"No one is better than my girl," Cooper said, giving me a quick kiss. "Is Mom around?"
Sawyer screamed, "Mom" until a curly-haired blonde woman appeared from the house wearing shorts and a Harley tank top. Her bare skin displayed an assortment of tattoos from skulls to butterflies. Her blue eyes were bright as she looked up at her son and then down at her still screaming daughter.
"Tucker is teaching her crap," Cooper said.
"You're the oldest. It's your job to kick his ass for me."
Cooper laughed. "Mom, this is her."
"Ah, her," his mom said, grinning. "The girl who's got my son wrapped around her finger."
Standing there awkwardly, I gave my best non-awkward smile as Cooper's mom gave me the once over.
"I'm Jodi, and you must be a special girl for my boy to want you so bad."
Ignoring the special girl part, I forced my smile to grow. "Hello, Jodi."
"You hungry? We're getting ready to grill."
"I ate earlier. Thank you."
Cooper snorted. "She's lying. I felt her stomach growling on the way over."
Glaring at him, I felt my face flush in embarrassment. Jodi just laughed and took Sawyer by the hand.
"Come on in and get something to eat before you go swimming. Need to keep up your energy in this heat."
Still irritated, I glanced at Cooper. Instead of giving a shit about my anger, he grinned at me as if his pants were still too snug.
"Yes," he said, nudging me towards the house, "we must keep up our energy. I have plans for today."
"Okay," I said, nervous about a lot of things now.
His mom was nice, but I'd never met a guy's parents. Also, Sawyer was a little like Bailey, and I feared being embarrassed. Then there was Cooper's horniness. I had woken up with the plan to have sex with him. When he said it wouldn't happen, I relaxed. Now I didn't know what to think. His moods were all over the place. Sweet one minute. Terrifying the next.
Cooper kissed my neck before corralling me into the air conditioned house. I turned to look at him, and his smile faded.
"What?" he whispered.
"Nothing."
Cooper stood behind me and wrapped his arms around my chest, pulling me to him. "You work at that job. You never miss school. You deserve a little fun, and we're going to have some. Soon my pop will grill, and you'll pig out, and I'll lick barbecue sauce off your lips. Then I'll take you home, safe and sound. Do you understand?" I nodded again, but Cooper sighed. "Why do you look ready to cry?"
"I'm nervous."
"Don't be. My family's a mess. We're sloppy. We eat too much. Talk too loud. Fart constantly. Next to us, you're a princess."
Grinning, I nuzzled my cheek against his bicep. This time, when Cooper sighed, there was longing behind the sound. "Today, I'm kissing you like you've never been kissed before. Prepare to be ruined for all other men."
"Is that a threat?" I asked, squinting hard at him.
"Gorgeous."
"Sexy jerk."
"Let's get something to eat."
The inside of the house was even nicer than the outside. It wasn't chandelier fancy, but warm and countrified. Even with the animal heads on the walls, the place felt grand because of the two-story windows facing the river and woods.
Cooper wanted alone time with me, but Sawyer was busy monopolizing his time. I didn't mind the distraction as I worried about wearing a swimsuit around him and Bailey. This fear was soon realized when Bailey appeared and smiled in a fake way. Cooper glared at her until she punched his arm. Then he chased his screaming sister out of the room. It could have gone better.
By the time I was alone with Bailey in her massive princess room, my empty stomach twisted with anxiety.
"I'm nervous about wearing a swimsuit in front of your brother," I told Bailey, who was searching for the right one.
She glanced at me full of irritation and then her brain caught up with what I said. The annoyance washed away, and she smiled. "He's been with a lot of really hot girls. He's bound to compare you."
While I succeeded in making Bailey feel better, I'd managed to screw myself with her helpful honesty.
"He wants to fuck you, though," Bailey added when I stared at her. "He's determined to fuck you, so it won't matter how bad you look."
"Okay."
Bailey settled on a faded blue, nearly shapeless one piece that wasn't nearly as cute as hers. At that point, I wanted to get the whole reveal and Cooper's reaction over.
