“This might get complicated,” she managed to say. It was hard to speak and vocalize what was in her head.
“I like complicated,” he shot back.
“And messy.”
His fingers were on the edge of her top. “I’m good with messy.”
Her hands crept up to his face and held him steady, because she needed him to know—to see how bad it really was.
“Trust me. My kind of complicated and messy isn’t anything you’ve ever seen before.”
Something in his eyes shifted, and she felt him stiffen—only for a moment, but she knew her words had struck a chord. “I’ve seen complicated and messy. I don’t scare easily.”
Surprised, she licked her bottom lip, struggling to find the right words. In the end, she didn’t have words. She only had herself and her damaged body. Morgan took a deep breath and slowly extracted herself from Cooper’s arms. She stepped back, grateful for the deep shadows and the limited light from the fireplace.
Fire.
It wasn’t so long ago that particular word had the power to drop her to her knees. And now, as her gaze moved to the flickering flames, it wasn’t fear or terror she felt. It was, oddly enough, some weird sense of liberation.
Morgan exhaled, closed her eyes, and slowly tugged her top over her head before tossing it onto the floor. She felt faint—most likely from the fast-beating heart that had taken off like a locomotive barreling down the track. Eyes still shut, she unzipped her jeans and winced a bit because her leg was stiff. Ignoring the pain, she stepped out of them, and the denim joined her top somewhere a few feet away.
She stood there, more than a little uncertain, and gasped when Cooper’s big, warm hands slid up her back. She felt his fingers work at her bra clasp, and then his mouth was on the back of her neck as he slowly slipped her bra off.
His hands slid around her, cupping her breasts from underneath as he continued to kiss the side of her neck. Greedy fingers touched her nipples, and she whimpered as long-forgotten sensations shot through her like sparks of energy that hit hard, right between the legs. She shuffled a bit, trying to alleviate some of the pressure, but it was no use.
He rolled his forefinger over the rosy peaks, pressing into her from behind as her head fell back against him.
“I need to see you,” he murmured into her neck.
Morgan stiffened, breaths falling from her in sporadic spurts as a tingle of uncertainty washed over her. She wanted this so badly, and yet…was she brave enough to follow through?
“Will you let me see you?”
She was fully exposed, only the throbbing area between her legs covered by a thin piece of cotton. All that skin. Some mottled and scarred. Forever damaged.
“Can you let me see you?” His voice was low and raspy—the tone so intimate that an immediate answer erupted between her legs.
Hell yes.
It was now or never.
Morgan’s eyes were still shut—she couldn’t open them if she wanted to. Slowly, she turned around, hands fisted at her sides, head down, long hair giving her some sort of protection.
Several long moments passed. Moments filled with flashes of images. Images of the scars down her right shoulder and arm. The mottled skin on the right side of her neck. The deep scar on her leg.
So much imperfection and ugliness. With a small whimper, she would have turned away, except Cooper was there, his mouth on hers, his hands roving her body and settling over her hips. He kissed her, murmuring things against her mouth she didn’t understand—didn’t understand because her head was spinning.
When he finally gave up her mouth, his lips moved to her neck, there where the skin was damaged. He held her and kissed every inch, and even though she couldn’t feel his lips there, his hands were so gentle, she felt the sting of tears.
When he moved to her breasts, she arched upward, wanting him to touch and taste. Wanting him to tease and take.
And he did. Cooper Simon opened his hot mouth over her nipple. He flicked his tongue across the pebbled peak and tugged at it, his teeth causing all sorts of delicious friction. She cried out. And maybe moaned a little.
“That feels so good.”
“Babe,” Cooper spoke gruffly, his mouth making its way up to hers. “We’re just getting started.”
He rested his forehead against hers, and her hands crept up to his shoulders. She could feel how tense his muscles were, the sinewy ropes pulled tight.