by Lori Foster
“But...where are you?”
As if speaking to a dunce, Ridley repeated, “I bought an RV.”
“And you have it already? Where is it?”
“Here in the park, by the creek. It’s used, but you’d never know it. Daron was helping the owners sell it, so once he knew I was looking... It’s perfect for me.”
Coop whistled low. “I know which one she means, and it’s top-of-the-line.”
Eyes widening, Phoenix looked at him, then back at the phone. “You bought that one?”
“Coop is there with you? Nice. Please tell me you’re both in bed naked.”
Because she’d hit the nail on the head, hot color rushed into Phoenix’s face. Coop just laughed.
“Ooh,” Ridley said. “You are. Excellent.” Then to Cooper, she said loudly, “Please forgive my sister’s faux pas in lingering on the phone. She hasn’t ridden that particular bike in a while.”
Phoenix said, “Good night, Ridley,” with firm insistence.
“Come by my new place tomorrow!” Ridley made kissing noises and then the call disconnected.
Dazed, Phoenix leaned over the side of the bed to drop the phone back into her purse.
“So.” Coop casually stripped the sheet down to her knees. As he feathered his fingertips over the lush curve of her breast, he said, “Your sister really is loaded?”
It took her a second to reply, then she only nodded. “Remember, she told you she was.”
“Yes, but I didn’t know that meant she could afford the extravagance of buying an RV just to be near Baxter.”
Phoenix swallowed heavily, her eyes starting to close. “Somehow he hurt her. I don’t think he meant to, but since the divorce, she’s sensitive.”
He replaced his fingers with his mouth. Her skin was satiny smooth and fragrant, and he already wanted her again. “I’m sure Baxter will enjoy her efforts to make him miserable.”
She laced her fingers into his hair. “I just hope she doesn’t make herself miserable in the bargain.”
Drawing her nipple into his mouth for a leisurely suckle, he ended the conversation. Phoenix was quick to respond, which made it more difficult for him to pace things slowly, but he managed to keep control of them both. Kissing his way down her body, he enjoyed her sensitive nipples, her softly rounded belly, the curve of her hip and the supple strength in her thigh.
Needing to taste every inch of her, he lifted her left leg over his shoulder.
She tensed all over, but not in a bad way. He heard her whisper, “Oh, my God.”
Glasses askew, head back, bottom lip caught in her teeth, she waited.
Coop nuzzled against her, growling at the incredible scent of her musk, feeling her wetness against his fingers—and then his tongue. He licked carefully at her lips, nibbled delicately, then opened his mouth around her.
“Cooper.” Her fingers clenched painfully in his hair.
He urged her other leg up and over his shoulder, then lifted her hips in his hands. “I could eat you all day, Phoenix.” He blew softly against her, opened her farther with his thumbs, and licked into her.
Legs going taut, she pulled him closer.
“You like that?”
A small whimper was her only reply. Nice. Everything about Phoenix turned him on, but this, seeing her lost to lust, scorched him.
He trailed his tongue up and over her swollen clit, again and again until her hips followed the movement and her body strained for release. She was so wet that he slid two fingers easily into her, pressing them deep.
“Cooper,” she breathed.
“Tell me what you want.” Knowing she was ready, he continued his rhythm, pushing her closer and closer.
“I want...”
He waited.
“Suck on me.”
The ragged request damn near made him come. He pressed his erection against the mattress and did as she asked, drawing on her the same way he had her nipples.
She gave a low groan, her heels digging into his shoulders, then she lifted high on a cry, her body shuddering, her breaths gasping. He wrung every small moan from her that he could before hastily sitting up to roll on another condom.
“This is going to be fast and hard,” he warned, again lifting her ankles over his shoulders.
She swallowed, nodded, but her eyes stayed closed. They hadn’t removed her glasses but she’d pushed them to the top of her head. Her cheeks were damp, flushed a dark pink...like her nipples. Her lips were soft and swollen.
He covered her breasts with his hands, catching those stiffened nipples between his fingers for a subtle pinch.
That got her eyes open.
He stared down at her face, watching her as he entered her with one hard thrust.
She clenched tight around him, squeezing his cock in silky wetness.
The position had her thighs pressed high and wide, leaving her totally open to him. He asked, “Okay?”
The slightest of smiles reassured him, but she also purred, “Very.”
“Good. Then hold on tight.” Coop adjusted slightly, withdrew, then thrust in hard again.
Phoenix lifted her arms above her head, wrapping her hands around the rails of the headboard.
So fucking hot.
It was deep this way—and she seemed to love it.
Spurred on by the small sounds she made, the way she matched his thrusts, he pounded into her.
Her skin grew dewy. Her inky dark hair tangled around her face.
Too soon. Far too soon. Much as he wanted to make it last, he knew he couldn’t wait. “Phoenix.” He latched on to one nipple, sucking strongly, using his teeth to tug—and she climaxed.
He gathered her close, his face beside hers, and let himself go.
He was glad his wife had never been in this house, never been in this bed—because now, whenever he was in it, he’d think of Phoenix.
