"C'mon, let's get you to bed," he said, edging off the bed.
"No. I want to tell you what happened," I said, yanking him back.
"You need to go to sleep."
"No! I need to talk to you," I said adamantly.
"Ella, this is not the time. I have surgeries, and with you dressed like that I won't be able…"
"Shut up," I yelled, before pressing my lips to his to shut him up.
How was I supposed to know what sort of life changing decision I was making at that moment? I was tipsy, but my plan worked. He shut up alright, and so did I. The alcohol gave me the courage I needed, to do something I had always wanted, but was never brave enough to attempt.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, fully immersing myself in the kiss. I had to admit—he was a good kisser.
COOPER
I couldn't believe I was kissing her. I wanted to pinch myself to see if I was still dreaming.
I pulled away, raking my fingers through her hair. "Are you sure?"
"Are you?" she whispered.
"You know this is all I've ever wanted. You're all I've ever wanted."
She smiled softly as she leaned in, pressing her warm lips against mine. I rested my hand on the back of her neck, and eased my back toward the bed, pulling her with me.
Her body was soft next to mine, and as I raked my fingertips up the soft flesh of her thigh, I knew what was about to happen next would change the course of our relationship forever.
Sliding my finger under the edge of her panties, I tugged the lace toward me, savoring the moment before I pulled the material off her body.
"I love you, Ella," I said in between kisses.
She didn't reply, except to tighten her grip on the fistful of hair she was grasping on to.
ELLA
He slapped my ass a little.
"Harder," I moaned in his ear. I wanted to feel the stinging ache of his hand on my backside—enough to leave a few bruises in the morning.
Tapping the tip of dick firmly on my clit, he wrapped his fingers around my throat, displaying his dominance. His mouth crashed against mine, demanding my submission.
COOPER
I was hungry for her. The small cry that tore from her lips made my balls tighten.
How had I stayed away from her this long?
She exhaled into the warm air—weak—breathless—wanting. That was all the confirmation I needed.
Cupping her breast, my mouth trailed down her neck—her taste was so intoxicating, I wanted to taste all of her.
Moving lower, she moaned and twisted underneath me as I teased her nipple with my tongue. She was so damn responsive; I could practically feel the heat of her pussy, but I needed to take my time—she was too important—this moment was too fucking important.
Her dark eyes roamed over my face as our lips met again. There was no more holding back. I slid between her quivering thighs—wet and hot, just like I knew she would be.
She arched her back, shuddering at her uncontrollable arousal.
“So fucking beautiful," I whispered against her.
Her fingers tangled in my hair pulling, me deeper—her thighs parting wider for me.
I knew she was only seconds away from release. A desperate cry left her throat as I thrust inside her. Head thrown back and eyes shut tightly, a cry of pleasure escaped her lips.
"So beautiful," I said again, before moving over her.
Her body was soft, and warm, shredding what was left of my restraint.
I pressed my palms against her shoulders, yanking her down onto me. She pulled back as a small grin tugged at her lips. There was nothing but red, hot lust between us. I grabbed her wrists, lifting them over her head—my mouth, devouring hers—our tongues warring against each others.
Her eyes were full of emotion, as were probably mine. This was a milestone in our relationship, and I wanted every moment to count.
As gently as I could manage, I ran my hand up her stomach, cupping her breast.
"Please," she said softly, the smell of alcohol leaving her lips. "Harder."
She arched her back, begging to take more of me in. "Please," she begged again, digging her nails into my hips.
I thrust into her harder, filling her completely. She clenched around me, her warm, slick juices allowing me to take her completely.
She wrapped her legs around me, holding me in place my cock buried to the hilt inside her pussy.
In that moment, I knew she was mine. All mine. I rocked back and forward, repeatedly, stroking her in slow, stretching motions. Our rhythm synced as she moved with me—our bodies fitting perfectly.
I bucked against her, each thrust harder and faster than the last. The grip of her legs tightened around me as her moans pleaded for more of what I had to offer.
My gaze caught hers as I pumped faster, sensing her building release, and flame ready to envelope the both of us.
I was unraveling—my muscles clenching as I drove into her more furiously, until both she and I were breathless.
"Oh, God, Cooper," she cried.
Shockwaves of pleasure rippled across my flesh as I was unable to hold back any longer. I exploded inside of her—collapsing—careful not to crush her under my exhausted weight.
ELLA
I was speechless to say the least. I loved the way he was holding me, keeping me close. I tilted my head back, exhaling into the warm air of the room. I palmed the back of his head, stretching out our time together. After all, he wasn’t like the others. Shit, I could barely remember anyone else's name, let alone mine at that moment.
COOPER
"Tell me you want me," I said, gripping onto the base of my shaft as I parted her legs with my knee.
"I want you."
Slowly, I slid in and out, loving every second I was inside her. Her body moving in a rhythm which matched mine. We were in sync—perfect. I pressed my hand against her chest, feeling her breathe.
"Are you going for a second round already?"
"Tonight and every night after, if you'll have me?'
She didn't reply.
