by Ava Grace
“Sure thing.”
He did as instructed and I blinked against the harshness of the light when it came on. It took me a moment for my eyes to adjust and when they did, I saw my mom staring up at Coop in awe. She looked positively smitten.
I sighed.
“That’s better. Okay, let’s get you up off this floor.”
“Here, let me help,” Coop said.
He went to mother’s other side then slid his arm under hers.
“Okay, we’ve got this,” he said. “On the count of three, okay? One, two.”
We lifted on three.
It wasn’t easy, but between us, we managed to get her off the floor and onto the bed.
“There you go,” I said, pulling the sheets over her. “Let’s get you warmed up.”
She looked up at Coop. “Thank you, young man.”
He grinned down at her. “It was no trouble at all. You can call on my services any time you like.”
She glanced over at me with something resembling hope before returning her attention to Coop.
“So tell me, what are you doing with my daughter in the middle of the night?”
“Mom!” I spluttered. “Jeez.”
Coop chuckled. “Nothing untoward, Ma’am. I assure you. Her virtue is perfectly safe with me.”
He winked at me and my belly did a weird somersault thingy. I expected her to grill him further, but instead, her face broke out into a wide, joyful grin.
“I like him,” she told me. “About time you came to your senses and realized that Jackson isn’t the man for you.”
Coop beamed at her. “That’s exactly what I said.”
She nodded. “He’s such a wet blanket.”
I pursed my lips. “Mom, I’m still seeing Jackson.”
She scrunched her eyebrows in disapproval. “What? You’re not cheating on this nice young man, are you?”
I let out a long-suffering sigh. “If I was cheating on anyone, it would be on Jackson.”
She looked confused again then indicated between Coop and me. “So this is just…casual?”
Coop made a sound that resembled a growl. “Not if I have any say about it.”
“Oh for heaven’s sake. Mom. Coop is just a friend, okay? I’m with Jackson.”
“Friends with benefits?” she enquired. “I read about that in one of my magazines.”
I threw my hands up in exasperation and Coop laughed heartily.
“Sorry to disappoint you,” he said. “But no, we’re not. When I finally get Faith, she’s going to be mine exclusively. I’m not sharing her with anyone.”
That got my mom smiling again and me glaring.
How presumptuous of him.
Before I could tear into him, the front door opened and my sister called out. “Faith, you here?”
“Yeah, we’re in here!” I shouted back.
“Who’s motorcycle is that outside?” she asked as she walked into the room.
She stopped dead just inside the door when she caught sight of Coop and her mouth formed a perfect circle.
“Oh.”
I groaned inwardly.
I was fairly sure I was never going to hear the end of this.
From either of them.
My sister looked between us as if waiting for an explanation. When none came, my mom said, “They’re not in a relationship, apparently. They’re just friends and not even friends with benefits.”
Coop roared with laughter and my sister’s face went bright red. She shot me a look that managed to convey, you’re going to tell me everything in the morning, then rushed to my mom’s side.
“Are you okay?” she asked, pulling the sheets higher up on my mom’s chest.
“Honestly,” my mom said. “I don’t know what all the fuss is about. I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine,” I said. “You spent hours freezing on the floor. You should have called us sooner.”
“I will next time,” she promised.
“Let’s hope there won’t be a next time,” my sister muttered.
I couldn’t have said it any better myself.
“Just in case there is, I’ll leave you my cell phone number,” Coop said. “And I expect you to use it. And I’m taking yours for emergencies, too.”
This time, we all stared at him open-mouthed.
Chapter Twelve
Faith
I woke up to the wonderful aroma of coffee brewing and I didn’t freak out even a little bit when I remembered that I was lying in Cooper Brown’s bed. His shirt might not have smelled like him, but his pillow sure did. I allowed myself to breathe it in as I woke up fully. When I realized what I crazy person I was being, I pulled back the sheets then climbed out of bed.
Coop’s shirt came down to just above my knees so I didn’t bother getting dressed before I went out into the kitchen in search of the source of that wonderful smell. I told myself I was referring to the coffee, but that was only half true. I found Coop leaning against the kitchen counter, coffee cup in hand.
“Morning, sleepy head,” he greeted.
Coop had on the same tight jeans that he’d worn the night before, but unlike last night, he was shirtless. His, beautifully tattooed skin was pulled tight over the bulging muscles in his arms and chest.
I’d always liked his tattoos, but he had a few more now than he’d had three years ago. The design on his chest was some sort of combination of wings, skulls and roses that disappeared over his shoulders. He had two full sleeves, one of which incorporated a pin-up model—a redhead.
“Like what you see?” he asked with a wry smile.
I felt the heat of a blush spread across my cheeks as I tore my gaze away from his body.
I cleared my throat.
“Please tell me you have more of that wonderful smelling coffee.”
He chuckled and turned to the coffee machine. “Coming right up.” He poured out a cup then handed it to me.
“Thanks.”
I blew on it then took a sip. Oh. My. God. This man knew how to make coffee.
I groaned.
“This is incredible.”