10
Hoping the evening wouldn’t end yet, Phoenix listened in as Cooper called Daron to see if he needed to come get Sugar. To her relief, Daron assured him they were fine. In fact, he and the dog were with Maris at her shop. They’d just taken the dog for a walk and were now settling in for a snack.
Cooper played it cool, but he grinned at Phoenix while thanking Daron.
After he disconnected, he said, “That’s an interesting turn of events.”
She shook her head. “Maris pretends to dislike Daron, but I think that’s just a front.”
“Meaning?”
“She’s super committed to her business and future, and Daron is...” The right word eluded her.
“A knucklehead?”
She laughed. “You know he’s not, not really, but most of the time he’s the opposite of serious.”
“True enough.” Cooper stepped closer. “Since we have some time left, you want to watch a movie?”
Teasing, she said, “Depends on the movie.”
“We’ll find something.” His gaze moved over her, lingering on her boobs. Typical man. “I have some ice cream if you’re ready for dessert.”
Leaning forward, Phoenix took a soft love bite of his chest. “Mmm, dessert.”
“Keep that up, and we won’t make it out of the room.” He snatched up his T-shirt and dropped it over her head, then stepped into his boxers. “I don’t want to cover you up, but I’m not into torture, either.”
Loving his playful mood and all the compliments, she laughed. “Ice cream sounds great.” By silent agreement, they moved to the living room. While he fetched the ice cream, she explored the space.
A big couch and two chairs faced a large television. Sports magazines littered an end table. A bookcase filled with biographies, mysteries and crime novels drew her.
On the first shelf, between a stack of books on the left and a row on the right, was another ph
oto of Cooper’s wife, this one of her in jeans and a T-shirt, her hair windblown, her feet bare.
She’d just moved away to peruse his magazines when he returned.
“Sorry it’s a little messy,” he said, bowls of ice cream in hand.
“Actually, it’s really nice. You’ve set it up for your comfort, and that makes others comfortable, too.”
“Good.” He sat on the couch, patting the cushion beside him. “Come here.”
She settled beside him, half lounged against him, her feet up beside her. Cooper kept one arm around her, his feet crossed on the coffee table.
She accepted the bowl from him, agog at the massive scoop of chocolate ice cream.
“Did you ever want a house?”
The question caused a pang of remorse. To give herself a minute to think, she shoveled in a bite, waiting while the ice cream melted on her tongue. Should she be brutally honest with him?
What would he think of her once he knew?
“Phoenix?”
There was that perception again. She put the spoon in the bowl, but didn’t look up. “I had a house. Or rather, my fiancé bought a house for us. I helped to pick it, but after the...” Most people called it a robbery, but it had been so much more than that. If the men had only wanted money, only wanted her jewelry, would her world still have fallen apart?
Would she, right now, be in that house with David, happily married with her planned future ahead?
For the first time since it had happened, she didn’t regret the loss of that future—because it hadn’t included Cooper.
Quietly, determined to be as upfront with him as she could be, Phoenix said, “After the attack, I withdrew. You know that much. I couldn’t seem to face anyone and that included David. He didn’t understand. How could he? At first he postponed the wedding, thinking I just needed time.”
Cooper said not a word, and though he barely moved, somehow both their bowls ended up on the coffee table and his arms were around her.
She burrowed closer, glad for a way to hide her face.
To hide her shame.
“I hurt him so badly,” she admitted, her throat suddenly tight. “I know that, just as I know he deserved better.”
With his chin on top of her head, Cooper said, “I think you did what you had to do to cope. There’s no disgrace in that, honey.”
Oh, how she wished that were true, but facts were facts. “Strangers destroyed my world...and then I destroyed his.”
Though she tried to refuse, his hand lifted her chin, relentlessly insistent until she met his gaze.
“That’s nonsense. You and I are both proof that people are resilient. If he hasn’t recovered by now, he will soon. Life goes on, you know, sometimes even when you wish it wouldn’t.”
The stark words made her heart skip a beat. Had Cooper wanted to die after he lost his wife? She hated that thought.
“And,” he said, his mouth touching gently to hers, “if it wasn’t meant to be, it’s better that you ended it before marriage.”
She’d often told herself the same, but it was small solace when she thought of David’s face, of all the ways he’d tried to convince her to stay with him. She groaned at the image. “I hope he’s found someone else. Someone better.”
“Shh. Don’t say that.”
“It’s true.” She’d face reality even if he wouldn’t.
“Some people belong together and some don’t. It’s not about being better, it’s about finding the right one.”
That was a sober reminder that Cooper had found the right one—and she’d been taken from him. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to have a pity party.” God knew he’d lost so much more.
“Hey.” He drew her face up again, this time so he could kiss her until she softened. “I’m glad you shared with me. I want you to. Anytime, okay?”
It had felt good to talk, to get some of the regret off her chest. She’d never be free of the shame, but sharing it had somehow shaved off the ragged edges. “All right, thank you.” That sounded ridiculous, so she added with a mock frown, “Now let’s eat this ice cream before it melts.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He used a remote to scroll through the channels until he came across Alien with Sigourney Weaver.