"Did you hear me?" I asked softly.
"Shhh," she said, pressing her finger against my lips to quiet me.
I stopped pumping. "What do you mean 'shhh'?"
She stared at me. "Why do we need to talk about this right now?"
I laid there, contemplating her question. "When else should we talk about it?"
"Not now," she said smiling, moving her lips toward me.
I ripped away from her, jolting out of bed. "Then when?"
"I don't know," she replied, looking up at me, startled.
"In ten years? In twenty?" I asked angrily.
She chuckled slightly.
"I don't think this is funny at all."
"Cooper. I just don't know."
"But you knew enough to come in here thinking you would what—keep me on the hook even longer?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"What don't you get? I love you. I've always loved you. This was not just going to be a one night stand for me."
She sat up, pulling the covers around her. "I just came in here to tell you about Jay and how he invited me to Paris—" she stuttered before I interrupted her.
"Wait a minute; you came in my room to tell me that another man invited you to Paris, but instead, you woke me up to have sex? What kind of shit is that? Who does that?"
"I wasn't thinking. I—"
"Were you weighing out your options? Don't I matter? Doesn't what I want matter?"
"It's just a visit, nothing permanent."
"So temporarily seeing if he's the man for you makes it better?"
"No. Stop putting words in my mouth!" she yelled angrily, but her feelings didn't matter to me at this point.
"Would you like me to wait a few more years so that you have time to figure out if this guy is Mr. Right? Do you know how many men I've had to sit and watch you date in the last ten years?"
"I would never ask you..." she whis
pered.
"Deadbeat after deadbeat, and I'm left to pick up the pieces when they break your heart," I said, pointing at my chest.
She shook her head. I waited to hear if she had anything else to say, anything that would soothe the beast that was pacing back and forth in my body, but she said nothing.
I took a deep breath and walked to my door, pulling it open. "Please leave."
She looked at me then slowly got up from the bed, taking the sheet with her.
ELLA
I stood next to him, confused, looking into his eyes. "I'm sorry."
"I don't wanna hear it," he said sharply.
Tightening my grip on the sheet, I shifted my gaze to the wooden floor and walked out into the living room. The door slammed behind me, sending a cold chill through every fiber of my body.
I glanced back at his door, wishing I could turn back time and had never gone into his room in the first place. My head hung in despair as I made my way across the living room to my bedroom door.
I turned to take one last look before walking into my room. The light was on, and his shadow moved back and forth in the gap between the door and the floor.
What have I done?
Chapter Eight
Ella
"Purr."
Monster jumped on the bed, making his way under the covers, snuggling up to my face. I laid my arm on him, pressing him in for comfort as the alcohol and emotional rollercoaster I was on worked together to wrestle me to sleep.
Bright and early the next morning, I woke up to the phone ringing through the pillow I had placed over my head to keep the world out.
I hope I didn't leave my phone out there.
I threw the covers off and peeked out into the living room before running over to my purse, still half naked. I pulled my phone out and looked at the caller ID. It was Jay.
"Hello?"
"Hey beautiful, do you wanna go to breakfast?"
I looked at Cooper's door. "Breakfast?"
"You know, eggs, bacon, pancakes."
"How'd you get my number?"
"You're not an undercover CIA agent. You were sort of easy to find."
"What time?" I asked, still looking at Cooper's door, realizing there was nothing I could do right at this moment.
"Thirty minutes?"
"Uh, yeah, I can be ready."
"Okay, I'll pick you up."
"Okay," I said, hanging up the phone.
I sighed and turned to walk back to my room. After throwing on a white sun dress, I tried to cover up the bags under my eyes the best I could, not wanting Jay to notice and ask about them.
I was ready just in time to hear Jay's limo honk from outside. I took one last look in the mirror and headed downstairs. Jay was standing next to his limo with a dozen white roses in hand.
"Hey beautiful," he said, kissing me on the cheek.
"These are perfect. Thank you," I said, smelling the flowers.
"Where are we headed?"
"Pretty close actually. I heard about this great restaurant, and since it's down the street, it gave me the perfect excuse to see you again," he said with a big smile on his face
"I know of a great place and it's right down the street. No waiting, my treat."
"Your treat? I don't remember the last time a woman treated me to anything."
"Well today is your lucky day, sir," I said, tugging him by the arm.
"No. I think yesterday was," he replied with a wink.
I took Jay to a hot dog vendor who had given me the stink eye a few weeks back. I had ordered a hot dog with the works but ended up not having enough money for the works part. He reluctantly gave me the hot dog and let the difference go, but the look he had given me was seared into my brain for all eternity.
Even though he hated me, he had the best hot dogs in the city, and I wanted to show Jay that my side of town wasn't that bad. As we neared the cart, the vendor's smile instantly turned upside down.
"Two hot dogs with the works, please," I said with an awkward smile, hoping he wouldn't remember me.
"Do you have money this time?" he asked sternly.
I nervously laughed, hoping Jay hadn't heard.
"Why would he ask if you had enough money?" Jay whispered.
