Lost Chances (9 page)

"Cooper? A fire okay?" Jacob slapped him on the back and his gaze finally left hers.

"Sounds great." Cooper left the kitchen out the back door.

Sophia followed them. She loved hanging out with her brothers and even Cooper, but she really needed to find a man who didn't cheat, was emotionally available, not a friend of her brothers, and straight. Was that too much to ask?

Chapter Eleven

Cooper took a step away from the raging fire and tried his best to keep his eyes off Sophia. That became impossible when she started to dance to the music blaring over the radio, looking drunk and vulnerable with whatever happened between her and her boyfriend. Maybe if he kept repeating that to himself, then his mind would get away from the dirty thoughts.

Hard to do, when her dress hiked up way too short, showing smooth legs and round breasts about to spill out. He loved the way her short hair framed her face more than anything. And those deep blue eyes held him in a trance when she would finally look at him. Not that she acted aware of the fire she stoked in him—much larger than the one inside the pit.

Her hips swayed as she grabbed Ryan. The man was gay. Cooper was pretty sure anyways, but it didn't stop the strong need to stomp over there and pull her away from the guy. He would much rather have her rubbing against him the way she did with Ryan.

They stopped dancing and Ryan grabbed her hand b
efore walking over to where he stood beside the others. He reached for another beer and focused on Cooper. "So, I saw a guitar sitting by the couch. Do you play?"

"Umm…." Sophia seemed interested to know, too. "I do. I've actually been performing for a while."

"Performing? Like in a band?" Sophia leaned forward and nearly fell on him.

Ryan caught her before she did.

Too bad.

"I play on my own most of the time. Every once in a while I get together with a couple guys and we play together back in Texas." He didn't know why it scared the shit out of him for them to know he was trying to become a country singer. Maybe the thought of failing… It's easier to fail without having anyone to feel sorry for you. "It's not a big deal."

"Play for us!" Nick yelled and then toppled toward the fire but managed to stop himself. "I'm going to sit on this log while you do that."

Jacob just shook his head at his drunk twin. "You should definitely just sit there, before Mike has to doctor you up because you fell into the fire."

"So, you gonna play?" Ryan asked.

"I don't really feel—"

"I want to hear you."

Those eyes of hers lit up with the firelight flickering over her face and he couldn't deny it. He couldn't tell her no. "Okay, I'll play."

He kicked himself on the way back into the house. What would she think of him playing? If she didn't like it, then he was screwed. God, he'd never been more scared to perform than he was right then. He grabbed the guitar and walked back outside where they'd all found a seat around the fire.

Sophia sat on her own and left the only empty spot right beside her. She straddled the log and he couldn't believe she wasn't showing more skin than she was. A shame, really. Both hands rested in front of her as she watched him come toward her. She seemed excited to hear him play.

The small smile on her lips and the impatience in the way she moved her fingers made up his mind about what to play. Her song. The one he'd been working on since he came back home.

Sophia just sat there biting her lip as his voice and the chords to his guitar filled the silence of his small aud
ience. No one else really mattered right then, but her.

When he finished, she stood and walked back over to the radio. He really had no clue what to think other than she didn't like it.

Ryan followed her and they started dancing together again.

Talk about smack in the face.

Jacob slapped him on the shoulder just a little harder than a pat from a friend. "I'm not stupid and I know you have feelings for my little sister. I'm also sure Mike and Nick picked up on it too. So I'd suggest you be careful."

Threats didn't work well on Cooper. "I could take you and them, too. No matter what, I won't hurt Sophia again. I swear."

"Good." He spoke a little louder. "I'm heading home then. Got a big project to work on tomorrow."

"Have fun with that. Not that I can say much. I'll be up first thing working on the house." Cooper faked a laugh as he kept his gaze from going back to Sophia.

"If I get any free time, I'll be over to help. Don't let these two, because they wouldn't know what to do with a hammer." Jacob walked over to Sophia.

Nick snorted and Mike shrugged his shoulders. Both didn't seem too amused and not by Jacob's comment.

He turned to see Sophia kiss her brother's cheek and shaking her head. He must've asked if she wanted to leave. Cooper didn't want her to go yet. That didn't mean she shouldn't.

"I think I'm going home, too. Big fire today is really taking its toll. Nick, you coming with us?" Mike headed inside the house and Cooper followed.

"Yeah, let me take a piss first. I doubt I'd make the ride." Nick moved off to the other side of the house. "I'll meet y'all at the cart."

Cooper waved them off and then went for his stash. The Jose bottle hadn't been opened yet and he felt like it would be the best time. Jose tended to knock him out and if he didn't fall asleep fast enough, then he had a bad feeling he'd try something stupid with Sophia. It wasn't time to beg for her to forgive him. He wasn't even sure if she was still with that guy.

Luckily, she had Ryan to keep him from making a move.

The door creaked and Ryan stumbled through. "Is it alright if I crash on your couch tonight? Or just rest until Sophia is ready to head back."

Cooper could see Ryan's eyes cross. No way in hell was he letting either of them drive. "Wait, neither of you have a vehicle."

"Mike left his keys here." Ryan headed toward the couch.

"Don't worry about it. You can both crash here tonight."

Yep, that was smart. The perfect way to keep Sophia at bay. Just have her sleep in your house, drunk, and with the hottest little dress on.

