Circumstances Part 5
So here is part 5. I did absolutely no proof reading on this chapter and I apologize in advance for all the mistakes I'm sure I made. *grin* I hope you like it. *fingers crossed*
Ashlee was comfortable. Really comfortable. Then she realized why, she was in bed with Coop and that's when the previous days events came rushing back to her. She opened her eyes to find that her head was on Coop's bare chest and she had her arm flung across his abdomen. No wonder she was so comfortable. Her first impulse was to pull away from him, but it felt too good to be with him and besides, she didn't want to wake him.
When Coop had come to bed the previous night, she had pretended she was already asleep. She hadn't wanted to talk about that kiss or how right it had felt. She certainly didn't want to talk about how much she wanted that moment to last forever. So, Ashlee had taken the cowards way out and decided to feign sleep. She had felt Coop tossing and turning most of the night, so she knew he'd slept just about as badly as she had. She didn't remember how she had ended up in his arms, but she knew she didn't want to leave them just yet.
Ashlee couldn't resist running her hand along his perfect stomach, her fingers making lazy circles. She was enjoying the feel of his warm skin under her finger tips when his hand suddenly came down on hers, trapping her hand against his flat abdomen. Ashlee looked up in surprise.
"I... uh... how long have you been awake?" She asked, studying his face.
"A while." Coop replied, taking a deep breath. Ashlee pulled her hand away from his grip and sat up.
"Oh, did I wake you?" She asked, feeling more than a little embarrassed.
"No..." Ashlee's eyes met his and she realized he'd been awake the whole time.
"Oh." Ashlee looked away from him again. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
Coop's hand brushed the hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Ashlee's first instinct was to lean into his touch, but she caught herself before she did. "You seemed so comfortable..." His voice trailed off with a shrug. Ashlee's eyes dropped to his shoulders, why did he have to be so hot? Coop cleared his throat and her eyes flew up to meet his. "You want some breakfast?"
"Actually, I think I want to take a shower first."
"Ash, you need to stay off your foot." Ashlee sighed to herself. She hated when he was right. "Look, I'll get a bath ready for you, okay?" She nodded.
Ashlee had thought she needed time to be alone, to figure things out, but she couldn't help but enjoy having Coop take care of her. She'd missed him and the more time she spent with him the more she wondered if she'd made a horrible mistake.
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Coop had the TV on but he couldn't concentrate, not while Ashlee was in his bath tub. This morning he had woken up to find Ashlee in his arms. He wasn't sure when he had finally managed to fall asleep, but when he woke up all he could think was that he could've stayed there forever. He had known immediately when she had awakened, but he couldn't seem to let go of that moment. When she started touching him, though, he knew he had to stop her or else things would have gotten out of control. They still hadn't talked about that kiss last night, either. He sighed and flipped off the TV. He and Ashlee had never been great about talking about the important things. Some times it was like pulling teeth to get Ashlee to tell him how she was feeling.
"Coop?" Ashlee's voice came through the bathroom door. Coop hopped up, worried that something was wrong.
"Yeah?" He opened the door and stuck his head in the bathroom. He lost his entire train of thought when he glimpsed Ashlee in the bath. The bubbles covered everything but her shoulders which were glistening from the water and she had her hair pinned up on her head. Coop's fingers were itching to unpin it. When she turned to look at him over her shoulder, his breath caught in his throat. She was so beautiful, sometimes it still shocked him.
"I left the shampoo on the counter." She said pointing to it. "I was going to try and get it, but with my foot, I didn't think..."
"Right." He said grabbing the shampoo off the counter. He walked over to the tub and knelt down beside it. Ashlee's eyes widened but before she could say anything, he pulled the clip out of her hair, grabbed the detachable shower head and wet her hair.
"Coop, I can do it." She said turning towards him.
"Shhh." Coop didn't even look at her when he shooshed her. He was already working the shampoo into her hair. He knew he shouldn't be doing it, but the need to touch her hair, just to be near her was too much. His fingers massaged her scalp and he wasn't sure if she even noticed the little sigh that fell from her lips, but he noticed it. His whole body noticed it. His hands left her scalp and massaged down her neck to her shoulders.
"Coop... ?" Ashlee turned to look at him, confusion and lust warring in her eyes. Before he could talk himself out of it he kissed her. His lips landed on hers. There was nothing tender about the kiss, it was desperate. Her arms wrapped around him pulling him closer to her, soaking the t-shirt he had just put on an hour ago. He licked at her lips until she opened her mouth for him, her tongue meeting his. His hands slid over her wet curves, wanting to touch every part of her. She moaned in to his mouth, pulling him closer so he was half in the tub and half out, water was sloshing all over the bathroom floor. He pulled away for a moment, resting his forehead against hers. They were both breathing heavy. Coop wanted nothing more than to take her to the bed and spend the rest of the day making love to her.
But he couldn't, not until they discussed some things. He knew if he made love to her, let himself get that close to her again, and she left, he wouldn't be able to stand it. He didn't know if he could survive losing her again.
"Ashlee, we can't do this." He said pulling away from her.
"I thought you wanted..." Her blue eyes showed her hurt.
Coop took her face in his hands. "Listen to me, I want you. I always want you." He placed a soft kiss on her lips. "But we... we need to talk. Before anything else happens, we need to talk... about us."
"Yeah, you're right." Ashlee said meeting his eyes briefly.
"You finish your bath and then we'll get something to eat and talk, okay?" When she nodded he couldn't resist leaning in for one more brief kiss. He stood up grabbed a towel, because he was soaked, and left the bathroom closing the door behind him. He leaned against the closed door and let out a breath. He should get an award for his self-control.
