Made To Love You (5 page)

Jaylinn

Mom was released from the hospital two days after she was admitted. She put up a fight about staying a minute longer, Sadie was back to herself. She’s feeling better but still has that awful cough and probably always would we were told. The dizziness and headaches are gone now with the new medication that was prescribed for her. Dr. Carter and mom came to an agreement after a long conversation discussing all of the options to start the chemo and radiation treatment next week. Mom wants to attend Mason and Hailey’s wedding and didn’t want any problems from the treatment to prevent her from going to the wedding. Dr. Carter informed us that complications and side effects may happen but that he would address each one as it arises. Mom was in for one hell of a battle but her hopes were high. I know she’s worried about the outcome, it was written all over her face, but now wasn’t the time to worry. Hunter and I, on the other hand, were scared even though we were both being brave on the outside.

It’s three days before Mason and Hailey’s wedding. Everyone is hustling and bustling trying to make sure everything is as perfect as it can be in a short amount of time. Knowing Hailey, I figured she would be a wreck with managing her wedding and the twins at the same time but every time I’ve talked to her I can hear the excitement in her voice.

“Hey,” Cooper comes into the bedroom. It’s Sunday, Cooper and I are being lazy today. “Bentley, Nikki, Zeke, and Logan are here.”

I set my Kindle down on the bed, slip a pair of yoga pants on, sans panties. Out of the corner of my eye I catch Cooper watching me but I ignore him until I can’t anymore.

“What?”

He gives me one of his sexy smirks. “You’re teasing me.”

My eyebrows narrow, playing innocent like I have no idea what he’s talking about. Cooper and I haven’t been intimate since the night we found out about mom. Emotions and time just haven’t been my friend lately but now the sexual tension is rising. I think it’s the fact that I know our friends are here, and knowing we could get caught at any second that has amped up my hunger for Cooper.

“Whatever do you mean?”

“You know
exactly
what you’re doing.”

I bat my eyelashes and bite on the corner of my lower lip as he saunters towards me. My center clenches with every step he takes. I’d squeeze my legs together to relieve some of the pressure but it’d be too obvious. Cooper’s rock hard body backs me up against the wall near his dresser. The menacing look in his eyes shows me just how bad that he wants me right now. He knows we have company and the idea of being caught fuels his fire.

He reaches down, grips my thighs and hoists me up. I wrap my arms around his neck and lock my legs around his waist. “You’re so fucking bad,” he says just before claiming my mouth in one of his hot, tantalizing kisses.

I moan into his mouth, my need growing with every touch of his tongue. His hips rock into me and I grind down onto the bulge that is nestled between my legs. I slide my hands up into his hair and I tug on it roughly.

“Did you get the popcorn?” I hear someone ask, followed by someone snickering. I’m pretty sure it was Bentley, my brother’s old roommate. Cooper slows the kiss but before he backs away he pulls my bottom lip between his teeth.

“Leave them alone,” Nikki sings. “Plus it’s creepy that you’re watching them from the doorway of their bedroom.”

Cooper rests his forehead against mine and squeezes his eyes shut attempting to calm himself. Deep breath in and then he lets it out.

“It’s like free porn,” someone else says. I’m not sure if that’s Zeke or Logan since they both have that same raspy voice. “We’ve got the best seat in the house.”

Cooper’s hold on my ass tightens almost painfully. “Out!” A growl comes from deep down in his throat.

“And miss the free show? Are you insane?” I move my head slightly to the side, giggling, and see Zeke popping a chip into his mouth. He used to scare the shit out of me with all those tattoos and piercings but once I got to know him, during Hunter and MacKenzie’s wedding, I knew he was a big teddy bear.

“Couldn’t find the popcorn?” I toss back at him as Cooper lets me down slowly.

Nikki, Bentley’s sister, pushes her brother and Zeke down the hall. “Damn, bro. You missed it.” I hear Bentley says.

“Missed what?” Logan asks.

