Careless
Book Eight in the Nashville Nights Series
Cheryl Douglas
Copyright by Cheryl Douglas
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, including photocopying, graphic, electronic, mechanical, taping, recording, sharing, or by any information retrieval system without the express written permission of the author and / or publisher. Exceptions include brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Persons, places and other entities represented in this book are deemed to be fictitious. They are not intended to represent actual places or entities currently or previously in existence or any person living or dead. This work is the product of the author’s imagination.
Any and all inquiries to the author of this book should be directed to [email protected]
Careless
copyright 2012 Cheryl Douglas
Careless – Book Eight
Detective, Mike Cooper, loves a challenge. So when his father, Josh, ask him to consult on a tough case, he can’t resist the temptation. He agrees to take a brief leave of absence from the police force to accompany country singer, Tori Warner, on tour. His objective? To find the crazed fan who’s been stalking her. If only Tori wasn’t so determined to play hard and fast with the rules.
Tori is tired of living in a bubble. She’s been allowing this stalker to control her life for months, and she’s sick of it. So when some hotshot detective decides to become her self-appointed bodyguard, she’s determined to show him that she’s the one calling the shots.
Tori is the most infuriating woman Mike has ever met. She refuses to take orders, even when her life is at stake. He’s tempted to let her fend for herself, but Mike can’t walk away knowing some maniac is out to get her. Especially not after one explosive night makes him lose his objectivity. Suddenly, this case is personal, and Mike can’t rest until he knows Tori is safe.
Read What the Reviewers Are Saying About Nashville Nights…
“Shameless has wonderfully flawed characters that have to fight to get back what they lost, but when they get it right, it is absolutely fantastic.”
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“I read the whole series and let me tell you, I love it. I read all four books in two days. I couldn’t put them down.”
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“Shameless is a sensual story packed full of passion, temptation, and forbidden love.”
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“Shameless drew me in heart and soul from the very first page to the satisfying conclusion after the final page was turned. Those wanting an emotional roller coaster ride, climb on board and add this one to your bookshelf.”
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“There were times throughout Shameless where I was actually overcome with emotion. It made me cry and smile, and sometimes gasp or laugh out loud; a piece of art that couldn’t have come at a better time. Simply a must read. I give this book a solid five stars!”
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“The flow of this story (Fearless) was perfect. I cannot wait for the 3rd installment.”
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“I really adore all of the characters in this series.”
Autumn Review
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
About the Author
Coming Soon
Prologue
Two Years Earlier
Detective Lieutenant Mike Cooper didn’t know what possessed him to accept a ride from the little hellion in heels, but he was wedged in the cab of her big custom truck nonetheless. Must have been all those shots he knocked back messing with his mind. Making him want things he had no business wanting from a girl he didn’t even like… much.
Tori Warner, country music’s favorite rough-around-the-edges bad girl, rocked out to an old Bob Seger tune as though she didn’t have a care in the world. She rolled the window down and the wind whipped through her long blond hair, tangling it, making it look unkempt, the way it might if he’d been running his fingers through it all night.
He cursed the direction of his thoughts. Five minutes in a room together and he and Tori were taking cheap shots at each other, so why did the mere sight of her always illicit images of hot, dark bedrooms and deep guttural moans that echoed in his mind at the most inopportune times? He knew why; the woman oozed sex from every pore. The way she looked, dressed, danced, and sang. It was all part of her image, and according to her publicist, Avery McCall, if she wanted to compete in the big leagues, she’d have to use every weapon in her arsenal.
Mike glanced at the cleavage spilling out of her sparkly black tank top and shifted in his seat. He cracked his own window, barely resisting the urge to stick his head out, like a golden retriever who’d been cooped up in the house too long.
Tori laughed. “Is it gettin’ too hot for ya, Lieutenant?”
She enjoyed mocking his rank with Nashville’s finest, knowing how much it irked him that she was one of the few people who didn’t show him the respect he felt he’d earned the hard way.
Mike allowed his eyes to roam over her body while she was busy making a lane change. She was a tiny little thing, but she had lush curves in all the right places.
“See somethin’ ya like?” she asked, shifting gears as she pulled up to a stoplight.
Even watching her maneuver that stick shift was turning him on. “Why don’t we quit playin’ games?”
She licked her lips as she shifted gears and stomped on the gas. “I love playin’ games, so long as I win.”
His head snapped back and he knew he should lecture her about the speed limit, but he couldn’t get her out of this truck and upstairs fast enough. “I think we can both come out winners if we play our cards right.”
Tori turned the music down and shot him a sidelong glance. “You flirtin’ with me, Coop?”
