Tease (10 page)

“Still, it must’ve been hard to move on.”

“Yes, but it was better than staying a part of something that wasn’t making me happy.” She shrugged. “Besides, moving back here meant reconnecting with Nic. And you,” she added shyly.

I reached for her hand, letting her fingers entwine into mine. I hated feeling like this. Vulnerable. Open to getting hurt. The idea of letting someone in scared the hell out of me.

“For what it’s worth, its his loss, letting you go,” I mumbled, keeping my eyes on the ground. I saw her smile out of the corner of my eye. She squeezed my hand as we continued to walk.

“So what about you? You were married too yes?” she asked.

I nodded. “Just out of high school. Way too young. We lost our baby late pregnancy which led to things just breaking down from there. Neither of us knew how to deal with it.” I shrugged. Se squeezed my hand.

“Wow, that must have been rough, she mumbled.

“It was, but things happen. You can’t change them, you just have to learn from them.”

She smiled up at me. “You’re so positive,” she murmured softly. “I should take a leaf out of your book.” I chuckled. It wasn’t that I was
positive,
I just tried not to dwell on things I couldn’t change.

Back at the apartment, Mia hugged at me. I stood for a moment, frozen, before curling my arms around her, breathing in the smell of her musky perfume. My heart was beating so loudly I was sure she could feel it. She pulled back and smiled at me.

“Night Coop.”

We now stood outside her room, still holding hands, neither of us showing any signs of moving. I moved her arm around my waist as she stared up at me with those eyes. I rested my head against hers, breathing in the smell of her hair, her perfume. My lips touched her neck. She moaned softly as I began to work my way down over her collarbone. All I wanted to do was feel myself inside of her, but I couldn’t get rid of the guilt I felt from lying to her about my job.

My hand touched her cheek as I leaned in to kiss her. Our lips meshed together in perfect sync.

“‘Night,” I mumbled, pulling away from her, knowing if I didn’t leave her right then, I’d regret it tomorrow. I leaned against the wall and watched as she disappeared into her room. Fuck, watching her leave me was so hard.

I couldn’t sleep. I’d been tossing and turning for two hours, and every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. All I wanted was to fall asleep and dream about being with her in every possible way.

Throwing the sheets back in frustration, I climbed out of bed and put my robe on. I walked past her room, the darkness under the door telling me she was probably asleep. In the kitchen, I grabbed a can of soda and gulped half of it down in one hit. Walking over to the balcony, I opened the door and stepped out onto the cool concrete.

I sat down in the far corner of the balcony, my head resting against the brick wall as I took in the city lights laid out in front of me. Next to me sat my half-drunk can of lemonade.

I didn’t make a habit of sitting out there in the freezing darkness, but I felt like I needed to clear my head. I could hear police sirens in the distance, which was not unusual for a Friday night.

My head was aching, probably due to the lack of sleep. I’d managed less than five hours of broken slumber each and every night since Mia had crashed back into my life.

A coincidence? Maybe.

Hell, I had no idea what I was doing. Wait, yes I did: I was falling for a woman who deserved more than I could ever give her. Not only that, I was lying to her, just like I’d lied to my family for the past eight years. Mia understood me. We talked, and I felt heard. She talked and I wanted to listen. I looked at her and thought I could share my life with her. Then I’d come crashing back down to reality and remember I was a fucking escort—like there’s any other kind—who was supporting his sick mother.

God, my life had become a plot for a really bad movie.

I heard the door slide open and looked up in surprise. Mia’s head popped out.

“Coop, are you okay? I got up for a drink and saw the door was unlocked.” She stepped out, wrapped tightly in a thick pink robe with white stripes. God, she even wore matching slippers. What hope did I have when she looked so fucking adorable every time I saw her?

“I’m fine,” I sighed. “I couldn’t sleep, so I came to get some air.

She disappeared inside and came back carrying a blanket. “Scoot over a bit.” I did, and she plopped down next to me, covering us both with the blanket.

“Thanks, but you don’t have to be out here. Don’t you start work tomorrow?”

She nodded. “But not until the afternoon.” She looked up at the dark sky, which was lightly dusted with tiny sparkling stars. “When I was little, I used to think when people died they became a star. I’d go outside and lie down on the porch for hours, watching all these people who lived before me. I’d make up lives for them.” She turned to me. “Is that weird?” she asked, crinkling her nose.

I chuckled. “A little bit, but that’s part of what I like about you so much.”

She smiled and rested her head on my shoulder. I reached for her hand, enclosing mine around it. How was she so warm?

