Corps Security: Cooper Part 14

I don't know what I would do if I lost him. If we lost him.

"I'm going to make sure he talks to me today. I've been trying so hard to stay up and wait for him to come home, but my body always wins the fight and I'm pa.s.sed out long before he comes home. I set my alarm on my phone to go off every hour, and I don't care if I have to do it all night-I will be awake when he gets home. If he's asleep when it goes off, I'm going to wake him up and demand answers."

"h.e.l.l yeah!" Melissa cheers.

"If you need anything, promise you'll call?" Izzy asks.

"I'll call, but I won't need anything other than my man to talk to me."

She smiles sweetly at me and goes to pull herself off the floor. Her stomach is just now starting to show signs of her pregnancy.

"I'm going to head home. Nate hasn't been sleeping well at night, so I told Axel that we needed to have an early dinner and get him down before his normal bedtime. I hope that works. You let me know if you need anything, Chelcie." She leans in and gives me a hug.

I give Nate a big hug, laughing when he kisses my stomach and warns me to "bez car full."

"Such an alpha baby," Dee mumbles.

"I'm going to head out too," Melissa says. "Greg has Cohen down at the office, and the last time I let him stay all day, he was up all night fighting the bad guys. I swear, one day, that boy is going to turn into a carbon copy of Greg." She gathers up the babies' blankets off the floor, stuffs some of her diaper items back in the diaper bag, and snaps both girls into their car carriers.

"Do you need help down?" I ask.

"Nope. I've got this down to a science now. And like I would let your pregnant a.s.s lift these heavy things. No freaking way. Later, Dee. Chelcie, I'm here if you need me, okay?"

I nod, standing to give her a hug before walking her to the door.

Once I come back to the living room, I don't even waste any time. "Well, spit it out, Dee. I know you're over there thinking all sorts of crazy s.h.i.+t."

"What if this isn't about the letter? What if he's having second thoughts? I hate saying it, Chelc... h.e.l.l, I hate thinking it. This whole thing is crazy complicated between you, and I just don't want to see you hurt. Maybe the letter is nothing? Maybe he's just... G.o.d, I don't know," she sighs.

One thing that annoys me about Dee is when she lets her own insecurities about men in general pa.s.s on to others. I recognize where she's coming from. You don't just turn that stuff off-a pain that has been a part of you for your whole life-but that doesn't give her a right to place that bulls.h.i.+t on Asher's shoulders.

"Dee," I warn.

"I know-I'm sorry. I just... s.h.i.+t. I just worry about you." She shrugs her shoulders and sinks back against the couch.

"Okay, Dee. I appreciate where you're coming from, but let me tell you right now that if you ever insult the man I love like that again, I won't be responsible for what I do." Her eyes widen, but I keep going. "He has done nothing to deserve that s.h.i.+t you just spewed all over the place. He's had a hard time, but you know that any one of us would have felt the same pain he did when Coop died. Yeah, I know how our situation is complicated, but that's just it, Dee. It's our situation. It's brought us together. This baby, this very loved baby of ours, is our miracle. We don't look at it as a complication. I can a.s.sure you that he loves this baby because it's part of me. Yes, he loves this baby because he's a part of his brother too-but that by no stretch of the imagination means that he is transferring his feelings for the baby into some confused love."

I take a deep breath, never letting my eyes leave her shocked ones. I have never talked to her like this, but I'm not going to stand here in the middle of my own personal s.h.i.+t storm and let her throw Asher in the 'bad guy' category.

"We all have that person, Dee. Beck is yours. Axel is Izzy's. Melissa's is Greg. h.e.l.l, Emmy's is Maddox. Every. Single. One. Of. Us. We have that person who makes us complete. He is my person."

"You have been watching too much Grey's Anatomy," she says under her breath.

"Dee! Did you even f.u.c.king hear me? He's my person! He would never doubt our relations.h.i.+p or me. What is complicated to you is our perfect. We took the lemons life threw at us and started a lemonade-making factory. This, this love that you're questioning-this love is perfect."

My chest is heaving. G.o.d, it felt good to get that all out. I won't even lie-when I was on day five without seeing him, I let the same doubts filter through my mind until I realized how ridiculous I was being. Asher would never give up on me.

"I'm sorry. I just worry about you. I worry about you both, but I don't like seeing you hurting." She looks down, clearly ashamed that she let her own handicaps cloud what she knows is right.

"I'm only hurting because I don't know how to help him. I'm not asking you to borrow trouble. My pain is because I feel powerless to ease his pain. Not because he's hurting me."

"I get it. Just promise me that, if you need something, you'll call. Don't sit here and let it fester a second longer. If you miss him again tonight, call me in the morning and I promise you I will make sure you can corner his a.s.s."

"That won't be necessary, Dee," I hear over my shoulder. The deep rumble of his voice sends s.h.i.+vers racing across my skin. "I can a.s.sure you that the only thing she needs right now is"-he pauses and looks over at me, his face unreadable-"her person."

I melt... Right there, I melt. It all washes away-the last two weeks of worry, hurt that he's shut me out, and pain that I don't know how to help. All that matters is that he's here now.

