His hands found my pants, and he slowly worked the button free before unzipping them. With a gentle tug, they fell down to my feet. Without breaking our kiss, I stepped out of them. His hands found my hips and he roughly squeezed them, a low growl sounding in his throat.
“Stop,” he said as he pushed me away.
I pulled back and looked down at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just want to see you, all of you,” he said as he stood.
I gasped when he grabbed my hips again and spun us around. Ever so gently, he laid me down on the center of his bed. I watched him as he stepped back. He quickly pulled my underwear down my legs and tossed them aside. Not daring to breath, I unclasped my bra and threw it on the floor next to his bed. His eyes trailed my body, making heat rush to my face. The hunger in his eyes was so intense that it took my breath away.
“You’re better than I could have ever imagined, and trust me, I’ve imagined plenty of times.”
“Have you really?” I asked.
“Every single time we’ve been around each other. You make a man weak, Claire. I’ve never wanted someone the way I want you. At first, I thought it was simply because you were his, but it didn’t take me long to realize how wrong I was. Spending time with you, I’ve learned your quirks, laughed at your temper, and realized that you are fucking perfect for me. You’re a beautiful woman, inside and out.”
I stared at him in shock, trying to think of something to say. Cooper had stunned me. Gone was the arrogant man I’d come to know, and in his place was a man who seemed to truly care about me.
“Thank you,” was all I could manage to say.
He grinned. “No need to thank me. I was just pointing out the obvious.” He paused. “But now, I’m done talking.”
His grin never left his face as he unbuttoned his pants and pulled them off. His shirt disappeared next, leaving him only in his boxers. I watched with rapt attention as he slid them down his hips. When they were gone, neither of us moved or spoke.
I trailed my eyes down his body, taking in every inch of him. I’d seen his chest and stomach on several occasions, but below…
I gulped when my eyes reached the deep V of his lower abdomen. They slowly worked their way lower, truly seeing Cooper in all his glory for the first time. I blushed.
Cooper’s body was everything I had expected and more. Pure steel was covered in soft skin.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmured, breaking the silence in the room.
He moved closer to the bed. “As are you.”
He didn’t speak as he climbed onto the bed and positioned his body over mine. He slowly lowered his head until our lips finally met. Just as I had, he slowly kissed me, as if to savor every moment of this. My arms wrapped around him again, pulling his body down on mine. I gasped against his lips as our skin finally touched. I shuddered as he let out a tiny groan.
His lips moved from my mouth to my jaw and then to my neck. His teeth nipped at my skin, and my body tensed, expecting pain but it never came. His bites were soft, egging on the longing in my body.
He slowly made his way down my body, his lips never leaving my skin. When he reached my breasts, his hand found one and started circling my nipple as his mouth covered my other. He flicked his tongue, and I jerked. My body was on fire, and every little touch made me feel as if I were about to come out of my skin.
He released me and continued his way down my body. “I want to memorize every inch of you.”
He kissed my stomach before dipping his tongue into my belly button.
Unable to stop myself, I laughed. “That tickles.”
I felt him grin against my skin, but he said nothing. Instead, he moved lower, placing small kisses on each of my hip bones. I tensed for a moment as he pushed my legs apart. I knew what he planned to do, but I wasn’t so sure I could handle that. I’d never had a man’s mouth on me there.
“Cooper, don’t.”
“Shh…trust me,” he said. He positioned himself so that his face was right where he wanted it to be.
Without another word, he moved forward and ran his tongue along my slit. I gasped and jerked, but he grabbed my hips and held me down.
“I promise, you’re going to enjoy this.”
His tongue attacked my body, making me wither and jerk. He slowly circled my clit before running his tongue across it. I felt as if my entire body was going to explode. He continued his assault with his tongue as one of his hands released my hip. He thrust a finger inside me, and I moaned loudly. I would’ve been embarrassed if I were with anyone else but Cooper. With him, it felt right, and holy mother of God, it felt good. No, it was better than good. It was earth-shattering, and my senses were on overload.
