Page 25 of After All This Time (A Time For Love #2)

Liam

" I t makes so much sense now,” Cooper mumbles against my neck.

We’re sprawled on his bed in fresh clothes, wrapped around each other under his soft comforter. His head is on my shoulder, his face tucked under my jaw. He has thrown his arm over my chest and I’m holding him to me, feeling the way his breath tickles me, or how his long leg is curled around mine.

I place the smallest of kisses on his closed eyelids and he sighs.

“What does, Coop?”

“Me wanting you to touch me all the time.”

The words make something shift inside me, like we’re two pieces that have aligned themselves and clicked into place.

“I always loved it when you sought me out, needing me to hold you,” I whisper my raw confession on his temple. “I just never wanted to make you uncomfortable so I always let you come to me.”

The quiet in the room is only broken by our soft breathing against each other’s skin.

“When did you know, Li?”

My heart skips a beat.

When did I know what? That I wasn’t straight? That I didn’t see him as just my best friend? That I craved every part of him? That I loved him more than life itself?

“That you were bi,” he continues.

Ah.

I think about what to tell him, not wanting to scare him with the magnitude of the truth inside me.

“It must have been around the time I was a teenager. Sixteen maybe.”

He hums to signal he heard me.

“So, college must have been wild, huh?”

The hint of jealousy in his voice makes the possessive beast in me purr in satisfaction.

“Not really. A few hook-ups then and the occasional one when I was on the road. Nothing serious.”

He’s silent for a while and I’m desperate to know what he’s thinking.

“Tell me.”

He shuffles against my side, burrowing deeper and I can tell he’s embarrassed.

“It’s silly,” he mumbles, his fingers playing with the fabric of my T-shirt. “I wish I could have been the first one you touched and the first one to touch you.” He laughs awkwardly. “I told you it’s stupid.”

I bury my nose in his hair and inhale his scent that always reminds me of clean sheets and crisp citrus.

“Can I tell you something, Coop?”

He nods against me.

“You may not be the first one, but you’re the first and only one who matters.”

He sucks in a small breath that I feel all the way to my toes.

“Hey, Li?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you really mean everything you said in the shower?”

The memory of us is burned into my fucking being—the feel of his wet, perfect body against mine, the slide of his hard, red cock in my fist, the expression of total abandon on his face, fucking his crack the way I wanted to fuck into him, my cum marking his flawless, pale skin…

My arms tighten around him as my body reacts to the images.

I use my hand to tilt his chin and his beautiful light-blue eyes blink open, fixing on mine.

“I did.”

I see the subtle shiver that runs through him, his eyes dilating as he lets out a shaky exhale.

“Are you okay with that?”

I have to ask him. Even though everything points to the fact that he does, I have to ask him because I meant every single thing I told him but also so much more than that.

I want to be so deep inside him that he feels my heart beating against his.

I want to kiss him until our lips are raw and nothing can separate us but the desperate need for air.

I want to take him, own him, make him mine until I’m the only one he wants or will ever want.

Until he can’t think when he’s around me. Until he loves me as much as I do.

He’s looking at me with eyes so open and vulnerable I can see everything in them; the trepidation, the anticipation, the curiosity, the desire, the trust.

He inches closer until his answer brushes against my lips.

“I am. Now kiss me.”

And I do, falling into him, taking it slow and deep, ravaging his sweet mouth until he’s clinging to me, arching his whole body against mine.

“Stay with me tonight,” he whispers. “Don’t go to the guest room, Li. Stay here.”

The plea in his voice makes my heart crumble.

“Yeah, baby,” I mutter, peppering kisses on his nose, his cheekbones, his jaw, until he’s ticklish and is chuckling softly. “I’ll stay for as long as you want me.”

***

I wake up slowly, my mind sluggish in the early morning.

The one thing I’m immediately aware of is the way I’m wrapped around Cooper’s warm body.

He’s breathing softly against his pillow, in deep, restful sleep, and I can’t help comparing this moment with the last time we slept next to each other all those years ago in our tent.

I remember vividly the fear of being discovered doing something wrong, the effort it took to untangle my limbs from his when all I wanted to do was pull him in closer.

Now, I tighten my arm around him and brush kiss after kiss on his nape, his neck, his soft hair, until I hear him sigh in his sleep, which makes me smile.

