The Risks We Take Duet Box Set

87. Cooper

COOPER

“ S top pouting, Coop,” Carys laughs as we get into her car. The damn thing is the size of one of Callen’s toys. Christ , my knees and nuts are practically smashed against my chest because I have to bend myself in half to fit inside.

“It’s got eyelashes, Carys.” She’s got long black eyelashes on her pale-blue Volkswagen Beetle convertible. Eyelashes . “ Why does the car have eyelashes?”

She puts the convertible top down, then jacks the heat all the way up. Turning out of Dad’s neighborhood onto an old tree-lined street that leads us toward Kroydon Lake, she smiles like she just won an argument.

Like the top being down makes this better.

“The eyelashes are cute, Coop. And unless you have a car in town that I don’t know about, this is our only form of transportation. So, hush.” My girl blows right through a stop sign, and I groan.

“You know you’re supposed to stop at those, right?” We did not just survive hell to die in a car with fucking eyelashes attached to the headlights.

“Cooper Sinclair.” She turns toward me, and I slam my foot down against the floor, as if there’s an imaginary brake that allows me to control the car.

“Holy shit, baby. How did I not know you’re a terrible driver?” I soften the blow with a laugh, but given the silence during the rest of our ten-minute drive, and the stony glare she keeps shooting my way, I may have overshared.

We drive along the winding road, past the waterfalls and over to the side of the lake that’s dotted with houses. Each one sits on a large plot with its own dock. Work trucks line the driveway of what I assume is Hudson Kingston’s house. Daphne and he are talking near the driveway of a massive three-story home. Trees line the property, giving it privacy, and the lake sits off in the background.

I’ve been around money all my life. My father was a pro quarterback long before he started coaching, and my mother out-earned him every year as a supermodel. Money doesn’t impress me. But this house is a whole other level of wealth.

Not that I should be surprised.

Hudson Kingston is a Kingston , as in the family who owns the Philadelphia Kings.

He’s also the MMA heavyweight champion.

And he definitely seems like a go big or go home kinda guy, from the few times I’ve met him over the years. His sister is married to my buddy Bash, and Carys’s best friend, Daphne, is engaged to his older brother, Max. Not to mention Dad and Declan coach and play for the Kings team. But he’s a few years older than us, and we never ran in the same circles, so I don’t know him well.

Carys gets out of the car and slams the door shut behind her. With a pissed-off fury on her face, she tosses me the keys. “You can drive home, since I’m such a terrible driver.”

She tries to storm past me toward Daphne, but I grab her wrist and pull her back against me, taking her mouth in a kiss. “We all have to have flaws, baby.”

She punches me in the stomach, and I laugh as Hudson and Daphne join us. “Your form needs some work there, Carys.” Hudson picks up her hand in his and moves her thumb to the outside of her fist. “Always on the outside, so you don’t break your thumb.”

Daphne pushes Hudson out of the way and throws her arms around Carys, and the two girls cry, while Hud and I stand there, watching like idiots.

“Nice house.” I point behind us.

“Thanks. As big as my family is, we tend to end up with big houses.” He looks behind him to see workers carrying in a piece of stone the size of a small room.

“We appreciate you letting us rent one of the others. Seems quiet back here, and we could definitely use a little quiet right now.” Just thinking about the shitstorm of the past few months has my pulse pounding behind my eyes.

He leads me through the trees to the far side of his property. “Not a big deal. Honestly, it saves me some hassle. I had a realtor out here the other day. I bought the lot from a family who owned all three homes, but I only really wanted the one I’m remodeling. We were going over what needed to be done to sell the other two when Daphne called. The property hasn’t even been subdivided into three separate lots yet. So you can take your time figuring out what you want to do. Rent or buy. Do whatever you want. If you change your mind, it’s not a big deal. It gives me time to figure out my plan.”

We stop in front of a two-story gray Cape Cod with stone and shaker siding. Dormers mix with rounded turrets and white trim. More trees line either side, so the privacy and views are similar to Hudson’s place, but this one is less than half the size of his.

Thank fuck.

Hudson stands in a wide stance with his arms crossed. “So, what do you think?”

“Looks good to me,” I tell him as the girls join us.

Carys wraps her arm around mine, a beautiful smile stretching across her face. Guess I’m forgiven for my comment about her driving. “Hud, this is perfect. Can we see inside?” Her entire body vibrates with excitement.

“Sure.” He hands her the keys. “If you like it, you can move in today. I bought the place fully furnished. It’s a little pretentious. Definitely something my mother would love. Lots of plaids.” The last part is said with enough disdain that I think his mother and mine would probably get along. “Anything you don’t want, just put in the garage. If you decide you want to stay for a while, we can get things moved out and put in storage. But you don’t need to decide that yet.”

Carys hugs him, and I fight back the growl clawing its way up my throat.

He’s doing us a favor.

They’re friends.

But he’s touching my girl, and I fucking hate it.

“Good seeing you guys. Let me know if you need anything.” He nods his goodbye and leaves.

“Alright. I have to get to work. Any chance you could get away for breakfast tomorrow morning, Carys? We could meet up with Chloe and Maddie at the Busy Bee.” Daphne hugs Carys again, apparently not ready to let her go.

