Lasting Summer - [Loving Summer 05] Read online

  Even his name sounded like a rock star’s. “So, Cooper,” I said, “Why are you taking this class?”

  “I was curious about it,” he said. “Plus I’m interested in the way our society is and where it’s heading. Especially with all the technical advances we have these days. You?”

  “I was told this is the class I needed to fulfill my undergraduate requirements. Sorry, not so deep as your reason for being here.”

  Cooper laughed. “Well, you’re here, might as well enjoy it.”

  “Yes,” I laughed.

  Cooper brought up his hand to face me, and I high-fived him, making me giggle outloud. He was exactly the kind of guy I needed right now. A breath of fresh air, a different kind of guy from Drew, Nat, and Astor. A guy who seemed to just take life one moment at a time…which reminded me of someone I used to know. Myself.

  A guy who I could just be friends with. I smiled at Cooper and said, “Thanks for making me stay. I think I’m going to enjoy this class.”

  “Of course,” he said. “Now pay attention. I think class is about to start.” He pointed to the front of the room where a man in his fifties with glasses and a beard went to the podium.

  “Good afternoon,” he said, “I’m Professor Knapp. In case you think this is a class on sexual relationship and dating…” he coughed looking straight at Drew and his harem, which had the decency to stop fawning over Drew to sit straight ahead, “you’re in the wrong class. That class is being offered next semester and being taught by yours truly.”

  My mouth dropped open and I looked over at Cooper, grabbing his wrist. “No way!”

  Cooper laughed. “Just can’t judge a book by its cover, can you?”

  “Yes, um, being a Sociologist,” Professor Knapp continued, “covers some of that, and you would be surprise to find we as humans, our society, and civilization are defined by our social mores towards sexuality, gender roles, and relationships. Please sign up for that class next semester if any of that appeals to you.”

  The harem in front of the classroom giggled, while Drew raised his hand.

  “Yes, Mr…”

  “Donovan,” Drew said. “Will you touch on society’s rules on dating, courtship, and proper etiquette, even with today’s rules?”

  “Very thoughtful question, Mr. Donovan,” Professor Knapp said, “especially coming from a guy who, let me guess, patterns himself after Casanova?”

  The class laughed.

  “I just want to know,” Drew spoke up, “the expectations placed on young people like us on what is proper and what isn’t. You see, Professor Knapp, as an aspiring Casanova, I want to know everything there is about how to please a woman. I want to know what makes them tick, what makes them fall madly and wildly in love with you.”

  The harem gave a collective sigh while I took an involuntary short breath. No doubt he was referring to me. I felt a flush sweep over my face and tried to sink deeper into my seat.

  Professor Knapp chuckled. “That’s a pretty honest reason why you’d be interested in taking the class. I’m afraid the class wouldn’t be about sexual techniques but more about society’s take on sexuality and how that shapes our personal choices. As far as getting a woman to fall wildly and madly in love with you, I would say, from personal experience, it depends on the woman. As far as what to do exactly, you’d have to ask my wife what I did right.”

  The room laughed, and I had to admit, I already liked Professor Knapp and was interested in everything he had to say.

  “Now if there aren’t any more questions regarding my other class, please take out that sheet of paper my assistant passed out, marked ‘syllabus’.”

  I listened to everything Professor Knapp was saying, finding this class more and more fascinating than I had originally thought. My focus was on him, but I saw Drew turn around after he was through with his question, and he looked straight at me, his eyes glaring into mine. He glanced over at Cooper next to me, and scowled.

  “Looks like Peacock isn’t too happy about me sitting next to you,” Cooper joked.

  “He shouldn’t care,” I said. “After all look at all the girls surrounding him,” I gulped. “Not that I’m using you to make him jealous. That never even crossed my mind, and I’m no way into that kind of game. It’s immature and childish, and I refuse to stoop to Drew’s level.”

  Cooper laughed. “So that’s what’s going on between you two. I kinda sensed you knew him from the way you were talking about him and staring at his back.”

  “We, um, just broke up, more on my part, and…”

  “Oh,” Cooper said. “That explains that look he had on his face when he glared at me just now.”

  “I’m so sorry, Cooper,” I apologized. “You must think I’m a real mess, but, I hate that you’re already brought into our mixed up complicated relationship.”

  “No apologies needed, really,” Cooper said. “I understand. I was in a relationship just like it not too long ago, and believe me, it can mess you up bad if you don’t have friends to help you through it.”

  “You too, huh?” I asked, looking up into his earnest face. Who would break up with such a nice and gorgeous guy like Cooper.

  Cooper took a deep breath and exhaled. “I’m still trying to get over it.”

  “How long ago?” I asked.

  “A few months ago,” he said. “Our relationship got so complicated, circumstances got in the way, and now…” he sighed, “I’m afraid I walked out on the best thing that could have happened to me.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” I said reaching out to hold his hand. “If it makes it any better, I feel the same way.”

  “Thanks, Summer,” he said wistfully.

  My breath stopped, and my heart skipped a beat. For a moment, when he said “Summer”, I thought I heard Nat’s voice.