The nickname was one his buddies on the police force favored instead of his given name, but a woman had never called him that before. Of course, Tori was more like one of the guys downtown than any of the high-maintenance women he usually dated. She liked to drink beer from the bottle, go line dancing at crowded honky-tonks on Saturday night, and hustle the old boys around the pool table while her friends were chatting up the handsome cowboys.
“How’d you get to be such a tomboy?” he asked, anxious to learn more about the woman who’d stolen viewers’ hearts when she won a televised singing competition almost five years ago. Mike wasn’t big on TV, and he didn’t read tabloid gossip, so he didn’t know a lot about her, outside of what he’d observed at the social gatherings they’d both attended.
The two things he did know about her: she had an incredible voice, and men, young and old, seemed to love her.
“I grew up on a ranch with four older brothers.” She chuckled. “Believe me, bein’ a girly-girl wasn’t gonna fly in our house.”
Mike smiled. He could picture her growing up in that environment, giving as good as she got. “You still close with your family?”
“Hell yeah! Why wouldn’
t I be?”
“I don’t know. I’ve heard fame changes people.”
“You know a lot of famous people: Trey, Ty, Nikki… has fame changed any of them?”
“No, but I’ve known them all my life.”
She turned down his street and hit her signal without having to ask for directions. “Listen, winnin’ that competition just meant I get to do what I love up on a stage instead of in a dive bar, see a bit of the world, and the creditors don’t call askin’ for the minimum payment on my credit cards anymore. Other than that, not much has changed.”
“How’d you know where I live?” he asked when she turned into the parking lot and pulled up to the main doors of his luxury condo building.
“Me and Jay have gone out for dinner and beers a bunch a times. Sometimes he drives, sometimes I do. He mentioned you guys live in the same building.”
“You and my brother?” Mike didn’t know why the thought of Tori dating his twin brother should piss him off, but it did.
She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like that. We’re just friends.”
He unfastened his seatbelt and shifted to face her. “With benefits?”
“What the hell’s it to you?”
He moved in closer. “I want you, but not if my brother’s already had you.”
She hit him hard enough to make his head snap back. “I suggest you get out before I kick you out and back this thing up over your sorry ass.”
Mike tried to hide his smile as he rubbed his cheek. “You know, assaulting a police officer could get you in a mess of trouble.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You think you scare me, Lieutenant?”
“If you were smart, you’d take it as a friendly warnin’.”
Tori threw her head back and laughed, not a lady-like giggle, but a gasping for breath fit of hysteria.
Mike scowled. He was getting tired of this game. If she wasn’t going to let him pass go, he was going to have to resort to a cold shower instead. “What the hell’s so funny?”
“You… talkin’… to me… about bein’… smart.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “God, that’s funny. The last few women I’ve seen you with couldn’t have shared a brain between them.”
Mike loved beautiful women, but he couldn’t deny she was right; they were often sorely lacking in the I.Q. department. “Shut the hell up.” He couldn’t help joining in her laughter; it was infectious.
The laughter died when she raised her head and their eyes locked. “Ah hell,” she whispered. “Why do you have to be so damn good lookin’?”
His hands were in her hair, his mouth on hers, before she could take her next breath. He was pressing her into the seat, damn near climbing on top of her, when they finally came up for air. “You better pull this into the lot, sweetheart. This may take a good long while.”
She bit her lip, her tongue flicking out to soothe the mark her teeth had left. “This is a bad idea.”
“You’re right.” He knew if he had to wait one more minute, he’d have her tank top over her head before she could think to object. “Does that mean you wanna leave?”
Her eyes fell to the bulge in the front of his jeans. “I should… but… damn it, I’ve never been very good at stayin’ on the right side of wrong.”
He smirked. “Does that mean you’re comin’ up?”
She sighed. “Yeah, you go on ahead. I’ll meet you up there in a few.”
“Like hell.”
Tori couldn’t have been more than five foot two and a hundred and ten pounds. Not to mention the fact her face was usually plastered all over every magazine and TV screen in the country at least once a week. He had no intention of letting her walk through a deserted parking lot by herself late at night.
“You been watchin’ too many of those late night cop shows, Coop.” She grinned as she whipped the truck around and headed in the direction of the guest parking lot.
“Pull into the underground,” he said.
He didn’t want to walk through the building with her on his arm. It’s not that he wouldn’t be proud to be seen with her, but he knew if the wrong person caught sight of them together, he’d be the next one to have his mug plastered all over the grocery store rags. He didn’t need the aggravation. This was just a simple one-night stand. No sense complicating things by letting their family and friends in on their secret.
“Why’s that?” she asked, easing the big truck down the hill toward the underground parking garage. “You afraid of bein’ seen with me?”
