I live.” She laughs at her own joke, and I join in.
“What about you?” I ask. “Got a favorite city?”
She pauses, her expression thoughtful. “I don’t know if I have one favorite. Every time I go somewhere new, it feels like the best until I visit the next place. I love each city for something different.” Her eyes light up. “But my favorite trip would have to be a humanitarian trip I took to Africa when I was twenty.”
“That sounds cool. Tell me more about it… and feel free to use more than one sentence.”
“Alright. I went with three friends from college. We volunteered at an orphanage in South Africa, and it was… life-changing. It made me see just how much excess we live with, and it brought everything into focus—what really matters.” Her voice softens, almost wistful. “I wish I could carry that clarity with me every day, but you know… we come back and get swept up in the American way. It’s so easy to forget.”
As she speaks, I feel a surge of awe. And I know it’s crazy because I barely know her—I don’t know her—but there’s something here.
An unexpected ache of longing hits me. It’s like this irrational fear that I’ll never have the chance to fully know her before she slips away. I want to ask every personal question in the book. But I don’t. I reel it in, respecting her wishes.
“Sounds like I need to go to South Africa one day.”
“You definitely should.”
Silence stretches between us, thick with tension as my gaze travels over her face, committing every detail to memory. The freckle at the corner of her right eye, the bow in her lips, the rich, chocolate brown of her eyes. My thumb glides along her jaw, tracing up her cheek to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, my hand finally resting at her neck. I pull her to me, my lips claiming hers, drinking in the sweet taste of her. She meets me with equal intensity, her fingers digging into my back.
My hand slides beneath my shirt she’s wearing, her warm skin soft against my touch. My hand finds its way to her tits, and she gasps as I pinch her nipple between my fingers.
She arches into me, her voice a breathless whisper, but demanding in my ear, “Fuck me, Ryan.”
I chuckle against her mouth. “Anything you want, gorgeous.”
* * * * * ? * * * * *
My alarm startles me awake. I reach for my phone to hit snooze, but then remember Cooper, and I silence it instead. I place my phone back on the nightstand and turn to make sure I didn’t wake her.
The bed is empty.
I sit up slowly, blinking into the early morning light, running a hand through my hair, still groggy. My chest tightens as I scan the empty bed. Where the hell did she go?
I get up and open the curtains, letting the light trickle in. My eyes scan the room for her belongings, hoping maybe she just ran to grab coffee or use the bathroom, but everything’s gone. Purse, clothes—gone. She left. Seriously? Not even a goodbye? A weird mix of disappointment and confusion settles in. What the hell did I expect?
“Dammit,” I mutter under my breath. She’s gone, and the message is loud and clear: it was a one-night stand, and that’s all it was.
I step into the shower, the hot water pounding against my skin, waking me up—but it does nothing to wash away the thoughts at the back of my mind. Did I fuck up somehow? Was she not into it? No, she was definitely into it. That was some of the best sex I’ve ever had. It wasn’t just about that, though. I had fun—she had fun. I know she did. We talked, we laughed, we played… Dammit, I guess it was exactly what it was supposed to be. No strings.
As I towel off and get dressed, the confusion turns to frustration. I sit on the edge of the bed, ready to dive into some work emails to distract myself, but my phone rings. It’s Beth.
Shit. I send it to voicemail and toss the phone aside, the weight of it sitting heavy on my chest. My throat tightens, and I can’t quite shake the gnawing guilt creeping in. Why the hell would I feel guilty?
Images of last night flood my mind: Cooper’s lips on mine, her naked body pressed against me, and those sounds she made— fuck . But then Beth’s voice creeps in. Her laughter, her smile, all the moments we’ve shared over the past ten years. Last night with Cooper was intoxicating, but Beth’s presence feels like home. She knows me better than anyone.
I rub my forehead, trying to push it all down. Whatever I felt for Cooper no longer matters. She’s gone.
My phone dings with a voicemail. Beth again. Jesus . I play it, just to get rid of the notification.
“Hey… it’s me. Um…” There’s a long pause, followed by a sniffle. “Ryan…” her voice breaks. “I need to talk to you.” Her voice quivers. “It’s important. Call me back.”