Shine Forever

by Megan Derr

  "You smell like hard work and cheap perfume." Cooper nipped at the edge of his jaw. "Course, if you wanted a shower first, I won't complain. I like you wet and slippery."

  Dai made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a giggle. Cooper smiled against his skin, drawing back enough to haul the tight, tight t-shirt off him. He flicked the rings in Dai's nipples, loving the way that instantly made him flush, squirm. He'd never seen a man so happy to have his nipples messed with. The piercings must drive him crazy on some days. Cooper bent and got one between his teeth, tugged on it, liking the way that resulted in nails scraping across the back of his neck.

  "Evil."

  "I ain't the one who rolled in at two in the morning looking like a wet dream," Cooper drawled before trailing his mouth further down Dai's tight, trim body, nuzzling the soft skin, pausing only when he reached the hint of happy trail peeking out the edge of Dai's pants.

  At least they weren't leather this time; that shit was impossible to get off as tight as Dai wore it. Not that the jeans were much better. But it was worth it when he saw the panties Dai was wearing, a mix of navy and ice blue lace that made him forget how to breathe for a moment.

  He hadn't realized how much of a thing that was for him until he'd seen the pair Dai had been wearing the other day. It had turned into an addiction fast, like some damn switch had been flipped and couldn't be turned off again; it was probably gonna be the death of him. He fondled Dai through the soft, thin lace, wishing he could just pull it down out of the way and take that cock into his throat,.

  Not safe, though, alas. He settled for rubbing and teasing through the panties, reaching back to slip under them and—

  Cooper groaned. "You evil little…"

  Laughing, clearly pleased with himself, Dai replied, "S'why I was a little late. I've been revving for you since I left yesterday morning."

  "You're a drug," Cooper replied and took that hungry little mouth in a kiss that left him panting and his lips throbbing. He pulled away, moved to sit against the headboard, and then dragged Dai over his lap. Dai twisted to give him a look, but whatever he'd planned on saying vanished in a stuttered groan when Cooper slipped a hand into the panties and pushed two fingers into his warm, slick hole. "That's right," Cooper murmured.

  "Nngh." Dai clung to the bedding, humped against his thigh, gasping out Cooper's name as he pushed in a third finger and worked Dai hard, his own cock throbbing with every hungry, needy noise that spilled out of Dai's mouth.

  He used his free hand to touch, pet, and comb through the damp hair, then trace the lines of Dai's face—and groaned, loud and long, when Dai sucked two fingers in his mouth. He worked Dai from both ends, twisting three fingers as deep as they could go, pushing two deeper into Dai's mouth, pressing his thigh against the hard cock rubbing off against him until Dai came apart, moaning around his fingers, shuddering against him.

  Pulling his fingers free of Dai's mouth, Cooper pulled his cock out of his sweatpants and stroked himself off, spilling into his hand and over his own skin. Wiping most of the mess on his pants, he slumped back against the head board and slowly pulled his fingers out of Dai's ass.

  Dai shifted, straddled him, and wrapped his arms around Cooper's neck and gave him a lazy kiss. "Hi, cowboy."

  "Howdy." Cooper looped his arms loosely around Dai's hips, idly stroking whatever bits of skin he could reach. "How was the concert?"

  "Exhausting but good. Only fucked up once, and I don't think anyone but Jet noticed. How's your beach break been?"

  "Quiet. How about that shower?"

  "Can I have food, too?"

  Cooper chuckled. "I reckon so. Come on, then." He reluctantly shifted Dai off him and stood up, shucking his sweatpants before offering a hand and hauling Dai to his feet and leading him into the bathroom.

  If they stayed there until the water ran cold, well. He didn't start it.

  *~*~*

  Cooper woke to the smell of cinnamon and coffee, his stomach growling. Groaning, he rubbed his face in the pillow, then hauled up and slipped into the bathroom.

  When he came out, he pulled on a pair of gym shorts and headed into the kitchen. Dai sat at the bar, drinking coffee and nibbling at a donut that smelled like French toast. Cooper's chest gave a lurch at seeing him sitting there in sunshine and a tiny pair of blue boxers. That had better be a lust-provoked lurch and not a this-is-cozy-and-nice lurch 'cause he didn't need that kind of mess.

