25
JOY
Cooper’s bedroom was exactly what I expected—clean, masculine, and sparse in that way men managed when they didn’t overthink decorating. A simple wooden bed frame, dark blue comforter, and not much else. Not a throw pillow or decorative candle in sight, like a barbarian.
He put me on my feet and stood in front of me. His hands were already pulling my blouse up and over my head.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured, his eyes drinking me in like I was something precious.
I reached for his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against mine. When I finally got it off him, I let my hands roam over his chest, tracing the scars I’d noticed before, mapping the defined muscles that came from years of physical work.
I kissed one pec and then the other. My tongue lapped up the center of his chest and his throat. I sucked at the flesh below his ear and over his shoulder. I wanted to devour the man. Never before had I craved the taste of a man like this.
“I’ve wanted you so badly since that night,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “I couldn’t stop thinking about how you felt, how you make my heart pound.”
Cooper’s response was to capture my mouth in a kiss that was deep and demanding. His hands found the clasp of my bra, and when it fell away, he groaned against my lips.
“You’re a dream come true,” he said, his mouth trailing down my throat to my collarbone. “So damn perfect.”
When he took my breast in his mouth, I arched against him. My fingers threaded through his hair and took a firm grip, urging him on. The sensation shot straight through me, making me ache with need.
“Cooper, please,” I breathed, not even sure what I was begging for except more of everything.
He seemed to understand, because his hands moved to the waistband of my pants, working them down my legs along with my panties until I was completely bare before him. He looked at me like I was a feast he wanted to savor. It made heat pool low in my belly.
“My turn,” I said, reaching for his jeans.
I took my time undressing him, pressing kisses to his chest and stomach as I worked my way down. When I finally freed him, he was hard and ready. The sight made my mouth water.
“Joy,” he warned when I wrapped my hand around him, “if you keep doing that—”
“What?” I asked innocently, stroking him slowly. “This?”
His hips jerked into my touch. The groan was guttural. I loved having this effect on him, loved seeing his careful control start to fracture.
Before I could take things further, he was lifting me, laying me back on his bed with a gentleness that made my heart clench.
“I want to taste you,” he said, his voice rough with desire.
I nodded, unable to form words as he settled between my thighs. My panting spoke for me. When his mouth found me, I cried out, my back arching off the bed. He was thorough, relentless, using his tongue and lips to drive me higher and higher until I was trembling on the edge of beautiful forever.
“Cooper, don’t stop.”
“Let go,” he commanded against my sensitive flesh. “I want to watch you fall apart.”
His words pushed me over. I came with a cry that probably echoed through his entire house. Wave after wave of pleasure crashed over me, leaving me shaking and breathless.
Before I could fully recover, Cooper was moving over me, positioning himself at my entrance. Our eyes met and held as he pushed inside slowly, stretching me, filling me completely.
“You feel incredible,” he breathed, his forehead pressed against mine. “Like you were made for me.”
I wrapped my legs around his waist, urging him deeper. “Move,” I whispered. “Please, Cooper, I need you to move.”
He started slow, each thrust deliberate and controlled. But I could see the restraint in his face, the way he was holding back.
“I won’t break,” I told him, my nails digging into his shoulders. “I want all of you.”
Something in my words seemed to snap his control. His pace quickened, his thrusts becoming harder, more urgent. The bed creaked beneath us, but I didn’t care about anything except the way he felt moving inside me.