He huffed out a laugh. “If I’d have known that coffee was the way to your heart, I’d have made you a cup sooner.”
I ignored his comment and said. “Thank you, Coop. What you did for my mom, last night….I appreciate it.”
He shook his head. “It was nothing.”
“It was something to me,” I disagreed. “And I know it meant a lot to my mom, too. And my sister.”
He put his coffee cup down on the countertop. “Come here.”
I eyed him suspiciously. “What?”
“I said, come here.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s time to have that talk.”
“Oh no.” I shook my head, backing away towards the bedroom. “It’s never time for that talk.”
He walked forward and grabbed my arm then pulled me back into the kitchen. After he’d taken the cup out of my hand and placed it on the counter next to his, he took hold of my hands.
“It’s time, Faith,” he said. “I’m done playing around.”
I turned my head away from him. “I don’t know what you—“
“I want you. In my bed and in my life. And I think you want the same thing. Be honest with yourself.
“Is Jackson really who you want? He’s not the man for you. Everyone can see it. And I think, deep down, you can too.”
I swallowed down the lump in my throat. “It’ll never work, Coop. What happens when you get bored of me, or the next pretty woman turns your head?”
“I don’t cheat,” he said vehemently. “I might have had my share of women in recent years, but when I’m with someone, I’m faithful. And I want that someone to be you.”
He took his hands from mine then placed them on my hips. He was so compelling that I found my gaze lifting to meet his as if it was drawn there by some powerful mystical force. He pulled me closer and I gasped, overwhelmed by his nearness.
“Tell me you want me,” he demanded. Then he leaned down and pushed his tongue into my mouth.
I moaned, my lips molding to his as if on their own accord. Coop pulled me in tight to his body, his hands, rough and demanding snaking down to grasp the cheeks of my ass to hold me to him. He pressed his growing erection into me and kissed me with a hunger I’d longed for, for too many years to count.
The sound that left his mouth and entered mine was more animal than human and as I delighted in the scratch of his beard against my cheeks as his mouth devoured mine.
“Tell me,” he said again, before letting his tongue reacquaint itself with my mouth once more.
It was too much.
“No, stop.” I pushed him away. “I can’t do this, Coop. Jackson. I can’t, I mean, I…”
“So tell him it’s over,” he said. “Tell him he’s not what you need. After last night, he’s probably expecting it, anyway.”
“That doesn’t make it okay.”
I dislodged myself from his steely grip and paced the length of his kitchen. This was moving too fast, it was too much. But also, wasn’t it everything I’d ever hoped for?
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Coop insisted.
I pulled my shoulders back and faced him then crossed the distance between us until we stood toe to toe.
“I’m thinking that I need to tell Jackson it’s over.”
Coop’s mouth stretched into a triumphant smile that was so wide and charming, it was completely disarming. My heart sing with delight and when his eyes raked over me boldly and a shiver of wanting ran through me, strong and sure.
I’d never felt that way when I was with Jackson. I’d tried to make it work with him—God knows I’d tried. I’d wanted it to work. But I just didn’t feel this raw, unyielding passion for him that I felt for Coop and it didn’t matter how hard I tried, I was sure that I never would. Because he wasn’t Coop.
“I need to go back to my house to get some clean clothes. I start work in less than an hour. I’ll call Jackson later and ask him to meet me for coffee.”
“You can’t go to work,” Coop said, his tone stern.
I scrunched my eyebrows together. “What do you mean? Why not?”
“Because whether you like it or not, you’re caught in the middle of all this crap that’s going on with Owen and the club and that makes you a target. You might not be safe at work. I won’t be there to protect you.”
“Oh for goodness sake, I’m going to work,” I asserted. “I’ll be perfectly safe. I’m never on my own there anyway. What’s the worst that could happen?”
Coop scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “You promise me you’ll make sure you’re never on your own there.”
“I promise.”
He heaved a sigh. “Okay fine, Let’s go to get you some clean clothes. You can pack a case. I’ll bring it back here after I’ve made sure you got to work safely.”
I stared at him, unblinking. “Say that again?”
Coop grabbed the coffee cups off the countertop then placed them in the sink. “What part didn’t you understand?”
“Pack a case?” I questioned, my tone almost hysterical.
“What’s the big deal?” he asked. “We’ve already established that you’re staying here, at least until this whole thing blows over. You’re going to need clothes and shit, aren’t you?”
“Clothes and shit,” I repeated.
“That’s right.”
I groaned. “Coop. I’ve got a house. One I like living in. I can’t stay here indefinitely.”
“Why not?”
I blinked. “Because I have a house.”
He shrugged. “It’s not going anywhere.”
“Oh for goodness sake.”
How could I argue with logic like that?
I threw up my arms in exasperation and strode into the bedroom to get dressed. I got the feeling that this was a dispute I had no chance of winning. I mean, I know he was being protective of me and it was nice to have someone who cared, but seriously, could he be anymore bossy?
If we were going to make this relationship work, we were going to have to go over some ground rules. I stopped dead in my tracks, in the middle of his bedroom when I realized what thought had just run through my mind.
