by Snow, Jenika
It turns me on, if I’m being honest.
Could he really want to take me out so much that he will use whatever means he has to make it happen?
It should have pissed me off. I should have told him to fuck off.
But instead here I am, nervous and anticipating seeing Cooper again.
And although it was a bastard thing for him to do in order to get his way, I also know if I’d said no, he would have still helped my uncle. I saw that in his eyes, know he is close with Matthew. I know Copper wouldn’t disappoint him.
So here I am. I agreed, not so much because he blackmailed me, but because I wanted to see him.
I glance at my reflection in the rearview mirror. I should’ve gone as unattractive and homely as possible, but instead I found myself really primping.
New lipstick, fuck-me lashes, and pants that mold to my body and show every curve. Not to mention my shirt that has a low-cut bodice that hints at cleavage. It’s a little innocent, and a little bit dirty.
And then I look down at my shoes, the heels that aren’t quite stiletto, but are high enough that they’ll make my legs look longer. I picked these out especially for this “date.” I wanted to really dress up for Cooper. I wanted him to notice me and realize he can look but he’ll never touch.
And he won’t.
I have to make sure of that. Right?
I can practice self-control.
I can dial down my basic urges a notch and just have dinner with him. I hope.
A growl of frustration leaves me, and I find myself already pissed at him and he hasn’t even shown up yet.
I sit in my car, because I told him I’d meet him there. I wasn’t about to have him pick me up, make this some kind of official date. He would read too much into it, no doubt.
No, this is safer for both of us, especially me. I am not about to be a notch in this fighter’s bedpost, no matter how much I want him.
I think back to the connection we had in my office. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I imagined him taking control of me… doing filthy, intimate things to my body and making me his. I haven’t wanted that before, but this fighter makes me feel that way. He makes me feel hot and ready.
Just thinking about it now has me blushing, and I can feel my cheeks getting hot.
Pictures of Cooper and me float through my mind. Pictures of us doing things I never even thought possible … things that are so dirty I am surprised I can even conjure them up. Even now, I feel my body heating, my pussy becoming wet at the image of being under him, at the thought of his rough and scarred hands pushing my thighs open as he gazes down at my virgin pussy.
God, there is no doubt he’d be incredible in bed.
I close my eyes briefly and breathe out slowly. When I open them, I see a sports car pulling up to the front of the restaurant, taking a parking spot off to the side, and then the tail lights going out as the vehicle is turned off.
I know immediately that it’s Cooper in there. The car screams arrogance. Just like the boxer. Then the driver side door opens and he steps out, wearing a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt, his outfit not hiding the fact he is big and muscular, powerful.
He lifts his hand and runs it over the back of his head, his bicep flexing and causing every part of me to come alive. I clench my thighs together at the sight of that masculinity, at how feminine I feel even just looking at Cooper. My mouth dries and my pulse begins to beat rapidly at the base of my throat.
Just do this. Have dinner with him, show him he has no effect on you.
Although that’s easier said than done, given the fact just seeing him has my body so worked up.
All I have to do is go in there, sit across from him as we eat a meal, and act as though he has no effect on me whatsoever.
Easy.
Except I know it won’t be. I know he’s going to use every trick in the book— his charm, his good looks—to get what he wants.
Narrowing my eyes, I think about that. I’ll make sure that he knows he’s met his match. Maybe he does arouse me. Maybe I do imagine myself in bed with him. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have power.
He wants me, I can see that plain as day, hear it in his voice, and the way he negotiated just to have dinner with me. I hold a lot of power over him, so maybe it’s time the tables turn?
Maybe it’s time I’m the one who finally puts Cooper in his place.
Chapter Five
Cooper
Fuck.
She looked good in the gym. High class pussy that I wanted to tap over and over. But now? Christ, one look and I know I might be in trouble.
I am standing by the entrance to the restaurant and I can’t be sure what alerts me to her presence. I only know I feel it. As if on autopilot, I have to turn around and when I do, I can do nothing but stare. Watch as this walking fantasy makes her way to me.
Christ on crutches, she looks like she was poured into those pants. They hug her lovingly, revealing and highlighting curves that I haven’t been able to get out of my mind since I first saw her.
She’s the complete package from head to toe. On that thought, my gaze drops down and I take in those shoes she’s wearing. Her toes peek out of them and once she’s in front of me I can tell they have little crystals on the tips.
Definitely high class.
It’s also definite that I’m going to fuck her with those shoes on.
“You look good, Jo,” I tell her.
“Uh… thanks,” she whispers, licking her lips nervously.
I’m a bastard, but I like that I make her nervous. I like that she can’t hide her reactions from me even more.
I take her hand and we make our way into the restaurant. She’s tense beside me, but she doesn’t pull her hand from my grasp.
That pleases me a hell of a lot.
Once they seat us, I catch Jo looking up at me from under her lashes, nervously fiddling with the water glass the waiter put in front of her.
