Dangerous Attraction Romantic Suspense Boxed Set (9 Novels from Bestselling Authors, plus Bonus Christmas Novella from NY Times Bestselling Author Rebecca York)

by Kaylea Cross

  His eyes turned from smoldering to pure liquid fire as he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was examining her all over, her hair, her mouth, the V down the front of her white ruffled blouse, let his eyes wander down to her pink toes and then back up again slowly.

  “Just a little harmless sex. That’s all, Coop,” she said as she twisted herself from side to side, looking down, feigning innocence.

  She felt the shift in his body. Without looking up, she could see that first his hands bunched up in fists, then one hand went up, probably combing through his hair, which he usually ended with a neck squeeze. Whatever he’d done, it set his other hand into a fist again. He changed his stance. A quick peek had reassured her that he had a huge erection. She knew that was going to be a problem for him, because she suspected that brain was bigger and stronger than the one in his skull.

  But she waited for him. She wasn’t going to do anything but talk, and wiggle a bit, twirl her hair between her fingers, look out to the lights glittering on the water. Her hormones were raging and her pheromones had to be hitting him right across the face, sending instructions to a certain body part that was screaming right about now. But she wouldn’t fall at his feet. She couldn’t do that.

  “Just sex,” he said as his voice broke on the second word.

  “That’s right. Uncomplicated. No strings. As much sex as either of us wants. And then we’ll go our separate ways.”

  He stepped to her and she could feel the heat from his trembling body. He was less than an inch away from her flesh. “What if I don’t want just sex. What if I want more?” His husky voice pulled at her heartstrings. She wanted to shout for joy at the possibility. But she had to be smarter about it.

  “Then you’ll miss me, Cooper, because I’m not agreeing to that. I’m not ready for that.”

  She let him put his arm around her waist and felt his trembling hesitancy. She watched him do it, watched him pull her to him so slowly she thought she would faint. She felt the tendons in his forearm under the frog tats tense, and pull her, as his hand made its way down her backside to approach her rear in an all too familiar way. With very little pressure, his hand guided her lower belly into his groin and she received confirmation of his need for her. Huge confirmation.

  Smiling, she raised her arms to his neck, tracing the outline of his mouth. She still avoided his eyes. She let him come to her, bend to her, cover her lips with his. She let him slip his tongue into her mouth and find hers. She couldn’t help the little moan she gave him, which earned another squeeze of his hand, sending her closer, rubbing her against him.

  She was glad the room upstairs had a separate entrance.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  It didn’t take them long to make it back through the narrow hallways, brushing past tourists, sports teams and retirees in walkers and wheelchairs, past the espresso stand, the valet parking desk and the housekeeping station to the large green, dented doors of the staff elevator. Protected by bumpers of cotton-stuffed canvas, Cooper and Libby were finally alone. It was not a logical place to make love, but their urgency for each other was so great it almost happened anyway.

  Cooper had hitched up her top, and peeled her pants down nearly to her knees, his hands roaming over Libby’s smooth, satiny backside. He would have hesitated, but there wasn’t anything from her that indicated she wanted to wait even one minute before getting him to mount her.

  But then the doors opened. He was standing there in his shorts, with his lady wrapped around his groin, his tee shirt hanging off one shoulder as she pressed herself against him, showing breasts bursting out from the top of her white lace bra. And a trio of Mexican housekeepers, each holding a red Hoover vacuum cleaner in one hand and a feather duster in the other, dressed in grey uniforms complete with white frilly aprons stared back at them.

  There was more than a language problem going on here. One lady, the eldest, covered her eyes and cowered. Cooper turned back to face Libby and he almost came on the spot. Clearly she was ready to let him fuck her right there in front of everyone, but he just couldn’t do that. The woman had absolutely no control, and it made his package turn to granite.

  He lowered her to standing position, picked up his pants, and, taking her hand, led them out and down the hall, even though he had no idea what floor they were on or which direction would lead to her room.

