by L. P. Dover
He nodded once and I knew I only had one chance to make this play. Once into position, I glanced at our line quickly and yelled, “Blue 24, Blue 24, Hut, Hut, Hike!”
The second the ball snapped to me, I waited for Ashton to get in the clear, blocking out the yells Joel spat my way. Once I threw it, I didn’t get to see Ashton catch it because the moment the ball left my fingers my body slammed into the ground by a giant Seahawk tackling me to the ground. The breath was knocked out of my lungs and they burned as I gasped for air.
What the fuck? That hurt.
Screams and cheers erupted through the stands, and when I turned my head to look at the score I hollered as well. As soon as the other player got off of me, I jumped to my feet and ran down the field toward Ashton. All of the players surrounded him, including my uncle who was ecstatic and cheering along. Kate, however, ran toward me.
“Cooper, are you okay? How’s your shoulder?” she asked worriedly.
Lifting her in my arms, I held her tight and kissed her. “It’s doing great. Don’t worry about me, love.”
She laughed and shook her head. “I don’t know about that just yet. Joel wasn’t too happy with the play change.” We both turned to look at Joel who had the biggest grin on his face. “Well, maybe he’s happy now, but just a few minutes ago he was pissed.”
Taking her hand, I pulled her along beside me and off the field. “Well, how about we get out of here before he has a chance to yell at me. That could take all night, and I promised to take you out on our first date. I can’t have him ruining that.”
Kate looked back at the screaming mass on the field and picked up her pace. “I agree … let’s go!”
While I changed for our date, Cooper stayed downstairs and watched television. After about twenty minutes of rummaging through my clothes, I settled on a thin, white long-sleeved lacy top that was still summer looking but perfect for September. The bruises on my wrists were close to being gone, but I wanted to keep them covered for a little bit longer. Tonight once we got back I just had to make sure the room was a little dark before we had our fun in the bedroom.
If Cooper saw them I knew it would tear him apart to know that he hurt me even though it didn’t actually hurt me. Hastily, I picked out the skirt I wanted to wear and danced around my room in my bra and underwear, singing my favorite Bruno Mars song. Thankfully, Cooper was downstairs with the television on so I knew he couldn’t hear me.
However, when I turned around, my eyes went wide and I gasped. Cooper stood there, leaning against the door frame with a smile on his face. Quickly, I clasped my hands behind my back hoping to hide my wrists, but I wasn’t quick enough; he saw them. His smile immediately vanished while his gaze stayed frozen on my arms, but my wrists were behind my back.
“Cooper,” I whispered. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”
Gritting his teeth, he slowly walked toward me; cautiously, like he expected me to cower away from him. Gently, he took my face in his hands and tilted my head to each side, clenching his teeth harder with each mark he found on my body. There were a couple of places where he sucked too hard, and needless to say, it resulted in hickeys. I didn’t like them being visible, but I used makeup and my hair to hide them; that was an easy fix.
His fingers grazed over my arm so lightly that it tickled, making chill bumps fan out across my skin. Once he got to my elbows, he pulled my arms out from behind my back and sighed heavily, his gaze full of agony.
“What the fuck, Kate? I did this that first night, didn’t I? I knew I shouldn’t have let you stay.”
Dropping to his knees, he kissed both of my wrists and hung his head. “Fuck, fuck, fuck. Kate, I am so fucking sorry.”
“Cooper, it’s okay,” I assured him. “I’m fine, I promise.”
He shook his head quickly and growled, “No, you’re not because if you were you wouldn’t have tried to hide what I did to you. The thought of hurting you makes me so goddamned sick. I promise I’ll do anything to make this up to you, just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”
Slowly, I bent down on my knees and took his face in my hands. Refusing to look up at me, he kept his gaze on the floor and I soon realized why when I felt warm tears fall across my fingers.
“You already made it up to me, Cooper, by fighting your addiction. If you promise to stay clean that’s all that matters. Knowing I helped you through your tough times is what’s important to me. I didn’t want to leave you.”
