Page 19 of Cooper & Jake (Gomillion High Reunion #2)

COOPER

A soft snore catches my attention, and I smile, seeing Jake sleeping on the bed next to me.

There’s a ball of yarn in his lap and a crochet hook still tucked tightly in his hand.

Watching him crochet next to me was adorable.

This huge man with his tattoos and piercings loves to crochet in his downtime.

The fact that he was so quick to switch projects to make me something caused me to both feel happiness and sadness.

Happiness, because he was willing and wanting to make something for me that I could have forever.

But sadness, because all I can picture is if this is the only physical memory I’ll have of him from this weekend.

What if once the three days are up, we go our separate ways and never see one another again?

I know I don’t want that. We may live far apart, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t try to do long distance.

Visit each other as often as we can. Call each other every night before we go to sleep, text all throughout the day.

I get giddy at the thought of Jake wanting to do all those things with me.

I just have to gather the courage to tell him what I want.

Knowing this will probably make me seem creepy, but not caring anyway, I grab my phone and first snap a picture of Jake sleeping, and then I turn the phone around and lean down, taking a selfie of the two of us. I want to have at least a few pictures of us before I have to go back home.

Wanting to let Jake sleep for a little bit longer, I put on another movie and watch it while he naps peacefully beside me. Once my stomach starts rumbling, I snicker, realizing it’s time to wake him up.

Gently trying to rouse him awake, I run my fingers down his cheek, then his arm, then push at his shoulder. “Wakey, wakey, Jakey.”

He blinks his eyes a few times before opening them and smiling. “Hi, gorgeous.”

“Hi.” I wait a moment before adding on, “I’m starving.”

Jake closes his eyes, chuckling loudly. “Well, we can’t have that, can we?”

“I don’t think you’ve forgotten how hangry I can get. That is something about me that hasn’t changed at all. I have about point three seconds before the hungry monster comes out. Well, not really, but you know what I mean.”

“How would you feel about ordering in and staying in tonight? We can eat, maybe take a bath in the huge tub in the bathroom, and then I can fuck you wild in this exact spot.”

“Oh, fuck,” I whisper, my dick plumping up. “Yes, that. I want that. I wish I could say I want it now, but we both know I can’t wait when I’m starving.”

Jake laughs, sitting up on the bed and tapping my thigh. “Okay, let’s find something to order.”

We find a restaurant that delivers quickly, and in no time at all, Jake is heading down to the lobby to pick up our food. Once he’s back inside, he spreads out all the food on the small table in the room.

“That smells so good,” I hum, dancing in my spot, knowing that I’m about to eat.

“Get over here and stuff your face before you start getting hangry.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” I start digging in, Jake standing off to the side. “What?” I mumble over a mouthful of food.

“You’re like an animal.”

I roll my eyes, taking another bite. “Hardy-har-har. You’re so funny, Jake. Are you not going to eat?”

“How do you talk so clearly when your mouth is so full of food?” he asks, wide-eyed.

I swallow my food dramatically and then stare at him. “It’s not that hard. And there’s no way I’m going to be shy and timid around you. You’ve already fucked me senseless. If I can’t eat my food in front of you after you’ve done that, then one of us should leave.”

“Touché. I love seeing you being unapologetically yourself. Even with the ketchup stuck to the side of your mouth.”

“Shit.” I snatch up a napkin and wipe at the ketchup on the side of my mouth. “Well, maybe if you would start eating, then you wouldn’t notice all the food that’s stuck to my face.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll eat.”

We both sit at the small table, taking bites of each other’s food.

I love that Jake gave me a bite of his burger when I asked if it tasted good.

That’s one of my biggest pet peeves when I’m out with people and they won’t even share an itty-bitty fry.

I love the fact that Jake was so willing to share with me, so I could taste how his food was.

And of course, he took a bite of mine in return.

After cleaning up the table, we both plop down onto the bed to take a breather.

“I want to move to the bathtub, but my body is saying ‘ Noooooo ,’” I tell him, smiling when he nods his head.

“I might have eaten a little bit too much, and now I don’t even want to move from this spot. Let’s lie here and rest for ten minutes, then we can move.”

“Deal,” I sigh, getting comfortable on the bed. “Ten minutes and we’ll get up.”

Forty minutes later, we finally make our way to the bathroom. I might have been in a food coma and couldn’t talk or move for the past half hour. Jake was quiet too, but once again, it wasn’t uncomfortable.

“Turn on the water. I have something in my bag we can use,” he tells me after he strips down and rushes out of the bathroom.

I turn the faucet on, making sure the water is hot but not too hot. “What are you getting?” I yell toward the door.

“This. I don’t know why I brought it. Thought that maybe the hotel would have a nice tub, and I could use it.”

“What is it?” I ask, trying to look at the little ball in his palm.

“It’s a bath bomb. Have you ever used one before?”

“I actually haven’t. I’ve heard of them, but never really tried one out. Do you use them a lot?”

“Every week. I try to spend one night a week where I lose myself at home and just relax. I’ll have a beer, watch a movie while crocheting, and then end the night with a bubble bath. I even invested in renovating my bathroom with this huge jacuzzi tub. It’s like a massage every time I use it.”

“I haven’t taken many bubble baths,” I admit, my cheeks heating at my admission.

“Well, if you ever come visit, we’ll have to make sure that you use it.”

“You want me to come visit?”

“Come on, let’s get in the tub, and we’ll talk about it.”

Jake throws the bomb into the tub and then steps into the hot water. I undress, tossing my clothes in any which direction, then join him. I sit in the front, so my back is to his chest. He pulls me closer to his body, planting kisses along my back.

“Sooo,” I say, waiting to see if he’ll bring it back up.

“Sooo,” he echoes, kissing me again on my other shoulder blade. I slap his knee that’s poking up out of the water, and he chuckles. “Yes, I want you to come visit. As many times as you can. And I want to visit you too.”

“What does that mean?” I whisper, running my hands up and down his legs.

“I don’t want to say goodbye. When the three days are gone and we both have to go home.

I want to say, ‘ See you later ,’ and actually plan to see you again.

I don’t want to spend another twenty years without you in my life.

I didn’t expect to come here this weekend and fall for you again, but fuck, I really think I have. ”

“You’ve fallen for me?”

“To be honest, I don’t think I ever fell out of love with you. There’s always been a Cooper-shaped hole in my heart that only you’ve been able to fill.”

“Fuck, this is crazy.”

It is, though. It’s only been three days, and I already know that I don’t want to go the rest of my life without him in it. As friends? Or maybe something more? But the only way to know for sure is to see where this goes. Here and after the three days are up.

“It might be a little wild. But I think you’re worth it.” Jake grabs hold of my chin, turning my head to face him. He places the softest kiss on my lips, just a tease of what’s to come. He tries to pull away, but I grab hold of his nape, pulling him back toward me.

“I want you,” I tell him, turning around fully so that I can straddle him.

“Ten more minutes of me holding you, then I’ll take you apart in bed.”

“Okay, deal,” I say, my chest rising rapidly at the thought of him fucking me hard and roughly soon. “So, we’re really going to try to do this?”

“Hell yes, we are.”