CHAPTER
THREE
COOPER had encountered determined women before, but none as unabashedly bossy as Charity.
His career invariably meant women showed him a certain amount of deference, whether he liked it or not. It came with the territory of fame and money. There was always an element of them wanting to secure him, the trophy, and in order to do that, they worked hard to please him. It could be a frustrating experience because he’d met very few women who would stand up to him and call him out or demand what they needed and wanted.
Some men would appreciate that, take advantage of it, but Cooper had always wanted a partner, not a puppet.
Charity had no problem speaking her mind with him.
“Now?” he asked, her edgy orders both arousing him and mildly annoying him. She’d been just hot and cold enough with him that he wasn’t sure she was entitled to be calling the shots. He certainly wasn’t used to it. “How much time are you giving me? Do I have at least five minutes?”
He slid his hand up under her skirt over smooth, warm skin. Normally he wasn’t big on voyeurism, given he was on the public’s radar, and it was easy enough to get busted even when you thought you wouldn’t be, but he couldn’t resist stroking over Charity’s panties, unable to back down from her obvious challenge.
She bit his ear in response. Holy shit. That spurred him on to tug the lace aside and slip his finger into her wet heat. And wet she was. Damn. He felt his nostrils flare and his cock harden as he stroked her, her pleasure obvious from the way her eyes rolled back and her breath caught. Her hand landed on him, and her rhythm quickly matched his, while their mouths melted together with an ease, yet ferocity, that was new to Cooper.
He’d kissed a lot of women. But it had been a long time since he’d been this bowled over by a mere mating of his mouth with a woman’s.
“As long as it takes,” she murmured in his ear, knee shifting so he had better access under her skirt. “But before I freeze to death.”
She wasn’t playing around. “Is that a challenge?”
“It’s an order.”
Fuck. No one had ever said that to him. “Yes, ma’am,” he said. With the pressure on, he focused entirely on pleasing her, angling his finger deeper inside her and listening for her reactions to his touch so he could adjust accordingly. With his other hand he cupped her breast and angled his body so that if someone happened upon them in the bushes they wouldn’t see Charity’s body or her face. No one needed to see her orgasm but him. “Does that feel good?” he asked.
“It’s alright.” But her breathing revealed it was way more than just okay.
He caressed her clitoris with his thumb, enjoying the way she started to rock onto his touch, her fingers gripping his biceps tightly for support. There were a whole lot of dirty things he wanted to say to her, but he could wait two minutes, not wanting to distract her. Instead, he let his fingers do the talking. He gently pinched the swollen button before taking two fingers deep inside her, thumb still on her clit. She bit her lip, eyes closed, and popped off a tight, quick orgasm.
Cooper gave a smile of satisfaction. It felt good to beat the deadline, to know he had met her demanding challenge. He smoothed her skirt down over her thighs and gave her a rough kiss. Her grip on his arms had relaxed and she opened her eyes.
“Not bad,” she said, with a saucy smile.
Cooper gave a laugh. “Oh, really? Glad it didn’t totally suck for you.” But it did make him want to smack her on the ass, to see her jump, to wipe that smirk off her face and replace it with renewed desire. He wanted her to lose her mind, to beg, to plead for release. At his touch.
There was a thick taste of desire in his mouth, the need to touch her further, to strip her naked, forcing all his muscles to tense.
“I want more,” she said, tugging on his hand, actually pushing it back down over her thighs.
The hell with that. He was taking her inside where two could play this game. “Come on.” He pulled her off the wall, aware of the goose bumps across her chest and the pink in her cheeks from both arousal and the cool air. “We’re going in.”
He tugged; she resisted.
“Kiss me first.”
He gave a soft laugh. It was a hell of a turn-on, her demanding attitude, and he was going to enjoy battling her for domination. She clearly wanted the last word.
“I’m the one in the driver’s seat, sweetheart.” He tugged her again and gave her a light smack on the ass to get her moving.
She moved past the bushes and shot him an indignant look over her shoulder. “We’re not on the track, Brickman. We do this my way.”