"Oh, it's a joke between us. He always likes to joke, don't you?" I asked the vendor as I handed him the money in exchange for the hot dogs.
He didn't reply, as he was too busy counting the money I handed him, making sure it was all there. I chuckled nervously, hoping I hadn't shortchanged him. The vendor looked up from the money, and for a split second, I just knew I hadn't given him enough.
He smiled, and said, "Thank you, have a great day."
Whew!
"Wow, these are great," Jay said, taking a second bite.
"Right! Cooper and I love it here," I said, instantly wishing I could stuff the words back in my mouth as they floated out into the air.
"Who's Cooper?" Jay asked as he chewed.
Here we go.
"Oh. Cooper's my friend and my roomma—tologist. I mean he's a rheumatologist at the hospital—he's a coworker—yeah, that's what I mean," I stuttered, trying to explain my lie well enough to be believable.
I realized if I told Jay that Cooper was my roommate, it would lead to the inevitable question—why would you need a roommate if you're a doctor?
While Cooper had a plausible and almost sweet excuse as to why he had a roommate, his reasoning wouldn't work for me, which meant I needed to keep lying to Jay. More lies. Just the thought made me cringe. My mind was already a million miles away, thinking about Cooper and our current situation, and now I had to keep all these lies straight in my head.
Jay's phone rang and he excused himself to answer it.
How was I supposed to fix this? No relationship built on a lie would last, especially one this big.
"Hey, I'm so sorry about that, the office is frantic over this deal we have going on," he explained.
"Oh no, do you need to go?" I asked.
"No. No. I don't want to keep running out on you. I asked you out, and I'm going to keep my word, even if it gives my staff a heart attack. But I guess you can always give them CPR, since you're a doctor, huh?" he asked, nudging me with his elbow.
Wow, he had to go there. It's like he knows and is just waiting for me to tell the truth.
I smiled awkwardly and took another bite of the hot dog to keep from having to lie anymore. "Mmmmmm!"
Before I knew it, we had walked to the park, where all the nannies were out for their midday strolls. There were kid's running back and forth, some crying, and some fighting, but they all looked sweet to me. Seeing as my biological clock had been ringing since I was about twenty-four, I thought they were adorable.
All I remember was waking up one day thinking that I had to have a baby, and like an animal in heat, I eyed any man that crossed my path, automatically sizing them up:
Straight – check.
No ring – check.
Hair – check.
Matching socks – check.
Wants kids – there is not enough information, please check back later.
I had come to the conclusion that every eligible bachelor either had kids, didn't want kids or my favorite reason—didn't want kids with me. So in the interest of saving time, I decided to take the risk and ask if he wanted kids—ever.
I knew there were timetables and restrictions as to when certain questions could be asked, but I happened to be on an extra timetable. My relationship with Cooper was hanging on by a thread, and I needed to make a decision, fast.
"Do you want kids someday?" I asked, leaping in feet first.
"Wow, that's a big question!" he exclaimed.
Why is he telling me something that I already know?
"It is. What's your answer?"
He stopped walking. "No, I don't. I don't have time for them, but I guess if I met the right person, then maybe I would change my mind. My life is just not kid friendly right now."
<
br /> "I see."
"And even if we got together and decided to have a kid, would you give up being a doctor? Because I certainly would never quit my job, and I don't think I particularly believe in nannies."
There is that doctor lie again, rearing its ugly head. There is no way around this unless I just tell him the truth.
"By the way, why aren't you at work? I thought doctor's work for days straight?" he asked.
"Ummm, yeah. I actually work in a little while."
"Well, let me take you somewhere. I promise it'll be fast."
"Okay," I replied as he grabbed my wrist, whisking me to the limo.
"Where did he come from?"
"He has been following us. Never know when I'll need a quick getaway."
"Are you a bank robber?" I chuckled.
"That probably would be more exciting than my job, now that I think about it."
"Mine, too."
"I'm sure being a doctor is exciting."
I shook my head.
A few minutes after jumping into the limo, we pulled up to a skating rink that I used to love to frequent as a little girl. Just the sight of the building alone brought back so many good memories. We grabbed some hot cocoa, and sat in the bleachers, people watching. Although Jay was mostly cell phone watching.
"I love this," I said, watching the families skating, and spending time together.
"Yeah, me too," he said, still staring at his phone.
"But it looks like you're not enjoying yourself. If you need to leave, we can go—it's no problem—really!"
"No, what little time I do have I'd like to spend it with you," he said, putting his phone back into his pocket.
"Only if you're sure."
"I love the fact that you're beautiful, accomplished, and that we complement each other."
"So that's the only reason you like me?" I asked, taking a sip of cocoa as I watched the crowd.
"What do you mean?"
"Because I'm a doctor and we complement each other?"
"No, of course not, but it doesn't hurt to have a doctor at the side of a CEO. We could be a power couple. My partners tend to hire men that are married to women like yourself; accomplished and beautiful."
Addicted To You: A Last Chance Romance (You and Me Series Book 2) Page 6
