Copper

by Iris Abbott

  “The sheriff and Copper are taking care of him.”

  “Here they come now, and Copper looks as twitchy as a mountain lion that’s been denied a kill,” Chrome commented while shaking his head.

  Marla glanced up and saw Copper’s long angry strides. He was quickly eating up the space that separated them. His good looks were marred by a harsh frown that made him look unapproachable. It didn’t matter to Marla. She jumped up from the bench, took two tentative steps toward him, and then she ran straight into his arms.

  He lifted her off her feet until they were eye-to-eye. Then his lips crashed down on hers, and he kissed her hard. Marla was trembling from desire when he finally pulled his lips from hers and sat her back on her feet. Her body slid down his. The friction was delicious, and she found herself pressing against him. Marla didn’t want the close contact to end.

  He buried his face against her neck and rained kisses all over the sensitive patch of skin between her jaw and shoulder. “I almost lost it when I saw him raise his hand to you. I took off like a shot, but I was terrified I wasn’t going to reach you in time. I swear, if he hit you, I would have taken him out on the spot. Luke, Mercury, no one, not even a yard full of witnesses would have been able to stop me.” His voice trembled from the power of his emotions.

  Marla cupped his face with both her hands and looked right into his eyes. “Haven’t you heard? Karma can be a real bitch if you’re not living right. And sooner or later, Rob is going to be dealt the hand he deserves. And I’m sure you’ll be the one dealing him the cards of fate.”

  Copper scooped her into his arms. “I’m starving for you,” he said as he started walking toward the house. Dinner is going to have to wait. I need you now! I have to possess you, feel your wet heat surrounding me. I have to reaffirm the fact that you’re mine and remind myself that everything is going to be all right.”

  His words created all kinds of erotic images of the two of them tangled together in his bed. Her sex clenched, and she buried her face against his neck to smother a moan. “I need to feel you moving inside me just as badly,” she whispered.

  Marla was oblivious to the many stares they received from amused guests. She was hungry for Copper too. She couldn’t wait to wash away the horrible events of the past few minutes with a passionate interlude in Copper’s arms. The evening had turned dicey thanks to Tina and Rob, but things were definitely looking up now.

  Taking the stairs two at a time, Copper had them inside the bedroom they shared in record time. Marla could only cling to his neck until he set her on her feet. Her hands trailed from his neck to the hem of his T-shirt. She yanked it over his head.

  Not to be outdone Copper fisted the bottom of her thigh length sundress and quickly stripped it from her body. She stood in front of him bare except for the pale pink silk lingerie she still wore. He sucked in a deep breath. “You’re the sexiest and most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I will never get tired of looking at you,” he promised in a husky voice.

  “Flattery will get you everywhere,” she promised. Her hands went to the front of his jeans. One palm caressed the growing erection pushing against the fabric barrier while the other struggled to unfasten the button and zipper.

  Copper made a strangled noise and shoved her hands aside to finish the job himself. Then he expertly removed the matching bra and panty set so that she was completely nude. Before Marla could take another breath she was lying on her back with Copper on top of her. His mouth claimed hers in a kiss that held hints of the intense passion to come.

  She rubbed her hands up and down his back, pushing him closer. She needed the close contact after the ugliness of before. She wanted him deep inside so that Copper was the only thing she could see, feel, or think about.

  She tore her lips from his and buried her face into his neck. “Please, take me now,” she begged.

  Seconds later, he slid inside her body, pushing them both toward another mind-numbing climax that blocked out everything else. His lovemaking was much more frantic than before, but she met him thrust for thrust. She wrapped her legs around his lower back, crossed her ankles, and held on tight. The tightening of almost every muscle in her body and the increasing pulsations inside her sex completely took over, drowning her in pleasure.

  Copper was right there with her. His erection plunged inside her twice more before his body froze, and his husky groan filled the bedroom. He collapsed next to her and pulled her into his arms.

