I blinked up at him at a loss for words.
“Let’s go swimming,” Cooper said, placing a chaste kiss on my lips. “I’ll grab the food, you grab whatever you need.”
“Okay.” I smiled and watched him turn, walking away.
Cooper deserved the world. I wanted to give it to him. He deserved to be happy after how much he’d grown and how much he looked after me. I quickly gathered the rest of my things and we packed up the truck. Hitting the road, seeing our little town roll by, stirred excitement in my belly. I could definitely get used to this life.
Cooper’s hand sneaked into mine and we squeezed each other. I loved having this comfort and knowing he was close. Just a squeeze of the hand and even if the smallest doubts cropped up, they were instantly swept away.
The lake came into view and I smiled as the sun sparkled off of it. Even from a distance, the water begged to be swam in. I bounced up and down in my seat unable to contain myself.
“I’m guessing swimming is the first thing we’re going to do.”
I beamed at Cooper. “You’re right about that.”
He chuckled. “I’ll put away the food. Why don’t you get changed and go for a dip?”
“Are you sure? I can help you.”
We pulled to a stop in front of the cabin.
Cooper pulled me forward and kissed my lips deeply.
I melted into him.
“Go on and swim,” he whispered as he rubbed his lips along mine. “I’ll be there in just a few minutes.”
“See you there.” I gave him one last kiss then grabbed my bag and jogged toward the cabin. Within minutes, I was stripped out of my clothes and had slipped into the black and white polka dot bikini I’d bought a few days ago. I walked out of the bedroom.
Cooper whistled long and low. “You look sexy as hell,” he muttered as he walked over and ran a finger underneath the fabric of my bikini. “I’ve changed my mind. Let’s go swimming later.”
My cheeks burned from his admiration as I slapped his hand away. “No way! You told me to behave earlier and now, I’m telling you to behave. Once I get done swimming, we can discuss it.”
Cooper pouted like a little boy. “Fine, but I’m going to be hard as hell the whole time watching you in your itsy bitsy bikini.” He kissed my forehead. “If I swim with this heavy thing,” he grabbed his erection, “I might sink.”
I burst out laughing. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. See you at the water.” I turned on my heels and walked away while feeling his eyes on me the entire time. It was powerful, this feeling of knowing he wanted me so much, but also knowing he would wait.
If it were with Brian, he would have torn me down, ripped me apart until I felt small and somehow pushed me into the thing even if I didn't really want to do it. Cooper was nothing like that. He let me be me and I thrived because of it.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Ivy
The lake was cool when I dove into it. I treaded water and smiled. It was so wholesome, being back at the lake in my hometown. I didn’t realize just how much I had missed it. I swam until my arms were sore and my legs burned.
When I stepped out, Cooper made his way over and wrapped me up in a towel. He rubbed it against my skin and led me over to a thick blanket he’d laid out on the ground. “Beer?” he asked.
“Yes, please.” I smiled. “I could really go for one after that.”
“Yeah, you swam hard,” he agreed, as he pushed hair out of my face. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “I just felt like pushing it today.”
“Since you’re all warmed up, do you want to go over some of the moves that I taught you?”
Slowly, I nodded. I didn’t want to think about the past or Brian, but he crept in at every chance. My pleasant swim had turned dark and dangerous and it was why my body felt like a noodle. Cooper had decided to teach me how to defend myself in case I was ever face to face with that bastard again. So when I was all wound up and worried, he would push me to practice. It sucked some off the energy out of me and made me calm down, so I wasn’t drowning in panic.
“Arms up,” he said and nodded at me as he pulled off the towel and tossed it onto the blanket behind us.
I shivered for only a moment before the sun started to warm my skin. I put my hands up, ready for him to tell me what to do next. Every muscle in my body was tense, ready to strike as I imagined taking down someone.
“Hammer strike,” Cooper called grabbing my attention.
