by Kendall Ryan
“You’re so big. But I love it.”
I placed one hand beneath her head, cradling her there, the other planted flat against the bed as I began moving my hips in slow, deliberate thrusts. She made me feel out of control and grounded all at once.
“Talk to me, beautiful,” I groaned out through a rush of breath. “How does it feel?”
“So good. So, so good,” she whispered, her breaths coming fast now.
“Is this how you like it?”
She nodded, and I felt the movement of her head bob where it was tucked against my throat. “You’re perfect.”
I knew exactly what she meant.
Everything about this moment was exquisitely, painfully perfect. Like it would never again be this shiny, this new, this amazing ever again.
But the sweet, blissful friction building between us refused to be ignored. As Corinne became more vocal, more eager—tilting her pelvis to meet mine, thrusting against me in time with my strokes—I began to move a little faster.
We’d never had intercourse, so as much as I wanted to think I knew her body by now, I didn’t want to take anything for granted. Now wasn’t the time to get cocky. This was about wringing as much pleasure from her body as I could.
“Dove,” I groaned, sliding back until we were still connected, but just barely.
She let out a frustrated sound at the loss of me. God, that sound was addicting.
“Just need to know if you’ll come like this, or if you need more,” I whispered.
“More, please,” she said on a sigh.
I could have chuckled. She’d transformed so much from the shy girl I’d embarrassed in my office. Now she was a confident, mature woman, willing to vocalize what she needed in bed. It had been a beautiful transformation.
“Yes, ma’am.”
I groaned, sliding back inside her. Angling my hips with each thrust to press against her inner walls, I slid my fingers between us, rubbing her clit in gentle circles. She made a wordless sound of pleasure, and a smile blossomed on my lips.
“You are so sexy.” Leaning down to kiss her lips, I whispered all the beautiful things she meant to me while she writhed beneath me.
My thrusts strengthened, my hips pinning her to the mattress as my own climax grew near. After a few minutes more, I knew I couldn’t hold off much longer. She felt so incredibly good—so fucking tight—and she was so responsive, my orgasm was like a freight train bearing down on me.
“Come for me, dove,” I whispered.
Corinne was so close, and my words seemed to shove her over the edge. “Yes, Cooper. Yes, yes.” She moaned, nipping and sucking against my throat as she trembled beneath me.
The moment her pussy tightened around me, my own climax ripped through me. My cock bucked almost violently inside her as the most powerful orgasm I’d ever had shattered through me.
“Fuck.” Rolling to my side, I mourned the loss of her body. I wasn’t generally a cuddler—at least, I hadn’t been in a long time—but tugging her against my chest was a powerful instinct. I needed her close, needed her safe. I needed her to understand that I would protect her, that I would look out for her needs. Emotional, physical, all of them.
Still out of breath, I gasped out, “That was . . .”
“Everything,” she finished for me.
Chapter Seventeen
Corinne
“You sure you don’t want to come along?” Alyssa asked, rising to her feet and grabbing her purse. “I swear if I don’t get out of this place for at least an hour every day, my head will literally explode. Nobody wants that.”
I smiled at her and shook my head. “No, I swear. I’m fine. I have some stuff I need to handle.”
“Stuff like slipping into Cooper’s office and—”
“Stuff stuff,” I cut in, my cheeks heating. “Like none-of-your-business stuff.”
Alyssa sniffed and lifted her chin. “Fine, then.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re not insulted. You are like the hardest person in the universe to insult. You’re like titanium.”
She placed a hand on her hip and quirked her mouth to the side. “I’m not insulted. It’s just not like you to get all sassy with me. I’m nosy, so I was hoping that if I played all wounded, you’d feel bad and offer me some crumb of juicy gossip. But, apparently, you’ve toughened up. Can’t blame a girl for trying.” She yanked her trendy purse onto her shoulder and grinned at me. “Want me to bring you anything back?”
“A warm chocolate-chip cookie if the cart is there today.” I fumbled for my purse to get her some money, but she shrugged me off.
“I’ve got it this time. You owe me a cookie run in the future.”
“Deal.”
She scuttled away and disappeared behind the elevator doors with a ding before I settled back into my emails.
I would have loved to say that all of these were strictly professional, that I was so devoted to my job that I couldn’t leave for my lunch break that day. But the truth was that I was majorly behind on a project I’d been working on for months, and as of Monday, everything had been falling apart.
A charity festival for the orphanage in the heart of the city was scheduled for tomorrow, and though I’d spent weeks meticulously organizing the pie contest, dunking booth, and story hour, it seemed like everything was unraveling faster than a poorly knit sweater in a washing machine.
The storyteller’s baby was sick, the dunk tank was double-booked, and the pie-contest judges had suddenly decided to go on gluten-free diets. And that wasn’t even to mention the politics of trying to figure out which volunteer wouldn’t work with another volunteer because she may or may not have slept with the first volunteer’s husband. The politics of this was unlike anything I’d ever seen before.
