Charming Cupid, page 11
I swallowed and kept my voice deliberately casual as I said, “I can’t remember the last time I was out on a date. Do you date a lot?”
“No.”
“Really?” I questioned.
“I don’t.” He shook his head.
“So you just skip dinner and the movie and get down to business, then?”
His lips turned up in a lopsided grin. “Get down to business?”
“Yep.” I nodded confidently, not at all embarrassed by my euphemism. I wanted information and I was not above using a corny turn of phrase to get it.
“It’s been a while since I’ve done any business.”
His vague answer left more questions in my head. What did “a while” mean to Cooper Briggs? A month? A week? A day?
I took a sip of wine for a little liquid courage. “How long has it been?”
“Dr. Cupid, are you asking me how long it’s been since I’ve had S-E-X?” Coop asked, that last part in a whisper.
Why did everything he did have to be so freaking charming? “Yes. And please don’t call me that.”
As proud as I was to have my doctorate, for me, Dr. Cupid just didn’t have the ring to it that it seemed to have for everyone else. I took another sip as I waited for his answer.
“Eighteen months.”
I choked and felt the liquid come back up so I covered my mouth to avoid doing a spit take.
“Are you okay?” Coop stood but I nodded and motioned for him to sit back down.
I managed to swallow the offending wine, and I wiped my mouth with my cloth napkin before clarifying. “A year and a half? You haven’t had sex in a year and a half?”
That made no sense. This was Cooper Briggs. According to Jade, his womanizer ways were legendary.
“No.” Coop’s voice was deadly serious. “I haven’t.”
“Did you find religion?” It was the only plausible explanation I could come up with as I cut into the juicy meat on my plate and tried not to seem overly invested in his answer, even though I was dying to know.
“No.” Coop grinned, appearing amused at my observation. “It wasn’t by choice.”
I put my fork and knife down, forgoing any attempt at nonchalance. I wanted to give the conversation my full attention. I’d been skeptical before but now I was calling serious bullshit. There is no way that women had been turning him down for a year and a half. “You’re saying that no woman has wanted to sleep with you for a year and a half?”
“No.” Coop shook his head. “I’m saying that I couldn’t sleep with the ones that did.”
“Why not?” If it wasn’t religion then I was out of guesses.
“Well,” he grinned. “You are the doctor so I’m not sure I should have to explain this to you, but sometimes men’s bodies don’t cooperate.”
“Wait.” I blinked, totally blindsided by what I thought he might be referring to. “Are you saying that you couldn’t…” My mind could only come up with “get an erection” but that sounded so clinical.
“Get it up?” he finished. “Yes and no. I’m fine on my own but Mr. Happy hasn’t wanted to play with others lately.”
“Mr. Happy?”
“Yep.” Coop nodded as confidently as I had about my get-down-to-business euphemism.
“You named your penis?”
“No. Annie Parsons did. She was my first. It was the summer before my freshman year and her senior year. I was fourteen she was seventeen. We met every night down at the river and messed around and I’d always get these massive boners. She was an older woman and I was trying to act cool about popping raging wood every time we even hugged, so I’d say things like, ‘don’t mind him he’s just happy to see you.’ That somehow morphed into her calling him Mr. Happy and it stuck.”
If any man other than Cooper had told me that story, I would’ve thought they were a douchebag. But Coop made it seem charming somehow.
“And so Mr. Happy hasn’t wanted to play with others?” I repeated for clarification.
“No. Not until I saw you.”
I let my head fall back as I chuckled. It was a line, a decent line, but a line none the less.
“I’m serious.”
When I heard his tone, I lifted my head and saw that he definitely looked serious.
“From the moment I saw you, it’s been you. Just you. I’ve never felt the way I feel about you. It was like my life was stalled. Actually, I felt like my life was going on at full speed but I was stuck. It was like I was pushing the gas and my wheels were spinning but I couldn’t get out of the mud. Then I saw you and caught traction. Why do you think I’ve been relentless these past few months? Why do you think I did this?” He fanned his arms out. “Do you think I’d go to all this trouble for someone I wasn’t serious about?”
I sighed, not wanting to break the spell that was magically cast over us whenever I was in Coop’s presence but knowing that it was time to have an honest talk. “Okay, look. I appreciate all of this and that you’ve been pursuing me for the past few months. But I also understand the thrill of the chase. I’m aware that you’re used to women falling at your feet, and since I didn’t do that it’s a novelty. And I’ve seen enough charmers in my line of work—and in my own home, for that matter—to be able to spot the telltale signs.
“Don’t get me wrong. Being on the receiving end of this kind of focused attention is amazing. You have great lines and you pull off incredible gestures. I’m flattered. But I saw my own father do and say similar things, over and over again. On countless women, including my mother. And I’ve counseled people that do it and I’ve even watched friends do it. I’ve seen behind the curtain and I’d rather just enjoy the illusion of the Great and Powerful Oz without reading too much into it. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but this–” I motioned to the dinner laid out in front of us, “–is romantic, but it’s not about me.”