I walked back out into the living room where Coop was pulling on a shirt.
“Are we in a relationship?” I asked.
The corners of his mouth twitched and the humor that glinted in his eyes was as clear as day. “It would seem that way, yeah.”
“Oh, right,” I said. “I just wanted to be sure.”
As I went back into the bedroom, I head his low, throaty chuckle and I couldn’t help it—laughter bubbled up in my chest, thick and fast until it was released from my mouth in a joyful, full-hearted sound.
A moment later, Coop’s arms snaked around my waist and he turned me around to face him. Without preamble, he kissed me long and hard. I was breathless when he pulled back.
“What was that for?” I asked.
“Because I can,” he replied. “And because the sound of you laughing just then got my dick hard.”
His dark brown eyes grew darker still and the desire in their depths made my breath catch in my throat. He leaned in and captured my mouth again in a searing hot kiss that I felt all the way to my toes. When he pushed his tongue into my mouth, it was game over.
I gave myself up to him completely, letting him take the lead.
Slowly, his hands moved downwards, and he lifted the hem of his shirt, his fingers skimming lightly over my thighs. At the same time, he got us moving until the backs of my legs hit the bed and I fell down on it with Coop coming down on top of me.
Throughout it all, his mouth stayed fused to mine, his tongue caressing. The kiss managed to be both tender and sweet and hungry and possessive.
“Coop,” I whispered, trying to keep my wits about me. “We can’t. Jackson, remember?”
“Screw Jackson,” he said. “You’ve had, what, two dates with him? It wouldn’t be cheating. Besides, if you want to be technical, by going on those dates with him, you were cheating on me.”
I leaned my head back into the mattress and stared at him, mouth agape. “How do you figure that?”
“Because you belong with me,” he explained as calmly as if we were discussing the weather. “And you always have.”
I couldn’t have refuted that statement if I’d wanted to because it was a hundred percent true.
“And for what it’s worth,” he added. “I belong to you.”
It was at that moment I knew that I’d made the right decision.
I reached up and began opening the buttons of his shirt with shaking hands and as more of my body was revealed, the need in Coop’s expression intensified.
But then he reached out to still my shaking hands.
“Are you nervous?” he asked.
I snorted. “What do you think?”
“Why?”
“Because,” I said, chewing on my bottom lip. “You’ve been with dozens of women, and I’ve—“
“So you’ve only been with a few men,” he said with a shrug. “So what? Trust me, quantity doesn’t count for shit. Besides, you have nothing to worry about on that score. Last time was amazing.”
“Thanks,” I said, feeling the heat of a blush spread over my cheeks. “And it was one man, not a few.”
Coop became as still as a statue and stared at me, unblinking. “What do you mean?”
I frowned. “Huh?”
The Adam’s apple in his throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Faith, you’ve been with other men since me, right?”
“No,” I whispered. “I haven’t.”
The conversation was making me uncomfortable and nervous.
Would he change his mind about us when he realized how inexperienced I was? Would he think me pathetic for never having slept with anyone but him? Did it make me undesirable somehow?
My heart was beating fu
riously as Coop raked a hand through his thick dark hair.
He frowned. “No one?”
I was more than nervous and uncomfortable now. I was embarrassed, and, quite frankly, I was starting to get angry.
I made a move to get up.
“This was a mistake.”
Coop grabbed me and pushed me back down to the bed then pinned me there with his body, holding my arms above my head.
“There’s been no one else?” he asked again.
“Jesus, no!” I shouted. “There’s been no one but you, okay? So laugh at me all you want.”
But he wasn’t laughing.
In fact, the look on his face was closer to reverence.
He let go of one of my arms then brought his hand down to cup my face, rubbing his thumb over my cheek in a slow, soothing motion.
“I never had anything that was just mine,” he said hoarsely. “I had three older brothers growing up so everything I ever owned was a hand me down—clothes and toys that they’d grown out of or didn’t want anymore—everything.
“I got used to sharing and to never having anything new. I bought the bar with Mason and it’s only in the last couple of weeks that it became mine exclusively, shit even my Harley is second hand.”
I wasn’t sure where this was going but the look on Coop’s face was so raw and intense that I was captivated by his expression just as much as I was captivated by his words.
“Then, when I fell in love for the first time, she didn’t belong to me either, not really. Caroline belonged to Mason. I just borrowed her for a while.”
“Coop,” I began.
He continued to stroke my face. “There’s only been me?” he said again.
I nodded. “Only you.”
Crushing me to him, he pressed his mouth to mine and poured all of his passion and hurt and raw emotion into the kiss.
“Mine,” he said into my mouth, over and over again. “All mine.”
Our kiss got really heated after that.
When the rough material of his jeans scraped against my skin, I wanted it gone. I didn’t want a barrier between us, I wanted skin on skin. I’d already opened the buttons of his shirt so I shrugged out of it between kisses then reached for the zipper on his jeans.
“Please, Coop,” I begged when I couldn’t get the damned thing open.