by Laura Farr
“Now it’s my turn,” he whispers into my ear. Lying me down, he unbuttons my jeans. I lift my hips in silent permission for him to remove them. Pulling them down my legs, I’m left lying in front of him in just my panties. He sits back on his heels, his eyes raking over my body.
“You are so beautiful, Lexi, you have no idea.”
Picking up my leg, he kisses around my ankle, slowly brushing kisses up my calf and around my knee. He licks the inside of my thigh before moving up my body and kissing around my stomach. The ache between my legs is unbearable. I’m desperate for him to touch me.
“Please, Cooper…,” I beg.
He chuckles as he cups one of my breasts, his tongue circling my nipple. I moan and arch my back, pushing my breast farther into his mouth. My hands go into his hair and I push his head down to where I need him. Taking the hint, he kisses down my stomach before settling between my legs. He pulls my panties off and tosses them to the side. I’m lying naked in front of him, and if I weren’t so turned on, I know I’d feel self-conscious. I don’t have time to think about it as I feel his warm breath between my legs. His tongue swipes through my folds and I buck my hips as he finds my clit, sucking it into his mouth. He pushes a finger inside me. I gasp as I feel my walls clench around him. His tongue continues to work me over, and I moan as he adds another finger. I can feel my orgasm building, the combination of his mouth and fingers pushing me toward the edge. When he circles my clit with his tongue and adds a third finger, I fall. My body shudders with the force of my orgasm, which comes in waves and seems to last an eternity. His mouth and fingers continue until he’s pulled every last drop of pleasure from me. Spent, I flop back on the blanket.
Moving to lie next to me, he turns me on my side and wraps his arms around me, his front to my back. Reaching for the blanket, he covers us, and I hear him sigh as he kisses my head. Turning slightly in his arms, I reach my hand up and cup his cheek.
“Everything okay?” I ask with a small smile. He smiles back, leaning down to press his lips against mine.
“Everything’s perfect, Lex,” he assures me. “Look,” he says quietly. I turn my head to see where his gaze is at. He’s looking at the sky and I maneuver myself so I’m lying on my back. As I look up, I gasp. While we’ve been preoccupied, darkness has fallen and the sky is alight with thousands of stars. There isn’t a cloud in sight, and it looks like an endless blanket of diamonds. I don’t know if it’s because we’re on the open water, but I’ve never seen the sky look like it does tonight. I reach my arm up, and it’s as though they are close enough to touch.
“It’s so beautiful.” I murmur. “Like diamonds.” We lie and gaze at them until I begin to shiver, even with the warmth of Cooper’s arms and the blanket.
“We should head back,” Cooper says, and I can hear the reluctance in his voice. I nod and sit up, grabbing my panties and slipping them on under the blanket. We get dressed in silence and I pack away what’s left of the picnic.
“Come and help me with the wheel.” I nod and follow him to the helm. He stands behind me and we sail back together, his arms enveloping me. As we dock in the marina, I turn in his arms, get on my tiptoes, and kiss him.
“Thank you, Cooper. I’ve had the most amazing time.”
“Me, too, Lex.”
I bump his shoulder with mine. “You know you’ve set the bar high, don’t you?” He looks at me in confusion, and I laugh. “If you arrange this for the first date, I can’t wait to see what you pull out of the bag for the second.”
He laughs. “So I’ve impressed you enough for there to be a second date then?” he teases. I nod and wind my arms around his neck.
“A second, a twenty-second, hopefully an endless number…,” I whisper, the amusement gone from my tone. I’m not joking. I mean every word. “You had me on day one when you lent me a Peppa Pig towel. I don’t need a boat.” He stares at me, his eyes full of something I can’t read. A smile erupts on his face and he lowers his head, kissing me softly.
“Let’s head home, back to reality.” He takes my hand and helps me off the boat.
“I’m good with that. My reality is pretty amazing at the moment.”
“Mine, too, Lexi. Mine, too.”
