Page 8 of Touch Me (Complete Collection)

A gasp escaped her as he reached for her face. His palms caressed her cheeks warily, while his eyes bore holes into hers. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters. You matter to me, Jenny. You always have.”

Silence followed his admission and he wondered if he had said too much. But words were tumbling over themselves in his brain, fighting to be let out. “When you called me, I was happy that you had called me. But then you started crying. I can’t…I can’t see you cry. No! Not happening! I wont allow you to cry over any fucking job or any worthless-piece-of-shit guy who doesn’t deserve to be within a hundred feet of you. You’re too...precious.”

The words were fierce, and she knew he meant them. He didn’t seem like the kind of man to say these kinds of things, but he was saying them to her. Her heart twisted in her chest and her breasts tingled in excitement. What is he saying? What’s going on?

“I don’t feel precious, Cooper. I feel like a moron. I feel like I’m using you- ”

“Shut up.”

“No! I mean it! I don’t want you to feel like I’m taking advantage of you, because I feel like I am and I hate the feeling.”

He dragged her face up and stepped closer. Jenny’s heart skipped a beat as he gazed at her lips. “You’re not taking advantage of me. I don’t think that at all. But I think I’m going to take advantage of you being so close to me.”

He bent his head and kissed her softly on the lips. Her eyes refused to close and she stared at his face, his cheek, his brows, as his lips forayed gently over hers, exploring the contours.

Cooper had wanted to assuage her insecurities, but the moment his lips met hers, he knew that it was a lame excuse. There was a storm brewing in Cooper’s body ever since he had laid eyes on her, and he had just given in to it. Stop, Cooper! Stop! The voice in his head was screaming and ranting. But she tastes so good. Her lips parted slightly as she gasped, and he seized the moment to slip his tongue past them, tenderly, timidly, waiting for her to push him back.

For years, he had questioned his feelings. The feeling that he was in love with Jenny, the same Jenny he hadn’t seen since he was thirteen years old. It was a stupid idea, and Cooper wasn’t stupid. It had complicated his relationships with every woman he dated. His feelings always seemed feigned, like he was ushering them to the surface when they cowered and diminished. The only time he truly felt connected to someone was when he thought of Jenny.

He was taking a monumental risk. The longer his lips stayed on Jenny’s mouth, the longer he caressed her face, the more he was on the verge of pushing her onto the couch and taking what he fiercely felt was his to begin with. He could lose her completely. He couldn’t afford to risk anything with Jenny.

He lifted his head abruptly, too soon. Jenny shivered, her eyes closing as the air hit her wet lips. “I’m sorry, Jen,” he stammered, swiftly pulling away.

She grabbed the front of his jacket, scrunching up the lapels in her palms to yank him back. “Sorry for…stopping?”

Cooper’s last ounce of control, and his sense, snapped. He felt such fondness, such adoration for her face – for her – that the shattered words coming from her lips made him shake with need. She doesn’t want me to stop. With a groan of surrender, he slid his hands tighter on her nape and held her face imprisoned while his mouth swooped down to claim hers. This time, she parted her lips hungrily, kissing him back. When his tongue entered her mouth, she met it with her own eagerly, and the kiss exploded. His mouth slanted fiercely over hers, swallowing her moan of pleasure.

“Jen!” he whispered against her lips, pulling her closer until her pliant body was almost embedded into his. Her breasts were squashed on his chest, and his cock was branding its shape into her stomach.

They stood, their suits crumpling together as he sucked on her lips and tasted her mouth. There was so much riding on the moment. There was so much he was scared of. No way was he going to let her go after this – after tasting her mouth, after feeling her sweet response. There was no way he was letting her out of his damned sight.

That scared him. The feeling of helplessness, the fear of losing her, the way it made him cripplingly vulnerable so swiftly. That made him do what any other thought had failed to accomplish.

He lurched backward and away from her, breathless, his eyes glued to her swollen, ravaged lips. “I…uhh.” He swallowed, sliding his tongue over his lip while he stared at the ceiling and then scrunched his eyes shut. “I have an important phone call to make.”

Jenny stood with her shoulders slumped, her hands in the air as she watched his back. He closed the bedroom door behind him, and Jenny didn’t know what to think.

What am I supposed to do now? What in hell do I do now? One lifeline I had, one thing to hold on to, and I managed to destroy even that. She touched her lips unthinkingly; knowing that he had ended their kiss abruptly, knowing there was no freaking phone call he had to make. He had bailed. He hadn’t felt what she had felt, and he had bailed while he still had a chance.

She squeezed her eyes shut and clasped her face tightly in both hands. The bastard!

Anger and boiling rage made her stomp toward the bedroom and push the door open. It crashed against the back wall and rebounded to slam shut in its frame. The windows rattled and Cooper turned, standing in the middle of the room.

“You son of a bitch!” she cried. “Is this why you called me here? Was this your master plan all along?”

His eyes widened. Fuck! She’s going to cry. “Jen- ”

“You knew, you knew everything. You with your hotshot business and your fancy apartment. I’m not a bloody pauper! You can’t call me here and play me!”

“Jeez, Jen.” He reached for her but she was furious.

“Don’t touch me! I’ll die before I ever let you touch- Unh!”

He captured the rest of her words in his mouth. His hands were frantic, frenzied as they dragged off her jacket while he backed her up toward the bed. She stumbled and gasped, grabbing him, grabbing onto the very thing that was making her lose all semblance of sanity.

He caught her halfway and gaped at her for a split second, his breath harsh. Jenny clasped his neck and pulled him down for a kiss but he threw her brutally on the bed. Shock made her curl but he was on top of her instantly. His thigh pushed insistently between hers, making her skirt ride up while he rubbed her panty-covered pussy. His blood was pounding in his ears, obliterating any sound but her fevered moans.

“Coop!” He bit her neck roughly, his hands almost violent as he attempted to undo the buttons on her shirt. A soft ripping sound marked the end of her shirt, and his warm hands splayed over her tits, pushing her bra up rudely. And then his head bent to her breasts. “Oh!”

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