Chasing Dreams (Devil's Bend) (14 page)

“Two
fingers?” Cooper’s words came out as a question, but Tessa watched as he
retreated before sliding two long, thick fingers inside of her, making her
scream from the delicious ecstasy that tormented her.

“Harder,”
she begged.

“Not
yet. I want to watch you come just like this. You’re so fucking hot, Tessa. The
way your pussy pulls at my fingers.”

Cooper’s
thumb entered the mix, slowly flicking across her clit and Tessa threw her head
back, holding on to his shoulders as her orgasm ripped through her. She had to
clamp her teeth closed as a scream tore from her chest.

Long
seconds later, her body relaxed. Thankfully Cooper was holding her once more
because she would’ve easily slid right down to the floor, or worse, fallen off
of the ledge she was perched on.

Not
that she would’ve cared either way.

∞
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Cooper
wasn’t sure he’d be able to move. His cock was like an iron rod, painfully
squeezed behind the zipper of his jeans. The discomfort probably the only thing
keeping him from going off like a rocket.

The
way Tessa had responded to his touch, completely uninhibited, was a hell of a
lot hotter than he expected. This woman knew what she wanted when it came to
pleasure. Knew how to take what she needed.

Honestly,
he hadn’t expected that. In the short time he’d gotten to know her, Tessa
seemed more than a little reserved, thwarting most of his attempts to get close
to her. Clearly not the case, and it was another thing he found so damned
appealing about her.

Having
had his share of women over the years, never had he been with one who made him
feel as though he were experiencing the same pleasure she was. Never had he
realized that giving could be as appealing as receiving. Until now. Until her.
Cooper wanted to make her come in a thousand different ways and he had no
intention of slowing down now.

Pulling
her down from the rail, he gave her a second to get her feet beneath her before
he let her go. “Don’t move,” he ordered before turning to go inside.

With
hurried movements, Cooper grabbed the sleeping bag and the single pillow he’d
purchased earlier before returning to the back porch. To his relief, Tessa was
still standing where he left her, her dress still bunched beneath her full,
luscious breasts.

Spreading
the sleeping bag out over the deck and tossing the pillow down, he beckoned
Tessa over with a crook of his finger. The smile she dazzled him with had his
jeans once more constricting as his dick pulsed.

“I
thought you were willing to endure splinters in your ass?” she teased, her sultry
laugh hanging on the warm breeze.

“We’re
not at that point yet,” he told her as he eased her dress down her torso, then
over her bottom before letting it slide down her legs to the floor. Her tiny
white panties were the next to go.

Cooper
went to his knees then helped her down until she was sitting in the center of
the blanket. It took him a minute to free her feet from the sandals, but once
he did, he took his time looking at her. Tessa was perfection. Her curly blonde
hair wild around her face, golden skin glistening with perspiration. He
continued looking his fill, letting his gaze travel over her breasts, admiring
the dusky pink tips, still puckered, then over her gently rounded belly to the
soft curls between her thighs.

“Why
am I the only one not dressed?” she asked, drawing his eyes back up to hers.

“Because
I’m not done with you yet. Trust me, we’ll get there. For now, I want to feast
on your pretty pussy.” Cooper loved the way her green eyes darkened when he
told her exactly what he wanted to do to her. He sensed she was turned on by
the vulgar words, which only spurred him on further. “I want to slide my tongue
deep inside of you until you’re screaming my name again.”

And
heaven help him, when Tessa screamed his name as she came, he’d damn near
fallen to his knees.

“What’re
you waiting for, cowboy?”

Fuck.

Cooper
didn’t need to be told twice. Easing her legs farther apart, he lowered himself
to the floor, shouldering his way between her thighs, inhaling her sweet, musky
scent. When she moved, he looked up the delectable curve of her body to see she
was propping herself up on the pillow.

So
she wanted to watch, did she?