“You don’t have to be nervous, babe. I won’t bite … at least not yet.”
Instantly, I am rewarded with her blush. She has to be completely innocent. No woman who knows anything about a man would color to that bright red—not that easily—from what I’ve just said.
“I know we don’t know each other yet, Cooper, but trust me when I tell you that you won’t get the chance to do anything with me.”
“I always did like a challenge, Jo. And trust me when I tell you that I don’t back down from one and when I take them on, I never lose.”
“Then I guess I’ll be your first,” she mutters, taking a drink of her water.
I’ll be her first.
I’ll be the only one who knows how wet and warm, how fucking tight she is between her thighs.
“Now here I was thinking that was going to be my line before the end of the night,” I tell her with a grin.
I catch her mid drink and she instantly starts coughing as water goes down the wrong way. Once she gets under control, her wide-eyed gaze centers on me in shock.
Oh, this is going to be fun…
Chapter Six
Jo
He’s cocky, so arrogant it’s as frustrating as it is arousing.
I’ve never met a man who was so sure of himself, and I’ve been around a lot of fighters. Those guys think they have dicks made out of gold.
But Cooper is in a class all his own.
I don’t say much, because in all honesty, I don’t want to make a fool out of myself. I pride myself in keeping my shit together, in not taking crap from anyone. My uncle taught me that when I was younger, and I’ve held on to it ever since. But I feel like I’ve met my match where Cooper is concerned.
He makes the walls I’ve built around myself crack, threatening to crumble. I have never let a guy get under my skin like this. Then again, no guy has ever made me wet with just a look.
Sure, I’m a virgin, untouched, inexperienced. And although I didn’t tell Cooper that little fact, I’m sure he knows. He’d be abl
e to read me, see it in the way I hold myself.
He is smart and intuitive, as much as he is strong and masculine.
Cooper has watched me the entire time, and although I can feel his gaze, I refuse to make eye contact. All that will do is make me blush even fiercer, desire him even more. I don’t want him to see my reactions. I don’t want him to know—at least not completely—how he makes me feel.
Once we are done eating and leave the restaurant, I’m at a loss for what to say, how to end the night. I keep my focus averted for a long moment, but still feel him watching me as his fingers stroke along my arm.
“Thank you for dinner. It was nice.” I’m not lying, but even though it was nice, I know this can’t happen again. I don’t trust myself around Cooper, and I refuse to be another notch in his bedpost.
I need to be on guard around Cooper. I don’t want to be just another fighter’s groupie. Although if I am being honest, I actually have never heard of his escapades around the gym. Not once. And all of the men certainly talk about all the fucking they do. They brag about it daily.
But I’ve never heard Cooper’s name in the mix, and I find that comforting, endearing almost. Maybe he’s so focused on his fighting, on helping my uncle, that he only has time for that?
Wishful thinking on my part.
I look at him then, seeing this almost stoic little expression covering his face. I feel like he wants to say something, but he stays silent.
“Thank you again,” I murmur and turn to head back to my car, feeling slightly on edge because he isn’t saying anything. I’m nearly there when I feel his hand wrap around my wrist gently, pulling me to a stop.
I look over my shoulder at him, the wind picking up and blowing my hair across my cheek. I see the way he watches those strands, feel the tightening of his fingers on my wrist.
He pulls on my arm and I shift my body toward him. Then he takes a step forward, and I take one back. We do this little dance a couple of times until I feel my car stop my retreat. He’s so close now that I have to crane my neck back in order to look into his face. I feel myself start to breathe harder, taking in the scent of his cologne, noticing how masculine he is.
I can feel my heart beating hard behind my ribs. Can he see it? Can he feel it as he moves his thumb along my pulse point?
He moves close, his big body pressing almost to mine. He lets go of my wrist and I ball my hands into fists at my sides, trying desperately not to reach out and pull him closer.
This is insane.
He takes another step closer.
There’s nowhere for me to go and I’m really not sure I want to. Having him lean over me, so commanding, makes my knees weak and the insides of my thighs grow wet.
“What are you doing?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” He looks down at my mouth.
I swallow the lump in my throat. “It looks like you’re invading my personal space.” I feel hot, a flush stealing over me, making my heart beat faster and my palms get sweaty.
“Tell me you don’t want this, that you don’t want me.” His voice is low. When I don’t answer he moves another inch closer. I can feel him now, his chest to mine, My nipples harden in response.
“I don’t know you. We should probably just say goodnight,” I say softly without any force in the words.
“Baby, we have all the time in the world to get to know each other.”
His gaze is on my lips again. I can’t help but lick them. A guttural groan spills from him, and I feel my panties become soaked for this man.
When he slowly lifts his eyes to mine, I see they are heavy-lidded, his arousal clear.
“What are you doing?” I whisper again, knowing that I want him to kiss me already.
“I’m making you mine, Jo.”
