Page 35 of Can We Just Be Happy Now?

“Because you want to, right? Not because you feel like you have to?”

“I want to.” She nods. “I just . . . Can you help me? Tell me what to do. You do this all the time, right?”

“More recently,” I admit as I run my fingers along her jaw and tangle them into her wet hair. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” The word sounds confident on its own, but without warning she also takes me in her hand, her delicate fingers wrapping around my length. Holy shit. My head falls forward until it’s pressed against hers. She’s hardly applying any pressure yet, and I can tell this is going to be way quicker than any time I’ve ever taken care of myself–even the times since Sophie has been the only one on my mind. “Okay, what now?” she whispers as she slowly moves her hand.

I press my free hand against the back wall of the shower to stabilize myself. “You’re doing great,” I praise, strengthening my grip on the back of her neck and bringing my lips to her ear. “Use more pressure. You won’t hurt me.”

She responds by tightening her grip the perfect amount like she knows what she’s doing. I’d give her more direction, but she doesn’t need it. She swipes her thumb over the tip, pre-cum helping the friction as she increases the speed of her hand.

“Jesus Christ, Sophie,” I choke out.

She stops immediately, pulling her hand away from me. The loss nearly has me falling over trying to keep contact with her. “What did I do wrong?” she asks in a panic.

Grinning, I grab her hand and place it back in its previous position. “Nothing. You’re perfect. Better than me.”

“Oh.” She smiles shyly, and I can’t help but kiss her as she resumes her job. God, I love kissing her. I love everything about her–especially how she’s touching me in a way no one else has. Both her speed and pressure increase, and the edge of my orgasm sneaks up on me.

“Fuck. I’m going to come,” I manage. If she’s anxious about this next part, she doesn’t show it. A rush of pleasure shoots back into my body at an equal intensity of my cum pouring out, warm against our legs only to be washed away by the now lukewarm water. The tingly sensation that floods me is better than anything I’ve ever made myself feel. I can only imagine how much better sex will be.

When I start to come down, I reach for Sophie, gripping her neck on either side and crushing my mouth to hers. She smiles into the kiss. I pull back just enough to ask, “Are you sure you haven’t done that before?”

She shakes her head. “All my firsts are for you, Cooper Montgomery.”

Chapter nineteen

SOPHIE

THEN

“Where do you think they are taking us tonight?” Emily asks as we slide into the black leather pedicure chairs at the salon. “I hope it's that new steakhouse.”

“That place is probably so expensive,” I say, reaching for the remote to turn on the massage feature of my chair.

“So? We aren’t the ones paying for it.” Sometimes the things she says are an automatic turn-off. She’s not someone I want to be friends with. I only agreed to this salon appointment because we are double dating tonight, and I know it would make Cooper happy for us to get along. But I can hardly stand her. We have nothing in common. I’m not even sure she and Troy have much in common. He’s way too good for her.

“I’m just excited for a real date,” I respond as I click the button that makes the balls under the leather knead my back. This is easily the best part of getting pedicures. “This is my first one.” Technically, Cooper and I have done things that could be considered a date, but tonight I get to dress up and go out to a restaurant where there are other people on dates too. We’ve mostly spent time at his house–him playing video games and me reading. We almost always take a break by skating to the nearby park or going to the diner. And kissing of course. My mind flashes back to our shower after his slip ‘n slide party a couple of weeks ago when I gave him a hand job. My cheeks heat, and I turn away to hide the embarrassment of my thoughts, pretending to fidget with my chair. Being intimate with Cooper is what should make me feel grown-up, but going on a real date for some reason seems so adult, and I’m giddy at the idea. I try to restrain my excitement, but Emily is hardly paying attention to me as she flips through the rows of polish colors. “Do you and Troy go on a lot of dates? What’s college like?”

She perks up at the questions, holding the plastic color swatches out to the lady taking a seat on the swivel stool in front of her, her finger pinched against the shade of blue she wants. I politely ask my nail lady for light pink, and she nods, knowing I’m not picky. I come here often, but usually with Mom and Chastity.

“Oh my gosh. College is so much fun, Sophie.” She exhales dreamily. “You’ll see when you get there.”

“I still have two more years.” I sigh, sinking into my chair.

“Yeah, but you’ll be dating a fraternity brother soon.” Cooper hasn’t rushed yet, but he and Troy are both confident about his chances of getting accepted. “You can go to all the parties at the frat house and everything. It’ll basically be like you’re in college too.”

“What are the parties like?” Besides the slip ‘n slide party, I’ve only been to ones my family or the Montgomerys host in our joint backyard.

“They’re the best. There’s almost always a theme, so you get to dress up. Like a few months ago, there was an ABC party–anything but clothes. So, you make an outfit out of . . . whatever you want. I cut up my old Twister mat and turned it into a dress.” She raises her eyebrows suggestively. “And if there isn’t a theme, anything goes. There’s no one there to make sure your skirt goes past your fingertips or your tank top straps are three fingers wide.” The three-finger rule at school is annoying. I rarely get away with wearing my sundresses without my jean jacket or a sweater in class. But the idea of themed parties is intimidating. “OH.” She leans toward my chair like what she's about to tell me is classified. “There’s also an endless number of hot boys. They are everywhere, Sophie. Ev-er-y-where.” She sounds out each syllable.

My eyes go wide at her words as I try to process what she’s saying and what that means for me.

A wicked laugh escapes her. “It’s just window shopping, Sophie. You don’t have to buy anything.” Shrugging in reaction to my body language, she adds, “Or you can try things on in the dressing room and put them back.” She pairs her words with a wink, and my stomach flips. Is she serious? “Don’t be a prude, Sophie. It’s not like the boys don’t check out girls. Sororities can’t host parties at their houses so there’s always a ton of girls over too. That’s how college works.”

“So, Troy checks out other girls?” The answer to this question is as close as I’ll get to how things will be with Cooper. Those two boys are as loyal as they come, at least that’s always been my perception. I’ve heard how Troy talks about Emily when she’s not around–he practically worships the ground she walks on.

“I mean, I’ve never seen him do it, but I’m sure he does. You can’t help who you think is attractive, and you can’t help who walks into the room. It’s not a big deal.”

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