Cooper
took his time, running one finger through her wet folds, grazing her clit every
so often before separating her swollen lips and baring her completely to his
gaze. She was pink and wet and so damn perfect, his mouth watered with the need
to taste her. Unwilling to rush, he used the tip of his tongue to glide down
the outer portion of her labia, down, then up, stopping at the swollen bundle
of nerves before flicking his tongue sharply.

“Oh,
God!” Tessa’s scream split the air and a surge of satisfaction filled him.

Sucking
her clit into his mouth, he teased her gently before releasing her, sliding his
tongue lower until he reached her entrance. One hard thrust of his tongue had
her hips bucking beneath him. He reached up, gripped her hip bones and held her
in place as he began fucking her with his tongue. He increased the pressure,
alternating between relentlessly flicking her clit, then returning to bury his
tongue in her sweet, warm pussy.

He
wanted to slide his cock inside of her. Wanted to feel her heat envelop him. It
wouldn’t take much before she pulled his release from him, but he wasn’t
willing to end it just yet. Although, Cooper was pretty damned sure he wasn’t
stopping at only one time. Not tonight anyway.

“I
need to feel you inside me,” Tessa begged. “Please, Cooper. I want to feel
you.”

He
couldn’t resist the thought of her wrapped around him, but he wasn’t willing to
let her have a break.

Pushing
himself up onto his knees, Cooper met her gaze. “Play with yourself,” he
ordered. “I want to see how you use your fingers to fuck yourself.”

Tessa
didn’t hesitate and once again, Cooper was desperately trying to muster up enough
control to hold out just a little while longer. Pushing to his feet, he kept
his gaze locked between her thighs, watching her fingers as she slowly slid one
deep into her pussy, her moans filling the night and making his dick throb.

“You’re
so pretty, Tessa,” he groaned, his body hard and his brain fuzzy. He knew he
was standing for a reason, but it took him a few seconds to remember he was
supposed to be getting naked.

Time
stood still as he managed to remove his clothes in record time, barely remembering
to grab the condom out of his pocket. Rather than move closer, he rolled the
condom on, then began stroking his cock, his gaze roaming back to her face. The
way she watched him made him want to move faster, to give in to the release
that was beckoning.

What
he wouldn’t give to feel her mouth wrapped around his cock. Her sweet, soft
tongue teasing him. A tortured groan escaped, and he noticed Tessa smile. She
was an angel with a devilishly naughty side. He liked that. Really liked that.

He
nearly fell to his knees when she crooked her finger, inviting him closer while
her other hand continued to thrust slowly, sinfully.

She
was going to be the death of him.

Lowering
himself to his knees once again, Cooper leaned over her, propping himself on
his forearms, purposely leaving space between their bodies. Tessa pulled her
arm up from between her legs, her eyes darting down to his mouth. When she
teased his bottom lip with her finger, the same one she’d been fucking herself
with, he slowly sucked it into his mouth.

“Let
me feel you,” Tessa whispered as he bent closer to nibble her bottom lip, his
cock resting between her thighs, the heat of her tormenting him.

In
one swift move, Cooper flipped them, rolling her over until she was straddling
his hips while he took the brunt force of the ungiving planks beneath them.

“Ride
me, Tessa.”

Her
eyes once again widened, but she didn’t falter as she leaned forward on one
arm, using her other hand to guide his erection right to the heart of her.

Fucking
hell.

So
damn tight.

Cooper
gritted his teeth, groaning as her body pulled him deeper, the tight walls of
her sex squeezing him until he wasn’t sure he’d be able to breathe from the
sheer ecstasy of it. He didn’t have time to think before she was lifting off of
him, then lowering. Over and over again. Her lush, perky tits directly above
his face as she took him deeper inside of her.

“Fuck!”
The word escaped on a pained breath as he fought to hold on, not willing to
come just yet because he didn’t want it to be over. “That’s it, darlin’. Fuck
me.”

Tessa
smiled down on him, her eyes glazed over with lust as she continued to ride
him, faster, harder. Gripping her hips, Cooper met her thrusts, burying himself
to the hilt inside of her, reveling that she was taking his full length.