As he stared at her long, long legs in that short skirt, her strappy high heels making him imagine what it would be like to take her just in those, he briefly wondered if she was into something he wasn’t going to like. He wasn’t interested in crawling across the floor. Nor would he let her have that kind of control.
Cooper pulled the door to the inn open and gestured for her to go in. “Think of yourself as the crew chief. You can spot for me and call out hazards, but ultimately the decision is mine whether to go low or high.”
But that seemed to amuse her. “We’ll see. And don’t talk to me in driving analogies. I’m no pit lizard. I don’t think it’s cute.”
Oh, she was definitely pushing her luck.
Cooper was so turned on he wasn’t sure he could take another step.
But he was sure he was about to thoroughly enjoy himself.
“Where’s your room?” she asked, heading to the elevator without waiting for him.
“Fifth floor.” The elevator doors opened and after they were in and he’d pushed the button, Cooper crowded Charity against the wall, staring down at her, trying to read her expression, figure her out.
He’d never met a woman who responded the way she did. She acted almost like she was irritated that she was attracted to him. “Hey,” he said, softly, brushing a loose hair back off her temple. He could still walk her to her own room if she wasn’t totally into this. He didn’t want to be just any guy who could get her off.
Which was stupid. Of course he was just any guy that could get her off. But he wanted to know that she genuinely wanted to do this. It mattered.
Her blue eyes softened. Even her posture changed, her shoulders relaxing. “Yes?”
For a second he was caught off guard. That tone of voice was different. It was comforting, made him want to share his feelings, be honest with her. “You sure about this?” he asked.
But her eyes shuttered then. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
The elevator dinged and opened, but he blocked her exit. “Because you don’t seem to like me all that much.”
There was a pause, her tongue coming out to lick her bottom lip. Her fingers curled into the front of his shirt, her gaze dropping, breath growing louder. He felt anxiety radiating from her. But then her head rose and she wore a small smile. Her hand touched down to cup his cock and stroke up and down. “What’s not to like?”
Maybe if he hadn’t been drunk, he would have pulled the plug. Something felt off about what was happening. Like he was going to regret this in the morning.
But he was drunk. She was beautiful. Her hand was rubbing him into a state of arousal no cold shower was going to appease.
So he turned and stuck his hand into the door that was closing again to force it back open. Then he led her off the elevator and to his suite, mouth dry with anticipation.
* * *
HARLEY’S heart was racing as she followed Cooper into his suite, both from excitement and from nerves. For a second she had thought he was on to her. Or that he might just send her packing. She was giving him mixed signals, she knew that, and he was clearly picking up on it. The sexual desire, the physical aggressiveness—that was her. But the challenge was trying to sound like Charity, and she didn’t necessarily think she was doing that great of a job. She was coming off more as a bipolar bitch than anything else.
So she figured she had him in, committed to sex with her. She was in his suite. There was no reason to keep up the pretense. She was just going to be herself. The Harley she really was. Not the Harley everyone seemed to think she was.
She paused in the doorway as he bent over to turn on a lamp. “Wow,” she said, looking around, her inner thighs still moist from the orgasm he’d given her. “This suite is amazing.”
“Yeah, it’s not bad, huh?” He looked around, giving a little shrug. “I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this is really nice. Very traditional.”
It was. A little too fancy for Harley’s tastes. It reminded her of going with her mother to the beauty salon in the department store as a kid and having to walk through the crystal and china department, wanting to touch, but afraid to. She set her purse down carefully on an antique writing desk and moved through the living room area with its settees and dark wood furnishings to the windows. The gold drapes were open and there was a sweeping view of the mountain under the moonlight.
“The view is even better from the bedroom.”
If that was a ploy to get her closer to the bed, she was willing to pretend otherwise because she didn’t want to stop and think and get nervous. Cooper was standing in the doorway to the bedroom and he was peeling his tux jacket off and tossing it on the back of a chair in the sitting area. His tie had disappeared earlier, so it was easy for him to undo the top two buttons of his dress shirt before moving on to unbutton his sleeves.
