“Second, what is a trophy-boner?”
“It’s what you get from me every fucking time without even trying,” he says, grabbing my hand and pulling it to his dick. He wraps my hand around it, putting his own on top of mine. We stroke his cock together while looking into each other’s eyes.
I grin. “That is impressive.”
“And you and Sophia Loren are the only two women to ever get me this hard,” he whispers, biting on my earlobe.
“Oh my God! You do realize that she’s, like, one hundred and eighty now, right?”
“Sacrilege! She’s like eighty, eighty-one tops.”
“It scares me that you know this.”
“Hey, I get invested when it matters,” he murmurs, sliding down my body and kissing my stomach. I reluctantly let go of his cock, but only because his mouth is headed in a direction I’d definitely like to have it. I close my eyes and enjoy the way his lips graze against the skin on my stomach and the small kisses he places along my hip bone.
“Cooper, I have a favor to ask you.”
“What’s that?” Something in his tone pulls me out of my happy place.
“I want you to go to Nebraska with me.”
“Nebraska?” I’m completely alert now. My body stiffens and Gray must notice because he sighs and pulls up so he can lie beside me. He picks up my hand and pulls it to him, letting his fingers trace around the bones in my wrists as he massages my palm.
“That’s where my next tournament is. I’ve been on break for a couple of weeks because of tendonitis in my shoulder. I have to go to Nebraska, and I really want you with me.”
“They play golf in Nebraska?”
“Yes, though everyone wants to avoid the course I’m on.”
“I thought in golf you could pick and choose what tournaments you play in? Or did I read that wrong?”
“You researched golf?” he asks, turning to look at me. I shrug uncomfortably. If he knew how much he consumed my thoughts, he’d probably worry. He kisses the tip of my nose and grins like a big kid on Christmas morning. “That deserves a reward, Claudia Cooper.”
“Yeah, yeah. So why are you going to Nebraska and not one of the big time golf courses?”
“Do you know where those are?”
“South Carolina? Georgia?”
“A big reward…”
The way he says that combined with the look in his eyes causes my insides to spasm.
“Explain now. Sex later.”
He sighs like I just took away his favorite toy, but he does it still smiling. “Okay, well, ideally when you are a ranked golfer, you can pick and choose.”
“Yeah, and you can’t convince me—”
“Unless, of course, you tick the wrong people off and then your invite gets misplaced, your inquiry gets ignored, your mail gets lost…”
“Holy shit.”
“In short, you get blackballed by the powers that be.”
“What did you do?”
“We don’t need to talk about that right now,” he says uncomfortably.
“I think we do.”
He sighs at my answer and looks at me for a minute, then lets me have it. “Remember the tape with the two girls?”
“I’m trying to forget. That should be another topic, by the way, that we don’t talk to each other about in bed. Or ever, really.”
“You brought it up. It’s just that one of those girls happens to be the daughter of one of the major tour promoters and sponsors.”
“Jesus, Gray. Haven’t you heard the saying ‘don’t shit where you eat’?”
“You’ve been hanging around my mom a little too much.”
“So Riverton’s sponsorship meant his money would make things easier…”
“Well, more like he had influence with most of the powers that be. With him in my corner…”
“You could go back to playing at the fields you love…”
“And hopefully winning to further my rank.”
“And here I thought golf was boring. It’s reading like a made-for-TV movie.”
“Anyway, telling Riverton and Cammie to go fuck themselves—though, in nicer words—kind of nixed any thought of that working out. Hell, it probably made a bad situation even worse.”
“They are vindictive assholes.”
“So, Nebraska it is, and I want you with me.”
“Gray…”
“C’mon, Cooper. Come to Nebraska with me. I want you by my side.”
I study his face. I should say no. I have a business I’ve already neglected enough by coming here. I have obligations. There’s a million reasons I should say no and, honestly, only one I should say yes.
Gray. Gray is the reason. Gray with his wicked smile, his sexy laugh, his outrageous behavior and crazy family. Gray who makes my body melt and my heart feel light. Gray who knows that I love mashed potatoes.
“Okay.”
“C’mon, Cooper,” he persists. “I promise that if you… Wait. What did you say?”
“I said okay, I’ll go to Nebraska with you.”
“Fuck yeah! You won’t regret this, sweet lips.”
“On one condition,” I add, interrupting him.
“What’s that?”