  Didn't stop him from walking over to Dai and taking a coffee-and-cinnamon flavored kiss.

  "Mm, morning," Dai said as he drew away. "I bought donuts."

  Cooper dropped a kiss on his shoulder, then went to the coffee pot and poured a cup. "I know I didn't have fancy, cinnamon-flavored coffee in this place."

  "I like good coffee, and your coffee was crap."

  "Well, I can't argue this is good," Cooper said because it really, really was. "You better not turn me into a coffee snob. My mama will tan my hide for acting too good for her tin can coffee."

  Dai's mouth quirked. "I'm afraid I come by my snobbery honestly, with the chef who made my mom's coffee from a fancy espresso machine every morning and afternoon."

  "Oh, a rich brat," Cooper said with a smile, sliding onto the barstool next to Dai's and snagging a donut from the box. Lord have mercy, that was sex in a donut. "Where the hell did you get these?"

  "Awesome, right? Some little bakery Jet found the last time we came through here. These French toast ones are my favorite, but I got some of the chocolate éclair ones, too, 'cause nothing is more awesome than a donut that tastes like my favorite dessert."

  Cooper filed that away despite himself. "You're a little hedonist."

  "The nipple piercings and silk panties didn't give that away?"

  "I just took that to mean you like pretty things."

  Dai smiled and licked cinnamon sugar from his lips. "Well, that's true too. There was this one charity concert to support stopping violence against women. We all wore mini-dresses. Mine was really cute. It was all pink and had black ribbons."

  Cooper groaned, rubbed a hand over his face. "Stop it. I am too damn wrung out to get it up again, but you're making me want to try."

  "Maybe later. I don't have to be back at the hotel until seven pm. Unless you had other plans?"

  "My only plan is to go swimming one last time before I have to haul back to middle of nowhere, Texas, where the only swimming hole is a too-warm pond where all the teenagers go to get frisky."

  Dai wrinkled his nose. "Then eat breakfast, cowboy, and go swimming. I'm just as happy to sprawl on the couch and read until someone makes me stop."

  Cooper smiled and went for one of the éclair donuts. "I think I can get you to stop reading without making you."

  "Semantics." Dai finished his coffee and went to pour more. He had just sat down again when his phone started vibrating on the counter. His smile faded into a confused frown as he stared at the screen. Accepting the call, he pressed the phone to his ear. "What?" His frown tightened, brow drawing down. "Can't this wait? I'm busy, Jason. Seriously. You couldn't tell them to wait a few more fucking days? Then no, I don't want to sign—oh, fuck you, too. Fine. I'm on my way."

  Disappointment dropped into Cooper's stomach, but he just finished his coffee. "Guess the afternoon is off?"

  "Yeah," Dai said. "Something's come up, bad enough my brother flew down here."

  "Your brother? Your family okay?"

  "What? Oh, yeah." Dai waved a hand in the air. "My brother is our entertainment lawyer. I'm sure it'll sort out quickly. I'm about to call the whole thing off if they're going to be this fucking irritating. I'm sorry to bail on you."

  Cooper shrugged. "You don't owe me anything, and that you came at all makes me plenty happy." Some of the disappointment eased at the soft, thorough kiss Dai gave him, though Cooper wasn't sure he liked how breathless and aching it left him. "I hope it all works out."

  "Eh. Usually does. It's stupid, that's why I'm so pissed off. I'd rather go swi
mming and then get fucked over the table or something."

  "Oh, go away, you evil brat," Cooper replied with a groan.

  Dai slid his phone over. "Gimme your number." His easy, relaxed demeanor wavered a bit. "I mean, if you want. If you prefer this just be a weekend thing, I dig that."

  That'd be the smart thing, but hell, Cooper had been screwed right from the start and he knew it. Hadn't been fooling anyone but himself. He picked up Dai's phone and put his number in, then slid the phone back over. "Text me so I'll have yours."

  Dai quickly typed out a text, then kissed him again before sliding away into the bedroom to get dressed and stuff dirty clothes into the duffle bag he'd brought along.

  Cooper looked at his phone as it chimed, grinned at the 'hi, sexy' on the screen.