  Libby was giggling as they heard the doors to the elevator close.

  “You’re going to be the death of me yet, Miss Libby Brownlee.”

  “Counting on it.”

  “Where the hell are we?”

  Libby looked at the room numbers at a corner before they turned. “Looks like seventh floor. I’m on ten.”

  He stopped in front of the regular elevator and slipped on his cargo pants. She reached the button to push the up arrow and he stopped her.

  “You sure about this?”

  “Does it matter?” she asked as she avoided looking him in the eyes, instead backing up against the wall and pushing the button with her hand behind her back. “Come here, “ she said as she crooked her index finger. Of course he obeyed. He couldn’t help himself.

  A family of four stood at the back of the elevator, the children being barely grade school age. Cooper waved to indicate they’d catch the next elevator. Before the doors closed they heard the little girl giggle and be reprimanded by her mother.

  “I say we go for it, next one, no matter what,” Libby said.

  He’d had no idea she could be so demanding. She could have commanded a whole platoon if the stakes were high enough. No doubt about it.

  As luck would have it, just as he was praying for an empty car, a very full one showed up, stuffed with partygoers in their dinner finest, on their way to the Penthouse. Libby was first to squeeze her way in, dragging Cooper behind her. The crowd parted for them like the Red Sea. Even Cooper had to admit this was becoming almost a religious experience.

  He batted down her hand as it tried to sneak beneath the waistband of his pants, something that wasn’t lost on the deathly quiet crowd. It was kind of hard to concentrate, as all his effort went into keeping Libby from literally getting him naked in front of complete strangers.

  He couldn’t look at any of them in the eye as the doors opened to their floor, and he bolted out and down the hallway to the left at Libby’s direction. Several doors later, Libby stopped and dug through her purse for the key, inserted it, and stepped inside to a small air-conditioned space that about froze his nuts off.

  In the middle of the room stood her father, Dr. Austin Brownlee.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  “Oh!” Libby blurted out as she backed up a step, right into Cooper’s tented shorts. Coop could not believe his bad luck. Just when he was about to have possibly the best sex of his miserable life, her father had to be standing two feet away from where he undoubtedly knew they were going to do the down and dirty.

  Fuck me.

  Cooper shook his head and adjusted the contents of his shorts. There was a seriously agitated beast inside that didn’t get the memo about the aborted mission.

  “You think this is all a big joke, you two?” Dr. Brownlee looked back and forth between the two of them. Coop didn’t know what expression Libby had, but his own smile was from pure nervousness.

  What do you say to the father of the girl you’re going to do?

  They both talked over each other. Libby was trying to say something like, “I’m sorry you had to see this,” and Coop was saying, “No, it isn’t funny at all.” But neither one finished their sentence. Nothing he would say or do seemed appropriate, under the circumstances.

  Dr. Brownlee’s hair was uncharacteristically mussed. He was wearing silk pajamas and holding a suspicious tumbler of brown liquid in his left hand. That’s when Coop realized Libby’s fruit hadn’t fallen far from the old tree. Her father had been having sex with his wife earlier. He could almost smell it on the man.

  Libby held her hands out to the sides. “Wh
at? You didn’t know that I have my own life to live, Dad? You think putting me in the Honeymoon Suite with you two meant I have to ask permission to have a little fun?”

  “He’s a suspect, Libby. What the hell is wrong with you?” Brownlee spat out.

  That pissed Cooper off big time.

  “Excuse me, sir. I’m not the fucking guy who’s doing these things to your family, and you damned well know it,” Coop was going to walk up to Brownlee, even in his current state of undress, but Libby finally put her arms around his waist, and he calmed down. Her touch was like an aphrodisiac. His heart rate stayed elevated, but his urge to fight got tucked away.

  “I’m in love with him, Dad. I’ve loved him since the day he showed up at our front door.”

