Cooper shook his head to clear those memories and re-focus on the great game he’d just played. He’d pay for the lack of sleep later, but these last few nights of incredible sex with Izzy had energized him.
Cedric leaned against the counter as Cooper walked over to get a drink. He held the sports drink to his lips and took several long, hard swallows, just like Izzy had when she’d gone down on him.
Cedric’s knowing smile brought him back to the locker room. “Who is she?”
“Izzy,” he answered without thinking.
“Ya, that would’ve been my guess. I’ve never seen sex put that kind of smile on your face or escalate your game like that.”
“Yeah, well, most women aren’t Izzy.”
“Imagine not. I scored a couple puck bunnies. I’d invite you to join me, but I already know the answer.” Cedric combed back his blond hair in the mirror in his locker and grinned at himself. “Damn, but I’m a good looking guy.”
Cooper put his finger in his mouth and made a gagging sound.
“What can I say? The ladies love me.” And they did. They adored Cedric with his charming ways and electric personality. Cooper, on the other hand, was the quiet, brooding type, though he could turn on the charm when necessary. But he’d called bullshit on all that stuff long ago, especially when he could get in a woman’s pants without charming them off her. The dark, brooding persona worked as well for him as charming and charismatic worked for Ced.
“So it didn’t work out between you and Betheni?” Cooper asked.
A moment of hurt flashed in his friend’s eyes. “Nah, she was just a bootie call, just like I was for her. I hear she’s banging Brad Reynolds.” Again, that hurt in his eyes.
“No shit?”
“No shit,” Ced answered.
“Don’t you ever get tired of it all, Ced?” He leaned against the back of his locker and watched Cedric.
Cedric’s brows knit together, and he slanted Cooper a wary glance. “Of what?”
“A different woman every night, a revolving door. Never getting to know one long enough to become comfortable, to make her your best friend.” Cooper had tired of it long before the team had moved to Seattle. Once he’d met Izzy, no other woman held even the slightest interest for him. Hell, they’d burned up the sheets all week since that marathon Wednesday morning.
Riley hadn’t say anything, but Cooper suspected he’d figured it out. Cooper’s love life was none of the kid’s business anyway.
“No, never get tired of it, but obviously you are.” Cedric plopped down on the padded bench next to Cooper. “Take it easy, man. You know you’re a sucker for a certain type of woman, and Izzy is that type.”
“I’ll keep that under consideration.”
“Seriously. She’s playing with you, and I hate to see you get burned.”
“Have I been burned once since Carrie?” Cooper pointed out. “I finally learned my lesson after that one.”
“No, but Izzy’s different. I can tell. Watch your step.”
Cooper shrugged. Watch his step? Fuck, he’d been doing anything but watching his step. In fact, he’d tripped over her luscious lips, killer body, and dazzling smile and couldn’t get back up.
“She could ruin you, Coop.”
“Not a chance. We’re having epic sex so, yeah, I’m seeing a lot of her, but what guy wouldn’t take that to the net?”
Cedric didn’t say anything.
“Besides, we’re too much alike. We both have to be in control. We’d kill each other over the long haul, that’s all there is to it.” Cooper was explaining too much, but he couldn’t stop himself. Yet, he sounded like a girl.
“Whatever.” Cedric rose to his feet, gave Cooper a mock salute, and hurried out of the room to meet up with his hotties.
Izzy was working a party tonight, and Riley had stayed at his buddy’s again. He’d barely grunted at Cooper, who’d missed another one of Riley’s games yesterday—even though he felt like a total ass for doing it. He didn’t want his nephew to start depending on him. Giving the kid false hope would hurt him more in the long run.
He realized such thinking made him a selfish jerk in most people’s eyes, but Cooper tried to tell himself it was for Riley’s own good. Cooper cringed a bit, as guilt washed over him. His sister had depended on him to do the right thing, to rescue her, but he hadn’t. She’d been ill-equipped to handle that childhood summer in Seattle, too, the one that had changed everything for all of them.
Izzy hadn’t said anything about him missing Riley’s game, but her icy glare had said it all. Regardless, he’d thawed her pretty quickly once they hit the mattress.
Cooper smiled at the visual in his head.
Standing, he glanced at his phone, hoping for a text from Izzy. Nothing. Must be one hot party. His insides ground together at a vision of Izzy chatting up some fifty-something CEO, and the guy sliding his hand down her butt in a possessive manner.
Now that pissed Cooper the fuck off.
He sighed and combed his wet hair with his fingers. If he couldn’t get beyond this insane jealousy toward every man who looked at her and all those in his imagination, they’d never last the season. He had serious trust issues when it came to women and for good reason. He just didn’t know how the hell to deal with his problems, but he was trying. That should count for something.
Izzy wouldn’t tell him where the party was, and he could imagine why. She didn’t want a repeat of a couple months ago. Cooper didn’t either because he doubted she’d give him another shot. He’d play it cool and loose, like it didn’t matter to him what she did as long as she spent quality time in his bed every night.
Only she was starting to matter. Just a tiny bit. And she couldn’t, but she did. He couldn’t control what grew inside him every time he thought of her or spent time with her any more than he could control the physical chemistry between them.