The Perfect Stroke (Lucas Brothers #1)(45)

“I can’t believe you,” she huffs in my ear for me alone. “Ignore him. He hit his head on a stall door in the barn. He’s obviously delirious,” she says louder for everyone to hear. Everyone remains silent, most likely because they know I’m totally serious.

Mom reaches over and takes a piece of hay that was stuck in CC’s hair. “You seem to have hay in your hair, sweetie. You really should have picked the kitchen table. That hay can be mighty uncomfortable. And the barn usually has mosquitoes big enough to carry a body off,” she says.

“Umm…”

“And you needn’t worry. Janson made sure this table could hold up an army. It’s sturdy enough to handle anything you two do.”

“Umm,” CC says again, probably not knowing what to say. Mom has that effect on everyone, and has it often.

“There’s a lot of good memories on this table. It’s our favorite worshipping altar,” Janson agrees.

“You guys, really? I eat off this table!” Cyan growls, being the lone Lucas sibling who still lives at home.

“So do I,” says Janson, grinning and winking at Mom.

Everyone moans at the yuckiness of thinking of our Mom like that. Hell, my own moan joins in.

“You have a very strange family, crayon man.”

“If I had a dollar…” I sigh, then put some roast on CC’s plate before adding some to mine. I do the same with the mashed potatoes.

“What if I didn’t want mashed potatoes?” she asks, then reaches over to get a roll and put it on my plate.

“You love mashed potatoes. The waitress at the diner always makes sure you get a double order and you eat every bite,” I tell her, pulling off a piece of the roll with my fingers and popping it in my mouth.

She turns to look at me, studying my face. “You notice things like that?”

“I notice everything about you, Cooper.”

“Why?” she asks, sounding really confused.

“Because you matter,” I tell her, kissing her briefly on the lips. Then I return to eating, leaving her to think while I get lost in the conversations going on around us. I figure I’ve given her enough to think about.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Tomorrow, I’ll push a little more.





“This was your room growing up?”

“What gave it away?”

“The naked girl posters.”

“Well, this was also Green’s room, so those are his, and I’d like to point out that some of them are wearing clothes.”

“Like… those two over there?” I point to the wall across from the bed.

“Well, those are Green’s. Really, they all are, except Sophia Loren there. That one is all mine.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Hell no! That woman is trophy-boner worthy.”

“Okay, first of all, talking about other women inducing boners while in bed with me? Yeah, that should never happen again.”

“Point made, sweet lips,” he whispers, rolling over me so his body covers mine. He kisses along the inside of my neck and, just like that, I have to struggle to remember what we were talking about.

“Second, what is a trophy-boner?”

“It’s what you get from me every f*cking time without even trying,” he says, grabbing my hand and pulling it to his dick. He wraps my hand around it, putting his own on top of mine. We stroke his cock together while looking into each other’s eyes.

I grin. “That is impressive.”

“And you and Sophia Loren are the only two women to ever get me this hard,” he whispers, biting on my earlobe.

“Oh my God! You do realize that she’s, like, one hundred and eighty now, right?”

“Sacrilege! She’s like eighty, eighty-one tops.”

“It scares me that you know this.”

“Hey, I get invested when it matters,” he murmurs, sliding down my body and kissing my stomach. I reluctantly let go of his cock, but only because his mouth is headed in a direction I’d definitely like to have it. I close my eyes and enjoy the way his lips graze against the skin on my stomach and the small kisses he places along my hip bone.

“Cooper, I have a favor to ask you.”

“What’s that?” Something in his tone pulls me out of my happy place.

“I want you to go to Nebraska with me.”

“Nebraska?” I’m completely alert now. My body stiffens and Gray must notice because he sighs and pulls up so he can lie beside me. He picks up my hand and pulls it to him, letting his fingers trace around the bones in my wrists as he massages my palm.

“That’s where my next tournament is. I’ve been on break for a couple of weeks because of tendonitis in my shoulder. I have to go to Nebraska, and I really want you with me.”

“They play golf in Nebraska?”

“Yes, though everyone wants to avoid the course I’m on.”

“I thought in golf you could pick and choose what tournaments you play in? Or did I read that wrong?”

“You researched golf?” he asks, turning to look at me. I shrug uncomfortably. If he knew how much he consumed my thoughts, he’d probably worry. He kisses the tip of my nose and grins like a big kid on Christmas morning. “That deserves a reward, Claudia Cooper.”