My mother is behind this? I fight for the right reason and now I’m being punished for it? Who the hell did I piss off up there? Well, I’m not going to stand for it; I’ve never been one to listen to rules.
“Do you agree?”
She snorts and squeezes me a little harder. “No. You’re my white knight. If it wasn’t for you I don’t know what he would have done. You’re my hero. I’m not letting you go.”
If that doesn't make my heart swell, what will? What is this girl doing to me?
“So, you’ll still be mine?”
“Yours,” she whispers into my chest.
May 20th, 2006
Cooper
M y Violet is tangled in my arms, naked, with her head on my chest. The sounds of her steady breathing and little breathy moans as she sleeps harmonize in my ears. I bury my nose in her hair and inhale the sweet scent of vanilla and coconut, a smell I’ve missed so much. Her skin is as soft as it is warm, like all those years ago, and it’s hard to believe I finally got her back. I didn’t think it was ever going to happen. When I saw her at the bar last night, I thought I was seeing things. I had to kiss her, to make sure she wasn’t some figment of my imagination.
Once our lips touched, my heart—that had stopped beating after she left— started pumping again. She was my everything, and without her, I had only been going through the motions. I was only ever truly alive because of her.
I remember those letters Amber had sent me of Violet and her ‘boyfriend’. I didn’t want to believe it. I wanted to hear from her we were over. Before graduation, I’d made the trip to Arizona. Her mom answered the door telling me to go away, but I waited in my car for her to come home. When I saw her with that guy, laughing, and he had his grimy hands all over her, I had to walk away. It fucking hurt to let her go and I cried like a fucking wimp over my steering wheel, when instead I should’ve fought for her. After my visit, Amber ended up calling my mom and dad demanding, yet again, I leave her daughter alone; she’d moved on and was doing better because I wasn’t around.
It was the final nail in the coffin, and I left shortly after for L.A.
Amber Spencer had hated me since day one. Honestly, I didn’t like her either and I sure as hell didn’t care what she thought about me. In my eyes, she treated Violet like shit and couldn’t care less about what made her happy. The two were always fighting—mostly about me—but even I could tell Vi didn’t have much love lost for her mother.
Hell, I didn’t even care what my own parents thought of us together. The only person’s opinion that mattered to me was Violet’s.
I knew part of Amber’s dislike for me was because I was known to fight all the time. But what most people didn’t know was what started my reputation as a ‘bad boy’; I had to protect Brody from bullies. He'd suffered from leukemia when he was younger and was always getting picked on because it had made him an easy target. He couldn’t defend himself, so I did it for him. Some people learned quickly not to mess with us Reid’s, others didn’t. Later on, it became a game for douchebags to want to piss me off just so I would fight them. I guess getting a black eye from me back then was like a badge of honor, and I was willing to give it to them. But once I started dating Violet, the fights stopped, and people left me alone when I was with her.
Or maybe it was because I had been the one to take care of Thomas finally.
Whatever the reason, Violet was the one to bring me calm and light a spark in me. She was the only one besides Brody who believed in my music career. They pushed and inspired me to keep going no matter what my parents thought. That it was my life and I should make my own choices.
My dream was always to be a singer. When I was thirteen my uncle gave me a guitar, and I taught myself how to play. Freshman year, my music teacher was impressed with my voice and being able to write my own music. She would take time with me after school to teach me new things to help me excel. It was she who told me to start a band, and I should make sure people see my talent. Now everything I had hoped for came true.
I’m famous, and I have the girl I’ve always loved back in my arms.
I knew I had to act fast last night, I always did when it came to her. I couldn’t risk losing the best part of me again. Sure, I’ve had my share of one-night stands, but they meant nothing. I kept hoping it would fill this void inside of me.
It never worked.
Despite both of us being drunk, I had no doubt asking her to marry me was the right thing to do, and I wasn’t surprised in the least when she said yes.
She did promise me all those years ago she would.
Who would have thought both of our improvised visits to Vegas would be what connected us again. I’m glad I listened to Brody about needing the escape to loosen up a bit.
Violet stirs in my arms as my phone rings beside me. There’s only one person it could be this early in the morning and I’m not ready to deal with that. I ignore it because right now, the only thing that matters is my wife.
Her left hand is splayed out on my chest, the diamond sitting proudly on her ring finger, telling the world she belongs to me.
Mrs. Violet Reid.
My Ace, my number one girl, finally shares my name.
Nothing can tear us apart now. Not even meddling mothers.
My hand traces down her naked arm, causing little goosebumps to appear on her heated skin. Her eyes peel open giving me a sleepy crooked smile.
“Good morning, baby.” I lay a kiss on her lips, which are still swollen from last night’s activities. Visions of her plump lips wrapped around my dick quickly come to the forefront of my mind.
“Morning…shouldn’t you answer that?” She points to my phone which is still ringing obnoxiously on the nightstand.
“No, it’s probably just my PR agent.” I wave off and she stares at me confused.
“Why would they be calling this early?”
