Cooper (The Family Simon 6)

Morgan faltered, suddenly all thumbs. What the hell was she doing? Was she really going to get naked with Cooper Simon? Could she get naked with Cooper Simon?

Her heart felt like a rocket, banging against her chest with a fury that left her breathless. And hot. She was so damn hot. Stomach turning over, she swallowed and squeezed her eyelids shut. The ache inside was strong and big, and it pressed into her with a heaviness that made her whimper.

Was it Cooper she wanted? Human contact? The feel of someone touching her? Or was it just the idea of it all?

Warm hands slid up along the back of her neck, and she tensed, fingers still clutching the edge of her shirt. She held her breath and angled her head a bit to the side as Cooper’s fingers trailed their way down to her collarbone and then were replaced by his mouth.

He blew hot air on her skin, slowly worked his way up, and spoke into her ear.

“We don’t have to do this.”

His voice was thick, and the fact that it was heavy with desire pulled at that elusive thing inside her. It pulled and twisted until it came apart, leaving her limbs loose and pliant. A slow, steady throb pulsed between her legs, and she bit her bottom lip, swallowing the groan that sat at the back of her throat.

Cooper Simon wanted her. She knew this.

And she…

“I want to,” she whispered, eyes slowly fluttering open. She was raw. Exposed. Trembling with desire and fear.

“I’m scared.” She blew out a long, painful breath. “I haven’t… It’s been…” Tears stung, and she shuddered when his arms went around her midsection. He pulled her back against his hard chest, and the heat of him melted into her pores. She fell back, and he rested his chin there, touching the top of her head, those big hands gently holding her.

“We’ll take it slow. Anytime you get uncomfortable or scared or just freaked out, you say stop, and I will.”

That damn lump was back, and Morgan had to take a few moments before she trusted herself to speak.

“You know this is going to be either really good or really bad.”

His lips pressed into the skin beneath her ear, and she shivered. It was her left side, and the skin there was sensitive, untouched by the horror of that night. “I don’t want to sound like an arrogant prick or anything.”

That brought a small smile to her mouth.

“But the only kind of bad that’s part of my vocabulary is the kind of bad that makes good seem like a waste of time.”

His hands crept up to her shoulders, and he slowly turned her around until she was forced to look up at him. Cooper’s face was dark and intense. His nostrils flared, his lips slightly parted. Shadows thrown from the fireplace made him look not only mysterious and sexy, but dangerous as hell. Was she really going to trust him?

Could this man bring her back to life?

He stared at her for so long, the silence rang in her ears, and she swayed a bit, liking the way his arms held her. He opened his mouth, and she held her breath, thinking he was about to say something. But instead, he lowered his head and slid his lips over hers.

He’d kissed her before. She knew what to expect, and yet this was something else entirely. Cooper Simon had an arsenal of weaponry in his back pocket—his mouth was at the top of that list.

This kiss was a slow, soft, gentle assault. The kind that rocked a girl to the core and left her wanting more. It was the kind of kiss that spoke of secrets and naughty things—of hot, dark places to explore. Yet it was also a kiss filled with promise. It was tender and coaxing and demanding all at once. Her head spun. She was falling because… Good Lord, Cooper Simon could kiss.

Morgan groaned into him and was thankful his hands held her, or she would have melted into a puddle of need at his feet. She was liquid. Her muscles were no more. She was at Cooper’s mercy, and right now, in this moment, she didn’t care.

She wanted this. She wanted it bad.

She opened her lips to him and groaned when he deepened the kiss, his tongue tasting every inch of her, his body slowly thrusting against her, mimicking the rhythm of his tongue. His hands slid down. They drifted over her hips until he cupped her butt, pulling her even closer. So close his erection pressed into that soft, pliant center…the one between her legs. The one that throbbed painfully.

“See how much I want you?” Cooper rasped, breaking their kiss. The naked desire on his face stoked an already

burning fire inside Morgan.

“Yes,” she managed to answer.

“Only you. Right here. Right now.” He searched her face, and that thing inside her, the thing that had held her back for so long, broke apart. It splintered and fragmented under the heat of his gaze. “You say stop, and I will. I promise.”

This was the moment that mattered. The moment where Morgan could turn away and end this before it got…