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I snuck back into Cooper’s room, hoping to grab my phone without him noticing. I need to put myself back to rights after a rough night with a shower and some makeup before making breakfast. But when I go to grab my phone, I notice the door to his bathroom is still cracked open. The sound of rushing water from the shower and steam rolls out into the bedroom. I see a flash of skin behind the door and the curve of his hip. His thighs look like they were carved out of marble, and getting to see a glimpse of the whole work of art is too tempting right now. Especially after falling asleep in his bed and having more than one not-so-innocent dream about him. It’s wrong, but curiosity gets the best of me, and I find myself shifting subtly on my feet to get a better look. I lean to the side, and my jaw drops a little when he finally comes into full view.
He’s naked and so ridiculously beautiful. Where Rob was heavily tattooed—with some very regrettable day-I-turned-eighteen type tattoos that had aged poorly—Cooper has none. He’s a blank canvas, and I’m… not hating it. I always thought I was a tattoo girl, but staring at him, I’m questioning everything. Every single curve of his back, shoulder blades, ass, and thighs is on full display with nothing to distract from them, the shadows and the light playing over them to spectacular effect. His arms are roped with muscle, the scar up the back of his elbow moving as his fist pumps back and forth.
I blink. And then blink again as I realize what he’s doing when a throaty sound follows a string of curse words. He leans forward and braces himself against the quartz countertop as he starts to work himself over at a faster pace. His eyes are shuttered, and I can see most of his profile in the reflection of the mirror.
“Oh fuck. So fucking close…” he mutters.
I roll my lower lip between my teeth. I should leave. I have to leave. I really need to uproot myself from this spot and get into the shower. Probably a cold one because I’m half-ready to join him in his morning activities.
I should get cleaned up and try to erase this sight from my head. Because the last thing I need is to be thinking about Cooper like this. Obviously last night has thoroughly messed with my head, and waking up disheveled in his bed like we’d just spent the night together made it even worse. Not to mention I’m violating the man’s privacy after he just spent last night protecting mine and making sure I felt safe.
But I can’t stop watching. It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and the only thing I want right now is to watch him finish. Well. The only thing I want in this particular moment, if I’m truly honest, is to be the one helping him finish. Since that’s impossible, I’ll take the consolation prize of watching him come all over his hand.
“Fuck, Trixie. Just a little more.”
I gasp silently, the sharp intake of breath freezing in my lungs as I try to make sure I heard him right. I can’t have, but I swear… I swear he said my name. The flush of that realization spreads down my neck and over my chest.
My mind is whirring with all the consequences of what that could mean as he starts to come; it spills over his hand and some onto the counter before he grabs a towel to catch the rest. His fist moving over his cock in rough strokes while his chest shudders in tandem.
A soft, guttural moan comes out of him as he finishes. He’s bent over, leaning hard on his free hand, his head down as his chest rises and falls, and he starts to move the towel over his abdomen and dick. His eyes are only half-open, and he looks drunk on his release as he wipes his hands and tosses the towel in the hamper. He takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his hair and over his face.
“Fuckkkk,” he groans again, but this time, it’s the sound of regret rather than pleasure. “Get a grip, Rawlings. Get a fucking grip.”
He turns toward the shower, and I jump back out of his line of sight, turning quickly to the door and practically running through it down the hall. My phone nearly falls to the floor, but I catch it just before it does. I move faster down the hall than I have anywhere outside of the gym. When I finally get back to my room, I shut the door and lean against it, trying to catch my breath from my sudden sprint and the realization that Cooper just said my name.
14
Beatrix
Later that week, I’m home alone with Lizzy while Cooper has an offseason practice and training session that’s running long. She’s finally out of school for the year and enjoying it by playing video games and lounging by the pool outside. I’m busy following up on some inquiries Madison sent out and emailing a photographer in Seattle we’d both love to see do some work with Quentin if she’s willing to while we’re all out there later this summer.
But midway through, I hit a wall of fatigue, and I don’t think I can bear to open one more email. Writing line after line of polite professional jargon is almost as exhausting as doing time on the elliptical, and I need to give myself a break. A snack wouldn’t hurt either, so I wander into the kitchen and start working on some small cucumber sandwiches and a fruit bowl. I end up making more than I need since I don’t think Lizzy’s had much other than the big pancake breakfast we all had this morning, so I put it on a tray to take outside, figuring I can use some vitamin D too.
“Hungry?” I ask.
She pulls down the headphones that she has on while she floats in the pool and grins.
“Yes! Starving. Hang on.” She kicks her way around and makes for the edge of the pool.
I set our snacks out on a table between two loungers and take up my spot, slipping out of my shoes and putting my sunglasses on. I could get used to this life. One where the pool is just outside the back door, and work breaks involve getting to lounge outside. Lizzy pulls up next to me a moment later and sprawls out on the neon-colored beach towel she has spread out.
“So I was just thinking…” She nibbles away at one of the sandwiches, finishing it with some of the lemonade I brought out to go with them. “Dad’s birthday is coming up next week when I’m already at camp.”
“Oh, is it?”
“Yes. It’s that Friday, and normally, I do a whole thing where I bake him a cake and send invites to Ramsey, Garner, and the rest of the guys. But I won’t be here to do it. I know he’ll say he doesn’t care and that we can celebrate it later, but I know he loves having everyone over for the pool and BBQ. He won’t do it for himself though.”
“Yeah, I know that about your dad.” Cooper is always very focused on his friends and family, always making sure everyone else has a good time.
“So I was wondering… Since you’ll be here, and I know you bake the most amazing things, would you be willing to host it for him?”
I stop mid-bite of my fruit salad.
“Me?”
“Yeah. You guys are friends. You work with the Chaos, so you could get the invites out to them. We could get the groceries for the BBQ delivered if you don’t have time, or we could even have a BBQ place cater. That might be easier. I have a credit card for emergencies.”
She’s already thought this whole thing through and has the entire plan ready to be put into action. I really don’t have a good excuse not to do it, at least not from her perspective. Honestly, I love the idea and figure Cooper could use the break from all the practices and end-of-year parent responsibilities he’s had with Lizzy’s school.
