by Rhian Cahill
Well, there was no disputing that. Coop was pretty sure that’s exactly what his eyes had done. He sighed. “We fucked last night.”
“About time.”
“Yeah. Okay, it is, but she’s put all these rules on us hooking up.” Coop ran a hand over his jaw. “They’re bullshit.”
“So? I’ve never known you to worry about rules, especially bullshit ones.” West opened the fridge and grabbed another two beers.
Coop shook his head. “Not for me. I’m driving.”
West put the extra one back and cracked the top on his. “What’s the plan?”
“What makes you think I’ve got a plan?”
“The last twenty-odd years as your friend.”
Coop couldn’t deny that. Cooper, West and Zac, Cooper’s twin, had made up a trio since their first day of school. During their high school years, Zac and West had grown closer, but since leaving school, the three of them had gotten back to the way they’d been as little boys. Tight.
He finished off his beer and dropped the bottle in the bin before answering. It gave him a few seconds to work things out in his head. Not that it helped. “I don’t have one other than using the off-the-charts chemistry we’ve got going on.”
West shrugged. “Whatever works. But Shaye doesn’t seem the type to fall into line easy.”
“No. Take last night. She was out of bed and running the second I pulled out.”
“Running? That isn’t the Shaye I know.” West frowned.
“I know, right? There has to be something going on. Something other than her lack of a job.”
“There is,” Kelsey said behind him.
Chapter Six
“Say that again.” Coop couldn’t have heard Kelsey right.
“The job is in Perth.”
“Perth? As in, on the other side of Australia from Sydney, Perth?”
Kelsey nodded.
“No fucking way.” Shaye was not moving. There was no way she’d start something with him then…oh fuck. That little… “Where is she?”
“What?” Kelsey asked, confusion all over her face.
“Where is she? Right now. Where?” He started across the kitchen.
“In the bathroom getting cha—”
He didn’t wait for Kelsey to finish talking. His long legs ate up the distance in seconds and, without knocking, Coop turned the handle and entered the bathroom.
“Argh. Cooper!”
He shut the door behind him. Flicked the lock.
“What are you doing?” Her angry words and fierce glare were negated by the fact his brain wasn’t registering anything but the tits on display in front of him.
She was wearing some white lacy thing that pushed her boobs up and in. Damn. There was a lot of flesh on show. Coop took a step closer.
“Don’t you dare come near me.” Shaye held out a hand, palm out, the other one she splayed over her chest as though she thought it covered her. Ha. A sack couldn’t cover those beauties.
Coop grinned and kept moving closer. There was no unseeing what had been seen.
“Cooper.” His chest came in contact with Shaye’s outstretched hand. “I’m trying to get dressed.”
“I’d rather you get undressed.”
Shaye’s glare turned so deadly it was a wonder he was still standing.
Pushing against her hand, he waited for her to give. It didn’t take long. Her elbow bent and he closed the distance between them, trapping her hand between his chest and her tits. He wrapped his arms around her and palmed her lower back. Sliding his hands north, he said, “Let me help you.”
With a practiced flick of his fingers, he had Shaye’s bra undone.
“W-what are you doing?”
“Helping.”
“That isn’t helping.” She wiggled in his arms, but he wasn’t letting go of her any time soon.
“Yes, it is.” Coop trailed his fingers up her shoulder blades to her shoulders. “I’ll show you how much it helps.”
To stop any further argument, Coop lowered his head and took her mouth with his. There was a muffled squeak—of surprise, not protest.
And then she moved with him. She thrust her tongue against his as he dove deeper. He groaned into her mouth when she slid her hands into his hair and tugged. Not one to miss an opportunity, Coop let his own hands roam.
First, he skimmed her bra straps off her shoulders. Then he dragged his fingertips up the slope of her neck until he cradled her face in his hands. He eased back on the kiss, sucked in a breath and tried to gather his wits.
“You fuck with my head.” Coop pressed his forehead to Shaye’s. “I didn’t come in here for this. But I’ll be fucked if I’m letting this chance to get inside you again go.”
He dropped to his knees and went to work on her skirt. Whoever invented these stretchy no-zip skirts was a genius. In a second, he had it around her ankles.
“Cooper.”
Ignoring Shaye’s half-arsed protest, he leaned in and placed his mouth over her cunt through her undies and sucked.
She dug her nails into his shoulders but didn’t push him away. She pulled him closer.
It was going to be hard and fast. For both of them.
Coop worked her with his tongue. With one hand, he popped the button on his pants and the other he used to palm her arse and pull her closer.
He could taste her through the cloth. Feel the heat of her on his tongue. She rocked against him and he didn’t need to look up to know she had her lip caught between her teeth, stifling her moans. Once Shaye got going, there was no stopping her from taking what she wanted.
And she wanted to come.
It was in the way she moved. The way she tangled her fingers in his hair. Her murmured words for more.
He tugged on his zipper and freed his cock. Then, gripping the flimsy sides of her undies he yanked them down her legs. Coop glanced up and met her lust-dazed eyes. “From behind or ride?”
“Huh?”
“Ride it is.”
