25. COOPER

25

COOPER

"Doing anything fun tonight?"

For a guy who'd spent so much time walking out of work feeling the stress of lingering tasks weighing on his shoulders for so long, it should have come as a surprise that a smile had formed on my face at that question from my best friend.

But it didn't.

Because from almost exactly the moment I met her, I knew the kind of woman Skye was. And now that she was in my life the way she was, I simply considered myself to be lucky to have her.

"I'm heading home to shower and grab some things before I head over to Skye's place," I told Marco. "This is her weekend off."

"Nice."

It was nice.

Skye had recently hired another girl to work at the store, which meant that she and the rest of her employees all now had the opportunity to have one weekend off per month. This weekend was Skye's weekend, and I intended to take full advantage of it with her.

"What about you? Got any plans for the weekend?"

Marco laughed. "You mean, other than sitting at home wondering when I'm going to meet my Skye?"

My head snapped in his direction. "What?"

My best friend shrugged, the both of us continuing to walk through the parking lot. "I'm just saying, she's got to be out there, right?"

"Of course, she is," I insisted. "But I think it's unlikely you'll find her by sitting at home. You're going to need to get out if you intend to run into her. I'm tied up this weekend, but I'm happy to help out next weekend, if you want."

Marco clapped a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. After releasing it, he said, "I'm aware that sitting at home won't help. Part of me was just saying that to tease you. I'm not sure if I've ever said it, but I'm glad for you, Coop. It's clear how much you care for this girl, and she's obviously been great for you. Evidently, there's this other part of me that might be just a tad jealous."

"You don't have any reason to be jealous of me," I assured him.

"I don't mean that in a bad way. It's simply that I see how much Skye has changed your life, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't ready for that myself. We aren't getting any younger, are we?" he countered.

I shook my head. "Maybe not. But you've got plenty of time."

"Yeah, but I'm ready. Perhaps I should just go around throwing wood through the front door of businesses, and maybe I'll get lucky like you did," he reasoned.

Unable to stop myself, I laughed. "I'm not sure I'd recommend that. But I really did get lucky, didn't I?"

"Don't you forget it," he advised, as we made it to our vehicles.

"Never. Good luck this weekend, Marco."

"Thanks, Coop. See you on Monday."

Unwilling to waste another minute, I hopped in my truck and took off. I had never been the kind of guy who liked wasting time, and I recognized that only became more pronounced now that I was with Skye. These last few weeks had proven what I'd believed would be the case.

I was still just as focused and determined to complete the necessary tasks at work as I'd always been, and now, I found I was like that outside of work whenever I wasn't around Skye.

The goal now was about doing whatever I needed to do as quickly and efficiently as I could, so I'd be able to go to Skye and enjoy the time I had with her. Only when I was with her did I find myself letting go of everything pressing in my life. It was shocking that I wanted to slow down whenever she was around, so I could soak up every bit of her I could get. Skye always made it worth it, too.

Marco had been right to tell me not to forget just how lucky I was to have found Skye. She'd changed my life in ways I'd never anticipated, in ways I hadn't realized I even wanted. From the moment I met her, I'd enjoyed every second I had with her, but things got even better after Skye decided I was someone worth taking a chance on. These last several weeks with her had been the best of my life. She'd turned out to be everything I could have hoped for, and I was looking forward to having this uninterrupted weekend with her.

As quickly as I could manage it, I'd gotten myself home and showered before heading back out the door to grab dessert on the way to Skye's place. We'd planned to stay in tonight, which was more than fine with me.

I had been in such a good mood thinking about everything I intended to do with her tonight that I was caught off guard completely when I pulled up outside her house and found her outside.

Though I wouldn't have been upset to see her waiting there to greet me, that wasn't what was happening at all.

Skye was outside, visibly upset, and her ex-boyfriend was standing there with her. It didn't take a genius to know what this was about, and I was livid.

Leaving everything in my truck, I made my way in their direction. If I thought the walk there would have helped me calm my anger, I'd have been a fool. If anything, it only fueled my rage.

"I just really need you to reconsider what you're doing to her," Simon said to Skye.

I didn't have to know what was said before I'd arrived. I'd already heard enough. This was stopping now, so I didn't hesitate to jump in. "What the fuck is going on here?"

I could feel Skye lift her gaze to me, but my murderous eyes were on Simon, who spun around and seemed surprised to see me there. He didn't respond.

