5

Jackson, Chloe, Cooper and I made plans to go to the new club not far from our house for New Year’s. Hunter and MacKenzie agreed to keep Alex for Jackson and Chloe until we got there later that night.

All my Christmas shopping is done apart from one gift that I’m still trying to figure out. I need a gift for Cooper but what do you give someone who can buy anything he wants? I’ve been racking my brain for a while now.

I pick up my phone from the coffee table and scroll until I find Mason’s number. He answers on the second ring, slightly out of breath. “Hello?”

“I need your help.”

More heavy breathing.

I take the phone away from my ear to make sure I have the right number. “Hello?”

Mason grunts.

“Oh my god! Mason, why the hell would you even answer the phone?” I screech before quickly hanging up. I shudder at the thought that Mason was screwing my best friend.

I tap my fingers on my leg, trying to decide who I should try next. I guess Jackson could probably help me.

“Hello?” He says when he answers on the first ring.

“Thank God you’re not ha**ng s*x and answering the phone too.” I shudder again.

Jackson laughs, “Let me guess, Mason?”

I roll my eyes, “Of course, who else?”

Jackson chuckles, “True, true. So what’s up?”

“I don’t know what to get Coop for Christmas.” I whine, sounding like a child.

“Hmm.” I hear Jackson’s car start up. “Get him something that has meaning to the both of you. It doesn’t need to be big and expensive, that’s not Cooper.”

I sit and think about that for a minute. What in the world could I get him that would mean something?

Groaning, I give up and whine some more. “Ugh I have no damn clue.”

“What don’t you have a clue about?” Cooper asks from behind.

I jump. I didn’t even hear him pull into the driveway like I do any other day. I hope he didn’t hear my conversation with Jackson.

Jackson laughs, “I’ll talk to you later Jay.” Then he hangs up and I’m left to deal with Cooper.

“Hey, I didn’t even hear you come in.” I look him up and down; his t-shirt is soaked with sweat and clinging to his body like a second skin. Damn, he’s mouthwatering delicious.

“Stop doing that.” Cooper grins at me knowing exactly where my thoughts just went.

“Doing what?” I ask, rolling my eyes and walking into the kitchen.

Cooper chuckles. It’s a sound that makes my legs go weak. “You were checking me out.”

Trying to play it off so that his ego doesn’t get any bigger I say, “Please don’t flatter yourself, Cooper. There are plenty of other good looking guys out there that I could drool over.”

Suddenly Cooper has me caged in against the kitchen counter. He leans down, his breath tickling my neck. “You better not be drooling over anyone other than me.” He bites me on that sensitive spot between my shoulder and neck and I want to die. “Admit it, you were checking me out.”

My breaths are coming in slow and shallow and my concentration is lost. “So what, I was checking you out. It’s not like you’re going to do anything about it.”

Cooper thrust his h*ps against my ass, “Keep being sassy and we’ll see about that.”

I give it right back to him, if he wants to play, let’s play. I arch my back letting my ass grind against his erection while looking over my shoulder and batting my eye lashes. Works like a charm. His eyes are fixed and dilated. Most of the time this ends up with us making out but not today. Nope, not today.

Cooper groans and lays his head against my back. “Fuck, Jay.”

I turn in his arms and push him back a little so that I can look into his dark and hooded eyes. “Coop,” I lick my lips, drawing attention to them, making sure he’s nice and worked up, “go take a shower.”

I’m tired of getting all worked up and having nothing happen. He really did need a shower and if he didn’t move his ass right now then I couldn’t be held responsible for the things I would do to him. I know if I push him enough he’d cave but I don’t want that. I want him to want me. I don’t want to force him to do something he doesn’t want to do. I couldn’t handle it if things got weird between us.

Cooper surprises me by sweetly kissing me twice on the lips before leaving to go take a shower.

Later that night, Cooper and I are in bed watching a movie. I know, it’s the weekend and here we are hanging at home when we should be out drinking and having fun. Honestly though, I love when it’s just the two of us tucked into our own little world. We may not be in a relationship but it feels like it to me and at this point I’ll take what I can get. Cooper isn’t the same man whore he used to be since my incident. I’m not exactly sure what happened to him after that night but it’s changed him. Hell, it’s forever changed me. Mason and Cooper were always going to out to parties, getting drunk, and at the end of the night there would always be a cleat chaser to go home with. On more than one occasion I was the DD because their drunken asses couldn’t make it home. I even had to endure taking whatever hooker was attached to them as well. When Mason and Hailey got their heads out of their asses and finally committed to each other, it left Cooper flying solo. I offered to go out with him a few times so that he wasn’t going by himself but he flat out refused. He said that I didn’t need to be going to those kinds of parties; I was too good for them. Little did I know how very true that statement would be.

Cooper nudges me and grabs a handful of popcorn out of the bowl that’s sitting on my lap. Before putting it in his mouth he asks, “So is all your Christmas shopping done?”

I blanch, nearly choking on my own breath. “Um, no. I’ve got one last gift to get and I have no idea what it’s going to be.”

Cooper chews the popcorn then reaches for his water on the bedside table. “Who’s it for? Maybe I can give you some ideas.”

I narrow my eyes at him, “You eavesdropped on my call didn’t you?”

He laughs, “I didn’t mean to but at least I made myself known before you started listing ideas.”

I bump into his shoulder with mine, “You’re a punk! I can’t believe you were listening.”

Cooper shrugs, amused with himself.

“I wish you would have walked in before I called Mason.” I make a gagging sound, trying and failing to put the image out of my head. “That ass**le answered the phone while he was screwing Hailey.”