He poured a shot and took in the burn as it seemed to creep down his throat. One more shot, a quick adjustment of the uncomfortable bulge between his legs, and then he went back outside to put the fire out.

****

Sophia felt as if the ground moved beneath her feet. Then Cooper walked out and all of her attention switched to him. She managed to stay clear of him most of the night until he played that song. The song she knew was about her. After he finished singing, she could only walk away or she'd have jumped him with her brothers right there. Now, they had left and there was no missing how sexy he looked.

Need. An aching need caused her chest to hurt and other places she didn't need to think about with him coming closer to her. She wanted to run to him instantly, so before he could say anything, she did the only thing she could think of to save herself. Run.

She couldn't exactly run, but she did manage to stumble her way past him, up his steps, and into his house. As soon as she walked through the kitchen area, she spotted a bottle of Jose and a shot glass. One shot wouldn't hurt.

Boy was she wrong. About ten minutes later, she found herself staggering into Cooper's room. She spotted the king sized bed. Jose worked his magic and she felt no fear as she undressed and got on top of it—and waited. She wore a matching black bra and panties. Ryan had tried to talk her into some leopard print, but she refused. It was already hard to feel confident enough to pull off the lacy lingerie.

Barefoot steps slapped against the hardwood floor, growing closer every second. A little fear crept into her when the door swung open with a small creak. She watched as his eyes widened and his mouth dropped.

"What are you doing?" She still managed to make out his words even though they came out slurred.

"Waiting on you. Are you coming or what? Because I'd really like to be." Even with the Vodka, fruity drink, and Jose in her system, she still couldn't believe that came out of her mouth. She had never been so forward in her life.

It shocked her more when he jerked both shirts over his head and tossed them onto the floor. His pants were gone in seconds, leaving only his tight black briefs that didn't leave anything to the imagination. As much as she loved seeing how the briefs hugged his thick thighs among other things, she really wanted them gone. She wanted nothing between them any longer. All she wanted was him.

She ignored her fear and used every ounce of need she had bottled up to move off the bed and help him remove the last bit of clothing he wore. Every part of her body burned where his gaze landed. His blue eyes darkened and when she stepped closer, his pupils dilated.

He wanted her too. His lips smashed against hers and she cried out in pain when their teeth knocked. She wanted to really cry when he pulled away.

"Damn. I'm sorry." Cooper stepped back and released the hold he had on her hips.

There was no chance of him escaping her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. This time their lips locked perfectly and in seconds, he had her butt on the edge of his dresser and his erection ground against her, reminding her of the barrier still between them. His hands fumbled with the clasp of her bra until he opened and pulled it off her body.

She was about to reach down to remove his underwear when he wobbled slightly, causing him to nearly drop her.

"I'm too drunk to take you like this."

Her heart froze as she prepared for him to stop completely.

"I really need you on the bed." He picked her up, for
cing her to wrap her legs around him, then walked until they tumbled to the bed.

He didn't kiss her again, but instead moved his way down her body until she could feel his warm breath between her legs. Cool air hit her and she realized her panties were gone. She didn't remember the kisses along the way as she kept going back and forth between reality and a dream, but she felt her skin tingle from the very real kiss he gave between her thighs.

When his tongue did one big swipe across her opening, her hips jutted into the air. She felt close to her release but then his arms grabbed her legs to steady her. That wonderful tongue of his swiped once again and then it lingered on her swollen and highly sensitive clit.

His lips latched on and she was lost. She thrashed her head from side to side as her stomach muscles tightened and a bomb ticked inside of her just waiting to explode.

One finger and another entered her and the bomb detonated. She screamed out his name as her orgasm tore through her and her vaginal walls squeezed around his fingers, refusing to release him.

She'd only been with one man before and he didn't make her feel like Cooper managed to do with just his tongue and fingers.

Cooper pulled away from her. She didn't know if she should feel relieved for the chance to breathe or be upset at his absence.

Then, all of a sudden, he was back on top, flesh against flesh. He didn’t waste any time as the tip of his erection pushed into her with barely any resistance, until he buried himself deep inside.

She threw her head back until his hand grabbed the back of her neck and gently forced her to bring her chin forward.

"Look at me." Cooper's soft voice and serious eyes held her in a trance.

Though she saw two of him, everything seemed perfect like a dream she'd been wanting for far too long. He hit every nerve ending and her legs stiffened as another orgasm caught her off guard, along with his growling response.

One last thrust and he held deep within her as the warmth of his release filled her, the heat causing small aftershocks of pleasure.

She opened her eyes once again and then closed them right away when the room seemed to spin. Cooper pulled away from her, grabbed a towel, and wiped between her legs before cleaning himself. The slight pain she felt with the towel between her legs showed just how sore she'd be in the morning.

After he finished, she let him help her up onto the pi
llow and then she sank into his warmth when he scooted under the covers with her. Everything seemed right, other than a little voice in the back of her head telling her what they did was wrong.

But she was ju
st too tired to understand why.

Chapter Twelve

Headache from hell. That's what Sophia had. She opened her eyes and gasped. This wasn't her room. She saw the bull horns above the door.

Cooper's room.

No need for her to investigate whose leg and arm held her captive. She did anyways and bit her lip. Memories of the night before bombarded her. She closed her eyes, wishing she could turn back time. If he woke up and realized what they did, he would freak out. Or maybe not, but she couldn't face him at that moment. They’d had sex while completely wasted. And if her memory served her right, she’d initiated the whole thing.