Something about Cooper and the wine made it easier to talk. Jada never would have admitted her lack of knowledge if she hadn’t felt at least a little comfortable around him. And if he took the care to scratch her back, just because he thought she’d like it, then surely he’d be the same when it came to what happened in the bedroom?

Then he started rubbing her feet and legs, and Jada thought she might love him. No one ever cared enough to do that sort of thing, and her legs and back ached from the long day and the tension and the shitty mattress in her old room. She had the worst time not moaning in pleasure and sliding clean off the couch again as his enormous hands kneaded and stroked her legs all the way up to her knees. Warmth coiled low in her stomach and nerves fluttered through her as Jada caught the look on his face: intense and a little hungry, eager and focused.

Her breath came faster and she wanted to move closer to him, but the nerves took over and she felt completely paralyzed. Maybe eventually she’d feel bold enough to touch him, to reach for him, but in the meantime, she watched the way his hands moved in the firelight.

Then Cooper looked at her and time slowed as he leaned closer. Jada held her breath, wanting to burst apart at the seams and run away at the same time. His gaze searched her face as his hand slid along her jaw to cradle her head and pull her closer, then his lips pressed to hers and everything went warm and dreamy.

Warm pressure and the softness of his lips distracted her from being nervous or uncertain, and when his tongue caressed her lips, she was surprised enough that she parted to let him in. Jada sighed, closing her eyes, and his arm wrapped around her back to keep her close. Cooper kissed her deeply, tongue tangling with hers in gentle combat, and it was too soon that he withdrew and kissed her again with gentle pecks on the lips.

She wanted more. A lot more. Her center felt flushed and hot, ready for something, and static rang through her every time his skin touched hers. Whatever magic it was, she didn’t mind.

Cooper smiled, thumb brushing her cheek. “Okay?”

She nodded, touching her lips with the tips of her fingers, and stared at his mouth. She almost couldn’t believe someone so big and intimidating and ... bearded could be so gentle. She swallowed trepidation and touched his shoulder, acutely aware that her legs remained sprawled across his muscled thighs. “Can you do that again?”

A grumble started in his chest but it certainly wasn’t a growl, and from his expression, he definitely wasn’t upset. His arm squeezed her tight as he kissed the tip of her nose, his voice gravelly as he kept kissing her forehead and cheeks and temple. “Love to.”

His mouth descended on hers once more, and Jada melted in his arms. She tentatively met the thrust of his tongue with her own, and Cooper groaned, leaning into her until Jada lay back against the couch cushions. His weight felt strange and overwhelming but still very, very exciting. He kissed her harder, nipping at her lower lip, and his hand slid down to grip her side.

Jada sucked in a breath, moving a little uneasily, and Cooper went back to the gentle kisses along her throat and jaw that had her tilting her head back in invitation. It felt wrong to offer her throat to someone she barely knew, but she surrendered. She gave up control to him and wanted him to just take her away. The leopard wanted him, wanted to feel more of him over her. Wanted his hands on every inch of her. Jada closed her eyes and arched her back as his fingers brushed her waist, and she gathered enough courage to press her mouth to his first, to steal her own kiss.

Cooper chuckled as he kissed her back, leisurely and so thoroughly that Jada lost time. Everything else disappeared. Heat raced through her until she felt restless and uncomfortable and restricted in her clothing. She needed to feel more of him. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. “You’re a very good kisser.”

He nuzzled behind her ear as she blushed, and Jada linked her arms around his neck to keep him close as Cooper dragged his teeth down her throat and the leopard growled in anticipation. He’d mark her, that was for damn sure, and she didn’t mind a bit. Her voice came out breathy and broken, completely unfamiliar. “I have a good teacher.”

His knee dented the cushion between her legs, and Jada’s legs parted to give him more room. Cooper groaned, gripping her shoulder, and his teeth pinched the soft skin of her neck, leaving a mark. She shuddered in pleasure, fingers tangling in his shirt to keep him close. She needed more. More of what, she didn’t really know, but she did. “Do that again.”

That set the growl louder, until it vibrated through him and into her. Cooper switched to the other side, nipping a bit near her shoulder and along the smooth column of his throat, and Jada moaned. She squeaked in surprise at the guttural sound that escaped, embarrassed with such wanton behavior, but Cooper’s hips pressed down against hers and he took her earlobe in his teeth. “I love the sounds you make. Don’t stop.”

Jada flushed until her head ached, but reveled in the praise. His eyes flashed gold, the bear close to the surface, and Cooper’s palm covered her breast over the awful wedding dress. Pleasure zinged through her, straight to her core, as his thumb caressed her nipple through the fabric, drawing more of those unbelievable sounds from her. Cooper’s head bent as he dragged the neckline down so he kissed her breast through only her bra, and Jada clung to his shoulders as her whole body threatened to fly apart.