I bawled up my fist and aimed for his face. Cooper caught my hand, of course, but the fact that I had been so close to striking him made me proud. I moved back and tried it a few more times before he changed instructions. Hell palm strike, getting out of a headlock, escaping if my hands were trapped. We ran through the gambit of self-defense moves until I was panting and sweat was dripping down my body.
“You’re getting a lot better at this,” Cooper said as he ran a hand down my arm. “I think you’re almost ready to take care of yourself without me now. It’s really important that you can protect yourself if I’m not around.”
“Thanks for teaching me,” I said as I drank down some water first, then happily took the beer he offered me. Exhausted, but feeling good about myself, I settled onto the blanket. It was so quiet and I loved the stillness. I cracked open the beer and Cooper got down beside me.
“Man,” I whispered. “I really missed coming here.”
Cooper smiled as he watched the surface of the lake glinting in the sun. “I didn’t come here very often when you weren’t here,” Cooper said finally. “I missed when it was just the two of us coming here and messing around.”
I grinned. “We did that a lot. If my parents knew all of the bullshit I got into when you and I hung out, they never would have let me go with you. You were kinda their worst nightmare.”
Cooper beamed. “I take that as a compliment! Hey, your dad eventually liked me. I mean, he didn’t glare at me as hard as he did when I first started coming around and he even said a few words to me from time to time. I think I was growing on him.”
“You were.” I sighed. “And mom loved you. At first, she was worried I’d end up getting pregnant, but then she saw how I came out of my shell. I was so timid and reserved before we started hanging out. And then I lost my virginity to you right over there,” I said as I pointed out a spot not far down from us.
“That was the best night,” Cooper said as he grinned and conjured up images of that night. “We couldn’t even go back home because my parents were looking for me so desperately. I probably should have expected it, but I didn’t think they’d realize so fast that I’d stolen all of the fireworks.”
“Oh, they were so fucking pissed,” I said with a laugh.
Cooper reached over and took my hand.
I glanced at him and saw the way his eyebrows were furrowed. Slowly, I reached over and trailed my fingers down his cheek to his jaw. “What’s wrong?”
“That night was an amazing one.” He sighed. “I never thought you would actually sleep with me, but you were so eager. It was an amazing time and I took it for granted back then. I thought I was hot shit and I thought sex was always going to be like that. It wasn’t. It was never like that with anyone else.”
My heart swelled. “I know,” I said softly. “It was the same for me.”
Cooper shook his head. “I’m still really sorry. I shouldn’t have ever treated you like that.”
I smiled at Cooper. How could I not forgive him? He was so sincere and honest now. I was convinced he really felt bad about the way things happened between us in the past. It made me want to wrap my arms around him and comfort him and I did just that. “It’s okay,” I said quietly. “I forgive you. We were young and dumb and that’s so far in the past. What I care about is how you treat me now and you haven’t let me down once since I got here. No matter how many glasses I break you never fire me.”
He smiled lopsidedly. “Don’t think I haven’t thought about it.”
Cooper smiled down at me. “Okay,” he said before he leaned forward and his lips pressed against mine.
The kiss deepened and deepened. My body heated up. I reached out, grabbed the string on his swim shorts and loosened them.
Cooper got the hint immediately. His fingers slid up my back and my top came undone. He released my breasts from it and I wiggled out of the swim bottoms as well. Completely naked, I deliberately opened my legs so the warm sun’s rays would fall on my open pussy.
Cooper followed suit, but before he could get to me, I was on him. I pushed him down onto the blanket and he went willingly. My lips ran down his body, inch by slow inch as I kissed every bit of him. His skin was so warm and inviting, I could kiss him forever and be perfectly content.
Cooper’s hand ran down my back and through my still wet hair as his stomach rose and fell and a soft moan escaped from his lips. “Jo,” he groaned as his hips rolled up toward my mouth. “Fuck, that feels so good.”