In short, it was a nightmare, but with only twenty-four hours to fix it, I was determined to make my lunch hour count. So I started with the story-time lady, a woman from a neighboring suburb who was apparently the Meryl Streep of book narration. I dialed her, waited as the phone rang twice, then took a deep breath as someone picked up on the other end. In the background, a baby was screaming while a man’s voice seemed to be shouting back.
“Hello?” a tired-sounding woman murmured.
“Janine? Hi, this is Corinne from the Hearts for Saint Joseph’s Carnival—”
“Oh, hi,” Janine said in a rush. “Look, I know why you’re calling, but I really can’t come. I haven’t slept in three days, and any idiot can read an Amelia Bedelia book. I’m sorry, but you have to find someone else.”
“I understand, but if you could just consider the children. They—”
The line went dead, letting me know that Janine was definitely out, and I sighed before setting down the receiver.
“Everything okay?” a familiar deep voice asked, and I looked up to find Cooper a few paces from my desk, his brows knit in concern.
I shook my head. “Yes. I mean, no. Like, yes. Nobody is dying . . .”
“But everything isn’t okay?”
I rested my face in my hands and then peeked up at him through my fingers. “Everything with the company is fine. All the dates are set up, and no cancellations so far today.”
“I wasn’t asking about the company. I was asking about you. What’s going on?”
I swallowed and forced myself to meet his gaze. “It’s sort of a lot to explain. See, ever since I . . . graduated out of the system, I’ve volunteered for the orphanage to try and make sure the kids have toys and books and anything else they might need so that they can be kids, you know?”
“Noble of you.” Cooper nodded, his warm gaze already calming me some.
“But that’s not really the point. The point is that I’ve spent the better part of this year planning the big fall carnival for the orphanage, and everything is falling apart.”
“What’s everything?” he asked.
“Well, we’re having a pie contest and the judges backed out.”
> “So, select a lucky ten people to taste and have them vote by ballot.” He shrugged.
I blinked. “Right. Of course. That’s an easy answer. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.”
“Because you’re too worked up.”
“Maybe.” I sighed. “But it’s more than that. The dunk tank got double-booked, and the story-time lady canceled too.”
“I know a dunk-tank guy. And, as a matter of fact, I can tell one hell of a story.”
I blinked. “How on earth do you know a dunk-tank guy?”
“I also know a glassblower, a hit man, a sword swallower, and a guy who makes tables out of recycled cans. You’d be amazed at the kind of connections you can make in this job.”
I smiled at him, relief rushing through me along with another warmer feeling I refused to name. “I just need the dunk-tank guy, but I’ll take the hit man’s name in case anyone else dares to cancel on me,” I joked, blinking back relieved tears.
“Sure thing. I’ll give him a call, but I doubt it’s going to be a problem. In fact, our company will donate the dunk tank.”
I shook my head, quickly doing the math and realizing I could use those extra funds as a head start on the Christmas jubilee. “Wow, Cooper. I don’t know how to thank you. You . . .”
“Saved the day? Yeah, I know.” He cracked his knuckles. “Now, what book am I reading?”
I shook my head again, a little more forcefully this time. “No, you don’t have to do that. I can find someone or do it myself or—”
“You’re going to be busy running this whole thing. Let me help you. I insist. Should I pick the book myself, or . . .”
I raised my eyebrows. “The kids voted on Delilah and the Dragon Slayer. I have a copy of it.”
“I can do that.” He grinned. “What time do you want me to pick you up? I’m guessing you’ll need help setting up too?”
“Uh, the carnival starts at noon.”
“So I’m guessing we need to get to the park or wherever by eight?”
I stared up at him blankly, though I knew better than to argue. “Yeah, eight works.”
• • •
Standing in the church parking lot while Cooper directed the pie contestants and dunk-tank operators, I blinked back a wave of emotion.
When would I learn? When would I get it through my thick skull that Cooper Kingsley was the kind of man who was desperate to fix any problems that sprang up around him?
From the second he showed up at my apartment this morning, he made a list of things we had to do, and immediately rolled up his sleeves when we got here.
I’d barely had to lift a finger all morning, and now that guests were finally starting to filter in, I could see the joy on his face as he greeted families and kids.
If I was smart, I might have sent him home right there and then. Thanked him for his time and sent him packing. After all, our agreement was for strings-free sex, not afternoons of charity work and laughter. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to turn him away. Couldn’t bear to see him leave. But every second longer I spent at his side, I was falling harder. Deeper.
And pretty soon, I’d be in big, big trouble.
Careful to make sure he didn’t notice, I watched him as he made his way toward me, that damned white smile of his still stretched across his handsome face.
“So, what’s the verdict, boss? We free to enjoy ourselves now?” he asked when he was finally in earshot of me.
I looked up, pretending it was the first time I’d noticed him, and offered my own smile in return.
“You did a fine job today,” I said. “The kids are going to have a great time.”
“I think they will, yeah.” Cooper nodded. “But what about you? Are you going to take some time to enjoy yourself?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. You know the old saying . . . a carnival commissioner’s job is never done.”
“Says who? Come on, you’re not even going to check out story time? We’re starting in a little while. I know you’re a big Delilah and the Dragon Slayer fan,” he teased.
“Who told you my secret?” I laughed.
