15. Chapter 15
Chapter fifteen
Sutton
M y heart slams against my chest as I’m startled awake by a loud screeching. Grumbling, I roll over to the sound of my alarm going off. The beeping feeling simultaneously all too soon and like I’ve had enough sleep to last me a lifetime. Stretching out in bed, I’m reminded of last night with every move of my beautifully sore muscles.
Of the world-shattering sex Cooper and I had.
It was like nothing I had ever had before.
Yeah, I knew we had off-the-charts chemistry.
But he made up for all of our wasted time. It was like we were both jacked up on lust-laced Viagra.
Not that I’m complaining.
I’ll never complain about being that thoroughly spent.
I mean, shit, I don’t think I’ve ever come that hard. Not even when I DJ on my favorite solo night of the week, Masturbation Monday. Not that I’ve gotten to celebrate that particular day in a while. And now that Cooper and I are fucking—have fucked. God, I hope it’s going to be for more than one night—I don’t foresee needing such a night anymore. Not with having a horny Hercules in bed who is more than willing to match my high sex drive.
And while I now know he can deliver an orgasm like no other with his mouth, the two of us coming together in such a primal, hungry way was something more. Something about last night was different.
Shutting off my alarm, I roll over to find Cooper’s side of the bed already empty.
It’s only six a.m., and the man is already up.
I admire and hate him for it.
Can’t he be a normal human being for once? Be a little lazy and not wake up before the sun to get his morning run in or whatever he does.
Groaning, I push myself out of bed and into the shower. Every drop of water on my skin reminds me of how good last night was. The feeling of Cooper’s body pressed so firmly against mine as we brought each other past the brink of pleasure.
I trail my hands over my body, imagining Cooper slinking into the shower with me for another round before I have to head to work.
Get it together, Sut. Now is not the time to be horny. You have work to do.
I shake off all sexual thoughts of Cooper and his cock, trading the mental images for the least sexy things I can think of, like my grandma when she was on oxygen, smoking as she would say mean things to my mom every holiday. Nothing kills a lady boner like a hacking bitch of a grandma.
After I shower and blow-dry my hair, I slip into a modest wrap dress and heels before running a coat of mascara over my eyes and brushing bronzer on my cheeks.
In the kitchen, I find Cooper sitting at the table, his hair mussed and glasses sitting on his face. Two plates sit in front of him, one with half-eaten eggs and bacon and the other full of the same, plus avocado toast on the side, while his gaze is focused on his laptop.
“Is that for me?” I ask, sliding into the chair beside him.
“Who else would I feed?”
I shrug. “Maybe the other woman you’re seeing.”
He looks up, taking off his glasses. “There is no one else. Only you.”
“That’s what you say to all the girls.”
He grabs my chin, turning my face to his as he leans in closer. “There is no one else. Do you understand?”
His brown eyes give no hint of jokes or lies. I nod, and he dips his mouth to mine, pressing a tender kiss that I want to savor forever onto my lips.
He loosens his grip. Kissing me one more time before letting me go. “Good. Eat up, baby.”
I tear a bite out of my toast. “Since when did you get so nurturing?”
He looks me over curiously. “I’ve always been this way. Maybe you’re just starting to pay attention.”
“Please,” I laugh. “I let you coat my insides with your baby juice, and now you are obsessed. Admit it.”
The corners of Cooper’s lips turn up into the most painstakingly beautiful grin. “Oh, I am a thousand percent obsessed. But that doesn’t change the fact that I have always tried to take care of you, whether you let yourself see it or not.”
“Bullshit,” I tease. “Until we changed our relationship into a physical one, you were nothing but a pain in my ass.”
He shakes his head, standing up to scrape his plate off into the trash before placing it in the dishwasher. “Okay, believe what you want. You’re wrong, but okay.”
I can’t help but think about Cooper’s words for the rest of the day.
“I have always tried to take care of you, whether you let yourself see it or not.”
There’s no way it’s true.
Until recently, he was nothing more than Nate’s annoying friend, albeit super hot, but still very, very annoying friend.
Memories fill my day as I try to concentrate on my job. Phone interviews with potential employees fall flat because all I can think about is him.
Has Cooper always tried to take care of me?
I mean, yeah, he’s driven me home multiple times when I’ve been drinking.
He always carries my things for me.
Whenever I’m having a bad day, he always tries to make me smile.
Sure, Cooper is the first one to go along with my schemes when they involve pranks.
And yes, I guess he did let me stay with him without a second of hesitation the night of my failed wedding.
He stayed and cleaned my house with me when he could have bolted the moment he dropped me off.
And he agreed to pretend to date me to get Dillon to leave.
Fuck, he didn’t have to do any of that.
He never had to do any of those things.
Yet he did. He’s always been there for me, even when I was being a bitch to him.
Even when it would have been easier for him to stay out of it. He’s stood by my side, being a rock for me to lean on.
How have I never noticed everything he does for me?