Sweat broke out across my skin, and my hips bucked as I felt myself coming closer and closer to the point of no return. I knew that, within seconds, I would come with his mouth still torturing me in the best way possible.
When I did come, my hands found his hair, and I wrapped my fingers around the silky strands, trying to pull him closer to me, as I called out his name. He worked me as the orgasm rocked my body, never once slowing down. When my breathing finally slowed, Cooper kissed the inside of my thigh before pulling away. He moved until he was lying next to me in the bed.
He turned his head to look at me. “You’re perfect. I hope you know that.”
I smiled at him. “You’re not too bad yourself. I’ve never felt anything like that before.”
“That’s because you’ve never been with me before. I’m kind of the king of orgasms,” he said with a straight face.
I grinned, unable to stop myself. “And you’re so modest, too.”
“Modesty is for nuns and virgins. I am neither.”
“Clearly.”
He chuckled before rolling over and opening his nightstand drawer. He pulled out a condom and ripped open the packet. I looked away as he started to roll it on.
“Now isn’t the time to act shy, Claire, not after that,” Cooper said, amusement clear in his voice.
I shot him a look that was meant to scare him for teasing me, but he just grinned. Being with Cooper like this felt…different from how I’d expected. I’d only been with Robert, and there had been no room for conversation or joking. Cooper seemed happy and at ease, something that surprised me since he was always so intense.
He moved until his body was positioned over mine. “There’s no forgetting this now, Claire. I hope you know that.”
“Like I could forget,” I told him.
He leaned down and kissed me deeply as his hips thrust forward. He was inside me before he broke the kiss. I tensed for a moment, shocked at his sudden entry, but then I forced myself to relax. Cooper stared down at me, his eyes showing some kind of emotion I couldn’t pinpoint. Maybe it was happiness or even excitement. I wasn’t sure.
“I want to take this slow, Claire. Is that okay with you?”
I nodded, suddenly unable to find my voice. He grinned down at me as he pulled back and then thrust into me again. I grabbed his arms and held on as he found a leisurely pace and stuck to it. This didn’t feel the same as it had only a moment before. He’d attacked my body, giving me no chance to prepare myself. Now, he was taking his time, allowing me to experience every second of him inside me. It felt amazing, but I knew it wouldn’t get me to where I wanted to go.
“I need it faster, Coop. Please,” I said when I couldn’t stand it any longer.
He didn’t respond, but his hips started moving faster. I dug my nails into his arms as I felt my need deepen. Cooper grabbed one of my legs and wrapped it around his waist. Out of instinct, I wrapped the other one around him and crossed my ankles, holding him in place.
“Hold on. I’m about to get rough,” he said, his voice deeper than usual.
I did as he’d said as he started pounding into me with enough force to push me back a few inches. I clung to him, praying that this moment would never end. I felt my body arch off the bed as an orgasm rocked t
hrough me. I tightly held on to Cooper, my grip probably leaving bruises on his arms. His body tensed above me before he thrust into me one final time.
He dropped down so that his weight rested against mine. Both of us fought for breath as we slowly came back down to earth. He kissed my neck before resting his face there. Neither of us spoke for a while. Finally, he pulled out and sat on the edge of the bed. My body instantly started craving him again. I felt hollow without him inside me.
I watched as he stood and pulled the condom off before tossing it into the garbage can next to his computer desk. He pulled the covers down so that we could slip under them, and he climbed back into bed.
“Everything changes now,” he whispered before he pulled me into his arms.
“Everything changes,” I repeated, hearing the truth in my words.
Cooper was mine now, and I was his. We both knew it was true.
Sadly, there was still so much unsaid between the two of us. Fate was not on our side, something that we were both very much aware of. I had no idea what would happen between us.
