The KISS Principle (Erotic Romance) (8 page)

Even with the pained tone of his voice, Allie felt the
crappiest parts of her day fall away.
He wants to make me happy.
No man
had ever said that to her. “I feel the same way. All I wanted to do after my
bad day was call you. I want to be with you too.”

“Not just for sex, right?” He smiled wide and their
eyes connected. His chiseled features were so pleasing in the soft light of the
room. He tightened his grip on her waist and lowered his mouth to the corner of
hers. “Does this mean I get to call you my girlfriend?” He nuzzled her ear with
his nose.

She wondered when the alarm clock would go off and
she’d wake from what felt like a very unlikely dream. If anyone had said that
she and Cooper would end up discussing a relationship, she would have sent them
to see a psychiatrist. “As long as I get to call you my boyfriend.”

* * * * *

Allie giggled when Cooper stumbled on the last stair
to the second floor of their building.

“Is that funny?” he asked, towing her along with his
hand as he walked backward to her door.

“Maybe. A little.” The most frustratingly innocent
look appeared on her face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh. You can’t help the
fact that you have gigantic feet.”

He leaned against her door and pulled her close,
digging his hand into her silky hair. “You know what they say about guys with
big feet.”

“They trip a lot?” Leaning into him, she raised her
chin. Her full, raspberry-pink lips were the most alluring invitation.

“I might have to get you back for that one.” He
pressed his lips against hers and she rose to her tiptoes. Their tongues playfully
circled.

“Mmm. Revenge sex. Sounds good. Would you like to come
inside or shall I undress you in the hall?” Allie whispered with hot breath
against his neck.

The rush of electricity to his cock made it nearly
impossible to remain standing. “Inside. Please.” He stood behind her as she
unlocked the door, drawing in the scent of her hair and caressing her hip with
his hand. No time was wasted once they were inside.

She dropped her keys onto the entry table, where they
made a terrible clatter. He took her purse and tossed it onto the chair. It
promptly tumbled to the floor.

“Now where were we?” she asked as she turned to him.

He’d originally thought he wouldn’t make it beyond the
threshold of her apartment. He’d even considered taking her against the door,
but after everything they’d finally said to each other, that seemed like an
activity for a different night. All he wanted was to make love to her. “We were
exactly where we need to be,” he said as he cupped her jaw and kissed her
tenderly.

Allie arched her back and wrapped her arms around him.
“So we’re really having kitchen sex?”

“Not what I meant,” he said. He took her hand and
their fingers twined as he led her to the bedroom. As soon as they were through
the door, he swept her small frame into his arms and placed his knee on the
bed. He set her down gently before he began to unbutton his shirt.

Allie scooted back across the comforter and propped
herself on her elbows. She gnawed on her lower lip as he dropped his pants to
the floor. “I’m liking this,” she said.

“Oh yeah?” Cooper spread out next to her. His fingers
tangled in the bow on the side of her dress. “What about this?” He pulled on
the tie and the fabric gaped at the neckline, revealing more of the curve of
Allie’s ample breasts. His cock swelled against the fabric of his boxer briefs.

“I like that a lot too.” She trailed a finger down her
chest and nudged the open flap of her dress away, but another layer remained.
She took his hand and led it to the smaller tie inside the dress. “One more.”

He pulled the knot loose and skimmed his hand across
her smooth stomach, baring her to him. Her skin was like moonlight, a soft,
shimmery glow to every heavenly inch. “You’re so beautiful, Allie.” He kissed
her belly and she raked her hands into his hair. “I’m a lucky guy.”

“Come here,” she whispered.

He grazed his mouth along her midline until he reached
her lacy black bra. “I am here.”

“Kiss me.”

He brushed his lips against hers and they fell into a
kiss unlike any other. He sank against her, the movements of her tender lips an
open invitation. They had been like two interlocking pieces of a puzzle before.
Now it felt as if an unknown barrier between them had evaporated. As their
tongues mingled, she bowed into him, rolling him to his side with surprising
strength. Cooper relented and Allie had him on his back, still knee-deep in the
kiss.

