Page 17 of Enticed

He giggles like a schoolgirl and then puts a finger over his lips to shush me. “Maybe a little. But hey, I was golfing with my boys and it’s my birthday, so you can’t give me shit,” he points his finger at me.

I laugh at him, enjoying seeing this side of him. “No judgment from me, I swear,” I put up my fingers in the boy scout salute.

“Did you call Dr. Martinez yet?” He leans in, lowering his voice.

I nod. “Yeah, I did actually. I have an appointment with her on Monday.”

After last Friday when I broke down to Kane and Cooper, I took Kane’s advice and called his therapist after he text me her number. It was one of the most nerve-wracking calls I’ve ever made, but I know that the alternative of continuing to live my life in fear and anxiety like this has to be worse than seeing a therapist.

Kane smiles wide and then pulls me in for another hug. “I’m so glad, Clara. She’ll help you I promise. Now,” he says as he stands back, swaying a bit on his feet. “I need to find my fiancé and kiss her some more for throwing me this party.”

“Hey, maybe cool it on the drinks though, Kane. She has a surprise for you later you’ll want to be mostly sober for,” I wink at him as he salutes me.

“He’s clearly enjoying himself,” a deep voice startles me from behind as I turn to see the sexy man it’s attached to. My eyes travel up and down Cooper’s body—taking in his dark brown shorts and navy blue polo and his head of thick brown hair covered by a Dallas Cowboy's hat. Biceps I’d love to sink my teeth into peek out from underneath the sleeves of his shirt, and the scruff on his chin is longer than normal.

Yeah, Cooper is definitely not the scrawny boy I remember from my adolescence. He’s transformed into a drool-worthy hunk of muscles and testosterone.

Even though it’s only April, the weather this past week has been unusually warm for this time of year. And given they were out golfing today, I’m sure he worked up a sweat—although the only thing I can smell is his cologne, tempting me to move closer to take an even deeper inhale.

The smirk on his face tells me he saw my eyes taking him in, so he stops and does the same to me before our eyes meet again.

“Like what you see?” I tease, biting my lower lip, drawing his eyes there for a moment.

“The view’s not bad,” he mocks back, sliding around me, barely brushing his chest against my back as he moves to the other side of the table to grab a plate. I could have easily handed him one, but I think he was fully aware of his maneuver just now. The electricity moving through my body just reminds me of the dangerous game he’s playing.

“Well, you should see it when there aren’t clothes in the way,” I mutter through tight lips, glancing up to see Cooper’s heated eyes staring down at me as I up the stakes. This is the first time I’ve soberly come on to him, and by the fire I see behind his eyes, my words are affecting him.

Maybe finally breaking down and letting Cooper console me has lit the brazenness back inside that I know has been fighting to come out.

But that look he’s giving me right now—I’ve seen that look from him before—and suddenly the memory of him whispering dirty things in my ear a few weeks ago comes alive.

“I do want you, Clara—so fucking bad, my balls ache every night I have to pick you up drunk from Tony’s and you pull this shit. I wonder what you sound like and look like when you come. I wonder how your nipples would feel in my mouth and what your pussy would taste like on my tongue. I think about how your ass would feel in my hands and what your cunt would feel like gripping my dick like a vise. I do want you, Clara. You are a sexy woman now, not the same girl who hung out at my house and looked at me as just Liv’s younger brother. We’re both adults now and it would be fun, spectacular even.”

“Clara..” he starts as my entire body burns from the heat of the memory of his promises—but he gets interrupted as Perry addresses the entire room.

“Okay, everyone. We actually have one more surprise for the birthday boy and need everyone to gather outside. So, come on,” she waves her hands in the direction of the patio as the crowd of people make their way through the double doors leading through the enclosed patio and then out onto the deck. Dark stained stairs lead down to a lawn where Olivia waits with a cardboard box in front of her, looking beautiful in a red dress draping perfectly over her bump. There’s also a table situated next to her, lined with chocolate cupcakes with white frosting, where Perry directs each guest to grab one and not take a bite until told to do so.

After everyone retrieves a cupcake and filters out onto the lawn, Kane joins Olivia on the grass as Perry encourages Olivia to speak. I decide to stay up on the deck, since the crowd is quite hefty.

“Kane. Today is your birthday, so I thought what better gift to give you today than to reveal the gender of our baby together, surrounded by the people closest to us.” Kane is beaming as he looks down at her and there is no question about the love you see there.

“He looks like he’s going to cry, doesn’t he.” Cooper leans down and whispers in my ear, startling me, but also making my body come alive again from his proximity. The reaction I have to him every time we’re close just keeps getting stronger and stronger with time.

“Yeah, but can you blame the guy? He’s so in love. And Olivia is always emotional these days. Hell, if a man looked at me like that, I’d be a mess too,” I joke, but look up to see Cooper’s focus on me. And I see something there behind the green orbs that I swear, can see into my soul. As quickly as I ponder it, he turns his head back to his sister as she keeps talking.

“So, everyone here has a cupcake filled with pink or blue frosting and in this box are either pink or blue balloons. When you’re ready, say go, and everyone will take a bite as we open the box and reveal the sex of the baby that I know we will love no matter what,” she says through tears as Kane leans down to kiss her.

“I love you, baby… and I loveourbaby, regardless if it’s a boy or a girl, okay?” He says as everyone melts at his words.

“I love you too, Kane. Okay, now when you’re ready…”

Kane takes a deep breath and yells, “On your mark, get set, GO!”

Cooper and I both share a laugh before stuffing our face with our cupcakes, crumbs falling all around us before pulling the concoction away, revealing pink frosting just as dozens of pink balloons fill the sky, floating up towards the clouds.

“IT’S A GIRL!” Everyone shouts as Kane and Olivia cry and hug, kissing while everyone jumps and celebrates around them.

“They’re so happy,” I say through the cupcake in my mouth and the emotion climbing up my throat, turning to see Cooper staring down at me again.

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