  Coop was uneasy at first, not sure how he liked hearing the words spoken to someone else before he’d heard them himself. After a quick gut check, he found he rather liked the idea, even though it was a huge surprise. So much for the mind-numbing sex and just sex bit. But before he could say anything, Carla again rescued him from saying something stupid, by appearing at the bedroom doorframe.

  She looked over his bare chest, and he found himself standing a little taller, clutching Libby a little tighter.

  “Have you two had dinner?” she asked in her best hostess fashion. Cooper could see she was shaking. Brownlee whipped around as if to say something to her in anger, but stopped himself. Carla ignored him and waited for an answer.

  Libby sighed. She looked up and asked Cooper for some direction. All he could do was imagine the little mewling sounds she made as she came in his arms. He saw her naked flesh beneath the kisses he was going to strategically place all over her body. Whether it was in five minutes, or five hours, he’d stay beside her until they could be alone.

  Whatever you want, Libby.

  “I apologize for my state of undress. If you’ll give me a moment, perhaps, if Libby wants to—”

  “I have some things in the fridge, and we can always order something from room service.” Carla was focused on his face, and not his bare chest. “We’ll leave you two to…get dressed…Come on, Austin. Let’s give them a few minutes privacy.”

  Dr. Brownlee was led from the room in shock. As soon as the door closed, Coop had to push Libby away, holding her at arm’s length.

  “Not sure I can do this, Libby. I’m sorry.”

  “Not your fault.” She wrapped her arms around his bare back, resting the side of her head against his chest. “I want you to spend the night here.”

  He hesitated, but wanted to say something.

  What?

  “Coop,” she leaned back and those pouty pink lips, accented by the mock worry lines forming between her eyebrows finished the sentence and sent him into orbit, “I want you to make love to me all night long. I need this more than anything I’ve ever needed in my whole life.”

  “Not here, Libby. That wouldn’t be right.”

  “Then we’ll get our own room.”

  “I—I don’t have—”

  “Shhh. I got a credit card. You okay with that?”

  “Well, honey, I’d rather pay for our room myself.”

  And yes, he was all in. He just hoped dinner didn’t last too long.

  And that there was another room available that didn’t cost a half month’s pay.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  It was painful to sit and watch Cooper across the table from her, sitting next to her mother. Libby guessed he usually had that giddy-making impact on women that her mother was exhibiting. It made her father frown.

  The first time she crossed her legs she felt Cooper’s calf rub up against her. While looking at her mother and asking for salt to be passed, she felt him nudge her foot up until it almost hit the underside of the table. Then they had a regular back and forth, touching and rubbing that was making her hot and wet.

  Her parents didn’t appear to notice. Her father said next to nothing. He was extremely focused on his food, despite her mother’s attempts to draw him out.

  “I was surprised to see you here, Cooper. After today…”

  “Mother, we ran into each other at the toy store downstairs.”

  “The toy store?” her father asked. “What were you doing there?”

  “Remember, I wrote you a note? I went down to the beach. I was bored. I was on my way back to the room when I almost got hit in the head with a helicopter.”

  “A remote controlled toy. I had the remote,” Cooper added helpfully.

  Libby could tell her mother was dying to know how they happened to get back together when it had been obvious earlier that the they were no longer going to be seeing each other. But she was wise enough not to ask.

  Thank God for small favors.

  “So, how long are all of you staying here at the Del?” Coop asked.

  “Well, Cooper, that’s a very good question. My daughter wasn’t very happy about being here, at least not until you showed up,” her father answered. “I will have to go to work every day. I’m guessing Carla and Libby will be here a week. Unless something changes.”

  “They any closer to catching someone for this?” Cooper asked him.

  Libby’s father glanced ostentatiously at his gold Rolex. “Let’s see, in the 4 hours since we’ve seen each other? No.” He cocked his head and pursed his lips before addressing Cooper again. “Any suggestions? I’m all ears.”

