Cooper (The Family Simon Book 6)

by Juliana Stone

  Eventually, she cleared her throat, which brought his gaze to the delicate skin at the base of her neck. An image of Morgan, head thrown back, him right there with his mouth as he plunged inside her, had Cooper sitting up straighter and fighting to control the sudden need and desire that rolled through him like a damn freight train.

  Jesus, it was hot in here.

  “Did you hear anything I just said?” Morgan’s voice lowered, a slight quiver coloring her words in a way that made the protective part of him roar to life.

  “No.” He didn’t hesitate. Hell, she could have been talking politics, religion, or spouting shit about the weather. He’d been entirely focused on her mouth.

  If she was surprised, she didn’t show it. She licked her lips nervously and reached for her wineglass. But instead of scooping it up and finishing the dark red cabernet, she pushed the glass away and folded her hands in front of her. She gave a small half shrug, and something about her expression tore at him. Made him want to grab her up into his arms and hold her and not let go until she wanted him to.

  He suddenly realized how hard this was for her. Being here with him. Knowing that sex was on the table. He was going to have to work hard to put her at ease.

  “What was it you were saying?” He spoke gently, head cocked to the side. He used every bit of the God-given charm he owned, hoping it was enough to ease her into the rest of the evening.

  Morgan licked her bottom lip, which was sexy as hell, and blew out a small breath. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It does.” He leaned forward. “To me it does.”

  She looked away for a moment, and the air changed. It crackled, rife with electricity, and there went his damn heart again. Thumping inside him—fast and heavy—he was surprised she couldn’t hear it.

  “I asked you what the most embarrassing thing you ever did was.”

  Well, that was unexpected, and he laughed. “God, where do I start?”

  A slow smile spread across her face, which in turn made those eyes sparkle again. “I somehow doubt you’ve ever done anything really stupid.”

  “Well, I’ll share if you do.”

  “Deal.”

  “You go first.”

  She looked surprised at that and took a sip of wine, brows furrowed as if deep in thought. “Well, once at a meet, I stumbled out of the blocks, fell sideways, and took out three competitors.” Her face lit up, and that adorable dimple made his chest tighten. “It wouldn’t have been so bad except it was a major meet.”

  “Shit.”

  “Shit is right.” She grinned. “And it was televised to boot. After that, everyone called me dippy.”

  “Dippy?”

  “Because I dipped to the right and, like a domino effect, took out the three runners beside me. In my defense, I’d been fighting the flu and shouldn’t have been competing in the first place, but I was so competitive and wouldn’t listen to anyone. Seriously, Sara had a field day with that, and my mother…”

  Her voice softened, her eyes shimmered. “My mom gave me a sweatshirt with Dippy on the front and Domino on the back.”

  “You told me you ran track.”

  “I did.” She took another sip of wine. “I was a damn good sprinter.” She gave a soft chuckle. “In third grade, I tossed a dead rat at Billy Gleason, and he tried to catch me but couldn’t. That’s when I knew I could outrun anybody. I ran right up until…” Her face fell. “Until I couldn’t.” She was silent for a few moments. “I loved it. I loved the feel of the track beneath my feet. The wind in my face. Nothing before me but an open lane to eat up.”

  He watched her carefully, aware they were broaching a subject that was painful. “You must miss it.” It wasn’t a question, and he knew the answer before she spoke.

  “Sometimes I wake up out of breath, hot and sweating, my lungs on fire. Because in my dream, I’m still running. I’m running and not thinking about anything other than putting one foot in front of the other. I’m perfect and fast and just…running.”

  She turned to him then, her composure in place. That little bit of herself she’d let him see was tucked away somewhere else.

  “What about you?”

  Still pondering her words, Cooper raised an eyebrow. “Me?”

  “Yes. You, Cooper. What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?”

  He wasn’t kidding. There was an impressive list to choose from. But which one would put a smile on the face in front of him? Which one would bring on the soft-rain giggle he was coming to adore? He leaned back in his chair.

