Tease (12 page)

Mia was still up when I got home. It was only eleven, but it felt so much later. I took a shower and then headed for the kitchen. Starving, I scoured the fridge for something to eat; something I didn’t need to cook. My options were cereal and cereal. I chose cereal.

“You want some?” I asked her, filling my bowl with Cheerios.

She screwed up her nose and shook her head, kicking off her shoes in the process. “Um, no. I ate at work.” She frowned as I piled
spoonfuls
into my mouth.

“How’s it going?” I asked, completely forgetting to ask how it’d gone the other day. What an ass.

“Good. The people are really nice, and I love the rush of working in the ER. Something different every day.”

I nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. I carried my bowl over to the table and sat down. “That’s great,” I commented, watching her as she filled a glass with white wine.

Reaching up, she unclasped her hair, letting it fall down around her shoulders. I felt myself harden.

Even in her uniform—a pencil skirt paired with a white blouse that was undone the first two buttons—she looked so damn sexy. As she stood under the light in the kitchen I could make out her cream-colored bra—at least, I thought it was cream. She walked over to the table and sat down opposite me.

“So, how was your day? Same old?” she asked.

I nodded with a small smile. My job was
anything
but repetitive. “I saw Mom today. She was the worst I’ve seen her in a long time,” I said, swallowing hard. It killed me to think that her mind was continuing to
regress
deteriorate
and it drove me to frustration when all the doctors could tell me was that it was too early to be able to tell me anything.

“I can’t imagine how hard it must be to watch her go through this. I loved your mom, growing up. She was funny, approachable, and so damn proud of you and Nic. Even when you were little shits.”

“Little shits?” I said dryly. “Because you can talk.”

“We used to get up to some funny shit, huh?” Mia giggled, bringing her wine glass to her lips.

“I know. You guys used to drag me into it every time,” I said
dryly
.

“What?” She shrugged, laughing. “We came up with some awesome ideas, and you were our—well, you were always good at the action.”

I’d lost count of the number of times the two of them had come to me with some outrageous plan and I’d somehow gotten dragged into the middle of it—like stealing four gallons of ketchup from the school cafeteria and pouring it into the swimming pool to get out of the next day’s swimming
meet
carnival.
It had worked.

“Come on, you loved hanging out with us. I always felt sorry for
Nic’s
geeky older brother.” Her eyes sparkled as she smiled at me. I raised my eyebrows at her, pretending to be offended.

“Oh, Liam,” she chided, pushing me. “You know I’m kidding.”

“What I know is that you’ve probably had enough wine,” I chuckled, setting my empty bowl in the sink and walking over to her.

“Hey!” she said as I reached for the bottle on the floor next to her. “This is only my second glass.”

“Well I can’t help it if you’re a cheap drunk,” I chuckled.

Her mouth dropped open in shock. Giggling, she tried to wrestle the bottle from my hands.

My arms curled around her, gripping hold of the bottle as she laughed hysterically. “You spill it, you owe me for dry cleaning,” I laughed.

She let go. I fell back, taking the bottle with me, the contents of it ending up over my shirt and in my lap.

“God I’m so sorry.” She clapped her hand over her mouth to hide her smile.

“This is funny, is it?” I growled at her.

She got to her feet at the same time as me, but not before I tipped the entire contents of my glass over her head. I smirked as the liquid ran down over her hair. Her wet shirt now clung to her body as her mouth hung open in shock.

“
Ooooh
, so cold!” she gasped, her eyes wide. “I cannot believe you just did that!”

We laughed, the stench of the white wine overpowering. She was so close to me, and the sight of her all wet was making me aroused. I knew if I stood there any longer we would end up doing something we’d probably regret.

“Hey.” She grabbed hold of my arm and yanked me toward her as I went to move away. “Where are you going?”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I stood there facing her, staring at those beautiful lips, and those stunning eyes. They were so damn green, the hue enhanced by her long dark lashes.

Fuck this. We could start being friends tomorrow.

Right now, I wanted her. I
needed
her.

The next thing I knew she was in my arms, my lips covering every inch of her body. I kissed her roughly, as if I was unable to get enough of her taste. Everything about Mia had me feeling as though nothing was enough anymore.