She straddled him and sat back, shrugging her
shoulders. The dress slid to her elbows. His breath came jaggedly as she rid
herself of the garment. Her magnificent curves begged for his hands, especially
after she reached behind and unhooked her bra, baring her breasts to him.

He reached up and molded his hands around the firm
mounds, circling her tightly beaded nipples with his thumbs.

She moaned and dropped her head to the side, eyelids
heavy. “God, that feels good.” Her hair cascaded over her shoulder, a few
tendrils falling forward on to her chest.

He kneaded, plucking and gently twisting her taut skin
with his fingers. She unleashed another moan, even more enthusiastic this time,
telling him to make sure extra attention was paid to her breasts. She rocked
forward, her center grinding against his aching cock, the final vestiges of
clothing still separating them. He focused on the feel of her generous, silky
skin beneath his hands to quiet his deep need to be inside her.

Allie abruptly shifted and moved back between his
legs, pulling down his boxer briefs and freeing his erection. He could have
sworn his cock twitched to greet her as she licked her lips. She lowered her
head and wrapped her fingers around the base, swiping her thumb across his
balls. That one touch was such a monumental relief. He couldn’t fathom the
scale of the grand finale.

She started with only her tongue, lapping at the head
and swirling her way around before sucking him inside her mouth. Her touch was
delicate, frustratingly so, as every pass she made only excited him more. White-hot
tension in his belly burned.

He tugged on her arms and she brushed her lips across
his stomach before she kissed him. Her nipples tickled his chest and he
smoothed both hands around her waist. His hands dipped lower to a pleasant
surprise, the velvety soft skin of her bare ass. “How did I not know you were
wearing a thong?” he asked between their lips.

She giggled quietly. “You like that?”

“I prefer naked, but this is a close second.”

“I’ll remember that. They aren’t my favorite, but I
didn’t want panty lines in that dress.”

He rolled her on to her back. “I would never want you
to be uncomfortable.” His fingers raked beneath the waistband and he tugged the
thong down past her hips. “You can just skip panties next time.”

“Not sure I have the guts to do that.” Warmth radiated
from her cheeks as his lips found hers.

“I swear I’ll make it worth your while.”

She reached down and wrapped her slender fingers
around his cock. “There’s a condom in my bedside table,” she whispered into the
sensitive hollow below his ear.

He wasted no time lunging for the drawer, opening the
pouch and rolling it on. He hovered above Allie as she spread her legs wide. He
ran his fingers along her slippery folds. “You’re so wet,” he said.

“I want you.”

“Good.” He teased her opening with the tip of his cock
and slowly entered, wanting to feel every subtle squeeze of her body as it
formed around him. “Because I want you too.” Every sense became keenly focused
as her tender skin enveloped him in the most unbelievable warmth. Her body hungrily
pulled on him and she raked her fingernails up his back. The pressure in his
loins was impossible to comprehend, pleasure and unattained release at war
beneath his skin.

Allie tilted her hips until they truly were one, his
pelvis flush against her body. Her breaths became clipped and close as she
locked her feet beneath his ass. She met his every thrust with equal force and
moaned when he added a slight twist at the end of each pass. “Oh yeah, right
there.”

He smiled to himself as he realized he’d hit her sweet
spot. It was enough to take his mind off the pressure building in his body, but
only for a minute. Her breasts bobbed with every movement and he closed his
lips around her nipple. He swirled his tongue and sucked, her skin as sweet as
ever but slightly sweaty now.

She trembled beneath him, her body alive with
electricity that seemed to home in on his cock. Her breaths grew shorter again,
his heart pounded in his chest. He thrust with greater force and with a quake
in her thighs, Allie called out, arching her neck and raising her shoulders off
the bed. The curve of her lips, reveling in the pleasure, was more than he
could take, and his own release rocketed from him. The waves were fierce,
calming gradually as he pulsated inside her.

Cooper rolled to her side and took her hand, raising
it to his lips. “Do you need anything?” he asked before scooting off the bed.

“I’m perfect,” she purred, rubbing her foot across the
crisp white comforter.

