Boomerangers

by Heather M. Orgeron

  “Why the sour puss face? This is great.” Coop spins me around to face him.

  I was unaware, but now that he’s said something, I can feel my resting bitch face. As annoyed as I am that he made such an important decision for my son, I learned my lesson with the crawfish boil about overreacting and force myself to smile. “It is. Your mom is great with him.”

  Coop smiles and reaches out, grabbing my hand. He tugs, pulling my body against his and wrapping me in his arms. “I’ve missed you,” he mumbles into my hair. I’m not sure whether he intended for me to hear it or not, so I just snuggle closer and let the heat of his body encapsulate me. To repeat those words back would definitely be creating strings, and we’re not going there. The fact that he said it, though, has me all warm and tingly and my heart beats fast. I need distance and pull away.

  “I can’t believe you hosed my kid off. I keep picturing that scene from the movie Three Men and a Baby when they’re changing their first diaper and cracking up, but it’s really not funny, Coop. He must’ve been freezing. I hope he doesn’t get sick.”

  His brows dip inward in a look of concern. “Oh, trust me. I know it isn’t funny. I felt like shit...smelled like it, too, and have you seen my truck?” he asks with a grimace.

  “I haven’t, but I’m sure as shit going now.” I wink, taking off down the porch steps, careful not to trip on the loose board at the bottom. Coop follows closely behind. When I get there, I can’t help it...I double over laughing. It’s a shit massacre. There’s shit everywhere. What I wouldn’t give to have been able to see this scene unfold. “Oh God.” I wrap my hands around my waist and try to stop laughing to take a jibe at him.

  “It’s not that funny, Spence.” The fish lips he’s sporting tells me he’s trying his best not to burst out laughing himself.

  “Karma’s a motherfucker, isn’t it?” I have tears dripping down my cheeks from laughing so hard.

  “It’s ruined.” Coop frowns.

  And I’m giggling again. “It’s poop, Cooper. It washes off.”

  Coop sticks the fingers of his right hand under my nose. “Smell that?” he asks with a look of disgust. “The smell...” He gags. “It won’t come out. My truck is going to smell like crap.”

  “Ew.” I shove his hand away. “Get your poopy hands out of my face.”

  “I don’t get it. How do you always smell so good? One fucking dirty diaper and I’m stained.”

  “Well, I tend to get the shit on the wet wipes, not myself. And, if I do get it on my fingers, which happens to the even the best of us, there are methods to remove the scent.”

  Coop’s eyes get big and his whole face brightens. “Oh thank God. How do I get it off.”

  “That’s not what she said,” I tease.

  Coop smiles. “Cute. So how do we get rid of the smell?”

  Oh, this could be fun. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  Coop runs his bottom lip through his teeth and nods.

  “How much is this little bit of information worth?” I ask him with the devil in my eyes.

  “Whatever you want.”

  A smile splits my face as I turn back toward his momma’s house. “Follow me.”

  Cooper

  Spence leads me up the steps, through my bedroom, and into my bathroom, then pats the lid of the toilet. “Sit.”

  I watch her rifle around in the cabinet beneath the sink, coming up with a can of shaving cream. “Spread ’em,” she orders.

  I have no idea what this girl is up to, but those two words have my cock stirring in my pants as I open my legs wide.

  Spencer bursts out laughing. I swear that I would be the butt of every joke just to see those dimples and that shimmer in her eyes. “Your fingers, idiot.”

  “I knew that,” I lie. “I was just messing around.”

  “Uh huh.”

  She squirts a mound of cream into each of my palms and takes turns working on them individually with both of hers. I never realized before how much smaller her hands are than my own. I grow harder still as she passes her delicate fingers over and in between mine. There is nothing at all sexual in her method, yet somehow it’s very sensual and sexy, and I begin to imagine those hands wrapped around my dick, lavishing it with the same treatment. The way her breasts are rising and falling heavily coupled with the breathiness in her voice makes me grateful for my decision to forgo any underwear after my shower. There is no way to disguise the raging hard-on in my sweats, and Spence has definitely taken notice.