Cooper
I walk Lexi back to her apartment, my arm slung over her shoulders and her body pressed tightly against mine. We’re silent, and it’s clear that neither of us wants the night to be over.
“Are we still on for the movie in the park tomorrow?” Lexi asks, breaking the silence. I nod and pull her to a stop at the bottom of the stairs that lead to her door. Circling my arms around her waist, I drop a kiss on her head.
“Definitely. Bella is going to be so excited.”
“I need to pop into Oceanside and pick something up first thing, but I’ll make us a picnic to take when I get back.”
“Do you need me to drive you somewhere?”
“No, babe. I’m good. It’s a surprise for Bella.”
I grin and cup her face with my hand. Before I can reply, her phone rings. I feel it vibrate in the pocket of her jeans. I release my hold on her and she reaches for it, frowning as she sees the name on the display. Ending the call, she shoves it back into her pocket. She smiles up at me, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Was that your ex?” She nods and sighs. “Just block his number, Lex.”
“I don’t want him turning up here if I block his number.”
“So ignoring him is better?” She shrugs as her phone rings again. I hold my hand out. “Let me speak to him?”
“What? No!” She shakes her head.
“Lexi, he needs to stop calling you. It’s bordering on harassment.” Biting down on her lip, she pauses before reaching into her back pocket and handing me her phone. Sliding my finger across the screen, I answer the call.
“Yeah?”
“Who the fuck is this? Where’s Lexi?” a voice booms.
“Lexi doesn’t want to speak to you. I’m telling you now to stop calling, stop texting, and leave her the hell alone.” My voice is calm, but this jackass needs to know the score.
“Who is this?” he shouts. “Put Lexi on.”
“This is her boyfriend. You need to back off. She’s not interested.” I look down at Lexi, who’s wringing her hands and biting her lip.
“God, she really is a slut. She sure moves on fast,” he spits.
“Hey!” I exclaim. “Don’t you dare-”
“I’m guessing she didn’t tell you why we split up?” he interrupts. “Why don’t you ask her? Ask her about the poor bastard she was seeing at the same time as me.”
I pause and glace at Lexi. Her face is full of worry, and anger fills my body.
“You’re full of shit! If that were true, why the hell are you calling and texting her all the time?” I don’t give him chance to reply. “This conversation is over. Don’t contact her again. You don’t want to mess with me.” I hit the end call button before blocking his number. Holding the phone out to her, she slowly takes it from me.
“What did he say?” she whispers, turning her phone over in her hands.
“It doesn’t matter, Lex.” I pull her to me, but she steps out of my embrace.
“Please, Cooper. What did he say?”
I sigh and run my hand through my hair. “What he said was bullshit, Lexi. I don’t believe him.”
“Cooper?” she whispers, her eyes pleading with me.
“Okay, okay. He said the reason you split up was because you were seeing someone else.”
She looks at me in horror before flopping down onto the bottom step, dropping her head in her hands. “It’s not true, Cooper. I swear.”
I sit next to her, before gently lifting her head, my fingers going under her chin. Tears are welling in her eyes, and I want to kill her ex.
“Hey, look at me.” I wait until her eyes meet mine. “I know it’s not true. I believe you.”
“It was him. He was the one with a wife and kids. A whole other lif
e I knew nothing about. Six years of my life I gave him. We were going to get married.” She lets out a sarcastic laugh. “How stupid was I!”
“You weren’t stupid, baby. You just put your trust in the wrong person.” I see a single tear slip down her cheek, and I wipe it away with my thumb. “How did you find out?”
She stands and paces. “He worked away a lot. He was a pharmaceutical rep, so a lot of his time was spent traveling. That was his job when I met him, so I had no reason to doubt him. I got used to only seeing him a couple of times a week. He would always call and text me when he was away. I never for one minute thought…” I stand up and pull her to me, wrapping my arms around her.
“Go on,” I encourage.
“He must have had two phones, one for me and one for her. He made a mistake, waking up late for a flight one morning and leaving the phone behind in his rush to get to the airport. She called. I answered. It didn’t take long for all of his lies to come tumbling out.”