I smiled at him and kissed down along his abdomen. A kiss was placed on top of his groin before I slowly moved down and traced my tongue along his inner thighs. There was something about the way Cooper tasted that made me drip with desire. A heady, intoxicating aroma that screamed man and made me want to feel him inside of me.
My fingers traversed his tanned flesh and he sucked in a breath as soon as I touched his cock. It was already rock hard, ready and waiting for me.
I did that.
I turned him on so much that he was already hard for me. Just from being kissed. As always, it helped to boost my confidence to know that someone as gorgeous as Cooper wanted me so badly.
I glanced up at him as my tongue slid over his length from bottom to top. He shuddered when I reached the head and my tongue lavished his crown with warmth. I opened my mouth and swallowed him slowly as he reached out and grabbed ahold of me while his breath became mere ragged pants.
I wanted to tease him and drive him to the brink before anything happened. When I pushed him a bit further than I thought I dared, he turned into a beast of a man and I adored him then. Unlike Brian, Cooper didn’t scare me when he was filled with lust. No, he made me feel that desire and made me long for him to take me. Sometimes roughly.
My mouth popped free and he groaned as he rolled his hips and reached down for his cock. I slapped his hand, and he growled with frustration. Every inch of my body shuddered in response. That primal part of him, unfettered and hot made me want to climb on top of him and ride him until he lost it. “You taste so good,” I breathed as I licked him slowly. “I can never get enough of this. Did you hear that? I. Can. Never. Get. Enough. Of. You.”
Cooper groaned. “If you keep talking like that I’m going to come faster then you’re already trying to make me.”
“I mean it,” I said, cupping his balls and rolled them gently between my long fingers. “You taste like heaven on my tongue.”
“Fuck,” Cooper growled. “That’s it.”
Before I could stop him, Cooper rolled over and he was on me. His mouth attacked my throat even as his hand fluttered between my thighs. He shoved them apart further, and rubbed at my clit with his eager fingers.
A gasp left my lips and my back arched forcing my breasts against his body. “Cooper,” I groaned.
“Shhh…” He grinned as one thick finger dipped inside me. “You’re not the only one that can tease, you know. Maybe you shouldn’t poke the bear if you don’t know how to climb trees.”
I started to say something, but the words were ripped from my lips when his finger slid in further as he hooked it and brushed that sensitive spot inside me right away. I shuddered in response. Pleasure built up fast and hard until I rolled and jerked my hips, trying to get more as he milked an orgasm out of me with a single finger in the right place.
My body tingled from his weight on top of me. I wrapped a leg around his waist and ground myself against him. Cooper growled, low and deep. The sound vibrated through my body when he sucked one of my nipples into his mouth. His tongue flicked over it nice and slow before he picked up speed then sucked it hard and deep into his mouth.
“Fuck,” I screamed. “I can’t take it anymore!”
“Yes, you can,” he said sternly as he nipped my breast. “Come for me. I’m going to make sure I give you every orgasm that I couldn’t over the years, so you’re going to be here a while.”
I shook my head. “You’re kind of evil, you know.”
“And you kind of love it.”
I did. I loved that Cooper was my sweet, protective angel, but that in the bedroom he turned into an insatiable beast that wanted to eat me up day and night. He moved down from my breasts and buried himself between my thighs. His tongue attacked my clit as soon as he was in range and my hips jutted upward for more.
My legs shook as my orgasm slammed into me.
Wave after wave crashed down and my eyes rolled back in my head. I forgot to breathe, I forgot how to think. All I could do was sink into the pleasure that surrounded me until I was flying with ecstasy.
“There we go,” Cooper crooned as he lapped at the juices that had flowed out of me. “Look how fucking wet you are,” he said as he devoured my pussy.
“It’s your fault,” I muttered as I slowly regained the power of speech and my body craved more.
“You taste amazing. I could do this all day.”
“No more teasing,” I begged. “I want you inside me. I need your cock to fill me up again.”
