“No. No, and no. Stop asking me that.” She smiled, her eyes sparkling with tears that began to well up. Cooper’s heart lurched. “There was no way in hell I’d let him get that far.”
“That’s my girl, so stubborn. Never met anyone like you before.”
“Thank goodness. You arrived just in time. Coop, I was hoping you’d find me. If I hadn’t been so stupid—“
“Shhh. Be still, baby.” He couldn’t help but kiss her again.
The gurney hit the back end of the ambulance and abruptly stopped.
“Sir, you are interfering with our transport. I’m going to have to ask you to step aside.” The voice was far from friendly. That’s when he realized one of the paramedics was a woman. A very large African American woman.
The other paramedic whispered, “He’s a SEAL, Clojean.”
“I don’t care what the fuck he thinks he is, he’s interfering with my patient. I’ve turned tougher Marines over my knee, stripped down their panties and had a needle in their butt so fast they was still thinking it was Saturday night. Don’t you give me any trouble.”
In the light coming from the rear of the transport, Cooper could see she wasn’t smiling.
He had no intention of giving her any trouble. Coop smirked and allowed her insult to roll off him like water off a duck’s back. He wasn’t in fighting mode anymore. He couldn’t remember a day when he was happier, and he had other things on his mind right now.
Riverton watched Malcolm and Fredo trash talk each other, racial slurs that would cause a fight anywhere else. A tiny bit of regret bubbled in his stomach as he watched their quiet demeanor, while Kyle directed what things to pick up and where to put them. He wished he’d thought enough of himself to try out for the Teams way back when. These were guys he’d wanted to meet his whole life. Real men. Not political hacks and guys afraid of their own shadow, working toward their pension. Doing the safe thing. These were all-or-nothing guys, and he might have enjoyed it. If he could have made it.
He watched the thermal scope go back into a polyethylene case that held, unless he was totally mistaken, an assault rifle. He drooled over the equipment they had. State of the art everything. And Kyle said Cooper had bought a lot of it on eBay, or overseas in the black markets.
Kyle didn’t open the case very wide, just slipped the scope into its designated spot and fastened the clips silently.
Everything had a spot, Riverton noticed. He watched them even wipe down their goggles. The bottoms of the cases that had been strewn around the asphalt were even wiped clean before they were put back in the BMW. Kyle polished a KA-BAR Riverton was grateful never got used, cause then he’d have had to make a report, and he didn’t want any of these weapons, or these guys’ names, in his report.
Kyle looked up at him, as if answering a question he might have asked if he had been braver. “We don’t do this sort of thing very often, you know.”
“Fortunately, neither do I. Of course, San Diego would be a safer place to live if I could get more of these bad guys off the street. But it’s my job, not yours.”
Kyle laughed and replaced the knife in its holder attached to his utility belt. “Come on there, Clark. Are we ever really off the job? You think if something happened to this great country we’d all claim retirement and let the same people who hired us to defend them perish without a fight?”
Riverton thought about that for a while. “It’d be one hell of a fight,” he murmured.
“That it would. But not today. Today we go back to the Scupper and sit back and have a few brews.”
Riverton raised his eyebrows.
“We get our women to come pick us up so we get home safely.” Kyle’s white smile glowed in the moonlight.
“Actually, I was thinking I might ask you if I could join you. You’ll be one short, with Cooper otherwise occupied.”
“That can be arranged. You sure?”
“As a heart attack.” Riverton watched Kyle laugh. “What’s so fuckin’ funny?”
“A SEAL ride-along. That’s a first.” He could see Kyle was feeling very pleased with his comment as he went to load up the remaining equipment.
Fredo was pissed off he had ripped his pants on one of the shards of door and half-heartedly blamed it on Malcolm, who protested the affront.
“Well then I won’t fix you up with my sister, Fredo. Besides which, she’s only about a foot taller than you are.”
“That doesn’t bother me in the slightest. There aren’t many pretty girls my size. None of my dates complain, either.”
The security guard was laughing at the two of them. He’d brought a pedestal lamp that plugged into his cigarette lighter, making the area bright as noon. In addition, the police photographer was flashing pictures of the corpse, the room where Libby was held and the surrounding area.
The guard turned to Riverton. “I like these guys.”
“What guys?” Riverton asked.
“These SEAL guys.”
“Son, you saved the day, didn’t anyone tell you that yet? You’re about to become a hero.”
“Excuse me? What about these guys?”
“They were never here.”
Chapter 43
Cooper couldn’t remember being so nervous. The sun was setting on the ocean from atop the grand master suite that had cost him a month’s pay. But this was going to be an important night. The rest of the Team had their celebration last night. Cooper had sneaked into the hospital room and spent the night in bed with Libby. He’d been tossed out twice, but still managed to get back in. Finally the nurses let him stay.
She was just being held for observation, and Coop talked them out of needing a monitor, telling the nurses a lie that he was an intern, on his way to becoming a Naval physician.
She had asked him afterwards if that was what he wanted to do, be a doctor.
He said, no. He wanted to get naked and inside her as soon as possible.