  “When I was seventeen, I had this huge crush on a girl named Danielle. She was tall, blonde, with a rack that didn’t quit.”

  “Of course she was.”

  There was a hint of a smile there, and Cooper grinned, wondering where Danielle Lockheart had ended up.

  “So what was the problem?”

  “She was dating my cousin Jack, but I was determined to win her over. There was a whole group of us that hung out, and I waited until Jack headed north with his family for vacation.”

  “Sounds serious.”

  “I invited her out for dinner and a boat ride, along with most of the gang we hung with. Except a couple of hours before dinner, I told everyone else but Danielle it was canceled. I’d grilled her pals for weeks, so I knew she loved chicken stir-fry and red wine. I arranged for Cook to prepare the best chicken stir-fry on the planet, and of course I took credit for it, and when she arrived alone, I played dumb.”

  Cooper finished off his wine, shaking his head at the memory. “I remember her asking me if there were peanuts in the stir-fry and I remember thinking, hell no, who mixes peanuts with peppers and onions?”

  “Uh-oh. I can see where this is headed.”

  “So she takes me at my word. I’ve just told her I cooked everything myself. We eat down by the dock. The moon is coming out, and I’ve got her on my boat with every intention of seducing her on the water, when she starts complaining that she doesn’t feel good. I think she’s had too much wine. And even though I was pulling a bastard move on my cousin Jack, I’ve never been the guy to take advantage of a girl who’s had too much to drink. We turn around and head back to the dock at about the same time my brother Rick comes strolling up with his girlfriend. I’m tying up the boat while Danielle’s trying to get off the damn thing, and then I hear a scream.”

  Morgan rested her chin on her hand, shaking her head. “This is sounding more like a horror story.”

  “You have no idea. I hop onto the dock, and Danielle is in hysterics. Once I got over to her, I could see why. Her face was inflated like a goddamn blowfish, and that’s not an exaggeration. I thought she was dying, and all she could say was, ‘You said there were no peanuts in the stir-fry.’”

  He tossed his napkin. “So not only did I nearly kill the girl I was trying to steal from my cousin Jack—”

  “Bastard move.”

  “Agreed. But I had to come clean about the whole thing. About how I’d arranged for Cook to make dinner. About how Cook had obviously put peanuts in the stir-fry. Danielle knew I’d told the rest of our gang not to come because I had every intention of hooking up with her.”

  “So what happened?”

  “Well.” Cooper sat back in his chair. “She wouldn’t let me take her to the hospital. She called Jack right away and told him everything, and the first thing he did when he got home was this.” He pointed to his face and watched as Morgan tried to stifle a giggle.

  “He broke your nose?”

  “Sure did.”

  Her mouth twitched. “But you totally deserved it.”

  “Right again. She wasn’t a trophy I should have gone after.”

  A few seconds of silence followed his declaration, and then she moistened her lips. “So what am I, exactly? Another trophy for your shelf?”

  He was shaking his head before she’d even finished speaking.

  “No,” Cooper said carefully, getting to his feet. He walked around the table and
bent low, his mouth a few inches from her ear. “You’re the woman I want to spend the night with. Not because she belongs to someone else and it’s a game. Not because there’s no one else available.” He kissed her behind her earlobe and smiled when he felt her shudder. There was something insanely hot about making a woman react to the merest whisper of a touch.

  “I want to spend the night with you because I think you’re sexy as hell and you smell good.” He inhaled deeply. Damn, but her scent drove him crazy.

  “I smell good.” Her voice was rough.

  “Mmhmm. Every inch of you.”

  She shook her head slowly. “I’m not sure you want to see every inch of me.”

  The tremble in her voice made his gut ache, and he moved so that he could squat in front of her. “Hey,” he said roughly. “We can go slow. We can go fast. I’ll take you home if that’s what you want.” His chest swelled. “But don’t ever think I don’t want to see you. I already see you here.” He touched her breast, his hand gliding over her heart. “And I see you here.” He slid his palm up, cupping her head as she leaned into him.