“I used to love staring at the stars when I was little,” I mused. “I still do. There is something so relaxing about it. No matter what my day has been like, the world will stop for a moment if I just forget about everything and focus up there.” I stared up at the sky.

“Anything in particular bothering you?” she asked after a minute.

“Nothing…everything,” I admitted. “I don’t know. I thought I had things all figured out in my head, but then things change so quickly, without any notice, you know?”

“I know what you mean. No matter how well you plan your life out, things will inevitably change. Sometimes it’s bad, but sometimes change can be good.”

“Are you happy?” I blurted out.

She looked taken aback by my question.

“I’m sorry. I used to think I was happy, but maybe I was only happy because I didn’t realize what I was missing.”

She seemed to ponder over my words. “I had a cousin who was born deaf. She was the happiest person I knew. She saw the positive in everything. Then, when she was twenty, she had surgery to restore her hearing.” She paused and smiled. “I was there the first time she heard her fiancé tell her he loved her. I guess what I’m trying to say is you can make the best of your situation, and still appreciate that there may be better things out there to come.”

“That must have been amazing to share that moment with your cousin.”

“It was,” she said with a grin. “I will never forget the look on her face as he said those three little words that so many of us take for granted.”

“I needed this,” I said, turning to her. “Thanks. Considering it’s one in the morning, we should probably get some sleep, huh?” I got to my feet and put my hand out.

She smiled and took hold of it, letting me help her to her feet. “Anytime, Coop. Anytime you want to talk, about anything at all, I’m here,” she said earnestly, tucking a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear.

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” I said, my lips brushing past her cheek. I trudged off to bed, curling up into my blankets, her words playing over and over in my head as I fell asleep.

If only I could be sure you’d still be there for me after you listened to what I have to tell you.

It was one of those days where I wanted to do nothing, and I had achieved just that. It was eight in the evening as I stood in the bathroom, staring at my reflection. I brushed my teeth and washed my face, then I grabbed a couple of Tylenol—a preemptive attack on the fatigue headache I knew was coming.

Reaching for the clothes hamper, I took it into the laundry room and unloaded the contents into the washing machine. I stopped, staring at the object on top: a light pink, lacy G-string.

My heart began to hammer as I picked it up. Yes, I realized how creepy it was to be holding Mia’s underwear, but it could’ve been worse; at least I wasn’t sniffing them. I closed my eyes and imagined her wearing them, parading around in front of me in this little piece of fabric…

“Coop?”

I jumped and spun around. Mia stood there dressed in that sexy fucking cream blouse and a black skirt. I hadn’t even heard her get home. Bleary-eyed and looking confused, her eyes went from me, and back to my hand.

Shit! This was bad…

“Just putting in some laundry,” I mumbled, my face red.

She raised her eyebrows, letting me know she wasn’t buying it. “I was just checking to see if these could go in with the normal wash…?” I pretended to focus on the label, feeling pretty impressed with my quick thinking.

She stared at me for a good few minutes before her lips broke into a smile. “They’re fine in the normal wash. Thanks for taking such great care of my underwear,” she added lightly, her eyes twinkling. “I might watch some TV,” she added.

Hmm
. That sounded an awful lot like an invitation.

I watched as she walked over to the sofa, my eyes on the curve of her ass. She sat down, placing one leg over the other, and stretched her arms out. I stared directly at where her hardened nipples were showing through her skimpy bra—until I realized that I was staring at her nipples and looked away, embarrassed.

“Why don’t we go for a run?” I suggested brightly.

She eyed me strangely.
Maybe a touch too much enthusiasm.

“Um, because it’s dark? And cold? And I hate running?”

“Well maybe it’s time you changed that,” I said, raising my eyebrows.

She looked at me suspiciously. “Change what?”

“Go get into some running clothes.” I clapped my hands together. “We’re going running.”

“What?” she
squeaked.
“No! I can barely manage walking.”

“Okay then, we’ll go for a walk,” I shrugged, making it clear I wasn’t giving up.

“I walk enough at work,” she grumbled, narrowing her eyes at me.

“Come on. Come for a walk with me,” I pleaded.

She sighed and shook her head. “Fine, but only to shut you up.” She stood up and marched off to her room. I got up and walked to my room to change into my running gear.

When I got back to the living room, she was standing there waiting, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Ready?” I asked brightly.

“Does it matter if I’m not?” she muttered, tying her hair back in a ponytail.

“You know,” I began as we walked to the elevator, “exercise can be fun. It makes you feel good. Releases endorphins.”

“I can get endorphins by eating a bar of chocolate,” she said dryly.