“Oh, maybe because there’s a bunch of questions that need to be answered. Starting with them asking about who you are.” Taking her hand, I press my lips to her wedding bands, and her eyes grow wide at the sight of her new jewelry.
She jolts up, retracting her hand from my hold to stare at her ring then back at me, a nervous giggle leaving her throat. “I thought—I thought it was all a dream. Holy cow. We’re married.”
“It was no dream, baby. You are now my wife, Mrs. Reid.”
“And you’re my husband, Mr. Reid.”
Vi moves to straddle my lap and runs her nails through my scalp before kissing me. When she pulls back she gives me a witty grin. “Do you hear that?”
I shake my head and try to listen for what she’s hearing. The room is dead silent. “No?”
“It’s the sound of teenybopper hearts breaking everywhere because you’re all mine forever.”
I grab a handful of her ass and latch my mouth around her pert nipple. She moans trying to move her hips against my aching morning wood.
“I want you,” she whispers and I release her breast with a pop.
“You want more already do you? I expected you to be sore. I mean, we did fuck over almost every inch of this room for hours and hours and hours.” I wiggle my eyebrows at her. Her teeth sink into her lip and I watch as she surveys the destroyed room. There’s clothes, blankets, and a bunch of papers thrown everywhere. A framed picture has fallen from the wall and even the desk is upside down. The two of us were always wild and all over the place when we fucked, but the mess we made last night is pretty epic.
Her eyes meet mine again and I feel her arousal coat my dick. I wonder if she’s remembering all the things we did last night.
“I am pretty sore, but it’s never stopped me before.” She shrugs and crashes her lips to mine.
I tighten my grip on her ass, my dick rubbing at her entrance waiting to enter his home in her tight heat. “God, I love you.” I hiss out between our violent tongue war. “I can’t wait to get you back in my own bed…”
Her body freezes and she pushes herself away fro
m me.
What the hell?
Her eyes fall to our laps and she closes her eyes as if she’s pained. “What’s wrong?”
She takes a deep breath and looks back up at me with worried blue eyes. “How will this work? We live in two different states. We both have totally different lives.”
“You’ll come live with me,” I say simply, figuring it’s a no-brainer. Plus, there’s no way in hell I would live in a ten-mile radius of her mother.
“But Cooper, I have a life in Arizona…”
Her comment throws me for a fucking loop.
Does she really think we are going to live apart now that we’re married? Fuck That.
Even if we didn't get married, I never want to be apart from her again. Now that I've found her, I'm never letting her go.
“That’s not what you were telling me last night. You said you just broke up with some asswipe and you haven’t found a job yet. So what’s holding you back, Violet?” I do my best to keep the anger out of my voice, but fail.
I refuse to be separated from her again. This woman is my obsession. My muse. My everything. I’m dragging this girl wherever I go now, whether she likes it or not. I’ll handcuff her to me if I have to.
“Friends?” she says meekly.
I understand her not wanting to be far from her friends, but it’s me.
“Don’t you want to be with me?” I brush my hand up and down her shoulder, and put on my best pout, making my whole bottom lip pucker. A pout which used to always work like a charm back in high school. Not only did it get what I wanted but it also always worked for getting into her pants.
The Cooper Charm, she used to call it.
“Of course, I do. I just wasn’t expecting us to get married after seeing each other for the first time in so many years.” She laughs nervously. “Everything changed in an instant. I haven't had a chance to think anything over.”
“Do you regret it?” I ask her, needing to know if I messed everything up for us.
“Only that we didn’t do this sooner.” She smiles and bats her eyes seductively.
Thank God.
I lunge for her, pushing her down to the mattress, needing to show her all over again how much she means to me.
We fall back on the bed in a sweaty heap. I push her matted, strawberry hair away from her glowing face. She’s still panting slightly as her hand snakes up my chest to my face.
“How much time will you need to move out to L.A. with me?” The quicker she moves into my house the better.
She shrugs. “I don’t have a whole lot. I’m sure you could help me set up a moving company for my furniture. The rest is just clothes and knickknacks.”
“We can make a pit stop there first if you want.”
“You’re not wasting any time, are you? No chances to say goodbye to my friends?” She smirks, and although I know she’s being sarcastic, I can see the worry behind her baby blues.
“I don’t have to be anywhere for a while. I’ll stay with you ‘till you’re ready to go if you want,” I offer and I see some of the tension she was holding in roll off her shoulders.
“I would like that.”
My hand runs down her face. “I know this is a big change for you and no matter how much I want and need you with me, I want you to be happy…”
Her fingers push against my lips to silence me. “My home has always been with you, Cooper. It is a huge change, but it’s what I want. The only thing I worry about is breaking the news to Julie and Alexa. We've been through everything together and I feel bad about leaving them behind with my part of the rent.”
“I’ll handle that, don't worry.” I'm not going to leave her two best friends in a lurch. I’ll buy the house if I have too.
“I wasn't asking you to cover the rent. It's just they didn't really get a fair notice that I'm leaving.”
“I understand, but I can afford it. They’re part of your life and they mean a lot to you, so I'll do what I can. Don’t over think it.”