  “I’m not sure…” She paused as if struggling for the courage to say what it was she needed to get out. “I don’t know if I…” She swore and dropped her gaze before exhaling shakily. “I hope you’re not disappointed if I can’t, well, if I can’t…” She shivered violently, and her voice broke.

  Cooper stood. She didn’t look up at him, and when he held out his hand, she hesitated, but after a few moments, she slid her smaller one into it. Cooper pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her, holding her so close he could feel her heart beating rapidly. Hell, no surprise there; his own was banging away like a damn jackhammer. When was the last time a woman had managed to pull that kind of reaction out of him?

  He wanted her, yes, but he wanted her to want him just as much—and for all the right reasons. For a guy used to aggressive women, the kind who used sex not only for pleasure but as a means of manipulation, this right here was something different.

  He nuzzled the top of her head and then murmured, “I’m not going to lie, Morgan. I want you.” He inhaled her unique scent. “I want you naked in my bed. I want you on your knees and bent over. I want you beneath me, over me. I want to hear you sigh when I touch you and growl like an animal when I slide inside. I want it all.”

  Her breathing increased—he felt the warm air against his chest—and he dropped his mouth to her neck. He slid his lips downward, smiling to himself when she let her head fall back, giving him access to the fast-beating pulse that told him just how worked up she was. He trailed a line of kisses along the base of her throat, but stopped when she suddenly froze and dug her fingers into his arms.

  Slowly, his eyes swept open. He saw the dappled, damaged skin there and pulled back so that he could see her properly. Her bottom lip was trembling, and that thing inside him twisted when he saw the anxiety and fear on her face. It twisted hard, and Cooper loosened his grip. He had to take a moment and get his shit together.

  “I want you. Simple as that. I think you want me. But I get that this is hard for you, so if you want me to take you home, I will. Right now. Just say the word.”

  Throat tight, he waited, his lungs aching because he couldn’t breathe.

  Morgan looked up at him, those big eyes of hers shimmery and pale and so damn clear, he felt as if he could see into her soul. She exhaled and walked away from him toward the sofa. She hit the lights in the kitchen, leaving only the glow from the fire to light the room. And with her back to him, she reached for her top.

  22

  Morgan faltered, suddenly all thumbs. What the hell was she doing? Was she really going to get naked with Cooper Simon? Could she get naked with Cooper Simon?

  Her heart felt like a rocket, banging against her chest with a fury that left her breathless. And hot. She was so damn hot. Stomach turning over, she swallowed and squeezed her eyelids shut. The ache inside was strong and big, and it pressed into her with a heaviness that made her whimper.

  Was it Cooper she wanted? Human contact? The feel of someone touching her? Or was it just the idea of it all?

  Warm hands slid up along the back of her neck, and she tensed, fingers still clutching the edge of her shirt. She held her breath and angled her head a bit to the side as Cooper’s fingers trailed their way down to her collarbone and then were replaced by his mouth.

  He blew hot air on her skin, slowly worked his way up, and spoke into her ear.

  “We don’t have to do this.”

  His voice was thick, and the fact that it was heavy with desire pulled at that elusive thing inside her. It pulled and twisted until it came apart, leaving her limbs loose and pliant. A slow, steady throb pulsed between her legs, and she bit her bottom lip, swallowing the groan that sat at the back of her throat.

  Cooper Simon wanted her. She knew this.

  And she…

  “I want to,” she whispered, eyes slowly fluttering open. She was raw. Exposed. Trembling with desire and fear.

  “I’m scared.” She blew out a long, painful breath. “I haven’t… It’s been…” Tears stung, and she shuddered when his arms went around her midsection. He pulled her back against his hard chest, and the heat of him melted into her pores. She fell back, and he rested his chin there, touching the top of her head, those big hands gently holding her.

  “We’ll take it slow. Anytime you get uncomfortable or scared or just freaked out, you say stop, and I will.”