Growing impatient, I seethed, "I asked you a question."

"I'm here to talk to Skye," he finally answered.

I turned my attention to her, noting the distress on her face. "Do you want him here?"

She shook her head. "I've asked him to leave several times already."

Pinning my stare on Simon, I noted, "She's already asked you to leave. What are you still doing here?"

"She and I need to talk," he said.

"And I think Skye has made it clear to you that she's not interested in whatever you have to say to her," I countered.

His lips formed a thin line. He didn't like where this was going. "Respectfully, this has nothing to do with you."

My hands balled into fists. "You're kidding yourself if you believe that's the case."

"It's none of your business, man. Skye needs to rethink what she's doing. Maria is her best friend, and the stress of their strained relationship isn't good for the baby," he argued.

The fact that this guy didn't see any problem with coming to the home of the woman he cheated on to attempt to convince her to reconcile a friendship that he and Maria had destroyed all on their own was unbelievable. Then again, it shouldn't have surprised me.

Skye was a gift. Everything about her was something to be cherished. And considering Simon trashed what he had with her, it was clear he wasn't that smart.

"I'm sorry to hear that there could be any issues with the baby. I don't wish that on an innocent kid, but it's not Skye's responsibility to make the woman who betrayed her feel better about anything. You took on that responsibility when you decided that woman was going to be the one who became more important to you."

"Why the hell do you think I'm here now?" he questioned me. "I'm doing what I've got to do to fix this for Maria."

"And I'm telling you that you need to find another way. Skye owes you nothing. She owes Maria nothing. Skye is mine now. And as the man in her life, it's my responsibility to protect her. So, you're going to leave. You're not going to come back here ever again unless Skye invites you herself. And if I find out that you or Maria have taken steps to contact Skye against her wishes, whether here, on the phone, or at her store again, you won't like the outcome," I warned him.

Simon jerked back, a look of disgust washing over him. "Are you threatening me?"

"Threat, promise, take it however you want to take it. I don't care. She's going to go inside with me now, where we'll start enjoying our weekend together, and you're going to walk away and figure out on your own how to fix the mess you made. Skye is off-limits to you."

His eyes left mine and shifted to Skye. If he thought he was going to intimidate her, he had another thing coming.

"Don't look at her," I ordered. "You lost the privilege of looking at her when you decided to look at another woman."

"Who the hell do you think you are telling me what I can and can't do?"

"I'm going to be your worst fucking nightmare if you don't walk away right now," I informed him, my tone bordering on lethal. When he made no effort to leave, I added, "Walk away, man. It's done."

Simon narrowed his eyes on me, then glanced at Skye one last time, and finally turned to walk away.

Once he was gone, I turned to look at Skye. "Are you okay?"

She was staring at me with a look I couldn't quite read on her face. Her pretty lips were parted slightly, her gorgeous eyes rounded in shock. There was disbelief lingering there, but it was mixed with something else.

"Skye, are you?—"

"I love you."

My body locked, my mind convinced I'd misheard her. "What?"

"I love you, Cooper Westwood. For weeks, you've been showing me what it's like to have someone in my life who cares about me, treats me with respect, and is always looking out for me. And you just walked up and handled this problem for me like it was nothing. If it wasn't already happening, watching you do that just now would have made me fallen completely head over heels in love with you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Something hit the center of my chest, and my throat tightened painfully. Skye loved me. There wasn't a chance I could even think of speaking. So, I reached my hand out to her, curled my fingers around her wrist, and tugged her toward me. She flew forward, her body colliding with mine. And the second I wrapped my arms around her, I dropped my head to hers and kissed her. My tongue drove into her mouth, devouring and tasting, attempting to get everything I could while trying to give her everything I wanted her to have. I didn't know if I was successful, but I hoped I communicated my feelings to her through my kiss.

Eventually, I tore my mouth from hers and pressed my forehead against hers, allowing the reality of the situation to settle somewhere inside me.

"It was hot," Skye whispered.

"What?"

She hesitated a beat before she shared, "When I first met your family and they said you were moody, I didn't believe you had the power to be like that to anyone. Not my sweet guy. No way. But I just saw that side of you for the first time, and you displayed it to defend and protect me the way you did. It was the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me, without a doubt, but it was also a huge turn-on. In fact, I've got this overwhelming desire to take you inside and show you just how much I appreciate the way you look after me."

