Page 6 of Cooper

She chuckles softly. “No. Not since I married my ex-husband. They hated him.”

My hand is still on hers. I get the feeling that she doesn’t have anyone and hasn’t had any support in a long time. My heart sinks. “Why’d you marry him then?”

“Oh, my parents hated anyone I associated with. They were devout Christians, and everyone was the devil, in their eyes. I was born when my mother was in her mid-forties, and I don’t think that they knew what to do with me. It’s just thanks to God that I had my Aunt Carol, or I don’t know what would have become of me.”

“Where’s she now?”

“She’s got Alzheimer’s. She’s living in a home in Pennsylvania.”

“That where you’re from?”

She shakes her head. “No. She moved out there just before she got sick. My cousin lives there. He’s looking after her.”

I look around, hand still on hers. The house is as clean as a whistle but as shabby as hell. It looks like she’s scrubbed every inch of the place, but the dog-eared corners in the carpeting, scratched baseboards, chipping paint on the windowsills and torn wallpaper, is telling. “You need a hand fixing this place up?”

“Like I told you, Cooper. I’ve got nothing. I’m not looking for charity, either, I’m just being honest. The only reason why I was able to pay first and last month’s rent here is because I sold my car.”

“You mean you had a better car?”

She nods. “It wasn’t much better, but…it was worth something. I stayed in a forty dollar a night hotel while my car got sold and I bought a cheaper one. Fortunately, this place was ready to move in.”

My tone is flat as my gaze keeps looking at every surface and cranny within reach. “Can’t imagine why.”

A strange sound comes from her throat. When I look at her, I realize that the poor thing is about to break down in tears. I rise immediately and pull her to me, grasping her neck with one hand and her lower back with the other. The woman weeps in my arms, like a floodgate has just been opened, like she hasn’t shed a tear in months, and has been holding every one of them in, painfully. Her sobs are long but soft, and I’m not sure if she’s keeping quiet for Nicole’s benefit, or for mine. Either way, I hold her tight to me, and let her cry.

...and soon something else happens that I would never expect.

Chapter 3

London

Since I left my husband, having a friend is a luxury. And I’ve always been very good at judging whether or not a man is truly being sensitive with me, or if he just wants to get me into bed. Normally, it’s the latter, but there’s just something about Cooper that tells me that he’s the real deal. I’ve trusted my instincts before, which is how I got out of a bad situation in time, so I know that my gut doesn’t lie. Sure, I should have listened to it sooner, and left James long before I did, but I was thinking of Bean. The last thing a child needs is to be apart from their father. And the trouble that he was into had nothing to do with her. Until it did.

And that’s when I left.

It’s been a long time since someone held me. Especially without being asked to. And, my God, Cooper is such a fantastic hugger. With the perfect grip, a slight sway in his stance, holding me across the neck and back, making me feel so secure, so safe, I could stand here forever. And the fact that he initiated the hug is telling. He cares. He has not made any moves towards me to indicate any sort of attraction, making me feel doubly safe. The last thing I need right now is to get involved with someone. But as I stand here, letting myself go, allowing myself to vent, to let out all that hurt, fear, and loneliness, suddenly it’s like my body is possessed.

My eyes meet his. This sweet man, who knows nothing about me, yet he knows more than most, looks at me with so much care, concern, and compassion, that something inside me draws me closer to him. He sweeps his thumb across my lower lids, wiping the tears away, and the innocence, the sincerity in his eyes...does something to me. But instead of attacking him, like my body is telling me to do, I weep more, staring at him, eyes on his. His eyes search mine as he pulls my face to his, at his temple, resting his large, strong hand on the side of my face. The heart beating in my chest cannot be ignored. It’s racing against him.