She seemed to like that idea just as much. Maybe better.
But tonight was the candlelit dinner he had never done before. He wanted everything to be how she would like it, just for one night. He would have to be honest with her, that his salary didn’t allow for these kinds of extravagances.
But tonight he wanted to show her what he could do. How he wanted everything in her life to be perfect. How he loved her.
Room service brought strawberries dipped in chocolate and a bottle of lime mineral water. There were chilled shrimp salads in the refrigerator. The rare steaks were in their heated cart, along with the twice-baked potatoes with cheese and the veggies. He knew all these things were her favorites. He’d have liked cornbread and some fresh peas, like at home, but some day. Maybe they’d go back to his home and build a little house on that land he loved. Raise a ton of kids.
If she’ll have me.
This suite had a fireplace he’d lit. Bay was stretched out in front of it. He noticed the dog seemed to be comfortable no matter where they were together. Just being together was all he wanted. If Coop were a beach bum, Bay would sleep outside on the sand under the stars right along with him.
He hoped Libby would feel the same way.
There was a light knock on the door. He lit the candles he’d bought, dimmed the lights and opened the door.
Libby stood in the hallway, wrapped in a velvet coat buttoned all the way down to below her knees. Her black eye had gotten bright blue and he had to laugh inside, but didn’t want to show it.
“Well, madam, I can see you like it rough.” He was about to bust a gut not to burst out laughing.
She gave him that wide smile he loved so much.
“You said you liked long kisses and great sex, sailor. That’s why I’m here.”
“Is it, now?” He stepped forward and led her into the room, closing the door behind her. “Can I take your coat?”
“You can try,” she said winking at him as she walked into the room.
Even from behind, and underneath the cloak of velvet he could see
her hips move, the beautiful, round curves of her perfect ass sliding against the fabric, teasing him. Cooper’s reaction was immediate. He walked up to her, drew her into his arms and sank into the wonderful scents of her flesh, the taste of her neck, the way her hair brushed against his cheek. They swung back and forth, looking out over the shining bay, while he rubbed his hands up and down her thighs and bottom, needing to feel her warm skin under his palms.
He was wearing jeans because Libby had said she liked him in blue jeans and white shirts, so that’s exactly what he wore. No shoes. She turned around and looked up and down his body and dreamily smiled back at him.
“I’m not as formally dressed as you are, I was just thinking we’d be staying in—" he couldn’t finish his sentence because she had reached over and grabbed his balls and squeezed them through the blue denim.
“It’s perfect.” Her other hand unbuttoned his shirt, carefully spread it to the sides and she lay her head against his bare chest.
“It is perfect, isn’t it, Libby?”
She turned her face up and rested her petite face and chin on his sternum. “Yes, Cooper, it is. About as perfect as it gets.”
He hesitated and inhaled.
“What’s wrong?” she frowned.
“Come here for a second. We need to talk.” He brought her over to the couch, sat her down, and noticed she’d kicked off her heels. “You want some strawberries?”
“Feed me,” she said as she leaned back into the couch and looked at him with half-lidded eyes.
“My pleasure,” he said as he unscrewed the cap on the mineral water and poured some into the two champagne glasses. Holding the chocolaty strawberry in his right hand, he eased it between her plump lips and onto her tongue. She bit down, and he was left with a green stem. Watching her eat the strawberry was making him so hard he could hardly stand it.
And she knew it. One of her fingers idly ran over her own collarbone and down. He could see that whatever she was wearing underneath her coat was low cut, and he was thrilled.
“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” she purred as she accepted a bubbling flute from him, pressed the cold glass against her swollen eye, then clinked her glass against his and sipped.
“You want a cold towel for that?” He asked with a sympathetic squint.
She shook her head, no.
Cooper barely sipped the bubbly before he set his glass back down. He adjusted his pants, straightening his pockets and moving closer to her. He picked up her errant hand and kissed the fingers and her palm, which she’d turned outstretched. He was so hungry for her he could hardly stand it.
“I said I never wanted to leave your side. I’m afraid I’ve lied to you.”
She stilled and tried to take back her hand. He wouldn’t let her.
“I can’t be with you 24/7, like I told you that second or third day we met. I go away on deployments for several months at a time. I go on training sessions for months at a time. You’d be home alone—“
Libby covered his mouth with her fingers. “I don’t care.”
“A lot of couples in the community have a hard time.”
“I know.”
“I probably make less than your father’s secretary.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Kinda cramped in my little home.”
“I like being slammed up against the walls and bumping into you all the time, Coop.” Then she smiled, rubbing a finger over his nipple. “Would you consider an apartment with a real bed and a shower that wouldn’t go cold in five minutes?”
“Anything, honey. You do know it’s hell on couples when they are apart for so long. The odds aren’t in our favor, Libby.”
“Shhh,” she said as she put her forefinger over his lips. “I already told you. I don’t care. They don’t have what we have.”
“No, honey, they don’t.” Coop actually began to tear up, and he could see she had the same reaction. He took a big gulp of air and then let it out. “I’ve never said this to anyone before, well, not to a girl—a woman.”