  Her entire body felt boneless, but it was a good kind of feeling. Marla was facing Copper, and she rested her head against his chest. She could hear the solid beat of his heart, and she sighed at how safe and cherished it made her feel. She fell into a deep sleep, knowing she could face almost any challenge Rob threw at her as long as Copper was at her side.

  ELEVEN

  “I’m done waiting! Storey’s in your face move yesterday proves he is going to keep coming at Marla.” Copper slammed the palm of his hand down onto the large sturdy oak table, causing it to shake. He looked around the kitchen and into the faces of the other four Metal Cowboys. They looked just as ready for action as he was. He knew his brothers had his back, and it was a big relief.

  “Sometimes the best defense is a good offense,” Mercury reminded the group of men. “Luke Davis and his restraining orders ultimately won’t do anything to protect Marla. We’re the last line of defense, and we’re the best chance she has of surviving this maniac.”

  “Yes, we are,” Copper agreed. “It’s up to us to protect her.”

  “Don’t forget about Natalie,” Chrome added in a gruff voice. “We should strike hard and fast, end this cluster fuck now before one of them is irreparably harmed.”

  Steel nodded his head up and down. “Her stalker is not going to stop until either Marla is as insane as he is from being terrorized, or she’s dead, whichever comes first.”

  “Whatever you want to do, Copper, we’re with you, brother.” Iron smacked his open palm with a meaty fist.

  “I want to draw the son of a bitch out of hiding and finish him off once and for all, because Steel is right. Regardless of the restraining order, he’s going to keep coming at Marla until his warped mind is satisfied with the results. Whatever it is he thinks he wants to accomplish can’t be good for Marla.”

  “You can set a trap for him that he can’t resist. I’m willing to be bait,” Marla’s gentle voice said from the entryway of the kitchen.

  Copper sprang up from the chair he was sitting in, causing it to fall to the floor. The sound of the chair crashing against the hardwood floor echoed around the room. “I’m not condoning anything that puts you in danger,” he said in a deadly serious voice. “You should still be sleeping not listening in on our strategy sessions,” he growled.

  Marla ignored his blustery words. She walked up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and rested her head against his chest. “I trust you and the rest of the Metal Cowboys to keep me safe.”

  “Even after yesterday?” Copper’s voice was filled with doubt.

  “Yes,” she answered with a firm nod of her head. “Absolutely.”

  “I think we should do it,” Mercury spoke up in that no nonsense voice of his.

  “I’m sure you do,” Copper glared at his brother. “It’s not your woman wanting to put herself at risk to stop a madman.”

  “Maybe not, but it’s the best option we’ve got if we want to end this thing quickly,” Steel pointed out. “The more time and chances Marla’s stalker gets, the higher the probability he might get lucky. Given enough chances, he’ll eventually do permanent damage.” Mercury gave Copper a meaningful look over the top of Marla’s head.

  Picking up the chair he’d just knocked over, Copper let out a deep sigh. As much as he hated the idea, he knew it had to be done. Waiting for Marla’s stalker to deliver a deathblow went against every fiber of his being. He sat in the chair, taking Marla with him.

  “You know your ex better than any of us,” he gritted his teeth at jus
t how well she’d known the SOB at one time. “Got any suggestions?”

  She took a deep breath and looked at the five men gathered around the table. “Tomorrow is the eighth anniversary of my miscarriage.” The hands resting in her lap twisted together. “I didn’t have any remains to bury. It was too early in the pregnancy for that.” She sniffed and was silent, lost in painful memories for several seconds. A hand darted up to wipe her eyes.

  Copper’s heart felt like it was being wrung right out of his chest. The pain in her voice was his undoing. He couldn’t stand to hear and feel the anguish radiating from her. He remembered the first time she told him about her loss and how heartbroken she sounded. The memory made him shudder.

  “You don’t have to talk about this in front of everyone if you don’t want to,” he whispered.

  Marla took a deep breath, wiped her eyes one more time, and shook her head. “Yes, I do. It might be your best opportunity to stop Rob once and for all. And I need you to do that, because you, Christopher “Copper” Ellison, are worth living for.” She brushed her lips across his mouth for a quick and airy kiss.