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Ashlee was comfortable. Really comfortable. Then she realized why, she was in bed with Coop and that's when the previous days events came rushing back to her. She opened her eyes to find that her head was on Coop's bare chest and she had her arm flung across his abdomen. No wonder she was so comfortable. Her first impulse was to pull away from him, but it felt too good to be with him and besides, she didn't want to wake him.
When Coop had come to bed the previous night, she had pretended she was already asleep. She hadn't wanted to talk about that kiss or how right it had felt. She certainly didn't want to talk about how much she wanted that moment to last forever. So, Ashlee had taken the cowards way out and decided to feign sleep. She had felt Coop tossing and turning most of the night, so she knew he'd slept just about as badly as she had. She didn't remember how she had ended up in his arms, but she knew she didn't want to leave them just yet.
Ashlee couldn't resist running her hand along his perfect stomach, her fingers making lazy circles. She was enjoying the feel of his warm skin under her finger tips when his hand suddenly came down on hers, trapping her hand against his flat abdomen. Ashlee looked up in surprise.
"I... uh... how long have you been awake?" She asked, studying his face.
"A while." Coop replied, taking a deep breath. Ashlee pulled her hand away from his grip and sat up.
"Oh, did I wake you?" She asked, feeling more than a little embarrassed.
"No..." Ashlee's eyes met his and she realized he'd been awake the whole time.
"Oh." Ashlee looked away from him again. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
Coop's hand brushed the hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Ashlee's first instinct was to lean into his touch, but she caught herself before she did. "You seemed so comfortable..." His voice trailed off with a shrug. Ashlee's eyes dropped to his shoulders, why did he have to be so hot? Coop cleared his throat and her eyes flew up to meet his. "You want some breakfast?"
"Actually, I think I want to take a shower first."
"Ash, you need to stay off your foot." Ashlee sighed to herself. She hated when he was right. "Look, I'll get a bath ready for you, okay?" She nodded.
Ashlee had thought she needed time to be alone, to figure things out, but she couldn't help but enjoy having Coop take care of her. She'd missed him and the more time she spent with him the more she wondered if she'd made a horrible mistake.
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Coop had the TV on but he couldn't concentrate, not while Ashlee was in his bath tub. This morning he had woken up to find Ashlee in his arms. He wasn't sure when he had finally managed to fall asleep, but when he woke up all he could think was that he could've stayed there forever. He had known immediately when she had awakened, but he couldn't seem to let go of that moment. When she started touching him, though, he knew he had to stop her or else things would have gotten out of control. They still hadn't talked about that kiss last night, either. He sighed and flipped off the TV. He and Ashlee had never been great about talking about the important things. Some times it was like pulling teeth to get Ashlee to tell him how she was feeling.
"Coop?" Ashlee's voice came through the bathroom door. Coop hopped up, worried that something was wrong.
"Yeah?" He opened the door and stuck his head in the bathroom. He lost his entire train of thought when he glimpsed Ashlee in the bath. The bubbles covered everything but her shoulders which were glistening from the water and she had her hair pinned up on her head. Coop's fingers were itching to unpin it. When she turned to look at him over her shoulder, his breath caught in his throat. She was so beautiful, sometimes it still shocked him.
"I left the shampoo on the counter." She said pointing to it. "I was going to try and get it, but with my foot, I didn't think..."
"Right." He said grabbing the shampoo off the counter. He walked over to the tub and knelt down beside it. Ashlee's eyes widened but before she could say anything, he pulled the clip out of her hair, grabbed the detachable shower head and wet her hair.
"Coop, I can do it." She said turning towards him.
"Shhh." Coop didn't even look at her when he shooshed her. He was already working the shampoo into her hair. He knew he shouldn't be doing it, but the need to touch her hair, just to be near her was too much. His fingers massaged her scalp and he wasn't sure if she even noticed the little sigh that fell from her lips, but he noticed it. His whole body noticed it. His hands left her scalp and massaged down her neck to her shoulders.
"Coop... ?" Ashlee turned to look at him, confusion and lust warring in her eyes. Before he could talk himself out of it he kissed her. His lips landed on hers. There was nothing tender about the kiss, it was desperate. Her arms wrapped around him pulling him closer to her, soaking the t-shirt he had just put on an hour ago. He licked at her lips until she opened her mouth for him, her tongue meeting his. His hands slid over her wet curves, wanting to touch every part of her. She moaned in to his mouth, pulling him closer so he was half in the tub and half out, water was sloshing all over the bathroom floor. He pulled away for a moment, resting his forehead against hers. They were both breathing heavy. Coop wanted nothing more than to take her to the bed and spend the rest of the day making love to her.
But he couldn't, not until they discussed some things. He knew if he made love to her, let himself get that close to her again, and she left, he wouldn't be able to stand it. He didn't know if he could survive losing her again.
"Ashlee, we can't do this." He said pulling away from her.
"I thought you wanted..." Her blue eyes showed her hurt.
Coop took her face in his hands. "Listen to me, I want you. I always want you." He placed a soft kiss on her lips. "But we... we need to talk. Before anything else happens, we need to talk... about us."
"Yeah, you're right." Ashlee said meeting his eyes briefly.
"You finish your bath and then we'll get something to eat and talk, okay?" When she nodded he couldn't resist leaning in for one more brief kiss. He stood up grabbed a towel, because he was soaked, and left the bathroom closing the door behind him. He leaned against the closed door and let out a breath. He should get an award for his self-control.
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