Coop nodded, then took a deep breath and leaned forward, looking directly into my eyes. He spoke clearly and slowly, so there was no mistaking his meaning. “Vanessa, let me make one thing perfectly clear. This is about you. I’ve never been more serious about anyone before. You’re different. What I feel for you is different. I’m not giving you a line. Before I saw you, I was honestly worried that I’d completely lost my mojo. My sex drive. But as soon as I saw you standing in the back of the room when I walked into that holding area, I knew that the problem was that I was just done being with women I don’t care about. I care about you. Do I want you? Yes. But this isn’t about getting laid or even the chase. It’s about you.”
I sucked in air for what felt like the first time in forever. I don’t think I’d taken a breath during his entire speech. I wasn’t sure how to process what he was saying. I wanted to believe him, but I wasn’t sure what it would mean if I did. If I was falling into his vortex after spending one day with him, what would it be like if it was a month or year?
“So…what about you?” he prompted casually as he scooped a heap of mashed potatoes onto his fork.
“Um…I don’t know. I like you. I guess I just want to enjoy the weekend.” There was no way I could promise more than that.
His smile told me that I hadn’t answered the question he was actually asking. “That’s good. But I meant how long has it been since you got down to business?”
“Oh, that. It’s been a while for me, too.”
He paused for a moment and I thought he was going to follow up with more questions, but he surprised me by nodding and then changing the subject.
We discussed music, family, sports, and our careers. I don’t know how long we were up on that rooftop but all too soon I found myself standing in front of my door with my keycard in hand.
Invite him in! Invite him in! A voice kept screaming over and over in my head.
I pushed the card into the slot and the light above it turned green. I opened the door and turned back around.
Invite him in! Invite him in!
“Thank you for an amazing night. And for stepping in today with the seminar. And for the massage.” There was a lot to thank him for.
“You’re welcome.” He smiled and I found myself holding my breath once more, hoping he’d close the space between us and kiss me. Which he did, just not where I wanted it. He lifted my hand to his lips and pressed them against my knuckles, just like he’d done the night of the benefit. “Goodnight, Vanessa.”
“Goodnight, Coop.” I stepped inside and when the door closed, my heart sank in disappointment.
He’d been the perfect gentleman…and for the first time in my life, I was actually hoping for the bad boy.
CHAPTER 16
Coop
I’d left Vanessa at her door over two hours ago and yet she was still assaulting all of my senses.
I lay in my bed, staring up at the ceiling fan and tried to think of anything besides how drop dead gorgeous Vanessa had looked in her dress. I tried to block my mind from obsessing over the sound of her laugh, the intoxicating scent of her perfume, and the sweet taste of her soft skin against my lips as I kissed the back of her hand.
But I couldn’t shake her. My body was still primed and ready, despite having jerked off twice. I would’ve thought it was physically impossible to have blue balls after emptying the chambers twice, but I was proving it wasn’t. And I better get used to it because if things went the way I hoped they would, I might be in this state for quite a while. It was a sacrifice I was more than willing to make.
Tonight’s dinner with Vanessa could not have gone better. I’d told her how I felt. She hadn’t taken me seriously, but I’d show her that I was. The point was, she knew, whether she believed it or not.
I was 99.9% sure that I could’ve gotten a goodnight kiss tonight, or more. But I’d held back. I’d had enough casual sex to fill two lifetimes. That wasn’t what this was about. This was about more, and I needed her to know how serious I was. If that meant I was in perpetual discomfort while I proved to her just how special I knew she was, then fine. So be it.
I shifted in my bed and threw my arms over my eyes, covering them. Sometimes total darkness helped me fall asleep. I felt myself finally drifting off when I heard a sound that I couldn’t quite place but also couldn’t ignore.
I sat up in bed and listened. It came again, a light tapping. I could barely hear it from the bedroom, but I was pretty sure someone was at my door.
Shifting so that my legs hung off the side of the bed, I grabbed my sweats and pulled them on, forgoing my boxer-briefs. I didn’t normally free-ball but it was past midnight and I didn’t feel like tugging them on.
As I walked to answer the tap, I considered who could be on the other side of the door. My first thought was that I hoped it was Vanessa, but she didn’t really strike me as the type to make booty calls. I could see Sullivan swinging by, maybe to see if I wanted to grab a drink, but he would more than likely text first. Also, we were supposed to meet up in the morning.
There was no way that it would be a noise complaint. I hadn’t even had the television on. A mistaken room service delivery was what I’d settled on when I peeked through the privacy viewer and saw that my first instinct had been the right one.
Vanessa Cupid was standing on the other side of my door. She was wearing a tank top and sweats and she was mouthing words silently. It looked like she was rehearsing what she was going to say and it was damn cute. As much as I’d love to continue watching her practice her speech, I wanted to know what she had to say.
I opened the door as she was lifting her arm to knock again and she jumped half an inch off the floor.
“Hi,” I greeted her with an ear-to-ear smile.
“Hi,” she giggled. She shook her head and grasped at her chest before looking down at the floor nervously. “You startled me.”
“Sorry.”
