Page 77 of Deceptive Lies

July 14th

8:53 P.M.

He couldn’t get enough of this woman.

Even though she was sitting on his lap, her arms around his neck, her lips millimeters from his, her body soft and pliable, and his to enjoy for the night, to treasure, it wasn't enough.

Cooper needed more.

Needed forever, and he knew how precarious forever was right now.

As badly as he needed to rage against Willow’s plan to play bait, to refuse to go along with it, to tell her she was on her own if she wanted to stupidly put her life on the line, he knew he could do none of those things. Willow needed to do this, and if he tried to stop her and squash her spirit, the chance he wanted with her would slip through his fingers.

This was who she was.

It was who he’d fallen for.

Her strength, bravery, and determination to do what she believed was the right thing to do. How could he possibly ask her to be someonethat she wasn't when the person that she was was so utterly, mind bogglingly amazing?

“Cooper?” Her voice held a thread of vulnerability as she said his name, a hint of doubt he needed to erase.

“I want you so badly I can't think straight,” he admitted, dotting kisses to her lips between each word. “And I'm so afraid I'm going to lose you.”

An understanding smile curled her plump lips up. “You won't lose me. Want to know why?”

“Why?”

“Because I have the very best team watching my back. They would never let anyone hurt me.”

The confidence in her voice carved out some of the fear sitting heavily in his chest and replaced it with a sliver of that confidence. “I would die before I let anyone lay a hand on you.”

Terror flared in her turquoise eyes. “I don’t want you to die. I don’t want anyone to die. Well, I'm not adverse to the professor’s death.” A tiny smile erased a little of the terror in her eyes. “But tonight, I don’t want to think about anything else. Tonight, I just want you.”

“You have me, honey. Tonight, and every night for the rest of our lives.”

Wrapping an arm around Willow’s waist, Cooper stood. Her legs immediately locked around his hips, pressing her hot center against the hard ridge in his pants. Burning desire laced his veins, he’d never felt such a deep need for a woman in his life. It was like a craving, this clawing feeling that if he didn't get inside her soon he was going to die.

Tonight had to be gentle though. Willow’s body was a roadmap of the trauma she’d endured these last few weeks, and even though he was positive she would argue the case, it couldn’t handle rough right now.

Not that he cared.

He wanted her any way he could have her.

Hell, he wanted hereveryway he could have her.

But tonight was their first time and it had to be special.

Carrying her over to the bed, Cooper set her on her feet and touched a brief kiss to her lips before licking and nibbling his way down the slender column of her neck. He paused at the point where her pulsewas fluttering and let his lips linger there, drinking in the reassuring knowledge that she was alive.

So many times in the last few days he could have lost her.

But she was still there.

Still standing.

Nothing short of a miracle.

While he trailed kisses down to her collarbones, his fingers found the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it up and over her head. Since she’d been unconscious when he dressed her earlier, he hadn't bothered to put on a bra or panties, although his brothers had packed both in the bag they’d brought for Willow, so her beautiful breasts were bared for him to admire.

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