“I’m exhausted but feel energized at the same time. I want to go to sleep but feel like I could stay awake all night. It must be the alcohol.”
He laughs softly into my hair. “What do you usually do when you can’t fall asleep?”
“Okay, don’t laugh at me. I usually count.”
“Count?”
“You know… sheep or pigs or some other farm animal until I pass out.”
He closes his arms around me, kisses me softly on my temple, and begins to count.
“One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, four sheep…”
I can’t help but laugh at this man counting sheep to help me fall asleep. My body relaxes and eventually I hear Cooper whisper in my ear, “Goodnight, Liz.”
Falling asleep in this man’s arms feels better than I could have ever imagined. I never thought I could feel so safe and wanted by a man to the point I feel choked up and can’t even respond. With his soft breathing in my ear, I let sleep overtake me.
Three
Cooper
I wake up and look around, trying to remember where I am. I feel warm skin under me, and I look down at her. I can’t help but smile at her rare innocence. She was so adorable last night when we got back to her room. I doubt at her age she’s a virgin, but she’s definitely inexperienced. I’m not a manwhore by any means, but I’ve definitely had my fair share of women in my bed. What red-blooded twenty-two-year-old male hasn’t?
My mind goes back to when I first saw her walking to the end of the line at the club. I knew I had to have her in my arms. The way she smiled shyly made me want her to smile like that at me. I didn’t even notice who she was smiling at because I couldn’t take my eyes off her. The way her beautiful curves shown through the tight yet modest little black number she had on, leaving everything yet nothing to the imagination. It was a tug-of-war between sexy and innocent. She doesn’t even realize how banging her body is.
When I watched her dance—the way she moved like she has no idea how fucking sexy everything about her is—was a complete turn on. And when I got closer and her brown eyes connected with mine, I knew I was done for. I would give this girl anything she wanted. I wasn’t looking for love. Only here for a UFC conference for a few more days, I was just looking for a hook-up, someone to help me forget about all the stress of my real life, but this girl could never be a simple fuck. She’s meant to be cherished, adored, and loved completely, something I’m not capable of. It isn’t in my DNA.
I glance back down at her and she’s still snoring softly with her backside rubbing up against my dick. I groan at the feel of her perfect ass up against me and reluctantly get up to take a piss.
While in the bathroom, I decide a quick shower is necessary. Afterward I put back on my clothes from last night because I don’t have any other clothes with me, and if I don’t put something more on, I’m going to be tempted to take hers off. The truth is I never stay the night with a female. Staying leads to commitment, and commitment isn’t something I’ll ever be able to give a woman, and I don’t want to lead anyone on.
Since she’s still sleeping, I order room service for breakfast. Unsure of what she eats, I order a little of everything and give them my credit card to cover the bill.
I pull out my phone and check for any messages. There are a few texts from Kaden reminding me of when our flight leaves and asking if I got laid. I ignore those. There’s one from my mom congratulating me on my win. A little late mom, that was almost a week ago. She’s probably drinking again. The last text is from my dad, asking if we need anyone to come by to help with the move. I text him back to let him know it’s all taken care of and I’ll see him in a couple days at the new training center. Just thinking about my dad puts me in a foul mood.
I shake off the aggravation I feel brewing from just the little contact I had with him and put my phone back into my pocket. I notice Liz starting to stir awake as she begins to stretch her legs and pull her arms over her head. The sheet that was wrapped around her entire body starts to move downward.
By the way, she’s totally a bed and sheet hogger.
Under the sheets, she’s wearing a cute, light pink tank top with her nipples poking through the thin material and tiny, cotton polka dotted matching shorts. Everything about her screams innocence. Her eyes come into focus and after a second, a small, shy smile spreads across her face. I’d like to think she’s remembering last night.