by L. P. Dover
I closed the door with my last words and walked away, never once looking back. It felt good to do what I did, but now it was time to go home … to my real home. The guy in the cab still waited at the end of the driveway, and when I got in I actually had a smile on my face.
“To the airport please,” I told him. “I’m ready to get back home.”
By the time Cooper called and said he was coming home, I was a complete and utter mess. All night I couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing and who he was with. It just so happened that I wasn’t near my phone when he called, so all I had to go on was a voicemail. He said his plane would be in at six-thirty tonight, and after working all day—going through the motions like a zombie—I was ready to see him.
When I pulled up at the pickup terminal, I saw him standing there in the same bright blue T-shirt and jeans that he wore the day before. His face was all stubbly from not shaving and he looked tired …exhausted. I knew the feeling because I felt the same way, but when he saw me his face did a complete change.
Opening the car door, he slid inside and immediately grasped my face, pulling me to him and pressing his lips firmly to mine. His tongue opened my lips and he deepened the kiss, not caring about the horns that blared behind us.
“Well, hello to you, too,” I chuckled, pulling away from his lips. I wanted to jump right in and ask where he went, but I knew he would get to it soon. Patience was not always a virtue of mine when I wanted answers immediately.
Cooper smoothed his thumbs over my cheeks and over my lips. “You have no idea how glad I am to be back. There’s so much I have to tell you. My phone died before boarding the last plane so I had no clue if you knew to come get me. The message I left you was kind of vague, but most importantly I didn’t get the chance to tell you that Marianne was still here in Charlotte.”
My eyes went wide. “How did you know that? I never got the chance to tell you. Sam called me last night and told me that she never went back to Ohio.”
Putting my car into gear, I pulled us out into the slow airport traffic and headed home, sneaking glances at him while I waited on him to answer. He finally turned to me, his gaze narrowed. “So what exactly did you do last night, Kate? Who were you with?”
“I went to The Carolina Tavern, and then stayed over at Evan’s house so I wouldn’t be alone. Why do you look angry?”
Leaning forward, he let go of my hand and rested his elbows on his knees, sighing. “I know I shouldn’t be angry because he’s your friend, but Scott’s mother had sent a picture of you in Luke’s arms. Believe me, it wasn’t something I was happy to see, and definitely not happy that she’s still watching you.”
Oh no!
“Cooper,” I murmured desperately, “nothing happened between me and Luke last night. We were just outside talking. I was upset because you wouldn’t tell me who you were going to see, and I had so many thoughts running through my head. It was only a hug, that’s it.”
Cooper immediately sat up and glared at me. “Wait, what are you talking about? What kind of thoughts were you having?”
Keeping my focus on the road, I reluctantly whispered my answer, “I thought you were going to see the doctor you had screwed around with. I couldn’t think of anyone else that would want to conspire with Marianne.”
“And you what? Thought I’d fuck her or something?”
“No,” I gasped, “that’s not it.” I pulled over to a nearby parking lot and shut off my Jeep. Taking a deep breath, I bit my lip, meeting Cooper’s ocean blue gaze. “Cooper, I just couldn’t stomach the fact that there was a chance you’d be around someone that you used to be intimate with. Even though I know you love me and wouldn’t do anything to hurt me, for the first time in my life I let jealousy take over. You have an extremely scandalous past with lots of beautiful women, and for once I doubted myself. I didn’t like it.”
“Kate, you are more beautiful and have more worth than any of those women I’d been with. Don’t ever doubt yourself with me, okay? And just so you know, it wasn’t that woman I went to go see.”
Who else could it have been?
“Who was it?” I asked.
Sighing, he laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. “It was the one person I least expected … my mother.”
I gasped, eyes wide. “Holy hell, you can’t be serious.”
He snorted. “Unfortunately, I am. After looking at the pictures, I’m assuming Marianne approached my mother after the party somehow. I don’t know exactly because I was too pissed off to even ask, but apparently, she told my mother about Scott. They both thought that by exposing our dirty secrets it would tear us away from each other.”
“What did you say when she told you?” I asked curiously.
“I told her I was done with her and that I never wanted to see her again. My home is here now anyway … not there. It was never where I belonged.”
We sat there in silence for a moment while everything sunk in. What a bitch! I couldn’t believe his mother would do such a thing. What’s worse was that I couldn’t imagine how hard it must’ve been for him to learn the truth.
“Are you going to be okay?” I asked.
Tilting up his chin, he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Actually, Kate, for the first time in my life I think I’m better than okay. I’ll never have to listen to my family’s negativity about how much of a failure I am, because you know what, I know that I’m not. I believed I was for so long because that’s all I heard. Not anymore, though. I have you, I have the team, and I have my uncle. As long as I have you by my side I don’t need anything else.”
Turning my way, he leaned over and traced his tongue across my lips before nipping my bottom one with his teeth. “Now how about we go home and I show you how much I missed you. After that I’ll cook us an amazing dinner because I’m starving. I can’t go another minute without having you naked and spread wide in my bed.”
“Then hold on tight,” I whispered huskily across his lips, “because the ride home is going to be awfully fast.”