He sighed. “Honey, it’s not that—
“Don’t call me that,” she snapped. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. “Let’s get one thing straight. If we’re gonna do this, we’re gonna play it my way. You don’t treat me like one of the little airheads who follow you around ’cause they have some stupid fantasy about bein’ handcuffed to your bed.”
The image of using his handcuffs on her had him shifting in his seat. Damn, this girl could heat him up faster than anyone he’d ever known. “Fine, anything else?” He couldn’t believe he was willing to go along with her rules. He was usually the one laying down the law, not being dictated to.
“Yeah, no one can know about this.”
Now it was his turn to be affronted. “Why? You afraid bein’ with a cop might hurt your image as a hell-raiser?”
“It’s nothin’ personal. I just don’t like advertisin’ who I’m sleepin’ with is all.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” he muttered, crossing his arms. He knew he was acting like a petulant child, but he didn’t want to be her dirty little secret. He wasn’t any more anxious than she was to let the world in on what was going on between them behind closed doors, but her warning seemed more like a gag order.
“Hey,” she said, pulling into an empty parking spot too fast to be considered safe. “If I wanted your opinion about who I sleep with, I woulda asked for it. Until I do, assume the subject is off limits.”
He clenched his teeth so hard he half-expected to crack a molar. “This isn’t one of my spots.”
She pulled the keys out of the ignition. “Oh, who cares? Are we gonna do this or not?”
If the offense wasn’t punishable by law, he’d be sorely tempted to wring her sweet neck. “You know what you need, don’t you?” He met her around the rear of the truck, not the least bit surprised she hadn’t waited for him to open her door.
“I’m sure you’re gonna tell me.” She planted her hands on her hips and stared into the middle of his chest before tipping her head back to look up him. “Well, I ain’t got all night.” She tapped her flip-flop against the cement ground under her foot.
“Girl, I’ve never wanted to…” He grabbed her by the waist when she rolled her eyes at him. Pulling her hard against his chest, he was satisfied when the air left her lungs in a soft whoosh. “Tan someone’s behind more in my life.”
“I’m not into anything kinky, so you can get that thought right outta your head.”
Mike had been fighting his attraction to Tori ever since his father’s friend, Luc Spencer, signed her to Titan Records, telling himself that her smart mouth and raunchy image was a turn-off. But when they were this close, he had to admit he’d never been so turned on.
“I want you,” he whispered, bringing his mouth down her neck. “Damn, I want you so—”
“Let’s take this upstairs.” She pushed against his chest. “The last thing I need is for the tabloids to get a hold of this. Last week they caught me out with the Cowboys quarterback and this week… you. Even Avery would tell me to slow the hell down.”
Mike’s grip on her waist tightened. He didn’t want to think about her being out with any other guy right now. Tonight, she was his and he didn’t intend to let her forget that.
“Let’s go, sexy.” She threaded her hand through his and led him toward the rear door. “I’m glad you brought me ’round back, less chance of bein’ seen.”
“God forbid.” He suddenly wished he’d paraded her in front o
f the cameras so the world and her quarterback boyfriend could see them together. “We wouldn’t want that now, would we?”
“Hell no! We pay Avery a small fortune to make sure I’m seen with the right men.” She smiled sweetly. “Sorry, but you don’t fit the bill, honey.”
“Why the hell not?” He passed his access card through the slot and threw the heavy metal door open as soon as it beeped.
“People expect to see me with bad boys. You know, bikers, professional fighters…” She shuddered dramatically. “Imagine what it’d do to my image if they saw me out with a cop.”
She said it like it was a dirty word, incensing him even more. “They’d probably think I was arrestin’ you for disorderly conduct.”
“They might at that.” She tried to nudge him, but her shoulder just hit his lower arm. “You know, I might’ve been wrong about you. I always thought you took yourself too seriously.” She followed him onto the elevator. “It’s nice to know not everything is a matter of life and death with you.”
He punched the button for his floor. “Life and death is my business. I can’t afford to treat it as a joke.”
Tori took a step toward him, crowding him against the mirrored wall at his back. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun once in a while.”
“Trust me, I have plenty of fun.”
“If you’re talkin’ about those silicone-injected Barbie dolls you refer to as dates, you and me must be from two different planets.”
“Really? Why’s that?”
“You can’t tell me you get off on that.” She laughed. “Aren’t you afraid you might puncture somethin’ if y’all go at it too hard?”
His eyes fell to her mouth-watering curves and he smirked. “Are you tryin’ to tell me you haven’t had a little help from a good doctor or two?”
Just as he was about to fit his key into the lock, she grabbed his hand and filled it with her breast. “You tell me. I know you’ve felt enough fake ones to know the difference.”
Careless Page 1
