Page 18 of Enticed

“You’re so beautiful when you smile,” he whispers, catching me completely off-guard.

“Huh?” I say around a mouthful of chocolate cake and frosting, crumbs flying out of my mouth, attempting to chew quickly while Cooper shakes his head at me.

“I said,” he leans down close to my ear. “You’re so beautiful when you smile.” I can feel my breath catch once I swallow as I feel the warm air from his mouth hit my exposed skin, my flesh tingling while everyone else around us is oblivious to the fire burning between us.

Where did this side of Cooper come from—this bold, sweet, lusty man? Did all I have to do is break down in front of him to get him to give in to our attraction? If that’s the case, then Cooper Walsh sure is a strange, strange man.

“Cooper,” I sigh, closing my eyes before I feel his fingers interlock with mine, pulling me away from the crowd while everyone is immersed in the celebration. I follow his lead as he pulls me through the kitchen and open living room, down the hall, and into Kane’s office, locking the door behind us.

The rush he exhibited by pulling me away from the party is quickly replaced with an eerie quiet. I stand by the window with my back to him, wondering what happens next. The desperation I just felt from him melts away while we wait each other out. My heart rate is slowing down, even though I’m nervous to hear what he has to say.

“Are you okay, Clara?” He finally breaks the silence, causing me to turn to face him now.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

Shrugging, he locks eyes with me. “I just wanted to check on you, you know… you seemed pretty upset last week.”

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. “I know. I’m sorry I lost it…”

Cooper takes a few steps closer to me, reaching out to softly embrace my arm. “No, I’m glad you did. You’ve been holding so much in, Clara. You need to get it out…”

“I’m trying,” I flash a small smile.

“Good. You really are beautiful when you smile, Clara. You should do it more,” his green eyes come alive when I look up at him, his fingers moving up to caress my cheek. I struggle to find a sarcastic rebuttal like I normally would, because being around Cooper makes all words leave my brain—something that never happens to me. I always have something to say, a retort to fire back. I can go tit for tat with the best of them. It’s part of my charm.

But being near Cooper lately muddles my mind and makes me think and want things that I’ve never considered before—much less for my best friend’s younger brother.

“Thank you,” I finally say for lack of anything else.

The conversation comes to a halt as Cooper and I study each other, unsure of what to say next. As I open my mouth to speak, Cooper catches me off guard as he presses his lips to mine, rendering me speechless but igniting every nerve on my body. I’m so startled by his move that it takes me a minute to realize what’s happening before my body moves on instinct.

My hands reach up and clasp behind his neck, pulling him down to meet me as his hands encircle my waist, drawing me closer to him. Cooper’s tongue dives into my mouth, tangling with mine, making it hard to breathe as I feel his erection pressing into my stomach.

This kiss. I’ve thought about kissing him for months, ever since that first night at his parent’s house when I saw him for the first time in years. And although I pride myself on a pretty overactive sexual imagination—nothing I’ve envisioned even compares to the assault Cooper is laying on my mouth right now.

His lips are soft yet firm, guiding me to follow his lead. His hands are tight on my waist, holding me still while he works my mouth with his own. I trail my fingernails into his hair, rewarding myself with a moan coming deep from his throat and even more pressure from his tongue on mine.

Cooper walks us over to the wall, pressing me up against it with his hips, sending a shock of electricity through my body at how controlling he’s being—a side of him I didn’t know would be so hot on my best friend’s younger brother.

And it’sthatthought that makes me realize what we’re doing. I’m kissing Cooper—a boy whose toenails I once painted just to drive him mad, a boy I referred to as Twiggy because he hadn’t morphed into the brick wall of muscle he is now. But he’s not a boy anymore, and we sure as hell haveneverdone this before.

Pushing against his chest, our breathing heavy and frantic, our lips disconnect, leaving nothing but the sound of our breathing in the room.

I reach up to touch my lips, still tingling from the feeling of that kiss, while my eyes search Cooper’s for answers.

“Fuck,” Cooper mutters as he turns away from me and removes his hat, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“What the fuck was that for?” I finally manage to form words, not sure if I want to know the answer.

“Honestly… I wasn’t thinking,” he says, partly confused and perplexed by his response and actions.

“You? Cooper Walsh, the king of control, is admitting to losing it? I… I’m in shock!” I mock him as the corner of his lips tip up in a grin.

“Come on, Clara. Don’t act like you didn’t want that. You’ve been coming on to me for weeks…” he steps back even more, running his fingers through that thick head of hair again before placing the hat back on his head.

“Yeah, you’re right. But why now? Why kiss me now and give in? Let alone, at your sister’s house where there are a ton of witnesses…” I gesture to the door where the party is still in full effect outside.

Cooper’s hand rises and cups my cheek again. “Well, there’s nobody else in this room, so no one saw. And I… I don’t know. You just looked so beautiful, standing there staring at me,” he says on a small shake of his head, narrowing his gaze on me.

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