My hands wandered under her wet shirt, her skin damp and sticky from the wine. I pulled away from her and unbuttoned her blouse, my eyes never straying from hers. As the last button slipped open, I pushed the shirt over her shoulders, letting the fabric float down her arms and to the floor.

“You have no idea how crazy you make me, do you?” I muttered. My arm snaked around her waist, pulling her close to me as my tongue fondled her neck. I groaned as she undid my pants, her fingers slipping inside the waistband of my boxers.

My semi erect dick throbbed as it began to swell at her touch, her fingers curving around it, rubbing up and down its length. I reached behind her and fumbled with her bra, eventually unhooking it. I worked it down her arms, her hand moving away from my cock to free herself of the bra.

After shuffling out of my pants and boxers and lifting my shirt over my head, I pulled her to me again, her hard nipples pressing up against my chest. My lips merged into hers, my tongue slipping into her mouth, tasting her sweetness. I lifted her onto my hips, her skirt riding up to her ass. She wrapped her legs around my waist, her arms locked around my neck.

I carried her into my room and set her down on the bed. She got onto her knees and reached behind, unzipping her skirt. I knelt in front of her, lowering the skirt, exposing her white thong. By now I was throbbing, my cock aching for her.

“Lie back,” I whispered, pulling her skirt down over her legs as she lay back on the bed. She cried out as I swiftly jerked her to the very edge of the bed, her pussy so close to my face that I could smell her fragrance. I spread her legs, slowly running my tongue over the outside of her panties, teasing her, making her wet.

“Oh,” she whispered, her hands flying to her face. I pushed the skimpy strip of material aside and ran my tongue along her lips, sucking and nibbling gently on her clit. “God Coop, you’re driving me crazy.”

“You taste amazing,” I mumbled. I looped my fingers around her panties and tugged them down over her long legs, which I then spread apart. Fuck, just staring at her naked form sprawled out on my bed and her bare pussy was almost enough to make me blow.

She gasped as I pushed a finger
inside,
my other hand massaged her clit. I rocked my finger back and forth, making her even wetter. Her hands rested on her breasts. Watching her roll her nipples between her fingers was a huge turn on. With my fingers still massaging her clit, I placed my mouth over her lips.

“God, yeah. I’m going to…Oh!” she gasped as my tongue moved rapidly inside her. Her body clenched as she came, her fingers clutching at my hair, driving my face against her, until the slightest touch became unbearable.

She let go of my hair, her arms falling back behind her head.

“Holy wow, Coop. I’m…speechless,” she finished, sighing.

Getting to my feet, I climbed onto the bed beside her, letting my fingers run down her back. She sighed again, her body convulsing at my touch.

“That is almost orgasmic,” she whispered. Reaching for her hand, I placed it around my cock. She laughed and rolled over. “Is that supposed to be a hint?” she said, her eyes devious.

“Take it as whatever you like,” I smirked.

She got on all fours and crawled over until she was above my cock. Leaning down, she took it in her mouth, her hand curling around the base of my shaft. I moaned as she sucked, her tongue circling around the tip. Reaching down, I ran my hand over her hair.

Fuck this felt good.

She straightened up and smiled. I looked at her questioningly, taking her hand that she’d stretched out. She moved up the bed a little and threw her leg over my waist, until she was straddling me.

“Do you have a condom?” she whispered. I reached into my nightstand and passed her one. She opened it, and rolled it onto my cock, her hands smoothing it over. She positioned her entrance over my cock, sliding down onto it. I groaned, my hands moving to her hips as she rocked back and forth on top of me.

I closed my eyes, unable to look at her, because if I did, I was going to come. The mere sight of her beautiful naked body riding my cock was too much for me to handle. I bucked my hips as she rode me, the friction building the momentum. The feel of myself grinding inside her was fucking amazing.

Both hands now on her hips, I bounced her as the tension began to build inside me. I groaned as I released. She slowed to a stop, leaning down to kiss me, her lips crushing against mine as she ran her fingers through my hair.

“I love this,” she said laughing as she flicked my hair.

“What? My hair?” I asked, amused.

“Yes. It’s so soft. Guy’s hair shouldn’t be that soft,” she replied, massaging my scalp.

