Pleased with herself, she released him slowly, going for ultimate effect that made him tremble some more. “Is the edge off now?”
“I’m demolished.”
She leaned forward and placed gentle kisses on the ugly bruises on his ribs, aching for the pain the injuries had caused him.
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “That was the best I’ve ever had.”
“Out of how many?”
“Shut up,” he said, laughing.
“No, really. Are we talking a baseball team or the crowd that comes to the game? Probably the latter.”
Laughing, he gave her a gentle push that had her flopping onto her back, her breasts bouncing as she landed. He came down on top of her and kissed her hard. “You think you’re so funny.”
“I know I’m funny, and millions of people agree with me.” She’d never had this kind of fun with a man. That much she knew for certain.
“I knew there was a diva hiding inside you, what with all those millions of fans hanging on your every word. How could you not be?”
“I’m not a diva!” She pinched his ass. “Take that back!”
Cooper cracked up. “Touched a nerve, did I?”
“Yes! I’m a lawyer, not a diva.”
“Uh, sweetheart, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re not just a lawyer anymore. You’re a huge star with a massive fan base, and I’d like to apply for the position of number one fan.” As he said that, he nudged her with his reawakened erection.
That’s what she got for tangling with a younger guy who still had stamina. “I’ll take that under consideration.”
“Will you take this under consideration, too?” he asked as he pushed into her.
At first, her body wasn’t having it, and she almost told him to stop.
“Relax, sweetheart, we’ll go nice and slow.”
“Easy for you to say relax when you’re not the one being impaled by a billy club.”
Cooper faltered as he lost it laughing. “Don’t make me laugh. You’ll mess with my concentration.”
“I won’t make you laugh if you don’t tell me to relax when you’re coming at me with that gigantic thing.”
“I’m hurt on behalf of my gigantic thing.”
“Tell me the truth. It was the entire stadium, right?”
“Stop talking.”
“Make me.”
He kissed her with unleashed desire as he worked his way into her slowly but surely, until she was out of her mind, lost to him in every possible way as he owned her body, heart and soul. Even a jaded soul like hers could recognize that everything about this—and him—was special.
All she could do was hold on to him as he took her on the wildest ride of her life that ended with an orgasm for the ages. As she screamed from the pleasure, she was thankful for air-conditioning and closed windows, or they’d be giving Jared and Lizzie one hell of a show.
“Give me another one,” he whispered.
Gigi laughed and then moaned as he slammed into her again, letting her know he wasn’t joking. And damn if the telltale signs of reawakened desire didn’t set her entire body on fire for more of his special brand of magic. “Cooper.” She arched into him.
“Yes, Gigi, like that. Take it all.”
God, what choice did she have but to take everything he had to give her, and as she tripped over the edge of the Grand Canyon into something big and scary, she couldn’t find anything to stop the fall.
Chapter 24
Cindy told herself she was going to the Beachcomber for the music, but if she was being truthful, she hoped to see Jace again. She felt silly to be halfway crushing on a tattooed bartender with a rough edge to him, but she hadn’t stopped thinking about him since the other night.
While laid low with a migraine the night before, she’d stared up at the ceiling in her dark bedroom and wondered what his story was, and that had brought her back to a stool at his bar for dinner.
“Hey, beautiful.” That charming smile had probably made many a pair of panties go damp. “Good to see you.”
“You, too.”
He poured an ice water and added a flourish of lemon.
“Thank you.” She appreciated that he didn’t seem to resent her for taking a place at his bar from someone who’d run up a big tab. “Anything good on the specials menu tonight?”
“As a matter of fact,” he said, producing a printed page, “the natives are raving about the seafood casserole.”
Cindy read the description of the dish and nearly drooled. “Sign me up.”
“Baked potato, fries or rice?”
“I’ll take the fries, even though I should have the rice.”
“Fries for the pretty lady. Cole slaw, side salad or veggie medley?”
Cindy felt her cheeks flush at the compliment, which was mortifying. “Slaw, please, and tartar sauce on the side?”
“You got it. Coming right up.”
As he went to put her order into the computer, she watched him covertly. His muscles bulged under his uniform shirt as he worked on the computer. When he glanced at her, he caught her watching him and smiled. “No allergies to shellfish, right?”
“Nope. All good.”
“Excellent.”
While she enjoyed her ice water and Niall’s always-entertaining music, she watched Jace move around the bar. He offered every customer a friendly welcome and fast service that indicated seasoned experience behind a bar. He laughed easily, and his friendliness had his tip jar filling up fast.
Cindy played a game of gin rummy with her new friend, Piper Bennett, who was helping Laura at the Surf. Their game ended prematurely when Piper was called back to work to deal with a crisis at the front desk.
“Is this seat taken?”
Cindy was surprised to see her brother John, who’d been keeping a low profile since he’d arrived on the island a couple of weeks ago. “All yours, brother.”
“How’re you feeling? Mom said you had a migraine yesterday.”
“Better today than last night, which was rough. The new meds help to keep them from being multiday events.”
“That’s good. I remember how bad they were when we were all at home.”
“And how Dad never wanted to hear I was sick.”
“‘Get up and shake it off,’ he’d say. The asshole.”
“Such an asshole, who’s exactly where he belongs.” The relief of retired General Mark Lawry being in prison and permanently out of their lives was something his seven children were still coming to terms with months after he pleaded guilty to assaulting their mother. Thankfully, she was now happily remarried to the wonderful Charlie Grandchamp.
“Have you talked to Katie?” he asked.
“Earlier in the week.”
“How’s she doing? I’ve been afraid to ask.”
“A little better. She’s hoping to go back to work next week.”
“I wonder why miscarriages happen the way they do.”
“I suppose it’s the universe’s way of saying that particular baby wasn’t meant to be. She and Shane can try again in a couple of months.”