to look at her. I knew she was a virgin, obviously, but I never thought about that.
“Am I the first person, other than yourself, to give you an orgasm?”
She bites down on her lip. Chin dipping in a nod.
Well.
Fuck.
That’s so incredibly hot.
“Heath is a shmuck,” I utter.
And really, he is. The guy has no idea what he missed.
I pull her head toward mine so I can reach her lips without making a bigger mess of us. “I want to be responsible for a lot more of your orgasms.”
Like, all of them.
She smiles against my lips. “Am I still allowed to make myself come?”
Okay, maybe not all of them.
“Mmm,” I growl. “Okay,” I yield quickly. “But you have to let me watch at least once.”
She grins, fingers snaking into my hair. “As long as you let me watch you too.”
Where has this woman been all my life? Oh, that’s right, across the street, well until seven years ago.
“Deal.”
THE TALKING
Emerson
Apparently, once you’ve touched someone intimately, it makes not touching them difficult. I never really felt that way with Heath—not that we were ever all that intimate with each other—so I didn’t know it’d be this way. But as Cooper picks me up the night after our awesome morning make-out session, that carnal smirk plastered to his face, my first instinct is to climb him like a tree.
I settle for wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him. And really, it doesn’t feel like settling at all.
“Things would have been so much more fun if you’d greeted me like this these past couple of weeks.”
“You haven’t been having fun?” I ask, grabbing my jacket and purse.
“I said more fun .”
I pull the door closed behind me and nod. “Agreed. So what’s the plan for tonight? More Netflix?” There’s this excited hitch to my voice that is so obvious. And it has nothing to do with streaming movies. Normally, I might find this embarrassing, but with him, I am shameless.
Maybe I’m having one of those sexual awakenings. And I didn’t even need to have sex to do it. Who knew Cooper Fitzpatrick would be the one to stir this side of me? I certainly didn’t.
Cooper shakes his head, taking my hand in his. Though it feels natural, right, my heart beats a little faster. Holding hands is different than making out. Strangers can make-out at a party. Hell, even kids play Seven Minutes in Heaven or Spin the Bottle as a rite of passage, sucking face with people they hardly know. But I highly doubt all those same people would grab someone’s hand and hold it in theirs.
Kissing is sexual. A basic need. Handholding is affectionate. Familiar.
I feel like this one gesture has lifted us past friends with benefits and set us solidly down in a whole new category.
“Maybe later,” Cooper says, rousing me from my thoughts. “I thought we could have dinner together. Have you eaten?”
Dinner.
Together.
We are definitely drifting into new territory.
That sounds like a date.
Is that what we’re doing?
“Are we dating?” My voice sounds strangled, which is weird, because I’m not opposed to the idea. At least, I don’t think I am. But, um, this is kind of—I don’t know, I don’t want to say sudden because he did have his hand down my pants and his tongue in my mouth—but… Unexpected?
That’s basically the same thing, isn’t it?
Maybe I should have seen this coming.
But, come on. You do not have to date to be physical with someone.
Cooper pauses, his eyes meeting mine. “You want to label it?”
I lift our interlocked hands. “Maybe we should?” It comes out sounding like a question. I’m not entirely sold on the idea. Maybe it’s better not to know. To just let things happen. Naturally.
Wait. Is that what’s happening? Is this the natural course of our relationship? Is this a relationship?
“I mean,” I try to explain, “it’s probably better that we are both on the same page. So there’s no confusion.” Because I’m so