“You
feel so good,” she whispered. “So good.”

Cooper
pulled her forward, crushing her breasts against his chest as he held her hips
immobile, grinding his pelvis upward, lifting her, then pulling her down on his
cock. They were both sweating, the evening breeze doing little to dampen the
desire burning out of control.

“Yes!
Fuck me, Cooper. Fuck me harder!”

Cooper
lost his last vestiges of control, her words shattering his mind as he began
thrusting harder.

“Come
for me, Tessa. Fuck, baby. Come for me.” He wasn’t beyond begging. He refused
to come until she did, but he couldn’t hold on much longer. The velvet grip of
her pussy on his cock sent waves of sensation to the base of his spine. With
each bone jarring thrust, his balls tightened, his muscles contracted.

“Cooper!”

Tessa’s
scream was the only warning he received as her body clamped down on him,
pulling him deeper, milking his release from him. Not to mention, shattering
something deep inside of him.

Something
he wasn’t sure would ever be the same if she decided this wasn’t enough for
her.

By
the time the sun penetrated her sleepy brain, Tessa had been rolling over,
attempting to get away from the intrusive light. Expecting to feel the softness
of her mattress, she groaned as pain shot through her hip from the hard,
ungiving ground beneath her. Peeling one eye open, she noticed she was not in
her bed, but rather outside. Memories of the events from the night before raced
through her mind, her body immediately overheating. A full body blush consumed
her as she remembered exactly what they’d done.

“Good
morning.” The deep, melodic rumble teased her eardrums and Tessa leaned back
against the warm body behind her.

Before
she could even respond with her own morning greeting, Cooper lifted her leg,
slipping his cock between her thighs from behind, easily sliding inside of her.
Apparently her dreams, or maybe just her subconscious knowing he was there
beside her, had been enough to prepare her for him first thing.

“Oh.”
Tessa let the word linger on an exhale, enjoying the full sensation of him
inside of her.

Although
he was almost painfully thick, her body had finally acclimated to the delicious
intrusion, and she began rocking her hips backward. Her head lifted as his
bicep tightened beneath her ear, his hand coming to rest on her bare breast,
gripping it.

“I
want to wake up like this more often,” he grumbled in her ear. “So wet, so
tight,” he panted. “Never enough.”

Tessa
knew just what he was saying. The way they had given in to each other several
times through the night, she still wanted more of him. The seductive friction
of his steel hard length as he burrowed deep inside of her had her gasping for
breath.

When
he leaned over her, effectively rolling her onto her stomach, Tessa’s breath
hitched. He was behind her, his hard body pressed against hers fully, his hips
rocking as he began fucking her harder. The morning sun was bright, yet she
didn’t worry that anyone could see them. At the moment, she wasn’t even sure
she would care. She just wanted him to continue.

Cooper’s
thrusts abated as he lifted her hips until she was on her knees, the thin
sleeping bag not nearly enough to relieve the pain from the hard wood beneath
them, but the divine sensation of him sliding back into her dissolved most of
her discomfort.

“Can
you come for me again, darlin’?”

“If
you keep doing that,” Tessa’s breath hitched, a moan disrupting her sentence.
“Oh, God, yes.” And that’s all it took. The sharp, sudden tremor in her womb
erupted outward as he slammed into her over and over again, sending shards of
electricity through her veins as she hurled herself over the edge into
mind-numbing bliss.

Two
hours later, Tessa was back at home, standing beneath the warm spray of her
shower, her aching muscles reminding her just how much pleasure Cooper had
bestowed upon her the night before. Ever since she had asked him to take her
home, scared she would wear out her welcome, she’d been trying to think of
anything other than how in tune their bodies had been. She didn’t want to
remember how wild she’d gotten with him, how her inhibitions had all but
disappeared as he told her exactly what he planned to do to her, right before
he followed through.

He
must think she was easy. That thought was like a bucket of ice water being
dumped over her head, forcing the heat from the memories to disappear
instantly.