He looked comfortable in this suite, in the tux, yet when he tugged the shirt recklessly from his pants and finally got the shirt completely open, he looked even more in his element. Harley had heard enough about Cooper on race days to know he had been raised on a farm with his grandparents for the first ten years of his life until his mother had married a surgeon, who helped put him on the path to financial success. From nothing to everything. It must be a strange divide to cross.
Personally, it put her more at ease, seeing him kick off his dress shoes with the toes on the opposite foot. He carelessly knocked them out of the way as she walked toward him, deciding that she wanted to leave her own shoes on. It wasn’t every day she wore heels that high. In fact, she never did, so she wanted to take advantage of the sexy factor and wrap her legs around him, the black strappy heels rising up off the floor each time he thrust into her.
It was that thought that had her erasing the distance between them and flattening her hand on his chest while she raised her mouth toward his, requesting a kiss. He obliged her, his arms wrapping around her and drawing her close. Before she even knew what he was doing, he had the zipper down on the back of her dress.
The man had mad skills. Harley broke the kiss and blinked. He gave her a wicked smile.
“I want to see what I’m touching,” he told her.
No complaints from her.
The dress fell down to her hips at his urging, then with a soft whoosh hit the floor. He helped her step out of it and Harley moved around him, giving his nipple a squeeze before pulling her hand off his chest and strolling over to the bed in nothing but her bra and panties and Charity’s diva shoes.
He made a strangled sound in the back of his throat and she heard the clink of his belt as he obviously jerked it open. The room was dark, which bolstered Harley’s confidence. She turned and sat on the bed, leaning back onto her elbows, legs artfully crossed. Or so she hoped. Lightly swinging her foot up and down, she watched Cooper move past the bed and turn on the lamp in the corner, creating a soft glow across the room. It was perfect lighting. Not so bright she felt self-conscious, but preventing them from fumbling around in a pitch-black bedroom high school style.
“Told you the view was even more amazing in here,” he said.
But he wasn’t looking out the window. He was looking at her, gaze sweeping up and down the length of her body as he moved in alongside her. Harley sucked in her breath at the predatory gleam of appreciation he was giving her. It was unbelievable that she was here, with him, the man she had secretly cheered on week after week as she watched him on TV. She had wanted him to win because she had wanted him.
Now she had him. At least for a few hours. It was so hard to comprehend that she of all people would be in this position. The result was her emotions were swinging wildly. She vacillated between bravado and shyness and she wasn’t sure which she was feeling right at the moment. So she was going to just wait and let him take control.
He didn’t disappoint. He leaned over and gave her a long smoldering kiss, his tongue sweeping inside her mouth. Then he put his hands on her knees and forcibly uncrossed her legs, stepping into the space between them. “You’re so quiet all of a sudden. Are you calculating ways to torment me?”
Harley sat up all the way, not liking the awkwardness of being on her elbows with her legs now spread. With him standing, he was towering over her and she didn’t like it. Scraping her hands across his rock-solid ab muscles, she took the zipper on his pants down.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She slid his pants down, intrigued by the bulge she was seeing in his briefs. Normally she wasn’t one to just go down on a guy, but suddenly his cock was really right in front of her and she wanted to taste him, to hear him groan because of her.
When she sprung him free, he made a sound in the back of his throat. “That’s what I’m talking about. I know where you’re going with this and I’m not sure how I feel about it.”
“What do you mean?” Harley studied his erection, lightly running her fingers over the smooth skin. His cock jumped at her touch. It was a pretty penis, she had to say. Good length, pleasing circumference. Not too big, not too small . . . the Goldilocks of cocks. Just right.
She flicked her tongue over the tip, wanting to take it slow, really enjoy the moment.
“I mean, this puts me in the passenger seat and you can guess how I feel about that.” His hand slid into her hair gently. “But I think I can make an exception this once.”
Her response was to open her mouth and descend onto him, enjoying the low groan he gave. She cupped his balls and stroked down low on his shaft in conjunction with the movement of her mouth. Up and down, she found a slow, steady rhythm, taking him a little deeper each time.