Yes, you are.
“Be right back.” He
quickly got rid of the condom and returned to Allie, who was casting aside
extra pillows. “Is that why they call them throw pillows?”

 She’d lit two candles while he was gone and the
faint light cast an incredible glow on her skin “Maybe.” Giggling, she tugged back
the comforter and climbed into bed.

He scooted in next to her, placing his arm beneath her
head. She curled into him, dragging and circling her fingers through his chest
hair.

“Are you still up for some shopping tomorrow?” he
asked. His body warmed as she hooked her leg over his.

“As long as you are. I don’t want to force you to buy
lamps and pillows if you don’t think you need that stuff.”

He pressed his lips against the top her head. “It’s
your job to tell me what I need.”

“Oh, really?” she asked with a chirp.

“Yes, really. I already have what I want.”

Chapter Eight

Cooper took Allie’s hand as they strode down the sidewalk
to Metro Style Furniture, his fingers tightly wound around hers, strong and
commanding. His intentions were no longer in question and that was a relief. She
had no clue where they would end up, but right now, the two of them as a couple
felt as right as anything she could imagine.

He opened the door and ushered her in with his hand on
her lower back. She’d put on a red cotton sundress and strappy wedge sandals
that morning, now that summer weather had arrived with an expected high in the
eighties. Cooper wore long khaki shorts, a black t-shirt and flip-flops. Their
eyes connected when he removed his sunglasses inside the store.
How can he
be so damn handsome?
Surely he’d been given someone else’s share of good
looks. His electric smile made her chest flutter with excitement, the boundless
promise of a new romance. Perhaps everything between them would someday turn
into love.

He hooked his arm around her waist and pecked her on
the forehead. “You look so hot in that dress,” he said. He unsubtly allowed his
hand to wander down to her ass and a look of surprise crossed his face. “Oh my God.”
His eyes doubled in size. “Are you trying to kill me?”

She playfully smacked him on the arm and her face felt
hot. It had seemed like a good idea when she left the house. The night before
with Cooper had given her an extra boost of confidence. Now that they were
standing in the middle of a high-end furniture store and he’d realized she
wasn’t wearing any panties, the plan seemed harebrained at best.
Am I just
trying to act like a twenty-five-year-old?
“I’m keeping you on your toes,”
she said, trying to play it cool.

“Wow. Okay, well, don’t get mad if I start dropping
stuff and asking you to pick it up for me.”

Before she could come up with a witty retort, Melanie
the salesgirl came striding toward them in a skinny black skirt, teetering on
patent leather stilettos. “Mr. Hale. Hello. It’s wonderful to see you again.”

Allie felt a strange vindication as Cooper tugged her
closer.

“You remember my girlfriend, Allie,” he said,
squeezing her shoulder.

Melanie’s red-stained lips stretched into a thin line.
Her posture straightened and she tossed back her hair as if she hadn’t a care
in the world. “Of course. What can I help you with today?”

“Allie thinks I need some home accessories. She
couldn’t stay the other day to help me pick anything.”

“Certainly. What did you have in mind?” Melanie
directed the question at Cooper, nearly ignoring Allie’s presence.

Cooper glanced over at Allie. “Lighting, right? And
some pillows. Maybe some artwork.” There was a smolder in his eyes, a curious
contrast to the conversation.

“That should cover it,” Allie said.

Melanie showed them the lighting section and the wall
of throw pillows in various colors near the back of the store. She left them
alone soon after. Cooper played along with the idea of browsing, but
essentially did nothing more than agree with everything Allie said. He kissed
her on the temple a dozen or more times. In no way did he seem to have shopping
on his mind.

“What colors were you thinking?” she asked as she
scanned the collection.

“I don’t know. Blue?” he replied.

She pulled out a robin’s-egg-blue pillow with large white
buttons. “No. Too beachy. We need something masculine.”

“Mmm. Yes. Masculine.” He traced his fingers along her
spine, standing so close that his breath rustled her hair. Now he poked a
finger beneath the skinny strap of her sundress, nudging it off her shoulder.