Coop grabbed her hips and urged her down. She straddled him. Pressed close. Her hot cunt coated his cock in her juices. Moaning, Shaye rocked her clit against him.
“Guide me in,” he directed as he lifted her from his lap.
Her hand was warm and tight around him, but that was nothing compared to the hot grip of her cunt a second later when she plunged down and took him all the way in.
This time, they both moaned. The sound echoed around them, and Coop knew there was no way Kelsey and West wouldn’t know what they were doing.
He should be ashamed. Should probably stop. Except there was no stopping when he was buried deep inside Shaye. Nothing short of death would get him to quit now.
Flexing his hips, he thrust up into her while using his hands on her hips to pull her down. She soon caught his rhythm and they were panting and moaning and rocking and sweating and climbing towards release so fucking fast his brain was spinning.
“Cooper.” She grabbed his head and shoved him face first into her tits. “Suck my nipple. I’m so close.”
There was no need to tell him twice. He opened his mouth and rooted around like a blind man until he had a taut peak between his lips. Then he sucked.
Hard.
He used his teeth to pinch the puckered flesh, to hold it in place so he could lash it with his tongue.
That was when things got wild.
She rode him like he’d never been ridden before. Up and down. Squeeze and release. Shaye worked his body with hers as though she’d been doing it for years. As though she knew every little thing that drove him crazy and used it.
His balls tightened. Blood pounded. And a split second after Shaye cried out Coop followed her into ecstasy.
Shaye slumped forward. Coop’s arms were wrapped around her and his cock was buried in her pussy, and for the life of her she couldn’t work out how they’d ended up in this position.
On Kelsey’s bathroom floor.
Half naked.
Fucked senseless.
She
remembered protesting. Remembered telling him…
God. She didn’t remember anything after he’d put his hands on her.
The man was lethal.
And turning her into a nymphomaniac.
Because even though neither of them had caught their breath and he was still buried inside her, she wanted him again. And that was why she needed to leave. Now.
“I have to go,” she murmured against his neck but didn’t move.
“Mmm.” Coop’s hands swept up and down her back. “Not yet.”
“I can’t believe we just did that. In Kelsey’s bathroom.”
“I can.”
“You can?” She really had to leave. Except her body wasn’t on the same page as her brain.
“Yeah. Just looking at you gets me hard. Touching you guarantees I’m getting inside you. Regardless of where we are.”
“Then you can’t touch me. Or see me.” Shaye still hadn’t crawled out of Coop’s lap.
He laughed. “That’s not going to happen.”
Shaye sighed. Cooper was right. It didn’t matter that she was leaving or that it was inevitable that he’d break her heart. She wasn’t walking away from this any time soon. “We should get dressed before Kelsey or West come looking for us.”
“Give it another minute.” He tightened his arms.
“We don’t have a minute. Kelsey will be knocking on the door any second.” Shaye finally managed to get enough energy to lift off Cooper.
Muscles protested and sparks of pleasure darted through her pussy when his cock slipped free. The urge to plunge back down—to take him deep again—slashed through her, but she grit her teeth and pushed to her feet.
He kneeled between her legs, his cock hard and standing tall in spite of his recent orgasm. Coop’s thick shaft was wet with their combined fluids and—
“Oh shit.”
Coop steadied her with his hands on her hips. “What?”
“We didn’t use protection.”
“I. Fuck. I’m sorry. I didn’t even think of it. I’m clean.”
Shaye looked at him, saw the genuine remorse in his eyes and figured it wasn’t something he did often. “That’s not what I’m worried about.”
“Are you on the pill?”
“No.” She shook her head. When was her last period? Three weeks ago? Two?
“I’ve never forgotten before.” Cooper got to his feet. “You scramble my brain every time I get near you, but that’s no excuse. Whatever happens, I’ll stand up.”
“I know that.” Shaye looked around for her clothes. How she’d ended up completely naked while he’d only undone his pants was a mystery. Although she had to admit it was hot. Her body still hummed with arousal—still craved Cooper’s hands, his cock.
“Shaye.” He waited for her to meet his gaze. “Whatever happens I’m here.”
Their gazes remained locked for long seconds before Shaye nodded and looked away. “I know.”
“Here.” Coop held out her undies.
“Thanks.” She took her underwear and slipped them on. Next, he handed over her skirt. Then her bra. The shirt she’d borrowed to replace her stained one was still sitting on the counter where she’d put it. “You should go out first so they don’t see us leave together.”
“I don’t think it matters. West and Kelsey aren’t stupid. They have to know we’re in here together.” Coop had cleaned up and fixed his clothes and now leaned against the door in a sexy pose that had her pussy clenching. “I’ll wait for you.”
She wanted to argue. Needed a few moments to herself to work through what they’d done. And she wasn’t talking about having sex in her best friend’s bathroom.
They’d had unprotected sex.
She could get pregnant.
With Cooper’s baby.
The thought was mindboggling.
And thrilling.
And terrifying.
And thrilling.
“Shaye?”
She jolted out of her thoughts. “Sorry? What?”
Coop smiled. “You need to put your shirt on.”