"Fuck," I groaned. "You know I love you, too, right?"

Skye smiled at me. "I had a feeling that might be the case."

I touched my lips to hers once more.

"Come inside with me, Cooper. I want to express my gratitude."

She wasn't going to have to ask me twice. Without giving it a second thought, I turned her in my arms, urged her forward, and followed her into the house.

We barely got the front door closed when Skye turned around to face me. She reached for my shirt, pushed it up my body, and lifted it over my head. I pulled it the rest of the way off and tossed it aside as Skye's hands worked at the fly of my jeans while her lips peppered kisses across my chest.

She pushed my jeans down just far enough, then freed my cock from the confines of my underwear. The second her soft fingers curled around me, I groaned, and my back fell against the front door.

Skye continued to press her lips against my skin, her tongue occasionally darting out for a taste. While her hand gripped me firmly and stroked, her mouth journeyed down my torso, no question remaining about the destination.

Just when I thought I wouldn't be able to last any longer without having my dick somewhere inside her, Skye dropped to her knees, looked up at me, and parted her lips. A moment later, she wrapped her pretty mouth around me and swirled her tongue around before offering a suck with the power to bring me to my knees.

She heard my groan, grew excited—and motivated—by it, and didn't hesitate to get to work.

Skye's enthusiasm when it came to anything sexual between us had surprised me. Not only was she seemingly eager to please, but she didn't have that same level of timidness in this area of our relationship that she had in other areas. I liked that she reserved this side of her for only me.

As Skye worked her mouth over my length—sucking, licking, and stroking—my fingers drove into her hair. It was an exercise in restraint not to thrust my hips forward and fuck her mouth.

She was brilliant. Everything from her undeniable enthusiasm to the utter perfection that was her mouth. It was a battle between wanting to let her continue what she was doing, knowing she'd bring me right to that edge, and feeling the overwhelming urge to take what I wanted from her mouth.

Ultimately, it was the look in her eyes and the moans that escaped from her when I looked down to watch that had me resisting the urge, so she could take me where she wanted me to go.

Almost.

After Skye repeatedly took me in her mouth so far that I could feel myself going down the back of her throat, moaning as she did it, I felt myself getting close to that point of no return.

And that wasn't an option without me having had the opportunity to take care of her first. So, I gave her—and myself—another minute or so to enjoy what she was doing before something primal took over.

I pulled my hips back, reached down under her arms, and lifted her as I spun her around and urged her back against the door. I kissed her mouth—long, hard, and wet—before I whispered against her lips, "I love your mouth, Skye."

"Mmm." She hummed against my lips. "You didn't let me finish."

"I need to see to you first, sweetheart," I explained, my hand drifting down and slipping beneath the waistband of her cotton shorts. Keeping my palm flat against her skin, I instructed, "Spread your legs."

Skye instantly complied, giving me the unhindered access to her pussy. My fingers slid down between her legs, and I groaned as I kissed her mouth again.

"Cooper," she breathed.

"You're wet," I said against her lips, my fingers moving slowly between her legs. "You really love sucking my cock, don't you?"

"I love it."

I smiled against her lips and pulled my hand out from beneath her clothes before I took half a step back and yanked her shorts and panties down her legs. Wasting not another second, I dropped to my knees in front of her, hooked one of her thighs over my shoulder, and turned my head slightly to kiss her inner thigh.

Her body trembled, her standing leg buckling. I wrapped one hand around the back of that leg to hold her upright, then I swirled my tongue around her clit. She shivered as she gasped. "Cooper."

Fuck, I loved the way she said my name when we were like this together.

Knowing she was loving it, wanting to build her up more than she already was, I got to work. I ate ravenously, licking and sucking, giving her everything I had to give while taking all that I could.

Skye's hands came down to rest on the top of my head, her fingers threading through my hair and holding on, like she was afraid I would pull away too soon.

Never.

I couldn't seem to ever have enough of her.

And now that she'd confessed that she loved me, there wasn't a chance I was going to start denying her a single thing. I was going to give this woman everything for as long as she'd allow me.

The more I went at her, the more Skye moved her hips. I flicked my tongue mercilessly over her clit, loving the sound of her panting and whimpering.

When I knew she was nearly there, I pulled my mouth away and stood.

"No," she cried out.

