THE HEART TEACHES BEST (REAL ROMANCE COLLECTION Book 2)

by M. J. Schiller

  “You ready to go to sleep, babe?” Laney asked.

  “Sure.” He hunted up the remote and snapped the TV off while she shuffled papers and returned them to her briefcase. She reached up and pulled the chain on the bedside lamp and slid down beneath the covers as he bounced his way to the top of the bed.

  He climbed under the sheets and rolled on his side to pull her close, his arms wrapped around her. It felt so good, so right, being next to her. Ever since their trip to the mountains, however, he’d become dissatisfied with their current arrangement. Every night they would go to sleep together, but sometime during the night, one of them would have to leave. They usually wound up over at Cooper’s with Aidan and Jenna, so most of the time it was Laney stealing away in the middle of the night to return to her new condo, a pretty place near the school, although Cooper objected to the level of crime in the neighborhood. But having had the pleasure of waking up to her every morning in Aspen, he didn’t understand the reasoning behind their current nighttime separation. When pressed, Laney would say something about being a teacher, and setting a good example, but, more and more, Cooper hated waking to an empty bed.

  “You’re quiet tonight,” she said after a while.

  “Am I?” he responded noncommittally.

  She rolled over in his arms. “Did I do something to make you mad?”

  It’s not what you did, it’s what you’re going to do in a few hours. “No, of course not,” he responded, kissing her nose, but she seemed to note his hesitation in responding. The two of them were so rarely out of synch, the slightest division felt like a huge chasm to them both.

  She rolled back over. He loved the way it felt to have his arms around her, offering her safe harbor and warmth. He loved the sound of her breathing next to him in the dark, even when their legs were barely touching, or their hands.

  After a while, he began to run his hand along her smooth sides in a preamble they both recognized as a precursor to dark pleasures. His hands glided over her satiny skin, up and down, taking this simple pleasure before demanding more. Her breath stilled in anticipation as his hand slid underneath her cotton panties, cruising along her hip, his body becoming hard and tense in response. Then he was caressing her backside, rubbing and squeezing her flesh alternately, his breath quickening. His hands skimmed across her pelvic bone, one finger underneath the waistband of her panties, his palm traveling across the flatlands of her stomach. And his hand kept coming, coming, until he slipped fingers beneath the bottom of her bra, feeling the cool, super-soft skin under her full breasts.

  Removing the fingers, he slid both hands now over the slick fabric of her bra, squeezing her breasts tightly, then, releasing them, coming farther up until he felt silk give way to the mounding flesh above the cups of fabric holding them. With painstaking slowness, he unbuttoned and removed her denim shirt, which used to be his, but which she had taken to wearing sometimes at night, when grading or watching a movie together. She lifted herself so he could slip the fabric down over her shoulders, kissing them as they were revealed, and balling the shirt up to toss it aside.

  Cooper brought his hands to Laney’s breasts again as they laid back, sliding down her cleavage until his fingers met, and back up, testing the curves and letting her fill his hands. He ran a finger along the edge of her bra, teasing her, and he felt her tense in anticipation. Then a finger flicked under the fabric, touching her nipple. He heard her sharp intake of breath as she arched, bringing one hand behind his head, running her sharp fingernails along the back of his neck, kneading and tangling in his hair. Cooper jerked down on the fabric to expose her breast more, circling and squeezing and pinching as she began to moan, pressing her breasts into the palm of his hand in a movement that told him more, give me more. As he touched her, he began to trail his lips down her neck and shoulder, the warmth and moisture of his lips and tongue forcing a moan from her lips, an exhale of his name saturated with pure need.

  The sound of her voice, so laced with desire, incited him all the more, and he sunk his teeth into her flesh in a possessive gesture that said, you’re mine now. His hand, strong and sure, pressed across her flesh, pulling her pelvis even closer and then pushed her panties down to the top of her thighs, before diving between her legs. She was almost frantic now, crying out for him and he began to stroke her in lazy, teasing circles, before plunging a finger inside her. Her hand came back behind her to find him, hot, and hard as she ran her palm along him.