“Damn,” he muttered.
It felt amazing to have him by the balls, literally, to be in control and confident in what she was doing. The room was warm, his arms enclosing her as he held her head. He never pushed her forward, never tried to take over the pace, he just held her for his balance, and she enjoyed the connection. He had spread his feet apart and shoved his pants and briefs down to his ankles so there was nothing but Cooper’s hard body in front of her.
Wanting to explore a little more of him, she moved her hands to his hips, brushing her fingertips as she went. She continued around with her left hand, discovering that his ass was as tight as she could have imagined, and felt even better. Splaying her palm over him, she pushed him from behind, driving him deeper inside her moist mouth.
God, it felt so good. Her nipples hardened, and she shifted restlessly on the bed, her inner thighs aching. She pulled off him to take a deep breath, lips swollen, grip tight on his ass.
“Look at me,” he urged, tilting her head upward.
Harley gazed up the length of Cooper’s chest to see him staring down at her intently. “Yes?” she whispered, feeling suddenly shy. Maybe she’d been too aggressive. Her cheeks heated and she started to drop her eyes, but he gripped her chin and forced her to stay still.
“You look so gorgeous right now,” he said. “Are you enjoying this or are you just being generous?”
“Oh, I’m enjoying it,” she told him sincerely.
His thumb stroked her chin. “Now that’s hot. I actually believe you.”
“Why would I lie?” she asked. Then immediately realized she was lying about, oh, her identity.
“People lie for a million different reasons.” He stepped back a step, dropping his hand. “Now lie down. Let me return the favor.”
“You already did, so to speak. Outside.” She stayed where she was, running her fingertips over his hips, following that sexy muscle that acted like an arrow to his erection. His body was fascinating to her. She’d never seen a man so in shape naked before. Well, in person anyway. She had a friend who frequently sent her images of hot guys lounging around naked. Never full frontal, though. But this was real and she was touching him.
“Uh-uh.” He put his hand over hers to stop her movement. Then he put his knee on the bed and she had to either move or be crushed by a wall of man muscle. “Down. Now.” Then he smiled, a charming grin that had made him a favorite for interviews and guest appearances. “Please?”
Like she could resist that. It was one thing to stand up to him being bossy, another to be demanding when he was so damn cute. “You use that smile to get what you want a lot?” she asked, even as she scooted up on the bed and went back on her elbows again.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said, propping one hand on either side of her. “Though my gran always told me if God gave you dimples you’re obliged to use them.”
Harley laughed softly. “That’s a good point. I could just lie here all night and stare at those adorable dimples,” she teased.
He pretended to wipe the grin off his face and gave her a mock serious expression. “Hell no. Where my head is going you’re not going to see my dimples.” His hand cupped her mound and he stroked her over her panties. “But feel free to gaze at them as long as you like when I’m inside you.”
Harley wasn’t sure what was happening exactly, but it wasn’t the hot and fast sexfest she had been anticipating downstairs on his lap and on the terrace. There was something sweet about Cooper. He seemed to be enjoying her company, the companionship, as much as he was anticipating the sex. Thinking back to their earlier conversation, she had to wonder how many people a guy like Cooper had in his life to talk to on a real, honest level. Maybe not many.
“I can do that,” she told him with a smile of her own.
Cooper gave her a kiss, the kind that made her toes curl, a sigh escaping her mouth as he pulled away. Then he peeled the straps of her bra down, one at a time, slowly, sensually, and she shivered. As it slid a little on her chest, he kissed a path across the swell of her breast, dipping his tongue down into the cleavage before moving on to the other one. He seemed in no particular hurry, thoroughly exploring, sucking flesh into his mouth gently and slipping his tongue under the fabric in a teasing touch that came close to her nipples but not close enough.
Finally, when she thought she might scream from just lying there while he skimmed over her chest, he reached under her and undid the hook on her bra. Then he pulled it off her with an appreciative sound before folding it in half and setting it on the nightstand. He was tidy with her bra. That struck Harley as oddly adorable. But then the urge to giggle promptly disappeared when he drew her nipple into his mouth and sucked.