Apparently, that was all Cooper needed to hear. He removed his finger and positioned himself between my thighs.
I sucked in a breath, ready and waiting to feel him stretch me and fill me up.
He froze and stared down at me with a slight frown on his lips. “Wait, I need to go get the condoms. I didn’t think we’d get into this out here.”
I shook my head as he started to pull away. “No, fuck it. I don’t want to wait,” I breathed.
He rubbed himself against my opening, his brows still knitted in thought.
“I’m not saying I want a kid right now, but would that be the worst thing in the world?”
Cooper’s eyes widened. “Are you serious? I want that more than anything in the world. You, a house full of kids. That’s my dream.”
I chuckled. “I’m not saying right now! I’m just saying that…” I paused and bit my lip. “It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. That being said, pull out?” I laughed. “I want you and I want to feel all of you. And one day, we’ll talk about babies and all that entails. Okay?”
Cooper grinned. “Okay, baby. Whatever you want.”
I beamed up at him and then gasped as he slid inside of me firmly. Right away, I groaned as he filled me up and stretched me out in the most delightfully fulfilling way. I ran my hand down his chest and my head tilted back against the soft blanket.
“Jo,” he moaned as he laid on top of me and rolled his hips inside of me. “Fuck, you feel so good. I love feeling you rub against me.”
I nodded my head hard. We had sex without a condom before, but there was emotions now. Far more. And that made it hotter. More special. “I know what you mean. This is—God, this is crazy. It feels so damn good. Too good—I love it.” Feeling the unrestrained heat from his cock and the softness of his skin made me gasp and moan as he picked up speed and really started to rock into me.
I held onto him and clenched around his rigid cock. My wetness slicked his strokes and he rutted deeper and harder inside of me until the sound of our flesh slapping against each other echoed around us and the lake. I wrapped my arms around his neck and shook my head. “It’s too good,” I panted. “I know I’m gonna come. Cooper, come with me.”
My man groaned and I swooned. That deep, guttural sound that left his lips let me know that he was as close as I was. I didn’t care about drawing it out forever, I wanted to come.
I wanted to feel good and I wanted Cooper to join me.
“Ivy,” he groaned as he kissed me so hard my toes curled. “I love you so fucking much.”
My heart raced. Every time he said he loved me, I desperately wanted to say it back, but I just wanted to wait a bit more before I gave in to that final commitment. I couldn’t take it if it all crashed and burned and I was left clutching the broken pieces of my heart in my hands, alone, damaged and shattered.
I yearned to say it to Cooper. If I could just say it once, I knew he would be over the moon, but I wasn’t ready. Not yet. I pushed my fingers into his hair, but my mouth stayed closed. Not yet. I can’t do it yet.
Cooper held me close as he lifted and dropped his hips without ever missing a beat, but I felt it. Sadness. He wanted me to say it too, I know he did, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it and he didn’t pressure me to do it. That’s why I cared for him and why I would walk through fire for Cooper.
Our words ceased, but our bodies spoke volumes. We pulsed, rolled and grinded against each other until the pleasure built and we were both right on the edge. We balanced there, precarious and dangerous until we both fell off together. My legs wrapped around him tightly and squeezed as I rode out my orgasm. I pushed and jerked my hips, enamored with the feeling until it slowly subsided.
Cooper pulled out and jerked his cock as he panted.
I was astonished by the way his eyes and skin sparkled. His strokes increased until he shuddered and came hard all over my belly and thighs… this turned me on all over again. I swiped a finger through it and tasted it. The taste of Cooper was as intoxicating as his personality.
“God,” he groaned as he finally released his cock and laid beside me, one leg thrown over my body. “We have to go wash off now, don’t we?”
I laughed. “Give me that towel and fuck washing. I want to drain this beer and eat whatever you have tucked into that cooler.”
“Strawberries.” He grinned. “Strawberries, grapes, melon, and even a bottle of champagne.”
Let’s Start Over Page 18