Chapter 18 Cooper
Cooper
Heaven and hell, all wrapped up into one tidy evening.
I chugged my third cup of coffee, the second of which already had my stomach churning with acid. But there was no help for it. It had been a sleepless night, and I had a full day of work ahead of me. If only I could get Corinne out of my head for two fucking seconds, I’d be golden.
And if I could wipe away the memory of her running out of my apartment like her ass was on fire last night, I’d be extra golden.
Fuck.
The evening had started promising enough. At least, that’s what I’d thought at the time. But the more I ran it over in my mind, the more I wasn’t sure. Our agreement had been for no-strings sex, and what had I done?
I’d made it a date. Cooked her dinner, even. That was personal. More personal was my mouth all over her sweet pussy, tasting her like she was my last meal.
Though I was pretty sure it was my outpouring of information about Emma and Gavin that had pushed it all too far. I’d encouraged Corinne to share in kind and she’d offered me glimpses of her past, but I could see now in hindsight that I’d pushed too hard, too fast. Maybe she wasn’t as willing to share her pain as I was.
It made sense. After all, it would be hard to work with a person after you’d bared your soul to them.
Then again, it was also hard to make love with someone who didn’t know the first thing about you.
I’d struggled with these questions and more all night after she left. Thinking about the way she’d looked sitting across from me at dinner, and then the way she’d been in my arms later.
Which, of course, was the strangest thing of all.
If I’d put her off with my questions, why had she gone along with it so readily? Her kisses had been effortless, timid but curious, just like her demeanor. My sweet little dove. And when I’d dropped between her thighs and seen that perfect pink pussy waiting for me, she’d been so wet and ready that I’d had no doubt of what she wanted. I just wanted to ease her ache, to bring her to orgasm and hear her soft whimpers.
Even now, as I licked my lips, I could feel her heated skin. Could practically taste her as I remembered her bucking against me, her responsive little body moving with my every touch.
I let out a frustrated sigh and dumped my empty mug into the sink before glancing at the clock. This day wasn’t going to go by any quicker with me just standing here like an idiot.
I snatched up my laptop bag and hustled out of the apartment. On a whim, and for the fiftieth time since I’d gotten out of bed, I reached into my pocket and checked my phone just in case . . .
But there were no text alerts, so I jammed it back into my pocket before slipping into my car and cruising toward work.
The time to make sense of everything before I saw her next was running out fast. But if I hadn’t sorted things out overnight, it seemed unlikely that I was going to do it in the few minutes it took to get to midtown.
I could just ask her what had happened, I supposed . . . if she even bothered to come to work today. Or ever again.NôvelDrama.Org owns this text.
Fuck.
Of all the scenarios I’d imagined, that was the one that worried me most. I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth and chewed, thinking hard. She couldn’t-she wouldn’t-give up this job just because of me. We paid too well for her to do that, and besides, it wasn’t as though we’d actually slept together.
So I’d gone down on her. Lots of bosses had probably done that to their assistants, right?
I almost snort-laughed at the thought, imagining what Quinn would say to that.
Okay, so maybe not. Still, it wasn’t the end of the world. If, after whatever had happened, she never wanted to see me again outside of work . . .
I shook my head at the sharp stab of discomfort in my gut as the acid there began to roil again.
No point in getting all worked up over something that might not even come to pass. I’d cross that bridge when I came to it. For now, I had to focus on looking like I hadn’t spent last night tossing and turning, pining like a fifteen-year-old boy over the cute new girl at summer camp.
I climbed from my car after parking in my designated spot, and then hustled toward the wide, rotating doors that led to the offices of Forbidden Desires. With a steadying breath, I stepped inside the elevator just in time for my gaze to land on the woman who’d been the cause of my distraction all night.
The second I saw her, my cock swelled and my mouth watered with the memory of her sweet taste.
Shit.