Have I been so caught up in my own world and embarrassment that I wrote him off completely when he’s always been there for me?
“And that’s how I landed the biggest project of my career,” the voice says through the phone, breaking my thought process.
Shit, I’m in the middle of interviewing someone.
I clear my throat, thankful this is a preliminary phone interview and that they couldn’t tell I had drifted off into a Cooper thought bubble. “That’s quite the accomplishment. Please be sure to pass that story along during your next interview with the partners.”
“My next interview?” the candidate asks. “So that means I did okay?”
I laugh. “Of course. Your resume is outstanding, and based on our conversation, I see no reason why I shouldn’t push you through to the next step.” Honestly, unless he said something insane during my daydreaming, there’s no reason not to. He’s a great candidate for the position, and I’d love nothing more than to fill this position with someone of his talents.
“Thank you so much, Ms. Hale. Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. Be on the lookout for an email to set up your next interview.”
After hanging up the phone, I immediately send out a text to Viv.
Sutton -
SOS!
Vivian
Again?
We are now at DEFCON 1.
I’ll be there in fifteen.
I arrive at the coffee shop only a few minutes before Viv. I spot her the moment she bounces out of her car, bounding toward the coffee shop without a second glance at her surroundings.
Sticking my fingers in my mouth, I let out a loud, ear-piercing whistle. But she doesn’t stop.
I groan. This woman .
I whistle again without success.
Taking a deep breath, I let out the turkey call I thought I’d never have to use again. In college, we would use the sound to alert each other to an unattractive suitor’s approach. It was a call that said “come to me right now.”
She stops dead in her tracks, glancing around the parking lot for where the sound came from.
I let out the gobbling noise again, ashamed that I still have it in me.
Her gaze finally lands on me after twenty seconds of looking around, and she immediately frowns as she stomps toward the alley behind the café.
When she gets closer, I wave for her to continue walking toward me until we’re both standing behind the giant black dumpster that reeks of rotten food.
“Seriously?” She eyes my outfit. “Camo and a bird call…”
“I’m trying to be incognito.”
“And the nasty, trash-ridden alley?”
“Same reason, duh.”
She sighs as I stick my hand out with the coffee I got her.
She takes it without question and pulls it up to her lips. “Spill.”
“I don’t know where to start.”
She takes a long sip of her coffee. “How about we start with the fact you’ve recently had sex?”
My eyes widen. “How did you know?”
“Please.” She rolls her eyes. “You have a big-ass hickey on your collarbone that you’re hiding horribly, and your lips are puffier than normal, which means either they’ve been getting sucked on or you’ve been sucking on something.”
I blink back my shock. “He gave me a hickey?” I look down at my chest and yep , just as she said, there’s a fresh love bite peeking out from under the strap of my camo dress. “That motherfucker.”
“Sooooo?” Her face lights up with a teasing smile. “Care to share?”
Nerves prickle up my arms, all the way to my chest, as I blurt out, “I had sexual intercourse with Cooper Shaw… More than once.”
A wicked grin overtakes her face as she leans back against the grimy dumpster and busts out laughing.
“Vivian, it’s not funny.”
She continues to laugh. “Yes, yes it is.”
I groan, covering my face with my hands. “Fine, laugh it all up. I know it must be so freaking funny that Cooper and Sutton have been doing the naked tango.”
“That’s not what’s funny about it, darling.”
“Then what is?”
“The fact that it took you so damn long to get there.”
I squint at her. “I’m not following.”
“Sut, since when are you nervous about telling me you’ve been sleeping with a guy?”
“Never,” I say matter-of-factly, because it’s true. I tell Viv every raunchy, debauched story I can.
“Why do you think that is?”
I drop my head and stare at my hands, my fingers fidgeting and twisting together. “’Cause it’s Cooper… And me.”
“Because it means something to you.”
“Pshh.” I wave her off. She always has to make things into something more than they are.
“Admit it. It’s more than sex, isn’t it?”
I swallow. “I don’t know.”
She waits, silently staring.
“Fine. It’s so much more. It’s confusing and terrifying. When I am with him, everything feels right.”
“Then why are you confused and scared?”
“Because you’ve seen the guys I date. Hell, I almost married Dillon. My judgment in the romance department is a little flawed.”
“Do you think Coop is like those other guys?”
“No. He is nothing like them. He’s the complete opposite. Which is the problem. He’s kind and dependable. He looks after me. And don’t get me started on the way that man knows how to use his body.”
“I’m still not seeing the issue here.”
“The issue is me. I’m going to fuck it up. He’s too good, and I’m just Slut-ton.”
“Oh, Sut.” Her eyes soften, and she leans forward, taking my hands into hers. “It’s okay to be scared to mess up. But it’s not okay to let that fear hold you back from someone amazing like Cooper.”
I take a deep breath. “I don’t know how not to be scared.”
“It will pass the more you let yourself enjoy what’s happening.”
“Okay.”
“Okay, now tell me everything.” She swats my hands excitedly.
“I think I have a breeding kink.”