“Sorry,” I smirked as she kissed me again. “I’ll do something about it. Rub grease through it or something.” She laughed and rolled off me, wrapping
herself
in the sheets. She lay on her side, propped up on her elbow, looking sheepish. Wrapped in only a thin layer of white Egyptian cotton sheets, her skin glowed with beads of sweat. Just the mere sight of her made me want to ravish her again.

That
had been unexpected. Fucking awesome, but unexpected.

How the hell had we ended up in bed together?
Great move, Coop
.

God, if she told Nic this, I’d never hear the end of it.

“So I’m a little embarrassed.” She looked down, then back up at me. “This was a bad idea. I said to myself this wasn’t going to happen again.” She covered her face with her hands. “Liam, I’m so sorry. But I just got divorced, and this was the last thing I needed right now. I can’t handle complicated now. Not yet.”

I sighed with relief, pretending that was exactly what I’d needed to hear.

In reality, I was crushed. A part of me had never gotten over her all those years ago, and that part was threatening to take the rest of me hostage. What was weird was it wasn’t even about the sex—though don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t be passing it up—especially after
that
, but the thought of holding her in my arms as we fell asleep made me feel things I never knew I was capable of. The thought of not being with her made me feel sick to the stomach.

“Don’t stress about it. We both got carried away, and it happened.” I shrugged as if it were no big deal. “Just next time you decide to overindulge, don’t throw yourself at me,” I teased.

“Hey,” she retorted, “if I remember correctly
you
kissed
me
…
.oh
.” She blushed as she realized I was just trying to push her buttons. “You’re an asshole sometimes, you know that?”

‘I’ve been told,” I chuckled. “So, are you planning on sleeping in here?” I asked lightly.

She stood up, taking my sheet with her. “’Night, Coop,” she sang as she walked out the door, a trail of white cotton flowing behind her.

I threw my head back onto the bed and groaned. What the fuck was I supposed to do now?

No love, no girl, and now no sheets.

As I dragged myself out of bed the next day, the memories from the night before came flooding back into my head.
Too much attraction—Mia and I in my bed.

God, what was I doing?

Silence greeted me as I crept out of my room. I sighed. She must have been called in to work early.

“Morning.”

I jumped, crashing into the bookshelf that stood behind me, causing half the contents to go flying across the room. Mia ran to my side, trying to hide the fact that she was laughing behind her hand.

I scowled at her. “Something funny?” I asked dryly. I bent over to pick up the few books that were in my way.

“Come on. That was hilarious.” She chuckled. She walked into the kitchen and set two cups down. Reaching for the coffee pot, she filled them both. She was dressed in a short bathrobe. I gazed longingly over her long legs, down to her bare feet.

Was she wearing anything under that robe? It barely scraped past her min-thigh and looked to be made of silk, or something equally light. She turned and caught me staring, and I averted my eyes.
Oops
.

She carried over both coffees, going back for cream and sugar. Neither of us mentioned the night before—or the night at the cabin. And now all I wanted to do was rip that robe off her and feel myself inside her.

“Coop?”

I
reddened,
embarrassed that she had caught me daydreaming. mobilism.org

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I asked what your plans are for the day.” She looked at me, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“Uh, busy day today. I’ll be home pretty late I think. You?” I asked. My day was pretty quiet. I had no clients, and not much planned.

"I'm going house hunting. Or rather apartment hunting," she announced. "Then I have an afternoon shift. Speaking of which, I had better get going or I’ll be late.” She stood up, leaving me alone with my coffee as I tried to ignore the awkward tension that was hanging in the air.

Thinking about what Beth had said to me the other day, I decided she was right. I needed to spend time with Mia to explore my feelings for her. What better way to do that than taking her out to dinner? I picked up my phone and texted her.

Are you free tonight?

I waited impatiently for her to reply. After two minutes I realized waiting wasn’t my strong point. I stood up, deciding to go for a run. Just as I was about to head out the door,
My
phone buzzed. I eagerly dug it out like a kid on Christmas morning.

Are you asking me out, Coop?

I laughed, unable to hide my happiness. Did she want me to ask her out? I loved the giddy feeling I got when I thought about her.
I quickly texted back.

What would you say if I was?

Her reply was almost immediate.