My lips twitched, and I pushed my clothes down my legs and stepped out of them and my shoes while simultaneously whipping her shirt over her head. Then I wrapped one arm around her waist while the other went to her ass. I lifted her in my arms and said, "Guide me in, Skye."

She reached down between us, curled her fingers around my cock, and positioned me. With my eyes on hers, I surged forward, pinning her body between the door and mine. Her head dropped back, and my mouth went to her neck.

I kissed and nipped at the skin there, pulling my hips back slightly before driving them forward again. Skye's fingernails dug into my shoulders. That feeling mixed with the sounds of her moans, and the combination drove me wild.

There had been plenty of thoughts about how this would be with her once we'd shared those three little words with each other, and for some reason, I always thought there was going to be this slow and sweet exchange. I believed it would have been soft whispers and tender touches.

I should have known better than to assume anything when it came to Skye. I should have realized that hearing those words from her would have riled me up in a way I'd never been before. I should have expected I'd be unable to control myself and would feel this level of desperation for her.

"Cooper," she moaned.

And then there was that.

How was I supposed to ignore what the sound of my name coming past her lips when I was buried inside her did to me?

"Love you, Skye."

Her gaze darkened, her lips parting slightly before she whispered, "I love you, too."

With one arm still clamped firmly around her waist, my other hand moved from her ass around to her hip and up the side of her body, landing at her tit. My thumb swept across her nipple, my mouth finding hers again as I continued to power into her.

It built and built, and the next thing I knew, Skye's legs were tightening around my waist, her nails digging in deeper at my shoulders. Her breathing grew shallow, her moaning turning to whimpering.

She was on the verge, and I was right there with her. "Are you going to come for me, sweetheart?"

"Please, don't stop," she begged. "I'm so close."

I went at her harder, driving my hips forward with wild abandon until it hit, and we were both riding the wave as our orgasms tore through us. My mouth kissed the skin along the side of her throat as I came down, my lips lingering on her rapid pulse there.

The moment I regained some of my wits about me, I pushed off from the door with Skye still in my arms and moved through the house and toward the couch. I lowered myself to my back, Skye on top of me, and only after we were settled there did she speak.

"That was nice," she murmured.

I grinned at her. "Nice?"

She beamed at me. "Fantastic."

Laughing, I returned, "Much better. Are you okay?"

"Why would I not be?" Skye countered.

My fingers traveled slowly up and down her back as I answered, "I'm referring to what happened outside before and immediately after I got here."

She inhaled a deep breath, considered her response, and finally confirmed, "I'm more than okay. I mean, obviously, I was annoyed he showed up here after I thought I made it clear to Maria where I stood. I didn't like that he wasn't listening to me, but I don't think I'll have that to worry about any longer. On the plus side, the way you stepped in to handle the situation for me allowed me to see another part of you that I hadn't seen before. And I liked that. Not so much that you had to do it, but that you did what you had to do to look out for me. I like that, Cooper. No, I love it. I love that I have someone like you in my life now."

"And I love that you've allowed me to be part of your life."

"I'd be a fool not to," she said. "Nobody has ever loved me the way you do. This whole relationship, even if it's only been a couple months, has been the best thing to ever happen to me. It actually makes me excited."

My brows pulled together. "Excited?"

Skye gave me a nod. "I love this place we're in with our relationship right now, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes. I wonder if it's always going to be like this and how we'll grow and change as a couple."

She was thinking ahead.

Nothing could have made me happier. I liked knowing that Skye envisioned, in some way, a future for us. I was just as eager to see where our lives would take us.

We sat in silence for a while, both of us simply enjoying being in each other's presence. Though I couldn't say if it was the case for Skye, I was certainly taking that time to consider what that future would look like.

That's when I glanced across the room, saw the pictures, and a thought popped into my head.

"How would they feel?" I asked.

Skye lifted her head from my chest and gazed at me curiously. "What?"

I jerked my head to the side and focused my attention on the pictures she had displayed there. "Your family. I was wondering how you think they'd feel about me, specifically me for you. Do you think they'd like me? Would they approve of me?"

Tears filled her eyes. The last thing I'd wanted to do was upset Skye. Over the last couple of months, I'd had moments when I thought about her family, and it had almost always been about them not being here, how I couldn't believe Skye had suffered through so much strife and still grew to be the woman she was now. There wasn't a doubt in my mind they were responsible for her being the woman I'd fallen in love with. But it was only now, as I was considering our future, when I wondered how they'd feel about me. Would they think I was worthy of her?

