by Kat Baxter
Cooper and I had always been affectionate friends, but lately every little hug or hand squeeze or kiss on the cheek felt like more. And though we hadn’t discussed it since that first morning, waking up with his rock hard dick pressed into my ass was making me want things I had no right to want.
Cooper hadn’t come to his bed the night before. After he’d licked my hand and hugged me tightly, we’d eaten and chatted about work for a while. Then I’d gone to bed and he’d taken a shower. I wasn’t sure what to make of his absence. I should’ve been relieved. Waking up cuddled against him was toying with my mind, making me want this to be real between us. But I wouldn’t mess up the one good relationship in my life just because I was a little turned on.
I glanced over at him sitting in the driver’s seat. Dark aviator sunglasses perched on his perfectly crooked nose. Dark stubble lined his ridiculously square jaw.
“It’s hard to believe I’m this hot, isn’t it?” he asked with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes, but I was thankful for his jest. Nothing had truly changed between us. We were still Cooper and Ally, best friends. The public displays of affection were confusing my hormone wrecked body. Today at the picnic would be more of the same, and I tried to mentally prepare myself.
“I am not answering that,” I told him. “And you are ridiculous.”
“I can neither confirm nor deny.”
We were quiet for a few minutes while he drove the rest of the way to the picnic site. I blew out a breath.
“I know, I know, but we don’t have to stay long. Promise,” Cooper said as he pulled his Tesla into the parking lot at the pavilion where the company picnic was set. Already I could see kids running around and a playground off in the distance.
“I’m fine.” I gave him a smile. “I was just thinking about a new recipe.” Since when did I lie to him? Why did everything have to feel so damn weird and different? I knew how to be Coop’s best friend. I didn’t know how to be attracted to him and how to endure his pretend kisses and embraces. All of it set me on edge.
Cooper turned to me, put his hand on my arm. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.”
“We have to play the lovestruck newlyweds today. You gonna be okay with that?”
I swallowed. “Of course. I don’t want you to get into trouble, Coop, you know that.” I exhaled slowly. I wanted to regret our hasty marriage. It was wrong for us to work the system like this, wasn’t it? “Maybe we should just get an annulment and forget this stupid plan. The insurance stuff already isn’t working how we thought.” He was sacrificing so much for me and my stupid plan.
“No. This isn’t stupid, Ally. We only have three months to wait for the insurance and I bet with my sperm you’ll get pregnant right away.
“You’re a dork.”
“And I get to put my hands all over your sexy body today, so I’m not complaining.” He waggled his eyebrows at me.
My stupid heart stuttered at his words. But I knew the truth. I wasn’t Cooper’s type. He’d always preferred taller, lithe women with model-pretty faces and board-straight blonde hair. Meanwhile, I wore denim overalls on a regular basis, rarely wore anything but Chucks on my feet, and my hair was almost always in braids. Because, as they often described in historical romance novels, my curls were unruly. I was on the curvy side, never managing to lose that ‘freshman fifteen’ or ‘freshman twenty’ as it was in my case.
I was okay with my body, but I also wasn’t blind to the truth of the situation. Anyone who’d ever seen the women Cooper used to date would know I wasn’t his type.
He linked our fingers together as he helped me out of his car, then we walked over to one of the picnic tables. Jackson stood off to one corner of the pavilion, arguing with his assistant, Kaitlyn. Brooks stood near three huge coolers where he ‘shopped’ for a beverage. A couple of others lingered around, but only a few I recognized.
“What’s up with them?” I asked Coop nodding towards Jackson.
“He totally wants her.”
“She wants him too.”
“You think?”
“Definitely.”
An older man approached us.
“Whoa, there is he, the newlywed. I’ve got to meet the girl who single-handedly took down Cooper Janns,” the man said. He wasn’t someone I knew.
Cooper chuckled beside me. “Hey, Lynn, this is my wife.” Then he laughed again. “Still getting used to saying that. But this is my Ally.” He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. “Sweetheart, this is Lynn Schertz, we’re partnering with his company on our new development project.”
Sweetheart?
I wasn’t a very good actress or liar, and I hoped no one would notice my awkwardness. I held up the box in my other hand. “I brought cookies.” Damn, that wasn’t a response, but I was so distracted by Coop’s big, warm hand resting so possessively on my waist, his fingers curled over my hip. “It’s nice to meet you,” I added.
“Ally owns Buns in the Oven downtown. She makes the best cookies you’ve ever had,” Cooper said. He turned his head and pressed his lips to my forehead.
A simple kiss to my head, and an arm around me, and I was ready to tear off his clothes. What was the matter with me? He smelled like all of the good pheromones in the world, plus something delicious, like yummy man dipped in hot fudge. Damn ovaries. I was so ripe, it was a wonder I wasn’t trying to hump his leg. This was embarrassing, though I was fairly certain no one could tell by just looking at me that I was ovulating and feeling like a cat in heat. It was going to be a long afternoon of enduring Coop’s affection without spontaneously combusting.
We took a seat and Cooper leaned close to my ear. “You want something to drink or anything?”
“Yeah, I’d take something. Where should I put the cookies?”
