Page 13 of Make Me

I stare into his eyes while my heart thumps inside my chest. Even if I wanted to speak, I could not. He strokes my cheek, and I let out a whimper. He runs a finger along my bottom lip, and I freeze, unable to speak or breathe. I follow the path of his finger and run my tongue on my lip. This time, it’s him who whimpers.

He slowly closes the space between us. His lips hover above mine. It’s as if he’s waiting for me to move away, but what he doesn’t realize is that I’m rooted to my spot.

His lips are a soft caress against mine. A gentle touch. My brain finally realizes what’s happening, and I kiss him back just as gently. It’s been years since I’ve been kissed. Even before Brian died, it had been over a year since he’d kissed me. I think the last time we kissed was at our wedding. Our sex life was almost non-existent, but when it did happen, there was never any affection.

I step closer to him, standing on my tippy toes to wrap my arms around his neck. I open my mouth and welcome him in. He tastes of the peppermints he keeps in his truck, and I can’t get enough. I move closer and deepen the kiss even more. His large, calloused hands glide down my back and land on my ass. He squeezes, and instead of being self-conscious about its size, I kiss him harder and stroke the satiny skin at the nape of his neck.

“Mama!” A little voice says, right before I hear footsteps and the sound of her sweet giggles. “Kith, Mama!” she says, grabbing my leg. I abruptly end the kiss and move away as the dog starts to bark.

“Kith!” Ivy repeats. She raises her arms, and I pick her up and kiss both her cheeks. “Kith, Coopie!” Cooper takes her from me and kisses her cheeks too. She kicks her legs, and he puts her down. She kisses the dog, and they both run out of the room.

When we’re alone again, I turn my back on Cooper and lean against the kitchen sink. I feel the heat rolling off his body when he comes to stand behind me. He presses his body into mine, and I can feel the hard bulge in his pants. He kisses my shoulder and wraps his arms around my waist, and I lean into him. I tell myself I’ll only lean on him for a few seconds. Just to feel the warmth of another human being.

“I can’t offer you anything, Cooper. I’m a mess.”

“The prettiest and sexiest mess I’ve ever seen. Let’s be a mess together. You, me, Ivy, and Sam.” He kisses my shoulder again, and the small gesture is like turning on a light switch inside of me.

I turn to face him and look into his eyes. “You’ll think this is crazy because I’ve been married, but I don’t know how to be in a relationship. You’ll only end up regretting being with me.” He grabs another piece of my hair and wraps it around his finger. “And I don’t want to be someone’s rebound again. I can’t.”

“I wouldn’t be here if I weren’t sure, Laces. I wouldn’t do that to you and Ivy. And one day, you’ll feel comfortable enough to tell me about your marriage, but for now, I just want us to get to know each other. I really want to kiss you again. I’ve wanted to kiss those lips since we were teenagers.” And he does just that. This kiss doesn’t start off slow like the other one. He kisses me deeply, sucking my bottom lip into his mouth. It’s almost as if he’s savoring me. “You taste just like I’ve always imagined.” All of a sudden, he lifts me, and I wrap my legs around him and stick my hands in his hair.

“Cooper,” I mutter into his mouth.

“Yeah, Laces?” he asks.

“I’ve always wanted to kiss you too.” He smiles against my lips and rubs my lower back with his hands. I rest my forehead on his and enjoy the feel of strong arms caressing my body.

“You can kiss me whenever you want. If you get the urge, just knock on my door.” He gives me little butterfly kisses on my lips and nose. “No charge.”

“I’ll remember that,” I whisper. And because he’s so close and this is the first time I’ve been kissed like this, I lean down and kiss him again. I kiss him as gently as he’s kissed me. When I pull back, I stroke his hair while I look in his eyes.

“My turn!” Ivy comes running back out with the dog chasing after her. She grabs Cooper’s leg and tries to climb him. He puts me down and picks her up. He swings her around, her happy giggles filling the house. The dog goes crazy barking. I lean against the wall and watch the happy scene unfold in front of me. I never had that with Brian. Not only was he not interested in me, but he wasn’t interested in his daughter either.

While Cooper gets back to work, I let Ivy and Sam out, and they run through the yard. I can still feel and taste him on my lips. I press my hand to my mouth and savor the feel, and for one brief moment, I wonder what it would be like to have it like this permanently. Then, I shake my head and chase the thought away. This is just a mirage. The idea of a happy family, complete with the dog, is only a reality on TV.

The only relationship with another adult that’s ever worked for me is my relationship with my Aunt Mae. Everyone else has let me down. I won’t willingly give someone another opportunity to hurt me again. And there’s no way in hell I would drag my daughter into that either.

Chapter 10

Cooper

She’s shutdown on me completely. She’s retreated back to that place deep inside. The place she’s made impossible for anyone to reach. She slowly closes the door to Ivy’s bedroom. It was funny hearing Ivy argue with her mother about napping, but Laci is no pushover when it comes to that little girl. I would have surrendered at the first bat of her long eyelashes. I notice that Sam hasn’t come out of the room. My dog is as obsessed with Ivy as I am with her mother.

She walks back into the living room, giving me as much space as possible. I pretend to look over the bookshelf that I’ve leaned against the wall. It’s perfect. It’s not the most high-end piece of furniture, but it will do for now.

“Thanks again,” she says. Her voice has taken on a business-like tone, and I’m eager to see what she’s going to do or say next. She goes into the kitchen, opens a drawer, and pulls out a checkbook. “What do I owe you for your time? Oh, and for breakfast.”

With her back to me, I approach. She tenses when I put my hands on her shoulders. I lean in closer and press my chest to her back. “What about gas? Are you going to reimburse me for that too?”

She clears her throat and says, “Of course. And for your time. I don’t want or need anything from anyone.”

“What else, Laces? How big of a wall are you going to put up?” She ignores me and starts to fill out the check. I grab the checkbook and pen and toss them out of her reach. She goes completely stiff. Not even my hands slowly caressing her shoulders loosens her up. But I do take a small step back. I don’t want her to feel how much I want her right now. “You won’t push me away that easily.” I stick my head to the side of her neck and inhale. She smells of lavender and vanilla. She relaxes in my arms when I kiss the side of her neck, and she leans back into me. Her plump ass lands on my dick, and I know she feels me on her ass, but she doesn’t pull away.

“I do like you,” she says, and I exhale in relief at her admission. “But you deserve someone who’s not messed up, Cooper,” she says softly. Her voice shakes, and my heart breaks for whatever she’s been through. “Someone without all of my baggage. I have a small child—"

“Shh,” I tell her as I slowly turn her around. She avoids making eye contact with me, but I hold on to her face with both hands. “Ivy isn’t baggage. She’s a beautiful little girl. Beautiful like her mom. And that emotional baggage you’re carrying, let me carry some of that for you. The past doesn’t have to determine the future, Laci. You deserve happiness. Why do you think you came here to start over? Because you know you deserve better than whatever you had back in Chicago.”

She pulls away from me, and for the first time ever, her eyes light up in mischief. “You think you can make me happy? You’re pretty confident.”

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