Cooper’s Redemption (Crimson Romance)
Page 12
She glanced up and caught him staring. Her gaze held his for a long moment, then she smiled as if she was satisfied with herself. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving.” He heaped his plate with pasta and warm garlic bread. “I skipped lunch.”
“Did you find anything?”
“Not much,” he admitted. “I didn’t see any sign of my cattle. But I found out some interesting news. Some fellow named Lassiter is buying all the available stock in the country. I talked to him, but it didn’t do much good. But I’m thinking if all the legit stock is gone, then someone might be desperate enough to buy stolen heifers.”
Elizabeth sipped from a glass of wine. Suddenly she set down her drink. “Did you say Lassiter?”
“Yeah, why?” He took a bite and almost groaned. Damn. She could cook, too.
“Do you know who he is?”
“Not offhand. Should I?”
“Yes, well, I mean maybe. If this is the same Lassiter, he’s the heir to the oil company fortune. I’m sure it’s the same man. He used to live in Los Angeles, he left to come out here and go into cattle ranching.”
“He sure seemed well-to-do,” Cooper agreed. “So, it’s the same guy who’s running the oil business.”
“If I remember correctly, there was some big takeover scandal. I’m not sure.”
“Well, none of that has any bearing on stolen cattle,” Cooper said.
Elizabeth held her fork paused mid-air. “Do you remember if Tom went to the back door anytime the night he had you cuffed to the chair?”
“I don’t recall,” Cooper said, furrowing his brow. “Why?”
She told him of the strange remark her cousin had made in the sheriff’s office earlier that day. Then she asked, “Do you think it means anything?”
He shrugged. “Maybe it was a veiled threat. It’s hard to say.”
“Do you remember if Tom left you any time the other night?” She finally took a bite.
“Not that I recall.”
“Think hard,” she urged. “I believe he may have been the one who left the paper in the lock, then came in later and left the windows open.”
“I can’t say for sure,” he admitted. It seemed like Harper hadn’t left him alone for a single moment, but he couldn’t swear to it. “Do you think he’s the one because of the comment he made today?”
She nodded. “That and he had motive — to frame you — and time to jimmy the door.”
“It doesn’t prove anything,” Cooper muttered, “although the pieces fit.”
“I know,” she agreed. “If there was only some way to get proof.”
“I don’t know how.”
“We better figure out a way,” she countered, “before Tom frames you, and your goose is cooked.”
Chapter 11
Abruptly, Elizabeth began clearing the meal. When Cooper gathered the remaining items and helped store the leftovers she shot him a surprised look.
His mouth curved upward for a moment. “I do live alone.”
“I know, but you don’t seem … domestic.” Flustered, Elizabeth turned away. The old-fashioned kitchen felt too small with him in it. There was nowhere to look, or to hide from his knowing eyes.
“I could say the same for you, but you cook a mean lasagna.”
“I’m good at a lot of things. I could surprise you.” Belatedly, Elizabeth realized although she hadn’t meant her comment to sound sexual, it somehow came out that way. She hadn’t intended to insinuate she wanted this man like no other. Someone who had been doubly accused of murder. Although there was no proof either way, she’d trust him with her life. Flustered by the thought, her fingers went numb, and she dropped the pan. It fell to the floor with a loud, irritating clatter.
They both bent to retrieve it at the same time. She reached it first, his larger hand topping her own. With a gasp, Elizabeth jerked away and straightened. Her eyes met Cooper’s intense gaze. She swallowed. Holding the pan like a protective shield between them, she involuntarily moved forward a step. “Cooper?”
Like the mountain cat she’d likened him to, he slipped closer. Without a word, he took the dish from her trembling fingers and placed it carefully on the counter. His dark gaze held her immobile, like a butterfly on a display board. The raw hunger in his eyes made her stomach flutter.
“You know I can’t stay.” His voice rasped across her raw nerves.
She licked her bottom lip. Determined not to give in, she gathered her courage. “I don’t want you to leave.”
