24. Chapter 24

All of my worries about how Cooper would react to my confession melted off bone and muscle when he wrapped his arms around me and deepened our kiss, and he used his tongue before I did. Yes. This was precisely what I had wanted. I thought for sure he'd tell me no, and that he couldn't, but Mom had been right when she said he may surprise me. And surprise me, he did, in the best way fucking possible.

We'd have to talk some more about this and establish new boundaries, but for now, I just wanted to get lost in his firm, plump lips, and thick scruff. I inhaled his masculine, woodsy scent that always got me hard as our tongues demanded and consumed our mouths. Our fingers dug into our flesh, clinging tightly as if all this would shatter if we let go for even a second.

Cooper controlled the show by shoving me back and back until I hit the closed wooden barn door, rattling against me. It was growing cold outside, and I'd have to help bring the animals inside soon, but our fevered bodies and panting breaths kept us warm, not to mention my growing arousal. More than growing. My dick was painfully swollen behind my jeans, desperate for love and fresh air.

When we came up for air, Cooper nibbled on my throat, and a moan escaped me. My hands reached for his hair and fisted it as he bit my Adam's apple before moving on to other parts of me. Eventually, he landed back on my starving lips. God, kissing him was out of this world. Amazing. I couldn't get enough of his mouth and tongue. He used his entire body to kiss me, and I loved how he claimed me without trepidation and fear, and a big reason I was so into him.

"Aspen! Cooper!"

When Cooper pulled away, I gasped for air, trying not to chase his mouth because I never wanted to stop kissing him. I wasn't lying when I said I loved kissing.

"Dinner!"

"Shit," I groused, not wanting this to end, but I had to remember we had time now—time for us to figure out our situation.

Cooper's breath came out in pants as if he'd made several touchdowns in a row, and I wasn't faring much better. He pulled away, and I was suddenly cold without him. But I also eyed him to make sure he was okay and that he didn't have sudden doubts. Sometimes, getting caught up in the moment changed perspectives.

His hand landed on my face, and I leaned into his warm and gentle touch, closing my eyes.

"We'll talk more later, okay?" he said.

I smiled and nodded. "Okay."

My breath whooshed out of me when Cooper took my hand in his, threading our fingers together and leading us back to the house. Mom was definitely right about him surprising me, and he did just that in the best way.

When we stepped through the door, Cooper pressed his hand on my lower back as if claiming me and showing the world that I belonged to him. I looked up at him with a massive smile on my face that I couldn't hide if I tried. He smiled back as we made our way into the dining room.

Usually, we all ate in the kitchen, but I guess with Cooper being our special guest, Mom went all out.

Tonight's dinner was ham, savory baby potatoes, and a salad, which all came from our garden. We had a greenhouse for our crops to feed ourselves during the winter months.

Meals at our house were always loud, and tonight was no exception. But this time, Cooper was the center of attention, doing his best to answer all my family's bombarding questions about college life, football, vineyards, and winemaking.

As we chatted, Mom kept looking at Cooper and me with a stupid smile on her face, and it took all my power not to roll my eyes at her. It was clear our talk had gone well since we sat practically on top of each other as we ate, and I hadn't stopped smiling like an idiot. And under the table, I had my left hand resting on his knee. It was as if my confession about wanting him had set us free of all our constraints and boundaries.

Despite Sage being my youngest sister, she was the first one to notice my closeness with Cooper, eyes bouncing back and forth at us. She pointed her fork at us. "I thought you two were just friends and roommates. Are you two… together?"

Cooper and I looked at each other before looking back at Sage. Soon, Dad and Willow grew interested and curious, both of whom suddenly noticed how close we sat together.

"Yes," Cooper said, making my stomach dip in excitement. He reached under the table for my hand and threaded our fingers together. "Well, we had a talk about it a little while ago, and we… like each other, so we'll see how it goes."

Fuck, I was seriously swooning. Cooper literally just came out to my parents with no compulsions, and he did it for me. If that didn't make your heart swell, nothing would. If he came out to my family, who were practically strangers to him, would he come out to his own family? I was so fucking proud of him.

Mom put her hands over her mouth, looking as happy as I felt. "Oh, I am so pleased you two have found each other. Nothing makes for a great relationship better than starting out as good friends. This is wonderful news."

"Agreed. I'm happy you've finally found someone, Aspen. I know you've struggled to find someone," Dad said.

"Yeah, I didn't think it would be with a guy, but I'm glad it is. Coop's amazing."

He smiled at me, and I was dying to kiss him, but I wasn't sure if he was ready for that in front of my family.

"Not that I care, but since when have you been into dudes?" Willow asked.

I shrugged. "Neither of us are. But you know as well as I do that sexuality isn't so constrained by rules as it's made out to be. We just found each other, and I discovered that I'm attracted to Cooper. It's as simple as that. I don't label things, but if you need to know, I guess maybe we're pansexual. I may be closer to being bi, but it's not that important."

"And Aspen here kind of wormed his way into my life." I snorted a laugh. He wasn't wrong. "And I'm happy he did."

Double swoon.

My family didn't probe too deeply into my newfound relationship with Cooper, letting us figure things out before hammering us with more questions. I loved them for it, lessening any potential pressure Cooper may have felt, although he seemed pretty relaxed about all this.

