Cocky Genius: Ethan Cocker (Cocker Brothers of Atlanta Book 9)

by Faleena Hopkins

  This primitive growl escaped him and it was even better than the one I’d heard on the video, the one where I leaned in and Brock caught me in a trance.

  Ethan frowned like he was overwhelmed and then unleashed himself, moving faster and hitting the hilt of me each time. He collapsed on top of me, gasping, “Fuck, Charlie, this is crazy. I can’t believe how good you feel, baby,” and then he crushed his mouth to mine, molding like he owned me.

  I fisted his hair and cried out into his kisses as I came harder than I have ever had before. He hissed and then a roar exploded from his lungs as he unleashed everything. It was a blur. We weren’t in control of our bodies anymore.

  After it was over we gasped to catch our breaths.

  He was frowning at me, but kissed me, his tongue teasing my own. Breaking away he choked, “What the fuck was that?” almost to himself.

  “It was forbidden, that’s why,” I whispered as I nibbled on his chin, pussy throbbing around him in aftershocks.

  He didn’t seem convinced, and for a second I entertained the possibility that he truly had been impacted by that, by us together. I tossed that dream aside as soon as I could. He was sexy, smart and wealthy. I had a billionaire playboy inside of me. One who whisked women off to Fiji on a whim and who bent his intern over his desk because she’d brought him double Starbucks. To think he could be anything more than a lover would be setting myself up for heartbreak and I was way too smart for that.

  He pulled out, vanished then returned with a wet washcloth, saying, “Here you go, Beautiful. I’ll bring our food in here.”

  My heart sunk as I realized I was choosing pain and that despite that knowledge I wasn’t going to stop. Hooked. This little taste only made me want more. My heart pounded. Ethan Cocker was my crack cocaine.

  I cleaned myself up and tucked the cloth onto the nightstand. He strolled in with the two plates stacked on one arm, the salad and silverware in his other hand. “Never waited tables. They make this look easy and it isn’t. Look at this. I’m almost dropping these guys.” His cock was swinging low and I kept glancing to it because it was hypnotic and impressive. “Can’t get enough, huh?” He smiled at me.

  I grinned and crossed my legs, thinking I would enjoy this weekend as much as I could, and if it was over after this, I would cry later. Sitting naked and unashamed, I watched him place everything in front of me, and when he was satisfied the balance was right, he climbed on the bed and carefully sat down, mirroring me. He said, “Ta da!”

  “You’re very playful, Ethan.”

  He cocked an eyebrow and handed me utensils. “Yeah? Thanks.”

  “A lot of the men are stuffy.”

  “You spend too much time at a country club.”

  I focused on my poached fish. It flaked perfectly under the gentle pressure of my fork. After a few bites, Ethan figured I wasn’t going to deny or confirm his comment. When I looked up I found his eyes were dancing.

  “What?”

  “You shut down,” he chuckled, forking a pile of salad into his mouth with very little couth.

  “You eat like an animal.”

  He swallowed. “I eat like a guy who doesn’t have a stick up his ass.” Then he glanced down, his package sleeping between his legs. “Nothing’s up there, actually. Never will be. Exit only.”

  I stifled a laugh and shook my head, chewing delicately as I was taught to do. Ethan watched me and I felt my cheeks flush under his inspection. I swallowed. “Stop staring at me!”

  “I can’t,” he shrugged. “It’s like watching a bird in a cage.”

  My head tilted to one side. “Why does that sound half compliment and half not?”

  “Because you’re beautiful but imprisoned. It’s sad and fascinating at the same time.”

  My jaw slackened and I blinked a few times. “You make me sound like a museum piece.”

  “In a way, you are.”

  “I’m not sad!”

  “You kind of are.”

  “I am not!”

  “Are too.”

  “Ethan! You just made love to me and now you’re calling me sad!”

  His eyes sparkled and he held back a laugh. “First of all, we fucked. We didn’t make love. Whatever that was, it was animalistic and hardcore. That’s fucking. And one of the reasons it was so hot is that you stopped acting like a museum piece.”