A fast ride was definitely what Cooper had in mind as well. He slid his hand down the waistband of my shorts and slipped two fingers inside of me. “Open your legs as far apart as you can, love,” he commanded low.
Bending my knee, I propped my foot up on the seat so I could give him more room. “That’s good,” he murmured, thrusting his long fingers in and out.
I groaned, “This isn’t fair, and it definitely isn’t safe.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” he teased. “I’m not going to let you come until we get into my driveway.”
Breathing hard, I knew I was on the edge, and we still had two miles before we got to our street. There was no way I could hold out, but every time I got close Cooper would slow his pace and my orgasm would ebb off.
“When we get in my driveway, tilt your seat all the way back and I’ll finish this for you.”
Panting, I turned down our street and put my other hand on the button to tilt my seat back. As soon as I put my car into park, I tilted the seat back and Cooper went into full blast. Thrusting his fingers harder, he aggressively lifted my shirt and bra with his other hand. Instantly, he closed his lips firmly over my nipple, sucking and biting it.
I came immediately, gripping on to his arm while my orgasm felt like liquid fire racing throughout my veins. Chuckling darkly, Cooper slid his fingers out and lifted them to his lips where he sucked them off, groaning the entire time with his heated gaze on me.
“I enjoy the way you taste, love. Now let’s get inside so I can make love to you.”
We both rushed out of the car, and as soon as we got inside we ripped our clothes off before we could even get to his bedroom. Holding me in his arms with me straddling his waist, he faltered on the stairs and landed on top of me, pushing his way inside. Arching my back because the stairs were cold against my skin, I took delight in the heat between my legs as a distraction. Cooper lifted me up off the stairs and backed me against the wall t
his time, keeping his cock inside of me and thrusting each chance he got.
“Can you tell I missed you?” he growled, lowering his head to my breasts.
I moaned. “Oh, yes, but I want more.”
Finally, we made it to his bedroom and he laid me down on the bed, kissing his way up my neck to my lips. Our bodies moved together slowly, tenderly. With his fingers caressing my cheeks, he kept his gaze on me the entire time we made love.
“I’ll give you whatever you want, love. If you want more just say it, and I’ll give you more. There’s absolutely nothing in this world I couldn’t offer you.”
“What about your heart?” I asked softly. “Is that something you’ll give me one day?”
Rolling his hips harder, he thrust deeper inside of me and held me tight, his eyes never wavering. “Fuck, you’re getting so tight. I’m so close.”
Arching my back, I let my orgasm go at the same time I could feel his pulsing cock releasing inside of me. He laid his head on my chest for a few seconds to catch his breath before gazing back up at me.
“And the answer to your question, love, is no. I can’t give you my heart one day.”
“Why not?” I gasped.
He placed his fingers to my lips before leaning down to kiss me. “Because, Kate, you already have it. I gave it to you a long time ago.”
Smiling, I ran my fingers through his hair and placed my hands on his cheeks. “And you’ve had mine, Cooper. You’ll always have it for as long as you want it.”
“Then I guess you’ll always be mine.”
I took a shower with Cooper only to realize I didn’t have any clean clothes at his house. The last thing I wanted to do was put my dirty clothes back on. “Don’t worry, you can wear some of mine,” Cooper teased.
Laughing, I towel dried my hair and wrapped it around my body. “Yeah right, they’ll fall off of me. While you cook dinner, I’ll walk over to my place to grab a set of clothes and a bottle of wine.”
Cooper laid out a red T-shirt of his and a pair of black running shorts. When I put them on they were big on me, but I came to the conclusion that I absolutely loved wearing his clothes and he loved seeing me in them.
“I think you look hot like that, but if you must leave to get your own that’s fine. I’ll get our food started.”
Slipping on my tennis shoes, I kissed him quickly and rushed down the stairs and out of his house. My purse was still in my car, so I opened it up and grabbed it so I could find my house keys. My dad always told me that too many keys on my keychain would ruin the ignition on my car; therefore, I always had a separate set for my other keys. It was actually a pain in the ass.
It was a nice September night, but with the uncommonly cool breeze coming in I knew it was probably the beginning to what would be a cold winter. We didn’t have many cold winters and we rarely had any snow, but I had a feeling this one would be different. Once I got to the edge of my driveway, I checked the mail and flipped through all of the envelopes before unlocking my front door.
Setting the mail in the kitchen, I checked the answering machine and wasn’t surprised that there weren’t any messages on it. No one ever called me on the home phone anyway. Quickly, I rushed up the stairs and slipped into my room, heading straight for my dresser. I pulled out a couple of pairs of pants, T-shirts, socks, and underwear to keep at Cooper’s house.
We were always going back and forth, so I figured it would be smart to have a spare change of clothes at his house anyway. However, there was something missing. Staring at the top of my dresser, I realized there was something different about it. It just so happened that it only took a few seconds to figure it out.
“Are you by any chance looking for this?” a voice asked from behind me.
I gasped and froze in place. How the hell did she get in my house? Ever so slowly, I lifted my gaze to the dresser mirror. Directly behind me was a woman dressed in a pair of dark denim jeans and a black T-shirt; her hair was short and blonde just like her daughter’s. However, in her hand wasn’t just the ring Scott gave me … there was also a gun, pointing straight in my direction.