“I’ll take care of it. You hang tight here.” Then he tilted my chin with one finger and kissed me. It wasn’t an inappropriate kiss to share in front of people, but it was a full caress of his lips and it woke up every one of my nerve endings. Desire pumped through my veins like an electrical current.
Lynn sat across from me and smiled broadly. “I never thought I’d see it happen.”
“I’m sorry?” I asked.
“Cooper gettin’ hitched. I thought he was a confirmed bachelor for sure,” the man said.
Cooper chose that moment to return. He set down two plates piled high with BBQ while two Shiner long necks hung from his fingers.
“The truth is, Lynn, I’ve been waiting on Ally. She’s been my girl forever. She just didn’t know it.” He winked at me, then set the beer in front of my plate.
I stared at him, which probably didn’t help. But, damn, warn a girl before you lay it on so thick. I picked up my fork and speared a piece of brisket, the meat so tender it practically fell off the tines. Once I had food in my mouth, I could meet the gaze of the older man across from us.
His smile was genuine and he nodded slowly. “I get it, I do. I can see it too. All over your face.” He held his own beer out for Cooper to clink bottles with him. “I’m happy for you two.”
“Thanks, Lynn.” Cooper glanced around the space. “Where is your better half?”
Lynn chuckled and the man’s eyes softened. “She’s around here somewhere. Probably alphabetizing the beer. I swear that woman can find something to organize no matter where we go. Speaking of which, I should probably go find her and make sure she eats something.” He smiled at me. “Congrats. Cooper’s a good guy.”
“The very best,” I agreed. And that was one hundred percent the truth.
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Another voice came from behind us. “I came to see if the rumors were true,” a woman said, walking around the table taking a seat across from us. She was older, likely in her fifties, and wore a faded baseball cap with the Houston Oiler’s emblem on it. Damn, that was one old hat. There was enough make-up on the woman’s face for at least three other people, the too-dark foundation settled into the woman
’s wrinkles.
Becca followed and sat next to the woman. I hadn’t been sure when she’d come to help me move in that day if she’d dressed that way just for that day or what. But as it turned out, Becca embodied everything that annoyed me about my great state of Texas. Her big bottle-blonde hair was piled up in a “messy bun” only it likely took more effort than mine when I bothered to fix my hair in anything other than a braid or two. Her double-Ds were encased in a tight red shirt revealing plenty of cleavage. And she wore enough make-up that I’d bet money she sold Mary Kay in her spare time.
“What rumor?” I asked.
“That Cooper Janns found himself a little wife,” the older woman said.
Cooper wiped his fingers on a napkin leaving behind stained smears of barbecue sauce. “Gladys, you know it’s true. You signed off on all the paperwork to add Ally to my insurance.” His tone was flat and unamused.
“Well, sure, but I wanted to make sure you didn’t make her up. The girl who managed to get you to walk down the aisle must be as special as a unicorn. And look at you...” Gladys’s words hung in the air as if there was more she was going to say.
I felt my brows rise and warmth heated my cheeks. “Yep, look at me. It’s nice to meet you, Gladys. Nice to see you again, Becca.”
“I told you she was adorable,” Becca said, but there was no warmth in her words or expression. The woman didn’t like me and I found myself not caring one bit.
Gladys reached forward and grabbed my left hand, but instead of shaking it, she turned it to inspect my fingers. She eyed my wedding ring and scoffed. “There’s hardly any bling. Where’s her big diamond, Cooper?”
“That’s not really my style,” I said. “Plus I’m a baker so my hands are in flour and dough and icing all day. A ring like that would be impractical for me. But this one is perfect.” With that I leaned over and kissed Cooper’s cheek.
He wrapped his arm around me and snuggled me closer. “I picked it for that very reason, but also because the sapphires reminded me of Ally’s eyes.” He’d always been affectionate with me, hugs and cheek kisses and whatnot. But with girls he’d dated, he’d never even held their hands in public, at least never in front of me.
Gladys smiled, but her eyes remained cold. “Well, aren’t y’all just precious.”
“That we are,” Cooper said. He leaned over and nuzzled into my neck and goosebumps scattered all over my body. My nipples hardened and I was so damn thankful I’d worn a bra with some light padding so no one else could see the evidence of my arousal.
“I’m off to get food,” Becca said. “Gladys, you coming?”
The older woman nodded, then they both walked away.
“I think she might have a slight crush on you,” I said.
“Who, Becca?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
Cooper nodded. “She’s made it very clear, on more than one occasion, that she would welcome my attention.”
“But you’ve never?”
“With her? No. Never.” He shuddered. “There’s not a discreet bone in that woman’s body. If I slept with her, everyone in the office would know. First of all, her mother.”
“Her mother?”
“Gladys. She’s Becca’s mom.”
Yeah, that made sense. “Why does she call her Gladys?”
“I’m assuming that’s just at work related things, but I don’t know.”
His hand absently moved across my thigh and I shivered in response.
I was going to have to tell him he was turning me on. Once he knew he’d back off a little because he didn’t want to mess things up between us either.
“So listen,” I leaned in close to his ear. “Even though all of my fertility treatments were cancelled, I think my body is still riding the waves of all the meds and stuff. My system is like hormone central right now and every little touch you’re giving me is sending the wrong message to my very confused body.”