Finally, Cooper gazed up at me, his eyes red and pained. “Please tell me you forgive me for this, Kate. You know I never wanted to hurt you.”
“I know, and there’s nothing to forgive,” I whispered, tears falling down my cheeks. “I’m so proud of you for pushing through it. I know it wasn’t easy.”
Nodding quickly, he got to his feet and pulled me over to my bed, holding my hands gently in his. With his weary gaze on my wrists, he thumbed the bruises gently and murmured, “Do you want to know why I don’t ever want to hurt you? Why it kills me that it was my hands that did this to you?”
“Why?” I whispered, holding my breath.
Sighing heavily, he lifted his gaze and placed both hands on my cheeks, wiping away my tears. “It’s because I love you, Kate, and people aren’t supposed to hurt the ones they love. The last thing I want is for you to hate me for what I did.”
Mouth gaping open, I sucked in a ragged breath and held it while my heart beat out of control. Oh my God, he just said he loved me! Thankfully, I was sitting down because I wasn’t expecting those words to come out of his mouth. I knew I had strong feelings for him, but I didn’t realize how strong they were until now. I could never hate him, but there was one thing I knew for certain … I loved him, too.
“Cooper,” I breathed, holding onto his wrists. He still held my face in his hands and stared at me longingly, waiting for my next words. “For the longest time, I never thought I’d feel this way ever again … but I do. I love you, Cooper. I know we’re not supposed to hurt the ones we love, but it’s inevitable. No one’s perfect, but we learn from our mistakes and we grow. This brought us closer together because you trusted me and let me see you at your lowest. It takes a lot of courage to do that.”
A slow smile spread across his lips, and I leaned over and kissed him. Chuckling lightly, he teased me with his tongue, tracing my lips lightly. “So where do we go from here, love?” he asked.
With a grin on my face, I slid off the bed and put my shirt and skirt on. “I say, we go wherever it leads us, and right now we need to go on our date … I’m starving. I’m sure Lara will rush our order if we go to The Carolina Tavern.”
His eyes lit with humor and he smiled. “Well, what about dessert? Will we be getting that as well? I seem to recall there being a massive selection there the other day.”
“Oh, you’ll get dessert,” I told him, “but it’s not going to be at the restaurant.”
“Well, then what are we waiting for, love? Let’s go.”
Taking my hand, he led me out of my room and down the stairs. Even though he had a smile on his face, I could still feel the turmoil brewing underneath the surface. Hopefully, by the end of the night I could convince him enough that I was fine and that everything would be okay. I didn’t want him to hurt anymore.
I wished there was a way to turn back time and do things all over again. I would’ve gotten my shit together and stopped taking those pills a long time ago. Kate spent all week trying to cover up what I did to her and all because she didn’t want to hurt me. How the hell did I get so lucky as to have someone like her love me?
“You’re not going to get drunk and pass out on the bathroom floor this time, are you?” I joked as we walked inside of the restaurant.
She smacked me on the arm. “Ha-ha, very funny. No, I don’t plan on drinking a single thing while we’re here other than sweet tea.”
Just inside the door, Lara stood off to the side, surveying the dining room. When she saw me and Kate walk in, she smiled and sauntere
d over. “Hello, Kate, how are you? I haven’t seen you in a while. Usually you come by a couple of times a week.”
What was she talking about? Lara’s seen Kate a lot over the past couple of weeks.
“Yes, I know,” Kate replied. “I’ve been so busy this past week that I hadn’t had a chance to come by. Are you doing well?”
“Much better, thank you.” Turning to me, she grinned and held out her hand. “I take it you’re Cooper Davis. I’m Summer … Lara’s sister, or twin as it will. By the look on your face I figured you thought I was her.”
I took her hand, but I couldn’t seem to get over the fact that she did look exactly like Lara. They didn’t talk the same, but they definitely looked the same. Sheepishly, I confessed, “Okay, yeah I thought you were her. It’s nice to meet you though, Summer. I love your restaurant.”