“Shhh...” He lulls, with a calmness in his voice, almost paternal, like he was a father in a past life. My hands that rest on his shoulders, make a path to the nape of his neck, where they gently grasp the curls, skating my nails across his skin. The gesture makes him move his head slightly and draw in a deep breath. And that gesture from him makes my heart beat a little faster. My lips find their way to his cheek, feeling the light stubble, and the warmth, taking in the scant scent of his aftershave. Although the kiss is only half sexual, the whimper that comes out of me is almost primal.

He whispers in my ear. “It’s okay.”

Somehow, I believe him.

Fingers dancing in his hair, slowly, sensually, as my lips find their way to his cheek again, and then they trail to the front of his ear, to his jawline, and back to his cheek. He pulls his face back, and rests his forehead on mine, as my mouth opens, and I feel his lips so close to mine I can almost taste them. Eyes closed, tears still pouring down my cheeks, I slide my lips to his, whimpering as I move. His hands trek to my cheeks, as he plants his mouth on mine, first sucking my lower lip, then the top lip, as I gasp with both need and emotion, letting myself be close to a man I hardly know for the first time in my life.

His lips are full and soft, and his kiss is deep, better than any kiss I’ve ever had. But he keeps his tongue in his mouth, which is both painful and more erotic than if he made the kiss less chaste. My breathing instantly becomes ragged from emotion and need, while he continues to suck my lips, waking up things that have been dead in me since I left James. Bean is sound asleep. A bomb couldn’t wake her up. So, I allow myself to get lost in the moment. His hands are at my waist, and they slide up the hem of my shirt, as I take in the warmth and slight roughness of his hands. God, it feels so good, it’s almost too much. To be touched again. Human contact, aside from that of my eight-year-old.

My body quivers yet it’s melting to his. His fingers find the hook to my bra and he unhinges me...in more ways than one. As my breasts are freed, his hands slowly move to my front, up my belly, and he pushes the fabric away, placing his hands full, palm down, on them. The moan that comes out of me reverberates against his lips, as my nipples bead at his touch. Between his fingers, he gently pinches my nipples, and I feel it...there. Moans becoming louder, he kisses me to buffer the sound, and in one fell swoop, he lifts me onto his waist, removing his lips from mine as he gazes intently at me, fire in his eyes, while carrying me to my bedroom.

There are only two to choose from, and the other is the bathroom, so he has no issue finding it. He closes the door softly and as our eyes adjust to the darkness, his lips find mine again. This time he opens his mouth, sliding his tongue inside, making the blood in my veins sing and the pulse between my legs thump. Lips on mine, he lifts his arm and pulls his shirt off over his head, and then proceeds to pull mine off, sliding my bra down my shoulders, while he kisses the flesh on my neck. Never have I been this turned on before in my life. His body is so close to mine, I can feel the heat from it, and it’s like a magnet.

Fingertips on the waistband of his jeans, I undo the button and nearly shudder at the sound of his zipper coming down. God, it’s been so long since I heard that, and on Cooper, it sounds so sexy I could die. He follows suit, undoing my pants and taking them down, and in moments, we both stand there naked, and he looks down my body, and then back up to my eyes. “God, you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.”

His words aren’t lip service. His eyes tell me that. As he whispers to me, I fall into his arms, hungry for him, desperate to touch him. His hardened cock presses up against me, and it takes everything in me not to lift and impale myself with him. No, he has better ideas in mind, as he places his hands on my ass cheeks, and pulls me to him, carrying me the few more steps to the bed. My back finds the mattress and he hovers over me, hands on either side of my face, cupping it, as he kisses me with deep, erotic, noisy kisses that can be heard in the silence.

Pelvis moving, he finds my wetness, and artfully rubs the head of his cock up and down the length of me, touching my swollen nub deftly, driving me insane fast. Chest heaving, I feel myself climb so swiftly, my heart feels like it’s going to pound through my chest. Tiny cries come on each exhale. He murmurs to me. “It’s okay, darlin’. Let it go.” As his mouth moves from my lips, down my neck, and the moment his lips are on my nipple, I come so hard and fast I swear to God I'll die after.

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