Ask and find out
J

Chuckling, I replied.

Will you do me the honor of accompanying me on an evening out?

Again, her reply was instant. The thought of her standing at work waiting for my texts made me smile.

How could I say no to that?

I was grinning like an idiot. So, I had the girl; now I needed to plan a night to blow her mind. First step was booking dinner. I picked up my phone and dialed Beth.

“Hey,” she said, sounding happy to hear from me.

“Hey. I need a huge favor,” I began. “I’m taking your advice and taking Mia out. Can you get me a booking at
SuiNa
?”

Beth giggled. “Who do you think you’re talking to? Of course I can. What time?”

“Seven. Thanks, Beth.”

The waiting list for
SuiNa
was months, and even then if you weren’t a “somebody” you had no chance in hell of getting a booking. Having clients who were well known in the public eye had its perks. My phone buzzed. It was Beth.

Done. Booking at seven under Cooper xx

After changing into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, I grabbed my keys and set off on a run. I took off toward
Parsons Lake
, where I knew two laps around would be three miles. I’d been pretty slack with my fitness the past few weeks. Before that, I used to get a run in nearly every few days.

I jogged along the sidewalk, crossing the road at Seventh, and over through the park toward the lake. The idea behind the run had been to forget about Mia for a few minutes, but once I was out there in the fresh air, she was all that I could think about.

Dropping my keys on the counter, I walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. Twisting off the cap, I chugged it down, finishing it in a matter of seconds. Sweat dripped from my body, drenching through my clothes, the cool air from the air conditioner making the dampness freezing against my skin. I lifted the T-shirt over my head and walked to the bathroom, stepping out of my shorts and boxers on the way. I discarded my dirty clothes in the laundry hamper and turned on the shower.

While I waited for the water temperature to adjust, I stared at my reflection, the mirror slowly fogging up. I could do with a shave, but my laziness won out.

I sighed as I let the water run down my face, my hands running through my wet hair. As I soaped up my chest, I thought about Mia again, my hand dipping down to my cock. Thinking about her while washing my dick probably wasn’t my most well thought out plan, because I was now as hard as fuck. I closed my eyes and imagined she was in front of me, on her knees taking my length in her mouth. My hand began to pump faster as I leaned against the tiled wall of the shower.

Fuck, those lips wrapping themselves around my throbbing dick, sucking, licking…her eyes would focus on mine so she could watch me watching her mouth fuck me. I gasped, my head resting against my arm as I came.

I had just finished getting ready when Mia arrived home from work. She passed me in the kitchen, grinning at me as she kicked off her shoes.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked, raising her eyebrows as she unclasped her watch and set it down on the counter.

“You’ll find out, but hurry up. If we’re late I doubt they’ll hold our table.”

“Sounds fancy. I’ll only be a minute.” I watched her walk down the hall and disappear into the bathroom.

She wasn’t kidding. Less than five minutes later she re-emerged in the living room.

“Wow,” I mumbled, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of me. “You look incredible.”

She smiled, her cheeks glowing. I watched as she slipped her feet into a pair of cream-colored pumps. Her black dress, fitted to the waist, flared out and finished mid-thigh, showcasing her long lean legs. The strapless bodice of her dress displayed her breasts beautifully. She looked fucking amazing.

I walked over to her, taking her hand. “Are you ready?” I asked her.

She nodded.

“Then let’s go.”

We walked into
SuiNa
right on seven. The place was even more elegant than I’d imagined. Despite my high standing with some very famous women, I didn’t often eat out, much less in this kind of style. I didn’t want Mia to know that, though.

We walked over to the
maître de
; he smiled as we approached.

“Good evening
sir
monsieur
and
m
M
adame
,
welcome to
SuiNa
. I take it you have a reservation?” he asked politely.

“Yes, under the name of Cooper, at seven,” I replied, my hand resting on the curve of Mia’s back. I watched her as she glanced around, her eyes wide with excitement as she took in the beauty of one of the top restaurants in the world.

The
maître de
frowned, his brow creasing. “Uh, sir, I’m sorry, but there is no reservation under that name.” He shook his head apologetically, waving his hand around. “As you can see, we are completely booked out.”