As I lay in his arms, I wished I could openly stake my claim on Cooper. He was mine for as long as he allowed it, and I was his. That was all that should matter, but things were too complicated for that. No one else could know how we felt—not yet, not until we brought Robert to his knees. I prayed that we would do just that—soon. I wanted to watch my husband rot in prison while I fell in love with his son.
I was that twisted.
I traced the bottom of Cooper’s tattoo with my finger. My head rested against his chest, and I breathed deeply, memorizing his scent, imprinting this moment in my brain for all eternity. I never wanted to forget what we’d shared. Outside this room, I knew doubt would begin to creep back in. I didn’t want to feel that way ever again. I didn’t want my doubt and guilt to take this moment from me.
What Cooper and I had done meant a lot to me. I just wanted to savor the emotions I was feeling now. The guilt over my infidelity—even though I no longer cared for Robert, and I knew he never truly cared about me—would soon take over. Something that felt so right was still so wrong in many ways. Sleeping with Cooper, no matter how much I cared, was wrong as long as I was married to Robert.
“This is nice,” I said after a while.
Cooper gently squeezed my arm. “Yeah, it is.”
“I wish we could just stay like this forever. I don’t want to leave this room.”
“We don’t have to—at least, not for a while.”
“I suppose, but reality will come creeping along soon.”
He sighed and pulled me tighter against him. “I know.”
I let the warmth from his body spread through mine, warming me to my bones. Neither of us spoke for what seemed like hours. Maybe it was only minutes. I was too entranced with the man lying next to me to pay attention to the passing of time.
“Cooper?” I asked.
“What?”
“You said you needed to tell me something important earlier. That was why I came home. We, uh…got a bit distracted. What was it that you wanted to tell me?”
Just like that, reality came barreling back to us. Cooper’s entire body tensed, and I instantly regretted asking him the question. I slowly sat up, and then instead of speaking, he stood and reached for his pants. I watched as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and sat down next to me on the bed.
“When I saw your note, telling me that my father had left, I had him followed.” He unlocked his phone and pulled up his texts. “My guy sent me this. I’m sorry, Claire.”
My hands were shaking as I took the phone from him. I looked at the screen, trying to understand what I was seeing.
Robert.
He was locked in an embrace with a brunette, his mouth planted firmly on hers. I scanned the image and noticed how his hands rested on her backside, pulling her tight against him.
“This was taken today?” I asked. I was surprised by how calm my voice had sounded.
“Yeah, he sent it to me a few minutes before I texted you.”
I handed his phone back to him. “It doesn’t matter if he’s cheating. We know that he doesn’t love me. This just proves it a little bit more.”
I kept my face expressionless, but inside, I was raging. Robert was sleeping around while still married to me. He was making me look like an even bigger fool than I already was in his eyes.
And I’m doing the same thing.
At least I truly cared about Cooper though. I doubted if Robert felt the same about the brunette in the photo.
“And here I was, worried that I’d feel guilty over being with you,” I said softly. “At least he gave me a reason not to.”
Cooper didn’t say anything. Instead, he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer to him.
“I didn’t want to feel guilty. I’m kind of glad I saw this because, now, I don’t have to.”
I looked up at him. His eyes were full of pity. I hated that. I wanted Cooper to see me as his equal. I didn’t need his pity.
“You should never feel guilty over what you feel for me, Claire.” He kissed the top of my head. “You’re the first person to care about me in so long. I don’t want you to feel guilty over that.”
I straightened. “I don’t feel guilty over my feelings. My guilt comes from not waiting until I left him. I don’t want him to bring me down to his level, Coop, and I feel like that was what I did. I’m better than going behind his back to sleep with his son.”
Cooper’s expression went from soft to menacing in an instant. “So, you think I’ve sunk to his level as well then.”
“What? No! You’ve done nothing wrong.”
He laughed humorlessly. “It takes two, doesn’t it? I mean, after all, I kept pushing you until you finally caved. Maybe all your guilt should rest on my shoulders.”
