“I want you right out here.”

She turns back to look at the beach. It’s empty now, but people wander into this area once in a while. “What if someone comes?”

“Isn’t that the point?”

“You know what I mean.” She rolls her eyes.

“Take off your clothes,” I repeat, this time with more of an edge to my voice.

She looks back at the beach again, then to me. “Bossy.” She slips the loose bathing suit cover-up she’s wearing from her shoulders and lets it fall to the ground.

“Untie the top.”

She hesitates—there’s a conflicted look in her eyes—but then she does that thing that almost made me lose my mind the first time I met her. She squares her shoulders, squints to assess me and, with a devilish grin tempting at her lips, she slowly reaches around and unties her top.

I slip my hand into my board shorts and expose my already hard cock. Her eyes follow my hand as I firmly grip at the base, then stroke the full length leisurely up and down. She’s ten feet away but I can feel her touching me just by the intensity of her stare. Watching her watch me is insanely erotic.

“Take off the bottom,” I say as firmly as I can muster, my voice already showing signs of strain.

This time she moves with less hesitation. She shimmies her bikini bottom down her sexy tanned legs and steps out boldly. Jesus Christ. I’d hoped to give her a vision she wouldn’t soon forget, but the vision before me will certainly be scorched into my memory for a long time to come. The sun at her back highlights her silhouette, leaving an angelic glow around her.

I watch as her eyes momentarily break from following my stroke to meeting my stare. She holds my gaze, her blue-green eyes darken with lust, and then I almost lose it when her tongue hungrily licks her painted lips.

“Come here. I want you to ride me. Face the ocean. Eyes open. Ride my cock until your vision goes blurry.”

Her breath audibly hitches, but she comes to me. I take her mouth in a kiss before turning her and directing her legs to straddle me. Her perfect heart-shaped ass facing me, her legs shake as she hovers, ready to take me inside of her.

My fingers curl into her sides as I grip her waist to guide her onto me. She lowers herself slowly, taking me inside of her a little at a time, inch by inch until her ass is pressed firmly against me. She doesn’t even have to move—the tightness of her pussy clenching me, the vision of her shapely ass and the sound of her labored breathing has me on edge instantly. The urge to fill her and mark her skin is so intense I can barely see.

“I need to come inside of you,” I grunt out and lift her, taking over the rhythm she’s set. I slam her back down on me hard and grip her hair when she moans.

“C. .C … Coop …” she whimpers. “Please.”

“I love being inside of you,” I groan, pumping up into her with full hard thrusts that meet her each time I guide her down. Harder and harder. Her hips circle and gyrate, taking in every inch that I give her until we’re both no longer able to hold back and we release together, her chanting my name over and over until she has no voice left to give.

Sated, we lie naked, wrapped in each other’s arms until it’s time to get ready for dinner. I watch from the doorway as she turns back and takes one last look out at the ocean. I hope this afternoon is what she remembers when she’s back here.

“You ready to go?” I stand behind her and kiss her shoulder. The white strapless sundress she’s wearing exposes her glowing tanned skin, it’s hard to keep my mouth off of her.

“Definitely.” She turns to face me and kisses my lips. “That guy out there gives me the creeps.”

“What guy?” I scan the beach but see no one in sight.

Kate turns to look back and shrugs. “Guess he’s gone. Who goes to the beach fully clothed in the afternoon anyway?”

chapter thirty-one

Kate

I’m afraid to open the door. I’m not worried about what I feel changing, it’s everything around us that changes once I step outside again. Five days of bliss. It isn’t just my body that I gave over to the man sitting beside me, somehow he’s managed to steal a little piece of my heart. And stolen would be right word—since it isn’t supposed to be available.

“Don’t go in,” Cooper says with a strained voice. We’re in the underground parking garage at the studio. Miles is already here. His car is parked two over from us.

“I wish it were that simple.”

“Doesn’t need to be difficult.”

I exhale a deep breath. We’ve had this argument already, the last time only yesterday on the plane ride home. It doesn’t end well, and I hate to walk away from him feeling unsettled. He’s been up front since we met, he doesn’t want me to return to the show. I know he’s serious when he says he’ll take care of everything. But I can’t let him do that. It’s my family, my mess, my responsibility. My father lived his life borrowing from one person to pay another. It was a vicious cycle that needs to be broken once and for all. I’m certain what I’m doing is right for my family, yet it doesn’t make it any easier for me to open the cocoon we’ve ensconced ourselves in the last week.

“I’m afraid returning to reality is going to change things between us.” My voice is low and I can’t hide the crack of worry that shadows my words.

“Are you returning to reality or about to leave it?”

Our first day back starts with one of Miles’s production meetings in the conference room we’ve met in dozens of times before. I take a deep breath as I cross the threshold into the brightly lit room, my eyes combing over the full cast of characters already mingling. With Ava sent home before hiatus, I’ll likely be keeping to myself a lot over the next two weeks.

Flynn is in the far corner of the room, chatting with Jessica. She’s leaning toward him, her hand pressed to his chest, fluttering her long thick eyelashes. He spots me the minute I enter and smiles, quickly excusing himself from the conversation.

Jessica turns to find the distraction that has lured Flynn’s attention away, and our eyes meet. If looks could kill.

“There you are.” Flynn kisses me on the cheek. “I was starting to wonder if you were coming back.” That makes two of us.

“I think some people might be happy if I didn’t.” I smile and discreetly tilt my head in Jessica’s direction.

“Well, certainly not me.” He takes both my hands and pulls back to look at me. “You look incredible. I guess you got to relax a bit on the break finally.”

“Umm. Yes. How was your break?” Feeling guilty already, I change the subject.

“Good. Except …” He leans in to whisper in my ear. “I missed you like crazy.”

“All right everyone, let’s get started,” Miles’s booming voice saves me from having to respond.

Everyone takes a seat around the table. Flynn chooses the seat next to me. So, naturally, Jessica saunters over and grabs the seat on the other side of him.

Miles steeples his fingers as he begins to speak in the front of the room, reminding me of Mr. Burns from the Simpsons. I study his face while he speaks, looking for signs of Cooper in his profile and mannerisms. He’s nice looking, physically fit, there’s definitely a physical resemblance. But it’s the way he commands authority that is vastly different. His is through intimidation and fear, whereas people seem to defer to Cooper out of respect and admiration.

After a fifteen-minute lecture, Miles walks around the room, distributing two-inch-thick packets containing information on our shooting schedule for the next two weeks. He stops and makes small talk with some of the contestants as he hands out the binders.