“The free porn, hell, if it’s like this around here all the time, I may be staying a little longer.” Zeke’s voice fades the further away they get down the hallway.

I reach down between us and dip a finger into the waistband of his sweatpants. “You need a little help?”

Cooper grips my hand in a flash and pins it to the wall above my head. “If you touch me they’re going to get more than a preview,” he groans. The look he gives me causes major butterflies in my stomach.

My lips curl into a smile. I love that I have this much control over Cooper. I never thought things would be like this between us. He has always been so gentle with me. Since his season ended back in October, and we’ve been spending more time together, he can’t seem to keep his hands off of me. It’s probably all the denial from our many years not being together reaching the surface. He’s taught me a thing or two about my own body. He knows when I need the gentle and slow and when I need the hard and fast.

“Maybe later?” I ask hopeful.

“Not a fucking maybe about it, more like definitely later,” Cooper quips right back. “The second I know we won’t have an audience, you’re fucking mine.” As he says the last few words he grinds his hips against me showing me just how bad he still wants me.

I place a simple kiss on his lips and slip around him knowing he needs a minute to calm down before we can go out there with our friends.

Now I wish Mason would have asked if we minded having them stay here at our house rather than just telling us we had roommates for a few days. It’s fine that they’re here but in this moment I wish they weren’t. We had more than enough room here and there was no point in having them waste money staying in Atlantic City, where the wedding is being held, when no one was going to be there. It would be a nice distraction from thinking about my mom constantly, too. I wanted to keep my normal routine with sleeping at my mom’s like I do during the season but mom isn’t having that. I even tried again once she got out of the hospital but she told me if I did she’d just have Hunter change the locks. Well played, mom, well played.

Cooper gives me his signature smirk and grabs my hand. We walk hand-in-hand out into the living room where we are greeted with all-knowing smiles. I sneak a peek up at Cooper, who I find glaring at everyone. I chuckle lightly to myself and take a seat at the kitchen table on the other side of the living room.

“Now, now,” Zeke provokes Cooper. “No need for the death glare.”

“Go fuck yourself,” Cooper spits back at him causing everyone to laugh.

“What’s for dinner?” Logan asks. He leans back against the couch, arms stretched high up in the air.

“What are you cooking?”

Logan whirls around. “Me?”

I nod.

“Um…”

Nikki laughs and bumps her shoulder into Logan. “Relax. She’s only kidding.”

Glancing over to the clock noticing it’s just about dinnertime, I walk into the kitchen, pull out the hamburger meat, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream. Bentley takes a seat at the kitchen table watching me place everything on the counter. Logan joins him followed by Zeke.

Nikki saunters into the kitchen shaking her head. “You’d think they never eat.”

I huff. “You mean to tell me that you don’t cook for them?”

She looks at me with a shocked expression. “Hell fucking no,” then she starts busting out laughing. “Those days are long over. They need to fend for themselves.”

Logan grabs a banana from the bowl on the table and peels it open. “She used to love us but told us she needed to cut the strings.”

Zeke looks pained by the proclamation. “Saddest day of my life.”

Cooper stomps into the kitchen and points to the stuff I grabbed from the fridge. “Get to work.” Then he opens a cabinet and pulls out a few bowls and puts them near the other things.

All three sets of eyes bug out and stare at Cooper like he’s lost his mind. “And what the hell are you going to do?” Zeke speaks up.

“Watch.”

I snort. Payback’s a bitch.

Nikki peels the plastic off the meat while I grab the pan from the cabinet. She tosses it in and I start the stove. Cooper comes up behind me, reaches over top of me and grabs the three taco boxes then sets them down on the counter. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I could have done that,” Bentley pipes up.

“You could have,” Cooper quips back. “But you aren’t touching her.”

And this is how the rest of dinner goes. Nikki gets the shells ready to go into the oven while I season and cook up the meat. Bentley, Logan and Zeke work on all the fixings and Cooper leans back against the counter and keeps watch.

