He knew exactly what she was talking about. Just the thought of that sprayer directed between her legs made his dick throb.

When he thought she would climb out and let him continue by himself, Tessa surprised him. She took the bottle of body wash, but she didn’t use the sponge. He watched in awe as she filled her palms and then planted them against his chest, the soap dripping slowly down his stomach as she started rubbing it in. The memory of the last time she’d massaged him right there in the very same shower assaulted him.

“Tessa.” Cooper closed his eyes. “Darlin’, I’m not a fucking saint.”

Her chuckle made him groan. This was probably payback. Or even a test. He didn’t know, but either way, he was about to fail miserably. When her hands went lower, gripping his cock firmly, Cooper fell back against the shower wall. “Fuck.”

He was fucking trembling. An all-out vibration running through his body as she touched him.

Tessa didn’t say a word, which was probably a good thing right about then. Only things took another turn when he opened his eyes and looked down to see her hands stroking him slowly, one on his cock, the other slipping lower to massage his balls. She was torturing him on purpose, and he knew he wasn’t going to be able to hold off much longer.

“Tessa,” he pleaded. “Baby. Fuck.” Cooper was slowly losing control.

Her hands disappeared, and a spray of water hit his cock, making him jump. He figured that was her ultimate punishment, but then she dropped the sprayer, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him to her until their bodies were melded together, lips, teeth and tongues clashing as they sought the release that the torturous shower had been building toward.

“Tessa, baby,” he said, trying to pull back as she shifted, aligning his cock against her entrance. “Tessa, don’t.”

Her eyes opened, and she jerked back, pain and rejection reflected back at him and Cooper quickly pulled her closer. “I’d give anything to take you right here. But I can’t,” he explained. “I don’t have a condom.”

And wasn’t that just fucked up.

“I’m on the pill,” she blurted, but Cooper pulled back and looked down at her.

“That’s nice to know because it will come in handy in the future, definitely,” he started, “but, Tessa, until you trust me unconditionally, I’m not going to take you without a condom. And, unfortunately, I know you don’t.”

He hated saying that out loud, but they both knew it to be the truth. He’d never once imagined he’d turn Tessa away, but Cooper had bigger plans in mind for them than just a quickie in the shower. She’d be hurt and confused later, and he didn’t think he could handle that. Not until she gave him the chance to explain. If, at that point, she wanted him to fuck her right there on her kitchen table, he was all for it.

But right now, he had to settle for holding her in his arms and praying what he would tell her in just a few minutes wouldn’t send her running for the hills.

Chapter Twenty Six

Although the temperature outside was hovering in the eighties, Tessa was tempted to put on sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt. Anything to cover herself. Not that it would’ve mattered. Whenever Cooper looked her way, she felt like she was naked. The way his gaze caressed her made her want things she was supposed to be denying herself.

For instance, him.

So it was safe to say that the shower was a terrible idea. His hands, on her body, made her yearn for more, almost willing to beg. And she knew he felt it too, but the stubborn man had held back.

Something about talking and nonsense.

At least one of them was thinking with their brain and not other body parts. Had she had her choice, they’d have gotten down and dirty in the shower just a few minutes ago. Anything to drown out the pain that had started as a dull ache in the center of her chest when she thought about what Marcus told her.

Instead, he’d washed her, she’d washed him, and now she was going to join him in the kitchen where she smelled the heavenly aroma of coffee brewing. After wasting enough time, Tessa finally ventured in that direction.

“Hey, puppies,” she greeted her huskies when they met her in the hallway that led from her bedroom to the main living room. They were pouncing around, but neither of them actually jumped on her – a feat that had taken her months to accomplish. Considering they both weighed upwards of eighty pounds, Tessa appreciated them staying on the floor rather than on top of her. “Y’all wanna go outside?”

Leading them through the house, she let them slip through the back screen door before she turned to face Cooper who was standing in front of her stove.

Shirtless.

She wasn’t sure which was more mouthwatering, the sight of him barefoot or…

“Hey, where’d you get more jeans?” she asked him as she realized he was partially dressed, but a few minutes ago he’d gotten in the shower with his jeans on.

“From my truck. I keep a bag there, just in case.”

The thought made Tessa’s stomach churn and not in a good way. Did he keep clothes on hand in the event he spent the night with a woman?

“Don’t go there, Tessa. That’s not the reason,” he said with a firm tone before turning back to the food he was preparing on the stove. “Get some coffee, then sit. I’ll finish up here, and we’ll eat.”

Not wanting to argue, mainly because she didn’t want to even think about what had happened the night before, Tessa did as she was told. She prepared two cups of coffee and left his sitting in front of the coffee pot while she carried hers to the table. Staring down at the scarred wood, she allowed the events of last night to play out in her mind.

She remembered Izzy coming over with just what the doctor ordered. The bottle of vodka had been just what she needed to muddle her brain enough that she didn’t have to think about Cooper. Well, that was only partially true. The vodka had helped, but she never once stopped thinking about Cooper.

The rest of the night was fuzzy. At some point, she remembered Cooper arriving, and a strange excitement had filled her. Obviously she was getting too attached to him that she was glad to see him, hoping like hell he was going to tell her that Marcus was a liar.

Only he hadn’t said that.

She didn’t think he had anyway.

A plate full of food was pushed in front of her, and Tessa glanced up to see Cooper watching her. Rather than sitting down, he disappeared down the hall, returning a minute later with a couple of aspirin in his hand. After handing those to her, he left again, coming back with a glass of orange juice.