His affection? Was there a way to assure that didn’t happen? Was he being a selfish bastard for wanting to make sure it never did?
“Coop?”
He blinked. Had he been staring at her while all those crazy thoughts rushed through his brain? And were they crazy? His steady gaze held hers. No, they weren’t crazy. Irrational, yes. Crazy, no. There was a difference.
When she said his name again he answered, “Yes?”
“Are you okay?”
Now, that was a good question. Was he? To her he said, “I just realized how little we know of each other. How very little information was exchanged between us in Paris.”
“We didn’t do much talking,” she blurted out. From the look on her face he knew she hadn’t meant to say that. It didn’t matter since what she’d said was true. Her hormones and his testosterone had been working overtime and the only thing they’d wanted to do was assuage the desire flowing between them. He hadn’t wanted to know anything about her and she hadn’t wanted to know anything about him. For those three days, pleasure had been the name of the game and they’d played it well.
“No, we didn’t,” he said. “And now we have a son to show for it. I want to get to know you.”
“Why?”
“Because you are the mother of my child and there is a lot I don’t know.”
She lifted a chin. “Don’t sweat it. The only thing you truly need to know is that I love him, will always take care of him and put his interests first.”
He wondered if that was really all he needed to know. Maybe. Then maybe not. It had been one thing to arrive in New York a few days ago without a care in the world. His only thought had been how soon he could return to California. Now things had changed. He had a son. A real flesh-and-blood son. He also had a fake wife, who was the one woman he desired most. He could admit that no other woman had ignited his passion as quickly and as easily as Bristol.
Thoughts of her had sustained him. He recalled every single time he had touched her. How he had touched her. He remembered tasting her and how she’d tasted. How it felt to experience heaven while inside her. Their bodies locked together and hurtling into one orgasm after another.
“I’m not sure that’s the only thing I need to know, Bristol,” he said, finally addressing her earlier statement. “I need to know you.”
She frowned. “No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do. And you need to know me. Laramie needs to know me. He has grandparents that he needs to get to know and vice versa.”
“I have no problem with that.”
No, she might not. But would everything be on her terms? What if that guy Culpepper decided to come back around sniffing behind her the minute Coop was gone? His mouth pressed into a hard line at the thought.
“Can I ask you something, Coop?”
He looked over at her. “Yes.”
“How do you feel about having a son? One you didn’t know you had?”
He thought about her question, wanting to answer as honestly as he could. “I always liked kids well enough, Bristol. I get along fine with Mac’s four. They call me Uncle Coop and all. But to be quite honest with you, I never intended to have any of my own because marriage wasn’t on my radar. And having one out of wedlock was something I never intended to do. But now he’s here. I’ve seen him and knowing he’s mine and that you and I made him is so overwhelming. It’s caused emotions I didn’t think were possible to feel. It’s not just about me anymore. Now it’s about my child and you.”
He saw the frown that touched her lips. “You don’t need to concern yourself with me, Coop.”
Boy, was she wrong about that. As far as he was concerned, she and his son were a package deal. The kind Mac had warned him about. But them being a package deal was Coop’s choice, since it obviously wasn’t hers. Nevertheless, he knew better than to try to convince her just yet. They would finish their conversation regarding their fake marriage later.
“When can I come back?”
“You’re always welcome here, Coop. You’re Laramie’s father and like I told you, I would never keep you from sharing a relationship with him.”
However, if she were to marry one day, a future husband might. He’d heard stories from Flipper about how one of his brothers had to constantly take his ex-wife to court for visitation rights. Just because this guy she’d married hadn’t felt comfortable with Flipper’s brother coming around whenever he’d wanted to see his daughter.
Coop didn’t want to deal with that kind of problem. “I’d like to take you and Laramie to dinner tonight,” he said.
“Dinner?”
“Yes, dinner. Is that a problem?”
“No, but other than McDonald’s, I’ve never taken Laramie out to eat.”
He liked the idea that his son’s first time going to a restaurant would be with him. “There’s a first time for everything, don’t you think?”
* * *
Bristol recalled another time he’d told her that. It had been in Paris after he’d stripped her naked and she’d told him that no other man had been in her apartment before.
“So will you and Laramie have dinner with me tonight?”
“Where?”
“You pick the place.”
She drew in a deep breath. Maybe going out to dinner wouldn’t be so bad. “Laramie loves spaghetti and there’s an Italian restaurant not far from here.”
“I happen to like spaghetti, too, so that will work for me, if it works for you,” he said.
“It will work for me if it’s early. I need to have Laramie back here with a bath and into his pajamas no later than eight.”
He nodded. “Will reservations at five o’clock be okay?”
“Yes. That’s the time he usually eats dinner anyway.”
Bristol was wondering why on earth she was paying so much attention to Coop’s mouth when they should be figuring out details regarding Laramie. Why was she paying so much attention to his captivating eyes? To his masculine body? She saw men all the time but had never focused on any of those things. Why him? She knew the answer. Mainly because she knew how that mouth felt connected to hers.
She knew how it felt to be held within the scope of those eyes while desire streamed through her. And she knew all about that masculine body. How it felt to be beneath it. To feel the weight of it on her. To feel him inside her. Her breathing became choppy and she forced her gaze away from him.
“Are you okay, Bristol?”
Was she? She wanted to think she was, but honestly she wasn’t sure. He’d been the last man she had slept with and now all those
