by Mercer Scott
Natalia beams at the creature on the bed. “Meowriah Furré.”
“You named a hairless cat, Meowriah Furry? One, that name is crazy in the first place. And two, she doesn’t even have any fur.”
“Exactly. I didn’t want her to get a complex about it. She’s just as much a cat as any other cat with fur, right Meowriah Furré?” Natalia reaches out and pets the wrinkly head of the feline creature that is currently staring murderously at me.
“Meowriah… or am I supposed to call her Ms. Furré? Ms. Furré, will you please accept my sincerest apologies for any perceived slight. It was not my intention to offend. You look absolutely beautiful in your fluffy, pink sweater.” I say it from a safe distance, not making a move to walk over and pet the cat. I think that’s safer for both of us.
The huge smile Natalia gives me for apologizing makes it worth it. “That’s better, isn’t it Meowriah? He’s sorry.” Natalia scratches the chin of the hairless creature and it starts purring. “She forgives you. But don’t let it happen again.”
“Who said the second part? You or her?”
“Both of us!” Natalia says ominously.
“Is she going to be here the whole time? Watching us?”
Natalia laughs. “And here I thought you were so confident about your skillset? Is a cat really giving you performance anxiety?”
“Maybe she could go to sleep in another room or something? I don’t want to scar her innocent eyes with things I’m about to do to her mother.” Innocent eyes, my ass. That cat has one thing on her mind – and one thing only. Murder.
“As much as I would love to keep torturing you, yes Meowriah can hang out in the closet. She has everything she needs in there. Litter box. Scratching post. And she likes her privacy.”
“Oh, so the cat is going into the closet for her privacy? Not mine? I’m starting to get where I stand.”
Natalia beams down at the hairless creature on the bed. “Hello, lovely. Are you ready to go have some play time in the closet? Do you want some treatsies? Oh, yes you do. Yes, you do!” She picks up the cat and walks her into the closet. I hear the crinkling of a treat bag and some excited meows before she returns.
“I would also like some treatsies.”
“I’m sure Meowriah would be willing to share… they’re sardine flavored.”
“That isn’t the kind of treats I had in mind…”
“And what exactly did you have in mind?”
“This.”
Reaching out to catch her arm, I tug her into my arms. Then I lean down and take her mouth with mine. Enough cats. Enough jokes. This is what I came here for. To taste her and to feel her again.
Chapter Sixteen
Natalia
The sun is streaming in the open windows, and I feel its heat tracking a path across my body from my forehead to my hip. My naked hip. Why am I not wearing pajamas? I never sleep naked, not even in my own apartment. I definitely never sleep naked when I’m a guest in someone else’s home, and I’m in my bed at Lara and Deacon’s house on Maui. Hmmm, odd.
That’s when I realize that I didn’t go to bed alone. My eyes flutter open and closed, unwilling to stay permanently open due the embarrassment as much as the bright morning sunlight. Cooper’s still here – lying in bed next to me. In the same house as all my friends.
Every single part of me reacts to finding a naked Cooper Hamilton in my bed. My sleepy heartbeat starts racing. My toes clench. Cooper and I are just having fun or whatever people say. I’m not those people. I don’t have this kind of fun. And it can’t be anything more serious than fun because I’m never falling for a man ever again. If Dr. Dick taught me one thing, it’s that I don’t get to have a happy ending. At some point, whatever happens with my job, I’m going to have to leave Maui and get back to real life. So, there’s no point in hoping for things that can’t happen.
I wouldn’t have been surprised to find him gone this morning. But I’m not entirely sure that I like the warmth that creeps through my body just seeing him lying right here next to me. This warmth heats me up inside in a way that has nothing to do with the bright Maui sun. This warmth is entirely due to Cooper Hamilton.
But even if there’s no future for Cooper and me, I do have this moment. And right this very moment, I have a sexy, Navy SEAL in my bed being petted by my cat. Meowriah is lying on his pillow and kneading his shoulder with her little paw. Apparently, she’s developing a soft spot for him. Which is the exact opposite of what we’re supposed to be doing.
