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Wesley blushes furiously. “Oh my god, I didn’t say that. I just don’t want to think about the two ofyouhaving sex, and thanks a lot because now it’s front and center in my brain again.”
We’re all laughing now, except for Wesley. He’s always been a little shy when it comes to sex, and I remember that now and try to rescue him. “Sorry, babe, my fault,” I say, and sit up, sliding my feet away from him. He looks at me, his eyes soft. I lean over and press a kiss to his temple, feeling his soft curls under my lips and drinking in the scent of vanilla and almonds.
“Hey, what about a game of beach volleyball?” Derick challenges Wesley and I. “Me and Macy against you guys.”
“Yes!” Wesley leaps off the couch like his pants are on fire. He’s playing it off like he’s super excited, but I’m fairly certain he just wants to do anything that will make it possible for us to not be in such close proximity to each other, and the thought makes my stomach sink. I’m actually enjoying being around him again, but he clearly can barely stomach the closeness, if his body language is anything to go by.
“I, uh, I don’t know,” I say, biting my lip.
“Why not?” Wesley is practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.
“I don’t think I should leave my mom alone.”
“She’s not alone,” Christine says, giving me a warm smile. “Greg and I will be here and we’ll let you know if she wakes up, sweetie. You guys go have fun.” But I’m still hesitating.
“I don’t want her going without me for too long.”
“We don’t bite, Cooper,” Greg says, calmly, with a hint of a smile. His eyes twinkle behind his glasses. “You’re allowed to enjoy yourself. And I think your mom would want you to. It’s a short walk to the beach. You can be back in less than fiveminutes if you need to be. Just take your phone and we’ll call if we need to.”
I sigh. But then I catch Wesley’s gaze and those blue eyes are looking at me in a way I’m not sure how to interpret. He seems thoughtful, maybe? “We don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” he says. “We can stay and watch a movie, or play a game or something, if that’s better.” The sincerity in his voice melts my heart, because even if he hates me, he cares. And maybe he doesn’t even care about me directly, but he clearly cares about my mom, and about my concern for her. This isn’t him acting, I know that. And that settles it for me.
“Let’s go play volleyball,” I say, as I stand. “It’ll be fun.”
Wesley’s eyes widen. “Are you sure?” he asks, putting a hand on my arm. He looks me in the eyes. “We don’t have to.”
“I’m positive,” I say. And without even realizing what I’m doing, I lean down and press my lips to his in a soft kiss. He sucks in a breath, his body tensing, but then relaxes and accepts it, because what else can he do? I pull away and he bites his lip, blushing. I have to stop myself from apologizing for taking him so off guard because we're dating, right, and that was perfectly normal. Ugh, this whole fake-dating thing is messing with my head. All these things I want to be doing, and am actually doing, and wish I could be doing for real, but they don’t mean anything to him. And his family has no idea. Fuck, I feel like my brain is a ball of spaghetti.
“Okay,” Wesley says, “Let’s go change. We don’t want to play beach volleyball in jeans.” Then he surprises me by taking my hand and leading the way to the bedroom.
WESLEY
As soon as we get in the room I release Cooper’s hand andshut the door. Then I make my way over to the dresser and start rummaging through it. But I can’t focus. Shit. Why did he have to kiss me? Now my brain is a muddled mess. It was two seconds, but the feel and taste of him is lingering on my lips, and in my mind, and I’m as flustered as all get out. Apparently not too flustered to notice the sound of his zipper being lowered though, because, hello! my cock is taking notice of that. I stop my pathetic attempt at finding my athletic shorts and tank and look through the mirror above the dresser, checking out Cooper’s very fine backside as his jeans fall to the floor. He turns sideways, slipping his T-shirt off over his head, leaving him clad in only his navy blue boxer briefs, and giving me the perfect view of his toned abs and flat stomach. Not to mention that muscular back. Holy shit, now my cock is very, very aware. I’m fully hard as I gape. I feel like I know better but I can’t stop myself. That ass is so perfect, and my gaze lingers on it for a moment before my eyes lower to his muscular thighs as he slides his shorts on. I sigh internally. Why does he have to get dressed so fast? I haven’t had such incredible eye candy since...well, shit, I don’t want to think about that. My gaze travels back up to his torso, and once again I catch a glimpse of the tattoo on his left pec before he slides his shirt on. I’m pretty sure I see a heart but I can’t make out the rest of it. And the real issue now is that he’s completely changed and I haven’t done a thing except stand here and ogle him, and I’ve got an erection that I cannot let him see. Way to go, Wesley. Way. To. Go.
“Hey,” Cooper says, turning to face me. My gaze meets his through the mirror. He’s fiddling with his sunglasses as his gaze darts to the floor. “Sorry if I caught you off guard with that kiss. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
I swallow, and my words are more high pitched than I would like for them to be when they come out. “It’s fine,” I say, and then I clear my throat and try again.“It’s fine.” That’s better.I didn’t sound like a fucking mouse that time. “You were just doing your job. I get it. Don’t worry.”
He nods and looks like he wants to say something else but doesn’t. Instead he rests his sunglasses on top of his head and says, “You coming?”
“Uh, yeah, in a minute.” I’m not moving a muscle from where I’m standing. Right now this dresser is the only thing hiding my erection from his sight. If I turn at all he’ll get an eyeful and that is the last thing I need.
“Okay, I’ll wait for you in the living room.” He gives me a bewildered expression and then leaves the room, shutting the door behind him. I let out a breath, run my fingers through my hair, and stare down at my hard on, willing it to go away. It has to go away. I don’t have time for a jerk off session and I really don’t want to be jerking off to thoughts of Cooper, anyway. He’s not supposed to take up space in my head anymore. Okay, who am I kidding? He’s taken up space in my head since the moment I met him. But he hasn’t taken upthatkind of space in a long time, and damn it, I refuse to let him worm his way back in so easily. He hasn’t earned that just because he’s fucking gorgeous. He treated me like shit and as I remind myself of that, my erection subsides.
I change quickly and join my brother, his wife, and my fake boyfriend out in the living room.
“Hey, you finally made it,” Derick says.
“Perfection takes time.” I gesture at my clothes. I’m wearing a pair of fitted black gym shorts and a pink tank top with writing across the front that reads,Kinda wanna workout, kinda wanna take a nap.
Derick and Macy chuckle but it’s Cooper’s reaction that grabs my attention. He’s legit checking me out, and I feel my cheeks heat, especially when he puts his arm around my shoulders and says, “You do look cute.” Then he kisses my head. And goddamnhim my stomach fills with butterflies, and I find myself wanting to nestle into his broad chest at the same time that I want to push him away. Instead I slide my arm around his waist and paste on a smile.
“Do we have sunscreen?” I ask Derick.
“Right here.” Macy holds up a bag with towels, sunscreen, and the volleyball.
“Cool, let’s go.” We make our way outside through the sliding glass doors. Cooper removes his arm from around my shoulders as we wave goodbye to my parents who are relaxing on the back patio, enjoying the sunshine and fresh sea air.
As soon as we step off the stairs and onto the ground, Cooper is taking my hand in his again, and he doesn’t let go until we’ve made our way down the beach and are standing at our destination in front of the volleyball net. It’s private property so we’re alone, save for the sea life. It’s warm, but not hot, given that it’s January in Florida. The sun is shining and the waves are crashing. Seagulls fly overhead and land every so often to pick up morsels on the sand. I kick off my sandals and let the warmth envelop my feet, digging my toes in. There’s a slight breeze that blows through my hair and I notice it doing the same to Cooper’s dark locks.