  Cooper played with a couple of leftover peas on his place, using the tines of his fork. “As a matter of fact, I was going to make a recommendation.”

  “Oh?” Her father took another pull on his amber liquid and appeared to weave in his chair slightly. It was her mother’s turn to frown. Libby could tell he was getting nasty again, the alcohol making him loose his inhibitions.

  Cooper was watching her father drink as if he wanted one too. Dr. Brownlee pointed to his tumbler and Cooper shook his head.

  “Why is it you don’t drink, Coop?”

  Libby and her mother exchanged panicked glances.

  It put Cooper in a pensive mood. He leaned back into his chair, his hands folded in his lap and regarded Dr. Brownlee. Libby knew his words would be weighed and measured, but it didn’t stop the panic from spreading all over her body. They’d been itching for a fight since day one. Maybe tonight would be the night. It wouldn’t do either of them any good.

  “There’s a story that goes along with it.” Cooper said, nodding toward Dr. Brownlee’s nearly empty glass.

  Her father shrugged his shoulders. “Enlighten me.”

  “Not tonight, sir.”

  No one said anything for several minutes as they finished their meals.

  Her mother began to clear the table.

  Her father got up, holding his empty glass tumbler, and then hesitated, setting his glass in the sink.

  Libby heard her mom turn on the charm as she spoke to her husband. “Austin, I’d like to go downstairs and have a little dessert and an espresso. How about we leave these two alone?”

  “You’ll stay put, young lady?” her father commanded. “No more wandering along the beach by yourself, okay?”

  Libby looked at Coop with raised eyebrows, silently asking for his okay to stay there rather than get a different room. He nodded his acceptance. She grinned. “No worries, Dad. Besides, I’ll have Coop here with me. We aren’t going anywhere.”

  When she looked over at him she discovered for the first time that a Navy SEAL could blush.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Coop was standing next to the sliding glass door, surveying the beach bonfires and the white surf beyond. Under the light of a nearly full moon the water was a deep Navy blue. The splashing sea foam looked like lace trim on a woman’s skirt.

  Libby came up behind him, and he could feel the contour of her body fit sweetly against him. Her warm arms encircled him as she ran her palms up over his t-shirt clad chest and lay her head against his shoulder blades. Then she freed the white cotton shirt from the waistband of his khakis, slid her pa
lms up against his spine and began kissing his bare skin one vertebrae at a time. It had been over an hour since the hurried-almost-sex in the service elevator. Now that he was thinking more clearly, he wondered if this was such a good idea, but it felt so damned good.

  Her nimble fingers slid down and around to the front of his pants, finding him. She slowly caressed and gently squeezed his package, while her tongue made little darting motions as her lips and warm cheeks softly brushed against his flesh.

  He’d never been with a woman who was so horny for him. But then, he’d never really given anyone time to get serious. No one but Daisy, who had a reputation for sleeping around the Teams, when in fact, she was extremely choosy. Later, he learned Daisy only had one love partner at a time. He still felt bad about discarding her for Libby, but the buxom tattoo artist to the SEALs must have known it wasn’t going anywhere serious. Daisy appeared okay with the goodbyes, and never seemed to have expected much. In that respect, he was just like her.

  But now things with Libby were getting complicated again. He was getting drawn into the Brownlee family, even though he knew Libby’s dad still didn’t trust him. And even so, he couldn’t just walk away from the family of a Fallen, leave them alone to deal with this whacko. It was like leaving someone behind, and you just don’t do that to the Teams or their families, past or present. Once someone was a SEAL, their family was always part of their community. Whether or not they wanted to be wasn’t even part of the equation.

  Libby was slipping off his shirt when he turned and saw the need and want in her eyes. There was no strategy, no logic here, though he searched for an excuse, but couldn’t find a reason not to partake of what she was offering. Time for what she called mind-numbing sex. And he knew the deeper he got, the harder it was going to be to get out.