“Oh. Right.” Reaching over she snagged the borrowed top. Slipping it over her head, she cursed her over-abundant breasts. Kelsey would be getting her shirt back stretched. Hopefully, it wasn’t one of her friend’s favorites. Although ruining Kelsey’s clothes was the least of Shaye’s problems right now.
Coop watched Shaye closely. She’d been quiet since they emerged from the bathroom. Even Kelsey’s continuous questioning about the job she’d been offered couldn’t get Shaye to speak in anything longer than a sentence at a time. And those were sparse of words.
He could tell she wanted to leave. She wasn’t the only one. They needed to talk about what had happened. There was no way he was letting her move across the country without knowing if she was pregnant, and there was no way in hell she was going if she was.
They’d cross that bridge when they came to it, and if he wanted to rush out and buy a home pregnancy kit right now, who could blame him.
“You still haven’t told us when you’re actually going.” Kelsey’s words snapped Coop to attention.
Shaye shrugged. “I haven’t nailed that down yet. But I need to be out of my house on the thirtieth of the month.”
“But that’s only four weeks away.”
Coop sat up straight. He didn’t like that anymore than Kelsey did.
“I know.”
He really didn’t like it. “So you leave in a month?”
She’d played him. Her time limit on them fitted with her moving away.
Oh, he really didn’t like that. “When were you planning on telling us you were going? The day you leave?”
“No. I…” Shaye avoided his gaze and looked to Kelsey. “It’s a dream job.”
“I get that. But Shaye, it’s not just a job you’re accepting.” Kelsey leaned over and grabbed Shaye’s hand, and Coop wanted to snatch it away and hold it himself. “You’re uprooting your whole life.”
“It’s hardly a life right now. I’m unemployed. What do you expect me to do? Move in with you and West?”
“Yes.”
“No!” Cooper shouted over Kelsey.
Shaye’s gaze darted between him and Kelsey.
“What if you could get a full-time job? A live in one?” Coop asked. “You wouldn’t have to worry about paying rent or utilities in exchange for work. Plus, you get a wage.”
“What?”
The more the idea formed, the more perfect it seemed. “How are you at wielding a paintbrush? A sander?”
Kelsey and West looked at him with matching grins. Shaye on the other hand looked completely baffled.
“I know a job that pays well and comes with a room. There’s even somewhere for you to store your stuff so you don’t have to worry about storage costs.” Oh yeah, he was really liking this idea.
“As a painter?” Shaye asked.
“It’s just until you find what you’re looking for here. In Sydney. You don’t really want to go, or you would have taken that dream job already. And you haven’t, have you?”
She shook her head. Bit her lip.
“So you take this job, have a roof over your head, money in your pocket and time whenever you need it to go to job interviews for what you’re really after. There’s no set hours with the job I’m offering.”
“You’re offering?” Shaye’s brow wrinkled. “Cooper you’re going to have to be more specific. I haven’t a clue what it is you’re talking about other than there’s paint and a room involved somehow.”
“I could use some help with doing up the house I bought last month. Normally, I pay some of my guys to do it on weekends and when I don’t need them on other sites. Instead, you can do it. And I’ll pay you labourer’s wages.” Damn. Coop couldn’t believe how genius this idea was.
“So I’d live in this house? Is that possible?”
“Of course. Other than a day or two when I rip the kitchen out, it’ll be completely livable the whole time.
”
“And I can store my things?”
God, was she going to say yes? Please let her say yes. “Yep. The garage is big enough to hold all your stuff, but you can also use whatever you want in the house. I haven’t got much.”
“You don’t have much?” Little creases formed between Shaye’s eyebrows.
“A couch, TV, bed.” He shrugged. “I don’t need much.”
“Shaye, this is the perfect solution. You can still find a job in finance, but you can take your time doing it. Wait for the right one,” Kelsey said.
“And you won’t have to give up everything. I know how much time you and Kelsey spend together. There’s no way either of you would cope if you lived on the other side of the country,” West added.
Coop loved that Kelsey and West were backing him on this.
“And if I don’t find a job before the house is finished?” Shaye asked.
“It’ll take months to finish, and I’ll have the next one lined up by then.”
“Just so we’re clear. I’ll be your labourer and live in the house?”
He nodded. “Yep.”
“I’ll be working with you.”
Coop continued to nod, a smile curling his mouth.
Shaye frowned. “And living with you.”
Chapter Seven
Shaye couldn’t believe she’d said yes to Coop. She was supposed to be keeping her distance. Not getting closer.
It was Kelsey’s fault. She’d badgered and badgered Shaye until the idea had seemed like a good one. Thank God, she was smart enough to put some boundaries on it.
She’d accepted on two conditions.
One, she wouldn’t move in until her current lease ran out.
And two, she could still decide to take the job in Perth.
As much as she didn’t want to move away from all her friends—and really, they were more family than friends—she couldn’t decline the job yet. She might not be thrilled with the location, but she hadn’t lied when she’d said it was a dream job.
She’d worked her arse off for a position like this. She should have had it at her last job, but they’d brought in a new CEO and things hadn’t worked out as expected. Shaye hadn’t told anyone the full details about the incidents that had resulted in her resigning from Mortimers.
Not even Kelsey.
