Page 37 of The Long Walk Back

I dropped my head, rubbing my stubbly cheek against her neck as I thanked my lucky stars. She squirmed beneath me. ‘No teasing,’ she scolded. I felt her hand around me then, guiding me closer. I stopped teasing, let my fingers do the talking. ‘Oh Thomas,’ she whimpered, her head falling back.

‘Do you know what it does to me when you say my name?’ I growled as my fingers found her wetness. All for me. I felt like a fucking conquering hero. ‘It does things to my insides. Makes me want to turn you on so damn much you scream it.’

I kept up my movements, finding her centre with my thumb and revelling in the way she jolted against me. She worked her hand up and down my shaft, making my vision blur. My head spin. As she placed the head of my cock at her entrance, thrusting her hips up to bump it against herself, she looked me in the eye.

‘So make me, Captain. Give it to me.’

After that, I was a fucking goner.

Kate watched the sun rise through the slit in the half-open curtains as she listened to Cooper’s heart beating beneath her ear. They had hardly slept, not that she was complaining, but she had to get back soon. She’d taken the day off to house hunt for a suitable bungalow for herself and Jamie. And Cooper, hopefully. They hadn’t discussed it, but Kate knew that she wanted him with them. He loved her. Truly loved her, and when he’d said the words there was no panic, no doubt. She wanted to make them both a home, a better home than either of them had ever had, one filled with love and laughter, to give Jamie a home he’d adore. A place they could all heal properly, together.

She propped her head up on one elbow and looked at her sleeping partner. His usual frown lines seemed diminished, and a ghost of a smile played across his lips. He looked happy, and peaceful, and Kate thought he had never looked so handsome. He looked a little pale against the white sheets, and she thought back to that day when his body was tanned and broken. She slowly traced her finger over his scars, the lines of skin salvaged and painstakingly stitched back together once the shrapnel was free. They were turning silvery white now, healing more and more as each day passed. She wondered if the beating heart she could hear was being healed by her, patched up with her love for him. He slept on his back, slightly twisted so that his legs were wrapped around her under the sheets. He was totally at peace, but she knew if danger kicked the door down, he would be ready to protect her to his last breath, and even though she would never admit it, it made her feel safe and protected. She had never got that feeling from Neil; she had felt like the stronger, more adult half of their pairing. What she felt now, lying in this bed, was a perfect match. She just hoped that the next few months didn’t alter them. She snuggled into him further, half closing her eyes. One more minute, and then she would get up. One more minute, to savour this slice of time.

The knocking was insistent, and Kate scrunched her eyes up at the intrusion to her dreams. Trevor. That was her first thought. It was Trevor, knocking at her room door to tell her a patient was incoming. A flash of Cooper, naked, popped into her head and her eyes sprang open.

‘Shit!’ she shouted. She heard the door open, and as she frantically glanced around, the hotel room swam into focus, along with her bra, which hung from the mounted television. Muted voices were exchanged and then Cooper, clad in a pair of boxers, walked slowly back to her, wallet in hand.

‘It was reception. We slept in, so they wanted to check if we wanted the room again for tonight. I tipped them to give us an extra half hour.’ He kissed her, and she closed her lips tight. He faltered, pulling back, and she realised he had his limb on, and his breath smelled of mint.

‘Scared of morning breath?’ he chuckled.

She spoke out of the corner of her mouth. ‘Mine, not yours,’ she said, grabbing for the sheets to tuck round her as she headed for the bathroom. Picking her clothes up, he flicked her thong at her. She caught it, blushing, and grabbed her bra on the way past.

He blocked her path to the bathroom, and she looked up at him, flustered.

‘No regrets?’ he said, and she realised he was worried. She pecked him close mouthed, dropping the sheet. His eyes bulged as he took her in.

‘None,’ she said saucily. ‘Half an hour means we have enough time for a shower too. I noticed a shelf in there, just right for sitting on.’

He broke into a broad smile then, taking her by the hand to the bathroom. She put her finger to his lips as they neared hers.

‘I must just brush my teeth first,’ she said. Cooper chuckled, and he shut the door behind them.

Later that afternoon, Cooper having left, Kate was enjoying a wander around the city centre. She had bought some new clothes for Jamie, and was now sitting in a coffee shop looking at bungalow listings from the estate agents. The lady had been really nice, not batting an eyelid at the long list of specifications that she rattled off at her. Some of them, one in particular, looked promising. The one she had her eye on had land with it, and Kate wondered if this could be put to good use going forward. It was just out of town, a large country-style bungalow. Just the ticket for their new life. Kate turned her phone on, intending to book a viewing, when her phone burst into life. She had missed calls, texts and voicemails. The centre number came up repeatedly. Jamie. Kate grabbed her things and raced to the nearest taxi rank. She punched the voicemail button and listened as she fired out her destination to the receptionist. It was Trevor.

‘Kate, it’s me. Listen, get back here as soon as you can. Jamie is missing.’

Kate’s blood ran cold. The taxi pulled up, and she jumped in, ignoring the driver’s cheery greeting. She rang Cooper’s mobile. He picked up on the second ring.

‘Missy! I was just thinking ab?—’

‘Cooper!’ she screamed into the phone. ‘It’s Jamie. I need you!’

Kate’s voice down that telephone line made Cooper think of the first day he met her. The urgency in her voice terrified him. When she told me what was happening, his instincts took over.

‘Okay, I’m here Kate, listen, I am on my way to help, okay? Ring me when you get to the centre.’

Kate managed to pull herself together long enough to say goodbye, and he resisted the urge to tell her he loved her again. It didn’t seem right, when they had only just told each other how they felt the night before. He would tell her when he saw her. When she was in his arms and Jamie was safe.

He rang Rita. No way was he going to speak to Trevor. It happened on his watch. Trevor wouldn’t tell him a damn thing anyway. Why would he? Officially, Cooper was only a fellow patient.

Rita answered in her usual brisk busy bee manner. ‘Can I help, my love?’ Cooper could hear the noises of the kitchen in the background. The hiss of water running, the clang of pots and pans.

‘Hey, Reet. Did you see where he went? How the hell did he get out?’

‘I have no idea, the staff were all busy, and Trevor was holed into his office. His grandparents came for him, and he went willingly. It was one of the new nurses, she didn’t know the background, and there’s nothing in his file about him not being allowed to visit his father’s family.’

‘Wait, his father’s parents came and took him?’

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