  She turned in his arms and began to kiss hungrily down his torso, as she removed his underwear, her breath warm and moist against his skin, her mouth taking him in, teeth scraping along his flesh, sending his mind hurtling over the edge. Grabbing her shoulders, he rolled, pushing her back against the bed, tearing at her underwear to remove it, enjoying the feel of her calf as he slid the fabric down and off her foot. He began to stroke her again, more insistent, pushing into her and watching her face in the glow of the alarm clock as he took her, drove her, over the edge. She shivered, calling out his name as she climaxed, and after, in pleasure, as her body melted back against the sheets.

  He brought his mouth to her skin, kissing lightly, while she enjoyed her release, rubbing again, all over, bending her leg up to feel her feet and calves. He wandered again to her breasts, pulling on the fabric, which had fallen back in place. He brought his mouth down, his tongue beginning to tease again, flicking, and then suckling, giving her sweet pain with his teeth as she began to moan again and rise with him. When she could take it no longer he drove himself into her, feeling the mini-release as they were at last coupled. He began to move, pulling away to remain teasingly at the periphery, listening to her panting, almost whimpering as she wanted more of him. Her hands moved to his backside to pull him in and he obliged, plunging into her. He grabbed her wrists to pull them over her head, securing them with one hand as he brought his mouth down again to ravage her breast. He sucked and nipped as he brought himself into her again and again, and as they both neared oblivion, he buried his face in her hair.

  Laney could hear his urgency and matched it with her own until he filled her with warmth and light and pleasure and collapsed on top of her, a comforting weight, reminding her of the lead cape worn in the dentist’s office to protect patients from harmful rays. He molded to her in similar fashion, her mind filled with the incredible sensations she knew would soon fade away. When he moved to separate from her, she let out a cry of disappointment, but then a hum of pleasure as she caught her breath. She rolled behind him, pressing her breasts against his back, relishing the feel of skin on skin, her arm wrapped beneath his as it crossed over his chest, tucking under his shoulder. She rubbed his arm lazily.

  She knew they had melded together when she woke up a few hours later and she had to tear herself from his side, seeming to leave a part of herself behind. She withdrew her arm and rolled over slowly so as not to disturb him. She lifted the sheets a few inches and swung her foot out. Cooper turned over and lunged, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her back to him. She laughed as he rose above her, shaking the hair out of his eyes, his chest gorgeous in the moonlight making its way through the slit in the curtains. His face was solemn. “I don’t like you leaving this way.”

  “Cooper, we’ve been through this…”

  “I don’t care! I don’t like to feel you pull away from me every time we’re together. I don’t want to worry about whether or not you got home okay. I want to wake up next to the woman I love with the sun coming in the windows to welcome us to a new day. Dammit, Lane! I want you to marry me!”

  She laughed in surprise, but then saw he was serious. “Was that supposed to be a marriage proposal?” she said, still laughing a little.

  “Yeah, it’s supposed to be a marriage proposal! What the hell else would it be?” He sighed, resting his forehead on hers. “Laney, you drive me crazy!”

  “And that’s what you want every day of your life?”

  “You know it is! Say you will, Lane.” The hint of despe
ration in his voice undid her.

  “I will,” she said quietly, smiling up at him.

  “You will?”

  She nodded, laughter welling up inside.

  “WHOOOIEEE!” he hooted, ecstatic.

  “Cooper, you’ll wake Aidan!”

  “I don’t care,” he said, kissing her.

  Aidan tore the door open as if there was a fire. He stood in the doorway in his boxers, his hair all over the place. “What the hell’s going on?”

  “She’s going to marry me!” Cooper sat up and almost pulled the sheets off Laney, who desperately tried to pull them back.

  “Cooper!” she yelped.

  “No kiddin’?” Aidan said with a sleepy grin.

  “Cooper!” Laney continued to pull on the cover, trying to restore some sense of her dignity.

  “No kiddin’!” Cooper responded.

  “Congratulations!”

  “Thanks, man.”

  “COOPER!” Laney shouted.

  “Oh, sorry, babe!” Cooper shifted to give her more of the sheet. But then he surprised her by jumping on top of her. “So, if you’ll excuse us, I’m going to celebrate with my fiancé.” He started kissing her.

