21. SKYE

21

SKYE

Cooper Westwood was a powerful man.

Not just with the size and strength of his body or the pull he, along with his family, had in the town of Landing.

In fact, none of that compared to the power he had over me. But Cooper didn't exploit that dominance in a harmful or vicious way. Cooper used his power for good things.

Very good things.

It took a matter of seconds of him kissing me for all the fears and worries I'd had to vanish. That's how he wielded his power. He used it to comfort me with tender touches and reassure me with gentle whispers.

Then he used it to keep the rest of the world far away from my mind by distracting me. Nobody kissed like Cooper. The way his lips felt against mine and how his tongue explored my mouth eased my nerves and allowed the concerns to dissipate.

And I willingly accepted it.

After everything he did, after all that he'd said, how could I ignore how it all made me feel?

From the start, I was honest with Cooper about the direction my life was heading—so much of what had been holding me back from getting out and enjoying life had been the thoughts in my head about having a lifetime of heartbreak—but Cooper wasn't discouraged.

If anything, he seemed even more willing to become a steady and constant presence in my life.

He never faltered. Not once.

Now, we'd both reap the reward of his persistence. Because even if there was the possibility this could all go wrong, even if there were no guarantees in life, Cooper had given me his word.

I trusted him.

I trusted he'd do his very best to honor those words and never once set out to hurt me or disappoint me.

It was like some of his confidence had rubbed off on me because, for some reason I couldn't explain, I believed Cooper would rather cut off his own arm than see me cry.

And right now, he wasn't doing a single thing that had me even thinking about shedding a tear.

His mouth was on mine, kissing me like I'd never been kissed before. When he drove one hand into my hair and wrapped his other arm around my waist to urge me onto his lap, I happily went. Cooper kept my head angled just as he wanted it as my thighs parted and my knees fell to either side of his waist.

Even though our bodies were pressed against one another, it still didn't feel close enough. I wanted more. Needed it.

Cooper's hand that had been wrapped around my waist dropped to my bare thigh, where his fingertips pressed in firmly before drifting up slightly.

My body shuddered at the sensation of his rough touch against my soft skin, and I let out a moan. I wanted more. More of his hands on my bare, sensitive skin.

Believing he wouldn't deny me, I tore my mouth from his, pulled back slightly, and searched his face. There was nothing but burning hot desire there. He wanted me as badly as I wanted him.

"Please, Cooper," I begged.

"Tell me what you want, sweetheart."

My hands, which had been resting lightly on his shoulders, gripped the muscle tightly. "I want to feel your hands on my skin. I want you to touch my body."

Even with the sun beginning to set, I couldn't miss his reaction. His jaw clenched in a way that told me he was imagining, just as I was, how it would feel for him to put his hands on me.

Barely a moment later, he took the first step in honoring my request. Both of his hands went to the skin on my legs just above my knees.

With my eyes on his, my lips parted slightly.

His hands trailed up my thighs, doing it slowly, until they slipped beneath the hem of my dress. The higher his hands climbed, the deeper my nails dug into his shoulders.

He'd grown hard beneath me, and I was struggling not to roll my hips over him. But it seemed Cooper had other plans. His hands drifted toward my outer thighs until they made it to my hips. Once there, he squeezed them and groaned. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do just that."

"Do what?" I asked, my voice a breathy whisper.

He grabbed handfuls of flesh at my hips again. "Hold these gorgeous fucking curves in my hands."

By the time he got those words out, Cooper urged my hips forward and forced another moan to escape. When he did it again and my fingers clenched down hard on his shoulders, he groaned.

"Cooper, I want more," I told him.

The corners of his mouth tipped up lazily, like he felt victorious. I didn't mind. This was certainly a scenario where I wanted him to win.

Cooper's left hand released my hip and moved toward my ass. After giving me a squeeze, he urged his fingers beneath the waistband of my underwear and slid his hand down over my ass again. "Your skin is so soft," he said, his voice husky.

"I love the way your hands feel. I don't want you to stop."

Never being the kind of guy to disappoint me and refusing to deny me, Cooper didn't stop. Keeping his left hand on my ass, he pulled his right hand out from underneath my dress. He lifted his hand up toward my chest and delicately trailed his fingertips over the top swells of my breasts.

Despite the warm, summer evening air and the heat building between us, that gentle caress of his fingers forced goosebumps to break out over my skin.

Cooper's eyes shuttered, his face fell forward, and he kissed the exposed skin on my chest. His fingers curled around the top edge of the scoop neckline of my dress and followed it up to the strap over my right shoulder. Once there, he slid the strap for both the dress and my bra down my arm until it could go no farther.

Pulling his face back, his hand returned to the material covering my chest, pulled it down, and allowed my breast to spill out. The grip he had on my ass tightened, his fingers pressing in firmly, and his hips jerked up slightly.

And when Cooper's right hand covered and squeezed my breast, I rolled my hips over him all on my own. I continued to do that when he moved his face close, peppered kisses there, and ultimately sucked my nipple into his mouth. His tongue swirled and teased, his teeth nibbling.

I was being built up so expertly that not even the sound of the crackling fire could overshadow the moans that escaped from the back of my throat.

"Cooper," I breathed.

He released my breast, pulled his head back, and looked up at me. "You're so beautiful."

"More," I begged, grinding myself down hard on him and seeking that friction I so desperately needed.

"Do you want to me to make you come?" he asked, his voice strained.

"Please," I pleaded with him.

Without delay, Cooper's hand slipped back beneath the skirt of my dress and trailed up my thigh. When he made it to the top of my leg, he kept his eyes pinned on mine and gently slid his thumb over the fabric of my underwear.

"Oh, God," I moaned, my fingers gripping his shoulders tighter.

