~ Six ~
Holy Hanukkah. He should be sainted. Because not yanking her up against him and kissing the breath out of both of them took every ounce of restraint he possessed. And then some. Cooper wondered if a man could die from desire. In his life, he’d never wanted anyone the way he wanted Ellie Wexly. It had come out of nowhere and swallowed him like an all-consuming need.
As he settled her beside him on the couch, checking her stitches despite her shooing him away from the injury, he immediately understood the difference. He’d wanted women before. Plenty. But he hadn’t wanted with every piece of himself. With his heart and his mind. His soul. He’d known lust; physical want, but this emotional need was completely new to him. In that way, they were both equally inexperienced. No way in hell was he letting her go. He definitely wasn’t letting some tool like her ex talk her into “working through their issues.” From what he’d witnessed, Ellie had no issues. Just attributes that made him want every bit of her to be his.
They watched two Christmas episodes of Friends and he laughed at all the right spots, but all he could think about was the feel of her next to him, the berry scent of her shampoo that drove him mad, and how touching her both excited and calmed him at the same time.
“You okay?” She asked, almost shyly. It was a wonder his thoughts weren’t bouncing in a speech bubble over his head like a cartoon character; he was working so hard to play it cool. He hadn’t realized she was staring at him.
He touched her cheek—her skin was so soft. He wanted to touch her everywhere, but he felt no rush. “I’m good. How are you? Maybe you should rest?”
Ellie’s fingers traced circles on his chest and it was not easy to think while the subtle scrape of her nails moved over him. How they’d feel against his bare skin.
She smiled, looking at him through lowered lashes. “I’m not tired. Any other ideas?”
He couldn’t help but grin. She had to know nothing physical was happening between them tonight. She felt safe pushing him. Teasing him. Cooper didn’t mind. He liked the combination of anticipation and comfort that simmered between them. In fact, a little teasing might take the edge off. Leaning closer, he pressed his lips to the spot right under her ear and placed small, soft kisses. Her pulse leapt against his tongue and her fingers curled into his shirt, gathering up the cloth.
“I have a few,” he whispered, sliding his lips along the edge of her ear.
The sound she made twisted his stomach in knots. She was sexy without even trying. And she was his. He’d never been more certain of anything. Before tonight, before Ellie, he hadn’t given a lot of thought to fate or meant to be, but now, he felt it.
“Such as?” Her voice was a rough, sexy rasp that lit his skin on fire.
Running a hand over her leg, up her thigh, he stopped at her hip. She had great hips. Round and supple, leading to a slight dip in her waist. One day, he’d run his hands—his mouth, over every inch of her with nothing in the way.
“I was thinking we could play a game.”
Ellie stilled, her breath actually stuttering. “Like monopoly?”
Cooper laughed and leaned back. When he’d spoken to Tommy briefly, he’d made arrangements to ensure Ellie had a good Christmas. The best Christmas’ held some surprise and that was what he wanted for her. He hoped, with everything in him, this would be the first of many together.
“Not quite.” He put a bit of space between them because if she was touching him, thought was nearly impossible.
The pout of her lips tempted him to kiss it away, but he stayed focused. “More like twenty questions.”
“Oh. So we just ask each other questions?” One eyebrow arched.
He turned to face her, taking her hand in his. “Yup. Yes or no questions. You go then I go. We have to answer yes or no, nothing in between.”
Ellie shrugged then covered a yawn. Before he could suggest maybe she lay down, she pointed at him with her free hand. “You go first.
His grin was instant. “Will you go out on a date with me?” He wanted to be sure there was no miscommunication.
Ellie laughed. “Yes. Will you go out on a date with me? I mean after the date I go out on with you.”
“Yes.”
They smiled at each other and Cooper wondered if his heart had the ability to feel drunk.
“Did you have a crush on me when you were younger?”
Her cheeks went pink. “Dirty pool, Cooper.”
He waggled his eyebrows making her laugh. “Yes or no.”
“Yes.”
His breath caught even though he’d half expected the answer. “Your turn.”
“Did you have other plans for tonight that you changed to be with me?”
“No.”
He started to ask her a question but then added, “But I would have.”
Ellie sighed. He reached out and put his hand along the back of the couch as he had earlier.
“Is Christmas your favorite season?”
“Yes. Same question.”
It is now, he thought. “Yes.”
They went back and forth until he could see that her eyelids were growing heavy. He’d spent the night with other girlfriends and not girlfriends, but he’d never wanted to just be with a woman, near her, holding her close, all night, like he wanted to with Ellie.
But since he didn’t want to rush her, he planned to take the couch. Probably less torturous that way, too. She yawned and stretched and Cooper noted the way her top rode up, showing smooth, soft skin that his fingers ached to touch.
“I just realized I don’t have a gift for you,” she said.
Damn. She melted his heart. “Ellie. Don’t be silly. We hardly planned this.”
With an unexpected burst of energy, she jumped up off the couch, then wobbled slightly. Cooper rose immediately and pulled her against him. “Sudden movements probably aren’t the best idea, sweetheart.”
His heart flipped over in his chest when she snuggled into him, resting her head under his chin.
“You might be right. I have an idea. Let’s write down what we want to give each other and in the morning, we’ll open the pieces of paper.”
Cooper kissed the top of her head, certain what he felt for her was unlike anything he’d known. “You’re the sweetest person I’ve ever met.”
Ellie looked up at him and before he took her mouth again, giving into the pressing desire that pounded in his blood, he nudged her toward the couch so she sat down again. Finding some paper and two pens, he brought them over along with a book and a pad of paper so they both had something to write on.
“Complete honesty right?” He looked at her and even her eyes smiled.
She nodded. “Yes.”
They were both quiet as he thought of how to put into words what he’d most like to give Ellie. Smiling, since he already knew exactly what that was, he wrote it down and folded his paper several times. She glanced at him as she wrote something on hers and did the same. They put them under her tree and Cooper moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her stomach. She leaned back against him as if that spot was made for her.
“You really should get some sleep, Ellie.” She’d had a long day.
Turning in his arms, she looked up at him. He watched her inhale deeply, gathering her nerve.
“I don’t want to sleep alone.”
If he had it his way, neither of them would ever again.