I inhale sharply, still just a breath from his mouth.
Speechless, I’m speechless.
He chuckles and cups his hands around my face, holding me in place. “My stubborn, stubborn woman,” he says, and presses his lips to mine, over and over again, gentle and comforting, likehome.
My hands unfreeze from the swing and clasp the back of his neck, needing to touch him, hold on to him.
His palms drop to my hips, keeping me exactly where he wants me.
I fist the back of his shirt and he squeezes my ass.
Every time he leaves, or hangs up, I find myself missing his voice, his lips, his body against mine. That’s not a typical,casualemotion.
It’s exhilarating and terrifying at the same time because I know what false hope feels like. Though he’s slowly but surely chipping away at my walls, they aren’t in ruins, and my old habits of self-preservation won’t go down without a fight. But I have to try, knowing I might lose.
With all the confidence I’ve never had, I kiss him eagerly, surprising myself. His warm hands drag from my behind to my chest, and I arch my back, pushing further into his hold.
“I want you, stubborn,” he breathes against my mouth.
We swing gently back and forth. The air goes still, and the crickets fall silent. Blood rushes in my ears, and I take a ragged breath.
“I want you too, but…” I stop myself to look him in the eye.
He sweeps his lips against mine, and I shiver, and his grip tightens on my sides. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for.”
I swallow and purse my lips to touch his. “But we can still act our age,” I whisper.
Cooper laughs and grabs my mouth again. Hands, breath,heatmelt my bones.
Gripping each side of his shirt, I rip it open. The snap buttons give way easily, and I find a tank top underneath. “This is getting in theway,” I grumble.
He chuckles as he kisses my cheek, jaw, moving to my neck. I tilt my head back, giving him more access, as he shifts, pulling off his shirt to toss it on the deck.
The swing moves side to side, and I squeeze my thighs around his, holding on before he stops the swing and gently pushes his toe against the wood, swinging us back and forth. He slips his hands under my tank top and whips it off, throwing it to join his shirt.
“Is this okay?” he asks.
“Yes,” I rasp.
He slides his hand from my waist to my throat, gently holding me there as his fingers find my pulse, resting there for a moment as he guides me to his mouth again. He nips my chin and moves his lips across my chest, drawing delicate fingertips over my collarbone, between my breasts, down to my waistband.
He flips the button of my shorts and drags a finger across the edge of the fabric.
I shudder, and he looks up at me from under his lashes, asking, and I nod as he slips his hands beneath my shorts, pressing his palm against me, and I writhe.
With his other hand between my shoulder blades, holding me steady, he leans forward, dropping his mouth to my chest, gently biting my nipple through the fabric.
I whimper gripping the back of his neck, holding him there. The swing shifts and moves, but I hardly notice while Cooper holds me.
He spreads his thighs, forcing my legs wider, giving him better access. My lips part on a sigh and my eyes fall closed as he rhythmically moves his fingers.
“Coop,” I whine, trembling in his arms, on the edge of begging him to never stop as my body chases his hand with a mind of its own.
He groans into my chest, the heat of his breath sends goosebumps across my skin, while his calloused, nimble fingers circle, pinch, and flick. The pressure builds in my stomach, and I bite my lower lip, feeling the wave rise over me, but before he can push me over the edge, his hand slips from my shorts, and I whimper from the loss. Cooper shifts around, clasping the back of my neck andhip, laying me down across the swing, adjusting himself on top of me, tangling our legs together.
“You okay?” he asks.
I nod, lifting my head to kiss him again. He meets me half-way dipping his tongue into my mouth as he thrusts his fingers between my legs, and I break our kiss, moaning into the night sky.
