Cooper pulled me closer and kissed me hard and deep. I realized he hadn't given me a real kiss since arriving that morning. I also realized he truly believed I would dump him, and it was making him miserable. As horrible as it was, this fact made me happy. Cooper possessed so much power over me that it was a relief knowing I had power too.
"How do I make it up to you?" he asked, holding me on his lap.
"Is that a sex question?" I asked, kissing his neck.
"It could be. Baby, I need to do something special for you because last night wasn't special."
"There's one thing I want, but it's not sex, and I don't think you'll want to do it."
"It's not lame, is it?"
Lifting my head from the crook of his neck, I frowned at him. "Never mind."
"No, tell me. Even if I hate doing it, I want to prove I'm not Tucker."
"You're not Tucker."
"Tell me," he said, leaning his forehead against mine. "Pretty please."
Laughing, I sighed. "The first night you came to my apartment, you did something that felt really good."
Cooper scowled as he replayed that evening. "I don't remember making any especially hot moves on you."
"I said it wasn't sex."
"Well, we didn't have sex that night, so I knew it wasn't sex."
"You won't want to do it. Forget it. A nice day at your house will be my reward for you not being perfect."
"Nope," he said, holding me still on his lap. "Tell me."
"I want a foot massage."
"Bull."
"No, really."
Cooper grinned. "Why wouldn't I want to massage you? I want you to feel good like you make me feel."
"My feet are killing me from working and walking so much, and you have talented fingers."
"Hell yeah, I do," he said, kissing me as his fingers explored my waist.
Cooper's naughty fingers merely teased as I squirmed in his lap, causing him to groan.
"Let's get to the house so you can soak up the sun and relax."
Sliding back into my seat, I grinned while he shifted the truck into drive. As I watched him, Cooper glanced my way and smiled like he had plans for me. When I saw the wicked gleam in his eyes, I never in my life wished more to be someone else. Someone who could see that look and meet it with vigor.
Cooper parked next to his apartment. "It's parents' weekend as you likely know. Skye's parents are in town, and they'll be with my parents for the day. Tucker is with Maddy and her parents. No employees around to spy on us either. We have the whole place to ourselves."
"Cool."
"Hungry?"
"A little."
"Let's go hang out in the house. We'll eat, find you a swimsuit, and I'll take you out to the hot tub for a nice relaxing foot massage."
"I get really relaxed when you massage my feet," I said, trying to be sexy.
Cooper opened the front door for me. "Yeah, I remember how you fell asleep that night."
"I meant a different kind of relaxed."
Heading into the kitchen, he glanced back at me and grinned. "Oh, I know what you meant, minx."
"I'm not doing that right now. I want you too much to say mean words."
"I take jackass as a compliment."
"Oh, then you're a giant sexy jackass."
"Hell yeah," he said, before leaning into the refrigerator to search for food. "Fuck. We have hit the motherload. Ribs and potato salad."
"That sounds great." My stomach responded with a loud growl and Cooper peeked up from the fridge and grinned. "I've never had ribs for breakfast."
"Stick with me and you'll eat like a queen."
Cooper proved this fact by feeding me until I could barely move. The meat on the ribs fell off the bone, and the potato salad tasted like nothing I'd ever had before.
"How do you stay so hot when you eat like this?" I asked him.
Cooper grinned. "I work out with weights. I swim a lot. I beat up a lot of stupid people. Burns a lot of calories."
Imagining the other way he burned calories, I didn't want to think of all the girls Cooper slept with over the years.
"If I keep coming here, I'll need to find a way to burn calories too."
"Oh, I'm sure I can think of a fun way to do that."
Staring at him blankly, I pretended like I didn't understand. Cooper only grinned wider.
"I'm going to pick out a suit for you."
A few minutes later, Cooper strolled down the stairs with a naughty grin on his face and his hands hidden behind his back.
"I found the perfect one. Though I doubt my parents have any idea Bailey owns it. They certainly wouldn't let her wear it around here."
