Page 9

At some point, we both fell asleep, and I wake when the sun starts to peek into the windows we never bothered to cover last night in our haste to have sex.

We talked late into the night, and even though we just met last night, it feels like I’ve known him my entire life. I know his favorite singer is Dave Matthews, he’s obsessed with Slim Jims, he likes to eat mangoes, he’s six feet, four inches tall, he loves sports, he wants at least three kids by the time he’s forty, he’s a total mama’s boy, and he’s a Dodgers fan.

He learned that my favorite singer is Taylor Swift, I’ve never eaten a mango before in my entire life, I clock in at five-seven, I’m more of a movie buff than a sports fan, I don’t know if I want kids ever, I’m not close with my mom, and if I had to pick a team to root for, I guess I’d say I’m a Vegas Aces fan…a Ben Olson fan, in particular, but I wouldn’t kick Jack Dalton out of bed for eating cookies if you know what I mean.

We laughed together, and he held me in his arms as he traced patterns on my skin, and there was zero pressure on either of us. We just lived in the moment, and I’m not sure I’ve ever done that before with a guy. I prefer living in my head, overanalyzing every word, every smile, every tick of an eyebrow.

Cooper’s just about the easiest-going guy I’ve ever met, and I’m not exactly uptight, but sometimes I suppose I can be. I was once described by my high school math teacher as the sunshiniest Type A personality he’d ever met, and he was right. I’m positive and sometimes I can be way too nice, which can often make me a doormat, but I’m also competitive and have a strong aptitude for achieving whatever I set out to do. I just do it with a smile on my face, I guess.

He wakes with a bit of a jolt when I move out of his arms, and he grabs onto me and tightens his grip, not letting me go.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” he says, his tone gruff.

I can’t help a soft giggle. “I really have to pee.”

“I need a kiss first.” He puckers his lips, and good gravy, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a man who was both so dang hot and also adorable at the same time. I drop my lips to his, and he grabs onto me, hoisting me over his lap and gripping onto my butt cheeks with both hands. He moves my body over his, letting me know he’s raring to go even at this early hour.

I let out a soft moan, and then I climb off him because I really do need to go use the restroom. He grunts as I leave.

“Be right back,” I promise on my way.

When I get out of the bathroom, I expect things to be awkward. Despite the unfamiliar feelings streaming through me, he’s still a virtual stranger, and I’ve never really done the one-night stand thing, so I’m expecting one of us to make it weird.

But that doesn’t happen.

Instead, he’s pulling on a shirt, much to my disappointment. “Wanna grab some breakfast fuel then come back here and have sex all day long?”

I laugh. “Uh, yeah. I do.”

He grabs my hand and pulls me into him, wrapping his arms around me so I’m crushed against his body, and his lips tip up as he gazes down at me. He drops a soft kiss to my lips before letting me go. He looks me up and down a beat. “You’re gonna need some pants, Sunshine.”

“Sunshine?” I ask.

He shrugs. “It’s your sunny personality, I guess. Or the fact that the sun coming up is casting you in this spot of gold right now and it’s fucking ethereal, like you’re some angel dropped down into my hotel room.”

I step out of the spot of light. “What about now? Am I whatever the opposite of sunshine is?”

He chuckles. “Moonshine?” He shakes his head. “Nah, I don’t think so. Still Sunshine.”

“What about you?” I ask.

His brows furrow in confusion. “What about me?”

“If you’re going to call me Sunshine, what should I call you?”

He tosses an arm around my shoulder. “Stud Muffin? Captain Orgasm? The best sex of your life?”

I twist my lips. “I’m thinking Snuggle Bunny.”

He tosses me the same pair of shorts I didn’t bother to wear last night. “We’ll work on it over breakfast.”

“Hottie McHotFace?” I suggest as I pull them on.

He narrows his eyes at me. “It’s a little better, but I’m kind of partial to Captain Orgasm.”

“You were definitely captain of my orgasms last night,” I murmur, and I grab a hair band out of my purse to pull my hair up.

“I will be again this morning after a balanced breakfast with a lot of protein.” He grabs a black baseball hat with a simple black UA for Under Armour on the front out of his suitcase, and he turns it backward when he puts it on.

Good God, as if he wasn’t hot enough before.

I’m pretty sure my ovaries explode. Something is definitely happening down there, and I’m not sure I’ve ever gotten horny before just from looking at a man the way I feel around Cooper. I’m at a point where the disbelief is hitting me so frequently that I’m almost starting to get used to the idea that this is reality.

I follow him out to the hallway, and he tosses an arm around my shoulders. I slide my arm around his waist, and we navigate down the hall and toward the elevators as if we’re a real couple and we’ve been together forever.