  Laney slapped at him, embarrassed. “Cooper Andrew Sullivan!”

  “I knew I’d regret telling you my middle name.”

  Her laughing response was swallowed up in his kiss.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  The next night, they all went out to dinner to celebrate. Afterwards, they went dancing, reminding Cooper of their first days at Phat Jack’s. The couples parted afterward, Jenna and Aidan having taken the next day off work to pack up Jenna’s apartment. Her lease was up, so she decided to move in for the few months before their wedding. Cooper decided to take the scenic route home, pulling over in the hills above L.A. and presenting a bottle of champagne with a flourish.

  “What’s this?”

  “I thought a toast to our future was in order.”

  “I never knew you were such a romantic,” she said, kissing him.

  “I guess you just bring it out in me.”

  Laney laughed with pleasure when he popped the cork. “That was cool! We need to have champagne more often.”

  That was one of the things he loved about her. She took such pleasure in the simple things in life. She was rich enough to bathe in champagne every night if she wanted to, but she’d told him long ago she liked cheap champagne and cheaper tequila, finding unbroken seashells and board games. Cooper lifted her up onto the hood of the Corvette.

  “Ooh!” she giggled. “You’ll definitely have to drive home, because this stuff will go straight to my head.”

  “Scoot over,” he told her with a smile.

  They sat on the hood, lying back against the windshield, the wipers fitting comfortably into the small of their backs. Laney bent an elbow, resting her head in an open palm as she looked up at the stars. She reached up to balance her champagne flute on the roof of the car, and laced fingers through Cooper’s. He copied her example, and put his flute up as they enjoyed the still night.

  “My gosh! This is so beautiful! This is the one time L.A. looks spectacular, when the night covers all its garishness and it sparkles, mirroring the stars in the sky. There are so many tonight.”

  Cooper turned his head to look at her as she gazed innocently up at the skies. “There’s a shooting star!”

  Laney, who hadn’t even noticed he wasn’t even looking at the sky at all as he talked, asked with excitement, “Where, Cooper, where?”

  He reached over her, pointing to the western sky. “There.” He closed his fist. “Hey, look! I caught one!” He opened his hand slowly to show her the ring he had hidden there.

  “Oh, my gosh! Cooper! You didn’t! I thought you said you didn’t have the money right now.”

  “Well, I sort of lied about that.” He slid off his side of the car. “Come here.” He positioned her so she was seated with her legs hanging off the side of the car. “I didn’t really do this right last night.” He kneeled down on one knee. “Laney Cassandra Essex, I love you more than I ever realized I could love anyone. You make me laugh. You challenge me to be a better person. You make my heart beat in time with yours.” Cooper took her hand. “There’s only one thing that will make what we have together better, and that’s if you agree to be with me forever as my wife. I’m giving you a second chance to come to your senses and back out,” he added with a nervous laugh. “Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?” As he said it, he slid the ring onto her finger. It was simple, but elegant, just like Laney. She slid off the car and into his arms.

  “Yes! A thousand times, yes, Cooper!”

  She grabbed him and squeezed him so exuberantly he had to laugh. Tears poured down her face.

  “I promise, it won’t be that bad!”

  “Oh, you goof!” she said, swatting him. “I’m just so happy!” She held out her hand to check out her ring in the moonlight. “It’s beautiful!”

  “Jenna and Kenzie and Bree helped me pick it out. It was the only one they all agreed on.”

  “And the whole star thing…was that your idea? Did you have that all planned out?”

  “No. But it was inspired, wasn’t it?”

  She kissed him. “Totally!”

  They gazed at the ring on her hand again, imagining it there forever. “We can take it back, though, if it’s not what you want...”

  “No! No! It’s exactly what I dreamed of! It looks like it belongs on the hand of a fairy princess!” she bubbled. “Oh, does your mom know?”

  “Not yet, I wanted to find some way to break it to her that her favorite son is about to become a married man.”

  “Oh! Let’s go tell them now! Oh, wait…it’s after eleven. They’ll be asleep,” she realized with disappointment.

