He grins and starts to stroke himself, then lifts me off the floor.
“What are you doing?” I complain. “I want you in my mouth.”
“And I want to fuck you against the wall. Guess who’s going to get what they want first?”
I’m guessing it isn’t going to be me as he undresses me, lifts me once more and pins me against the wall. His mouth slams down on mine and his fingers work their magic, pushing inside me gently then working my clit. He removes his fingers and slides his cock inside me, thrusting gently at first, the cool wall behind my back. He sucks on my lower lip, pulling lightly with his teeth, then starts to kiss my neck. I lay my head against the wall and close my eyes, my nipples rubbing against his chest. His cock moves in and out of me in a perfect rhythm, hitting me at just the right angle.
“Cohen,” I moan, as he continues to kiss down my shoulder, my collarbone, then back up my neck. I love being kissed on my neck; it turns me on so much, takes me to that point of no return. The point where I don’t care what’s going on, I just have to be fucked right then and there. The point where my mind turns off and all I can do is feel, and chase my orgasm.
“What do you want, baby?” he says into my ear, nibbling on the lobe. “You feel so good… Fuck, Jacinta.”
What do I want?
I want to come.
I want him.
I want this moment to never end.
I run my nails down his back, then kiss his lips when he brings them back to mine. “Don’t stop, Cohen,” I say against them before kissing him once more.
“Not going to stop until you’ve come all over my cock,” he grits out, licking my lips until I open for him again. His hands squeeze my hips, and my heels dig into his lower back. Cohen is in complete control right now, and I fucking love it. I warn him before I come and he grabs my face, holding me still and looking into my eyes. He comes a few moments later, and I watch the expressions play out on his face, eyes shuttering in pleasure. I’ll never get tired of watching him come, never.
I could stare into those green eyes forever.
Chapter Thirteen
One Month Later
I’ve never been to Cohen’s house until now. I don’t know why, but it’s probably because I never asked to come here, and he never offered. For me, it’s easier to go to my house, because then it isn’t me who has to up and leave early in the mornings, or drive over late in the evenings. Tonight though, Cohen invited me to his, and said he’s going to cook for me. I didn’t even know he could cook. We usually eat out, or I’ll make something for the two of us. This is the first time I’ll be tasting something that he’s made, and I’m pretty excited about it.
“Your house is beautiful,” I say, my gaze landing on everything. It’s a modern three-bedroom, two-bathroom home, very spacious and masculine. Everything is black, grey or white, sometimes a splash of red here and there.
“Thank you,” he says as we walk through it, hand in hand. We stop in the kitchen, where he leads me to the table and pulls my chair out for me. “Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Do you have any—”
“Red wine?” he cuts in, laughing. “I bought a bottle just for you.”
“Thanks,” I say, smiling at his thoughtfulness. I smooth down my floral dress and ask, “So, what’s on the menu tonight?”
“Hamburgers and fries, followed by chocolate cake,” he states, making me laugh.
“Really?” I ask, standing up and walking over to him, wrapping my arms around him from behind.
“Well, I thought to myself, what is her favourite dish? And it’s really a no-brainer. So I’m going to make you the best burger in the world, followed by chocolate cake that I didn’t make myself but went out of my way to buy from the best bakery in the city.”
I place a kiss on his spine, then let go of him. “You are so sweet, Cohen. You didn’t have to go through so much trouble.” Although, not going to lie, I do appreciate it.
It feels nice for someone to go out of their way to make you feel special. There’s nothing like it, I don’t think. Actions speak louder than words, and his tell me that he cares about me in his own Cohen way. It’s the small things that count.
“I know, but I wanted to,” he says, turning and kissing my mouth. “Now, I’m going to get you a glass of wine to drink while I sort out dinner.”
He pours me a glass, then lifts me onto his counter to drink it, supervising his cooking. Or grilling, at least. When I see him pulling out some beetroot, I know he really has been paying attention to the things I like.
