Page 23 of The Road Ahead
Rio
It was late by the time we left the festival and I was glad I wasn’t the one driving. I sat in the passenger seat, leaned my head against the window, and allowed the rhythmic rocking of the truck to send me into a doze. I woke up as we hit the dirt track leading to the cabin, but I didn’t make a move to exit the car once we’d pulled up.
Cooper hopped out of the truck and came around to open my door. He peered down at me, a small smile quirking his lips. “You’re not asleep,” he stated.
Teresa and Brad were already letting themselves into the cabin, so I took advantage of not having an audience to hold my arms up. “No, but I still want you to carry me inside.”
Cooper chuckled. “Oh, you do, do you? What am I? A pack mule?”
“Please?” I wheedled, still with my arms outstretched.
“Fine,” Cooper said, but he didn’t sound exasperated, just amused. He bent down and scooped me into his arms, and Ishivered at how hot his hand felt on my bare thighs. It made me acutely aware of just how short my shorts were and how close he was to palming my ass. It was also another reminder of just how damn strong he was. It was sexy as fuck.
I hooked my arms around his neck and nuzzled against his throat, humming happily. “My hero,” I whispered.
I closed my eyes as he carried me into the cabin. I heard Cooper speak briefly with Teresa and Brad, bidding them goodnight, and then the snick of the bedroom door as he closed it behind us. “You should get into your PJs,” Cooper said softly as he lowered me onto the bed and quickly pulled off my boots.
“Nnngh, too tired,” I mumbled, rolling over and burying my face in the pillow.
“Do you remember what you told me the day before yesterday?” he said, and I could hear the suppressed laughter in his voice at my childish antics. “You told me I shouldmakeyou get changed before you sleep.”
I rolled over and looked up at him from beneath my lashes. “Go on then, change me into my pajamas.”
Oops. I might have broken Cooper. He stared down at me, eyes wide and jaw working, but no words were coming out. It was mean of me, but I didn’t immediately backtrack and play the whole thing off as a joke. I suddenly wasn’t as tired as I had been, and I wondered how far he’d allow me to take this, how far he’d go.
Swallowing hard enough that I could hear it, Cooper croaked out, “Um, what?”
I tried to keep the glee off my face. “We’ve established that I shouldn’t sleep in my clothes, but I’msotired, Coop. Will you help me get changed?” I wasn’t going to delude myself by pretending I was great at pulling off a sultry, sexy voice, but my best attempt seemed to be working on Cooper at least.
“Um. I mean, if you need some help, I could do that . . .”
I knew that trying to bat my lashes at Cooper would just make me look deranged, so I refrained and gave him a sleepy smile instead. “You’re the best.”
“Happy to help,” Cooper declared, trying to sound nonchalant but not quite pulling it off. He was clearly nervous, but not uncomfortable. If there’d been any signs he wasn’t fully on board, I would have put a stop to it immediately, but that didn’t appear to be the case. “The uh, the ones you wore last night?” Cooper asked.
“Yeah. They’re in my suitcase. You’re sure it’s not too much trouble?” It didn’t hurt to double check.
Cooper’s eyes trailed from my face, down my body, and then back. His pupils were dilated, and his tongue darted out to wet his lower lip. “No trouble at all,” he assured me in a husky voice before turning and making his way to my suitcase.
My entire body was thrumming with anticipation, and once again I was struck by how little room there was in my tiny little shorts when certain parts of my body were starting to perk up. I hastily adjusted myself before Cooper turned back to face me, holding up the pale lavender two-piece set. “I see you found them.”
“They’re very pretty,” Cooper told me as he crossed back around to the bed. “Hard to miss.” He knelt down on the edge of the mattress, hovering over me. “How much help do you need?” he asked, trailing a finger from my chin, down my throat, over my sternum, and coming to rest on my stomach, just above the button of my shorts. “Is it just help with your buttons?” He took the button between his thumb and forefinger and gave it a playful waggle. “Or do you need me to do even more than that?”
It was my turn to swallow hard. “I think . . .” I said slowly. “That I’ll need a bit more help than that.”
“Really? Do you need me to take off your socks?” His fingers skimmed over the denim of my shorts, heading down over my bare legs, to my socked feet.
“Uh-huh,” I whispered.
Cooper twisted a little and gently lifted one foot, peeling the sock off, and then repeated the process with my other foot. He danced his fingertips over the top of one of my feet, and that innocent touch alone caused goosebumps to erupt across my skin. “Hmm, what else can I help with?” he mused, and then moved upwards once more, dragging the pads of his fingers along the insides of my calves, skimming them along my inner thighs.
It was me who was now struggling to put words together, the tables totally turned. “Um, I’ll need, uh, s . . . s . . . some help with my shirt.”
“Youhavedone the knot up very tight,” he agreed. “I might need to give it a much closer inspection before I get it undone.” Then Cooper leaned down and ran the flat of his tongue up from the waistband of my shorts to where the hem of my shirt had ridden up to my ribs. My stomach muscles quivered as he then blew gently on the wet skin, before he kissed his way down the same path his tongue had taken.
“Cooper,” I whimpered, my voice trembling.
“It looks like you’ve used a simple overhand knot,” he murmured, his breath hot against my stomach. “I should be able to get it undone, but it might take me a few goes.” He took hold of the knot and lifted the bottom of my shirt up even higher, exposing more of my skin. Cooper wasted no time at all in exploring it with his lips and tongue, kissing and licking all over my stomach and diaphragm.