Her eyes lifted again but they didn’t make it all the way to my face. Instead, they stalled on my chest. She licked her lips as she stared with the same expression she’d had on her face when she’d seen me on the balcony. Every cell in my body was screaming for me to wrap my arms around her, pull her inside, and kiss her until we both forgot our names, but since I couldn’t do that, I opened the door wider. “Do you want to come in?”
“Oh!” Her eyes jerked up to mine, as if I’d startled her once more. “Yes. Thanks.”
She walked past me. The faint floral scent I’d noticed at dinner wafted up in the air. I wasn’t normally a fan of perfume, but this one was so delicate and fresh, I was becoming addicted to it.
I shut the door and offered, “Do you want something to drink?”
I hadn’t cracked open the mini-bar, but I was sure it was fully-stocked.
“No, thank you.” She shook her head as she paced the length of the sitting room.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes. I’m just…I’m not sure how to…what to…” She shook her head again and took a deep breath, not looking in my direction. “I don’t know where to start.”
“Why don’t you start with what you were rehearsing before I opened the door.”
Her eyes shot to mine, wide with horror. “You saw that?!”
“I did.”
I watched as her mouth opened then shut, then opened again.
“Do you want to sit down?” I motioned to the couch.
“No.” She stared at the sofa like it might swallow her alive.
Her nervous energy, while adorable, was beginning to cause me a little concern. Whatever she’d come to say had to be important and it was obviously difficult for her to express.
“Vanessa.” There was an authority in my voice that I hadn’t intended as I spoke her name, but it had the desired effect. She looked up into my eyes. “It’s just me. Just tell me.”
She nodded, took a deep breath, and blew it out. “You told me tonight that you felt stuck before you met me. Like your life was going forward but you were in the mud.”
I nodded in encouragement.
“Well, I felt the opposite when I saw you,” she stated as if she’d just revealed a big secret.
My forehead creased as my brows pulled together while I tried to make sense of what she’d said. “Seeing me made you feel stuck?”
“Yes. No. I mean, I felt like I was speeding through life, like things were going so fast and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I felt like I was juggling all these balls in the air and I was going to drop one any second. But then I saw you and everything slowed down. My mind stopped racing. The world got quiet. And it’s like that every time I’m around you. Everything just…” She took a deep breath. “I can just breathe.”
It wasn’t a declaration of love, but I’d take it. I was glad that I wasn’t the only one that was feeling something special between us.
“And tonight, I was lying in bed and I couldn’t sleep and I just wanted one night where my brain wasn’t racing. I want a break from it. I want to feel…I want to be…” A frustrated huff escaped her as she turned around and stared out the sliding door that led to the patio. “I want…”
“What do you want?” My entire body tensed with anticipation as I stared at her back.
“I want you to come here.” Her voice trembled.
More than happy to oblige, my heart hammered in my chest as I crossed to her, stopping directly behind her. “I’m here.”
“I want you to touch me,” she said, barely above a whisper.
The energy between us was crackling with electricity as I settled my hands on her hips, leaned down, and breathed in her lovely scent.
Leaning back, she pressed her shoulders against my chest and nestled her head under my chin. I could sense her breath speeding up as her chest rose and fell, her movements caused her body to brush against me and it increased my arousal more and more with every passing second.
My dick was fully hard and pressing against her backside, which only added to my erection. Her perfectly formed ass felt amazing against my cock, even through my clothes. That sensation intensified as she began to rock her hips back and forth, pressing herself into me with gentle pressure.
She drew in a breath, trembling and raspy. When she spoke, it was a whisper so low that I had to strain to hear her words. “I want you to touch my skin.”
Her breath came in shallow bursts, as I slid my hands up underneath the hem of her tank top and pressed them flat against her torso. My own heartbeat sped fast and tremulous like the wings of a hummingbird as I touched her.
I ran my hands up and down over her bare skin, luxuriating in her body’s response. Her muscles trembled under my touch and I got a small charge out of each and every flicker and tremor under her skin. Each one of them was a message sent directly to me from her body, and that message was simple: I’m yours.
Moaning, she raised her arms, reached them back, and buried her fingers in my hair. That caused her back to arch and her ass to rock into my groin. Even through the cotton barrier of her tank top and our sweats, I could feel the incredible heat and connection we shared burning between us, wrapping us up in its power.
Her head tilted to the side and I took that as an invitation.
I lowered my head and pressed my lips against her neck to trail soft kisses down that tender flesh. Her pulse pounded fast against my lips and I realized that everything about her was pumping with rapid speed, now—her heart, her breath. She was every bit as turned on as I was, and that was one hell of an aphrodisiac.
My hands moved farther up and I traced the outline of her breasts with my fingertips, sending shudders through her body. Then I cupped her soft globes. Her nipples poked against my palms, hard and firm even through the thin fabric of her bra. The feel of them against my palms sent my pulse racing and my blood heating as it shot through my veins, setting my skin on fire. Everything in me burned for her.
I knew I would never get enough of the silky, smooth, warmth of her skin under my rough hands. Her lush femininity contrasted with my harsh masculinity and they worked together to create both friction and pleasure, accomplishing something that was greater than either one of them alone. The sum was greater than the parts.