Knowing myself, there is no way I’ll be falling asleep again, so slipping one last kiss beneath Cooper’s ear, I slowly manage to get up without waking him.

He’d probably maim me if I made him wake up so early.

I chuckle at the thought.

Once in the kitchen, I prepare some coffee and decide to check my emails and messages.

Theo Colson’s message makes me stand up straighter in my chair.

Theo is a fellow physiotherapist with a very successful practice in Pennsylvania. We used to be part of the same medical team assisting Cameron Parker’s hockey team a few years ago, before he decided to relocate permanently to Pennsylvania to be closer to his family.

Seeing how much he has achieved in such a short time brings a smile to my face for my friend.

I hit call on his name before I even notice what time it is. Thankfully, he’s three hours ahead of me so he won’t be cursing at me when he picks up.

“I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon,” Theo’s joking voice comes through after a few rings. “Aren’t you supposed to be enjoying some well-deserved vacation?”

I chuckle, my mind turning towards the guy in the next room, my body heating rapidly just thinking about the last few days.

Yeah, not exactly resting, but better than any vacation in the world.

“A break from a bunch of uncontrollable jocks who promise to do exactly what you tell them and then turn around and do the exact opposite? Sure. But you can’t dangle an offer like that in front of me and expect me not to follow up, man.”

I hear him laugh, and young voices, probably of his children, chirp happily in the background.

“So, what do you think?”

The last time we spoke, I told him about my intention to look for a more permanent position. But what he’s offering is something so much more than that. A possible partnership.

“I think I’m interested.”

“That’s great news,” he says and I can feel his excitement.

It’s the same that’s currently bubbling up inside me.

“So, listen, I think it’s better to talk in person.

Can you fly over here for a few days? I’ll make all the arrangements.

I’d fly over there myself but it would be a bitch to find someone to leave the girls with. ”

My chest pinches at the thought of leaving Cooper, even for a few days, but I tamp it down.

“No problem. When do you need me?”

“I can get you a flight in a few days if that works for you.”

“Yeah, it works great. Let me know the details of the flight and I’ll see you down there.”

“Alright, bud. Talk to you soon.”

The moment the call disconnects, I notice the soft rustling sound from somewhere behind me.

And come face to face with Cooper.

He’s all rumpled from sleep, his black hair an unruly mess, his T-shirt all wrinkled up, and he’s never looked more beautiful than at this moment.

A smile threatens to break all over my face but the expression on his face halts it.

He looks lost. Forlorn. Like he’s just found out something devastating.

I’m on my feet and in front of him in seconds.

I brush the hair off his face before my hands rest on either side of his neck.

“What is it, baby?”

He has dropped his gaze so I can no longer see into his blue eyes, but I feel the way he swallows thickly.

“Are you leaving, Li?” he whispers.

Leaving? What is he…

Something inside me stills.

How long has he been standing here?

I replay everything I said on the phone with Theo, and my heart skips a beat when I think about what that conversation must have sounded like to Cooper.

Like I’m leaving again.

I’m already shaking my head, though he can’t see it.

“Cooper, I—”

“It’s okay, Li,” he laughs awkwardly, subtly removing himself from my hold.

“It would have been nice though to have some warning at least this time.” He lifts his eyes to meet mine steadily, but I know he’s just putting his brave face on.

The way he’s rubbing his arms as if he’s cold makes something wither inside me.

“Do you need me to help you pack?” he asks, and his voice cracks on the last word.

A low rumble starts in my chest at the sound of that crack, like an animal responding to the need to soothe its hurt mate.

His back meets the wall in the next second and a small gasp leaves his lips, his eyes widening. My hand snakes around my favorite spot, his tender nape and I rub him there, massaging all the tension he’s feeling away, until his eyes start drooping.

I lean in, until I’m nipping on his parted lips.

“I’m never leaving you, Coop,” I mumble against them.

I feel the way his body relaxes against me.

His eyes flutter when my hand twists, now holding his throat.

“You’re not?” he says, his body slightly arching towards me, until I feel his hard cock rubbing against my thigh.

Fuck, the way he looks like this.

Pinned against the wall by his throat, his body seeking friction, lips bitten red, eyes half-lidded in slowly-building pleasure and lingering sadness.

He makes me delirious for him.

My hand finds his gorgeous ass, gripping the muscle tightly and pulling our groins together.

