Defensive Daddy

“Hi, Mommy!” Levi gave me a big, cheesy grin.

Cooper’s eyes drank me in from head to toe and he waggled his eyebrows. “Meow!” he purred. I couldn’t contain my laughter.

“We’re not playing cats, Cooper. You’re Superman, remember?” Levi sighed, exasperated. It only made Cooper and I laugh harder.

“I know, Spidey. I forgot for a second, that’s all.” He tried to hold back his amusement, forcing a serious expression onto his face.

I stepped into the bedroom, crouching down to pull Levi up into my arms. He wrapped his arms around my neck and grunted loudly as he gave in and hugged me tight. Then, he puckered his lips at me and gave me an exaggerated kiss. I set him down, noticing that I’d left a trace of lipstick on his lips, and I began to rub at it.

“I got your lip stuff on me again, huh?” Levi placed his hand on his hips and rolled his eyes. “Can’t you give me kisses before you put that yucky stuff on?”

“Next time, pal, I promise.” I held my pinky up to him, and he reached his hand up to curl his own around mine. I used my other hand to wipe the last remnants of the red smudge from his bottom lip, much to his distaste.

Cooper stood up. “Hey, Little Man, there’s been a bank robbery. Can Spider-Man take care of that while Superman takes a short break?”

“I’m on it!” Levi puffed out his chest before reaching for the action figure.

Cooper rose from the floor and came toward me, a light shining in his eyes and a mischievous grin on his face—a grin that made me want to head right back into that laundry room with him and wash every damn piece of clothing in my apartment.

I backed away from him slowly, heading further down the hall, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth to hide my amusement.

“You better watch what you’re doing, pretty lady, or you’ll be late for work.”

“I’m not doing anything.” I gave him a devilish grin as he stepped closer, towering over me, pressing his firm chest against mine. A gasp escaped my throat and my head tilted back as he inhaled the scent of perfume I’d dabbed on my neck.

“Just like I’m not doing anything either, right?” Cooper whispered just before nipping at the sensitive skin on my neck, a sensation that created a puddle of wetness between my legs.

Fuck.

“Okay, stop. You’re just being evil now. I have to go, and Levi is right there in his room,” I whispered, softly pushing on his chest to put space between us. But his hands grasped my lower back.

“Have a good day.” His gaze fluttered between my eyes and my lips. I stood on my tiptoes and pushed my lips against his. I felt his hand travel through my hair and rest at the back of my head.

I will have a good day, because all of my days since you’ve come into our lives have been good.

“You too.”

***

Dragging myself up the stairs of the apartment building, a tantalizing aroma danced into my nostrils, spreading through the hallway. The closer I got, it dawned on me that the delicious scent was coming from my own apartment.

Seriously, what did I do to deserve a man like this? It all seems too good to be true.

I unlocked the door and opened it slowly. The sound of something sizzling in a pan met my ears. I stepped in and locked the door behind me, then slid out of my uncomfortable high heels.

Cooper had a dish towel tucked in the back pocket of his jeans and his shirt was nowhere to be seen, his back muscles suggestively shadowed by the dim kitchen lighting. As I stepped closer, I could see faint pink scratch marks along his shoulder blades, and a faint smirk formed on my lips. Heat rose swiftly in my cheeks as I thought of how those marks had gotten there. I knocked two knuckles against the wall to let him know I was home.

“Oh, hey.” Cooper scooped shrimp, onions, and a colorful array of peppers onto a plate.

“Hey, yourself. Get a little hot in here or something?” I winked at him playfully.

“Actually, yeah.” He chuckled, scooping another helping of the gorgeous meal onto another plate, then pulled a few tortillas from the warmer. “I figured Levi probably wouldn’t like this kind of thing, so I already made him a grilled cheese sandwich. He’s in his room watching a movie. Hope you don’t mind?”

“Of course I don’t mind. I appreciate it, more than you know. You know you don’t have to do all of this?” I said, softly smiling.

“I know I don’t. I do it because I want to, Samantha.” Cooper turned away from the stove to face me, and my eyes focused on his chiseled abdomen. “You two have given me so much to look forward to. You know that, right?” He wiped his hand on the dish towel, watching me.

I stared back, appraising him with a crooked grin. “Well, like I said, we really appreciate it.”