She laughed lightly. “Thank you. Lara and I get confused as each other a lot, but once you start talking to us most people realize that I’m the sane one. Lara is a little more outspoken and outgoing than I am.” Fetching two menus, she motioned for us to follow her. “She’s in the back so I’ll grab her for you. Do you know what you want to drink?”
She led us to a table in a quiet corner and set down our menus. “I’ll take a sweet tea,” Kate said.
I’d never tried it, but I figured I would give it a shot. “I’ll do the same.”
“Have you ever drank sweet tea before?” Kate asked curiously.
I laughed. “No, but I figured I would try it since I’m living in the South now.”
“Okay, you two, I’ll get you your sweet teas,” Summer chimed.
After she left, Kate opened her menu and looked down at the selections. “After you retire from football, do you think you’ll always stay around here or would you want to move back to California?”
“I’m not sure. It all depends on what’s going on in my life at the moment. Like I told you before, I can work for the West Coast branch of M&M Architectural Design, or I can actually stay in Charlotte and work for the owner that’s in charge of the East Coast. Either way, I would still be working for the same company. It’s just a matter of where I want to be.”
She nodded as if satisfied with my answer and looked down at the menu. “What about you?” I asked. “Do you think you’ll ever go back to school and finish up?”
Sighing, she glanced up at me and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I would love to, but then I would have to leave the team to finish up. I love my job and I don’t want to lose it.”
“What about the money? Wouldn’t you make so much more if you were an actual physician instead of an assistant?”
“I would, but it’s never been about the money with me. I never once thought when I was growing up that I wanted to be a doctor just to earn a bunch of money. I wanted to help people, to make a difference. That’s all that matters. One day I’ll go back, but right now is not the time.”
Summer came by and dropped off our drinks before heading to another table. I picked up my glass and stared at it for a second before taking a huge gulp. It actually wasn’t that bad, maybe a little too sweet. It was going to take some getting used to, but I liked it.
“Hey, guys, how are you?” Lara asked. Wearing a white shirt and black pants she actually looked like a waitress with her hair in a ponytail and stains on the apron. “Do you know what you want to eat? I’m sorry it took me so long to get out here to you. We’re a little shorthanded.”
Kate waved her off. “No worries. We were just sitting here talking anyway. I think I’ll do something different tonight and try the salmon. I figured a change might do me some good.”
Lara’s eyes went wide when she looked over at me. “Wow, I don’t know what you’ve done to her, but this is a first. I’ve tried a gazillion times to get her to eat something different. Do you know what you want?”
“What would you suggest?” I asked her. She worked at the restaurant , so she had to know what the best was.
Narrowing her eyes, she bit her lip and looked up in concentration. “Okay, let’s see. I think I would have to go with the prime rib. It’s amazing and our cook is fabulous. Do you want to try that?”
Taking Kate’s menu, I handed them both to Lara and nodded. “Yes, please, that sounds great.”
“Easy enough, guys. It’ll be out shortly.”
Now that I really took a good look at her, I could definitely see the difference between her and her sister. They had the same color of hair, but their eyes were different. Lara’s were more wide and full of life; Summer’s were gentle and sophisticated. I could definitely tell Summer was the responsible one out of the duet.
After Kate and I ate and talked about random things, it was time to head back home. “So when do you want to start unpacking your things?” Kate asked. “It’ll feel more like home if you do.”
I took her hand and kissed it. “I already feel at home, love. However, if you want me to unpack I’ll start on it tomorrow, but of course, you’ll have to help me. Maybe we could even convince Lara to help.”
Kate laughed and shook her head. “You know, the first day when I dropped you off at your house, Lara told me she saw us. She asked me if I made you brownies as a housewarming present.”
“And why didn’t you?” I asked, lifting my brows. “That would’ve been very southern of you.”
Slyly, she winked and grinned wide. “Oh, don’t worry, you’ll get your brownies. It just so happens that I have everything we’ll need to make them tonight.”