Slowly, I turned around and faced her head on, hands out to my sides. “Marianne,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
She smiled and batted her eyes. “Why, I came to see you, dear. It’s been a while and I think it’s time for you to pay your dues.” She looked down at the ring. “Nice ring, by the way. Is it from Cooper, or that other gentleman I saw you all over last night?”
“It’s from neither,” I countered.
“My, you sure do get around, don’t you?” she spat. “It makes me sick to know my son was in love with a slut. I can’t believe you would honor his memory like this … whoring around with two men.”
“I am not whoring around,” I snapped. “I loved your son and I always will, but what was I supposed to do? I was twenty-three when he died, was I supposed to stay single for the rest of my life?”
“If you still loved him that’s exactly what you would’ve done,” she snarled.
Eyes wide, I glared at her incredulously. “Are you even listening to yourself right now? You’ve completely lost your mind. Scott will always be a part of my life, but I had to move on. He was dying from cancer for Christ’s sake. Even if he didn’t overdose on pills, the sickness would’ve taken him shortly after. He wanted to end the pain.”
She paced back and forth, mumbling things to herself as if completely oblivious to what I’d just said. “Marianne, did you hear me? I told you Scott was dying from cancer. He didn’t overdose on pills just because he wanted to.”
It was as if she chose not to listen to me or to reason. She’d completely blocked out anything dealing with Scott’s cancer. It was just like Emily said; she didn’t want to listen to it.
With her finger on the trigger, she waved it back and forth as tears began to flow down her cheeks. “No, it’s lies … all lies. He did it because you ignored him, because he was unhappy. It was all your fault!”
She took a couple of steps toward me and I backed up until I couldn’t go any further. Her brown eyes were wild and untamed … if I didn’t tread carefully, I’d find myself with a bullet through my skull. Just breathe, Kate, and figure this out.
“I watched you off and on for years—living your lonely, sad life—until in rides your knight in shining armor and sweeps you off your feet. I knew Scott’s memory flew out the window once he showed up. No one will ever be better than my son.” She pointed the gun at me again and I froze, holding my breath. “I want you miserable, the same way I’ve been for the past two years.”
“I’m sorry you’ve been miserable, and I know you miss him, but Emily—”
Holding up her hand, she scoffed in disgust, “Oh, don’t even mention my traitorous daughter. I haven’t spoken to her since I left, so imagine my surprise when I see my son’s car here the other day. No daughter of mine would turn her back on me like that, or try to send me to a rehab facility that deals with mental patients. She wants to send me off so she doesn’t have to deal with me anymore.”
“She’s only looking out for you,” I replied cautiously. “She loves you, and she misses you. I know you miss Scott, but Emily is here and alive, and she wants you to see her the way you saw Scott.”
Marianne growled, “Impossible! No one can ever take the place of your first born child. They hold a special place in your heart, but now mine’s gone. I didn’t even want her, but my husband refused to let me get rid of her. Now that he’s gone, I’m stuck with her.”
If I ever felt sorry for the woman standing in front of me, I take it all back. How could anyone as sweet and loving as Scott come from such a heartless bitch? I was done trying to reason with her. Right now I needed to get out.
My breaths came out in short gasps as I searched around my room for anything that could help me distract her. There was nothing. She was getting angrier by the moment, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before she pulled the trigger. If I turned and ran
she would shoot me in the back and I’d be dead.
Shit, what the hell am I going to do?
In my pocket, my phone started to ring. Immediately, I looked up at Marianne and she snapped, “Don’t you dare answer that, or I’ll put a bullet straight through your black heart.”
“Well, if I don’t and it’s Cooper,” I told her, “he’ll be here in a heartbeat. Everyone knows that you’re still around and they’ll know to come check on me. You may want to kill me, but you’ll be signing your own death warrant.”
She huffed and waved the gun in the air. “Fine, but you better get rid of whoever it is and make it believable. If you so much as squeal I’ll pull the trigger now and seal your fate.”
Swallowing hard, I carefully reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. It was Cooper. Angry and scared, I cleared my throat before answering. “Hey,” I mumbled groggily.
“Kate, are you okay? You don’t sound so good.”
Marianne glared at me and I gritted my teeth, wishing I could find something to hit her with. “Yeah, I’m not feeling so good right now. I think I need to lie down for a while. Can I take a rain check on dinner?”
“Sure,” he replied hesitantly. “Why don’t I come over in a little while and we can watch a movie?”
I knew he would be persistent.
“No, Coop, I’ll be fine. I just need to be alone.”
Marianne waved her hands impatiently in the air again, wanting me to hurry. It was then I saw Scott’s baseball bat leaning against my nightstand. If I could just move over a couple of paces I could get to it. Wouldn’t that be irony, hitting her in the head with her own son’s favorite baseball bat?
“You’re not acting right, Kate. What’s going on?”
“Nothing, Coop, I swear. I’m just really tired, and I know you’re tired too from your flight. I’ll see you first thing in the morning, okay?”