  “Now,” she rasps, releasing my hands and straddling my legs, “you need to let it sit for a minute.” Spencer crosses her shaving cream laden hands behind my neck, careful not to touch me as she squirms, causing her skirt to ride up. She wiggles her way further up my legs, not stopping until her heat is pressing against my cock. “Don’t get any of that on me,” she whispers into my ear before trailing her tongue along my jaw line and then mumbling against my lips. “Your mom will lose her shit.”

  It is nearly impossible not to put my hands on her as she begins grinding against my erection while thrusting her tongue into my mouth. Crossing my hands behind the small of her back, I use my forearms to guide her movements. My dick throbs—screaming for release. It takes every ounce of willpower I possess not to come like a fucking schoolboy in my pants.

  “So wet,” she mutters.

  Fuck. I need to touch her.

  “Time to rinse this off yet?” I groan as her head falls back and I begin sucking on her throat.

  “Yes,” she moans. “Oh God, yes.”

  I am unsure whether she’s answering me or about to come. Either option has me sliding her off of my legs and rushing over to the sink. She’s not finishing without me—not ’til I’m buried deep inside her.

  When I’ve finished rinsing the shaving cream off and she’s done the same, Spence lunges at me, cupping my face between her hands and pulling at my neck until my lips meet hers. The feel of her tongue warring with mine with such urgency leaves me with little control. I begin ripping at her clothes as Spencer’s hands trail down my chest, slipping into the back of my waistband. She cups my ass and squeezes, and when the tiniest of moans slips from her lips, I’m gone.

  With one swoop, I clear the counter then grip the back of Spencer’s thighs, thrusting her up on the edge.

  “Cooper.” Her head falls back and her lips part.

  “Yeah, Princess,” I breathe out into the crook of her neck as my hands slip beneath her shirt, trailing up her spine. After making quick work with the clasp of her bra, I run my hands along her ribs, hiking it up. My mouth waters as those perfect tits spring free.

  “Yes,” she whimpers as I take her left breast into my mouth, curling my tongue around the nipple. “I need this...Oh God, I need this so bad.”

  I need this, not I need you. Her choice of words shouldn’t bother me, but it does.

  “What do you need, Princess?” I say, pulling myself out and wrapping her hand around my girth. “Say it.”

  Spencer moans, sliding forward until my cock is seated at her entrance. “You,” she whispers. “I need you, Coop.” Her hips jerk forward, and I slip inside her warm, wet sex.

  “Give it to me, Princess.” I grab hold of her hair, pulling until her face turns up. With my mouth on her neck, I pound into her mercilessly. Spencer’s nails dig into my back, breaking skin. The sound of her moans and our bodies slapping together fills the small space. Just when I think I can’t hold off a moment longer, I feel her tighten around my shaft, and the sweet sound of Spencer’s release is my undoing. I pull out just in time, realizing that with all of the excitement, I forgot to wrap it. I never forget.

  “You’re on the pill, right?” It’s definitely not the most romantic thing to say at this moment, but I’m still unjustly angry, and what the hell? We are just screwing around.

  “Mirena,” she snaps, sliding off the counter before reaching around to refasten her bra.

  My brows dip inward.

  “It’s an I
UD.”

  She might as well be speaking Mandarin.

  “A little piece of plastic my OB shoved up into my uterus to prevent pregnancy.” She pinches her fingers together, making a hooking motion with her hand. “It’s over 99% effective. No worries, Coop.” Spencer winks at me before she finishes redressing.

  Huh. “I didn’t feel anything in there.”

  “It’s in my uterus, Casanova, not vagina.” She huffs out a laugh. “You’re gifted, but come on...”

  I chuckle, pretending to understand while making a mental note to Google the female anatomy tonight.

  “How was that for payment?” I ask, waggling my eyebrows and giving her my best panty-melting smile.

  “Did you just call me a hooker?”

  “Uhhhh...no?”

  “No?” she asks, staring at me with those sexy as fuck momma eyes, just daring me to give the wrong answer.

  I shake my head.

  “Oh, good. ’Cause I thought you just tried to pay me with sex...”

  “What?” I gasp in mock horror, lifting my hand to my chest in a “Who me?” gesture. “I’d never.”