  “It’s not an act! This is who I am!”

  “Nah,” he muttered, shoveling salmon in his mouth and talking over it, craning his head back so it didn’t fall out. “When the wall is down, that’s who you are. You walking through this plane like a little girl exploring an abandoned castle in a storybook, that was you. You tearing off my pants and telling me what you wanted, all you. You accepting this ride to Scotland when part of you dictated a hasty retreat, also you. You see the difference?”

  Bristling, I mumbled, “Dictated a hasty retreat? Well, aren’t you the smart guy, huh?”

  He nearly choked on the food he was chewing on. Covering his mouth he chortled, “Oh shit! You’re hilarious, Charlie.”

  “It’s Ms. Reed.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “You sure you don’t want to put your clothes back on before you say that?”

  “That’s it,” I muttered, jumping off the side of the bed and grabbing my pants off the floor. “No woman wants to be called sad when she’s buck naked and vulnerable.”

  Still cross-legged, fork suspended in the air, he called out, “Hey!”

  “I don’t need to be looked at under a microscope, thank you! Nobody can live under that kind of scrutiny!” I fastened my pants button.

  Ethan dropped the fork and sprang up just as I grabbed my bra. He spun me around and hugged me from behind, nestling his face in my hair and whispering in my ear, “Hey, stop it. I said I find you fascinating. I’m not judging you, or picking you apart. These are just the things I see!”

  My heart was pounding. He was right about everything he’d said, and that was what bothered me. It made me feel oddly visible. Like I couldn’t hide, and I didn’t know I had been!

  “I just want you to be you. You said during that, that you hold onto things too tightly. Then you said I was playful like you wanted to be that way, too. I’m just trying to get you to take the mask down. Take the fucker down, Char…Ms. Reed.”

  “Stop it,” I murmured. “Call me whatever you want.” I turned around, grabbed his head and kissed him so hard I surprised both of us. He groaned into me, took the bra from my hands and flung it across the bedroom, tearing my pants off my legs and burying his face in my pussy.

  I moaned, hooked one leg over his shoulder, and felt his hot breath heating me up as his tongue slipped around my wet slit. I bucked against his lips and he grabbed my ass hard and pinched down.

  Another high pitched slow moan ripped out of me as Ethan lifted me in the air, lapping at my pussy and nibbling away.

  He threw me on the bed, flipped me around and dove his length into me without warning.

  It was angry, needy, desperate sex and we both gave in to the savage grunting like animals in heat.

  I.

  Fucking.

  Loved.

  It.

  16

  ETHAN

  With the ten-hour flight, including drive time from the airport, and six hour time difference, we were experiencing serious jet lag. It was three in the morning when we checked into The Chester Residence, luxury apartments they rent out like hotel rooms but you have the entire home, separate door entrance, backyard, modern interiors with the best amenities, yet an old world stone exterior to let you feel the history of your surroundings. And a maid still came every day to clean up and make your bed.

  I’d stayed there before and thought it nicer than some of the five star hotels in Edinburgh, whose rooms I felt were pretty damn bland. All of the money had gone into the foyers and restaurants, but I wasn’t about to bring Charlie up to a room that had bad wallpaper and no style.

  She slipped off her shoes the momen
t we walked in, glancing around and nodding that she approved. Jet lag is a powerful thing and it had her eyelids drooping. She was trying not to show it. Always the lady. That is when she wasn’t bouncing on my cock.

  I’d rented the best apartment, ‘The Owners Residence,’ and I knew it had a black Jacuzzi bathtub that was incredible. “You want a bath before bed?”

  She inhaled, thinking about it as she slipped her purse off her shoulder and laid it on a modern leather couch. “That sounds perfect,” she whispered.

  “It’s this way.” She followed me into the master bedroom and I set the suitcases down.

  As I walked to fill the tub she asked, “What’s in those?”

  “Just live frogs and bowling balls.”

  “What?” she laughed.

  “What do you think is in them?”

