Chapter Eight

“Home?” I repeated.

Cooper pulled up to a huge black gate that blocked the driveway. He rolled down his window, punched in a code and the gate retracted so we could get through. We pulled up to the house and the garage opened automatically, as if expecting us. Cooper parked and cut the engine, the headlights illuminating the inside of the immaculate, three- or maybe four-car garage.

“Come on, let’s get you something to eat,” he said. He hopped out of his side and came around to open my door.

“What? Now I’m allowed to walk on my own?” I asked sarcastically.

“For now,” he said, winking at me and offering a flash of his gorgeous smile, and a bolt of heat hit my stomach and then slid south at his naughty promise.

I stepped out of the car and Cooper shut the door behind me, and then turned and led me up a couple of steps and through a door. On the other side, we entered a large, dark room. He flipped on a light and turned off the security system. It looked like a storage room—large bins stacked on shelves against one wall, and then floor-to-ceiling cupboards on the other side.

Through that room, we entered into a massive kitchen. When the lights twinkled on, it lit up like a showroom in a furniture store—gleaming, granite countertops stacked on dark, cherry wood cabinets. Pendant lights hung down over a long island that had a gas stovetop. It was sparkling clean, and well-organized. There were some decorative touches—a bowl with fruit sat in the corner and there was a wooden tray that was set up with a fancy-looking box of tea on the island by the stove.

Beyond the kitchen, I could see a breakfast area that had a square table, the wood matching the cabinets, with a bench on one side and two plush chairs on the other. Both rooms had dark hardwood floors that continued through an archway that I assumed led to a dining room or living room space.

“Cooper, this place is amazing,” I finally said, after spinning around the room a couple times, taking it all in.

“This is my lake house. I usually come here on the weekends and stay at my condo during the week.”

I nodded and walked through the kitchen, running my hand along the smooth, cold granite.

“Unfortunately, it’s been a few weeks since I was last able to come out here, so I don’t have much in the fridge,” he said. I turned to him and stared at his ass as he leaned into the open refrigerator, taking inventory.

Holy shit, he was so hot. It had been a long time since our romp in his office, but I still remembered how that firm ass had felt under my hands as I pulled him into me, begging for him to fuck me harder.

A shiver of heat ran through me at the memory and I suddenly became aware of the fact that I was standing in his kitchen, with no one around for miles, in a robe and a slinky pair of panties. He hadn’t even let me put on shoes before he grabbed me. I looked down and wiggled my toes against the slick wood floors.

“Do you like pasta?” he asked, holding up a jar of spaghetti sauce and a package of tortellini.

“Sure,” I answered. I suddenly felt very awkward and exposed. I cinched the cord on my robe tighter.

“All right, I’ll get to work on that. Let me show you to the bathroom and get you something else to wear,” he said, turning his attention back to me, his eyes lingering on my barely contained breasts.

“Cooper.” My voice came out like a whisper.

He tore his eyes away from me and gestured for me to follow him. He led me up a set of stairs that were just off the kitchen and then down a long hallway to the last room on the left. He opened one of the two French doors and I gasped. It was very obviously the master bedroom and it was beautiful. There was a huge, four-poster bed in the middle with lush-looking blankets and pillows, like something from a five-star hotel up in the mountains. The opposite wall had a fireplace that was surrounded by slate stones. There was a set of doors that led to a balcony that was lit up.

“In here,” Cooper said, pulling me out of my gawking. “You can use anything you need. I’ll lay out something for you to wear. Meet me downstairs when you’re ready.”

I nodded to his instructions and stepped into the bathroom while he disappeared into another room that I assumed was a walk-in closet. The bathroom was just as opulent, soft lighting bouncing off the marble countertops. There was a huge, jetted tub that looked like it would comfortably fit four people, and another fireplace. For a moment, I wondered if Cooper had ever had a threesome. I pushed the thought from my mind, not wanting to think about him with other women.

I turned on the huge shower and crossed to look in the mirror while I waited for the water to heat up.

