Page 42 of Cooper

Cooper’s handscame around her narrow waist, his hands clamping like steel bands ashe molded her to his aching body. His rampaging desire was swampinghim like a flood. Her mouth was addictive and sweet, reminding him ofhoney.

Her nipples werebranding his chest through the material of his scrubs. But he hadmade a vow to himself and would keep it, even if it meant he wouldsuffer through it.

Tearing his mouth from hers, he shoved her awayfrom him, heart pounding hard in his chest, his body shuddering.

He stared at her witheyes bright and feverish. “Are you willing to accept ourrelationship and for us to become public?”

“What?”Brooke found it challenging to collect her thoughts and put them inorder. Her body felt weak, and she was hot as if she had been dousedin flames.

“I want arelationship with you, Brooke, and I am not willing to settle foranything less. There is a showing at the gallery on Saturday, thatcould be our first date-”

“What the hellare you talking about?”

“A date. Withyou.”

Shaking her head, shetried to focus and barely managed.

“We could goback to my place-”

“So, it’sjust sex then?”

“I cannot offeranything more.”

“Then theanswer is no,” he told her coolly, bringing his desire undersubjection. “We should go.”

“You want me.”She said stupidly.

“More than Ihave ever wanted another human being before. But I am not willing tosettle.”

“You son of abitch. You wound me up, and now-”

“I am taking astand. I am sure you will come to see my point in all this.”

Glaring at him, shebent to pick up her bag and sailed past him. She did not speak to himas she approached the parking lot and her vehicle.

'I will wait,‘he told her quietly as she opened her door.

“Then you willbe waiting forever.” Pushing the start button, she drove out ofthe lot with a squeal of brakes.

“She drives toodamn fast,” he muttered as he got in behind the wheel andfollowed her.

Brooke was fuming.Punching the seek button, she tried to find something soothing tolisten to. She could still feel the imprint of his lips on hers, hisbody against hers. The son of a bitch was playing with her, and shewas damned if it was going to happen again.

He was toying withher; that’s what it was. He was playing some sick game, and itwould stop now. Dan had been asking her for ages, and she might justtake him up on that. She did not like him that way, but it wassomething to get her mind off Dr. Cooper Rochester.

He could go to hell.She was definitely over him. Adjusting the mirror, she hissed out abreath as she noticed that he was behind her. She did not need himplaying Sir Galahad and seeing her home or part of the way.

She was independentand had been caring for herself for a long time. He was trying toprove that he was nothing like her dad, but she would be a fool tofall for that. From now on, it would be business between them, shedecided firmly.

*****

He thought restlesslythat he should have followed her home, dumping his keys inside thecrystal ashtray in the middle of the mahogany table. The placesmelled like Lysol, telling him his housekeeper had been there thatday. She would likely leave something in the warmer for him to have ameal.

But he was nothungry. He was walking over to the recessed cabinet. He pressed thebutton and plucked the bottle of aged scotch from the shelf. Pickingup the glass, he poured the liquor and took it back to the fireplace,a brooding expression on his face.

He was aching forher, and his good intentions were warring with the permanent ache hewas feeling. He had contemplated taking her inside her office or onone of the beds in the examination rooms. That was how much he hadwanted her.

Instead of becoming adistant memory, the first and only time he had made love to her wasbranded inside his brain. He recalled every touch, the feel of herskin, the musky scent of her on his tongue. Closing his eyes, hecould feel her tightness wrapped around him—the texture of hernipples.

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