“Yeah, and five pounds,” I retorted.

She spun around, her mouth dropping open. “Liam Cooper, are you calling me fat?” she said accusingly.

I went red. Why in hell had I thought talking about weight to a woman was a smart move?

“No, I just meant…I didn’t mean…” My voice trailed off as she burst into laughter.

“Relax. I’m messing with you,” she said, hitting me on my side.

“Bitch,” I chuckled. We walked across the road and down Sixth, Mia doing more window-shopping than walking. “It works better if you don’t stop every two seconds,” I teased.

“There was a nice pair of shoes back there! So I’m easily distracted, sue me,” she shot back.

I shook my head and laughed. For the next ten minutes, she made a point of not looking anywhere but straight ahead. God, she was stubborn sometimes.

We went around the block, and by the time we reached the apartment, Mia was almost ready to pass out.

She looked at me accusingly. “You haven’t even broken a sweat!” she protested, reaching up to touch my face.

I laughed. “That’s only because I’m used to running. Trust me, after a decent jog, I sweat buckets.”

We made our way slowly up to the apartment, with Mia groaning about her aching muscles. As soon as we went inside, she went to take a shower. While she was gone I made us each a hot cocoa. I set down the steaming cups on the coffee table, and turned on some music.

“What’s this?” Mia asked, raising her eyebrows as she walked over to join me on the sofa.

My heart jumped as I looked up at her. She wore a baby pink silk robe, and not much underneath. Her damp, tousled hair hung around her shoulders, somehow making her eyes seem bigger.

“I thought you could use this,” I said, pointing to her cup.

“Mmm, you know me well, Coop.” She sat down next to me, the split in her robe riding up to expose almost all of her thigh.

I coughed, my throat feeling like it was closing over. “Feel better after your shower?” I asked.

“Yes. Much better.” She picked up her drink and took a sip. “It’s good.” She grinned.

“And that just about stretches my kitchen skills to the limit,” I joked.

She laughed. “Well you don’t need to be good at everything. Do one thing well and you’re set for life.” She giggled, tilting her head so she was staring at my face. She smiled again, as she finished her drink.

“That was quick,” I murmured.

“I’ve heard that before,” she quipped, and then blushed. “God, I don’t even know what that meant.” She covered her face with her hands. Smiling, I gently lowered her hand and curved my hand around the side of her face, bringing it toward mine.

I moved in, my lips locking against hers, taking in her softness and beauty. She lifted herself onto her knees and placed her leg over mine so she was straddling me. I put my hands on her hips, her silk robe the only thing separating my hands from her naked body.

She leaned in and kissed me, her arms draping around my neck. Each kiss was more furious and desperate than the last. Her lips moved down, her tongue moving slowly along my neck. I looped my fingers around her waist tie and unfastened it. She sat up, the robe falling open.

I was so hard. Throbbing. Aching. As though all the blood inside me was pooling in my cock. I took in what was before me: Mia, her legs parted, her robe hanging open showing me her beautiful body. I ran my fingers down her neck and over her breasts. She gasped, her body tensing at my touch. Slowly, my fingers trailed down to her pussy. Her hands now resting on my shoulders, I stared deep into her eyes as I slipped a finger inside. God, she was so wet, so tight. Her pussy gripped my finger as I worked it back and forth.

“You feel amazing. You’re so wet for me, Mia,” I whispered.

She sighed, her eyes closed as she rocked her hips back and forth, grinding herself against me, milking my finger. She moaned softly as I slid a second finger inside her. Fuck, she felt so good. I could only imagine how tight she would be with my cock sliding inside of her.

“Come for me. Come on my fingers,” I whispered, sliding them back and forth inside of her.

She moaned loudly, throwing her head back as her body began to rock more forcefully to the motion of my fingers.

“You’re so wet. I can’t wait to taste you. You smell so good.”

“Oh yes,” she groaned as my fingers worked faster.
That was it
,
she was almost there
. She rocked herself against me, her nails digging into my shoulder as her body began to convulse. With one last burst, she cried out, collapsing into my arms. “Oh god, that was….” She trailed off, too exhausted to finish.

Laughing, I kissed her
forehead.“Go
to bed, Mia. You look wre
c
ked,” I chuckled, kissing her forehead again.

She climbed off me and wrapped the robe abound her waist, blushing. “I don’t know what came over me,” she mumbled. “I didn’t—I mean, we shouldn’t…”

“Go to bed and sleep. We can talk tomorrow,” I promised, knowing exactly what she was trying to tell me.

Something I didn’t want to hear.