“Holy shit!” I yelped, seeing my reflection in the mirror. The bathroom lighting was made to be forgiving, but even that wasn’t helping. My eyes were dark with way too much make-up and it had smudged with the sweat from dancing under the lights. My hair had been teased and curled before my show, but now it just looked like a sticky, old hairspray mess.

I stripped off the robe and, for the first time, wondered who it even belonged to. I had grabbed the closest thing when I saw Cooper backstage. I shuddered, wondering when it had last been washed and what kinds of…fluids…might be on it.

“Ugh,” I kicked it away into the corner of the bathroom and went back to get in the shower.

I let the hot water run over my body while I investigated all of Cooper’s bathroom products, opening and smelling each one. I selected a new bar of soap and opened the package, using it to scrub away all the make-up, and then I used my fingers to untangle the knots in my hair and kept rinsing till there was no sticky hairspray feeling anymore.

When I stepped out of the shower, onto the cushioned bath mat, I felt a million times better. I wrapped up in a huge towel and stood in the steamy bathroom for a few minutes, reluctant to leave the warm room. But my curiosity of what would happen next finally convinced me to go back into the bedroom, half expecting Cooper to be waiting there for me.

But he wasn’t. Instead, there was a long-sleeved shirt laid out on the bed and a pair of long, white socks. I smiled and finished toweling off quickly. I tossed the wet towel back in the bathroom and then slipped into the silky smooth shirt, buttoning all the buttons except the top two. Without my usual push-up bra, I didn’t have much cleavage, but my bare breasts filled the shirt out and my nipples poked at the fabric, which I knew Cooper would notice.

I pulled the socks on and sat on the bed for a minute, wondering how much snooping I could do before Cooper would come looking for me. The man might drive me insane, but I had this insatiable curiosity that I couldn’t shake. I wanted to go through his closet, smell his clothes, see what kind of kinky stuff he might have hiding in his nightstand or dresser drawers.

In the end, I resisted the urge and went downstairs. As I neared the kitchen, the smell of food kicked my stomach into gear and I was glad I hadn’t dawdled any longer upstairs. I had barely eaten anything in two days, my stomach too nervous to keep anything down. But now, I felt safe, and I was famished!

I stepped into the kitchen and Cooper had his back to me but when he turned around, he did a full double-take, and I smiled. “Better?” I asked.

He didn’t try to hide his lust as he rounded the island and came to stand close to me. “You’re so fucking sexy, Allison.” His brown eyes lingered on mine before traveling down to the exposed skin where I had left the shirt unbuttoned. I felt my nipples harden under his gaze and he reached a hand up and gently cupped my breast, running his thumb over the tender bud. I trembled and held back a moan at the warmth of his hand and the gentle pressure of his touch.

He brought his other hand up and cupped my face. I leaned into his hand and closed my eyes, taking in the feel of his skin on my cheek.

Just as quickly as it had started, he released me and went back to the counter. I opened my eyes and watched as he retrieved two glasses of wine. He handed one to me and directed me to the dining room. He pulled out my chair and once I was seated, disappeared back into the kitchen. When he returned, he held two plates of pasta. He set one down in front of me and then handed me a fork before sitting down opposite me.

I took a deep sip of wine and then set my glass down, the sound of it on the table making me aware of how quiet the room was. As if reading my mind, Cooper fished his phone out of his pocket and tapped at the screen. Seconds later, the room filled with a soft, instrumental song.

“Very suave, Mr. Brighton,” I said, smiling at him. “The dinner, the wine, the music, all very nice. So, let me ask you again, what am I doing here? What’s this all about?”

He set down his fork and took a sip from his own wine glass. “I want you, Allison.”

His words sent a rush of heat all over my whole body, settling between my legs as I ached for him.

“And I know you want me,” he continued.

“Oh, really?” I took another sip, this time pausing to lick my lips before setting down my glass. His eyes widened at my gesture and my heart raced, getting even more turned on by the power I felt, knowing I could drive him just as crazy as he made me. “Prove it.”