Before he got very far, though, Cooper tried to ease backward and nearly slipped off the couch. He snorted, shaking his head, and rested his chin between her breasts. “This couch isn’t really the best place for this. We need more room. Are you okay to move to the bed?”

Anxiety sparked again, but Jada knew he wouldn’t hurt her or push her too fast. Obviously he wanted more, but he held himself back. So she nodded, ready to sit up and walk on her wobbly legs. Before she could move, Cooper scooped her up and carried her into the bedroom, lit only by a soft lamp. He’d made the bed and turned back the sheets, and laid her down gently before he stood back, gazing at her with such intense desire Jada squirmed. He looked like he wanted to eat her up.

Cooper remained standing, though he caressed her ankle, and his eyes sparked with gold as he watched her. “Can I take off my shirt?”

She nodded, puzzled that he asked permission, and bit her lip as he dragged the button-down shirt and undershirt off. His bare chest looked like a wall of solid muscle with a liberal sprinkling of chest hair that tapered to a narrow trail and disappeared into his jeans. Jada couldn’t breathe, looking at him. He had a lot of scars and markings, and even a few tattoos, but she wanted to touch all of him. His abs flexed as he breathed, and her attention drifted to that arrow of hair pointing into his pants.

Cooper squeezed her ankle. “Can I take off your socks?”

Jada nodded again, starting to smile. What kind of game was he playing?

He grumbled and tugged off her socks, bending to kiss the tops of her feet and her toes and ankles until Jada wiggled and squirmed, laughing. His hands slid up her calves to find the garter they insisted she wear, and he cocked an eyebrow at her. “And this too?”

Another nod. Although she wanted him to lose a few articles of clothing, too.

Cooper continued his study, carefully examining the front of the wedding dress, then leaned to kiss her again. “Any reason you want to keep this as a memento?”

“No,” she whispered. “I don’t ever want to see it again.”

“Good.” Before Jada could draw a breath, Cooper ripped the fabric right down the middle. He grumbled in appreciation, even though she wore a shift and bra and other undergarments to make her look smaller, and dragged the remains of the wedding dress out from under her as Jada rolled to help.

His hands dented the mattress next to her shoulders as he moved in for another kiss, his mouth scorching, and Jada lost herself in the twisting heat of his tongue. She met him and groaned, her whole body on fire. Cooper chuckled and winked as he retreated. “Sit up for me, baby.”

She did, dazed and a little unsteady, and Cooper held her shoulders until she found her balance. His fingertips drifted over her cleavage, the barest hint of a touch, and she shivered as she imagined his mouth following where his hands blazed a trail. Cooper’s hand slipped under her bra so he could tease her nipple. “Can I take off your... whatever this thing is?” and he tugged on the hem of the shift.

Jada nodded, unable to speak, and lifted her arms so he could draw the whole thing up and off. Then she sat there in her bra and panties and a waist-shaper, feeling vulnerable and exposed and totally exhilarated.

Before he could speak, Jada gathered her courage and hesitantly touched his belt buckle. She whispered, “Can I take off your pants?”

He stared at her, stunned, and Jada wondered if maybe she’d overstepped. He was the man; he was supposed to be in control, and maybe she’d offended him...

Cooper’s hands slid into her hair and he bent, devouring her mouth and almost bearing her back on the mattress with the force of his desire. He broke the kiss, breathing ragged, and put her hand back on his belt. “You can do anything you want, baby.”

Her hands shook as she struggled to unbuckle the belt, and she grew a little flustered when it took longer than planned. Cooper caught her hands, kissed her fingertips, and then helped her work the buckle. Her thighs clenched in anticipation as Jada worked the zipper. She must have lost her mind. She’d never been this bold at anything in her life, and there she was, asking to take off a strange man’s pants.

Cooper waited patiently as she fumbled with the zipper, his jeans a lot tighter than she’d thought they’d be, and he moved his hips a little to help the fabric slide down to pool on the floor. And then Jada faced a substantial bulge in the black boxer briefs he wore. Her head tilted as she studied it, and without thinking, she ran her fingers over the hard ridge.

Jada jumped as Cooper caught her hands, dragging her away from him, and she flushed in embarrassment. Before she could suffer too much, he kissed her and murmured, “I like that so much, Jada, I might finish too early. You’re driving me crazy in the best way possible. But first it’s your turn.”

“My turn?” She held her breath as he tore away the waist-shaper, throwing it across the room with a disgusted growl. “My turn for what?”

“You’ll find out,” he murmured with a wink, then his hands drifted around her sides to tug at the hooks of her bra. “And please don’t wear one of those weird stiff things again.”