“Will there be whipped cream involved?”
She nodded.
“What about hot fudge?”
“Definitely,” she insisted.
I didn’t have to ask her about cherries because I knew what would make the perfect topping to roll around with my tongue. My cock was already hard just thinking about it.
An hour later, the brownies were in the oven while I watched Kate clean up the mixing bowls. With her back turned to me, I opened her refrigerator and took out the whipped cream and the jar of fudge.
Giggling, Kate didn’t even turn around when she asked me, “What are you doing, Cooper?”
“I’m just getting things ready for my appetizer.”
I put the jar of fudge in the microwave and heated it up for a few seconds so it would be warm and runny. Once that was done I’d be ready for her.
Coming up behind her, I pulled her away from the sink and turned her around. Face flushed, she smiled when she could feel my cock pushing up against her stomach. “What exactly do you want?” she asked huskily.
Without speaking, I undid the button to her skirt and let it fall to the floor before lifting her shirt gently up and over her head. “You, my love, are going to be my pre-dessert. Once I have you undressed, I’m going to lay you out on the table and taste you.”
Shivering, her body broke out in chills as I undid her bra and slowly lowered her underwear to the floor. Gently, I picked her up and laid her out on her kitchen table, her golden hair fanning out behind her and over the sides.
“When am I going to get the chance to do this to you?” she teased as I fetched the chocolate and whipped cream.
“Soon, but not tonight. Tonight is all about you, love.”
After shaking the can of whipped cream, I released just a tiny bit on her lips and licked it off before spreading them apart with my tongue. She moaned into my mouth and held me into place with her hands on both sides of my face.
“Are you ready for more?” I asked.
“Yes.”
Her lips were red and swollen, just the way I liked them, but I had other places on her that I wanted to kiss before going back to that mouth of hers. Arching her back, she moaned when I sprayed the cold whipped cream around her breasts on down her stomach. Next, I drizzled some of the hot fudge onto her taut nipples and watched her squirm as the heat intermingled with the coldness of the cream.
Removing my shirt, I took a moment and just stared at her; the way her body curved grac
efully, and the smoothness of her skin. She had a natural beauty to her that I had never seen in another woman … and she was mine.
As soon as I leaned over and licked a portion of the whipped cream, she jumped and giggled. “I take it this is your first time being splayed out on your table?” I teased.
“Um … yes. I’m not really experienced when it comes to this kind of stuff.”
Chuckling low, I swiped my tongue across her chocolaty nipple and groaned, “Well, it looks like I’m going to have to change that.”
Her breathing picked up faster the more I teased her with my tongue and lips. My cock hurt so bad that I had to unzip my jeans to give it space. I wanted so fucking bad to make love to her right there on the table, but I knew it wouldn’t be comfortable for her.
One half of her body was clean from the chocolate and whipped cream, but I still had the other side. Sucking on her nipple, I trailed my fingers down her stomach to in between her legs. She opened them further, and it was just the invitation I needed. Her body was hot and slick when I slid a finger inside of her, teasing her by rubbing my thumb across her clit. I loved how she was always so ready and turned on for me. It felt good to know that I could make her feel like that.
“Does it feel good when I suck your nipples and tease you between your legs?” I asked.
She moaned and arched her back, pushing her breasts higher, “Yes … oh, yes, it does. Please don’t stop.”
I wasn’t planning on it. With another finger, I gently pushed it inside of her and instantly felt her tighten against them. I knew she was close and I was going to take her all the way. Faster, I rubbed her clit with my thumb, sucked harder on her breasts, and thrust my fingers in and out of her. Her labored breathing grew more rapid just as she tightened her legs around my hand and rocked her hips, screaming out her pleasure. Breathing hard, I waited for her to calm down before slipping my fingers out of her.
“That felt good,” she rasped. “What are we going to do now?”
At that time, the timer for the brownies went off so I left her on the table and pulled them out, setting them on the stove. “We’re going to take a shower, love, and then I’m going to make love to you the way I should have this week.”