The whimper that leaves his mouth floods my body with heat.

He’s straining against my hand on his throat to rub himself against me but my hold is too tight.

The knowledge that he could easily dislodge my hand if he wanted to but he’s choosing to take what I give him makes my blood boil with the need to leave my mark on him, to bruise his pretty neck until he wears it on him like a reminder for others and for himself.

I bring our clothed cocks together, thrusting slowly against him in a maddening rhythm that drives both of us crazy.

“No, baby,” I growl quietly in his ear. “That call was not what you think, and I’ll make both of us come in the next few minutes if you give me the chance to explain afterwards. Sound good?” I punctuate my last question with a decadent twist of my hips.

“Yes, Li,” his voice sounds wrecked under my grip. “Make us come.”

That’s the only permission I need before I’m tugging our loose shorts below our balls, finally freeing our hard cocks.

I spit on my palm and I watch as his pupils grow so fat, the blue around them almost vanishes.

“Fuck, why is that so hot?” he moans and then moans even louder when my hand brings our aching dicks together.

I groan at the sensation and the scorching hot sight of our glistening shafts rubbing against each other’s.

We’re both leaking at this point and the added spit makes the slide of my fist around us the perfect torture.

I pump my hand up and down in hard strokes, wet, squelching sounds filling the hallway.

“Look at us, Coop. Watch me fuck your pretty cock.”

His eyes are fighting the battle to remain open, the pull to slide them shut against the waves of pleasure too much for him.

“Oh God, L – Liam. How are you so good at this?” he mumbles, raising his arms and throwing them over my shoulders, hanging on for the ride.

I release his throat, now stained red by my hand, and grip his thigh, pulling it up until it’s locked around my ass.

The angle opens him up, so I loosen my fist, and start thrusting against him instead, the movement slapping our balls together, my hold becoming more and more slippery as precum leaks out of us steadily.

Cooper looks unleashed. His eyes wild, his nails scratching my back, his hips meeting my thrusts with his own and I want to fucking devour him.

So I do.

I slam my lips against his, our tongues meeting in a brutal dance that matches the meeting of our frenzied bodies. I lick and lick and lick into his mouth, until he’s all I can feel, all I can hear, all I can taste.

He wrenches his mouth away in a scream that makes my orgasm rush to the surface in a way that feels destructive.

“Oh fuck, Li. You’re making me come. You’re making me—” he never gets to finish his sentence because his body seizes in my arms, his cock soaking my own in cum, and the sight brings me to my knees.

A growl tears through me as my cock bursts, hot cum covering us both, and I’m blind to anything else but the way we keep thrusting against each other, now slower, but never stopping. As if stopping seems unimaginable.

A keening sound leaves Cooper’s mouth and I know we’re stepping over to overstimulation.

I let his thigh down gently and tilt his head so he’s looking at me.

I make sure he never averts his eyes as I bring my cum-covered hand to my lips and lick and suck through everything we made together.

I watch him swallow as he takes in everything with his wide, curious gaze and I see the moment his eyes spark with mischief and a devilish half-grin tilts his lips.

It’s the moment right before he pulls my head towards him and he licks into my mouth, tasting both of us, in a kiss that annihilates me, body and soul.

We separate but I can’t stop from brushing small kisses on his lips.

“It’s because of you, Coop,” I tell him softly and his brow furrows in confusion. “It’s this good because it’s you.”

He looks stunned for a second, before a soft blush spreads to his cheeks and down his throat, making it look even redder.

His smile could light up even the cloudiest of days.

“Are you trying to make me swoon, Liam Carter?”

My arm slings around his waist.

“Only if you let me, Cooper West,” I tell him, nuzzling his temple and his slightly sweaty hair.

He giggles, the sound surprising both of us before we start chuckling against each other.

“Well, you’re certainly on your way there. Looks like you found a way to make me look forward to waking up.”

“Trust me when I say, it would be my pleasure to wake you up like this every day,” I grin.

“It’s a serious duty, trying to make me a likable person in the morning.”

“One I’m willing to commit myself to, baby.”

His eyes soften at the term of endearment, making me want to melt at his feet.

Hugging him to me, I mutter, “How about we take a quick shower and we talk about that call, hm?”

The softness never leaves his expression as he nods and follows me into the bathroom.