fuck as the person standing next to me. But unfortunately I’ve recently discovered something about myself—as in the last twenty minutes or so. It’s been a hell of an eye opener, and I completely took it for granted before.”
“You’re attitude is starting to piss me off, Claire.”
“Cooper, if you had your gun on you I might take it from you and shoot you in the foot. Shut up and listen, please.” She smiled sweetly, though the anger was obvious in her eyes. “Sex should mean something. It should be more than a quick grope in a closet with someone who doesn’t give a damn one way or the other about you. Yes, it should be satisfying. It should be dirty or sweet or standing up or lying down. The how doesn’t matter. But the why sure as fuck does.”
The growl that came from his throat didn’t intimidate her. If anything, it gave her the courage to keep going.
“This was a mistake all around. I know it was my fault for instigating it, so I apologize for inconveniencing you and getting in the way of whatever you guys are doing here.”
She pulled her hand from his grasp.
“I warned you that you wouldn’t like what I wanted from you, but you said I’d never know unless I told you. I can’t change who I am, Claire.”
“No one with a soul or an ounce of self-respect would like what you wanted from me. And if that’s a rule you’re determined to live by then I’m sure as hell not going to try and change you. There’s a lot I can take from you, Cooper, and there were a lot of things I was willing to try, but I won’t sacrifice myself on the altar of your illusions any longer. It’s fine for you to get what you want, but I deserve to get something of what I want as well. It can’t all be one sided.”
Disappointment weighed like lead around her shoulders, and all of a sudden she was just so damned tired. The fight went out of her on an exhalation of breath, and her shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Let me have what’s left of my pride and just let it go, Cooper. There’s no need to try and talk things out so you can try and justify your decisions to yourself.”
He moved closer so he towered above her. “Whatever this is between us isn’t just going to go away.”
“I know that,” she said softly. “But just like with anything, if you ignore it long enough, you can pretend it never existed in the first place. I’ll see you around, Cooper.”
She turned and made it to the safety of her car before the tears began to fall. She didn’t realize until she’d gotten home that she still wore the collar Cooper had placed around her neck. She had no idea how she was going to get it off.
Chapter Four
Leave me what’s left of my pride…
Those words haunted Cooper all through the night, and they distracted him while Cade put a small team of four men together to intercept the shipment of drugs Morda was sending into Canada.
They’d achieved their goal of arresting the men traveling with the shipment—though Cade had taken a bullet to the hand and shoulder, and Cooper had one come close enough to his ribs to leave a burn mark across his skin.
But just like Cade had feared, they hadn’t caught the big fish. The men in the truck were just worker bees, and none of them could give the DEA Rafael Morda. The raid on Club Dominique hadn’t faired much better. They’d confiscated enough drugs to shut the club down for a while, but it was still just a small part of the picture.
Cade had found out who’d betrayed their position inside Club Dominique . It had been the same female agent he’d seen at the club the night before who’d been getting her boots licked. The Morda’s men had given her up easily enough with a little persuasion.
Once the action ended and he’d seen Cade comfortably resting in the hospital, Cooper found himself headed towards the MacKenzie house instead of his own apartment above the Sheriff’s Office. He’d get his brother, Thomas, to bandage his
“You’re attitude is starting to piss me off, Claire.”
“Cooper, if you had your gun on you I might take it from you and shoot you in the foot. Shut up and listen, please.” She smiled sweetly, though the anger was obvious in her eyes. “Sex should mean something. It should be more than a quick grope in a closet with someone who doesn’t give a damn one way or the other about you. Yes, it should be satisfying. It should be dirty or sweet or standing up or lying down. The how doesn’t matter. But the why sure as fuck does.”
The growl that came from his throat didn’t intimidate her. If anything, it gave her the courage to keep going.
“This was a mistake all around. I know it was my fault for instigating it, so I apologize for inconveniencing you and getting in the way of whatever you guys are doing here.”
She pulled her hand from his grasp.
“I warned you that you wouldn’t like what I wanted from you, but you said I’d never know unless I told you. I can’t change who I am, Claire.”
“No one with a soul or an ounce of self-respect would like what you wanted from me. And if that’s a rule you’re determined to live by then I’m sure as hell not going to try and change you. There’s a lot I can take from you, Cooper, and there were a lot of things I was willing to try, but I won’t sacrifice myself on the altar of your illusions any longer. It’s fine for you to get what you want, but I deserve to get something of what I want as well. It can’t all be one sided.”
Disappointment weighed like lead around her shoulders, and all of a sudden she was just so damned tired. The fight went out of her on an exhalation of breath, and her shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Let me have what’s left of my pride and just let it go, Cooper. There’s no need to try and talk things out so you can try and justify your decisions to yourself.”
He moved closer so he towered above her. “Whatever this is between us isn’t just going to go away.”
“I know that,” she said softly. “But just like with anything, if you ignore it long enough, you can pretend it never existed in the first place. I’ll see you around, Cooper.”
She turned and made it to the safety of her car before the tears began to fall. She didn’t realize until she’d gotten home that she still wore the collar Cooper had placed around her neck. She had no idea how she was going to get it off.
Chapter Four
Leave me what’s left of my pride…
Those words haunted Cooper all through the night, and they distracted him while Cade put a small team of four men together to intercept the shipment of drugs Morda was sending into Canada.
They’d achieved their goal of arresting the men traveling with the shipment—though Cade had taken a bullet to the hand and shoulder, and Cooper had one come close enough to his ribs to leave a burn mark across his skin.
But just like Cade had feared, they hadn’t caught the big fish. The men in the truck were just worker bees, and none of them could give the DEA Rafael Morda. The raid on Club Dominique hadn’t faired much better. They’d confiscated enough drugs to shut the club down for a while, but it was still just a small part of the picture.
Cade had found out who’d betrayed their position inside Club Dominique . It had been the same female agent he’d seen at the club the night before who’d been getting her boots licked. The Morda’s men had given her up easily enough with a little persuasion.
Once the action ended and he’d seen Cade comfortably resting in the hospital, Cooper found himself headed towards the MacKenzie house instead of his own apartment above the Sheriff’s Office. He’d get his brother, Thomas, to bandage his
Similar Books
Loving Lawson
R.J. Lewis
In Too Deep
Jayne Ann Krentz
Run into Trouble
Alan Cook
Ready for Love
Gwyneth Bolton
Eye of Flame
Pamela Sargent
Ain’t Misbehaving
Jennifer Greene
The Dictator
Robert Harris
Claimed by Three
Rebecca Airies
Body and Soul (Body and Soul Trilogy)
Jamie Loeak