  I disappeared into the bathroom on my own, started the water and smiled at the bottle of Champagne and two flute glasses they’d left for us. Ice was a little watery but that meant this bottle was chilled chilled chilled.

  I called out to Charlie, “Open them and find out. But if you open mine first you have to wear my clothes!”

  Amused she called back, her voice bouncing gently off the door, “You ready to wear women’s panties, Ethan?”

  “Yours is the black suitcase!”

  She laughed and I heard her say under her breath, “Thought not.”

  As the tub filled I glanced to my reflection in the mirror and saw a look in my eyes I hadn’t seen before. I was really excited to be here with her. Should have felt tired, too, but I was the opposite, every molecule in me was awake. I ran a hand through my hair and tried to act cool as I strolled out to find her sifting through the clothes I’d had picked out.

  She held up a pale pink dress, and I could tell she liked it. “They say redheads shouldn’t wear pink but I disagree,” she smiled, turning it around to view it from all angles.

  “They haven’t seen how pretty you are when you blush.”

  Cobalt eyes flashed with happiness, and I felt extremely self-satisfied that I’d made them shine like that.

  “Did you buy these, Ethan?”

  “I had a personal shopper do it. I would’ve had you in lingerie on the golf course.”

  She laughed and shook her head as she laid the dress down and picked up black lace panties. “Like these?”

  “Yep. I liked her choice in those.”

  Charlie paused. Instinct told me she didn’t like that the person shopping for her was female. I caught a glimpse of jealousy there, but she’s fighting against it.

  Got a charge out of knowing that.

  When we’d debarked, she’d asked my pilots where they were staying and what they had planned. They explained that while they waited for our trip back they’d soak in the city and stay away from the pubs.

  I watched Charlie chatting with them. She looked like the women of my family, all except for maybe Sofia Sol who wasn’t like any woman I’d ever known – too wild to tame. But Charlie was like the others, a woman who could carry a conversation with anyone, especially because she asked them questions and really listened. She was curious and interested, and the pilots relaxed and respected her.

  She surprised them because she knew about their policy, how they don’t order the same food when they’re working, ever. I didn’t know that so I asked why, and she explained that it was a safety precaution against food poisoning.

  Captain Gardner nodded, “That’s right.”

  And Talia added, “If one of us were to get sick, the other could still fly.”

  They said goodbye and Charlie and I took a cab. As we rode to where we were staying, I said, “You’re good with people. They like you.”

  She waved the compliment away, “People just want to be seen,” but her eyes were a little haunted as she turned to stare out the window.

  Now she had that same look as she ran a hand through her hair again, staring at nothing.

  Was she having second thoughts about all of this? I wanted to ask her, or do something to fix it, but I did the smart thing instead – I left the room to give her space. “Bath is ready in a minute.”

  She was still thinking I’m a man-child, not to be taken seriously. The guys at the country clubs were like Brock Tyson, ‘Ken’ dolls groomed to carry on family names and all that crap. Charlie with a guy like that would become even more hidden inside her own skin. But I’d gone too far on the plane, told her too much. Almost lost her for a second and when she jumped off the bed and got dressed I wished I could take it all back even though I meant every word. I’d been playing around. And I’d forgotten you don’t move too fast around a bird or it flies away.

  I went downstairs to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and uncapped it, downing the thing in one shot. I sat on the back of the couch thinking about everything.

  My phone vibrated and I pulled it out to see Emma had texted me:

  Vortex for burgers and comedy. Come with.

  Smirking I tucked the empty plastic bottle under my arm and thumbed out a quick reply:

  Can’t. Burgers at 3:00 am aren’t good for my waistline.

  Where the fuck are you, you spoiled brat!

  Scotland. Jealous?

  I hate you.

  You love to hate me.

  I hate to love you!

  I laughed at her flipping it around like that, and slid my phone in my back pocket, looking up as I heard Charlie call down, “Ethan?”

  Tossing the bottle in the recycling bin I walked up the stairs at a leisurely pace. Didn’t want to come off as interested as I was. Rounding the bathroom door I leaned against the doorframe. “Yeah?”