She cocked her head and smiled, observing his awkwardness.
“Tell me. Tell me, Cooper.”
He was overtaken with a wicked thought. “Okay, here goes. Libby, would you let Bay live with you at your parent’s house?”
At first she jolted as if she’d been slapped. Her beautiful warm eyes got wide as she searched his face, and, sure enough, he couldn’t hold back the lie that was making him bust up inside with laughter. He’d never be able to lie to this woman. Ever. They both smiled.
“No, that wasn’t what I wanted to say.” He leaned over and planted a long, lingering kiss on her soft mouth, and heard the little groan deep in her throat. To her lips he whispered, “I love you.”
“Tell it to me again,” she said between kisses.
“I love you, Libby.”
“And again?”
“I love you. And I want to marry you.” She leaned back and stared at him. He added, “if you’ll have me.”
“If I’ll have you? I’ve wanted you from the first day I met you at our doorstep. You are and have always been the one I wanted. Nothing would please me more than to spend the rest of my life here, with you.”
“Well, it can’t be here. I mean, I can’t afford this all the time. But I’ll never leave you. I’ll always be with you.”
“I would wait forever for you. No matter how far you have to go, I will be waiting for you to return to me. Always, Cooper. Always.”
Cooper fiddled in his pocket for the ring he’d bought that afternoon. It was all he had left in his checking account after paying for the room. “It isn’t much, but it’s yours.”
“And I will cherish it forever because you gave it to me.” He slipped it on her finger and kissed it there, relieved it fit.
“Some day—“
“It’s perfect. What we have is perfect, Cooper.”
How could he be so lucky? How could this beautiful woman want to spend her life being his partner? He couldn’t believe his tremendous good fortune. He knew his mother was looking down on him right now. He thanked her for being the first woman he loved. He thanked his dad for being the plain man with a heart of gold who had taught him more about being a man than even the Navy had. He would miss them. But he had to quietly ask them to turn their backs. And he mentally explained.
I’m going to love her with everything I’ve got tonight. And I don’t want you to watch.
They’d sat on the couch, watching the sun pour itself into the ocean’s horizon while they finished the mineral water. Libby could barely touch the steak and everything else he had laid out for her so carefully. But she just wasn’t hungry. She was fully satisfied. The strawberries, on the other hand, enhanced something deep and erotic which was building between them. Something she was looking forward to. Tonight she was spending the night with the man of her dreams, who was going to be her man forever, would be her husband, would wear a ring on his finger telling the whole world he belonged to someone, in a honeymoon suite he’d picked out and planned.
“You must be hot,” he turned and said to her.
“I am.” She gave him that wicked smile and she saw his eyes glaze.
He unbuttoned the velvet coat and did a quick inhale when he discovered she had nothing on underneath the coat but panties.
He chuckled.
She explained. “I like how you take my panties off, and sometimes I need help with them.”
“Very happy to be of assistance.”
“Was hoping you’d see it that way.” She so wanted the feel of his hands on her body.
Cooper peeled the coat off her shoulders. The red satin lining fell open against the couch cushions. She matched his movements by removing his opened shirt. She even loved the feel of the stiff white cotton smelling of fabric softener, and the scent that was uniquely her man.
His forefinger rubbed the top of the bandless white lace panties. She was massaging his temple and down along his ear. At
last, he bent over and covered her breast with his mouth, sucking and then ending with a little bite before he attended to her other nipple. His hands slid underneath her and squeezed her buttocks. She parted her knees and he slid up over her.
He kissed a trail down to her belly button, then explored with his tongue under the flange of the panties, then down further. His finger hooked the thin fabric below her waist and he pulled, sliding the panties down her thigh, revealing her swollen, eager sex. He bent to insert his tongue into her, and Libby felt the immediate spasm of pleasure his tongue bestowed. She arched back and twisted her fingers in the hair at the top of his head, loving the way he laved her, the way he kissed and tasted her most sensitive, secret place.
He inserted two fingers into her, twisting them, and kissing the swollen lips at the sides. He kissed the little hollow between her peach and her upper thigh. His thumb smoothed over her clit. He pressed and squeezed it, causing her to jerk. He sucked the little nub and massaged it slowly with his tongue.
She was close to orgasm as she squeezed the tops of his shoulders, digging her nails into his flesh. He eased up, and rose to look at her face. His fingers continued their ministrations and she showed him how it felt—showed him with her eyes.
“I love watching you when you’re like this. I will think about this all the time, baby,” he said hoarsely.
She lifted her hips to meet his fingers and push against him, wanting him deeper. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, he was still looking back down on her, his head cocked, that half smile on his face, his hair mussed and his lips wet with their combined juices.
Yes, I will always remember you this way, too. “I love you, Calvin Cooper.”
He slid his arms around her waist and lifted her off the couch, carrying her to the bedroom.He’d set candles all around the room and the scent of jasmine was everywhere. The warm flickering glow made everything seem surreal, like it was from a wonderful, erotic dream. He lay her down on the bed, stood and slid his pants down.
Fallen SEAL Legacy Page 31