  I shook my head. It couldn’t be Nat, and he was nowhere near me. Maybe it was because I was wishing so badly last night to see him again at Drew’s place. Maybe it was because I dreamt about kissing him and nearly making love with him last night. My dream seemed so real, I felt as though I did see, feel, and touched Nat.

  “Hey, are you alright?” Cooper asked. “You kinda spaced out just now.”

  I shook my head again. “I’m fine. I thought for a moment, I heard the voice of a dear friend of mine.”

  “Oh,” Cooper said, “Must be someone really special.”

  “He is!” I beamed. “No one can take his place in my heart.”

  Cooper smiled. “I bet he would be happy to hear you say that to him.”

  “I tried, but it’s complicated.”

  “The story of my life, too,” Cooper said.

  “So, Cooper,” I grinned, feeling like I’ve met someone who understood what I was going through. “I think you and I being here was meant to be. If you ever need to talk to someone, you can call me.” I handed him my number.

  “I will,” Cooper said. “Thank you. And of course, you can do the same with me.”

  “Alright!” I giggled. It was loud enough to carry to the front row, and Drew’s head turned around so quickly, I was afraid he would have whiplash.

  “Oh, looks like Peacock heard you,” Cooper nudged me. “If you do need to put him in his place, serve him his own medicine, I’ll be happy to help.”

  “You don’t have to, and that’s not what I want to do,” I said.

  “I just don’t like him flaunting all that in your face, especially since you said you just broke up. Any guy should have the decency to respect the relationship you once had by at least keeping all of that flirting to himself.”

  “Sounds like Drew has a thing or two to learn from you,” I said.

  Cooper narrowed his eyes at Drew, clenching down on his jaw. “Just because he’s now wearing an expensive Armani suit doesn’t make him a gentleman.”

  “So,” Professor Knapp’s voice carried over to Cooper and I, “That is the end of our session today. Be sure to read the first five chapters of your book by next class.
We may have a guest speaker, and I would like for you to get the most out of his lecture.”

  The class dismissed, and I grabbed my bag, placing my tablet which I’d taken notes, in it.

  Cooper stood up, and held out his hand to me. “May I?”

  I smiled. Cooper was such a gentleman. I took his hand and he pulled me up to face him. Like I thought, he was tall and solid, like in solid muscles. He would definitely give Drew competition.

  Speaking of Drew, as soon as I was up and smiling at Cooper, Drew had bounded up the stairs to stand next to Cooper, glaring at me and him.

  Cooper gave me a look. “Do you need me to walk you to your next class?”

  I glanced over at Drew, whose glare had turned into a look of despair. “Summer,” he said, “I need to talk to you.”

  Cooper waited, crossing his arms like he had all the time in the world.

  I was about to place my hand on Cooper’s elbow to tell him, “let’s go,” when Drew grabbed my wrist.

  “Drew…” I said looking down at his hand.

  Cooper uncrossed his arms and stood up next to Drew, letting him know his presence.

  Drew dropped his hand, and slumped down. “I only wanted to talk, Summer. Alone, just us two.” He glared at Cooper.

  I looked down, remembering everything that happened between Drew and I last night, including how he made love to me. I blushed. “Okay,” I said.

  I turned to Cooper and said, “Thank you.”

  “No need for thanks,” Cooper said. “Call me if you need me.” Then he took off.

  Chapter 9

  Drew

  It still gets me bad when I see other men sniffing around Summer. I know she’s beautiful inside and out, has the prettiest face I’ve ever seen, and a body like a Victoria Secret model so she will be attracting guys like bees to honey without even trying, but she’s mine. She may not think so at the present, but she has and will always be mine.

  “Summer,” I said, after that too good-looking hunk standing next to her left. I had so much I wanted to tell her, but just seeing her angry at me, with her arms crossed, and instead of the warm adoring smile she always gave me, there was a scowl on her face, my mind went blank.

  “Yes?” she asked.

  My plan of getting her jealous, of forcing her to react to me, to acknowledged me, to even notice me in the class I saw we were taking together; back-fired on me. She was no longer buying my bad boy one-night-stand act that the other girls ate up. In fact, when I thought about it, she never did. She always saw through it. She always saw through me.

  I was seriously at my wit’s end.

  I ran my hands over my face, looking down. “What can I do to get you back into my life, Summer?”

  She uncrossed her arms, bringing her arms down. Her face was no longer filled with anger as something like compassion took its place. “Drew,” she said softly. “I want to have you in my life. I truly do, but you keep doing something like this every time I get close to you.”

  “Summer,” I said filled with remorse, “this was stupid. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get all these girls throwing themselves at me like this in front of you. I…”

  “You can’t help that,” Summer said.

  “I know so I’m glad you understand that it’s not my fault…”

  “But you could help the way you reacted to them. You didn’t have to flirt back. You didn’t have to let that President Sorority chick tongue-kissed you in front of everyone,” Summer said.

  My face was hot with shame as she recalled everything that just happened an hour ago. I was so stupid. How could I have done all that when all I wanted was to get Summer back? Now she never wants anything to do with me.