  She had the jets on, steam wafting through the air. Her cheeks were flushed that pretty pink I’d mentioned and the tips of her hair were wet, the rest still dry. She looked beautiful. Blow my mind gorgeous. I chewed on my lip as we stared at each other.

  “Are you coming in or not?” she smiled. It was a tiny smile, almost shy.

  Slipping my clothes off I climbed in. “You’re making me feel like a piece of meat.”

  She tilted her head and started to speak but stopped herself.

  The water felt so fucking awesome, scalding hot to where I could barely stand it. I closed my eyes and groaned, “Oh, yeah, this is the life,” as I submerged everything but my head. “You were going to say something?” I asked her, voice heavy as relaxation took hold. “About how you want my meat?”

  “I was going to say, good thing I’m a carnivore, but it was stupid so I shut up.”

  I drifted toward her, the tub massive. “Lame is good.”

  “I know!” She splashed me.

  I bit at the water like a dog and then attacked her, pretending to eat her, gnawing on her neck and fake growling. “I’m a carnivore, too, but I only eat hot redheads! Watch out! ARGHHH!”

  “Oh my God, that tickles! Keep doing that!” she cried out. I pinned her arms and gave her a bear hug, licking her earlobe once.

  “Mmm…human female taste good!”

  She laughed and I loved the sound.

  “Soooooo good,” I growled like a Muppet-monster. “Mmm mmm mmm good good good!”

  Her legs wrapped around me. I spun around to sit with her on my lap so fast she yelped, a wake of water circling behind her body. She laced her fingers into my dripping hair and smiled at me a quiet smile that stilled my heart. “You ordered champagne,” she whispered.

  “Yeah.”

  “You didn’t know me and you did all this? Why?”

  “You were worth impressing.”

  She cocked her head, side-eyeballing me with amused suspicion. “No, your ego was bruised and you wanted to show me I should be impressed.”

  Shit, she got me. “Maybe. But I’m having fun, and it has nothing to do with my original intention.”

  “Which was?” she asked, genuinely curious.

  “Doesn’t matter. This thing has taken on a life of its own. It could have gone pretty badly.�
��

  On a laugh she said, “It could have been horrendous!”

  “You never really know someone until you travel with them,” I agreed.

  She ran her fingers down my wet cheek. “And if you’re stuck with someone you don’t travel well with, it’s the worst.”

  “Sucks so bad,” I smiled, gaze dropping to her lips.

  She closed her eyes. I leaned in for the kiss she was waiting for and again felt a connection I hadn’t known with anyone. It seemed stronger every time. Charlie and I made out with the jets blowing bubbles all around us, our lips molding and floating, changing sides, increasing pressure then being gentle. All of it was amazing, like I was on a drug.

  She nibbled my bottom lip and I ran a tongue across hers. She kissed my nose, my cheek, my chin and then our tongues came together again, dancing and exploring like there was no rush and nowhere we had to be, her jet lag forgotten. I was hard but did nothing but enjoy the feeling of being aroused while running my hands down her feminine form, all slippery from the water and also the sweat. We forgot about the champagne entirely, not getting out of the water until the pads on our fingers pruned. I couldn’t get enough of it.

  I pulled back to check her out. “You ready to sleep?”

  She nodded, a happy smile on her face. I kissed her nose and lifted her off me. We both stood up to walk to the edge and climb out, but Charlie turned around and lay her hands on my chest, both of us dripping and steam floating around our faces. “Let’s not golf tomorrow.”

  “What about the bet?”

  “Who cares about the bet? Let’s spend the day exploring this city. I’ve never been here, and I’ve spent too many hours hitting a ball over rolling hills that lead only to one place. Everything in my life has been a goal, Ethan. Can we just get rid of goals for one day? Let’s have some fun and just be.”

  I covered her hand with mine and pressed it into my chest, the other slipping around her lower back and bringing her closer to my naked body. “What her Highness wants, her Highness gets.”