The bell in the elevator pinged as if signaling the end of round one.
Cooper backed away as the doors started to open.
His hand stayed on the small of her back on the short walk down the hall.
The electronic keycard was out of his wallet and they pushed into the room breathless.
Cooper reached for her, one hand on her neck, the other on her waist. Everything about their meeting of lips was pure passion. Claire closed her eyes and let him lead her wherever he wanted to go.
Her fingers spanned the width of his back, digging in the pure muscle she felt.
He released her lips long enough to catch a breath, tilted her head to the other side, and returned with more fervor.
When she felt his hand follow the curve of her spine and then squeeze the globe of her bottom, she broke their kiss. “You’re stealing bases.”
He smiled before lowering his lips to her shoulder and taking a small bite. “I’ll cover all the bases.” Slowly he kissed along her collarbone and then the swell of her breast that was visible in the dress she wore. Both his hands swept up and settled on the edges.
Her nipples tightened in anticipation of his full coverage of second base.
While he reminded her what it felt like to be touched, Claire pulled his shirt from the waistline of his pants and enjoyed the feel of bare skin.
It was hard to believe she was there in his arms as he drew sensations out of her so powerful they left her lightheaded.
Cooper slowed down, his thumbs flickering over her nipples through her dress.
She loved the slow tease of his touch, followed by a kiss and a tiny pinch. “You’ve been practicing second base,” she told him.
He pushed the edge of her dress aside. “My pillow tells me I need therapy.”
He made her laugh and repeated the tease, kiss, and pinch.
“Your pillow talks to you?”
He abandoned one for the other, repeated the actions. “Every night.”
Her body responded, nerve endings firing in all directions. “What else does your . . . oh, God yes. Do that again.”
“Demanding minx. I should have guessed that about you.” He pinched a little harder.
Her hands dropped from his back, down his ass, and flirted with his hip. They were still standing in the center of the room.
She reached for his belt, and Cooper found the zipper on the back of her dress.
A wiggle of her hips and the dress slid to the floor.
Cooper’s hands froze on her shoulders, and he stepped slightly away.
“What?” Claire asked, looking into his eyes.
“You. You’re so beautiful.”
She wore a lace bra and matching thong. Body image was never something Claire struggled with. She’d been given smallish breasts that worked well with her frame. Her slender hips gave way to a toned butt she exercised daily. If there was a lesson of Sasha’s that Claire would remember forever, it was the one where she explained that if Claire loved her body, accepted every curve, sex would be so much better.
Watching Cooper study her shape drove that point home.
Claire stepped out of the dress, pressed both palms to Cooper’s chest, and backed him toward the bed. His knees caught and she pushed him down.
“I think I’m in trouble.”
Instead of messing with the buttons of his dress shirt, she tugged it off over his head. “You started this,” she told him, reaching for his belt. “We could go back to just friends if you’ve changed your mind.”
Their eyes locked.
“Bite your tongue,” he said.
She shook her head, stopped playing with his belt, and reached lower, captured the length of him through his pants. “I’d rather bite yours.”
Their lips met and Claire stretched out on top of him, legs straddling his hips. She pushed into the friction their bodies created. Sparks of what was to come made everything inside of her tighten with need.
Cooper caught fire, and suddenly his hands were everywhere. The clip in her hair was out, tossed to the floor. Her bra followed. And they kissed like starved animals going after food.
He rolled her over and stood on the edge of the bed long enough to remove the rest of his clothes. When he returned, his hand traveled from her knees to her feet, took each shoe off slowly. He licked his lips, tugged her closer, and slowly played with the length of her legs. “Third base looks phenomenal.”
She opened for him, ran a hand over her own stomach, and slid a finger inside her panties. “You should have a taste, see if it works.”
He pushed the lace aside and did just that. He started on the outside and slowly moved in. All Claire could do was lie back and enjoy every ounce of attention Cooper was giving her.
Sparks and flutters. “To the right,” she instructed. “Yes, right there . . . oh.”
He was so incredibly good at what he was doing, just the right amount of pressure, his movements changed when she felt her body getting close. Her foot reached his back, a hand on his head, and then there was no feeling except the build and sudden gush of release. She called his name, and her body went limp while she caught her breath.
“Note to self,” Cooper said as he inched her panties down her legs. “Claire loves a thorough inspection of third base.”
She chuckled and opened her eyes.
He shuffled through their clothing and found his wallet. A condom came out, the wallet tossed back where he found it.
Claire reached to help him put it on, made sure she inspected the length and girth of the man. “This is a thick bat you have here.”
The condom on, she played a little more. Turned Cooper’s chuckles into moans and when he’d had enough he reached for her, scooted her hips higher on the bed, and climbed on top of her. He kissed her, the taste of her own essence on his lips.
She felt the tip of him reaching, until Cooper finally slid home.
Full. The man completely filled her.
“So good,” he whispered in her ear.
And it was.
He took his time, said sweet things, and worked her up again. And when their cadence marched in sync with each other, and the need became too much to even kiss, Claire rode out the last wave and crashed right beside Cooper on the shore.
The only sound in the room was the two of them breathing, and maybe the beat of their hearts.
“Good God, Claire, you’ve ruined me.” He stayed on top of her, in her, but kept some of his weight on his elbow.
“I hope that’s a good thing.”
Later, when she was tucked into his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, she had to confess. “Cooper?”
“Yes?” His reply was sleepy.
“I don’t even like baseball.”
His laughter bubbled and his arms held her closer.
“Neither do I.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Their time together was too damn short.
Cooper woke before her and just watched her sleep. He knew he was in deep. Knew before he returned to the States that with Claire, he flirted with falling too hard only to be left with a shattered heart in the end.
But after the few stolen hours that they used to their full extent, Cooper let himself hope.
He’d never made love to a friend. Yes, he became friends with his lovers, and when things ended for whatever reason, he still considered them friends. Of course, that never lasted. Cooper knew he risked losing a friend when they became lovers.