What? I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Can you check again please,” I said frostily as Mia shifted uncomfortably next to me.

“Sir, it is not here. I am so sorry. I wish there was something I could do.” He did look genuinely sorry.

I nodded and turned around, walking to the door, Mia beside me.

“I’m sorry. This was not part of the plan,” I mumbled, embarrassed to have made such a mess of the date.

“It’s no biggie.” Mia shrugged. “Lets go somewhere else.” Her face lit up. “Let’s go have hamburgers,” she suggested, a huge grin on her face.

“Hamburgers,” I repeated, amused. “Aren’t we a tiny bit overdressed for McDonalds?” I teased. She laughed and grabbed my hand.

“Come on. We’re doing it,” she giggled. Rolling my eyes, we walked to the car and drove the three miles down the road to McDonalds.

“I honestly cannot remember the last time I came here,” I muttered under my breath. Mia laughed as we got out of the car. This was ridiculous. We were so overdressed, me in my suit and her in that fucking sexy dress…

“Come on, I’m starving and you promised me the best meal in New York,” she teased, her hand reaching for mine. I was going to kill Beth. We walked through the doors and over to the counter.

“What do you feel like?” I asked her.

“What do you recommend?” she teased, giggling. I rolled my eyes at her.

“I get it, I’m an idiot,” I groaned as she laughed. “Now what do you want or you can starve?”

“Fine,” She pouted, souring the menu board. “I’ll have a big mac meal.
And a sundae.
Caramel,” she said to the middle-aged woman behind the counter.

“Fine choice,” I whispered to her, sending her into another round of giggles. People were staring at us, but I didn’t care. “I’ll have the La quarter pounder with cheese, in a meal thank you.”

The woman nodded, showing no emotions as she slapped our food items onto a tray.

“Service with a smile,” I muttered under my breath. Mia lost it. She began to howl with laughter, which of course set me off. The woman scowled at us, shoving our tray across the counter. I took the tray and headed toward a booth in the back, with Mia staggering behind me.

“Are you right?” I smirked as she wiped tears from her eyes. She nodded, shaking her head.

“I’m okay,” she breathed, taking deep breaths. She reached for her burger, fiddling with the wrapper as she hesitated. “Coop, I was thinking…maybe it would be best if I stayed at a hotel. Just until I find somewhere more permanent? I don’t know what this is between us, but I don’t want to rush whatever it is." Her eyes
raised
, meeting mine. I saw fear in them. What was she so afraid of?

I wanted to say no, don’t leave. I wanted to tell her how much I wanted her to stay here—with me, and all the things I wanted to do with her. I wanted to tell her how much I loved listening to her sing out of tune in the shower, and how finding her used razors left around the bathroom didn’t bother me; or how much I loved walking in the front door and smelling her perfume. But that would mean explaining a whole lot more than I was willing to explain.

“Probably a good idea,” I nodded.

Did I just see her eyes drop? Did she
want
me to beg her to stay? God, this was
killing
me. Instead, I stared at my own dinner as though it were the most interesting thing in the world.

Shit. If I’d tried to fuck it up, it would’ve still gone better than that.

“I’ll be out of here tomorrow,” Mia said awkwardly as we both stood in the kitchen. Our “date” had gone sour after her revelation—not that it had gone very well before that. But I thought we’d been having fun.

If I was confused about my own feelings, then Mia was a hot mess. One minute she was into me, and the next she backed right off.

“Okay. I have a big day tomorrow so I better get to bed,” I murmured. “Night.” As I walked to my room I could feel her gaze burning into me.

In my room, I shut the door and texted Beth.

Thanks for the non-existent reservation.

I was being an ass, but I couldn’t help it.
The night had gone s badly
,
I wanted someone to blame
. My phone rang. It was Beth. I picked it up.

“Hey.”

“Oh my god, Coop. I honestly have no idea what happened. I swear I made one.” She sounded on the verge of tears, and I felt bad.

“It’s fine,” I sighed. “It actually went pretty well until she told me she wanted to move out. Stay in a hotel.”

“She did?” Beth’s voice picked up. “Maybe you need to take this slower, Coop.”

“Maybe,” I said glumly. “Anyway, I’m wrecked. Night.”

“Night,” she echoed softly.