  “So! We’ll wake them up!”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Sure, I’m sure! It’s not every day I get engaged. Come on.” He walked her around to her door, but paused before opening it for her. “Laney, we’re gonna have a great life together.”

  “The best!” She responded, kissing him once more.

  Epilogue

  Cooper stood in his dress blues at the bar getting his wife a drink. He caught his reflection in the mirror, and it reminded him of his wedding night, almost ten years ago. Except tonight, Laney wasn’t wearing white, she was wearing a killer black, floor-length dress and her hair was up in what he heard her call, “a French twist,” which he thought sounded like a sexual position he would like to try out later. Not only was the dress incredible, he had personal knowledge underneath that incredible dress Mrs. Sullivan was wearing some very hot garters. She taunted him without mercy at home by waltzing around the bedroom with them on, in her heels, no less, and if he weren’t giving a speech tonight, he would have had fun figuring out how those damn things unsnapped. Even now, he was visually undressing his wife in front of a room full of strangers. He looked around the room. Most of the men were either annoyed with their wives, or oblivious to them, and he counted his blessings, as he did every night, that he had found such a wonderful woman.

  As he waited for the drinks, he heard the sweet peal of her laughter. He turned to see her standing next to a table where Aidan and Jenna were sitting, one hand on each of their chairs, her head thrown back at something Aidan had said. The diamond earrings he had gotten her for Christmas sparkled in her ears, complimenting the diamond shaped of rhinestones in the middle of her dress where it was gathered. She was still as stunning as the day he met her and they were still as happily in love.

  A young cadet, fresh out of the academy, approached him. “How are you doing, Lieutenant Sullivan?”

  “Good. And you, Nick?”

  “I’m not feeling any pain if you know what I mean,” he responded, cheerful. He followed his lieutenant’s gaze, then leaned against the bar, resting his elbows on top of it. “Your wife is so hot!” Cooper turned at the strange comment to give the cad
et a look, but the younger man was oblivious. “She’s got that whole, cute/sexy thing going, you know, the whole good girl/bad girl thing’s such a turn on.” He sighed, and then looked up to catch Cooper’s hard stare. “I said too much, didn’t I? I mean…” The bartender delivered the drinks and Cooper tipped him and picked up the glasses. The cadet’s eyes shifted to Laney again, “It’s just…man. When she’s around, I find myself stammering and I can’t even put a complete sentence together. And that name Laney,” he said dreamily. After a beat, he looked over at Cooper again. “Oh, did I say that out loud? My brother says I talk too much.”

  “Your brother’s right,” he said dryly, and walked away.

  Laney looked up and caught his eye from across the room. She gave him that slow, sweet smile which assured him he would get lucky tonight. In that realm, he was already lucky. He’d heard the guys talking about getting it once a month from their wives, if they were fortunate. But Laney was the exception to the rule, a woman with a voracious sexual appetite who was always ready to go when he was. In fact, there had been times when he had been thinking of going to sleep, but just the crook of her finger, or a come-hither look in her eyes, and he was like jelly in her hands. This was the duality in Laney that still made him crazy for her. By day, the staid teacher, by night, a wanton hussy, and she was all his. And tonight, with their girls, Chloe and Becca, sleeping over at Grandma and Grandpa’s, quite frankly he wasn’t sure why he was still here.

  Laney watched Cooper saunter across the room, confident he was going to get some action tonight, and if she had any say in the matter, he would. The whole man in uniform thing was really working for him, and, to be truthful, she’d been revved up for him even as she had teased him earlier in the evening, walking around without shame in her stockings and garters with the new bustier which was really, well, boosting. She laughed over her drink, as she brought it up to sip it, thinking about how she had been flirting with him all night. She was a lucky woman, and she knew it. She was the one who was supposed to be the teacher, but Cooper had taught her so much—taught her to love without fear, to stick up for herself, to be comfortable in her own skin. Not only that, but he had also taught her she was a good mother, despite her fears she would turn out like her own mother. He had taught her how to let go and be a good lover, and how to be a supportive and caring wife. And he had brought her so much happiness, so much happiness.