"Uh, got it. I'll see myself out," she meekly says.

I might have said goodbye, but the only thing my mind can comprehend at this moment is that my man is finally here. He isn't avoiding me anymore and I can finally figure out where his head has been since that ill-fated night we opened that letter.

Chapter 25 Asher.

I wait until Dee leaves before stomping over to the door and turning all the locks. I'm giving myself a second to calm down before I go talk to Chelcie. Coming in to hear Dee trying to tell Chelcie that I'm doubting our relations.h.i.+p... Second-f.u.c.king-guessing? Jesus Christ. Just thinking about hearing her talking that s.h.i.+t makes me want to hurt someone. It's a good thing she left because I was about two seconds away from blowing my fuse.

Never did I think that Chelcie would think that, but hearing that garbage and for just a second letting myself believe that Chelcie could for a second believe it is making my blood boil.

"You know I don't believe her? Right?" she says, coming up behind me and resting her forehead against my back, moving her arms slowly-and f.u.c.king hesitantly-around my waist.

h.e.l.l. f.u.c.king. No.

It kills me that there is even a shadow of doubt in us right now.

And I did this to her.

I grasp her wrists and pull her hands around me tightly, lacing our fingers together and letting my chin drop to my chest. With just her touch, the anger I was feeling towards Dee and her verbal vomit evaporates. I'm exhausted, worried, and f.u.c.k me-scared. Scared for Chelcie and scared for our boy. Now on top of that, I'm scared that she doubts my commitment to her.

f.u.c.k me; there is no way I'm going to let that happen.

"Hold on, Suns.h.i.+ne. Let me grab something, okay?"

She takes a step back, my body instantly missing the feel of her against me.

Turning sharply, I prowl through the house-a man on a mission-and grab the one thing that's been burning a hole in my pocket for the last three weeks. The one thing that I know will end all of this doubt she's feeling.

I know the timing isn't ideal, but we've done everything else in some weird, convoluted web of twisted. a.s.s backwards, unconventional, and h.e.l.l, there's no reason that we shouldn't keep some sort of a trend going.

When I come back into the living room, I find her gazing out the balcony door. There isn't much other than trees to look at, so I know she's just lost in thought. I take a deep breath and walk over to her.

"Suns.h.i.+ne. Do you love me?" Well, Asher-great f.u.c.king lead-in there, dumba.s.s.

She tilts her head, her lips just barely tipping up. "Of course I love you, you silly man."

"That s.h.i.+t with Dee... Do you think that I would be with you out of obligation? Think hard about that, Chelcie. You know my past with females and you know how hard it was for me to trust."

"There is nothing that would make me doubt your reasons for being here, baby," she whispers.

"You know that I love you. You're my light, Suns.h.i.+ne. You're my reason for everything that I do. You're my person," I say, parroting her earlier words.

Her eyes widen and tears start to fill them. d.a.m.n, I need to hurry this up before she loses it.

"Right." I look down, fiddling with the words I need to say.

I look up, and before I can speak, she launches herself at me. I quickly move my hips back so that her stomach doesn't take the impact. She's gotten bigger in the last two weeks, and I mentally kick myself for not being here, for missing just a second of it.

With my hips pulled back from her body, her lips are just a short distance from my neck. She lifts up, coming up as far as she can on her toes, and gives me a soft kiss against my neck. I go to straighten, but she tightens her hold on my neck.

I feel her warm breath against my ear before her tongue darts out to trace the sh.e.l.l. Then, after the jolt pa.s.ses through my body, she whispers softly, "Yes."

I pull back, confused as h.e.l.l about where this conversation just went.

"Yes?"

"Yes, baby. It would have been a lot easier if you would have let me buy a ring and get down on my knee to ask...but hey, what's one more thing we do our own way? That's just one of the things I love about you, Asher James Cooper. You march to the beat of your own drum."

Well I'll be dammed.

"Did you just propose to me, woman?" I try to scowl, but she just smiles brighter.

That d.a.m.n light that erases my darkness is s.h.i.+ning so bright that I'm convinced that, in this moment, she's wholly chased all of my demons from the past away. The grin that takes over my face is so large that I can feel my cheeks burning.

d.a.m.n, I'm one lucky man.

"Uh, baby...I did not propose to you. I answered your stuttering attempt at one to me. Just beat you to the punch," she giggles, and that sound shoots straight through me. My heart feels like it's so full it could burst. "Do I at least get to see my ring?"

"Come here, you beautifully perfect, smarta.s.s woman of mine. Let me do this right."

She swiftly closes the distance between us, almost tripping over her feet in order to do so.

I take a deep breath-not for courage, but because I can smell her delectable scent. Closing my eyes and picturing her beautiful face makes no sense since the real thing is right in front of me. Opening my eyes, I lean forward and give her a soft kiss. Her eyes start to water when I fold myself down to one knee and reach up to frame her stomach, giving our boy a nuzzle with my nose, a quick 'I love you,' and kiss. I grab one of her hands-the left one-pull the ring out of my pocket, and place it on her finger.

