“What if Cammie’s right and I hurt you?”
“Hurt me?”
“In your business, with your whole hitting-balls-in-weird-pants thing,” she says and I have to laugh.
“Sweetheart, I can assure you the only way you could hurt me is if you walk away without giving us a chance.”
“I don’t come from money, Gray. I’m never going to be comfortable around people like…”
I put my lips to hers and kiss her gently to stop whatever she’s going to say. Her lips are as tender and sweet as I remember. I drink in the flavor of her and pull slowly back.
“You’ve met my family, Cooper. Do you honestly think they’re anything like the Rivertons?”
“Well, Ida Sue’s pet cow does remind me of Cammie a little.”
“Oh, that was bad, Claudia Cooper.”
“I could show you bad…”
“Right here? In the barn?”
“Let’s be honest. Your family already thinks we’re having sex. We might as well.”
I step away from her. I think she actually thinks I’m a stupid man because her face shows her confusion. She actually thinks I’m turning her down. I pull my shirt up over my body and throw it down on the hay.
“Well, what are you waiting for, Cooper? Strip,” I tell her, kicking off my boots. When she starts undressing while smiling at me, something clicks into place. Claudia Cooper is my forever.
Now I just have to prove it to her.
I can’t believe I’m doing this. Then again, I can’t believe I’m here. Something about Gray makes me do things I would normally never do—like have sex in a barn on a pile of hay in the middle of the afternoon with his crazy family milling around outside. Yet here I am.
I watch him the entire time I undress. I can’t go slowly because there’s a good chance I’ll lose my nerve and an even bigger chance his mom will come out to do something crazy like give her cow a manicure. It doesn’t matter because the last article of my clothing hits the ground, then Gray grabs me and kisses me. His body is warmer than I remember, softer, yet strong at the same time. I open my mouth to him, groaning as his tongue pushes inside and takes over my mouth. His mouth slants over mine, our lips caressing, tasting and devouring each other. I’ve been kissed before, but Gray’s kisses are always like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I could kiss him for hours upon hours and still crave more.
When we break apart, I take a deep breath. My body is literally shaking from the need and the storm he has awakened inside of me. I dig my fingers into his back and hold on as I raise my head to look at him. Gray has to be the most beautiful man on the face of the planet. Have I said that? It needs to be repeated. The man is so masculine and sexy that it should be illegal. With his hair rumpled and his eyes sparkling with mischief, he is like nothing I’ve ever encountered. He could charm a nun into spreading her legs.
“What are you thinking, sweet lips?” he asks and I shake my head at that horrible nickname he insists on using. I want to say something smart. I’m already feeling exposed, but before I can stop myself, the truth slips out.
“I missed you,” I whisper. What is it about Gray that undermines my defenses and allows these moments of weakness that leave me vulnerable? Gray groans my name, his hand moving down to cup the side of my neck, and he pulls my mouth back to him.
“I’ve missed you so fucking much, woman,” he purrs into my ear. The vibration of his words rock me. Is it another line? If it is, it’s a fucking good one.
When his lips slide down the side of my neck and his hands come around to hold my breasts, squeezing them gently, I stop thinking altogether. His thumbs scrape against my nipples at the same time he gently bites my shoulder. A ripple of need pushes through my body, making my knees feel weak. I can feel myself getting wetter as he kisses down my chest to suck one of my nipples in his mouth, feeding my desire. His tongue moves around it, petting it, teasing it and sending shards of electricity through my body.
“Gray,” I whimper, torn between never wanting him to stop what he’s doing and demanding he just take me.
“I love your breasts, CC. The way they feel in my hands, the way your nipples strain for attention. How they respond when I tease you,” he whispers against my skin before taking one fully in his mouth and sucking on it. My head goes back with a gasp, my nails flexing into his skin and scoring his back as desire rips through me. His tongue pushes the nipple to the roof of his mouth, the slick, moist skin tightly sliding against it right before he flicks his tongue over it and puts it in place so he can bite down on it. A small burst of pain scissors like white heat through me.