  “That’s good,” Spence replies, leaning in and placing a kiss on my cheek. She trails her tongue along my jaw to my ear, whispering, “’Cause you’ll be paying me with a week’s worth of dishes.”

  “Kyle, are you ready to go? It’s almost time for Gramma and the boys to get back from school,” Spencer asks as we enter the kitchen.

  “I not yeavin’ yet.” His arms cross on his chest as those tiny lips curve downward into the perfect U shape.

  Spence sighs as she walks over and begins wrestling with him, trying to pry him from the chair. “Come on. You’re coming back to Nana’s tomorrow.”

  God, she’s hot when she’s frustrated. Her face reddens immediately, the blood still warm from our workout. Her hair is a mess, her clothes covered in wrinkles. There is no mistaking what just happened in that bathroom, but I’ll let her believe she’s getting away with it.

  “Go on, Kyle,” Momma encourages, squatting down before him. “You have to listen to your mommy. Nana’s gonna have your favorite chocolate chip pancakes waiting for you tomorrow morning if you’re a good boy tonight.”

  And just like that, the struggle ends. “Thank you,” Spencer mouths to Momma as she grabs Kyle’s things and heads for the door. She’s almost shut it when her head peers back inside. “Coop?” she calls out.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’ll see you at seven.”

  The door clicks shut, and I stand there staring with a lovesick smile on my face. Spencer makes me feel like a hormonal teenager.

  Suddenly, the view changes, and I’m no longer staring at the door, but my mother’s emotionless face. Her hands are resting on her hips, and that sassy slipper-clad foot tapping on the floor.

  “Can I help you?” I ask, because she’s obviously waiting to be acknowledged.

  Her eyes assess me for a moment. “What the hell is it with you two and friggin’ bathrooms?” She throws her hands in the air and stalks off, muttering something beneath her breath.

  That woman’s meddling will be the death of me.

  Cooper

  For a week, I’ve shown up at Spencer’s house at seven sharp and washed more dishes than I’ve washed in my entire life. I’m going to have to go chop some fucking trees or something to regain my man card. The skin on my hands has never been so soft, thanks to the lotion in their dish soap.

  Tonight is the last night of my sentence, and there’s a heaviness in my chest because I will no longer have an excuse to see her every night. Hell, I’ve even enjoyed hanging out with her kids. Hearing about their football practice and laughing at the insane shit that flies out of that little one’s mouth.

  Like every other night this week, I’m relaxing in front of the TV, sneaking in an extra episode of CSI while she gets her kids to bed. This damned show is addicting. I’d never seen it before coming here, but it’s all they watch.

  “All paid up,” I hear in my favorite voice. Shutting off the television, I look up, finding Spencer with her hands crossed lightly on her chest and her back leaning on the doorframe. Her lips are curled slightly in a welcoming smile.

  “Hey, Princess.” I rise from the sofa, stretching my arms above my head. “Take a walk with me?” I ask, dipping my head toward the door.

  “Sure.”

  Spence slips into a pair of flip flops and a hoody. It’s a chilly night, in the fifties, but it doesn’t matter the temperature. If she’s not going anywhere, Spencer is in flip flops.

  I make a face at her shoe choice, and she glares at me. “I’m fine.”

  As we walk out to the driveway, Spence starts talking, filling me in on every detail of her horrific day. How much she hates her job. How horrible she feels for some of the children she meets with each day. Some of their situations are truly heartbreaking, but they aren’t the reason she hates her job. It’s the other kids. The ones who pick on them. The assholes disrespecting their teachers and defacing school property. Kids fighting in the halls and throwing food in the cafeteria. Pissing on bathroom floors. “I feel like I’m in a zoo filled with wild animals,” she whines. “They’re barbaric. I’d kick my kids’ asses for behaving that way.”

  “And that’s exactly why your kids don’t behave that way.”

  “I’ve learned something about myself since working there.”

  “Oh yeah?” I ask, stopping to look at her. “What’s that?”

  “I don’t like kids. I mean, I like mine sometimes and a few others, but in general...I really, really don’t like being around children all day.”

  She has this guilty look on her face, like she’s just confessed to some cardinal sin. “It’s okay,” I answer, leaning in to whisper into her ear. “I don’t really care for them, either.”