“Oh,” she said, arching her back. It was about time. And she had already had an orgasm. She couldn’t imagine how he was staying so calm and in control. “Cooper.”
“Yes?” He flicked his tongue over her. “You have very nice nipples, you know.”
“I didn’t know that actually.” Harley was having trouble breathing and she was fighting the urge to squirm as he slowly teased over her tight buds again and again, like he had hours and zero sense of urgency. Was she supposed to say thank you? No one had ever complimented her nipples before. Men usually just took them for granted and so did she. “Thanks.”
Cooper gave a soft laugh, his warm breath tickling over her bare skin. He started to move lower, nuzzling her as he went down. “Did you want to ask me something?”
She wanted to know why he was torturing her. She wanted to know if he knew what he was doing to her. But she knew the answer to both. He knew exactly what he was doing and he wanted her limp and begging. The driver’s seat. He was definitely in it.
He took her panties down, setting them next to her bra, and without any hesitation whatsoever took her with his mouth. She wasn’t even sure what he was doing, logistically, she just knew he seemed to be everywhere all at once and his touch was light, warm, moist, and she was suddenly moaning, fingers reaching for his head to grip.
Then just as suddenly he stopped. He looked up at her, dimples on display. “You had a question, darlin’?”
She shook her head. “No. Don’t stop. Please.”
“Happy to oblige.” Cooper stroked up and down her labia with both thumbs before sliding his tongue slowly up and down, up and down, in a torturous trail.
The lack of sex in the last year had her easy to please, definitely, but it was more than that. It was the way Cooper was focusing on her with such easy confidence, the way he caught on to her reactions and increased his tempo when her fingers dug harder into his hair. He was listening to her body, to her breathing, to her soft moans of encouragement, and pleasuring her with generosity and serious skill.
Just when she thought she couldn’t enjoy it any more, he slipped his thumb inside and pressed her in the perfect spot with unerring accuracy. Harley came hard, the orgasm hitting her without warning, her legs jerking as her body found release a second time. It was far more intense than the one outside and she cried out louder than she meant to, or was comfortable with. But she couldn’t stop it, nor could she stop herself from holding on to his head for dear life, grinding his tongue further into her.
He probably couldn’t breathe. He was probably right then and there smothering to death in her girl bits, yet she didn’t release him until the last wave of pleasure subsided. When she did finally free him from the death grip, she immediately relaxed on the bed and murmured an apology, throat raw from her moans, mouth still hot with desire. “Sorry, sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” he asked, wiping his mouth as he moved up the length of her. He reached over to the nightstand and opened the drawer. He pulled out a condom.
He kept condoms in the hotel nightstand? That was bewildering. “For holding your head prisoner.”
Cooper grinned as he rolled the condom on. “I appreciate the enthusiasm. And I can handle a little roughhousing.”
“I didn’t mean to be rough. I just . . .” Couldn’t control herself around him. The words died on her lips. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to say to him, share with him. This wasn’t a night for growing intimacy or fostering trust or a friendship. This was about sex, plain and simple.
“Never mind,” she retracted lamely.
He paused, his hands on her knees. “Charity.”
Oh, God, he was calling her by her sister’s name. She had almost completely forgotten that he thought she was her twin. She sucked in a breath, heart racing, goose bumps rising on her bare flesh. She could smell him, a mix of cologne and soap and the sharp tang of her own arousal on him, and she felt the enormity of what she had done.
She had to tell him the truth.
She had to confess.
She opened her mouth.
“Shh,” he said, leaning over and giving her a soft, delicate kiss that shocked her in its sweetness. “If it feels right, don’t apologize. Just enjoy it.”
Before she could respond, he lifted her leg and rested it on his hip. Then he thrust and the truth was smothered under a soft groan as the feel of him buried inside her had her biting her lip.
Later. She could tell him later.
After she finished rolling her eyes back into her head.