Abby had gone directly home from our excursion when she found out that my brother was going to be there early. They hadn’t spent a lot of time together due to Keegan being so busy with work, and she was antsy for a little alone time. I couldn’t blame her. I had hugged her hard and she promised to keep my secret.
I entered the house and found Marcia Hall sitting at the kitchen table with my father. The two looked to be enjoying dinner and going over paperwork. While they were occupied, I took in Dad. He had lost considerable weight with the treatments, but his body seemed to be adjusting to them and he wasn’t as sick as he initially had been. They were almost halfway there, and he was holding his own.
“Hi sweetheart,” he greeted, when he noticed me coming toward them.
“Hi,” I returned, “what’s going on?”
“Your dad messaged me and said he was up to a little work, so I brought him some of my homemade chicken soup and the Coburn file,” Marcia told me. “Jeff is going to join us later for a movie.”
I raised my eyebrows at my father. He gave a tired smile, yet I could see the happiness in his eyes at spending time with some of his friends. He had always been a social butterfly and being cooped up was driving him crazy.
“Well, I’ll go up and change into something more comfortable. What are we watching?”
I saw the look exchanged. “We are watching an action movie that the men will undoubtedly pick out. You, my lady, are going back out. Somewhere. Anywhere but here.”
Again, I looked at my father. He looked at his bowl, yet I could still see the smile on his face. The plan had been his. Marcia had just been a cover. This sweet man that had always made sure my needs came before his, was doing it despite the fact that he was sick. I leaned down and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“If you’re sure?” I asked, straightening.
“Yes, and stay at the shop tonight. Don’t worry about tiptoeing back in here at some ungodly hour,” he told me, lightly chuckling.
I looked at Marcia for confirmation and she squeezed my hand with a smile. Leaving them so they could get back to work, I ran upstairs to pack a quick overnight bag. I stopped and gave them both kisses on the cheek, and I was on my way.
My father had converted one of the offices upstairs of the shop in to a workout room/bedroom. It had a few free weights, a bench, a bike, a treadmill, and a queen-size bed. There were times when his guys needed a place to crash and this, along with the couch in the breakroom, gave them options. As I stopped in at Claire’s, I dropped Cooper a message. I don’t know what I was hoping for, but I needed him to know I was alone for the night.
I got to Grind and was happy to find that no one else was around. Most of the time, the workers would borrow shop time to work on their own projects off hours. My father was fine with it, as long as tools didn’t start disappearing, and they locked up behind them. Going in through the office, I locked everything behind me and had just started making my way up the stairs to the spare room with my hands full of bags, when I heard someone pounding on the door. I quickly climbed the rest of the stairs and deposited my stuff.
Before I even made it the rest of the way back down, a familiar well-built man came striding into the shop from the front offices. He stopped when he saw me, and a slow sexy smile came to his lips. The white tank top he wore showed off his tanned arms and the ink he proudly sported, while his jeans were worn, full of holes, and gripping him in ways that left nothing to the imagination. I felt my body warm and when my eyes met his, I noticed the change from light to dark, filled with unspoken promises.
“How did you get in?” I asked, when I reached the bottom stair.
“Your father still hasn’t purchased a lock that can keep me out,” Cooper joked, taking a couple of strides to stand directly in front of me.
With him on the floor, and me still standing on the bottom step, we were just about eye level. When his hands came up and gently cupped my face, my breath caught. Cooper brushed his lips softly over mine and our eyes locked. I was a goner. My heart was on the line and it was bound to get crushed, but damn if I didn’t care anymore. I needed him like I needed air.
“Hi,” he whispered, still holding my face.
“Hi,” I replied, just as quietly.
Silently, I took his hand and led him back up the stairs. We had barely made it in to the room when he shut the door behind us, and turned me so my back was against it. Cooper took both of my hands in his, interlocking our fingers, and put them above our heads. I held his gaze as he brought his mouth down to mine. Caressing at first, sweet nibbles that unraveled me and caused my knees to shake, then morphing into hot, soft bites of possession that turned me wet and had my hips arching for his.
He was not to be rushed this time. His body was far enough away from mine that I couldn’t rub against him. I’m not sure how long he made love to my mouth, but it was long enough that I was on the brink of having an orgasm without his hands ever touching me. When he finally pulled away to rest his forehead against mine, I swiped my eyes down his body hungrily. I could see the barely restrained tension in his muscles and the long hard length of him in his pants.
“My eyes are up here, sweetheart,” he chuckled.