“Come on. Stay through story time and I might even get you a hot dog afterward.”
I frowned, but damn it, I didn’t want to say no. I nodded as he led me into the little semicircle filled with carpet samples and one folding chair for the storyteller.
A few kids and their parents were already hovering around, chatting with each other while the space filled up. But in a matter of fifteen minutes, there was little room to stand, let alone sit.
Cooper took his place, smiling at everyone who’d gathered there, and when it was finally time to start, he clapped his hands together and brought everyone’s attention to him.
“Hey, everyone! We’re going to start today with a little game. Now, when I say one, I want you to say two, okay? Ready? One!”
The kids yelled back, “Two!”
Cooper said, “Nice job. Thanks, guys.”
I’d wondered what he was doing, but I smiled when I realized he just needed the rowdy crowd to quiet down. His little trick had managed it so quickly, so easily, just like he did everything.
Cooper took a seat in the chair, continuing. “We’re going to read a really awesome book today, but I’m going to need a friend to help me get this right. I’m not sure she’s ready, so you’ll need to cheer her on with me, okay?”
I blushed, sensing the coming storm, but there was nothing I could do. In a matter of seconds, Cooper had started the crowd in chanting my name, and I walked toward his throne, my whole body radiating heat.
“What are you doing?” I asked from the corner of my mouth, but he only beamed up at me.
“Now, Corinne is shy, but we have to help her be brave like Delilah. Would you guys like if Corinne played Delilah today?”
From behind the chair, he pulled out a pink cone-shaped hat entirely covered in glitter with a long pink scarf dangling from the top. He stood, fixing it to my head before placing a plastic golden crown on his own head.
“I came prepared,” he said with a wink.
“Now, Corinne—or should I say, Princess Delilah—and I are going to act out the book for you guys. Would you like that?” he asked, and the kids all cheered.
Without another word, Cooper reached for the book and launched into the story, sharing the pages with me so I could read the dialogue and act out my part in the dragon-slaying tale.
It was silly, I knew, but part of me felt more alive in that moment than I had in a long time. I gripped Cooper’s chest as the dragon came closer to us, and then saved him when it lurched, slaying the mighty beast with a dollar-store foam sword that had become magical to both me and the kids watching.
They held their breath as Cooper got to his feet, clutching the place where the dragon had wounded him.
“Princess,” he choked out. “I’m dying.”
The front row gasped.
“No,” I cried, pressing the back of my hand to my forehead. “You can’t leave me! You can’t!”
“There is only one solution. True love’s kiss.” He let out a pathetic cough.
I pulled his face to mine, kissing him swiftly before losing myself and deepening the kiss slightly—at least, until I heard the chorus of aws and ews from the children all around us.
When I pulled away, Cooper sprang to his feet, his life restored. “Princess Delilah, you saved the day. How ever can I repay you?”
“Live with me,” I said. “Happily ever after.”
Cooper took my hand, and we bowed for the kids while I tried to hide my grin at the enraptured look on one little girl’s face.
When the kids and parents alike burst into applause, we bowed again, though this time I had eyes for Cooper and Cooper alone. Leave it to him to make this the best story time we’d ever had.
But my euphoria only lasted as long as the applause, because it hit me all at once. I wasn’t falling
in love with Cooper.
I was already flat on the ground, breathless and blinking up at the dark future looming in front of me, wondering how I’d gotten here and what the hell I was going to do now.
Chapter Eighteen
Cooper
“You didn’t have to do all this, you know,” Corinne murmured as the white-coated waiter stepped away after pushing in her chair. “When you said you wanted to feed me because I stayed at work late, I thought you meant . . . you know, pizza or something. This is a little much for an hour of overtime.”
As she eyed me speculatively, I kept my poker face firmly in place.
“I was craving an amazing steak,” I said with a shrug as I turned my attention to the wine list. But that was just a cover. After the progress we’d made over the weekend at the charity event, I wasn’t about to send myself sliding back down the slippery slope of rejection by pushing too hard.
That said? The idea of a night without her sucked the big one. For a guy who had been sure he’d been in love before, what I felt for Corinne was so much more . . . so all-consuming, I had to wonder now. After a little time away, I’d managed to get a grip on hanging out with my brother Gavin and Emma pretty easily.
But as I read casually through the wine list, my knuckles turned white at the thought of seeing Corinne with another guy.
Never going to happen. If she decided she didn’t want me anymore, I’d have to open another branch of the company. Only this time, it would be in Italy. Or maybe Australia. I’d need the distance, because this woman had my heart like no other ever had before.
“I was going to have something light, but now that I see the butter-poached lobster with pea puree, I’m tempted,” she murmured, letting out a little groan of pleasure at the thought.
That made my blood race south again as I recalled her making that same sound before, but with much less clothing on.
“Lobster it is,” I announced, setting down the menu. “And I think I feel like something bubbly. I’ll have the waiter select a champagne for us to go with our appetizers.”
As if I’d summoned him with my words, our waiter strolled up, looking sharp in a crisp black jacket, his shoes shined to a high polish. After I ordered, he offered us a warm smile. “Are we celebrating something special, sir?”