It
didn’t matter that Cooper had seemed disappointed that she didn’t want to stay
longer. It didn’t matter that he offered to come inside and help her christen
her shower. None of it mattered when she thought about the repercussions of
what she’d done.

What
happened when she pissed him off? What happened when she pushed Cooper away,
and he retaliated against her? If history were to repeat itself, which she
feared it would, he was going to spread vile rumors about her through their
small town.

Just
like Chad Harper.

Only
people would listen to Cooper.

Tessa
moved under the water, hoping the warmth would penetrate the chill that had
taken up residence in her body. Chad was the only man Tessa had been with since
Richie died four years ago. He was also the sole reason she knew she’d never be
in a relationship again if she could help it. He was also the reason she didn’t
have sex. Not even casual one nighters.

As
he so kindly reminded her, she was out of control when it came to what she
wanted. He’d told his friends how she’d begged him to fuck her. Repeatedly.
Which she had, no doubt. During the throes of passion. Between the two of them.
Never did she expect him to share their intimate moments with anyone else. But
he did. Oh, how he did.

She’d
learned her lesson. Considering she and Richie had been young, their sex life
had still been enough to satisfy her. Tessa had learned a little too late that
not all men were like Richie. Not all men knew how to keep their personal lives
private.

For
months after she tossed Chad to the curb because of his verbal abuse, Tessa had
to fend off men who were looking for a good time. She had idiotically thought
she was falling in love with Chad. They had only dated for a couple of months,
but he’d filled a void that Richie had left when he died.

As
it turned out, she was just a means to an end for Chad. He had been an up and
coming country music singer and he was more popular in his own head than he was
anywhere else. But Tessa had honestly liked him. He was handsome, charming. He
was also a notorious flirt. And he was using her to play at
The Rusty Nail
,
trying to lay the groundwork for his future stardom – which never came.

Needless
to say, the very first time she was approached by one of Chad’s buddies, she
had known then and there that what had happened between them surely hadn’t
stayed between them. Another reason to add to the long list of his short
comings.

Apparently,
her breaking up with him had been a blow to Chad’s ego and rather than acting
like a rational adult, he’d turned on her. A man who had professed his love for
her on more than one occasion had turned on her so fast, her head spun.

Before
she even knew what happened, rumors were spreading about how easy she was. How
she had begged him to have sex with her on their second date. It didn’t seem to
matter that he was lying, nor did it matter that she had never been with
another man since her husband died. The rumors spread and Tessa vowed never to
let it happen again.

Until
Cooper.

It
was as though he flashed one of those flirtatious, lopsided grins and her
panties fell off. And last night, she’d given in to the pleasure her body
sought so desperately. She wanted to savor every second she was with him. Only
she should’ve known better. She should’ve thought about the repercussions.

When
he left her on her front porch, he didn’t seem happy. He had kissed her quickly
on the lips, then disappeared down the steps, leaving her to stare after him.
Or maybe that’s just what she expected. Either way, regret was eating a hole
right through her.

The
water in the shower began to chill, and Tessa quickly turned it off, reaching
for the towel she had tossed on the closed toilet seat. She wrapped the plush
cotton around her, but she couldn’t seem to ward off the bone chilling cold
that had replaced any warmth from the night before.

Why
did she do this to herself? Why did she compare every man to Chad? Or to Richie
for that matter?

She
didn’t have the answers, didn’t think she would ever have them. The only thing
she knew for a fact was that she wasn’t willing to let herself get close to
Cooper. She should probably clarify that – she wouldn’t get any closer than she
already was.

What
happened between them last night would live in her memory forever, and
hopefully, it would always remain between just the two of them. Tessa wasn’t
sure what she’d do if she had to relive the painful lies all over again.

Geez,
she really needed to get out of her funk. And soon.

Grabbing
her cell phone, she dialed Izzy’s number, knowing that her best friend would be
her only saving grace at this point.