Following Bailey back to the family room, I remembered what Tawny told me. Enjoy Cooper and his money. Don't take anything personal. Relax and make the best out of college life. Just chill.
Chilling as I returned to the kitchen, I immediately felt overheated. Cooper wore black swim trunks that hung loosely from his hips. His incredibly sexy hips. Staring at his chest, all of the hard muscles and golden skin, I could ignore the tattoos reminding me of things I didn't want to remember. As Cooper stared out of the back windows, I watched him for a full minute before he noticed me. Then we were both drooling. It was pretty awkward.
Cooper walked to me and whispered, "She picked the ugliest suit she could find, and you still look so hot that I need … "
Unable to finish, he just leaned down and cradled his head against my shoulder. Once he felt under control, he sighed and stood again.
"You're killing me. I'll likely die, and it'll be all your fault."
"If it makes you feel any better," I whispered, staring at him with big frightened eyes, "I think my pants are snug now too."
With that comment, I placed my hand on his chest, and Cooper lost all brain function for maybe a minute. He stared as if he might actually die. Finally, his gaze narrowed and he glared at me.
"You're mean."
Laughing at the sincerity behind his words, I let my fingers slide down his powerful chest and hard stomach. His skin felt warm and soft under my fingertips. I hadn't expected the soft part, and I stroked him gently wanting more.
Horniness under control, Cooper watched me in a passive way. I wanted to touch him, and he was letting me. Nothing else would happen especially not with the three Johansson ladies nearby. Soon, he touched my chin and lifted my lips to his.
The kiss was gentle and without heat. Just his soft lips against mine before he pulled back and smiled. "I see another wall falling for me," he whispered tenderly.
"You look really hot," I said, trying to distract him.
"Let's eat and then we'll go down to the river and swim. It's too nice a day to stay in the pool."
"I've never swum in a river before."
"College is all about new experiences," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Ignoring his teasing, I asked, "What's for lunch?"
"Meat. Mom made macaroni salad too. She's a hell of a cook. You should try her extra cheesy mac and cheese."
The way Cooper spoke of his mother made me smile. Not a fake nervous smile, but a genuine one. He was so sweet about his mom, and I was happy he had such a good relationship with her. Jodi must have sensed she was being spoken about because she appeared and waved for us to head outside.
At the grill, a tall, muscular man stood while Tucker sat nearby with Maddy on his lap. Cooper took my hand and led me towards his dad.
"Pop, this is Farah," Cooper said in a tone that nearly sent me into giggles.
He sounded excited like a little boy, and I couldn't believe he was so happy to show me off. Never feeling as important, I realized my self-esteem now depended on Cooper's feelings for me.
The Kirk from Whiskey Kirk's was like an older rougher version of his son. None of the boyish charm. None of the softness in the dark eyes. Only grizzled badass. Without knowing what the Johansson family business involved, I couldn't imagine Kirk controlling anything legal. He had a scary, violent edge to him even as he gave my hand a quick shake.
"She's a sweet one," Kirk said.
Cooper tightened his grip on my other hand and narrowed his gaze. Glaring at each other, dad and son had a little showdown until Kirk grinned.
"Go away while I cook," he muttered while returning to the grill.
Cooper didn't walk away until his dad opened a beer. Finally, he pulled me along with him.
Nervous again, I stared up at Cooper. "Did I do something wrong?"
Cooper glanced at me. "Naw, we just have to play whose dick is bigger so he can feel like leaving the business to me is a safe move. He does that shit all the time. Sorry about the sweet thing comment. He's not sensitive like me."
Laughing at him, I reached up and pushed a lock of blond hair out of his eyes. Cooper immediately reverted to a horny guy. There was a moment where our eyes met, and I thought he might fuck me in front of everyone. I knew my eyes widened, but I didn't know about my mouth until Cooper glanced down at my lips and burst into laughter.
"A perfect 'O' every time. It's like a cartoon character," he said and then added with too much intensity. "A sexy fucking cartoon character."
"You make me happy," I said, and his cocky grin faded into the softness I preferred. "Do I make you happy?"
"When you give me exactly what I want and don't piss me off, you make life perfect."
Glaring at him, I shook my head. "So never then, huh?"