Allie caught it and yanked it back. “You’re terrible,”
she whispered as she feigned a serious perusal of the pillows, fighting a
giggle. “What’s gotten into you, anyway?”

“I’m just enjoying the fact that I can touch you in
public without it being weird.”

“Touching me is one thing,” she muttered. “Undressing
me is another.” She set her purse down on the floor so she could reach for a
pillow on a higher shelf. She stood on her tiptoes, but it was still too high.

Cooper maneuvered behind her and placed one hand on
her shoulder. His other hand skimmed the length of her outstretched arm. “Let
me help.”

Allie felt lightheaded as he pressed his pelvis
against her ass. His clean, citrusy smell was distracting. The tingly touch of
his hand against her bare skin was maddening. “It’s the white ones.” She
pointed to a pair of pillows and he plucked them from the shelf for her.

“These?” He cradled them in his arms for her to see,
but he never took his eyes off her, his lids heavy, his stare pointed.

Melanie walked another customer closer to where they
stood and cleared her throat loudly. She began to chatter away about an Italian
designer, glancing at Cooper repeatedly.

“Yes. I think those will work.”

A half hour later, Cooper paid for three pillows, a
pair of lamps and a large modern print to go above the sofa. He paid zero
attention to Melanie during the checkout process, other than to say thanks when
she handed back his credit card. He asked for everything to be delivered,
saying he didn’t want to deal with shopping bags when they were on their way
out to lunch. Allie wasn’t convinced he cared about any of it, but she felt
confident that he would be happy with everything once it was all in place.

They grabbed some sandwiches at a deli down the
street. She’d assumed they were going to dine at a sit-down restaurant, but
Cooper had other plans. They walked a few blocks to a nearby city park and ate
while sitting on a bench beneath the sprawling canopy of an impressive oak
tree. A warm June breeze ruffled the trees and grass while she marveled at his
strong profile, lit from behind by the sun.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” she said. “This is
much nicer than sitting in a restaurant.”

He smiled wide at her. “I’m glad you like it. I
thought it would be more romantic.” He leaned closer and pecked her on the forehead.
“I run through this park a lot,” he added. “Sometimes I almost wish I didn’t
live in the city. I like having the trees and grass to look at. I feel like I
can breathe.”

Allie finished her bite of sandwich, considering his
words and the more serious tone he’d taken. “Do you sometimes feel like you
can’t breathe?”

He twisted his lips, his eyes narrowing as if deep in
thought. “Don’t you? It’s just with work and having my own company, it starts
to feel like a lot. I have all of these people who depend on me, especially my
brother. It’s a ton of pressure. You know what I mean.”

She nodded. “I do. John in the art department has two
kids under the age of three. Our receptionist’s husband is in grad school. It
would be awful if I had to let someone go or close shop. That’s why I’m not
entertaining Ian’s offer. It’s too big a risk.”

“Ian’s offer?” He bent his leg to face her, slinging his
arm across the back of the bench. His forehead folded with concern.

Fuck. Why did I let that slip?
Allie
closed her eyes for a moment, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’m sorry. I
shouldn’t have mentioned it. I don’t want to tell you my work problems. We’re
having such a nice time.” She reached out and trailed her finger along his
forearm.

“I want to hear about what happened with Ian. What
kind of offer?”

Allie exhaled and began to dig in her bag for some
gum. “He called me yesterday and said that the higher-ups are really pissed
that I’ve supposedly stolen some of their clients. He thinks he can save face
by purchasing my company. I told him to take a hike. I know he’ll come in and
fire everybody.”

“What did he say to that?”

“He told me that he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
And that I should know better than to make him mad.”

“He threatened you?” He scrunched up his napkin and
crammed it into the paper deli bag before crumpling it all into a ball.

An uncomfortable lump formed in her throat. She could
see Cooper’s temper bubbling to the surface. Ian had a temper and her father
had always had a very short fuse. She had little patience for any man when he
was being a hothead. “I’m not worried he’s going to do something if that’s what
you’re asking.”

He pulled Allie’s hand into his lap. “I want you to
tell me if he’s crossing the line. I hate the idea of him bullying you or trying
to tell you what to do. Don’t let him take advantage of your past
relationship.”