“It won’t work.”
She held out her hand and took his, tugging him toward her. When their thighs touched, she looked up into his hooded eyes. Far in their depths, beyond uncertainty, she saw hesitation. Amazed at her own boldness, she refused to release him, although he wasn’t struggling. “Please don’t go.”
“You don’t get it,” he said, still keeping his big hand in hers. “I’m not good for you.”
“Then make me understand.” She stroked his knuckles. Abruptly, he pulled his hand away and stared out the kitchen window.
Stung, Elizabeth watched his back. What had she done? Taken a chance and thrown herself at someone. How much worse could this get? Too embarrassed to speak, she backed away a step.
“This might work tonight, hell, maybe even for a week, or two. But how long before doubt crowds in? And takes over? This thing, Elizabeth, these unexplained deaths will drive a wedge between us.”
“They won’t if I don’t let them.” She spoke to his back. “Because I don’t believe you had any reason to kill Henry or Lyle. You’re not that kind of person.”
He swung around. The expression on his face unreadable. “Damn it, Elizabeth. I’m not the kind, gentle, touchy-feely type you’re used to in L.A. There’s no way for me to be anything else than what I am. There are things about me you don’t know, ugly things. Things that would make you sick.”
“I don’t care,” she said stubbornly. “I can only judge you by how you’ve treated me. And I know you’re a good man.”
He groaned, the sound seeming to rip from his very soul. “Don’t do this.”
“I’m not expecting you to be someone you’re not. The man I’ve gotten to know is the one I want.”
Without warning, he stepped forward and pinned her against the counter, his thighs solid against her own. His touch gentle as he cupped her face in his hands. But his mouth moving over hers, seeking, demanding, fired a response so hot her body shook.
She pushed him away and climbed the stairs.
Hoping, but too afraid to look back, she entered her bedroom. A strange terror filled her — fear that wouldn’t follow, and fear he would. She wasn’t physically afraid of him, that much she was certain of, but the uncertainty of what he could do to her heart was another thing.
She undid her blouse and fumbled with the buttons on her jeans with nervous fingers.
Her heart pounded so hard in her ears she didn’t hear him come up behind her. When his warm breath caressed her neck, she jumped. As his lips touched her skin, her arms fell and dangled uselessly at her sides. He nibbled at her neck, igniting damp heat in between her legs. She leaned back into his chest, allowing him to support her. From the tips of her toes to the very ends of her hair she felt like liquid fire. She reached for the light switch, and he caught her hand in his own. “Leave it. I want to see you.”
“Oh, Cooper … no.”
“Please?” he whispered in her ear.
She couldn’t have denied him if she wanted to. She jerked her head.
“Good girl.” He undid her jeans, allowing them to puddle at her feet. She lifted her hands and he stripped her shirt and bra. Quickly, he skimmed her silk panties over her hips, letting them join her jeans on the floor. As his hands moved from her waist, upward, gently cupping her breasts, Elizabeth gasped aloud.
Her head lolled back and he took advantage of the movement to nibble on her neck. Elizabeth’s entire body shook.
Turning around, she rose on tiptoe
and pressed her lips against his. He molded his hands to her rear and pressed her against him. His erection prodded her bare belly.
When he stepped back and studied her with hooded eyes, she allowed him to gaze at her. Completely vulnerable, completely nude. Pale skin dotted with freckles, she wasn’t movie star material. But the look in his eyes made her feel like she was more. Like she was the only woman he’d ever been with, and the only one he’d ever wanted.
Almost desperately, she pulled at his shirt until it fell free of his shoulders. She couldn’t get him unclothed fast enough. Before the material fell free of his shoulders, she tasted his skin. Now it was his turn to drop his hands at his sides.
Taking tiny, frantic nips along his collarbone, Elizabeth savored him. She drew in a deep breath. No designer cologne on this man. Only the clean and woodsy scent of the outdoors. Eagerly, she slipped jeans and shorts off slim hips.
