“You have a ticket anytime you want one, Ainsley. You just have to let me know.”
“I wish your games weren’t in the afternoon.”
“Yeah, but it still gets dark early, and the lights take a lot of electricity to run.”
“That makes sense. I can come on Saturday. Maybe Stella will come with me.”
“Just say the word and I’ll leave tickets for you at will call.” I try to kiss her again, but she pushes me away. She’s grinning from ear to ear so it can’t be because I smell.
“Thank you for the shirt and hat.”
“Oh yeah, let me see.” I attempt to turn her around, but she does it for me while pulling her hair to the side. I trace the letters of my name and number, down and up, as I move closer to her. When I get back to the top, my fingers rest on the neck of the T-shirt. I pull it slightly and place my lips there, testing her.
I continue to kiss where the neckline is, moving it as I go along my path. Ainsley rolls her neck, giving me a better angle with each kiss. Seeing her in a shirt that bears my name, a shirt I picked out for her, turns me on. Hell, she turns me on just by allowing me to be in her presence. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. Women in the past, they were something to pass the time during the off-season and never someone I could see a future with. Ainsley is different. I don’t care that I’ve only known her for a week. I want to be with her.
I maneuver myself to sit against my headboard and bring her into my lap to give her a massage. Ainsley’s head moves back and forth as my fingers press into her muscles. I know she’s under a lot of stress and I can feel the tension in her shoulders.
“Wait a second,” she says, leaning away from me. She pulls the hem of her shirt over her head, exposing her bra and back to me.
“Shit,” I mutter as I feel myself starting to get hard. When she leans back into me, my erection grows. “Sorry,” I tell her. Poking her in the back with my dick isn’t something I want to be doing.
“For what?”
“Um…” I clear my throat and avoid answering her. If she can’t feel the protrusion, I’m not going to bring it to her attention. I’d rather die from humiliation at this point. I go back to work on her shoulders, switching between kneading and feather-light touches. Every pass, I pause and kiss her neck before continuing with her massage. Now that she’s let me do it once, I don’t want to stop.
When my hands get to her bra straps, I falter, wondering what she’s going to say if I move them. The only way to find out is to try. I slide my fingers under the straps and push them off her shoulders, watching as her skin pebbles with goose bumps. Her hands reach behind, unclasping her bra.
“Ainsley, what are you doing?” I ask huskily. She’s toeing a line I’m not sure she wants to cross. I’m so attracted to her that I’ve imagined myself with her many times, but never in my wildest dreams did this happen.
She turns in my lap, facing me with her beautiful breasts on full display. I swallow hard and try to peel my eyes away from them.
“What does it look like?”
“Um…” Once again words are lost as I try to focus on her and not her breasts. “I don’t know. I’m a guy staring at a beautiful woman who has suddenly taken off her shirt and shown me a glimpse of herself.”
“Do you like what you see?”
Looking down at my crotch, I smirk. “I think the evidence speaks for itself.”
Ainsley brings herself forward, straddling my lap. “I know that I made things difficult when we first met because I’m afraid of getting my heart broken.”
“I’m not going to break your heart, Ainsley. From the moment I saw you at the zoo, I knew I wanted to get to know you.”
“Me too. I’ve just been fighting the truth this whole time.”
The tension between us changes. It’s as if we both know what’s coming next. I pull her onto my lap and bring my lips to her skin. Each kiss leads me to the gift she’s offering. My fingers roll her taut nipples, causing her to grind against me. Reaching down to taste her, my tongue laps over her sensitive flesh. Ainsley arches into me, pushing her breasts into my face and rubbing her core against my erection.
Her hands are everywhere, lifting and tugging at my shirt. I slip it off for her and bask in the way her hands feel against my skin. Her lips are on my neck, teeth nibbling my skin, causing a fire to burn within me. Sliding her off my lap, I lay her down and caress her breasts as her hand slides down my shorts, digging her fingers into my ass.
“Ainsley, what are we doing?”
“What do you want to do?” she asks breathlessly as she flexes her hips into me. I fight the groan that is building, afraid of what her reaction might be.
“I want it all,” I tell her truthfully. “I’ve wanted you from the night at the beach. I can’t get you out of my mind, but know if we do this, there’s no turning back.”
“It’s what I want, too, Cooper.”
Chapter 14