  That damn lump was back, and Morgan had to take a few moments before she trusted herself to speak.

  “You know this is going to be either really good or really bad.”

  His lips pressed into the skin beneath her ear, and she shivered. It was her left side, and the skin there was sensitive, untouched by the horror of that night. “I don’t want to sound like an arrogant prick or anything.”

  That brought a small smile to her mouth.

  “But the only kind of bad that’s part of my vocabulary is the kind of bad that makes good seem like a waste of time.”

  His hands crept up to her shoulders, and he slowly turned her around until she was forced to look up at him. Cooper’s face was dark and intense. His nostrils flared, his lips slightly parted. Shadows thrown from the fireplace made him look not only mysterious and sexy, but dangerous as hell. Was she really going to trust him?

  Could this man bring her back to life?

  He stared at her for so long, the silence rang in her ears, and she swayed a bit, liking the way his arms held her. He opened his mouth, and she held her breath, thinking he was about to say something. But instead, he lowered his head and slid his lips over hers.

  He’d kissed her before. She knew what to expect, and yet this was something else entirely. Cooper Simon had an arsenal of weaponry in his back pocket—his mouth was at the top of that list.

  This kiss was a slow, soft, gentle assault. The kind that rocked a girl to the core and left her wanting more. It was the kind of kiss that spoke of secrets and naughty things—of hot, dark places to explore. Yet it was also a kiss filled with promise. It was tender and coaxing and demanding all at once. Her head spun. She was falling because… Good Lord, Cooper Simon could kiss.

  Morgan groaned into him and was thankful his hands held her, or she would have melted into a puddle of need at his feet. She was liquid. Her muscles were no more. She was at Cooper’s mercy, and right now, in this moment, she didn’t care.

  She wanted this. She wanted it bad.

  She opened her lips to him and groaned when he deepened the kiss, his tongue tasting every inch of her, his body slowly thrusting against her, mimicking the rhythm of his tongue. His hands slid down. They drifted over her hips until he cupped her butt, pulling her even closer. So close his erection pressed into that soft, pliant center…the one between her legs. The one that throbbed painfully.

  “See how much I want you?” Cooper rasped, breaking their kiss. The naked desire on his face stoked an already
burning fire inside Morgan.

  “Yes,” she managed to answer.

  “Only you. Right here. Right now.” He searched her face, and that thing inside her, the thing that had held her back for so long, broke apart. It splintered and fragmented under the heat of his gaze. “You say stop, and I will. I promise.”

  This was the moment that mattered. The moment where Morgan could turn away and end this before it got…

  “This might get complicated,” she managed to say. It was hard to speak and vocalize what was in her head.

  “I like complicated,” he shot back.

  “And messy.”

  His fingers were on the edge of her top. “I’m good with messy.”

  Her hands crept up to his face and held him steady, because she needed him to know—to see how bad it really was.

  “Trust me. My kind of complicated and messy isn’t anything you’ve ever seen before.”

  Something in his eyes shifted, and she felt him stiffen—only for a moment, but she knew her words had struck a chord. “I’ve seen complicated and messy. I don’t scare easily.”

  Surprised, she licked her bottom lip, struggling to find the right words. In the end, she didn’t have words. She only had herself and her damaged body. Morgan took a deep breath and slowly extracted herself from Cooper’s arms. She stepped back, grateful for the deep shadows and the limited light from the fireplace.

  Fire.

  It wasn’t so long ago that particular word had the power to drop her to her knees. And now, as her gaze moved to the flickering flames, it wasn’t fear or terror she felt. It was, oddly enough, some weird sense of liberation.

  Morgan exhaled, closed her eyes, and slowly tugged her top over her head before tossing it onto the floor. She felt faint—most likely from the fast-beating heart that had taken off like a locomotive barreling down the track. Eyes still shut, she unzipped her jeans and winced a bit because her leg was stiff. Ignoring the pain, she stepped out of them, and the denim joined her top somewhere a few feet away.