The waist-shaper? She frowned at where it ended up in the dim room, but then the cool air caressed her breasts, along with his mouth, and she lost all sense of everything else. Cooper nudged and she fell back against the mattress, letting him maneuver her closer to the headboard and more in the middle of the bed, while he lay on his side next to her. He touched her stomach and sides, calluses dragging across her heated skin with just a hint of roughness. Jada gave herself up to the sensations, even when panic bubbled up. He could see all of her in the light. Every inch.

Cooper tickled her sides and Jada jumped, squealing, and he laughed. “Ready for some more fun?”

She didn’t know if she was really ready, but she nodded anyway, despite her racing heart. Her body wanted more, and the leopard wanted a lot more from the bear.

Cooper knelt over her, kissing a slow trail down her throat to her breasts, licking and sucking on her nipples until Jada’s toes curled and her head tossed on the pillow. It wasn’t possible for something to feel so... amazing. So intense. Unbearably pleasurable. She couldn’t breathe.

As his mouth drifted lower, his fingers pinched and twirled her nipples, keeping up the incredible pressure as his tongue teased her belly button. He pinched the rosy tips and painful pleasure shot through her like a bolt of lightning straight to her core, flooding her channel with heat and wetness. Jada moaned, squeezing her eyes shut as her hips rose, and Cooper chuckled, sounding pleased.

She could barely get her bearings before he kissed lower on her stomach, and Jada’s head popped off the pillow to stare at him. What the hell was he doing? He’d take off her underwear and discover how wet she was, and he’d think she was some kind of slut. She tensed and Cooper went still, watching her face until Jada relaxed. He hadn’t judged her for anything yet, so why would he care that she wanted him?

Jada nodded just a tiny bit, and Cooper smiled. And then he blew a raspberry on her stomach and Jada hollered, laughing and twisting away as he tried to do it again. By the time they finished wrestling, Jada panted and collapsed on the mattress, Cooper half on top of her, and whatever fear gripped her had disappeared.

His hands drifted down her hips. “Now, where was I?”

She touched the very last place he kissed, so low on her stomach it was under her panties, and Cooper’s entire face lit up with lust. But he didn’t rip off her underwear, like she hoped. Instead, he arched an eyebrow and stared at where her hands rested. “Show me.”

Jada’s heart thundered in her ears as her fingers slid under her panties, dangerously close to her slick folds, and Cooper’s lips parted as he watched. She felt bold and strong and suddenly in control, to see the self-confident bear mesmerized as her fingers snuck closer to the top of her slit. He groaned and gripped her knees, though he didn’t rush her. Jada watched his expression as she tugged at the hem of her panties, dragging them down, and he shredded them without looking away as she exposed all of herself to him.

Her thighs fell open and Jada couldn’t have stopped for anything in the world. His eyes were completely gold as Jada touched herself, hesitantly at first, and Cooper growled. She teased her slit and the sensitive bead of nerves that stood out from her pink folds, and he groaned, sounding almost like he was in pain. Jada wanted more but didn’t know how to ask. She closed her eyes and arched her back as she kept touching herself, desperate to feel him, and she managed to whisper, “Do I do all the work?”

The mattress moved and then Cooper lay between her legs, dragging his teeth against the inside of her thigh. Jada cried out in surprise and pleasure as his mouth descended on her sensitive flesh, and his tongue replaced her fingers in a sudden, demanding thrust. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t move. She arched to meet him, stars exploding all around, as Cooper growled and snarled against her, his fingers plunging deep into her channel.

Everything happened fast. He pressed deep into her, crooking his fingers until a deep pressure and pleasure built in her middle, and a tsunami of ecstasy held back by only a thin shred of control hovered. The more he teased and stroked her clit, the more Jada wanted to thrash and buck against him. She couldn’t control herself; Cooper pinned her hips down and continued the onslaught, unmerciful as Jada tugged at his hair and tried to close her thighs against his ears. 

And then—oh holy hell, then something sparked and the world went black and everything seized up. Her muscles went rigid as pleasure raced through her in an earth-shattering, overwhelming explosion. She sobbed for air, her whole body jerking, and aftershocks rolled from her toes to her head and back. Cooper remained still, waiting, as her channel clamped down on his fingers and her legs jerked uncontrollably.

Jada blinked dark blotches from her vision, struggling to breathe, and rolled her head to try and look at Cooper. “What…what was that?”

“I think you just came,” he murmured, gently withdrawing his hand. She twitched as the movement ignited more pleasurable shivers, and she basked in the sensation as Cooper’s weight rested on the mattress next to her. “Le petit mort. They call it the little death. Did you like it?”

“I don’t think I have words right now,” she said. She felt heavy and exhausted but still desperately in need of... more. “I didn’t know.”

Cooper massaged her breast, though he avoided her sensitive nipples, and let his beard tickle her throat. “There’s a lot more, Jada. Are you ready?”

For the first time in her life, she thought maybe she was. Jada took a shaky breath and forced her eyes open so she could meet his gaze. “Yes.”