“Shit. What an asshole. I’m sorry that happened to you, Lex.”
“It was worse for his wife. His kids are four and two, Coop. He had two kids with another woman while he was seeing me. Who does that?” I shake my head, I don’t know how to answer her.
“She didn’t believe me. She thought I knew he was married and she accused me of breaking her family up. Greg chose her, and that was fine by me. After what he’d done, I didn’t want him anyway.” She steps out of my embrace and pulls me to sit down with her on the step.
“He moved out and things were okay for a couple of months. I was getting on with my life, but then she started showing up outside my apartment. She’d sit in her car for hours and follow me around when I went out. I went to the police, but they said until she did something illegal, there was nothing they could do. After a few weeks, I’d had enough. There was nothing keeping me in Richmond anymore. After speaking to Maddie, I wanted to come home.”
“Well, I’m glad you came back, Lexi. I’m sorry you had to go through all of that shit, sweetheart. He’s an idiot. I’m guessing all the messages and calls are him realizing how incredible you are and what he’s lost.”
“I can’t believe our perfect date is ending with us talking about him.”
“How about we end it differently then?” I stand up and pull her to her feet. My hand rests on the side of her neck, and I hear her breathing hitch as I pull her toward me. “I’m falling for you, Lexi Beaumont,” I whisper, seconds before my lips crash against hers. I feel her hands press against my chest as she kisses me back. Her mouth opens, and I plunge my tongue inside. Our tongues dance together as her hands trace up my chest and over my shoulders, winding into the hair at the base of my neck. Breaking the kiss, I rest my forehead on hers.
“If I don’t stop now, I’m not going to be able to leave you here,” I murmur. She nods and kisses me once more before stepping back. “I’ll walk you up.” Slipping my hand in hers, I slowly walk her to her door, wishing that I didn’t have to say goodnight.
“I’ll see you tomorrow then?”
I nod and watch as she opens her door and steps inside.
“Night, baby.”
“Night, Cooper.” She smiles and closes the door.
I wait until I hear the lock click before jogging down the steps and around the back of the house. Letting myself in, I find Maddie and Alex cuddled up on the sofa. Bailey jumps up as I enter, and I fuss over him, patting him on the head.
“Hey. How did it go?” Maddie asks as she sits up.
“Good,” I tell her. “Really good.” She grins before getting up and pulling me into a hug.
“I’m pleased for you, Coop.”
“Was Bella good?” I see Maddie glance at Alex before looking back at me. “What? What happened?”
“Nothing. She was golden as usual, but she did ask about you and Lexi.”
“Shit. What did you tell her?”
“We brushed it off and distracted her, but she knows something is going on. She’s a smart kid.”
I nod and flop down onto the couch. “We’re going to talk to her tomorrow. Do you think she’ll be okay?”
“Are you kidding? Bella loves Lexi. She’ll think it’s great,” Maddie assures me.
“I hope so.”
“You don’t need to worry about Bells. We’re going to get going.”
“Thanks for tonight. I owe you.”
“You don’t owe us anything,” Alex says, slapping me on the back. “I’m happy for you, man.”
I see them out and head upstairs to kiss Bella goodnight. When I see her empty bed, I know exactly where she is. Walking down the hallway, I push my bedroom door open and smile. She’s fast asleep with her feet on my pillow. She fidgets so much in her sleep, I don’t know how she doesn’t wake herself up. I gently pick her up and carry her back to her bedroom. Placing her on her bed, I pull the comforter over her and drop a kiss onto her cheek.
“Night, baby girl. Sweet dreams.” Walking out, I take one last look at her before pulling her door closed and heading back to my room.
After a shower, I climb into bed, flopping back onto my pillow. I can’t help feeling anxious about talking to Bella tomorrow. While I know she adores Lexi, it’s only ever been the two of us. Having someone else in our lives will inevitably change things. I’ve just got to hope it’s a change for the better. Before I started things with Lex, I was worried about how I was going to let Emerson go. While I think about her all the time, being with Lexi makes me feel things I haven’t felt since before Emerson died. I didn’t realize how lonely I was until she came into our lives. Emerson will always be a part of me, and Bella will always know how amazing she was, but after four years, I think I’m finally ready to move on.
