Cooper snort-laughed and moved, propping himself on his elbow, his head resting in his hand. “There’s a little more finesse involved.”
I studied him. “You’ve done it a few times. Fucked men?”
His lips twisted in what might have been a sheepish expression. “Yeah.”
“C’mon, don’t leave me hangin’. I’m a newbie. I have questions.”
“Like what?” He brushed a fingertip across my brow.
“Have you been with a lot of guys? Do you only…top? Bottom?” I wrinkled my nose, unsure of my verbiage. “How do you know who’s going to want to do what?”
Cooper didn’t laugh. He didn’t reply at all, but I was used to his thoughtful pauses now. I wondered if I’d gotten a little too personal. Not something I would have done in normalcircumstances, but this was different. The clock was ticking, and by tomorrow, this would be gone. If I wanted to know anything, I had to ask.
“I’ve had some experience.”
“So you’ve said. I’m looking for the nitty-gritty.”
“Nosy.” Cooper rubbed a hand over his bearded jaw, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
“I’m terrible. The worst.”
He chuckled lightly. “I’ve had a few male partners. No one serious. I can’t recall having a conversation about whose dick was going where because I have a strong preference to be…on top. And I’m usually able to deliver the message without a written statement.”
I smirked. “Really? Two guys meet, size each other up, and one just knows he’ll be taking it up the butt?”
Cooper rolled his eyes. “It’s always a good idea to know what your partner wants before you get to it. If in doubt, ask.”
“You’ve never had to.”
He shrugged. “Not recently, no.”
“So you top exclusively.”
“Not exclusively.”
I arched a brow. “So you’ve…”
“Bottomed,” he supplied. “Yes.”
“And?”
Cooper pursed his lips as he stared up at the ceiling. “I’m not good at it. I’m too tense, too impatient. Not that I wouldn’t do it again, but it’s not something I look for. Any other questions?”
“Yeah. When can we do it again? ’Cause I’m gonna want to…before I leave.”
He traced a path along my jawline with the tip of his forefinger and cupped my chin. “Me too.”
Cooper went to the mill for a few hours in the afternoon. I spent that time working out, playing video games, and eventually sucked up the nerve to check my email and texts.
Vally wanted to know how I liked the house and what I thought of the town, then sent about fifty pics of Gigi in the mini jersey he’d had made for her. My dad wondered if I could get tickets to the Niners game. My mom apologized for not calling sooner, but she’d had a cold and left a detailed account of the over-the-counter drugs she’d been taking. My agent had big ideas for my postretirement phase, and must have said the word “flexible” twenty times before I finally deleted the message.
Oh…and there was an email from my lawyer. “If this remarriage rumor is true, you’re off the hook for alimony. We might want to get a PI involved. Call me.”
I immediately texted Alli.If the marriage rumor is true, I want to be your official cake taster.
She replied an hour later with twenty laughing emojis.False news, but I’ll put you down. Cake boy.
I didn’t continue the thread, though it was tempting to let someone know I’d been stuck in a blizzard and had come perilously close to death by exposure. Alli would probably insist on a phone call, and she’d ask all the right questions, however, it wasn’t fair to lean on her. But Jesus, it was a little jarring to realize I could have been dead for days, and no one would have been looking for me. No spouse, no partner, no boss, no coach. No one.