Breathless, weak-kneed, she sank on the bed. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, she folded both hands around his taut penis, until it trembled in her grasp. Loving the smooth, silky texture, and his reaction, she experimentally stroked him with her thumbs. An audible gasp escaped him, and she smiled. She smoothed the tip until his entire body vibrated with supercharged energy.
He wrapped strands of her hair around his hands, tugging, but not painfully. When he began to buck against her hand, she released him.
“Cooper, I need you now.”
He hesitated. “I don’t have anything,” he muttered. “Not with me … ”
Elizabeth placed her fingers against his lips, then silenced him with a kiss. “Hold on.”
Getting up, she went in the bathroom. Rummaging hurriedly through her cosmetic case, she found a pack of nearly-forgotten condoms in the bottom. They’d been stowed there for the getaway she’d taken to Tahoe with a group of girlfriends last summer. The stash was exactly as she’d left it. Gina, Elizabeth’s best friend, had insisted she buy a box of assorted flavors and colors. Blushing, Elizabeth protested. The stash wouldn’t have been needed. She hadn’t exactly been the belle of the ball.
Thank goodness she remembered the rubbers tonight. Picking two of the plainest styles — she doubted Cooper was into mint-flavored ripples — she slipped back into the bedroom.
Climbing back in the bed beside him, she straddled his thighs, opened the wrapper and smoothed the contents over his erection. When he would’ve rolled her over, she teased, “Maybe I’ll just keep you like this for awhile. Torture you a bit.”
“No,” he said harshly.
Elizabeth couldn’t hold back the cry that escaped her lips when he reversed their positions, moving over her and thrusting inside her without warning. She hadn’t been expecting that maneuver and pain filled her as completely as he did. “Cooper, please stop.”
He only slammed into her two or three times before a shudder seemed to shake from his very bones before he collapsed on top of her.
Disappointment coursed through her. How could he be so selfish when it mattered most? A sigh escaped her. Lovemaking always looked so great in the movies. It just never matched up to her expectations in real life. One of the reasons she still had a full box of condoms when her friends had gone through theirs like bubblegum last summer.
When a soft snore came from Cooper, Elizabeth realized he had fallen asleep. Oh great. What a perfect ending. Typical. If only just once she could experience the wonder her girlfriends bragged about. She was beginning to believe they were all making it up.
Using all her strength, she shoved his dead weight off her. Rolling over, she closed her eyes and tried to unwind.
Maybe it was minutes, maybe hours later, Cooper moved beside her.
Without speaking, he went into the bathroom. Elizabeth hid her head under the covers, feigning sleep. When he returned in a moment, only the ticking of her alarm clock broke the silence. The bedsprings creaked as he settled his big body next to hers. His voice carried like a microphone in the dark. “Elizabeth, come here.”
When she still pretended to be asleep, he gathered her in his arms and pulled her against his chest. In spite of her resolve not to cry, a tear slipped down her nose. Damn it, she shouldn’t be this emotional. She was the only woman in the world dumb enough to think lovemaking in real life was anything like it looked in the movies — multiple orgasms, with rosy backlighting included.
With his lips buried in her hair, Cooper wiped the tear away with his thumb.
Shy to let him see her feelings, Elizabeth ducked her face against his chest.
He then slid his palm slowly over her breasts, fingers lingering. In spite of her determination not to react, her nipples peaked, swelled. The sensation of his work-roughened fingertips touching her sensitive nipples was almost unbearable. She moaned, wanting him to stop, wanting him not to.
When he replaced his hand with his mouth, she cried out, her hands cupping his head, urging him closer. When the pleasure had become almost painful, he moved his tongue to her ribcage, her quivering belly.
With infinite care, he slid one palm down her belly until it reached and rested on the satiny curls between her thighs. Beyond caring about pride, about disappointment, Elizabeth spread her legs. With painful slowness, he edged one finger toward the spot he’d just used so carelessly. When he hesitated, she arched her hips, begging. Brushing her clitoris with downy-soft caresses, time and again, he soothed her body’s opening until a different kind of pain overtook her.
