Page 30 of Craving Cooper

“Tomorrow. He’s taking me to the Fall Festival.”

She nods her head, smiling. “I might see you there. I’ve promised to take Addy.”

“Are you well enough for that?”

“I didn’t think so until this morning, but I’m fairly sure I’ll be able to manage an hour or so. Brady’s working, so he can’t do it. And I can’t ask Cooper… because he’s got a hot date.”

We both laugh again, and she gives me a wave before she turns, making her way slowly along Main Street toward the school.

‘A hot date’? I’ve never thought of myself like that, but I hope Cooper does. I hope that’s exactly how he sees me…

Unfortunately, I haven’t seen Cooper for the rest of the day. He’s had back-to-back patients, the last one of which is an extraction, which has taken longer than I think anyone had expected. I wait for the patient to come out, accompanied by Greta, who’s giving him instructions on how to care for the extraction site.

The man looks quite pale, and Greta’s being very solicitous, waiting while he makes his follow-up appointment, before showing him to the door, which she locks.

“Is everything okay?” I ask as she comes back.

“It is now. But that was a difficult extraction.” She shakes her head and walks straight back to the surgery, closing the door behind her.

I guess there must be a lot of cleaning up to do, but I don’t have any more work to complete and once I’ve closed down my computer, silence descends over the reception area.

I could find an excuse to sit here and wait for Cooper to come out, but he’d be with Greta, and I’d rather the two of us could be alone. Still, we’ll have plenty of time for that tomorrow, and that thought makes me smile as I head upstairs to my apartment.

Saffron jumps down from the couch the moment I open the door, sauntering over, like she couldn’t care less if I’m here. In truth, she probably couldn’t.

“Hello.” She looks up at me, and then turns away, making straight for the kitchen. “I see. It’s food you want, not me,” I say, although I can’t help smiling. I don’t think there’s anything that could stop me from smiling, and I prepare her some food, putting the bowl down and watching her eat for a while. She keeps looking up, like my continued presence is confusing her, but I’m too happy to move. I’m too happy to do anything… although I suppose a shower would be nice, and once Saffron has settled herself back on the couch, I wander into the bathroom.

It feels different, standing naked beneath the warm water. My skin feels super sensitive, and I run my soapy hands across my breasts, my nipples too hard for words. My pussy’s tingling, and I let my head rock back, imagining what it would be like to share this small space with Cooper.

I know I’m getting ahead of myself, but I don’t care, and once I’ve rinsed off the soap, I step out and wrap myself in a towel, going back into the main room, and over to my bed. I’d normally do this kind of thing at night, but it’s been a while, and I’m too wired… I can’t wait that long.

I sit on the edge of the bed, reaching into the middle drawer of the nightstand, and pulling out my vibrator, which I study for a few seconds before switching it on. The noise seems incredibly loud, but I don’t care. So what if Cooper hears me? Maybe he’ll realize how much I want him… and maybe he’ll even want me back.

I open the towel, but rather than lying down, I lean back, resting on one elbow, and bend my legs up, letting the vibrator rest against my clit. At this angle I can watch what I’m doing, and I let out a low groan as I imagine Cooper watching, too. I’d love to feel his eyes on me… to make him hungry for me, and I press down a little harder, the vibrations rocking through my body. I’m close already, and although part of me wants to prolong this, I don’t have enough control to dictate what happens next, and I tip over into a consuming orgasm, crying out for more.

Chapter Eight

Cooper

As Greta makes her way to the restroom, I wander back into the surgery, my head bowed, and for the second time in twenty-four hours, I wonder what just happened.

There was a moment back then when I felt like I’d lost my mind. It’s something that seems to happen all too often these days, but in that moment of madness, I think I asked Mallory to come to the Fall Festival with me. No… I don’t think I did. I know I did. I can remember saying the words… planning to collect her from her apartment at noon tomorrow.

What on earth made me do that?

I already told her I’m not the kind of guy who makes the first move. And I’m not.

In the past, my relationships – if they can be called that – have just kind of happened, with no intervention from me. Like when I met Meredith in Dawson’s Bar and she wandered over to my table. It’s always been like that. Brady wasn’t kidding when he said that to Laurel the other night.

So what possessed me to change my ways?

And why am I thinking about relationships and Mallory at the same time?

Is this another of those ‘losing my mind’ moments? Or is it that I’m still in shock after discovering she doesn’t have a boyfriend? It’s possible. Although that doesn’t account for why I asked her to the Fall Festival in the first place. I’d already put the invitation out there by the time she revealed that little nugget of information. She seemed confused by why I’d asked… but nowhere near as confused as I was. Not just by the fact that the question had left my lips, but by her answer.

She doesn’t have a boyfriend.

I didn’t know how to react when she said that. After all, I’ve spent the last week trying to forget what I heard on Sunday night when I got back from Brady and Laurel’s place. I’ve done my best not to imagine her in the arms of another man, in the throes of ecstasy… not to picture her naked whenever I’ve seen her, and not to feel jealous of whoever the lucky guy was who got to make her come so hard.

---