  This woman with her soft words and even softer kisses humbled him. He was going to make everything right in her world no matter what it took to get the job done. “Just remember, I’d do anything to protect you. You might find me worth living for, but I find you worth dying for.”

  Mercury was never much for mushy scenes. He heavily cleared his throat. “The two of you can make your declarations to each other in private later on. Let’s get on with finding a way to eliminate her stalker, preferably without involving Luke or any other law enforcement agency. I trust Luke, but if we make his job too difficult we might lose our in with the local law, and we don’t want that.”

  Marla took a deep breath and finished laying out her plan. “As soon as I was up to it, Natalie and I bought a small memorial graveside plaque for baby Taylor and placed it next to our parents’ gravesites. I always visit the cemetery on the anniversary of my miscarriage. As I mentioned earlier, it’s tomorrow. There’s a good chance Rob knows about that habit. He might try something at the cemetery if none of you are there,” she said with a shrug.

  “Planning an ambush while you are distracted by grief sounds like something that coward would do.” Copper tightened his hold on Marla to silently convey the message that he was never letting go.

  “Such a low blow would be right up his alley,” Marla agreed.

  “Where are the graves located?” Iron wanted to know.

  Marla gave him the name of a nearby cemetery, one of the larger ones in the county. Iron started tapping away on the tablet in front of him. He carried it everywhere he went, always looking for some kind of technological advantage.

  “Got a satellite view,” he said after a few seconds. He handed the tablet to Copper who studied it for a few minutes before passing it on to Mercury.

  “The wooded area on two sides of the cemetery gives us plenty of places to set up a stakeout and wait for Storey to make his move,” Copper pointed out. “If he approaches Marla, it’s a violation of the restraining order. If he’s in possession of a weapon, taking him out will be an open and closed case of self-defense.”

  “Luke would make sure of it either way,” Chrome pointed out. “He may not be a Metal Cowboy, but he’ll have your back.”

  “Agreed.”

  “He better,” Marla said with a frown. “I want Rob dealt with, but he’s not worth your life or even one minute of time spent in jail. I don’t want any of you taking unnecessary risks,” she insisted.

  “We’ll get the job done, and there won’t be any mistakes,” Copper said.

  “I know how well trained all of you are, but it doesn’t matter, I’m still going to worry until it’s over.”

  “We’ll walk you and Natalie through everything before going to the cemetery,” Copper promised.

  “Whoa, wait a minute,” Chrome spluttered. “Who said anything about Natalie being there?”

  “If things look off, Storey might not make a move,” Steel said. “Even a total idiot knows there is no way Copper would let Marla go anywhere by herself, not with an outstanding threat against her.”

  “I don’t like it,” Chrome interrupted with a snarl.

  “Deal with it,” Copper ordered. “Natalie should be here to hear this too. Marla, wake up your sister and have her come help you with breakfast while we run through the preliminaries and map out a plan of action. After the meal, we’ll go over everything and make sure you and Natalie know what to do. There are several scenarios we should plan for,” he said with a tired sounding sigh.

  ****

  Dinner was an ordeal for Marla. She only uttered three words during the entire meal. Her head stayed low, her eyes not budging from the dish in front of her. The extra attention to the plate didn’t help her appetite. She only ate five bites of food before giving up. The rest of the meal was spent aimlessly pushing food around her plate, until she excused herself, dumped the leftovers in the trash, and hurried upstairs to Copper’s bedroom.

  Obviously, Copper noticed her discomfort. He showed up in the bedroom about forty-five minutes after she retreated from everyone else. She roughly wiped away a few stray tears and took a deep breath. “I know I wasn’t very good company tonight. I hope I didn’t ruin everyone’s dinner. That wasn’t my intent at all.”

  Marla rapidly rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She bit the inside of her cheek to help keep her rollercoaster emotions under control. She didn’t want to break down in front of Copper. He made her happy, but it seemed like she was always crying around him.

