Page 101 of The Cowboy's Bullfighter
“Ew.” Coop laughed. “I do know that, though, believe it or not. I had a broken rib once that I almost punctured a lung with because I was desperate to jack off.”
“And how old were you?”
“’Bout Benji’s age,” Coop teased right back at him.
“And now I say ew.”
“Right? I hear that. We won’t talk about sex and the kids in the same breath.” Coop sighed and kept leaning. “You want to… I don’t know. Play cards? Watch a movie? Be together alone for a couple of hours?”
“I do. I want to snuggle up with you and the dogs and that massive pile of pillows and hide with a movie and my bullfighter.” Brooks kissed the back of Coop’s neck, warm and damp and perfect. He loved the way his bullfighter smelled—Ivory soap and leather and something citrusy.
“Then let’s do that.” Coop turned and begged a kiss, those bright green eyes shining for him, gleaming as they stared into him.
He took that kiss, or gave it, or whatever. He kept it gentle, but he put everything he felt into it. Then he rested his forehead against Coop’s. “I don’t know how it happened, Coop, but I fell in love with you hard, and it just keeps getting deeper. So you have to not scare me like this again. Okay?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t trying to be a problem, but damn. This wasn’t in the plans.” Coop shook his head. “I’m not the world’s best horseman.”
“Yeah, but animals tend to like you. If Max gets worse.”
“No.” Coop patted his chest. “He needs you. He’s been neglected some, I think. His breeder was just getting ready to retire, and he hasn’t been worked enough. You’ll train him up a treat.”
“I’m gonna try. But the kids’ and your safety has to comefirst.” Brooks kissed Coop’s nose. “Now, come lie down with me.”
“Lucy’s going to be your horse girl.”
Brooks nodded, but he found Mason in the barns more often than not. The kid loved the horses. “She’s going to be a barrel racer. You wait.”
“You take that back,” Coop teased, limping to the bedroom with him. He was drooping way less these days, but he could still overdo, and they would just doze and kiss and watch a movie. That sounded like heaven.
“Did you hear that Bella’s going to go to work for Nathan at the restaurant?” Coop headed toward the bedroom. “She’s going to get her diploma online and work in the restaurant.”
“Yeah, Ricky told me. He’s going to stay in school. They have a wicked trade program, and he’ll need that certificate.” Ricky wanted to work with his hands, and Brooks was going to encourage it. He’d be able to support his little family in a few years if he went that route, and he could always go to college then, while he worked.
Or not.
It was up to him.
Coop kicked off his slippers and slid right into bed. He was wearing sweats and a henley, so he was comfy. Brooks on the other hand, had to shed a few layers. He wasn’t getting in their bed wearing his jeans and sweatshirt, since they’d seen the inside of the barn today.
“Let me wash up. Two shakes,” he told Coop.
“I’m looking forward to trying that hot tub.”
“I bet you and the kids are going to be out there all summer. You in the bubbles, the kiddos in the pool.”
Coop chuckled. “Not you?”
“Nah…” he teased. “I got work to do. I’m not retired like some people.”
“Yeah, I’ve got to do the finishings in the mediaroom, and there’s always going to be something for me to do now that I’m getting well enough to do it.”
Impatient man. “First we have to get through piano recitals, 4-H projects, the end of Girl Scouts. Not to mention the last robotics competition.” Johnny had decided to stay with Watson and was fast-tracking, but he was loving robotics and being a Cub Scout with the other eight-year-olds. Mason and Mina were hanging on with the piano, while Lucy had told the teacher to kiss off.
The kids were settling, now that he and Coop were home, and the tears when Benji called came less and less often.
It was a good thing.
He got himself all cleaned up and slid under the covers with Coop, one hand sliding up along the sweet belly. The staples were gone, the scars still pink, but not swollen and hot now. Now the challenge was getting Coop to put a little weight on.