Allie bristled at the thought. “Don’t worry, I can
deal with Ian. He’s a lot of hot air.”

“I know you can deal with it.” The look on Cooper’s
face said that he was unconvinced, but that he was at least trying. “Just don’t
be afraid to tell me what’s going on. I want you to share this sort of thing
with me. You are my girlfriend, after all. I care about you.” His voice
softened to a deep velvety tone.

“I seem to remember hearing something about that.” She
leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, happy that the conversation was
turning away from the topic of Ian.

Cooper wrapped his arm around her, keeping her close.
“I seem to remember that someone has a special surprise for me under her dress.
I think we should get back to the apartment so I can experience it for myself.”

“I believe that can be arranged.”

* * * * *

The rain battered the bedroom windows of Allie’s
apartment Sunday morning. Cooper turned to his side, molding himself around
her. She murmured something that sounded like “good morning” and settled
herself in his arms, her back to his chest. He smiled and closed his eyes,
drawing in the sweet smell of Allie’s silky hair.

That quiet, contented moment was unfamiliar territory
for sure. Allie was the first woman he’d called his girlfriend of his own
accord. Every other time he’d given the designation, it was only to keep his
butt out of the doghouse. He never imagined himself in this scenario, happy
with a serious girlfriend. He never pictured it with Allie, but sometimes life was
full of pleasant surprises.
Just don’t fuck it up.

His mother had been putting the heat on for the past
four years, ever since Brian was married. He didn’t totally understand why he
was expected to “settle down”, but if he ever did, he could imagine doing it
with Allie. They could talk for hours, make love for hours too, both satisfying
in a different way. She seemed to understand him, his dreams and aspirations.
Aside from her super independent streak, he couldn’t see a single flaw in her,
and he had to admit that her desire to take care of things on her own was one
of the things that had first attracted him to her.

Cooper’s stomach growled and Allie giggled softly.

“I take it you’re hungry,” she murmured, flopping to
her back so she faced him.

“You know me. I could always eat.” He smoothed his
hand over her bare hip and kissed her neck. “Among other things.” Waking up
next to her, naked, was a sensory experience that went unmatched. Her powder-soft
skin begged to be touched and explored.

Allie distanced herself and scrunched up her nose.
“Morning breath.” Her wavy hair was a kinky, sexy mess.

“Maybe after breakfast. Do you want me to make
something for you? You wouldn’t even have to get dressed. I can bring it to
you.” He waggled his eyebrows, causing a smile to spread across her face.
God,
I love it when she looks at me like that.

“You sure you can handle it?”

He climbed out of bed and plucked his boxer briefs
from the floor. “I’m sure. Eggs?”

Allie punched her pillow and fluffed it before she settled
in again, her hair splaying in several directions. She clutched the sheet to
her chest and grinned. “Toast too, please.”

“Got it.”

Cooper padded into the kitchen after throwing on a
t-shirt. He went to the fridge, pulling eggs, butter and shredded cheese out
onto the counter before starting a pot of coffee. He knew his way around
Allie’s kitchen better than his own. They’d been spending so much time at her
place, he wondered for a fleeting second whose unit they would ditch if they
ever decided to move in together.

He slid a pat of butter into the skillet just as there
was a buzz on Allie’s intercom. He strode across the kitchen and pressed the
button. “Who is it?”

There was no answer, just another buzz.

“Hello?” He flipped the kitchen towel over his
shoulder.

Again no answer, just a third buzz.

He groaned as he heard the butter sizzle. He pressed
the button to open the front door to the building.
Probably the deli dropping
off to-go menus.

Allie traipsed into the kitchen in her robe. “Did I
hear the buzzer?” There was a loud knock at the door. Her forehead wrinkled.
“That’s weird. I hope it isn’t Mrs. Clark from across the hall. She’s such a
busybody.” She loosened the tie of her robe before wrapping the garment around
her more snugly and tying a knot. She pecked him on the cheek before she made
it to the door.

“There’s coffee.” He poured beaten eggs into the hot
pan, pushing them around with a rubber spatula.