He frowned. “Can you explain that in man speak?”
I pressed my mouth as close to his ear as I could and still speak. “You’re making me horny, Coop.” I leaned back and watched his face.
His brown eyes darkened, his pupils growing as he looked at me. “You think it’s residual from the medicine? From the other cycles?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I think so. I had similar reactions while on the meds. It’s just usually I’m alone and can handle things myself.”
He swallowed visibly, his Adam’s apple bobbed slowly. “How do you do that? I know you don’t go out looking for a one-night stand.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I rely on my little purple friend.” VIBRATOR. I mouthed the word.
He nodded slowly. “Gotcha. So what do we do?”
I laughed. “There’s nothing we have to do. I’m not combustible.” At least I hoped not. I’d never spontaneously orgasmed before. I squeezed his thigh ignoring how damn toned and firm his muscles were. “Trust me I can control myself. I’m not going to jump you or anything. I just wanted to let you know in case you notice certain things in how my body is reacting to your touch. That’s all.”
Chapter 13
You’re making me horny, Coop.
Shit. I didn’t think I’d ever been this fucking hard. And all from that simple statement. Coming from my best friend, no less. Maybe I should just tell her about us making out that night. But then I’d have to admit I took advantage of the situation. She’d been hurting and she’d been drunk and I should have been strong enough to pull her off of me and put her to bed like a gentleman.
Now we were married and while we’d always been physically affectionate with each other, lately we’d had to take it to a whole new level. Not having to completely hide my feelings for Ally was freeing. Being able to sorta touch her the way I craved was simultaneously so sweet and so tortuous. I was so used to hiding my feelings and desire for her that this new element to our relationship might prove dangerous.
And now she’d gone and told me I was arousing her...
Pretending to be a real couple was obviously blurring the lines. Yet, there was something that told me that’s not all this was. Maybe she was finally feeling it between us, that spark that I’d always felt. Maybe this was what we needed to cross that line. I could show her how it could be between us.
Thinking about all of this while sitting close enough to smell her hair and feel her warm body wasn’t helping in making my hard-on go away. She was worried about me noticing responses in her body, but right now if I stood then everyone from my office would have no trouble determining that I was circumcised. My khaki shorts were strangling my dick.
“How much longer do we have to stay?” Ally whispered.
If it were up to me, we’d leave now. My dick was very much interested in sinking into some warm, wet part of her. Evidently, that part of my anatomy didn’t recognize this was Ally and we didn’t do those things with her.
But she was horny. And she had a vibrator. I was helpless to the myriad of images of her with her toy as they sparked through my mind. So not helping the situation.
“Give me a minute, my foot’s asleep.” I stomped my foot on the concrete beneath the table.
She rolled her eyes.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re a dork.” She was quiet for a moment, glancing around the open pavilion. She leaned closer. “Let’s talk some more about what’s going on with Jackson and his assistant?”
I took advantage of her nearness and ran my hand up and down her soft arm. How was it possible that her skin was this soft? “He claims she gives him too much attitude and he’s always saying he’s going to fire her for her smart mouth.”
“But he obviously doesn’t.”
“No, because she keeps him more organized than any of our other assistants. We should make her a partner because she’s fucking brilliant.”
“They’re totally gonna hook up,” she said. “The sexual tension is so strong you can feel it over here.”
Much like our
own tension. Another thought that was not helping my current problem. So I did what I could to think of every boner killing thing I could imagine. That creepy ass old lady from The Shining, roadkill, Gladys naked...
Ten minutes later we were piled into my Tesla. She turned on the radio and we rode silently for a few miles. While I drove, I mentally ran through the facts of our current situation.
We had explosive chemistry. Though, only I remembered that. We’d gotten married so Ally could have a baby. But we had to wait three months on the insurance. There were other, more pleasant, ways to make a baby. My dick pressed against my zipper at the thought. I could suggest it and she could turn me down and then we could have a big laugh about it. Or she could agree and I could have her naked and underneath me in less than half an hour.
I reached over and shut off the music. Her body turned towards me in question, but she didn’t say anything.
I looked over at her and smiled.
She smiled back.
I was going to fucking go for it. Rip off the proverbial Band-Aid. The worst she could do was laugh and tell me to fuck off.
“I’ve got a proposal for you, but I want you to hear me out before you say anything.”
“Okay,” she said, elongating the word.
“In fact, don’t say anything at all until we’re home. Just think about it and we’ll talk about it again later.”
She twirled one of her braids around her finger.
Those fucking braids. How many times had I fantasized about them? About wrapping one around my hand while I fucked her from behind..
“Cooper, you’re kinda freaking me out.”
I nodded. It was good we were in my car for this because then I couldn’t see her when she realized I was insane.
“I think we should have sex,” I said, not bothering to sugarcoat my words. It wasn’t like sleeping together would make me love her any more than I already did.
She choked. On what, I wasn’t sure because she wasn’t drinking anything. Maybe just her own spit.
Awesome.
I wanted her to say something. Anything. But I’d already told her not to so I just had to forge on.