  “Drew…it makes doubt what we’ve had, what you said to me last night, that you love me…I don’t know if you mean it or I’m a conquest for you, another warm body for you to fuck.”

  God, I really screwed up.

  “You’re not, Summer. None of those girls…no one else means more to me than you. You have to believe me.”

  “Why can’t I believe you anymore, Drew?” she cried, the tears flowing down her cheeks freely.

  My heart broke watching her cry, yet I wasn’t sure if she wanted me to touch her. I wanted to wrap my arms around her, to kiss away her tears. I wanted to take away all the pain I’ve caused her.

  “Summer, please don’t cry.”

  “I can’t help it,” she whimpered. “I cared so much for you, but now…I can’t even trust you. I feel as though I’ve lost another person I loved so much…Aunt Sookie, Nat, and you.”

  “Please Summer,” I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her tight into my chest as I held her with my dear life. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done to hurt you. I don’t deserve you, I know, but I can’t let you go. If I do, you might as well kill me. Without you, I am just a fragment of myself. You make me whole, Summer. You mean so much to me, you’ve got to believe me.”

  “Drew,” Summer said, wiping away her tears. “I’m trying…”

  “Please Summer, at least let’s be friends. At least let me into your life as a friend. I won’t push you into anything.”

  “I don’t…”

  “You let that guy sitting next to you be a friend,” Drew said jealously. “You don’t even know him, yet he’s already friendly with you, laughing about everything during class. I could hear you from where I was sitting, and…Summer, if you think that guy just wants friendship from you, you’d better think again.”

  “Drew!” I scolded. “Cooper’s not looking for a relationship right now. He’s trying to get over his last one…the love of his life, so in a way, he’s perfect for a friend,” I said.

  “Cooper?” Drew asked. “You call him by his first name now?”

  “What name should I call him by? His last name?”

  “No, it’s just…”

  “What?”

  “Okay, I’m jealous. I’m jealous of any man or anyone getting close to you.”

  “You can’t be, Drew,” I said. “I have to have other people in my life…I no longer belong to you.”

  Her words sliced through me like a sword, and I felt myself almost stumbling back.

  Summer was mine. How could she say she wasn’t?

  My entire body aches with an unquenchable desire when I’m near her. Just the sight of her, the smell of her, brings out all those alpha male tendencies. Like a caveman, I wanted to possess her, take her, parade her around as my woman.

  My finger traced the skin on her neck up to her ear, and gently rubbed it. I felt her body shudder against mine. I love touching her behind her ear. I love that little shudder she does when I’ve found one of her erogenous zones.

  Did she say she no longer belong to me? Maybe with her mind, but her body tells me otherwise. Yes, she still belongs to me.

  She stopped crying and just let me hold her, rubbing her behind her ear, letting her lean into me. Her body temperature had risen, and I can see her face flush.

  Oh, she was aroused. My male hunter’s instinct tuned into that spicy but sweet scent I knew too well.

  “I…” I began.

  “Don’t talk,” Summer said, closing her eyes and shushing me.

  I did what she commanded and continued touching and massaging her. Perhaps if this was all she wanted from our relationship for now, I could live with that. I could happily supply her with a constant source of Drew loving.

  Maybe that’s all she wanted from me…my body.

  Again, I could live with that.

  “Why can’t I stop wanting your touch, Drew?” Summer asked.

  “I could guess a million reasons why, Summer,” I said, “but how about, it’s because you and I have incredible chemistry. Try as much as we did to suppress it, it’s there.”

  “Yes,” Summer sighed. “It’s there.”

  “About this friendship thing, Summer,” I began. “It includes benefits, you know, well, on my part at least. You can do whatever you want
with me. I’m fine with that.”

  “You are, are you?” she asked.

  “If you want to jump my bones, I’m more than happy to oblige.”

  “I thought you’d say that…”

  “So until we resolve this trust thing between us, until we figure out what I need to work on in order for you to take me seriously as the man for you, I propose having an arrangement where we satisfy each others’ sexual urges and needs when we have them, with no strings attached. We’re not married, not engage, and not dating; but we have needs, and we can’t deny how much our bodies crave each others’. What do you think?”

  Summer was silent, which made me worried. She was thinking this through, and when she thinks anything through and let common sense take over, it’s usually a ‘no’.

  I increased my rubbing behind her ears, and bent down to lick the sensitive area.

  “Remember how good it felt when you came last night? Remember how long I can hold you up and devour your sexy sweet pussy? How I love sucking on it?”

  “Oh Drew,” Summer moaned. “You’re so persistent.”

  “Yes, I am, Summer,” I breathed into her ear. “Especially when it comes to you.”

  I stuck my tongue into her ear then and traced her lobe. “Dammit, Drew,” Summer muttered. “You drive a hard bargain. I can’t tear myself away from you.”

  “Is that an ‘yes’?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she moaned.

  “Good,” I said. “It’s settled. We have an arrangement, and whenever you need me, I’ll come running, and whenever I need you…”

  “We’ll see, Drew,” Summer said. “Whenever you need me, find me.”

  Chapter 10

  Summer

  Drew and I parted after our so-called arrangement, and I went back to the Pad, eager to begin my work for the Sociology class.