Cooper passes a beer along to the guys, and then hands me and Nikki our margaritas that he fixed up for us like I asked.

Zeke raises his beer and everyone follows. “To Taco Tuesday.”

We all turn our heads toward Zeke but it’s Nikki who points out it’s not Tuesday. “You do realize it’s Sunday, right?”

Zeke shrugs. “So?”

“Taco Tuesday.” The rest of us say together clanking our glasses laughing.

“Isn’t it Tuesday somewhere on this planet?” a grin gracing his face.

It’s quiet for all of about ten minutes while everyone digs in. All the food is gone leaving only a few pieces of cracked taco shells. I swear, for as lean and fit as they all are, they know how to put some food away.

“Well, that went fast,” Nikki comments, looking to each of the guys around the table. Their eyes are slightly closed and they’re leaning back in their chairs. Finally, they are all content with full stomachs.

“Anyone want another?” Cooper asks holding his now empty beer bottle up in the air.

“Yeah,” echoes from Zeke and Bentley but Logan declines.

“One beer queer,” Zeke teases Logan.

“I’m still recovering from last night, asshole,” Logan barks.

“Now, now, children,” Nikki snorts.

My God I could
never
live with them. I don’t know how in the hell Hailey did it.

“So, have you seen Hailey’s dress yet?” Nikki asks me with a twinkle in her eye.

“Yup. It’s beautiful. I can’t wait to see Masey’s face,” Cooper folds himself back into his chair beside me. “Hailey found the dress she wanted but they only had it in New York so the three of us,” I nod towards Cooper, “went up there to get it.”

“Ekk, I can’t wait to see her in it. How are Hunter and MacKenzie doing? I’ve really only talked to them over Facebook recently.”

I hesitate a few beats too long. Cooper answers for me as my thoughts go directly to my mom. “They’re doing real good. Chaos is being his typical two-year-old self and Olivia has her daddy wrapped around her finger.”

Cooper rests his hand on my upper thigh giving it a little squeeze. I smile up at him letting him know that I’m okay even though I feel the need to call my mom.

Nikki shakes her head. “I’ve really got to hand it to Hailey, though. I don’t know how she manages to juggle twins by herself.”

I shrug. “We’re all around to help her when she actually lets us.”

“Speaking of help with the twins,” Mason says suddenly appearing in the kitchen out of nowhere. He should have been here an hour ago for dinner.

“What if I was fucking Jay on the couch, dickhead?” Cooper throws at his brother. They got into a little bit of a fight a few weeks ago when Mason walked in on us. Thankfully, he only got a glimpse at Cooper’s ass but boy he was not happy about that.

Mason shrugs and looks at the empty baking sheet. “You weren’t, so it doesn’t matter.” He glances at Nikki. “Are you still looking to move up here?”

She shakes her head. “Yeah, why?”

“We need a nanny,” Mason tosses over his shoulder while he roots through our fridge. “Hailey needs help even if she won’t admit she does.”

“Hailey is not going to like this idea,” I sing.

He pushes the door closed with his hip as his hands are full with lunchmeat and mustard. “She won’t like it if it’s someone she doesn’t know.” He sits everything down on the table. “Plus, she likes Nikki.” Mason takes two slices of bread and tosses them on the table. “You could move in with us, help Hailey with the babies until you’re able to find a job.”

Nikki is looking to move to New Jersey after school is out for the summer. She’s getting her degree in education and this is where she wants to teach. When I first heard the news, I thought she wanted to move here just to be closer to my brother. But, now with him being married and Nikki and MacKenzie being such good friends, I know her intentions are good.

“Um, are you sure?” Nikki pipes up.

Mason gives her one of his devilish smiles. “Yup, and even if Hailey tries to fight it she won’t kick you out.”

To my left, Bentley snorts very loudly. “Guy thinks he has everything figured out. Just wait till he’s married.”