"Chelcie Nicole Avery. The day you walked into my life, I knew I would forever crave your light. You've taught me so much. I don't look for the bad in everyone anymore. I see beauty in everything around me. I look forward to waking up with you pushed close to my body and my hand resting against our son. You've given me back a life I didn't know I was close to losing. A second chance that I needed to be the man you believe I am. Every day, I wake up and want to do everything I can to prove to you that I am that man. You're my everything, Suns.h.i.+ne. You've made me whole again." I lean forward and kiss her finger that has my ring s.h.i.+ning bright. Just like her, its light reminds me once again how much this woman means to me. "I love you, Chelcie, and it would make me the happiest man on Earth if you would marry me. Be my person for the rest of our lives."

Her smile hasn't slipped, and for once, I don't even bother trying to stop the tears. I can feel some of my own starting to burn at the back of my throat.

"Yes! G.o.d, yes!" she sobs. "I love you so much, baby."

I s.h.i.+ver when she calls me that. Every single time. It's like a drug for me. She calls me baby and I want to drop to my knees and offer her the world.

"I love you too, Suns.h.i.+ne."

Chapter 26 Chelcie.

Asher just left the bed to grab me some water. My throat is burning-in a good way-from screaming his name so many times. He didn't waste a second. I said yes, and the next thing I knew, I was in his arms while he charged through the apartment. A man on a mission. He took me hard the first time, both of us needing it. The second time was slow and sweet-and if you asked me, I would swear the Earth moved.

We still need to talk, but right now, with my heart this full, I couldn't stop smiling if I tried.

"What's that smile all about?" he inquires from the side of the bed.

I roll my head and take in every fine-as-h.e.l.l inch of his tan skin. His muscles are bulging, and a fine sheen of sweat covers his body. His c.o.c.k is still semierect, and I smirk wickedly when I see him start to swell under my gaze.

"You're so d.a.m.n fine," I sigh.

He laughs, hands me the water, and walks over to the bathroom. I admire his backside as he walks, each firm globe flexing as he strolls lazily.

"d.a.m.n," I hiss.

He turns and gives me a sinful smirk before stepping into the bathroom and out of my line of sight. I take a deep pull of the ice-cold water he brought me before setting it down on the nightstand.

"Lean back and spread 'em," he rumbles when he walks back up to the side of the bed.

I gape at him for a second. Then he holds up the washcloth in his hands with a wink.

"Someone sure is thinking some naughty thoughts. You need a spanking, Suns.h.i.+ne? Have you been a bad girl?"

My p.u.s.s.y convulses at his words. He's spanked me a few times-when things got rough-and each time, I came harder than the last.

d.a.m.n, I love this man.

I lean back, making a slow show of spreading my legs. "I might be pregnant, but last time I checked, my arms still work, baby. I think I'm capable of cleaning my own body."

"And you would deny me this? Baby, seeing my come falling out of your tight c.u.n.t is probably one of the hottest things I've seen. I'm inside you, and my come is marking your body as mine. There isn't anything more arousing. Well, maybe there is-but this... f.u.c.k, you have no idea."

After he finishes wiping every inch of my p.u.s.s.y, my legs are quivering with the strength of holding back my o.r.g.a.s.m. How embarra.s.sing is it that I'm seconds away from exploding and all he's doing is wiping me off.

He looks up from where his head has been leaning in while he was cleaning me off, noticing the heat in my eyes and I'm sure the blush that covers my skin. His eyebrow c.o.c.ks and that lethal grin takes over his lips. Without breaking eye contact, he leans forward and gives me one long lick of his warm tongue. Lifting up, I'm confused for a breath of a second, and then I feel his hand pop down on my p.u.s.s.y. His fingers. .h.i.t with just enough pressure against my swollen nerves that I throw my head back and scream. My eyes roll back in my head, my toes curl, and I gasp with the power of this o.r.g.a.s.m. My whole body is blazing white hot.

"Oh, G.o.d. Oh my G.o.d. Holy. Jesus!" I scream again, another wave of pure bliss cras.h.i.+ng over me when he dips two thick fingers in deep. I feel like I'm being tugged under in some riptide of pleasure and it's almost too much for me to bear.

"That's it, Suns.h.i.+ne. That's it," he coos in my ear as I ride the wave, helpless to do anything but hold on to him tight. "f.u.c.k, the way you milk my fingers makes me so hard."

I feel his weight s.h.i.+ft, and just when I think I'm coming down from the second wave, he is pus.h.i.+ng his thick c.o.c.k in deep and prolonging my o.r.g.a.s.m. He's leaning up on his knees, careful to keep his weight off my stomach, and pus.h.i.+ng in quick bursts. It doesn't take long before I'm barreling over yet another wave. Or h.e.l.l, maybe I've been riding the same one, in some funnel of pleasure that my body doesn't know how to escape from-and doesn't want to.

It doesn't take long, despite the fact that, in the last few hours, he's already come twice; he pushes in deep and rolls his hips. His face is the picture of ecstasy as he empties himself inside me again.

I always used to read the books where the hero would come, and come, and come...and then come again. I'd roll my eyes, thinking that surely there was no way a man like that-with stamina of a G.o.d-exists. Tonight, Asher proved me wrong. Those men definitely do exist. And he's all mine.