  She laughs, shoving my chest playfully. “Yeah, well, everyone knows you don’t like kids and you don’t have to. You aren’t a parent.”

  “I like some kids,” I counter, shocking myself with my own admission.

  “You do?” she asks, doubtful.

  I grasp her chin in my thumb and forefinger, tilting her face up so that her eyes meet with mine. “I like three.”

  “You do?” Spence whispers knowingly, her voice thick with emotion.

  “I do,” I breathe out against her lips before drawing them in for a long, tender kiss. Tears drip down Spencer’s cheeks, sneaking in between our lips. The salt, the warmth, the hunger, it makes me crazy with want...for something more.

  I pull back, wiping the remaining tears from her face. “I want to take you somewhere, but I’m afraid you’re going to turn me down.”

  She sniffles, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her sweater. “Where?”

  “Anywhere...You name it. To dinner, a movie, out dancing, a cruise, or a fucking deserted island. I just want to take you out on a real date, Spence. I don’t want to just fuck you anymore. I want more than this. I want you back. I want us back.”

  Her head shakes rapidly back and forth. “Cooper,” she says weakly. Her tears start up again, but they’re bigger, falling faster, and more painful. “I-I can’t...I can’t give you more than this.” She reaches a hand up to caress my cheek. “I wish I could.”

  And she’s gone.

  Spencer

  “This better be good, Spencer Rose. Joel and I were just about to get busy when you started blowing up my phone,” Gina snaps into my ear.

  “I’m sorry, bestie,” I say, gasping for breath. “He messaged me again and I-I needed someone to talk to.”

  “Who? Cooper? Shame on him for not doing it sooner. He knew the game when he decided to play. Now can I get back to my booty call? Joel has a really nice dingdong. It’s thick and—”

  “Ew. Stop! I don’t want to hear about Joel’s dick.”

  Gina huffs. “You’re no fun anymore.”

  “It wasn’t Cooper. I still haven’t heard from him, and I don’t expect to. That was my fault..
.I’m the one who ran off.”

  “Whatevs...Who was it then?”

  “Alex...”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah, shit. He says he got a lawyer and I should be served tomorrow. He wants joint custody and immediate visitation.” I pause, sobbing into the phone. “Kyle doesn’t even know him, Gina. Hell, I don’t even know him...He expects to waltz into our lives now and I’m just supposed to hand over my baby to a virtual stranger. I can’t...I can’t do it.”

  “Oh, babe. I’m sorry. You have to call Cooper. You know you do. Show him the text messages. They have to mean something. The fact that he told you he didn’t want to be his father has to mean something, Spencer.”

  At the mention of his name, a knot forms in my stomach. “I can’t call Coop.”

  “Why the hell not? If you don’t, I will. I’m not fucking around,” my best friend threatens.

  “You will NOT call him. I fucking ran out on him a week ago and haven’t spoken a word to him since. I can’t just call him up for legal advice now. I won’t use him like that.”

  “So go make up and then tell him.”

  I roll my eyes. Yet another problem sex can’t fix. “I’ll figure it out. Go enjoy your date...or whatever. I’m sorry for interrupting.”

  “Don’t be crazy. It was important, and now I have one more reason to hate Alex, I just lost my fucking hard-on.”

  I giggle through tears. “Freak.”

  “Whore.”

  “Love your face, Gi.”

  “Love you more. Call if you need me. I’m getting rid of Joel.”

  Cooper

  I pull up to the house just after seven. This shit with Spence is bugging me so much that I’ve been submerging myself in work to keep my mind busy—to avoid going over there and making a complete fool of myself. She’s not ready and maybe she never will be, but I won’t stop trying. I’ll be patient if it kills me. I can just see it now. Cooper Hebert died of blue balls and a broken heart.

  As I’m gathering my things to go inside, there is a knock on the passenger side window. It’s already dark out and I have to squint to see the face pressed up against the glass. To my dismay, it isn’t Spencer. I press the button, unlocking the door and Landon climbs inside. Alarms begin to go off immediately. His face is red and splotchy and his breathing erratic. “Hey, bud. What’s wrong?” My pulse is racing. Shit. It has to be bad. Landon doesn’t cry...