Page 65 of Bound by Family
Princess sucks in a deep breath so hard her shoulders rise with it. When she lets it out, it’s like a big whoosh. A small tear forms in her eye, but she doesn’t let it fall. It makes me wonder how my mother would feel about me leaving home and coming here. If the circumstances were different and my father didn’t pull what he did and I just left to come up here, how would she have taken it? Would she be happy for me? Angry with me? I just wonder what she would have told me. It makes me sad that I will never know that answer.
Princess takes a step forward and, alert, I keep on my toes. For what, I’m not sure. My gut just tells me to be on them with her.
She wraps her arms around Cooper, and I step to the side as he reciprocates. She whispers something so low I can’t make it out, and the curiosity hits me. Then she pulls away and turns toward me, holding her hand out.
“I’m Princess, Cooper’s mom. Nice to meet you.”
Unsure of what to do, my focus goes to Cooper, who smiles and gives me a small nod.
I hold out my hand and take hers. Princess’ grip is tight, and it takes a bit for me not to flinch. “Bristyl. Nice to meet you, too.”
“Alright, now that the meet and greet portion of this is over”—Ryker claps his hands hard—“there’s some pussy that needs tappin’.”
It’s only after Ryker’s gone do I realize Princess still has my hand. She must notice the same, because we release.
“Come on, beautiful, let’s go in. I’m beat and need a bit of shut eye.”
Cooper’s arm comes around my shoulder as he leads me into the building.
I glace over my shoulder, and Princess gives a small smile then leans into Cruz. Maybe this won’t be bad after all.
He leads me through the door into darkness. It’s not really dark, but the lights are so dim it can be considered darkness. The smell of stale beer and cigarettes fill the air, but it’s a smell I’m all too familiar with. Tables line the area as men and women mingle around, but that’s about all I see before Cooper pulls me down a hallway then through a door on the right.
The room is small, but from the small bit of light that comes through a window very high on the wall, it looks clean. The bed is made with a black comforter on it, the floor looks picked up, and there’s no laundry anywhere. Hell, even my room at home had clothes on the floor. His room is almost spotless.
“Are you a neat freak?”
He laughs deeply in his gut. “Fuck no. I’m sure this was my mom.” He nudges my arm. “Probably didn’t want you thinkin’ I’m a slob.”
“She clean your room a lot?”
“Nah, not since I was a kid. See? She likes ya.”
“That’s debatable.”
He wraps me in his arms, his face a hair’s breadth from mine. “I like ya.”
I grip his shirt tightly. “Good ’cause I like you, too.” I kiss him hard and wet.
My body sizzles against his, and before I can blink, we are both naked and fullylikingeach other.
CHAPTER TWENTY
COOPER
“I’m not staying here,” Bristyl argues with me. It’s damn cute she actually thinks she’s going to win this one.
“Just until we find a place we like.”
“UntilIfind a placeIlike,” she retorts, making me smile.
“We, beautiful. We’re gonna get a place close to here, andI’mgonna pay the rent.”
Bristyl’s face turns a shade of red that reminds me of a tomato, except her head seems like it’s about to explode. Her hands in fists, she glares at me. It’s fucking adorable.
“You arenotpaying my rent, Cooper Cruz. I am more than capable of paying for my own and don’t need a sugar daddy. Now, I’m gonna look at apartments.” She storms out of my room at the clubhouse and down the hall. I follow, because that’s the direction we both need to be going. All the while, a smile plays on my lips.
Rounding the corner, I hear, “If you’re done with him, I’ll take him. He’s an amazing lay.”