∞
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

It’d
only been three hours since Cooper dropped Tessa off at her house, yet it felt
like days since he’d last seen her. Although he had busied himself by running
to the hardware store and picking up a truckload of wood to repair the
deteriorating porch, and had actually forced himself to work on it, he couldn’t
keep his mind from drifting back to the night before.

He’d
had to start working on the front porch, just to avoid going to the back of the
house because the memories were even stronger there. Cooper could still see
Tessa sprawled out beneath him, feel her sharp nails as they dug crescent
shapes into his shoulders, hear the soft, gasping moans that had the blood
rushing south in an instant.

Cooper
had no idea what fascinated him so much about the woman. Considering they
seemed to be at separate places in their lives - him wanting to settle down,
her not looking for a relationship of any sort, aside from perhaps friends with
benefits. It didn’t stop him from wanting her. Wanting to get to know her and
not just what made her body burn. He wanted to know what made her smile, made
her laugh. What made her so jaded.

Whatever
was going on with her, she didn’t seem interested in sharing with him. This
morning was proof because as soon as they’d made love with the early morning
sun shining down upon them, she’d practically raced to get away from him. He
had been confused, but not necessarily surprised. They didn’t talk much on the
drive to her house, and when he walked her to her door, she had barely been
able to look him in the eye. The last part was what did him in.

Cooper
could accept her need to keep things casual, even if he didn’t agree with it.
However, he wasn’t willing to be a notch in her bedpost any more than he’d want
her to be one in his. No matter how many sexual partners he’d had in his past,
Cooper had never been able to look at a woman that way.

Truth
be told, he was never with nearly as many women as the media liked to proclaim.
Mainly for that reason. He found that most of the women he met were interested
in one of two things: being able to brag about their conquest, or eager to get
their hands on his money. Some were even interested in both. He’d gotten used
to the expectations, and yes, he had used sex to take the edge off from time to
time. But things were different with Tessa. Significantly different.

There
was chemistry there, obviously. But there was something more.

Taking
a break, Cooper headed inside, checking his cell phone to see if he’d missed
any calls. He hadn’t. He grabbed a bottle of water out of the cooler he had
filled with ice during his trip into town, and stood at the back door, staring
through the screen. He purposely avoided glancing down at the floor, or the
railing.

Shit.

Wiping
his forehead with the back of his hand, Cooper tried to think of something
other than Tessa. The problem was, he couldn’t. He didn’t want to. He was acting
like a damn woman, and it was beginning to piss him off.

Before
he could give in to his frustration his cell phone rang, and his heart leaped
right into his damn throat. Picking it up from the table, he glanced at the
caller id and groaned.

“What’s
up?” he greeted the one man he wasn’t interested in talking to at the moment.

“Coop.
Where’re you at, man?” Marcus asked the same question he’d been asking for
days. Cooper didn’t understand why Marcus didn’t just track his cell phone to
pinpoint his exact location.

“At
home.”

“Home?
As in Nashville? Why the hell didn’t you say so?” Marcus’ tone had turned
upbeat quickly, and Cooper couldn’t help but smile.

“Not
Nashville,” he answered, trying his best to hide the amusement in his voice. He
wasn’t proud that he found satisfaction in being the downturn in Marcus’ day.
Ok, so maybe he was proud.

“What
the hell are you talking about? When are you coming back, Coop?”

“I’m
not,” he answered honestly.

“Come
on, man. If this is depression or some shit, I know we can get you some help. I
just need to know when you’re coming back. I’ve got people starting to ask a
lot of questions.”

Cooper
frowned. This was the problem with Marcus. He never listened. Not that Cooper
was much of a talker, but when he did, he expected the man who claimed to have
his best interest in mind to actually listen to him. “It’s not depression.”

Marcus’
voice lowered, sounding more than a little irritated, “You know you’ve got a
contract, don’t you?”

“Yep,”
he answered, not giving a shit about the contract. He had one album about to
release and one more he’d signed on to do. At this point, he wasn’t sure what
that meant for him or the album, but he wasn’t interested in thinking about it
at the moment.

“So,
what? You’re just going to run away?”