I grabbed his hands in mine and squeezed. “Stop, please. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry.”
He looked away. “I’m sorry, too. I just…I don’t want him to taint this, too. Whatever doubt you have about us, push it aside, okay?”
“You’re right,” I said, “I won’t feel guilty over us. I can’t. You’re one of the few things I care about in this life. I won’t ruin it, not for him.”
He leaned down and softly kissed me. “Good.”
“We’ll figure it all out—together.”
We would. We had to.
That night, I tossed and turned in my bed, my mind too filled to even contemplate sleep. My body was taut as I fought with myself over Cooper. He was just across the hall, his door mere feet from mine. I didn’t want to be here in my room, alone. I wanted to be in his.
That was a dangerous thought, a stupid one. We couldn’t get caught together. What had happened today was dumb, and we both knew it. Robert might be out of town, sleeping with his whores, but Ellie was still at the house every day. If she had walked in on us, things could have gone bad fast. I didn’t think she would have told Robert, but I didn’t want to take a chance either.
I’d decided not to tell Cooper about what I’d found inside the storage unit. I wasn’t sure that what I’d discovered would help us at all. Cooper would be surprised to learn that his father had planned on leaving him everything, but that had nothing to do with Marie.
The divorce papers kept flashing through my mind. I’d read them earlier, trying to understand why Robert would hide them the way he had. I’d found nothing suspicious in them. Marie’s reason for filing had been irreconcilable differences. That wasn’t exactly calling Robert out on his bullshit. The only reason we even knew that she had filed was because of her letter to Cooper. If she’d never sent that, then he never would’ve learned of her fears or even of the divorce papers themselves.
I sat straight up in bed. That was what had been bugging me. Marie had died before she filed for divorce. There was no way that Robert should have known about those papers, but he obviously had known. How was the question. He’d hidden them because he assu
med no one else knew about them, and he didn’t want anyone to find them.
“Now, it makes sense,” I said to no one.
The only way he could have known about them was if he’d somehow found out about Marie’s lawyer. That was the only way. I needed to see that lawyer and find out how and why Robert had those papers.
As soon as the firm opened the next morning, I called Becky’s direct extension.
“Law Office of Robert Evans. How may I help you?” Becky answered.
I almost laughed out loud at how professional her voice sounded.
“Becky, it’s Claire. I need a favor.”
Her professional voice disappeared. “Oh, hey, Claire. What do you need?”
“I can’t come to work today, but I want you to put me down as if I were there.”
The line was quiet for a moment. “I could get in trouble for that, Claire. If anyone finds out that you aren’t here, we’re both screwed. That’s technically stealing from the firm.”
“No one will know. If anyone asks, just tell that person that you sent me out on errands. I doubt if anyone notices though.”
“All right, but you owe me. I expect you to bring me Starbucks once a week for eternity.”
I laughed. “That sounds fair. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Remember—Starbucks. I’ll be expecting a cup soon.” With that, Becky hung up.
I grinned as I put my phone down on my bed. My smile slowly slid from my face. In another life, I could see myself becoming good friends with Becky. It was too bad that I would soon be leaving her and the firm behind. I would truly miss her, but I knew that, no matter what happened, the Law Office of Robert Evans wasn’t my future.
I slid off my bed and walked to the closet of my room. When I’d officially moved into Robert’s room, Ellie and I had moved most of my clothing to his closet. What wouldn’t fit had stayed in this room. I flipped on the light and started looking through the clothes hanging around me. I found a pair of black dress slacks and a short-sleeved cream sweater that would work well together. I quickly threw them on and checked myself in the mirror. I looked good, professional yet poised, which is what I was going for. I slipped on a pair of flats before walking to my bedroom door. I carefully opened it, not wanting to make any sound at all. I tiptoed my way down the hall to the bathroom Robert and I used.
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