This cuteness needs to be documented for posterity. Reaching for my phone next to the bed, I take approximately seven hundred pictures of Meowriah petting Cooper and a couple of videos. This is pure gold.
Then Cooper’s eyes open sleepily. “Morning.”
“Morning.” I don’t know what else to say to him.
“Are you petting me?” Cooper asks, as his hand reaches up to his shoulder where it finds Meowriah’s paw. “What the-”
Cooper jerks up in bed, and Meowriah jumps into my arms, hissing in his general direction.
“What the hell just happened? Was the cat petting me?”
“I think she likes you!” I tell him happily, snuggling my face into Meowriah’s sweater as I rub her ears. “She was practically sleeping on your head, so she must like you.”
“Thank you? I think.”
“Oh, it’s a very good thing. An honor really. Meowriah is very particular. She has very discerning tastes.”
“The cat has very discerning tastes?” Cooper shakes his head slowly as he stares at us, before grinning at me. “Morning, Natalia.”
“You already said that.”
“I wanted to say it again.”
“Good morning, Cooper.”
Cooper lets out a low laugh and runs his fingers down my arm. Shivers snake through my body at his touch.
Staring down at Meowriah, so that I don’t have to look at Cooper, I tell him what’s on my mind. “I wasn’t sure if you’d still be here this morning.”
Cooper’s hand drops from my arm. “If you want me to go, you just have to say the word and I’m gone.”
I catch his hand in mine, just as he’s turning away from me. “No. Stay. I… want you to stay.”
“That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” Cooper says, leaning in to kiss me. His presses his hand against my jaw and then trails it down my neck before finding my nipple with his thumb. He presses down into my nipple, kneading and massaging it, and I basically dissolve into a puddle of want right then and there.
“Cooper, I need…” I tell him when I can finally sneak a word out.
“I need you, too,” Cooper says huskily, smiling as he pulls back ever so slightly from my lips. “Put down the cat, and I’ll show you just how much.”
After giving Meowriah a big squeeze, I gently drop her down onto the floor. I’m not capable of forming words anymore. That part of my brain is gone. It’s vacated the building. There’s only want and pleasure. My want for Cooper. The pleasure that Cooper gives me.
There’s only Cooper.
“Good morning, lovers!” Lara calls out from the patio.
Knowing what we’re about to face with all of my friends here, I hesitate at the edge of the patio. But Cooper tugs me forward.
“They’re your friends,” he reminds. “I’m sure they won’t bite.”
“You don’t know them very well,” I mutter, as I trail behind him outside.
A chorus of good mornings greets us. Everyone’s here. Everyone. All my friends. Even though I saw them yesterday, I still can’t believe that Lara actually brought them here just because I slept with Cooper.
Everyone is sitting around the massive table on Lara and Deacon’s patio. It must be twelve feet long, built of modern glass and steel. The table is perfectly set for a fancy brunch with crystal glasses and gold silverware. Lilies, plumeria, and gardenias stretch along the center of the table. The dozen rustic wooden chairs around it have to be brought inside whenever it rains, which is al
l the time on Maui. But Lara has people for that now. I know because I saw them running out to bring in the chairs one day and thought the house was on fire. And stretching out as far as you can see is gorgeous blue ocean. However much this place cost Deacon – and I cannot even imagine a number that big – it was totally worth it for this view. This place is paradise. If I didn’t have a life and a job to hopefully get back to, I would squat here at Lara’s forever.
“Was Chloe busy this morning?” I ask sullenly. There are two empty seats left for Cooper and me at the end of the table. Reluctantly, I head towards them, still holding onto his hand.
“She had a meeting about the set design for the school play this morning. Otherwise, she’d be obviously here.” Veronica grins happily up at me.
“Obviously,” I mutter. “Don’t any of you have anywhere to be? Sightseeing? The beach? Shopping? I can think of a million things you could be doing that aren’t staring at us like zoo animals.”
My friends all look back and forth between each other and shake their heads vigorously. Then they burst out laughing at me.