“Impressive,” I mutter, bringing the glass to my lips and taking a sip. It’s delicious.
Over the last month, Cohen and I have spent several nights every week with each other, and we still have lunch together every day. I haven’t asked him about other women, and he hasn’t asked me about other men. We’ve just been enjoying each other, not really worrying about anything else. Does it feel like a relationship to me? Yes. But I’m not going to say that out loud, because I think it’s going to have Cohen running for the hills. He told me that he and his ex-girlfriend Bianca didn’t have a good breakup, and they were together for four years. I’m sure that it’s whatever happened there that has him so scared of commitment, the reason why his walls are ten feet high.
I understand, I do; it’s a scary thing to be vulnerable, to give someone else the power to hurt you. It’s scary to everyone though. Hearts get broken every day, but there are some loves that last forever, and that’s what everyone is hoping for, but not what most get. Divorce rates are high, it seems like everyone is just doing the casual sex thing right now. Having sex first and asking questions later.
Times have changed, and everyone is adapting, I suppose. I mean, here I am, a closet hopeless romantic, also doing the casual sex thing. Sure, Cohen treats me like a girlfriend, but I’m not one. Does it really matter what I am if I get treated as such though? At the end of the day, it really is just a label.
Fuck, I’ve been hanging around Cohen way too long.
When he’s finished, we both sit at his table and eat together.
“This is the best burger I’ve ever had,” I tell him after I swallow the first bite. And it is—because he made it.
He smirks and pops a fry in his mouth. “It’s cute that you care enough to lie and tell me that.”
I roll my eyes, smiling. “It is. And how come we’ve never come to your house before now?”
His eyes widen at the question, and I notice he chews and swallows his bite a lot slower than need be. “I don’t usually bring women back here.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, brow furrowing. “You usually just go to their houses and don’t bring anyone back here?”
He nods.
“Why?”
“I don’t know,” he says, looking a little sheepish. “It’s my private space. I guess, I just usually don’t bring anyone here.”
“Then why did you bring me?” I push him a little. Does he realise he’s making it sound like I’m different to him? It’s giving me hope, and I don’t need hope unless he really is considering changing his non-dating rules for me.
He clears his throat. “I just felt like it was time, I don’t know. We’ve been seeing each other for over a month now.”
So now we’re ‘seeing each other’.
Interesting.
“Well, I’m glad you brought me here,” I say, saving him for having to explain any more.
He exhales in relief and continues to finish eating. I wonder what happened to him to make him this way, so closed off. It’s like he can shut his emotions off like a switch, which isn’t a good thing. It means he can easily cut people out of his life without looking back—like me, for example. It means that people are easily replaceable to him. The thought of him replacing me hurts.
No, it kills.
Burns.
After dinner, even though I’m full, I make room for the chocolate cake.
“Holy shit
,” I whisper, then moan. “You need to tell me where this bakery is.”
“It’s good, right?” Cohen says, eyes darkening as a lick my fork.
“Good? It’s fucking amazing. It’s like an orgasm in your mouth,” I say, taking another bite. “How did you find this place?”
“My cousin owns it,” he states proudly, putting his own fork down and just watching me eat. “Bella can make any dessert you want, she’s so talented. Her husband Silas is a lawyer, and an ex MMA fighter. He helps her run the business.”
“Sounds amazing,” I say, impressed. “If all her desserts are as delicious as this cake, I see myself gaining a lot of weight in the future.”
Cohen flashes his teeth at me. “Don’t worry, we’ll be working it off. Together.”
“You haven’t even been going to the gym recently, is that why? Getting enough exercise as it is?” I tease, finishing the last of the cake.
“Yes,” he says, laughing. “I haven’t had the time, really. I’ve been going a few times a week, but I used to go every day. Why, seeing the difference in my body?”
“I don’t know, ” I reply, reaching out and touching his rock-hard six-pack through his t-shirt. “Yeah, maybe it is getting a little soft.”