"They'd love you, Cooper." Skye's voice was just a touch over a whisper, her emotions getting the best of her.

I hugged her tightly, wanting to comfort her. "Really?"

She nodded. "Obviously, there are certain things I never had the opportunity to talk to my parents about since I was so young when they passed. But I remember what I saw."

"What do you mean?"

Skye didn't immediately respond. She looked away for a moment, a sweet smile spreading across her face as she was clearly recalling something. Finally, she shared, "I remember the way I felt whenever I was around my parents together. I was always happy, Cooper. Always. And I remember the way my dad looked after us—my mom and me. Even when he knew she could get them herself every day at work, he never failed to bring her flowers just because. Whenever he did that for her, he did it for me, too. And I remember being so disappointed when the flowers would eventually die. I think that's why I'm so in love with the gardens at your parents' house and your grandparents' lake house. They remind me of my parents."

Suddenly, I had the overwhelming desire to make sure Skye always had a fresh bouquet in her house. Or, beyond that, I wanted her to have her very own garden. "So, you're saying your parents taught you what it feels like to be loved properly."

"Exactly. And I think they'd think you're doing an excellent job of loving me the way I deserve to be loved."

It was a relief to hear that. I'd never be able to get their approval in person, but it helped to know that Skye believed her parents would have liked me for her. "What about your grandmother? You had so many more years with her. If she was still alive, what would she have said the day that piece of wood flew through the front door?"

Skye's whole face lit up with her smile. "That first day, she would have undoubtedly believed it was the start of a very interesting story."

I raised a curious brow. "Would her opinion have changed in the days that followed? And wouldn't she have been upset about her store?"

Laughter filled the air. "Where do you think I get my ability to always try to look on the bright side? I learned that from her. She wouldn't have been the least bit upset about what happened to the door."

Skye's eyes danced with delight, and I could easily tell she wasn't finished. So, I waited, completely content to stare at her beautiful face.

"After some time passed, especially if things continued with you the way they have, there's not a question in my mind that my grandmother would have thought you were the hero from every one of her favorite books. It wouldn't matter if it was romance, mystery, fantasy, or something else. She would have adored you."

Now, it was my turn to laugh, burying my face in Skye's neck. I found it hysterical that Skye's grandmother would have compared me to fictional heroes. Even still, I thought it was a massive compliment, so I was happy to have it.

When my laughter dissipated, I pulled back to look at Skye and tucked a lock of her soft hair behind her ear. She was still smiling brightly at me.

"I wish I could have met her," I said softly. "All of them, if I'm honest."

She nodded. "Me, too."

Skye and I returned to the comfortable silence we'd been in before I brought up this conversation, and I was happy to sit in that for a while. Because I used the time to think about all the ways I intended to give Skye the life she deserved to have.

Eventually, even though I didn't think there was anything wrong with considering what was ahead for us, I decided it was best to focus most of our effort on the present. So, I said, "I didn't expect our weekend together was going to start the way it did, but I'm glad for how it led us to this. But now that it's even later, I'm thinking it might be wise to get some food, because I'm starved."

"Yeah, I like that plan. I'm a bit famished myself," she returned.

"How about we go get ourselves cleaned up? Then I'll run back out to my truck to grab the bag I packed for the weekend here with you, along with a special treat I brought for after dinner."

Skye perked up. "Special treat?"

I nodded.

"What is it?"

Shrugging, I said, "You'll have to wait and see. But I'll just say that I know how much you enjoy food, so I'm doing what I've got to do to start this weekend off right."

The corners of her mouth tipped up, her eyes dancing with such happiness. "Not that I'm not looking forward to whatever it is, but if you ask me, we already started this weekend off on the right foot."

I couldn't disagree with that sentiment. So, I laughed. "That's fair."

"Do I have to climb off of you now?" Skye asked.

I didn't come out with words, but I did give her a response. Wrapping my arms tight around her, I got to my feet and carried her to the bathroom, so we could get ourselves cleaned up.

And after I got my clothes back on, I went out to my truck to get my things, so we could settle in for a long weekend with one another. And not once during the entire two and a half days I had with her did my mind ever drift back to the work that would be waiting for me on Monday morning.

If there was one thing my relationship with Skye had taught me, it was that the work would always be there, waiting for me. It was far more important for me to take the time away from work to build the life I wanted with a woman who made me want to give her the world.