Waiting for him to apply another condom seemed an eternity.
Instead of getting atop her, he moved to his back and lifted her by the hips until she straddled him. Gently, with intense care, he placed her over him and waited. She understood she was to be in control this time. Carefully, she eased his penis into her until their bodies were fully united.
Wanting to make the tremors building deep inside her last as long as possible, she bent forward and kissed Cooper. His mouth tore at hers, the only sign of his own impatience.
She tore her mouth away, sat up and begin to rock. The friction between them built to an unbearable level, but the destination seemed out of reach, and she began to sob from frustration. The heat began to sear her, and she raked her fingernails into Cooper’s chest. Needing to break the wall, she couldn’t take another second of frustration, she sobbed out his name. “Cooper, please, please.”
Reaching between them, he touched her clit with enough pressure that the movement caused all the colors in the world to burst, to blend, to merge within her soul, creating something so beautiful it was indescribable. Tears fell freely down her face and a cry ripped from her throat and she slumped over.
With a muffled cry, Cooper thrust into her with a powerful final stroke, reaching his own climax.
Neither moved.
Tenderly, he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and said, “Better?”
“Perfect,” Elizabeth said, still stunned. So the movies weren’t make-believe after all. Awed, and suddenly shy, she didn’t know where to look.
Cooper clasped her chin and tugged her face toward him. He kissed her so gently she wanted to cry again. As though she was made of something precious, he lifted her off him. Tucking the blankets around her, he rose and went in the bathroom.
In a moment he returned and climbed in beside her. “Elizabeth? You okay?”
Steeling herself, she faced him. Only dim moonlight lit the room. His profile looked sharper than normal, but maybe she was just imagining things. “Yes.”
He opened his arms and gathered her against him. She thought he’d gone to sleep when he startled her by speaking again. “About before … I owe you an apology. I don’t like to be held down. Not ever.”
“I gathered that,” she said, a catch in her throat. “Why? Some woman tie you up and forget you?”
“Something like that,” he said.
Shocked, Elizabeth snapped her mouth shut. She had been kidding, but his tone of voice suggested he wasn’t.
“It’s been awhile.”
“I’m not exactly on top of most women’s wish lists.” He sounded resigned.
Too shy to tell him what he’d done for her, Elizabeth fought to find the words. “I’ve never … never … you know. Felt like that. It’s never happened before.”
“Are L.A. men stupid?” His husky voice washed over her like a tropical rain.
“I guess. I haven’t asked that many.”
“I’d say that city is full of fools,” he said.
Whether it was his words, or the aftermath of their lovemaking, Elizabeth had never felt so completely satisfied. She wondered who had taught him to make love. A bolt of jealousy tore through her. “Do you date much?”
A harsh laugh ripped from him. “If you’re asking if I get around, no.”
“Am I … the … ”
“First since my divorce?”
“Yes,” she whispered, not wanting him to know how much this response mattered.
“You’re the only one.”
Happiness coursed through her. Pleased that he had opened up about that, she pressed him. “What happened with Esperanza?”
He heaved a sigh. “She left about a year ago. Long before the thing with Henry.” A dark tone colored Cooper’s voice. “It was other ghosts that scared her away.”
Surprise jolted Elizabeth. What was he talking about? She’d assumed it was the murder accusation that had sent Esperanza running for the hills. “Do you still love her?” Elizabeth’s heart stilled in her chest.
“No.” His lips ruffled her hair. “We were over almost from the get-go.”
“Marriages break up all the time,” Elizabeth offered as her heart jump-started. “A sad but true fact.”
“There are things I won’t and can’t share. I wanted her to trust me on faith. That was too much to ask. She felt locked out.” Bitterness filled his voice. “I never again want to look in the eyes of someone I love and see doubt and fear.”