The Perfect Stroke (Lucas Brothers #1)(49)

I can hear her talking, but honestly I’m paying very little attention. My eyes are glued to her body and my cock is throbbing. I’ve always enjoyed sex, but having CC is making me a self-proclaimed sex addict.

“Gray! Eyes up here, moron. What bullshit are they pulling now?”

“Moron? Words hurt, Cooper.”

“I’m going to hurt you.”

“I’ve never been into dominating women, but for you, I’d be willing to try.”

“I know it’s hard, but will you try and be serious for a minute?”

I crouch down by the tub, folding my hands on the rim and smiling at her. “Well, I am pretty hard.”

“I know when there’s a naked woman in the room, your brain cells dissipate, but let’s try. What are those *s pulling now?”

“God, you’re sexy when you’re all set to defend me.”

“Right now I’m thinking I might rather kill you.”

I grin. Shit, this woman never stops giving me what I want.

“They’re not doing anything, sweet lips. They want to meet with me.”

“Of course they do, because they realize you’re the star. They need you. I swear, *s with money are all the same.”

“Hey now.”

“You know what I mean,” she growls. “So when do you meet with them?”

“They want to meet for dinner tomorrow night.”

She is silent for a few minutes. Then, she takes a deep breath and her hand slides along the side of my face. “You got this.”

There it is. CC giving me her support. CC believing in me. I don’t think she even realizes she does it, but she does. I notice, and that’s just one small thing in a million larger ones that makes her special, that makes her the woman I plan on keeping.

“We got this,” I correct her, giving her a gentle kiss on her lips. “I thought it would be harder to talk you into having dinner with them. It means a lot that you…”

“Wait. What are you talking about? Why would I be having dinner with them? It’s a business dinner. There’s no reason for me to be there.”

“There’s every reason. I want you there. Hell, Cooper, I need you there.”

“Gray, I don’t get along with those kind of people. If there’s anything our time together has taught us, it’s that.”

“Bullshit. We’re a team, CC. You and me against them all.”

“Gray…”

“I need you, CC.”

She closes her eyes, and guilt hits me. I know she’s given up a lot to come with me. I know this is hard for her. I’m a second away from telling her it’s okay when she surprises me.

“Okay, fine,” she says.

Elation strums through me. “You mean it?” I ask, sounding like a little kid.

“Yeah. I mean, how bad can it be? At least Cammie and her father won’t be there,” she says.

And here is my first huge mistake: I remain quiet. I don’t confess that Riverton will be there.

Instead, I say, “You amaze me.” I push the guilt down, then pull her in for a kiss. Our tongues dance. Her arms go around me and she gives herself over to me. I push in closer, intent on climbing into the tub and taking what’s mine.

“Gray! What are you doing? You’ll get all wet!”

“I don’t give a f*ck,” I tell her, and I don’t. I need this. I need her. And I really don’t want to think about what’s going to happen if Riverton and Cammie are at that meeting tomorrow night.





“Are you sure I look alright?” I ask Gray for the tenth time, which is crazy since I know I look good. I’m also confident in the dress I’m wearing. I spent all day researching places on the web so I would find the perfect dress to wear. We’re having dinner at a very uptown restaurant. It took us two hours to drive here. I guess the *s didn’t want to eat in the small town they had condemned Gray to compete in.

“Sweetheart, you look beautiful,” he says, and the softness in his voice almost undoes me. I’m wearing a black cocktail dress. Classic, chic, and definitely not something that will embarrass me or Gray. I went to a spa and had my hair tamed and fixed. If there is one thing about my outfit that Gray doesn’t like, my hair would be it; he loves my hair and misses the curls tonight. I’d never admit it, but I kind of do, too. I take a breath at the hostess table, trying to make sure my dress is straight and I haven’t done something stupid. I look behind me thinking I will find toilet paper stuck to my dress from when I went to the bathroom, but there isn’t. It doesn’t make a damn bit of sense, but then again, I’m not exactly making a lot of sense tonight. “Stop fidgeting, Cooper. You’re beautiful. You’re the best looking woman here tonight.”

“You haven’t seen the other women,” I tell him.

He pulls my face close to his, so close that our foreheads touch. His hands gently cup the sides of my neck and his eyes look deep into mine. “Since the moment I met you, Claudia Cooper, other women ceased to exist for me.” His words, so softly delivered, pierce my heart and squeeze it so tight it’s hard to breathe.

I fight through it, my hand going to cover his on my neck. “That’s a really good line, Grayson Lucas.”