He flipped her to her back and kneed her legs apart.
“Wait!” Her glasses definitely had to come off. She folded the arms and handed them to him. “Nightstand, please.”
She felt him move, the bed dipped, then he settled over her. “If I’m this close,” he asked, his breath on her lips, “can you see me?”
“Yes.” She wrapped her legs around his waist to keep him there.
“Perfect.” Reaching between their bodies, he positioned himself, then nudged in—little by little.
Until her heels dug into his ass, urging him on.
Until her arms tightened around his neck, demanding.
His mouth took hers and he thrust in hard and deep. They both groaned, bodies already straining together, in sync.
The slick friction seemed to spark every nerve ending in her body. His belly rubbed against hers, his chest against her nipples.
He wedged a forearm under her, lifting her so he could go deeper, adjusting her so that every stroke glided over her clitoris. He thrust hard and fast, making the headboard bang against the wall.
She felt the heat pouring off him, felt the coiling tension in his shoulders and back and in her own body...
“Cooper.”
Pressed firm inside her, his big body shuddered as he put his face in her neck and let go.
A few minutes later, as her breathing began to calm, Phoenix eased her hold. Odd that she’d clutched him so tightly, almost desperately, but he didn’t seem to mind. Gradually, her legs loosened and slipped to the sides of him. He rested over her, and she relished his weight, kissing his damp shoulder, breathing in his scent.
“Am I crushing you?” he muttered, his tone drowsy as he started to rise.
She managed a hug. “Don’t you dare move.”
“Another minute then.” He licked her neck. “Any longer than that and we’re taking chances.”
True, the condom would stay in place for only so long now that he wasn’t erect. It was daring of her, pushy even, but she asked, “Can you get rid of it and then come back to me?”
He pressed up to his elbows, his now-relaxed face very close as he ran his fingers through her tumbled hair, smoothing it back. “If you’d like that.”
She’d more than like it—and that made it risky. Even knowing it wasn’t wise to need him, she still wasn’t ready to let him go. Not yet. “Please.”
His lips moved over hers in a heart-melting kiss. “Be right back.”
*
In the small connected bathroom, Coop stretched. He felt good—relaxed, spent, but also, on some primal level, triumphant.
Phoenix hadn’t feared him, hadn’t shied away from him being over her. With what she’d gone through, he’d had a very real concern that bad memories would hamper her pleasure.
Not so.
She’d demanded, taken, enjoyed. And she gave.
Phoenix was...more than he’d expected. Free, sensual.
Sexual.
And confident.
That had been the biggest turn-on. She was a woman who knew what she wanted and didn’t hesitate to go after it.
Hearing her quiet voice order him to remove his pants... He’d hold that as a favorite fantasy for a good long while.
It occurred to him that, after years of being dead inside, existing in a robotic void, he was now stunningly, alarmingly alive. Being with Phoenix had sharpened his senses, awakening them to every small nuance of her touch, her scent, her taste, and the soft, husky sounds she made in her pleasure.
Phoenix’s reactions had drawn out his own.
He’d started by wanting to help her, and instead, she’d helped him without even knowing it. She’d brought him back from the dead. Truthfully, he enjoyed living again.
He’d have to take it slow. Just because he loved feeling again, didn’t mean she was ready to do the same. Each person had to take his or her own path. For Phoenix, that path was first to independence. She wanted freedom from her fears, autonomy over her life. It was important to her, and that made it important to him.
Knowing she waited for him—another circumstance he liked—he removed the condom, and then dampened a washcloth for her. He was wondering where the night would go, how long she’d stay, when he heard a phone ringing. It wasn’t his ringtone, so that meant it was Phoenix’s.
When he stepped into the bedroom, he saw that she was still utterly limp.
And gorgeous.
“That’s your phone,” he said, watching as she got one eye open. “I’ll get it for you, okay?”
She stuck out an arm, palm up, and wiggled her fingers.
He’d planned to wash her himself, but gave up the idea with the imperious way she requested the cloth.
As he handed it to her, she said a prim, “Thank you,” then closed her eyes again when the ringing stopped. “That was probably Ridley on the phone. Usually, she just texts me, but I wouldn’t have heard it, so—”
“I’ll get it.”
She opened her eyes again. “I’m sorry for the interruption.”
Standing beside the bed, looking down at her body, he said, “It’s fine.”
“If you’re going into the kitchen like that, maybe you should pull on your shorts?”
The way she stared at his dick, he’d be hard again in no time. He headed for the door. “Stay put.”
“Oh, believe me,” she murmured, “I’m not budging.”
A glance back showed her gaze now on his ass. Coop laughed as he went down the hall.
He found her purse on the counter in the quiet kitchen. The sun now sat on the horizon, sending brilliant color to waver over the lake. One night, he’d sit outside with Phoenix and they could watch the sunset together.
But not tonight. He had other plans in mind.
When he reentered the bedroom, she was sitting up against the headboard, glasses in place, the washcloth gone, and the sheet to her waist. Damn, that was fast.
She took the purse, dug out her phone and settled back again to flip through the screen. “Yup, Ridley texted three times.”
Coop got into bed beside her, but didn’t bother with false modesty. “Anything wrong?”
As she read, her brows pulled down, then shot up. “Oh, my God.”
She sounded more incredulous than alarmed, but still it worried him. “What?”
“Ridley bought an RV.”
Not at all what he’d expected. “An RV?”
She was already hitting numbers for her sister, so Coop bided his time.
Suddenly, she said into the phone, “What do you mean you bought an RV?”
With no other noise in the room, Coop heard Ridley say, “I can’t very well seduce Baxter in your loft, Phoenix. So I bought my own place.”
Somehow, despite Baxter’s aloof behavior at dinner the night before, Coop didn’t think any seduction was necessary.
Phoenix sputtered. “But you already have your own place.”
“It’s not here, though...and Baxter is.”
Phoenix cast an uneasy glance at Coop.
He winked.
“Ridley,” she said, her voice low, “do you want him that much?”
“I want him to want me, sure. It’s all part of my evil plan.”
“I’m not sure—”
Ridley interrupted with, “Shouldn’t you be gettin’ it on with Big Sexy?”
Phoenix’s brows came down again. “You called me!”
“In case you don’t stay over with the hunk, doing the nasty all night long. I didn’t want you to worry about me if you found out I wasn’t there.”
“But...where are you?”
As if speaking to a dunce, Ridley repeated, “I bought an RV.”
“And you have it already? Where is it?”
“Here in the park, by the creek. It’s used, but you’d never know it. Daron was helping the owners sell it, so once he knew I was looking... It’s perfect for me.”
Coop whistled low. “I know which one she means, and it’s top-of-the-line.”
Eyes widening, Phoenix looked at him, then back at the phone. “You bought that one?”
“Coop is there with you? Nice. Please tell me you’re both in bed naked.”
Because she’d hit the nail on the head, hot color rushed into Phoenix’s face. Coop just laughed.
“Ooh,” Ridley said. “You are. Excellent.” Then to Cooper, she said loudly, “Please forgive my sister’s faux pas in lingering on the phone. She hasn’t ridden that particular bike in a while.”
Phoenix said, “Good night, Ridley,” with firm insistence.