“Don’t you have to work?” God, it’s so fucking good to see her smile again.

“I’m sleeping with the boss. I think I can go in a little late. Max won’t mind.” She winks, and Carys laughs and checks out the huge engagement ring on Daphne’s finger.

“Yeah, I guess you’re safe.” She kisses Daphne’s cheek. “Breakfast should work. Thanks for everything, D.”

“Anytime, C.” Daphne kisses my cheek, and Carys shoves her gently.

Carys puts her hand on her hips and cocks her brow. “Hey, you’ve got your own. Leave mine alone.”

I wait for Daphne to turn, then lift Carys from her feet and crush her to me.

Her legs wrap around my waist, and her arms circle my shoulders, clinging.

“Are you jealous, baby?” The thought sets my body on fire.

We walk through the front door. “Maybe a little. I mean, it’s just Daphne. But still. I don’t love seeing another woman’s lips on you.” She skims her mouth up my neck. “I’m the only person who gets to do that.”

I set her on her feet, and she gasps and takes a step forward. “Oh, Coop... I love it.” She turns back and takes my hand in hers, dragging me through each room. “This place is perfect.”

“Yeah. It really is.” High ceilings and an open floor plan combine with wall-to-ceiling single-pane glass doors that overlook a big backyard and the lake behind it. You can see Kroydon Falls further down in the distance, and huge hundred-year-old trees dot the shore as far as you can see.

She grabs my hand and pulls me upstairs, where four bedrooms and three bathrooms are spread out down a wide hall. The master takes up the entire far corner of the house, with a balcony the size of a small room overlooking the lake.

Carys places her palms against the railing and breathes in the cool fall air. “I love it.”

I bracket her with my arms on either side of her body. “Good. Then let’s take it. I didn’t like sleeping without you last night.”

“Sorry.” She runs her tongue along her lips. “Though Mom didn’t have a problem with it.”

“Yeah well, Dad did. I figured it’s best not to push it yet. I mean, Nattie and Brady lived together for four years, and I honestly think he believed they slept in separate rooms.” Denial ... it’s not just a river in Egypt.

“Can we even afford it? I mean, I’ve got my trust, but did you and Hudson talk cost?” She worries her bottom lip, and I realize she and I have never had a conversation like this before.

I tug her away from the railing and sit down on the chair, pulling her onto my lap. “So, here’s the thing. I knew I was never going to make the kind of money my parents made in the Navy, but I’m not going to lie and say I don’t like having it.”

Her eyes crinkle in confusion. “Alright . . . ?”

“I took a few online classes the summer after graduation and have added a few here and there when I could. I might not be Sebastian smart, but I’m really good at math. And I’m even better at the stock market. I’ve been investing since I was sixteen.” I watch her carefully. “I’ve actually also been doing it for your brother, Declan, Brady, and Bash for the last few years.”

Carys circles her arms around my neck and adjusts herself on my lap, confusion still evident in her eyes. “What are you saying, Coop?”

“I’m saying we can buy this house, if that’s what you want. I’m saying I need to find a job because I could never be happy not having something to do. But if it takes years for me to find one, we’ll still be fine. I can take my time figuring out what my next move is. Money isn’t an issue, baby.” I wait patiently while she processes what I just told her.

“So I guess you can afford to get a car without eyelashes, can’t you?” She giggles, then scoots off my lap and lowers to her knees. “The privacy here is incredible, isn’t it?”

She pops the button on my jeans and slowly lowers my zipper, looking up at me through her dark lashes.

“Yeah.” The word gets stuck in my throat as Carys drags down my jeans and boxers, and her delicate hands wrap around my hard cock.

“I don’t give a single shit about the money, Coop. That never mattered to me.” She circles her tongue around my balls as she tugs gently, and my eyes roll into the back of my head. “I just want you. I don’t care where we live. I don’t care what kind of house we have. I just need it to be with you.” She licks the length of my dick with her hot tongue, and I forget everything we were talking about.

“I love the feel of your mouth on me, baby.” I reach down and gently gather her hair away from her face, careful not to pull against her stitches, but needing to watch as the tip of her tongue plays with a pearl of precum leaking from the tip of my cock.

Jesus, she’s fucking incredible.

Carys wraps her lips around the head of my dick and raises her eyes to mine as she takes me down into her throat. My abs contract, and my muscles tighten, and I think I could die just like this, watching her, and it would all be worth it.

A guttural, visceral groan leaves my throat as my head lolls back momentarily at the utter fucking perfection of this woman.

Carys hums as she picks up speed, jacking my cock as her velvety hot lips stretch, sliding up and down, and I shift my hips in sync with her.

“That’s it, baby.” Those eyelids flutter shut momentarily, and my thumb traces her jaw. “I wanna come right down your throat, Carys. Are you ready for me?”

She swallows me deeper and looks back up with tears in her eyes, gagging as her lips stretch tight around me. She nods at me as she picks up speed, wanting it as much as I do.

“Good girl, baby.” I thrust deep into her mouth and come on a roar. “My fucking good girl.”