After dinner and putting up the animals in the barn, I was ready to escape to my room and have some fun with Cooper. It was time to explore the new side of us, so I took his hand and dragged him up the stairs without making it look obvious what I was up to.

As soon as I closed my bedroom door, I lunged at him. "Need you."

Cooper caught me, but before I could strip him down and make him mine, he held me back by my arms. "God, I want you, but we need to talk, Asp."

I swallowed and nodded. "Okay."

"I want to try this chance at a relationship with you, but I'm not going to lie. I'm afraid. Several forces in my life would do anything to keep us apart. I'm not afraid to be with you intimately, per se. I'm very attracted to you. There are worries about my family, friends, and career. We've talked about this before. All I'm asking is that you need to give me time to figure shit out."

"I can do that."

"Are you sure?"

It was risky, but I was confident that things would work out. "Yes, I'm sure."

He gave me a big smile that made me melt. "Okay. Good."

We lunged at each other again and scrambled to remove our clothes. Shirts went flying, jeans were piled on the floor, and we lost our socks and underwear somewhere in the room.

Cooper climbed into my bed, sitting up, and I sat on his lap, wrapping my legs around his hips. Our cocks rubbing against each other set me on fire, but I didn't want to jump into blow jobs or frotting. I wanted to explore him, touch him, kiss him.

I fisted his hair from behind and pulled his head back to claim his mouth, shoving my tongue deep inside. When he groaned, I swallowed the deep, arousing sound. His fingers slid around my body and up and down my back with gentle tips, sending shivers and goosebumps across my skin.

"God, there's something about making out with you. I almost like it more than sex," I said across Cooper's swollen lips.

His fingers dug into my back in response. "No one's ever kissed me the way you do."

"How do I kiss you?"

"Like you need me to breathe."

"You should always be kissed that way."

I still gripped his hair and yanked his head to the side to nibble on the scattered freckles right under his ear. "I really like these." My lips trailed along his throat, and I sucked on his Adam's apple, pulling out a moan from him. "I like this, too." My teeth gently clamped on his jaw. "I especially like this and all the red scruff."

"God, how do your words turn me on so much? Usually, I'm embarrassed, but… I love them coming from you. Your words feel real."

"Because they are real. I mean everything I say. You need to be told these things all the time."

"Amanda never did. I… used to think I was okay at doing sex, but maybe that's why she cheated on me. Sex was never like this with her. After being with you, even when we only messed around, I realize now how bad I am at it. I'm so… vanilla. No wonder she cheated."

Fuck that noise.

I grabbed Cooper's face with two hands and forced him to look at me. "That's all on her. If sex was mediocre with her, perhaps she wasn't the right person for you. Maybe you didn't like her as much as you thought. Besides, that is absolutely no fucking excuse to cheat. Understand? You did nothing wrong."

He only nodded. I didn't know if he believed me or not.

"No, she definitely wasn't the right person for you because you're sexy as fuck, Superstar. You're so responsive when we touch and kiss, and that's a damn turn-on."

"I'm… sorry I brought her up. Bad timing."

My hands resting on his face moved through his hair, and I dragged my fingers through it while holding on to his head before I kissed his forehead. "If something is bothering you, you tell me, okay? It doesn't matter when."

"Okay."

"Now, where were we? Hey, reach behind you and grab the lube out of my side table drawer, would you?"

Cooper leaned back on the bed, pulled open the drawer, and grabbed the lube, handing it to me.

"How about a little more frotting?"

"Yeah, that sounds amazing."

As I poured lube into my hand and slicked us up, I asked, "Do you think you might be into sex with me… I mean, if you're not ready to have me in you, I'm totally cool with being a bottom. But I want to try it… only if you're up for it."

"I'm not sure I'm ready to be fucked, but yeah, I'd like to try that with you."

"Yeah?"

He nodded and pulled me into a kiss as I fisted our cocks together. Our tongues danced as my hand slid up and down our slick, hard, and heated lengths.

My brain and heart still tried to get on board with Cooper"s desire to go farther with me, that he wanted to be with me despite his fears, and that I was enough. I had a good sense of self-worth, but this really added to it. There was something sexy and beautiful about a person willing to take a risk for you, and I would always do the same for him.

I stroked us faster and threw my head back so Cooper could kiss and nibble my neck and throat. But fuck, when he pinched my nipple, it was game over. The sharp, arousing pain shot straight down to my nuts, and I came in a rush with little warning.

"Oh god… fuck, fuck… pinch me again."

Cooper pinched my other nipple as I pumped out the last of my cum, but I didn't stop stroking, moving faster to the rhythm of his panting. My lips landed back on his to drink down his pleasure as he came all over my hand and dick.

We rested our foreheads together as our numb bodies recovered. When I sat up, I licked my fingers clean, loving how his eyes grew so big, watching me.

"Tasty."

"Fuuuck…"

"Let's take a shower."

"Together?"

"Yes. Think of it as water conservation."

He snorted a tired laugh. "Is that what we're calling it?"

"Yep, and I'm sticking with it."

We only make out in the shower and nothing more before getting out and drying off. It wasn't too late at night, but it was late enough for bed. Besides, my family always got up early to work the farm, so sleep was always needed around here.

Cooper and I climbed underneath the blankets, facing each other. He pulled me against him, and his intimate fingers trailed back and forth along my skin, making me sleepy.

I was pretty sure I fell asleep with a smile on my face.