He smirks, because he and I both know the truth. His body can’t possibly get in any better shape.
“I think you need to work out a little more,” I continue. “May I suggest on top of me?”
He laughs and reaches his finger to my mouth, rubbing some chocolate from the side of my lips. He then sucks it in his mouth.
“How about I show you my bedroom? Then we can devise a workout plan.”
“I like this idea,” I say, getting up and moving to his lap. I give him a kiss and cup his cheek with my hand. “Thank you for dinner.”
“Thank you for pretending to like it.”
“I did like it.”
“You liked the cake.”
“I liked everything,” I say, kissing his strong jaw. “Just like I like everything about you.”
“Jacinta,” he growls in a low tone. “Better stop or we won’t make it to my bedroom.”
“That’s okay,” I whisper into his ear. “You don’t have a roommate to worry about, so we can fuck anywhere you like.”
“And how do you know I don’t have a roommate?” he asks, turning to bury his face in my neck.
I still. “Do you?”
I mean, he could. For some reason though, I don’t think he does. He seems the type to enjoy his own space, like he mentioned before with the women.
“No,” he says, and I can feel him smile against my skin.
I roll my eyes then lift his head, cupping both cheeks in my hands, his nose almost touching mine. I kiss him softly before standing, taking his large hand into my smaller one. He stands, swoops me in his arms, and storms up the staircase, turning right and opening the first door we come across. He turns on the light, revealing a spacious room with a massive black bed. He lays me down on the bed then kneels before me, pulling off my sandals one by one. He lifts my dress, exposing my red lace panties, and slowly removes them too.
He then puts his mouth on me, and I stare at the ceiling wondering how the fuck I got so lucky.
Chapter Fourteen
I have to do a double-take when I see none other than my ex-boyfriend Dan walk into the office. Does he need a lawyer? What did he do? Probably something creepy.
“Dan, what are you doing here?” I ask, trying to keep my tone even. My skin crawls at his close proximity. Once a man cheats on me, I cut them out. They are dead to me, they don’t exist. I said RIP to Dan a long time ago, and I don’t know why he keeps popping up in my life. He should remain in his coffin where he belongs.
“Jacinta,” he says, giving me a once-over. “I came here to see Cohen.”
My eyes narrow to slits. “Do you have an appointment?”
He should address Cohen as Mr. Lake, unless he knows him personally. Does he know him personally? That would be quite a coincidence, but then again, this city is a small one.
“No,” he replies, glancing at his watch. “Just tell him know that I’m here, please.”
Instead of picking up the phone, I walk to Cohen’s door and knock.
“Come in,” he calls out. I step inside, leaving the door open.
“How do you know Dan?” I ask him. “Dr. Gregory. He’s here, wanting to talk to you.”
Maybe Dan is his doctor? That would make sense.
Cohen closes the folder he was going through and stands up. “What? What is he doing here?”
Dan chooses that moment to walk in, and he closes the door behind him.
“Well, this is awkward,” I mutter, looking between the two men. I point to the door. “Um, I’m just going to go…”
“I told you to become friends with her, not fucking take her for yourself,” Dan says to Cohen, brown eyes filled with fury.
“Wh-what?” I stutter, wondering if I heard right.
Dan asked Cohen to be friends with me? Why? How does that benefit him, exactly? And Cohen? What the fuck… That’s why he suddenly wanted to be friends, and was even a little pushy about it?
Confused, I turn to Cohen and point again, this time at him. “You have two seconds to explain.”
“Dan and I know each other,” he starts, staring at Dan like he wants to kill him. “He found out you worked here too. Jacinta, please leave. Let me handle this.”
I’m not going anywhere.
“And he asked you to make friends with me?” I ask Cohen, then decide I’ll deal with him after I handle Dan. I spin to face my ex. “Why?”
“It doesn’t matter why,” he replies, infuriating me. “You should have kept your word, Cohen.”