“Oh, this is one of my favorites,” Phoenix said.
Surprised, Cooper paused. “You like horror?”
She grinned at him. “My whole family loves scary movies. My grandma always claimed that my mom teased her with Ridley’s name because it’s so close to Sigourney’s character, Ellen Ripley, but without being quite there.”
One brow lifted. “Because your grandmother liked horror, too?”
“Of course. When Ridley and I would visit, we’d play outside all day, fish in the pond and stuff, then settle down with popcorn and homemade milkshakes in front of the TV. We got to take turns picking movies. Grandma’s only rule was there couldn’t be a lot of sex or nudity.”
“That rules out most horror.”
“I know.” She leaned closer, as if sharing a confidence. “Ridley and I used to sneak and watch the forbidden movies whenever we got a chance.”
Cooper laughed. “Hell of an education for a kid.”
She grinned, feeling incredibly lighthearted as he settled in with her to watch.
They were engrossed in the movie, the ice cream gone, the room dark, when on the screen, a face-grabbing alien dropped on Ripley’s shoulder. Phoenix didn’t mean to, but she jerked so sharply, she almost cracked Cooper in the nose.
Mortification erupted in a strangled laugh. Good grief, she’d seen the movie a dozen times and knew that scene was coming...and still it got her. “I’m so sorry!” She cupped his face. “Did I hurt you?”
“Actually, you startled me more than the alien did.”
Heat burned in her cheeks. “That scene gets me every time.”
Now looking concerned, he asked, “Are you sure the movie won’t bother you later?”
Phoenix batted her lashes at him, and said in her most innocent voice, “You mean because I’m a frail little woman who has to sleep alone?”
“You don’t have to. You’re more than welcome to—”
Knowing she’d accidentally put him on the spot, she interjected with, “Will it scare you?”
He grinned. “As long as no one is flailing next to me, I think I’ll hold up okay.”
Playfully, she punched his shoulder. “I didn’t flail.”
“What would you call it?”
“Mildly startled?” At his grunt, she couldn’t help laughing. “If a scary movie doesn’t leave you trembling, why do you think it would bother me? It’s not like an actual alien will creep into my cabin tonight.”
He gave her a firm kiss. “Point taken. Sorry if I offended.”
Her heart swelled. “I don’t offend that easily.” Actually, it was nice to have someone who cared.
Someone other than her bossy and outrageous older sister.
They got comfortable again, staying quiet until the next commercial. Then he picked up as if there’d been no interruption at all. “Even though a horror veteran and a cheesy movie won’t spook you, you’re welcome to stay here.”
Had he been stewing on that for the last ten minutes? Seemed so. And oh, how the idea tempted her.
But she knew she couldn’t stay.
Not for much longer.
Soon, she promised herself.
Hoping for a casual air, she smiled up at him. “Thanks, but I’d rather not risk gossip. It’s better if I come from my cabin tomorrow morning, same as I always do.”
“Better for who?”
For you, she wanted to say, but didn’t. “I’m sure everyone already knows we’re seeing each other, but I’d rather they not know how fast we’re moving.”
“Fast? Seems to me it’s been
excruciatingly slow—but I won’t pressure you tonight.”
Tonight. Did that mean he planned to pressure her tomorrow? If so, she’d decide then what to do. She’d had such a wonderful time, she didn’t want to chance spoiling the rest of the evening.
During commercials, they talked—and kissed a lot. Then when the movie returned, she sat in his embrace. He touched her hair, stroked her hip and occasionally palmed her breasts. She breathed in his scent, soaked up his warmth, while his chest repeatedly drew her curious fingers...and her lips.
In so many ways, the entire evening felt perfect.
She was so cozy, so content that by the time the movie ended, she was almost asleep. When Cooper caught her yawning, she saw in his eyes that he wanted to try to convince her to stay over.
It was a good thing he didn’t, because with all her defenses down, she might have caved. She forced her feet to the floor and her butt off the couch. “Time for me to get dressed.”
“Now, that is a crime.” He eyed her legs. “Will you believe me when I say you’d look amazing in a bikini?”
Phoenix snorted a laugh. “Thank you, but I’ll stick with my old reliable one-piece.” After a deep stretch, she headed down the hall. Already, she felt familiar with his home. He kept it clean, but not necessarily tidy. He liked things a certain way, set up for functionality rather than presentation.
She, on the other hand, was all about how things looked. If she lived here, she’d—
Good Lord. Though Cooper was behind her, her face went hot. He’d offered her one night to stay over, but he wasn’t asking for a roommate. She’d do well to remember that.
Sex, she reiterated to her tired brain as she stepped into the bedroom. Great sex. Phenomenal sex.
Sex...that felt like so much more?
No. No, no, no—
“What’s wrong?”
In the middle of her silent denials, she spun to face him, mortified to think he might know her thoughts. “What do you mean?”
“Phoenix.” He cupped her face. “Give me a little credit, okay? I can tell when something is bothering you.”
Did he really know her so well? An unsettling thought—that also warmed her heart.