He turns his hat forward and tugs the bill down lower once we’re on the elevator. Still hot, still captain of my orgasms, but the backwards thing was more king of the world material than captain of one single entity.

It’s half after six as we’re seated toward the back of the restaurant in a booth. He faces the kitchen from the seat he chooses, while I can see the entire restaurant from where I sit.

It’s as we’re perusing the menu that I ask, “So Snuggle Bunny is a hard no?”

He laughs, and it’s that same hearty laugh I’ve heard out of him before. It lights me up from the inside, and the wide smile that accompanies it is nearly enough for me to strip naked so he can take me right on top of the laminate tabletop between us.

“At least make it something cooler than bunny if you’re going that route. Snuggle Fucking Tiger or something.”

“Snuggle T-Rex?” I suggest.

“Snuggle Wolf,” he throws out.

“Snuggle Jellyfish?”

His brows dip. “Jellyfish? You want to nickname the best sex of your life fucking jellyfish ?”

I shrug. “I read somewhere that there’s this one jellyfish that has a sting a hundred times more potent than a cobra. That’s pretty freaking ferocious, right?”

“Oooh, Snuggle Cobra. Now that’s kick ass.”

“Maybe we drop the snuggle all together,” I say, squinting at him as I twist my lips.

“Back to square one, then. Captain Orgasm?”

I giggle. “You’re not letting that one go, are you?”

He shrugs.

“Okay, Captain.”

He smirks at me, and a waitress comes by to take our orders a few beats later. He orders a protein-filled breakfast skillet, while I opt for the pumpkin-walnut pancakes with a side of bacon.

He wrinkles his nose after the waitress walks away. “Damn, just when I thought you were the perfect woman, you go and order pumpkin pancakes.”

“What’s wrong with pumpkin pancakes?” I demand.

“Just the thought of what it’s made out of…pumpkin guts.” He shakes his head. “Disgusting.”

“You’re trying them, and you’ll like it, Captain.”

He laughs again.

“When do you head back to San Diego?” I ask.

“My flight is tomorrow morning,” he says.

“What’s your plan for the rest of your trip?”

His eyes seem to glaze over with lust, and he leans in a little closer toward me across the table. “You.”

I raise a brow. “What if I have plans?”

“You’ll cancel them. After all, it’s not often you get full access to the captain.”

“So modest,” I say, rolling my eyes.

He chuckles. “In all seriousness, I’m meeting some friends for dinner tonight, but otherwise I’m free. Unless I decide to meet up with the buddy who offered me a job.”

“What are you going to tell him?” I ask softly.

He thinks about it for a beat before he answers. “I’m not sure yet. But if I’m deciding based on what brings me joy, then I think I want to spend more time in Vegas.” He raises his brows as his eyes focus in on mine, and I melt into a pile of lust right there in the booth.

I hope he decides to take the job—whatever it is.

I hope I get to see him again.

I hope we get the chance to explore whatever this is outside of this fantasy weekend.

But one thing’s for sure.

I didn’t stay together with Jace because neither of us wanted to bother putting in the work that would be required of a long-distance relationship.

I haven’t even known Cooper twelve hours yet, but I can already tell he’s someone worth putting in the work for.

I can’t help my curiosity over who he’s meeting for dinner or what the job offer here in Vegas is, but he’s been pretty open with me, all things considered. He’ll tell me when he’s ready.

Just like I’ll tell him more about my parents when I’m ready, too.

“What do you want to do all day?” I ask.

“Sex,” he says.

I laugh. “ All day?”

“Well, yeah. Have you seen yourself? I could get lost in that body for the rest of the month. One day won’t be nearly enough time.”

My cheeks flush, and he chuckles at my reaction.

“You shine brighter when you’re embarrassed,” he says. “So I’m going to do it as often as I can.”

I purse my lips. “Great.”

He laughs, but he reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Since you live here, I want you to show me a side of Vegas I’ve never seen in all the times I’ve been here.”

I raise both brows. “Way to put pressure on a girl.”

He shrugs. “You want to plan a day date or something after my dinner tonight?”

An idea comes to mind, so I opt for tonight.

He nods. “It’s a date.”

“So what about the rest of the day?” I ask.

“Want to be tourists in between all the sex?” he suggests.

I nod. “Absolutely. I want one of those yard drinks with a strawberry daiquiri, and I want to play slot machines, and I want to watch the fountains at Bellagio.”

“I want to ride the giant Ferris Wheel and I want to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Can we fit all that into one day?”

I shake my head. “Nope, but we’ve got today plus part of tomorrow, and then…” I trail off as I realize I don’t know the answer to that.

His face falls a little, too, and his voice is low when he says. “And then I have a good reason to come back.”

I press my lips together and nod, and then the waitress delivers our food.

And, incidentally, he loves my pumpkin pancakes.