My phone vibrates on the nightstand and I reach across, picking it up.
Lexi: Is it crazy that I miss you already?
Smiling at her message, my fingers fly across the screen as I type out a reply.
Me: No, baby. It’s not crazy. I miss you, too.
I want to tell her to come over and fall asleep in my arms, but I don’t. I can’t risk Bella walking in on us until I’ve spoken to her. I do miss her, though. I miss her whenever I’m not with her. My phone vibrates in my hand and I see another message from her.
Lexi: Night, Cooper.
Me: Night, Lex. Sweet dreams.
I smile and drop my phone onto the nightstand. Closing my eyes, I fall asleep, my mind full of Lexi.
Lexi
“I can’t believe I overslept,” I mutter to myself as I jog down Main Street in Oceanside. I pull my phone from my pocket and check the time, 11:55am. I’m cutting it close. The movie in the park starts at 2pm. It’s a thirty-minute drive to San Clemente and I haven’t made the picnic yet, let alone picked up what I need for Bella. “Urgghhh, why didn’t I sort this out earlier?” I grumble as I push the door to the toy store open and walk inside.
“Hi there. Can I help you?” the young girl behind the counter asks.
“Please. My name’s Lexi Beaumont. I ordered a Frozen dress-up outfit earlier in the week. I was told it would be ready to collect today.”
She nods and disappears into the back of the store, returning a moment later with a blue Elsa dress. Despite being annoyed with myself for oversleeping, I can’t help but smile as I see the tiny blue dress. Bella is going to love it, and I can’t wait to give it to her. I quickly pay the assistant and head out of the store, walking quickly back toward the house. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out, seeing a message from Cooper.
Cooper: Hey, Lex. Everything okay? I just knocked your door, but you didn’t answer.
Me: Hey, sorry. I overslept. I’m just leaving town now.
I don’t hear back from him, so I slip my phone back into my pocket and hurry along the sidewalk. It’s about a fifteen-minute walk back. That should leave me just enough time to make the picnic and get Bella changed before we need to leave.
I stifle a yawn as I walk along. I couldn’t fall a
sleep last night, which is why I overslept. Every time I closed my eyes, my mind replayed Greg’s phone conversation on a loop. I can’t believe the audacity of that man to try to blame me for the split. He wasn’t happy he’d ruined the last six years of my life. He’s also trying to ruin my new relationship with Cooper. I’m pulled from my thoughts by the honking of a horn. Looking around, I smile as I see Cooper in his truck. He pulls up beside me and leans out of the open window.
“Need a ride?” he asks with a wink. I nod and make my way to the passenger side.
“Thank you. You didn’t need to come pick me up.”
“I wanted to.” He smiles, and my stomach flutters with butterflies. Fastening my seat belt, I turn to see Bella in the back.
“Hey, Bells. Has Daddy told you where we’re going today?”
She shakes her head and sits up excitedly in her seat. “No. Where are we going?”
I glance at Cooper, and he nods and smiles, giving me permission to tell her.
“We’re going to watch Frozen in the park on a big screen.”
A huge smile fills her face as she bounces up and down in her seat. “I’ve never seen Frozen. My friend, Molly, says it’s really good. She said the snowman is really funny. Have you seen it before, Lexi? Is Daddy coming with us?” Her words are coming out in a rush and I can’t help but chuckle at her excitement.
“No, Bells, I’ve never seen it, either, and yes, Daddy’s coming. We’re going to take a picnic.” She squeals with excitement. I can’t help feeling pleased with myself that I’ve made her so happy. “I might have another surprise for you, too, but you’ve got to wait until we get home, okay?” She nods her head vigorously, and I can’t wait to give her the dress. I know how much she loves dressing up, and I knew she didn’t have a Frozen outfit.