“Anyways,” she mutters, “we can discuss that later.” She pulls the sheet around her chest, sits up, and rests back against the headboard. “Hopefully L.A. will be a nice change of pace and I’ll have better luck there with the job hunting.”
“You could always come work with me?” I offer. It had always been part of our original plan for us to work together.
“Doing what?” Her forehead wrinkles as she eyes me curiously.
“If I remember correctly, you were supposed to be my team. Whip me into shape and tell me what to do. It just so happens, Brody is looking for someone to help him. My record company gave me full permission to hire anyone I want.”
“Why doesn’t Brody have help now?”
I clench my jaw thinking about the ignoramus we recently let go. “We had someone, but he got fired for being a moron and fucking up tour dates. It was a mess. Brody vowed to work alone rather than trust another idiot.”
Brody is not only my brother but my best friend. Like Violet, I trust him with everything when it comes to my career and my livelihood. Without his help, I wouldn't be where I am now. We annoy the shit out of each other, and still beat each other up when we’re pissed, but it’s what all brothers do.
“So, what makes you think he'll want my help? I don't know anything about tour management and scheduling live appearances, or any of that.”
“I think you know more than you let on. You have a degree in business management.” I raise my eyebrow at her and she glances away to look at the television. “You and Brody used to book shows all the time for me in high school.”
“But that was high school.” She throws herself back into the headboard, her hands flopping down to the mattress. “This is the big time. Roadies, dealing with record companies, venues that aren’t bowling alleys. I would be totally lost.”
“But if anybody could figure it all out, it’ll be you. Just think about it. I'm sure Brody will give you a crash course.”
She purses her lips and nods. “I’ll think about it, but I make no promises to anything.”
“I don’t want to be away from you for long periods of time. Hell, you don’t even have to work if you don’t want to.” I raise my finger to stop her when her mouth pops open to protest, and she instantly snaps it shut. “But I know you want to. You didn’t get that degree for nothing, right?”
She nods.
“I need to go get some clothes from my room,” Violet tells me, dropping the conversation.
“You going to come back here afterward?”
“Considering you’re my husband, I’d say you’re kind of stuck with me now. I just need to get my clothes, and I owe Julie and Alexa an explanation. Give me an hour or so to get my story out.”
“How about I call Brody and we can go get some food?” I don’t need her answer, though, because her stomach rumbles, answering for her.
Her cheeks heat and she rubs her stomach. “Food sounds amazing right now. I’ll be back shortly.” She moves in to kiss my cheek, but I need more. Pulling her into my lap, my lips mold with hers, trying to show her how much she means to me. I try to project every ounce of my love, and my need for her into my kiss.
A moan comes from deep in her throat and her hips wiggle against my growing crotch. I break away from her because if I don’t she’ll never get her stuff and we might end up starving to death.
“I love you, Mrs. Reid.”
Violet rubs her nose against mine. “I love you too, Mr. Reid.”
After a quick shower, she leaves, and I decide to call my PR agent, Louie, back. I am sure I’m about to get an earful about my quickie Vegas wedding. Brody probably called him to give him a heads up.
After the third ring, he answers, irritated. “Cooper, I have been trying to reach you all morning. What is this about you getting married last night? Please tell me this is a hoax. Please tell me there is another explanation for these pictures.”
“I did get married, Louie,” I say proudly, looking at the silver tungsten rin
g Violet picked out.
“To who? I never pictured you as the guy to get drunk and married in Vegas.” I hear the sounds of shuffling papers. “Your dad has been calling me nonstop, talking about annulments and muting the press. He’s giving me a headache, even though he has a point. Just tell me it’s not a stripper or a prostitute or something.”
I inwardly laugh at his panic and figure I should put him out of his misery. “It’s Violet. I married Violet Spencer.”
The line goes silent. I think I stunned him. “Violet? The Violet? I thought you hadn’t seen her in years. What the hell man?” Leather squeaks through the phone and I’m certain he’s fallen into his chair.
Anyone who is close to me know about my feelings for Violet. It wasn’t something I could hide. I wear my devotion to her like a bright neon sign hanging over my head. Almost every hit song I’ve had is written about her. I also tend to be a sentimental drunk, and she’s all I’d talked about after about three shots of whiskey.
“Yes, the Violet.”
“Wow. Man.” He blows out a large breath. “Congratulations, but how did this happen?”
“We ran into each other at the club last night, and one thing led to another. I asked her to marry me and she said yes.”
“I never believed in fate before, but damn. Alright, I’ll spin this somehow, so it doesn’t look like a Reid drunken adventure in Vegas.” I hear keys start to click on a keyboard as he gets to work.
My phone beeps, telling me I’m getting another call. “Thanks man. Hey, I’m getting another call. Talk later.”
“Sure man. Good luck, and I can’t wait to finally meet the little lady.”
We hang up and I answer the call waiting, hoping it’s Vi. Unfortunately, it’s not.
It’s my mother.
“Cooper Michael Reid!” she shouts in my ear, her shrill voice doing nothing to help my hangover.
I Found You Page 7
