Page 85 of Fatal Betrayal

"There's the pessimist I know so well."

"Realist," she corrected. She put her hand on his waist as she leaned in for a kiss. "Let's see what you've got, Cooper."

"Let's see what you've got," he returned.

She gave him a cocky smile. "You know I like to be good at everything I do."

"And I hope you know that you're not going to call all the shots."

"We'll see."

"You'll see," he promised as their mouths met.

They started out slow, slightly tentative, curious, exploring, but the heat built fast. One kiss led to two, then three. His hands roamed her body, exploring her curves, sliding under her sweater to feel the warmth of her skin.

Andi got impatient quickly, tugging at the hem of his shirt, until he pulled it up and over his head. Then her hands were on him with an eagerness that sent a jolt of desire through every nerve ending in his body. He loved the way she touched him, kissed him, moved against him. They were running hard and fast toward the edge of a cliff.

He didn't want to stop. He didn't want her to want to stop. Because every dream he'd ever had about her was coming true, only it was so much better than he'd imagined.

Every kiss, every taste, every touch stoked the fire that had been simmering for years. But as he'd told her, this time he was calling the shots, so he flipped her on her back and smiled into her surprised eyes. Then he pulled her sweater up over her head and unfastened the clasp of her bra, feasting on the sight of her luscious curves. His hands led the way, his mouth following as he kissed his way down her body, taking his time, savoring every moment, as he stripped off the rest of her clothes.

One high led to another, until she wanted her turn with him, until they were both naked and impatient to have no more barriers between them, until they were both gasping for air, their bodies singing with a song that only they could make.

CHAPTERNINETEEN

Layingin Cooper's arms after a firestorm of feelings and emotions, Andi couldn't quite believe what had just happened. Her pulse was finally starting to slow down, but her body tingled all over, her mind still remembering every touch of Cooper's mouth and hands, the way he'd moved against her, inside her. How perfectly they'd fit. How in sync they'd been, reading each other's minds the way they'd always done, but in a way they'd never done before.

It should have felt strange, awkward, but it hadn't been either of those things. It had felt exactly right, like it should have happened a million times before. Maybe it would have if they hadn't fallen out, if their world hadn't changed. Or maybe it had been sweeter because of everything that had happened between them.

Whatever the reason, Cooper had kissed like a dream, and she was only realizing now that she'd had this particular dream before. She'd just never been able to see the face of her phantom lover. He'd always been in the shadows.Had it really been Cooper all these years? Was that why no one else had ever made her want to get serious, to move in, to be committed?

But that was crazy. She could not have been pining for him for eighteen years.

And she was getting way ahead of herself. They'd just had sex, really good sex. She had no idea where anything went from here. Maybe nowhere. Maybe that was okay.

Frowning, she actually didn't think it would be okay. Because now she knew how they could be together, and it wouldn't be easy to forget him. But she didn't have to forget him yet. Not now with her head resting on his broad chest, her legs entangled with his, one arm around his waist.

"So, naked is good," Cooper murmured.

She lifted her head to look at him. "Yes, and no one started laughing."

He gazed back at her with a tender smile. "I definitely didn't feel like laughing. How are you doing?"

"I'm great. And thanking God you had a condom in your wallet. But then I shouldn't have been surprised. You were always a better planner than I was."

"I sure didn't plan this. If I had, I would have chosen a much better location."

"It's perfect. You got lucky at the Lucky Motel," she teased.

"Or maybe you got lucky."

"I can't argue with that," she said, as his magic fingers stroked her bare back, stirring up the desire she'd thought she'd vanquished. "You better stop that, or you're going to have to check out that 24-hour drugstore down the street."

"I would go there in a second, except that I wouldn't want to leave you alone here."

"We need to stay together," she agreed.

"Just like this," he said with a laugh. "Or maybe even a little closer."

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