“Nowhere more important than brunch with you and whoever this guy is.” Cassie leans forward and eyes Cooper closely. “And who exactly are you?”
My friends are all eyeing Cooper like homicide detectives eyeing their prime suspect. Ty and Deacon look like they feel bad for him, but also like they’re enjoying this. At least a little bit. But Cooper seems completely unfazed by all six sets of eyes staring back at him. I guess that he’s probably seen a lot scarier things than my nosy friends.
Cooper holds a hand up in a casual wave. “Hey, I’m Cooper. It’s nice to meet everyone.”
“You haven’t met us yet, aren’t you going to introduce us properly Natalia?” Bridget asks, her eyebrows so high that they’re practically jumping off of her face.
I glare at her to let her know that I’m not impressed. Pointing to my friends one-by-one, I introduce them to Cooper. “That one’s Bridget. That’s Cassie. You know Lara, Veronica, and Ty from previous inappropriate meetings. And you sort of met Lara’s fiancé, Deacon, a few weeks ago at the eighties dance that we agreed never to talk about.”
“Aren’t you going to tell him that we’re your very bestest friends in the whole, wide world. And we’ll kick his ass if he hurts you?” Bridget’s sweet smile looks dangerous.
“No. No, I wasn’t going to say that at all actually.” I flash her back a big smile, every bit as dangerous. My friends always think they know what’s best for me. And yes, they were one-hundred-and-ten-percent right about Dr. Dick. But I learned my lesson, and nothing like that is ever going to happen again. Because I won’t let it.
“Message received.” Cooper clears his throat and smiles back at her. How he can smile at a time like this is beyond me.
Deacon stands up at the end of the table. “We haven’t properly met. Deacon Park.” He extends a hand to Cooper across the table.
Cooper shakes Daniel’s hand and maybe I’m imagining it, but I think his eyes narrow just a bit. “Cooper.”
“You’re Cooper Hamilton, right?” Deacon says, nodding like he recognizes Cooper. “Your brother, Archer, is a friend of mine.”
“And how’s that going for you?” Cooper smiles now, looking a bit sheepish. I don’t know if anyone else would even notice it, but there’s still a tension in him.
Deacon laughs. “Your brother is an acquired taste. But he’s a good friend. You should come to one of our monthly poker games now that you have some free time. Archer says that he always invites you.”
“Wait, why would Cooper go to your fancy rich-guy poker games? And why does his brother go to it?” Something isn’t adding up here. Cooper and Deacon do not run in the same crowds. Cooper is beaches, jeans and t-shirts, and an undying love of fried shrimp. Deacon is private jets, custom suits, and gourmet meals.
Cooper’s jaw tightens, and I know that I’m not imagining it this time. “It’s my brother’s card game. I never went before because I was usually overseas. And since, I’ve been here, I guess I didn’t really feel like playing poker too much.”
“But why is it your brother’s card game? Is he rich?” I still don’t get it. And I feel stupid asking these questions in front of all of my friends… like I don’t even know the guy I’m sleeping with. Again.
Glancing up at Cooper, I can see the strain on his face. And I know that he’s hiding something. Like Dr. Dick.
“My family… has money.”
“But not billionaire money, like Deacon?” My eyes jump from Cooper to Deacon and back again in confusion.
“More, actually,” Deacon says after a long pause.
“More?” I can’t even understand that kind of money. Not that I care about money. What I care about are lies. And lying liars. Lying by omission is still lying. Cooper hardly ever talks about his family, and I never wondered why until now. “Cooper?”
“My family has a lot of money. But it’s their money.”
“Why did you let me think something else?”
“I’m sorry. It’s just not something that I really talk about.” Cooper squeezes my hand, but I don’t do the same. I pull my hand from his and rest it in my lap.
My head is spinning. I can’t understand how much money Deacon has in the first place, so I definitely don’t understand what more money than Deacon has means. And I don’t know if I have a right to be pissed? He never actually lied to me. And do I have a right to care if his family has money or not? What does any of it matter when we don’t have a future? I don’t know how to feel, so I sit there with my hands in my lap not saying anything.