  "Enjoy the rest of your time in Florida," Dais said as he came out of the bedroom. I hope home is relaxing when you get there."

  "Thanks. I hope all goes well for you, too." Cooper followed him down the hall and then pushed him up against the front door, kissed him until he badly needed to breathe. "See ya 'round, darling."

  "B-Bye, Cowboy. Catch ya later."

  Cooper closed the door, but watched through of the tiny glass panes in the door as Dai slid into the car that rolled up. Then he dragged himself out to the beach before he started moping around. Stupid to mope about a guy he'd only known for two days, especially when 'days' was over-generous and seventy percent of that had been spent fucking.

  When he finally dragged himself, exhausted and sore, from the water, it was to see Jake on the deck drinking a soda. "Howdy. What brings your sorry ass all the way out here to ruin my vacation?"

  Jake laughed. "Yeah, looks like I just barely missed interrupting the fun. Glad I didn't. Don't need to see that much of you."

  Cooper went still, trying to ignore the way his heart started thundering. "What are you talking about?"

  "That hickey on your chest, for one. The leftover breakfast for two for another. There's also the blue panties on your bedroom floor clear as day, unless those belong to you. Want to spend some time alone, my ass. What woman did you talk into letting you put grubby paws on her?"

  "None of your business," Cooper said, relaxing slightly, managing a faint, teasing grin. "What the hell you doing in my bedroom?"

  "Nothing. Saw them from the kitchen." Jake frowned. "You all right? You seem… off, or something."

  Cooper shrugged. "I'm fine. Tired. Swimming and sun will take it out, you know that."

  "Swimming, sure," Jake said with a snort. He clapped Cooper on the back and hustled him into the house. "Come on. I hate to interrupt you, but we got problems."

  "What?" Cooper asked, heart kicking up all over again, though if he was the problem surely Jake would have already said? "Is everyone okay?"

  "Henry ain't. Apparently Dominic served her divorce papers today, had them delivered straight to her hotel room. The son of a bitch couldn't even wait another day for her to get home. Henry's all shook up. I would be to, something like that coming clear out of the blue."

  Wasn't that out of the blue, but Cooper didn't say that. He kept Henry's secrets, and she kept his. Jake might have been his best friend, but he and Henry had become each other's confidant after the night he found her tucked away in a storeroom crying because she and Dominic had gotten into yet another ugly fight. Much like him, she kept it quiet because she didn't want it to affect the band, and what they didn't know hopefully couldn't hurt them.

  Cooper balled a hand into a fist, but after a moment he made himself relax. "I know a pond where he and his fucking pick-up wouldn't be found for a good long while."

  "Don't tempt me," Jake muttered, sliding onto the barstool where Dai had sat only a few hours ago. "Anyway, she's torn up and wants to head home now. Redd and Callie are sitting with her right now. I gotta stay to finish up the commercial, but I figured you could go along with her in case something goes wrong. I know she wants to get the kids, take'em to her mom's place, so they're out of the way when all the press start showing up to cause trouble. Redd and Callie would go, but they've got that thing in San Francisco day after tomorrow."

  "Lemme pack up." He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and chugged it down, throwing the bottle away once it was empty. "You can pack up the stuff in the kitchen!"

  Jake grumbled but stood and got to work.

  Closing his bedroom door, Cooper strode into the bathroom and showered quickly, trying not to think about the not so many hours ago he'd been in there with Dai. He climbed out, toweled off, pulled on jeans and a red t-shirt, and then shoved all his clothes into his bag.

  A splash of color caught his eye, remembered lust and an ache of longing coiling in his gut as he recalled Jake's crack about panties. Sure enough, Dai's blue lacy panties lay on the floor. Cooper scooped them up, shoved them in his bag, and looked around the room for anything else he'd missed.

  Assured everything was packed, he hauled back out to the main room and grabbed up his phone, wallet, car keys, and hat from the coffee table, along with the book he'd completely forgotten about since Dai had arrived. "Let's get a move on. You drive here?"

  "Nah, took a cab. Figured I'd drive back with you to Carson's to drop the car off, then we can get him to take us to the hotel. Mindy somehow managed to finagle a rental car that's waiting for us in the hotel parking garage."

  "That's why we pay her the big bucks." Mindy was worth her weight in platinum as the band's PA, so far as he was concerned.