  “When I was in the military things always got a little tense before a big mission. I imagine you’re experiencing something similar. This is personal so that makes it even more stressful. Under the circumstances, I think that you and Natalie are handling everything quite well. But if I let you, you’d dwell on it all night. I came up with a surprise to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

  She finally noticed that his arms weren’t empty. Excitement bubbled up inside of Marla, trying to overtake the worry and dread of the unknown that took up residence that morning. She craved the alone time and special memories that were sure to be made with Copper, but she was also hesitant and fearful. If things went horribly wrong tomorrow, this might be the last night they spent together. The morbid thought was enough to make her quiet and withdrawn.

  “That’s a mighty tall order, but all distractions are welcome. I can’t wait to see what you have in mind.” He walked toward her, getting closer until he filled her vision. “It’s already working,” Marla whispered before her breath caught in her throat. “The only thing I can think about right now is you and me.”

  “I hope so. You deserve to be romanced. I’m not the best at romancing a woman. Flowers, candy, and all that stuff have never been my normal mode of operation. For you though, I’m willing to give it my best try.” He held out his hand and entwined his fingers with Marla’s. “This was spur of the moment, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.”

  “I’m sure I won’t.” She gave him a sweet smile that lit up her eyes. Not one single boyfriend ever went out of his way to do anything spontaneous and romantic for her, and she was loving the special way it made her feel.

  “You’re always beautiful to me, but when you smile like that, it’s the most stunning thing I’ve ever seen.” He opened up the French doors that led out to a small covered balcony, and guided her outside.

  Marla breathed deep, taking in the sultry smells of the evening. The scent of pine and magnolia hung heavy in the air. Ripples of clouds stretched across the sky, reflecting light from the sun as it sank closer to the horizon.

  “It’s breathtakingly beautiful out here,” she whispered. Marla gazed into the distance toward the silhouette of a lone towering windmill. “I can’t believe I haven’t bothered to come out onto the balcony before now. The view is gorgeous, being on the second floor gives you a different perspective than
the ground view.”

  “Being surrounded by four walls gives the illusion of safety. I breathe easier when you’re well hidden from your psycho ex.”

  She shrugged at the reminder of the danger dogging her and quickly changed the subject. “The sun’s getting ready to set, and from the look of things it’s going to be glorious.”

  Copper sighed before wrapping his arms around her from behind and pressing her back into his front. “We’ll be perfectly safe out here tonight. Mercury, Steel, and Iron are taking turns watching the security camera feeds from the perimeter of the property twenty-four-seven from now on, until Rob is shut down. And Chrome and I are keeping a close eye on you and Natalie. It’s as safe as we can make it. He’s not getting back on this property ever again.”

  “I love the way you keep an eye on me,” she whispered. “My parents and Natalie are the only other people in this world who have ever made me feel as treasured as you do.”

  “Then my plan must be working. Glad to know I don’t suck at this romance stuff.” He spread a thick quilt onto the balcony and helped her sit down. “Take this.” He handed her the basket he was holding and sat down directly behind her.

  He placed his legs on either side of her body and wrapped his arms around her middle, pulling her back tight against his front. Marla relaxed into him, taking some of his strength before eagerly opening the picnic basket and looking inside. “A bottle of my favorite wine,” she said pulling out a bottle and two glasses. How’d you know?”

  “I asked Natalie, and she gave me the heads up. I’m not much of a wine drinker, so I wanted to be sure to get one you would love. I would have been in to see you thirty minutes ago, but I had to go out to buy the wine.” He took the bottle from her, uncorked it, and poured some of the sweet white liquid into the two glasses.

  “A colorful sunset, good wine, and your embrace, what more could a woman want or need?” Marla asked with a seductive smile. She took a sip of the chilled wine before putting down the glass. “It’s perfect,” she told him. She laid back, propping up her upper body against his chest. “This part of Texas is so beautiful.”