Page 113 of Collateral Damage
Sybil
Present - Age 27
Almost as quickly as he starts the kiss, Cooper breaks away, resting his forehead against mine while catching his breath.
“About the benefits… It’s not for a lack of trying, but I haven’t exactly been with a woman since my accident.”
I pull away slightly and search his eyes. They’re shadowed in darkness, and the moonlight isn’t enough to see his expression. I understand the downcast tilt of his head, his ridged body, and the pained edge in his voice.
I trace my hands around his face first, then down his arms. The flesh prickles under my touch. “Do you want to talk about it?” I whisper, dropping a soft kiss to his warm neck. He smells so good, and I drink him in, my lips lingering. His throat bobs.
“It’s obviously about my leg,” he confesses.
Cooper is just as handsome with a prosthetic leg as he was before. I didn’t want this fate for him, but it happened. It’s a miracle he’s alive. Since that time, he’s moved forward with more strength than anyone I know.
That strength has only made him sexier.
“I don’t know how to put everything I want to say into words.” I move to his mouth, giving him gentle pecks. “But you’re not broken, Cooper. You’re perfect to me.”
He chuckles with self-deprecation.
“Let me show you how much I want you,” I beg, hoping to continue but preparing for rejection.
“You wantthis,or you wantme?”
The question stops me cold, nearly breaking my heart. “You don’t think I want you?”
“I don’t know what you want, Valentine. Friends with benefits is what you said, and I like friends with benefits, but does it matter to you who it’s with?”
“You’re mybestfriend, Cooper.” My voice catches, but I persist. “Losing you was so hard. That’s why I wasn’t sure we could add the benefits to our friendship before, but I’m sure of it now.”
He smiles ruefully. “Why now?”
“I’m dying foryourbenefits, Cooper. Nobody else’s.”
“You want me, Valentine?” He chuckles. “All you’ve ever had to do was ask.”
I playfully shove him in the chest, but he catches my hand, bringing my palm to his lips. “Okay,” he says. One kiss. Two. “Show me how much you want me, baby, and I’ll show you how much I want you, but under one condition.”
“What’s that?” I ask coyly, the desire in my belly spreading through every inch of my body.
He smirks. “You show me first.”
“You’re such a guy,” I deadpan, and he laughs for real this time, openly and unabashedly, but it’s so damn good to hear him laugh that I can’t help but smile. He needs it right now. Being vulnerable is hard for both of us. If he hasn’t been with a woman since the accident, that’s over a year. He needs this, and so do I.
I close the distance and kiss him on the mouth, the fire instantly sparking to life. It doesn’t take long before I can feel his cock hardening.
Sliding to my knees, I get to work unfastening his belt buckle. His breathing is fast and labored, and I swear I’ll do whatever it takes for him to feel good about this moment. He never should be ashamed of his leg. He’s always been desirable.
He shifts his weight, grabbing onto my shoulder. Maybe it’s harder to hold his balance, and I’m tempted to ask if he wants to lie down.
“You want this?” I peer up at him.
He nods, and I slide his pants off his body. His prosthetic leg is sleek and thin, attached below his knee. Made out of a shiny black metal, it looks high-tech and expensive. I don’t shy away from touching it. I don’t want him to think I’m judging it or turned off.
He stiffens. “You don’t have to?—”
I quickly stand and grab his hand, slipping it under the hem of my underwear. “Do you feel that?” I rasp. “Do you feel how wet you’ve made me already?”