After a long, awkward pause, which I do nothing to solve, Cassie jumps in. “So, Cooper what brought you to Maui?”
“Uhhh-” I can feel Cooper’s eyes on me, but I don’t look back at him. “I’m a – I was a Navy SEAL. I was injured in active duty, and after a few pit-stops, I was sent to the Maui Veterans’ Hospital to recover. I’ve been on Maui for the last eight months or so.”
When no one says anything, Cassie asks a follow-up question. “Where were you stationed?”
“This probably doesn’t exactly make for riveting brunch conversation, so maybe we could talk about this another time? You’re the reporter, right? So, yeah, this has got to be off the record.” Cooper smiles apologetically.
Cassie nods slowly, and I can tell that she thinks there’s a story there. Sometimes I wonder if Cassie will ever love anything as much as she does a story.
“How long are you going to be on Maui?” Veronica smiles, up and down the table as she tries to fill in the awkward silence.
“I’m not too sure, actually. My parents want me to come back to New York, but I’ve been avoiding that.” He glances down at me. “We’re still working on the hospital planning committee for the new physio center that Deacon’s paying for. So, that should keep me here a while longer. But it’s definitely not the only thing.” I can feel Cooper’s eyes on me, but I don’t meet his.
“But you’ll go back to New York, eventually?” Cassie asks thoughtfully.
Cooper smiles sheepishly. “New York is complicated. I’m honestly not sure what I’m going to do. I wasn’t planning on ending my military career for a long time, so I have some things to figure out.”
“This is supposed to be brunch, not an interview, Cassie. And it’s not an interrogation, either!” I don’t know how I feel about Cooper at the moment, but I do feel sort of bad that he’s being interrogated by my friends.
Cooper smiles at me, but he has no right to. I’m still pissed at him. Or I think I am. I don’t know exactly how I feel, but I know it’s complicated.
There’s another long, awkward silence.
“Why doesn’t everyone just tell us all your deepest, darkest, secrets? Deacon, you can go first.” I apparently don’t give a crap that I’m currently eating his food and living in his house. Well, technically it’s Lara’s house. He did give it to her.
“What do you want to know?” D
eacon asks, smiling.
“Oh please, I’ve already told them you have a big dick. What else is there to talk about?” Lara announces with a smug smile.
Deacon gives her a smug smile right back. And Lara’s hand is suspiciously under the table at the moment.
“You ladies don’t seriously all talk about… our dicks, right?” Ty looks around uncomfortably.
“Don’t worry, honey. I told them how big your dick is, too,” Veronica reassures him with a bright smile.
“Well now I’m just feeling left out.” Cooper smiles at me. “Aren’t you going to tell everyone how big my dick is?”
“Miniscule. Microscopic. Sample size lipstick tube.” I guess I am mad at Cooper.
Cooper laughs. “That’s not what you said last night.”
“Maybe I was lying?”
“Were you?”
I shake my head slowly.
“So, which dick is it, Nit-Nat Bar? Deep space telescope or microscope? Inquiring minds need to know!” Lara chimes in.
“Cassie is supposed to be the reporter, not you, Lara.” Frowning up and down the table, I’m determined to put an end to this. I may not know exactly how mad I am about discovering that Cooper is somehow super-rich, but I do know exactly how I feel about this conversation. “The next person who says dick is getting a time out! Can’t we just have a civilized brunch like normal people for once? Can’t we talk about… I don’t know. Movies or books. Or the weather or something?”
There’s another long, awkward silence.
“No, thanks. Since when have we ever been normal? Why even try when it’s never going to happen? I’d much rather spend that time hearing about the size of Cooper’s dick,” Bridget announces cheerfully.
Veronica beams at the entire table. “Agreed. We’re never going to be anything but a pack of stone-cold weirdos.”
“Let’s hear it already,” Cassie says, nodding.
Glancing up at Cooper for the first time in ages, I find him staring back down at me. “You did this to yourself.”
