Page 41 of A Scoring Chance

I should’ve just stormed out and cooled off, but I didn’t. I had to spin around before leaving and put the nail in the proverbial coffin. “Just because you two were too chicken to follow your dreams doesn’t mean I’m going to crash and burn like you did.”

“I didn’t crash and burn, Ramona. I had a child, a son that I needed to look after. The art scene is just as much aboutbeing seen by the right people as it is about talent. I had a responsibility to Darius.”

“Whatever you say. Sometimes I wish I had never been born into this family. A bunch of washed-up sellouts who would rather toe the line instead of taking a chance on anything worthwhile.”

That was the last thing I ever said to my dad and sister. After I took off, I literally walked around the woods near my house until the sun went down, and even a little while after that. I didn’t have anywhere to hide out. I didn’t want to be found, not yet. I needed time to calm down before talking to any of them again. I needed a way to calmly explain to them why going to NYC was so important. That I needed to do this my way, and I’d do it with or without their support.

When I finally came home, there was a single police car parked in the driveway. I’ll never forget the way Ma’s guttural scream echoed around the trees in the yard as she crumbled to the ground with Darius locked in her arms. I learned later that Dad and Imani went looking for me, spending most of the night searching for me, even going into town. They were T-boned by a drunk driver peeling out of The Pit Stop parking lot. Both of them died at the scene.

The tears blur my vision, making it almost impossible for me to keep going. I swipe at my cheeks, but it does nothing but bring on a fresh wave of tears. This is what I get for wanting something for myself. I’ve spent the last six years of my life revolving around my mother and Darius. It was my fault they lost their husband and mother. It was my selfishness that ripped my family to shreds, and now I need to do everything I can to keep it from falling apart completely.

The loud crack of thunder charges the surrounding air, signaling the impending downpour Cooper was worried about earlier, but I remain rooted to my place on the bench. Numbnessslowly dims my senses as it begins to rain. Water seeps into the fabric of my sweater, causing it to stick to my skin, but I still don’t move. I can’t, not with the demons from my past holding me in place, pulling me down into the deep despair I fought so hard to keep at bay all day.

“Ramona!” My head snaps toward the sound of my name, and I see Cooper. The picnic basket and blanket are hanging haphazardly from his arm, bouncing back and forth as he sprints toward me. I want to move to keep running away from him, but I don’t have the strength to move. I just stand up and wait for him to get closer.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, eyes locked on his feet. “I shouldn’t have run, but I couldn’t be there anymore.”

“Why?” he croaks, his rain-drenched hand reaching toward my face, but I flinch away from him. “Did I do something wrong?”

I shake my head back and forth, a deep sob escaping my throat. “No. No. You are perfect. Perfect in every way I can never be. In a way I don’t deserve.”

“Why don’t you deserve to be happy, Beauty?”

“Don’t call me that. I’m not the princess in this story. I’m the wicked witch. I’m not the one who gets the happy ending. You need to get as far away from me as possible before I ruin your life, too.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Beauty. Not now, not ever,” Cooper growls before smashing his lips against mine.

I can taste the rain on them as he brushes his tongue against my lips. I part them slightly, allowing his tongue to slip between them. He should be running away from me, but he’s pulling me closer. His fingers thread through my hair as we breathe each other in.Bless it.This shit does not happen in real life, at least not to anyone I know. I should stop this, ask him to put me down before we do something stupid, but it feels too good to stop.

Cooper’s hands slide down my back onto my ass, gripping it tightly in his palms before lifting me slightly. I wrap my legs around him, groaning into his mouth as warmth blooms in my chest like the roses in this garden. I can barely feel the bite of the rain as it continues to pelt my skin, giving over to the pleasure of his lips pressed against mine. Our bodies press together, the heat from his seeping into mine as my heart begs for me to pull him closer.

Cooper’s lips are speaking to a part of me I thought was lost forever. His muscular arms support my weight as I grip his shirt tightly in my fist, anchoring myself to him and this moment, giving him everything that I am and will ever be. All the pain, torment, and grief leaches out of my body, and I pour every emotion into this kiss. But not before I send up a silent prayer that when this is over, I’m still whole at the end.

Chapter Fifteen

Cooper

Idon’t know what possessed me to kiss Ramona, but I needed to take that look out of her eyes. I know that look. It’s a look I’ve seen reflected at me in the mirror every day since I was fifteen years old. The look of pure agony on her face was too much for me to bear, so I kissed her. Kissed her to let her know she wasn’t alone, that there was someone else in the world who understood the pain she lived with day in and day out.

The first connection of our lips was forceful and tinged with a hungry need for each other that was all-consuming. Every single place she touched me felt like I was on fire, but I prepared myself for her to push me away. She’d been working so hard to keep some space between us ever since we left Redwood Falls, the tension building until it finally exploded. But if she wanted me to stop, then I would. But instead of pushing me away, she drew me closer, giving herself over to me, trusting me to protect her from whatever demons she was fighting.

“Let’s get you out of the rain,” I mumble against her lips before nipping at her bottom lip. I should probably put her down or at least stop kissing her, but I can’t do either. I won’t.

Before she can say another word, I lean in to kiss her again, but this kiss is less hurried than before. I take my timememorizing the way her body melts into mine and every sound she makes as we move. The soft mewl that escapes her lips when her pussy brushes against the bulge in my pants. The way she loves running her fingers through my hair, tugging on the ends. I nip at the juncture of her neck, our moans of pure pleasure filling the air as I press her back into the rough wood of the tree.

“Oliver is going to be mad that you left his picnic basket.” Her back arches as I bite down softly on her earlobe.

“I’ll buy him a new one,” I whisper before sucking her earlobe into my mouth. “He’ll understand when he finds out the precious cargo I was carrying instead.”

The moment the words are out of my mouth, I’m moving again. I really should put her down and make a break for my condo, but I can’t think of anything else right now but kissing Ramona. It’s like I’m a teenage boy, experiencing my first kiss all over again. As far as first kisses go, this blows everything else out of the water. There’s something natural about kissing her, my body knowing intrinsically how to make her body sing for me. It’s like we are two halves of a whole that have finally found the missing pieces.

“I can walk, you know.” Her voice is breathy as she pulls back, licking her swollen lips.

“I know.”

“Are you going to let me down?” Her eyes search mine for the answer, but I have a feeling she doesn’t mean something as simple as putting her feet back on solid ground.

She wants to know if I can handle all of her demons. If I’m worthy of the trust she’s prepared to give me. The problem is, I don’t know if I am or not. I have my own demons that I’m fighting, that I struggle to keep under control daily. But when I’m with her, they are a little quieter and have less control. So, maybe, if I can help her fight her demons, she will help me fightmine as well? I don’t know the answer to either question, but I know I’m not going anywhere. Not now, or possibly ever.

---