“Oh, I know,” I told him, bringing mine back up to meet his. “I need you, Coop. Now.”
“Fuck,” he cursed, his mouth claiming mine once again, this time in a bruising kiss that told me his control was teetering on the line of snapping.
His hands released mine and came down to run over my hips before reaching around to cup my ass and pull me flush against him. I moaned in anticipation and hopped up to wrap my legs around his waist. Pushing against him, I ran my hands through his hair, gripping slightly. He turned us and laid me down on the bed, supporting himself with his arms on either side of my head. I let out a mewl of protest when he pulled away again.
“You aren’t going to rush this, Ave,” he said, reaching down to unsnap my jeans. “I am going to kiss every last part of you and remind you of what we had.”
Panic started to grip my heart, but was quickly forgotten when he leaned down to place a soft kiss just below my belly button. A gentle tug and my pants were pulled down over my hips; another, and they were off. His eyes greedily took me in. I squirmed under his gaze, reaching for him when the heat became too much.
“I get to take my time tonight,” he breathed, trailing more kisses down my legs from hip to toe. “Keep your hands to yourself for now.”
I groaned in frustration, but did as he requested. I brought them up and gripped the pillow under my head as he continued leaving featherlike open-mouthed kisses all over my lower body. His warm breath finally stopped over the lace triangle hiding my treasure and he took me in with one suck through the material. That pressure sent me over the edge. I moaned loudly without abandon as my hands came down to hold his head. Cooper continued his skillful work until I gave him a not so gentle tug and he drew away with a chuckle, pulling the lace with him.
I braced myself up on my elbows when he stood to his full height. Reaching back over his head, he pulled his tank top off, causing his abs and arm muscles to flex in ways that would have any woman melting into a puddle of goo. His grin became cocky when he unbuttoned his pants and started to pull them down. Precum glistened at the tip of his manhood and my body ached at the sight of it. I reached for him and the smile turned soft, as did his eyes.
Coming back to the bed, he kissed his way up my stomach and I leaned back with a sigh. His hands made quick work of my tank top and my bra, his mouth never stopping. He latched onto one nipple, sucking insistently, drawing me close to orgasm again. I wrapped my legs around him, bringing us skin to skin.
“Cooper,” I gasped as he switched sides of my chest. “Condom…bag by the door.”
With a pop, he released my breast and dove for the bags I had dropped when I had gone to greet him. Pulling the box out, he made his way back to the bed, opening it as he went. When his knees hit the bed, he took one o
ut, tossing the others aside. I grabbed it from him and opened it while he settled between my spread legs. As I ran my hands down his length to cover him, he bit back a groan and I could see him straining to hold it together.
His eyes opened as I moved my hands back above my head and he leaned down to take them in his, twining our fingers together. The quick thrust I expected never came; instead, he slid in slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. Once he was all the way in, he pulled out and did it again. The emotions on his face were more than I could take, and I closed my eyes so I couldn’t see them.
“Open them, darling,” he commanded, causing them to snap open. “I want to see you when we come together.”
Whether it was the words or the motion of his hips, I’ll never know, but at that moment, my orgasm started. I felt my insides clench around him and fought to keep my eyes on his. With a curse from deep inside, Cooper followed. We lay gazing at each other, panting for a few moments before he kissed me sweetly and moved to clean up.
There were towels by the weight bench and he made quick use of one of them before coming back to settle between my legs again. His hands brushed the hair back from my face and he watched me. All those emotions still playing across his face; love, awe, confusion, frustration were the same ones that were swirling inside of me.
Tears started to fill my eyes and I turned my head away from him. I didn’t know if I could handle another broken heart from this man. My idea had been stupid from the start, and I should have known that I would end up right back where I had been ten years ago. I choked back a sob and tried to resist him when his hands worked to bring my face back to his.
“Don’t cry,” he pleaded. “You’re killing me, Avery.”
“We shouldn’t have started this,” I mumbled, swiping at my face. “We know how this ends. You’re just going to leave again.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Cooper promised, kissing the trails my tears were leaving. “You’re mine, and I’m not letting that go again.”
The conversation never got any further. I kissed him to keep him from saying anything else that he didn’t truly mean, or promises that he couldn’t really keep. I had no doubt that Cooper cared about me deeply. He said it in the way he reverently touched me, in the way he sighed when I touched him, and in the way he looked at me. However, I knew, when it came right down to it, that the band would always be his first love.