  Cooper scooped his bag up again and led the way out of the beach house. Two hours later they reached the hotel to find Henrietta waiting in her room, face red and splotchy. Callie was sitting next to her holding her hand, and Redd was sitting near the door. He stood up when they walked in, nodded in greeting. Henry started crying when she saw Cooper, ran to him, and cried harder as he hugged her tight. "It'll be alright, darling," he said. "Whatever it takes, we'll make it okay." Callie made a stabbing motion from where she stood behind Henry. "That's an option, believe you me," Cooper said. He drew back, squeezing Henry's arms. "Come on, darling. Let's get you home, get your kids settled with your mama."

  "We'll wrap things up here," Redd said. "Call if you need us."

  "We will," Cooper said.

  Callie handed Henry's bags to Cooper and kissed his cheek, then let Cooper hustle Henry out of the room and all the way down to the parking garage where the rental car he'd called for was waiting. "Thanks, son," he told the driver, handing over a tip after the kid helped him load up the luggage. Once he was gone and Henry was settled, Cooper removed his hat and climbed behind the wheel. He handed the hat off to Henry and drove off. "Shouldn't take more than five hours to get you home."

  "Thanks, Coop," Henry said quietly. "You might be the only thing that keeps me from killing him."

  Cooper smiled. "I think you might have me mixed up with Jake. There's more than his pretty voice that makes him the front man. I'm way more likely to help you hide the body. And Redd is friends with lots of cops who owe him favors."

  Henry smoothed her fingers restlessly over his Stetson. "I may have to quit. I can't let him take the kids, and he'll get them if I'm always on the road and such."

  "Hey, you do what you gotta do, honey." He reached out and touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "But there ain't no point in worrying about the last round when you still gotta get through the first."

  "But we're going on tour in a couple of months."

  "That gives us a couple of months to figure out the problems and the solutions. Don't go borrowing trouble. One thing at a time." It was gonna be hell finding a suitable replacement and training them up so last minute, but he was the last person ever gonna take issue with having to do that. And it wasn't like it was Henry's fault she might have to quit. Her fool ass husband, now him Cooper was gonna get pissed at. He had an entire list of things to whoop that man's ass over, washing to starch. If the man had wanted a wife who was always gonna be home with supper on, he should h
ave thought of that harder before he married a country star.

  Cooper reached out and took Henry's hand. "It'll be okay, I swear it."

  She covered his hand with her free one and smiled at him. "Thanks, Coop. If not for you I would have lost my mind a long time ago. I knew he was gonna do this, but I thought we'd be able to go about it like adults."

  "Why'd he do it all of a sudden, you think?"

  Henry shrugged. "If I had to guess? He's got someone else and wants to hurry up with getting me out of the way. I knew we were gonna be having a miserable talk when I got home, he said as much on the phone last week, but this… bet she's getting impatient or something." She made a face and turned to him. "I hope my drama didn't drag you away from anything, I know you were looking forward to the beach."

  "Nah," Cooper said. "Nothing that can't wait till later."

  "Is it the same nothing that's been putting a smile on your face?"

  Cooper felt his cheeks go hot, but he shot her a smile. "Maybe."

  Henry laughed. "I'm sorry, I know you don't get much chance to play. Gonna see him again?"

  "Maybe," Cooper said. "Got a phone number, anyway." He smiled shyly, darting a quick look at her. She was the only one who knew about him; he'd found her hiding in a closet crying her eyes out about another fight with Dominic. She'd shared her secrets and he'd shared his. She'd told him any number of times since that he should at least tell Jake. After so long saying nothing, though, Cooper just didn't know how.

  She lightly punched his arm. "Look at you. Get'em tiger."

  "Ha ha." He reached out and turned on the radio, setting the volume low. "So tell me what kind of mess we're likely getting into, if I need to make some calls. I got friends in Savannah who would help us beat the shit out of a lousy husband."

  "I really hope it don't come to that. The kids have put up with enough; they don't need to see that too."

  "We'll do the best we can, darling. They're my first priority, and we'll deal with the rest as it comes. Get some rest, huh? Ain't much to look at but traffic. You can take over the driving when we get closer to Savannah, if you want."