Cooper's other hand released the hold it had on my ass, drifted toward the front of my body, and curled around the front edge of my panties to pull them to one side. He held them there while his right hand went back to work.

He started by applying pressure and circling my clit with his thumb.

I knew it.

I knew from the moment I met him that he'd be so unbelievably talented with his hands.

Needing more, wanting him to have better access, I let go of his shoulders and dropped one of my hands back behind me to rest on the top of his thigh. The other went to my exposed breast.

"Fuck, Skye," Cooper growled. He pushed two fingers inside me and said, "You're even better than I thought."

As he pumped his fingers in and out of me, his thumb still working my clit, I toyed with my nipple and worked my hips.

I climbed higher and higher, my gaze focused on the man in front of me. There was a look of determination lingering there, but it was mixed with something else. Cooper seemed to be in awe of what was happening, what he was witnessing. And I wondered what was going through his mind.

But that question flitted through my mind so fast, the burning desire and intense ache building low in my belly making it impossible for anything else to exist. My body took over, seeking that pleasure and taking everything Cooper was so intent on delivering.

"Oh, Cooper, I'm so close," I panted. "Please don't stop."

Unsurprisingly, Cooper kept at me. He gave me what I needed, doing it like he knew precisely what my body wanted and the best way to provide it.

And then it happened.

No matter that I knew it was coming, I couldn't prepare myself for any part of it.

Like it was hitting with the strength and power Cooper possessed, my orgasm tore through my body. My back arched briefly, but ultimately rounded, my head falling forward, and my mouth seeking out Cooper's. He kissed me through it, swallowing my moans as each wave crashed into me.

His fingers never stopped. Not until they'd worked me through it, slowing slightly until I'd reached the other side, when they eventually ceased their movements.

I tore my mouth from Cooper's and draped my arms over his shoulders, my forehead pressed firmly against his neck. He pulled his fingers from my body, adjusted my underwear, wrapped one arm around me, and slowly stroked his palm against my bare thigh while I struggled to get my breathing under control.

"Are you okay?" Cooper asked, his voice hoarse.

I nodded against him. "Yeah. Yeah, I just needed a minute to return to Earth. Wow, that was incredible."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," he laughed, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

I closed my eyes and smiled. I wasn't quite sure that it was enough to say I enjoyed myself. It didn't feel like it described what I'd just experienced accurately enough.

But instead of arguing that with Cooper, I thought it was worth giving him the praise he deserved. Still in the same position, I declared, "I had a feeling from the day I met you that you were going to be unbelievably talented with your hands. I'm happy to report, I wasn't wrong."

Cooper's body vibrated beneath mine with his laughter. "Is that so?"

For the first time since I'd made it to the other side of my orgasm, I pulled my face from his neck and looked at him. Then I offered a lazy smile and confirmed, "Absolutely. I think I'm a very lucky woman."

He grinned at me before lifting his hand to the side of my face, stroking my cheek with his thumb, and leaning forward to touch his mouth to mine. After he kissed me, he asked, "Can I take this to mean that you want to give us a chance to explore this between us?"

"Yes," I murmured without hesitation.

Cooper's arm tightened around my waist. "I promise you won't regret it, sweetheart."

I dropped my forehead against his, nodded slightly, and insisted, "I know. I trust you."

And I did.

Sure, I'd come into this tonight feeling nervous and believing I needed to share the fears I felt with Cooper before we took the next steps. But the instant I shared those concerns, he didn't back down. Cooper faced them. He accepted I had them, and he promised to fix my broken heart.

If I was honest with myself, I was relatively certain he'd already done that. At the very least, he'd taken a huge step toward making that happen.

"You seem to be lost in your thoughts right now, but I'm wondering if I can take a minute to correct something I said to you before," Cooper said.

"What did you say?" I countered, pulling my head back to look at him.

He smiled at me, a look of pure adoration in his expression. "Do you remember when I took you out on that boat and we did those rapid-fire questions with one another?"

"I think it's crazy for you to believe I could have forgotten that," I teased.

Cooper chuckled. "Right. Well, I had originally said I preferred sunrises, but after what just happened, I think I need to amend my answer. I think sunsets are my new favorite."

I bit my lip in an effort to stifle the smile. Lifting a brow, I offered a playful expression. "I told you there was nothing quite like a gorgeous sunset, especially when work doesn't factor into the equation."

"It was only gorgeous because of you," he argued. "Do you know how badly I've wanted to touch and kiss you like I did tonight?"

"Is that all?" I asked.

His brows drew together. "What?"

I hesitated a moment, the tension building, before I said, "The way you kissed me and touched me just now. Is that all you wanted? Did you ever imagine doing anything else with me?"

Cooper's gaze darkened. "I've thought about doing a lot more with you ever since I met you, plenty that didn't involve having my fingers inside of you."

I squirmed on his lap, feeling how hard he still was beneath me. "But something else was inside me, right?"

His fingers pressed in deeper. "Absolutely."

For several long moments, I held Cooper's gaze. And as I stared at him and thought about all that had happened ever since I'd met him, one thing became abundantly clear. I wanted to take that next step with Cooper. I wanted him to be able to live out the fantasies that had been playing over and over in his mind for weeks.

After everything he'd done for me, after the way he'd treated me, I had to admit I wanted him just as badly.

So, when I could no longer take it, I finally suggested, "Why don't you take me inside and show me what you thought about doing?"

His body grew tense beneath mine. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Yes, Cooper. There's nothing I want more than for the two of us to take off our clothes and give ourselves what I think we've both wanted for a long time."

Cooper hesitated for all of a few seconds before he shifted a touch to deal with the fire while keeping me firmly in his hold. Then he stood with me in his arms and walked us back inside the house.

With each step he took, I felt better and better about my decision to take a chance on this man.