We spent the rest of the night showing our love with our bodies. When we finally drifted off to sleep, it was the best sleep I had gotten since I had been back in Maine. It was deep and void of any dreams. I was content, wrapped up in the arms of the man that I loved, and relaxed, even despite knowing my battles were only just beginning.
Slam! Crack!
“What the hell is this!” screeched a familiar voice, causing me to sit up straight in bed, my eyes going wide.
“Jen?” I questioned, gripping the sheet around me and wiping the sleep from my eyes. “What are you doing here? Is something wrong with my dad?”
Confusion and fear gripped me until I remembered that my phone was plugged in on the nightstand, and no one had tried calling me. Cooper grumbled from his spot on his stomach next to me and ran his hand down his face to wake up enough to register what was going on. Jen stood just inside the door, her hands in fists at her sides, her face turning redder by the second.
“Your dad is just fine, but you, on the other hand, have obviously lost your fucking mind,” she hissed.
“What are you talking about? Why are you here?” I asked again, now fully awake and aware that my best friend was pissed.
“I came to get you for breakfast,” came her sharp retort, her arms coming up to cross in front of her chest. “What the hell is he doing here?”
“I’m not doing this with you right now,” I told her. “Just go downstairs. I’ll be right down, and we can go to my dad’s.”
“I’m not leaving until you answer me. What is he doing here?!”
“If you need to ask that question, I’m going to ask you how well you are taking care of your husband,” I responded dryly, earning a chuckle hidden behind a cough from Cooper, who was now sitting with this legs off the edge of the bed.
He’d put himself in a less vulnerable position and had placed himself between me and Jen. Regardless of the fact that she was a woman, he wasn’t going to let anything happen to me. If it hadn’t been for the situation at hand, I would have kissed him and dragged him back to bed. My dig at Jen had her uncrossing her arms and taking a step closer. I saw Cooper’s back tense and I put my hand out to calm him.
“I will not sit back and watch while he breaks your heart again, Avery,” she said, her voice low and full of hurt. “The last time was more than I could bear.”
“He’s not going to break it again,” I informed her, thought I was unsure of who I was trying to convince.
“I’m not going anywhere this time,” he assured, reaching back for one of my hands.
“No?” she reflected, shaking her head and moving back to the door. “This time you’ll rip it out and just take it with you.” She turned her attention to me. “Remember what I said, Avery. This time, I won’t be there to put you back together.”
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
Groaning, I rolled over and reached for my phone, catching a whiff of perfume on my extra pillow. Grabbing it, I moved back and inhaled deeply. The scent of cherries filled my nose and I sighed. The smell took me back to the night before and the reason I was naked beneath my sheet.
Maggie and Lexie had offered to go stay with Dale for a while, so that Avery could come have supper with me and the guys. We had made her favorite; burgers on the grill and pasta salad. When we were finished eating, we all retreated to the backyard for a bonfire. She sat down in my lap, garnering a questioning look from me, but I quickly wrapped her in my arms. The warmth from her body nestled against mine and her laughter, as the guys entertained her with stories from the road, had me getting instantly hard.
Knowing that she was limited for time, she excused us a couple hours later and led me to my bedroom. She returned the favor and took her time. The woman had kissed and caressed every inch of my body, making sure to trace her tongue and fingertips over my tattoos especially. When she took me into her mouth, I thought I was going to come off the bed. That was not something we had ever done in high school and fuck, was she good at it. Finally, when I couldn’t hold it in any longer, I had maneuvered her onto her back and taken her in one hard thrust.
The guys definitely heard that one. There had been nothing I could do to quiet the long wail that came out of her mouth when I slammed into her. She had come immediately, taking me right along with her. If I was the kind of guy that got off on that sort of thing, I would have been parading around in the kitchen right this moment, banging on my chest. Unfortunately, our cuddle time had been cut short, but I kissed her, soft and sweet, to remind her that this wasn’t just about sex, despite her earlier proposal. I was in it for the long run.
Now, with the smell of her all around me and my dick making a tent in the thin sheet covering the lower half of my body, I needed her. I wanted to wake up beside her every morning and wake her with me inside her. We were going to have to talk about this, sooner or later. I couldn’t take too many more of these “wham bam, thank you ma’ams.” Hell, when had I become a freaking softy?
Chuckling, I turned on to my back, so I could check my cell phone that kept vibrating in my hand. Propping myself up on my pillows, I saw that I had missed calls and messages from Lee and many others, enough that I had to check the time because I thought I had slept the day away. Nope, eight o’clock. What the hell?
A: Good morning
The Return (The Comeback Series) Page 10