"Oh, crap."
"Hell yeah," he said, grinning from ear to ear as he held up the tiny leopard-print bikini.
"I don't think I'll fit in it."
"I promise not to complain if you fall out."
Laughing, I took the bikini. "Why even wear it? It hides nothing."
"If you want, we can go nude?"
"Naw," I said, standing up and dropping the suit on the couch. "I feel like you need to work for it a little."
Cooper gave me a smile that faded as soon as I pulled off my shirt. His breathing shifted as I stripped down in front of him and then wiggled into the bikini. Once I was dressed, I casually smiled as if I was someone comfortable with her sexuality.
"I want my foot massage, slave."
"Hell yeah," he whispered as if breathless. "You can't know."
"Oh, I know. I feel the same way when you strut around shirtless."
Cooper smiled again, and his shirt came off seconds later. "Hot tub time."
Taking his hand, I walked with Cooper out of the back door to the deck and past the pool. Cooper leaned over and turned on the spa before stripping out of his shorts, leaving only his skull and bones boxers.
"My mom," he explained when I smiled at them. After Cooper had found us a few cold sodas, we settled into the hot water. "Give me those feet," he said, sitting across from me. "I'm going to relax the shit out of you."
"Stop threatening me."
"You look so fucking hot in that suit that I'm having trouble concentrating."
I fiddled with the bikini top barely covering my areolas, let alone the rest of my breasts. Lifting my gaze to meet his, I smiled. "Thank you for bringing me here today."
Cooper sighed. "Last night sucked. I need another chance."
"You have another chance and last night wasn't that bad."
"You didn't see your face," he whispered as his strong fingers worked at my arches.
"I'm sorry," I moaned, leaning farther into the water and resting my head on the back of the hot tub. "I can do better."
"Don't think about that. Just let me serve you."
Grinning, I moaned again as he rubbed at my heel. For the next few minutes, we watched each other, and I knew we were thinking the same thing. Relaxed under the late summer sun and soaking in the hot water, I really felt like I could do it sober. Cooper needed to be mine. He said he loved me. Despite what I said in the truck, I knew I loved him too. I needed to let go and embrace this opportunity.
Tugging my feet away gently, I sat up and then reached for him. Cooper exhaled in a way that made me think he was waiting for this moment since we stepped into the hot tub. I straddled him and was a little surprised to find him already hard between my legs.
"Been that way since you stripped down for me in the house," he said as I frowned. "Your face is so expressive that it's like every thought is there for me to see."
Rolling my eyes, I held onto his shoulders and then stood and lowered my bikini bottom. Cooper hooked a finger in the material and tugged it off. Looking up between my legs, Cooper just sighed.
"Every inch of you is perfect."
"Doubtful."
"Shut up," he spat, squirming out of his boxers until they were floating nearby. "You see things all wrong when it comes to you. It's like you're blind."
"Or stupid."
Cooper wrapped his arms around me as I settled over his erection. "Never stupid. My girl can't see what I see about her. That's a good thing, though. I don't want her getting stuck up and dumping me."
Rolling my hips and caressing his stiff cock between our bodies, I whispered, "Today is a perfect day." I lifted my hips as Cooper guided himself inside me. "Perfect."
Once full, I tried to find a rhythm, but it felt wrong. I met Cooper's gaze, and he frowned.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know how … "
When I lowered my gaze, Cooper took me by the chin and forced me to look at him. "Know how to what?"
"Like how, you know, find the rhythm."
"Oh, I have a simple technique that will help you."
Expecting his hands to move to my hips, they instead removed my bikini top and settled on my breasts.
"Just follow my lead," he said, giving me a sexy little grin.
"Wha … ?"
I gasped as his thumbs stroked up over my nipples to tell me to lift my hips. Then his thumbs stroked down, and my hips followed. I would never have guessed I'd love having my nipples teased, but it felt like heaven. While I would have told Cooper this fact, I'd lost the ability to speak as we worked ourselves into a nice rhythm.