Defensive Daddy

“Trust me,” I whispered, holding her against me tightly as I reached down and hooked her other leg around me, lifting her. I took two steps to the right, and pressed her back against the laundry room wall, barely falling out of rhythm as I buried myself inside her again.

This time, Samantha’s gasp was louder. I could feel her thighs tightening around my hips, but her walls clenched deliciously around my cock, too.

Only the animal within me remained, and I lost the last shred of chivalry. I wanted to own Samantha in that moment, needed her to succumb to me. Give herself over to me in the most intimate way she could.

Relentlessly, I thrust into her. She clutched herself around me, holding on to me as though I were a lifeline.

“Come for me, Samantha,” I demanded through gritted teeth.

A small whimper was her only vocal reply, but I could feel her trembling, trying to hold herself together, clenching tautly—

Samantha shattered beneath my fingertips. “Cooper, oh God!”

I thrust into her harder, sucking in a sharp breath as she dug her fingernails into my shoulders but unable to stop myself, overtaken by the violent shuddering of her body and how tight and rigid she became as her orgasm ripped through her. I held her in place with one hand, reaching up to press the other against the wall to steady myself.

But it was too late. My own release followed quickly, and Samantha’s name fell from my lips with the urgency of a plea for survival. I buried my face into the side of her neck, muffling each grunt and gasp.

We stayed that way, her back pressed against the wall under my weight, my hand on the wall with my head on her shoulder, inhaling her intoxicating scent until my heartbeat had slowed to some semblance of normal.

“Oh my God,” Samantha breathed.

I lifted my head to see if it was a good oh my God or a bad one, but the sleepy, dream-like grin on her face told me all I needed to know. “You okay?” I pecked her jaw lightly, then lowered her slowly onto her feet and reluctantly pulled away from her.

Samantha chuckled as her legs trembled beneath her own weight. “Jesus, I’m shaking like a leaf.”

I brought my hand up to help her steady herself, and she clutched it. “Who would have thought laundry could be so strenuous?” I smiled, leaning down to kiss her temple again.

“Maybe laundry isn’t so bad after all.” She bent down and reached for her t-shirt on the floor. “If you’re helping me with it, I mean.”

I pulled the shirt from her hands. There was no way in hell I was letting her cover up the masterpiece before me. “Samantha, I will do laundry with you anytime, anywhere.”

“Anywhere?” Her eyebrows shot up, curious.

A mischievous grin

tugged at my mouth. “Anywhere, pretty lady.” I leaned forward, pulling her to me again. “Besides, I’m pretty sure you could talk me into anything, if you wanted to.”

“Is that so?” She beamed up at me, wrapping her arms around my waist. “Anywhere, anything. You know, I’m kind of starting to like the sound of this.”

“You know what?” I kissed her again, this time with more warmth. “Me too.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

SAMANTHA

Every morning on the dot, Cooper saved the day. He arrived early enough that we could share a cup of coffee together and I could get ready without interruptions. Sliding the dark red shade of lipstick across my lips, I stared at my reflection and a grin pulled against my mouth.

Confidence had been reborn within me the very moment Cooper Henley told me in no uncertain terms that every fucking inch of me was beautiful. It wasn’t his words that made me believe it, but the way he proved it to me with the grip of his hands on my hips, the crash of his lips against mine, and the way our bodies entwined and became one.

Everything I thought I knew about being in love was destroyed in that laundry room. By the hands of Cooper Henley.

Cooper was everything Ethan wasn’t. He was attentive, not only to me, but to Levi as well. I knew Ethan loved our son, but his priorities were backwards. Levi felt more affection from Cooper in the short couple months that he’d been babysitting him than Ethan had shown him in ages.

And while it filled my heart with joy, the truth of that broke my heart at the same time.

I fluffed my hair on my shoulders, switching off the light in the bathroom and walking down the hall. Laughter from Cooper and Levi bounced off the walls and danced in my eardrums. I peeked around the corner of my son’s room. The boys were playing superheroes, as usual.

With a soft knock on the doorframe, Levi looked back at me while Cooper guided the Superman action figure through the air.