“She doesn’t want you,” Cohen tells Dan, taking a step towards him. “I don’t know what you want me to do, Dan. Me being friends with her wasn’t going to bring her back to you.”
Dan punches his fist into the wall, making me jump. “I wanted inside information on her, who she was seeing, where she was going. Yet you end up fucking her? I did you a favour, Cohen, and this is how you repay me?”
I grit my teeth, trying to piece it all together from the information that’s being thrown around, since no one will answer my damn questions.
Cohen looks at me. “Jacinta, please wait outside.”
“No,” I seethe, crossing my arm over my chest. He obviously wants me out of here for a reason, something he doesn’t want me to know. “This involves me, and I’m not going anywhere until we get to the bottom of this.”
I ignore the bad feeling in my stomach, the pain in my chest. So Cohen didn’t just start talking to me because he ‘couldn’t stay away anymore’ or whatever lie he said; it was because Dan asked him to befriend me, so he could keep an eye on what I’m up to. Basically, Cohen was meant to spy on me. Dan is a creep, so that doesn’t surprise me, although I am fucking disturbed by it, but what I really want to know is why Cohen went along with it. Dan said he did Cohen a favour—is this his repayment? I’m just a fucking pawn to these men, and it really hurts me that Cohen only spoke to me because he had to. It fucking pisses me off too. I should have known—when something seems too good, it usually is.
“Is that why you gave me that whole ‘no commitment’ shit, because this is all some fucked-up game to you?” I ask Cohen, trying to school my expression.
Dan laughs, and it’s a dark, hollow sound. “You don’t know what Cohen is like with women? I thought you’d be smarter than this, Jacinta. You left me because I cheated, but Cohen here is the biggest man-whore out there. He doesn’t give a fuck about women. Or apparently about his friends either. So, fuck both of you.”
He storms out, like he’s the one wronged here. Like he isn’t a stalking psychopath, leaving Cohen and me alone in the room.
“This is fucked” is all I can manage to say.
“He asked me to keep an eye on you, to see if you were dating anyone,” he says, swallowing. “Everything
between us is real, Jacinta. I did notice you from the very start; everything I said to you is true. I owed Dan a favour and he called it in. It seemed harmless and I couldn’t say no, not after what he did for me. I’m sorry, I didn’t think anyone would get hurt from it. Dan may come off a little… strong, but he’s innocent. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. I’d kill him if he even tried.”
Well, isn’t he the hero all of a sudden.
“Makes sense why you came and sat with me at lunch all of a sudden,” I say, hugging myself. “Wow, Cohen. I didn’t see this one coming, that’s for sure. What did Dan do for you?”
Cohen stays silent, his jaw going tight.
I stare at him, and he stares at me.
It’s he who looks away first.
I realise then that he isn’t going to tell me.
This whole thing, which feels like juvenile shit, concerns me, and he isn’t even going to explain it to me.
He’d rather lose me than trust me.
If that isn’t a kick in the shins, I don’t know what is.
I nod in understanding and walk out of his office, closing the door behind me. I’m in a completely different mood than I was in when I walked into his office.
I don’t know what to think anymore.
I’m angry. I’m hurt. I’m curious.
What other secrets is he hiding?
*****
He tries to talk to me throughout the rest of the day, but I ignore all attempts. I even leave early, before he can catch me. On the drive home, I stop and grab some groceries, thinking that cooking something fancy will help me stay busy and keep my mind off things tonight. Save me from picking up the phone and calling him. Maybe he’ll drop by, maybe he won’t, but there’s no point in him coming if he doesn’t want to talk about everything. I can’t stand Dan, and it annoys me that the two of them are friends. Maybe they hang around the same uptight crowd? A doctor and a lawyer walk into a bar… It sounds like the start of a bad joke.
When I pull into my driveway and see him already there, annoyance flashes through me. I don’t know why. Maybe I want a little time alone. I open my car door, and he quickly steps up to help me carry the groceries inside.
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