Page 29 of Can We Just Be Happy Now?

“I don’t know. I’ve never experienced it, so maybe I can’t relate enough yet.”

“You weren’t curious enough to try on your own?”

I focus on where my fingers still play with the hem of his T-shirt.

“You can tell me, Soph,” he whispers as he uses his thumb under my chin to draw my focus back to his piercing blue eyes.

“I just imagine what it’ll be like if you’re touching me.” He bites into his lip at my words. “I feel like it’ll be so much better than if I tried it myself,” I add, shifting my gaze to the mattress.

He groans into the kiss he presses to my lips. “God, Sophie, I want you so badly.”

He kisses me softly once before he deepens it, his tongue urgently tangling with mine. He’s still propped up on one arm, partially hovering over me, his fingers whispering along the strap of my sundress as we makeout, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. He squeezes my breast lightly, a deeper ache for him flowing through me. His hand continues down my body, stopping to squeeze my hip as he scrunches a handful of my dress, pulling it up my leg slightly. When I bite into his lip, he groans again and pushes my dress up. His hand falls to my thigh, running up my skin until it catches on the edge of my pink cotton underwear. I’m glad I finally convinced my mom to buy me cute ones–pastel colored with a thin strip of lace around the edge. He hooks his finger in it, then pauses, breaking our kiss.

When I open my eyes, he’s staring at me. “Are you sure about this?” he rasps, his breath ragged from the intensity of our kissing.

I nod slowly, looking into his perfect blue eyes. “I trust you, Cooper. More than anyone.” My own words come out on uneven breaths.

Those words do him in more than any of my previous ones. He tugs on the end of my panties, and I help him kick them off, my heart rate climbing even more. His hand runs up my thigh again, this time his thumb grazing my skin further up than he ever has before. His touch is so soft. It doesn’t tickle, but I don’t know how else to describe it. All I want is for him to move his hand higher, but every time he does, my heart stutters in my chest.

“Promise you’ll tell me if you want me to stop,” he whispers, and I can sense a little nerves in his voice.

“I promise.”

“And if I’m hurting you.”

“You’ll never hurt me, but I promise.”

With that assurance, his lips meet mine again, and in the next instant, his thumb swipes over me. My breath catches in our kiss. His finger rubs small circles against me, a tingling sensation I’ve never felt before shooting through my body, heightened from the one this morning. My hand reaches along the side of his face until my fingers are threaded through his hair, pulling him deeper into our kiss.

He’s gentle as he presses his middle finger against my entrance. I roll my hips into him on instinct, and the tip of his finger slips barely inside me. My breath catches enough that it breaks our kiss.

“You okay?” His voice is soft and soothing but laced with concern. He withdraws his finger but doesn’t break contact.

I nod. “Keep going.” As soon as the words leave my lips, he slides back inside me, a little further than the last time. I’m surprised by how wet I am. It’s such a strange feeling. Cooper’s finger pulls back again before he pushes all the way inside me this time. I moan into our kiss. He goes slow at first, pulling out and pushing back into me. Holy sensations. Tingles spark through me from the inside out. He speeds up a little and pressure builds in my stomach. He slows down again, curling his finger inside of me like he’s getting more comfortable with what he’s doing. Whatever spot he hits sends a rush of pleasure through me. “This feels so good, Cooper,” I whisper.

He kisses me harder but stays steady with whatever magic he’s doing. I feel his finger working inside of me and the palm of his hand rubbing against me. Suddenly, my body is on fire, an all consuming rush of heat flowing through me without warning. I break our kiss, biting into my lip, overwhelmed with this feeling. It’s so good, so strong. I can feel myself tightening around Cooper’s finger, and I wonder if he can feel it too. He groans against my skin, kissing my neck, his finger pumping in and out of me slowly.

What I’m assuming is an orgasm seems to last both forever and only a few seconds. I miss the feeling as soon as it’s gone, but crave finding another way to get closer to Cooper. Still breathless, I press my lips to his, willing to deprive myself of the oxygen I need. His finger slides out of me and the second it does, I run my hands under his shirt and up his back as I press my body into his.

Cooper snakes his arm under me, breaking our kiss but pulling me into a hug, squeezing me tight to his chest. “How do you feel?” His eyes search mine as if he’ll find the answer in them.

“Not let down by the hype,” I say with a content sigh.

He laughs, and it vibrates through me. “Happy to hear it.” He pauses before whispering into my hair, “Thank you for trusting me, Sophie,” and holds me for longer than twenty seconds. I don’t have to count anymore, and that might be my favorite part.

Chapter seventeen

COOPER

THEN

When I pull in my parent’s driveway, both theirs and the Porter’s garage doors are open. Perfect. I grab my skateboard where it rests in the wall mount my dad made. I’ve been living at my new house for about a month now, but it’s still strange not being able to walk next door to see Sophie. Making my way across the stepping stones between the houses, I spot Sophie’s board in plain sight, leaning against the wall in the corner. I pick it up and carry both to the front door and knock.

A few seconds later, Sophie answers, a book in her hand, the page she’s on marked with her finger pinched between the sheets. A smile lights her face the moment she registers it’s me. “Hi. Did we have plans today?” Her face scrunches, searching her memory for something she forgot.

“No, but I wanted to see my girlfriend.” The past few years, we usually spent an hour together each day outside of driving to and from school. It usually involved one of us studying because I was always busy with my other friends and football. But it was enough to keep our friendship strong. Now an hour isn’t nearly enough. And if I go a day without seeing her, I can’t stand it. I’ve seen her almost every day for the past six weeks since her birthday. Funny how you can find more time for someone when you want to. “Do you want to skate?”

“Yes, please.” She retreats a few steps to the couch, picking up her bookmark which is a photo strip of the two of us making funny faces. It’s from Troy’s cousin’s wedding last summer. I took Sophie as my date because Troy brought Emily. I didn’t want to be a third wheel, but I didn’t want another girl to read anything into it. I knew I’d have fun with Sophie, and once I convinced her to dance with me, we had a blast. I think that was the first time I ever thought about kissing her. At the time I chalked it up to love being in the air.

---