Chapter Seven
Cooper
“This is crazy,” she whispers, desire and fear warring in her voice.
I should back away and give her space. I know I’m coming on too strong. I planned on going slowly. When Jo began walking away from me, I couldn’t let it happen. If I had my way, I’d fuck her up against her car, slide my cock into her virgin depths, and bite into her shoulder as I come deep inside of her, marking her from the inside out as mine.
I’ve never been possessive before, and it’s a completely new sensation, but I sure as fuck am not going to fight it. This woman is important to me. She just might be everything, I can feel it.
I bend down and let my lips barely glide against hers. She’s soft, sweet and unbelievably hot. She tilts her head to follow my act, pressing her mouth gently against mine. A sigh floats through her parted lips. It brushes against me, whisper-soft and totally feminine. The tip of her tongue darts out, sliding against my bottom lip. The action is bold and yet shy at the same time. It affects me more deeply than anything I’ve ever experienced before, and I know instinctively that it’s because it’s Jo.
Only because it’s her.
I force myself to pull away. It’s our first date, and I’m determined to show her that I’m not a man she can figure out. I’m different from the others.
She opens her eyes slowly, confusion easy to read on her face.
I bring my hand up, cup her neck, and let my thumb brush back and forth on her chin and along her jawline.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jo.”
“I don’t understand,” she whispers, clearly confused.
“I’m not sure I do either, sweetheart. I just know that I’m not going to rush this and I’m definitely not going to rush you.”
“It would be better if we don’t see each other again, Cooper.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not your kind of girl,” she whispers, licking her lips and looking down at the ground. “I’m not your type at all.”
She says the last part so low it’s like it’s a secret she hates to tell me. I don’t think it’s my imagination that I hear sadness in her voice either. I use my hold on her to force her to look up at me again.
“You don’t know me, Jo. You don’t know what I want. Don’t assume you do.”
“I know that you and I don’t mesh. You’re a fighter, living for the thrill of victory. You can have any woman you want on your arm and more than one at a time if you ask for it. Don’t deny that, Cooper, because that’s how fighters are. I’ve been around enough of them to know how it works.”
“You think you know me, but it’s clear you don’t, Jo,” I respond, my voice tight. She’s bringing up shit that she thinks has happened. She’s lumping me in with every other asshole she’s met.
“I’m the same today as I was in the past, Cooper. I like helping my uncle. I prefer being home on a Friday night curled up by the fire, reading a book instead of going out. I like cooking a meal at home instead of eating at the newest five-star restaurant.”
“Jo—”
“There’s nothing wrong with your lifestyle, Cooper. It’s just not for me. None of this,” she says, waving her hand around to take in the restaurant behind us. “None of this makes me happy. I want a husband who loves me, who sleeps beside me every night. I want a home… a family. I want babies.”
“Maybe that will be what I want eventually,” I tell her, hedging my bets.
I’ve never thought of getting married, never planned on it at all, and having kids has definitely not been on my radar. That’s not to say it couldn’t be. If Jo was involved? It could be a definite possibility.
“But I want that now. I want a man who feels like I do, who is at the same point in life. I’m young, but I want to enjoy my kids, I don’t want to wait to have them. I warned you before and you didn’t get it. I’m not your type, Cooper, and you? You can’t be mine,” she whispers. Then she opens her car door, sliding inside.
She’d slam her door shut, but my hold on it prevents her from doing that. I lean down to look at her and I know my expression is intense. There’s a lot I want to say, but she gave me a lot to think abo
ut and I can see this conversation has upset her.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jo,” I tell her. I need her to know that, because this isn’t over.
“I’m not working at the gym tomorrow,” she responds.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow evening at your house.”
“I… You don’t know where I live.”
“I do. I’m bringing dinner. Don’t cook.”
“How do you know where I live?” she gasps.
I lean down and take her lips quickly. I wasn’t going to. I planned to have her want my mouth until the next time we were together, but I find that I need the memory of her kiss to keep me going until tomorrow evening. Still, it’s brief, and I barely explore her mouth. It gives me a taste, but I know if I kissed her like I wanted, I wouldn’t let her go home tonight.
“Tomorrow night,” I tell her, pulling away and closing her door.
I turn to walk away and I barely take two steps when she’s rolled her window down and calls out to me.
“What if I have plans, Cooper? I could have a date, you know.”
“Then you need to cancel it, Jo.”
“I can’t believe you just said that! You can’t tell me what to do.”
“I just did. There’s something you need to get straight here. You and I are going to see more of each other. We’re going to explore this pull between us and there’s not another man going to touch you while we do that.”
“I… Cooper, I just told you that you aren’t my type. I just gave you every reason why this won’t work between us.”
“And tomorrow you can try and tell me again. Do you like Chinese food?”
“This is crazy.”
“Answer the question, Jo.”
“What question?”
I find myself smiling. “Do you like Chinese?”