Page 50 of Tides of Discovery
“All those times you demolished me at video games. Finally found something I’m marginally better at.”
“Marginally?” I gestured at the scoreboard. “You broke one hundred in both games. I wasn’t anywhere close.”
“Like I said. Marginal.”
The drive back to Cooper’s apartment felt different from the trip to the bowling alley. The nervous energy had transformedinto something warmer, more intimate. Cooper hummed along to the radio, his fingers drumming against his thigh in a rhythm that made me want to reach over and still them with my hand.
“Coffee?” Cooper asked as we approached his door. “Or are you sick of anything caffeinated?”
“Coffee sounds great.”
I settled onto the couch while Cooper busied himself in the kitchen, the familiar sounds of his coffee routine creating a comfortable soundtrack. When he returned with two steaming mugs, he sat closer than strictly necessary, his thigh pressing against mine.
“Thank you.” I accepted the coffee. “For tonight, I mean. I needed this.”
“Me, too.” Cooper’s voice was softer now, more serious. He set his mug on the coffee table and turned to face me fully.
“I know we said we’d take our time, but I keep thinking about the other night. About how right it felt.”
I set my own mug aside, afraid I might drop it. “It did feel right.”
“Can I kiss you again?”
“I—” Words failed me. What was I trying to say? That something had changed between us? That I wanted to obliterate the boundaries we’d set?
Instead of speaking, I leaned forward. I closed the distance between us until our lips met. This was a statement rather than a question.
Cooper went still for a heartbeat, then his hand came up to cup my face, his touch gentle as he kissed me back. There was a tenderness to it that made my chest ache, a carefulness that felt nothing like exploration.
When we broke apart, his eyes searched mine, looking for something I wasn’t sure I could give him. “Jack,” he whispered, his voice rough. “What are we doing?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. The honesty forced its way out. “I just know I wanted to kiss you.”
Something flared in Cooper’s eyes—hope, perhaps. His thumb brushed against my stubble in a gesture so sweet it made me shiver.
“Is that okay?” I asked, suddenly unsure.
Cooper’s answer was to kiss me again, deeper this time. His hand slid to the back of my neck to draw me closer. I went willingly. My body responded to his touch with an eagerness that might have surprised me if I’d been capable of surprise just then. All I could focus on was the feel of him—his lips on mine, his hands in my hair, the solid warmth of his body as I pressed closer.
We ended up tangled together, lying on the couch. Cooper’s hands found their way under my shirt. His touch left a trail of heat across my skin. I explored him in turn and mapped the planes of his lightly hairy chest, the curve of his shoulders, the territory both familiar and startlingly new.
“Should we stop?” he asked against my neck, his breath hot on my skin.
Part of me—the logical, cautious part—knew we should. This was dangerous and blurred the lines we’d carefully drawn. But a larger part, the part currently on fire with need, couldn’t bear the thought of stopping.
“No.” I pulled him back to me. “Don’t stop.”
Our erections lined up as we lay full length against each other, and I ground into him.
Cooper whispered, “What are you doing?”
WhatwasI doing? We’d set parameters so that these four weeks wouldn’t get complicated. But I couldn’t resist him. I didn’twantto resist him. “I want more.”
He pulled back and searched my gaze. An array of emotions—wonder, trust, need—passed quickly through his eyes. “Then we’ll do more.”
I rose, bracketed his calves with my knees, and pushed his sweater up to reveal a flat stomach and the sexy V of his hip bones above low-slung jeans. I leaned forward, nuzzled the soft skin at his lower belly, and inhaled the musky scent that was uniquely Cooper. My cock pulsed in my jeans.
“Jack,” he whispered. “Please.”
