Page 59 of Swiped By My Dad's Best Friend
“Oh.” He relaxed and grinned. “Well, I wasn’t bullshitting you. We do stay on the up and up. Cooper’s the DSS tonight, so he’ll be making sure of it.”
“DSS?” I asked as I followed the frat boy through the front door and through a small living area to the kitchen. Following his cue, I began unloading my bags onto the kitchen counters. The house was a little out of date, with a large eat-in kitchen but no bar or island that was more common in modern design. Instead, we piled bags around the stove and sink.
“Designated Sober Schmuck,” he said with a grin. Once his arms were free, he turned and leaned back against the counter. “I’m Simon, by the way.”
“Trace.”
“Interesting name.”
I didn’t mention that it was short for Tracy. I’d been teased mercilessly as a young child, and by the time I was a teenager, I’d ditched the Y and become Trace, the guy who’d kick your ass if you messed with him. Trace felt much more my name than Tracy ever had.
I pulled my phone out of my back pocket. “Maybe I should call Cooper and see where he is.”
“No need. He’s right there.” Simon looked past my shoulder, and I spun on my heel. Cooper was halfway down the stairs, taking them in a quick jog. When our eyes met, he smiled, and butterflies erupted in my stomach.
Wasn’t I too old for butterflies? Maybe they were moths. That seemed more fitting.
“Hey, you,” Cooper said as he reached me.
“Hey.”
I knew I should play it low-key around Cooper’s friends, but I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I’d missed him in just the short time we’d been apart. Missed him enough that I didn’t know how I’d cope when the seminar ended in a few weeks.
“I tried to call you,” he said. “You must have been on the road.”
“Must have,” I murmured, still captivated by his warm eyes, his strong jawline, and those lush lips. Lips that curled slowly into a knowing smile.
“You can kiss me,” he said in a low voice. “Everyone here knows I’m bi.”
It wasn’t his sexuality that had made me hesitate, but our age difference. I wasn’t some college kid greeting his boyfriend. Simon had thought I was someone’sfather,for Christ’s sake. But I couldn’t refuse an invitation like that when I’d been craving his taste for days. I swooped down and kissed him, doing my best to keep it brief when I really just wanted to pin him to a wall and devour him whole. Cooper slid his arms around my neck, pressing close for one glorious moment.
Then the wolf whistles started.
Cooper pulled back with a laugh and flipped the bird to the room at large. Simon was nearby, but so were a couple of other guys.
“Cooper, you’ve been holding out!” a slender, ginger-haired guy called from across the room.
“Cooper went and got himself a sugar daddy,” someone else joked to a round of laughter.
I winced, glancing at Cooper, but he merely rolled his eyes. His friends were closer to the mark than I liked. I wasn’t hissugardaddy, by any means, but we weren’t exactly a conventional couple either.
“Fuck off and mind your own business,” Cooper said without heat. He was clearly used to trash talking with his frat bros. In a lower voice, he added, “Let’s go upstairs. Unfortunately, I can’t take off, but I want to kiss you without an audience.”
As we headed for the stairs, the redheaded kid started in on another round of jokes. Simon cut him short.
“Lay off, guys. Cooper is my boy,” he said. “You mess with him, you mess with me, and everyone knows I’m a hothead you don’t want to fuck with.”
My eyebrow went up at Simon’s tone. It sounded protective. That was supposed to be my job, and I wondered if I needed to worry about this kid moving in on Cooper. I wasn’t the jealous, possessive type, but I also had no interest in sharing Cooper with anyone else. Not as long as he insisted he wanted me, despite the mess it was sure to make with Matthew. I still didn’t know how we’d break the news to him. Part of me expected Cooper to tire of me before that day came.
Cooper led me into a small bedroom, shut the door behind me, and pressedmeto the wall, kissing me aggressively. I let him have his moment, then flipped us around. “I think this is my job,” I said, before kissing him hard again. He moaned into my mouth as our tongues met, brushed, dancing to a song of lust.
Would I ever get enough of this boy? I feared not.
“Do I need to worry about this Simon?” I asked when I finally pulled back.
Cooper was gratifyingly dazed by my kisses. It took a moment for his eyes to clear. “Simon?”
“He was awfully protective of you,” I said with a frown.
