Page 71 of Claws and Feathers

“I wasn’t before.”

“You were,” she insisted, nuzzling into him. “Your face, and your body, and your eyes, and whatisthat cologne you’re wearing?”

Cooper laughed, squeezing her tighter. “I haven’t even showered today. I smell like yesterday and lots of sex.”

“Mmm. Best cologne ever.” Abby twisted around to look up at him. Her gaze turned pensive as her eyes flickered across his face. “Do you have any regrets?”

He frowned, studying her as a flash of worry washed over her.Regrets.There was not a single piece of him – not a wavering breath or wandering thought – that carried an ounce of regret. Cooper knew that their relationship crossed a professional line, and yet… he had never felt more certain of anything in his life. But he wasn’t quite ready to confess how deep his feelings truly ran. It was too new, too fresh, too complicated. He decided to keep the mood light and pushed her gently back against the stove. “Does it seem like I have regrets?” he grinned, folding her hair over her shoulder, and peppering more kisses along her neckline.

Abby let out a breathy gasp and arched towards him. “No…” she whispered. Then she giggled. “What’s with our steamy encounters against appliances?”

She scrunched up her nose and Cooper kissed her forehead. He laughed, stepping away, and reached for the carton of eggs. “Here, I’ll help you cook,” he offered. “It’s the least I can do after my regrettable actions of distracting you.”

“Unforgivable,” she joked. Abby stepped in front of the sink and pulled out a clean plate, drying it off with a dish towel. As she went to move back towards the stove, her eyes glanced up, settling on the window in front of her.

Cooper noticed a look come over her and she dropped the plate. It shattered against the kitchen tile.

“Cooper… outside.”

He followed her eyes and spotted a shadow of a man dart across the side of her property. Cooper’s body reacted, and he reached for his weapon that was secured behind his back. “Stay here, Abby,” he ordered, then raced out her back door.

Cooper ran towards the trespasser who quickly spotted him, and was now giving chase. Cooper pointed his gun at the man who he could now see was dressed in all black and wearing a ski mask. The man was partially illuminated by the light coming from Abby’s house. “Freeze!” Cooper shouted.

The subject came to an abrupt stop and held his arms up in surrender.

Who the hell was this motherfucker?Cooper’s own feet slowed their pace as he cautiously approached. It was not The Withered Man – he could tell by the height and body frame. “Turn around,” he said. The man did as he was told and gradually spun around to face Cooper. “Are you armed?”

He shook his head.

“Take off your mask.” Cooper was gaining traction, both hands held firmly around his gun. The man hesitated. “Now!”

“All right, all right. Just don’t fuckin’ shoot, okay?”

Cooper narrowed his eyes. He recognized that voice. Oh,hell no.

The man pulled the mask off and dropped it to his feet.

Marky. Lyle Kravitz’s punk of a little brother.

Jesus Christ.

“What the hell are you doing on Abby’s property?” Cooper demanded, still moving forward, still aiming the gun at Marky.

“I – I was just messing around. It was a prank. A stupid joke,” Marky insisted, cowering as Cooper advanced on him.

“Did you leave the bird?”

Marky gulped. “C’mon, McAllister. I can’t go back to jail.”

“Did you leave the goddamn bird?” His tone was bordering on sinister.

“Okay! I left the fuckin’ bird, all right? It didn’t mean anything.”

Cooper tensed his jaw, his body stiffening. He methodically placed the gun back into the hem of his jeans, then stormed at Marky. He grabbed him by the shirt collar, his face mere inches from his. “You son of a bitch. Why would you do something like that? What the hell is wrong with you?”

Marky tried to pull himself free, but Cooper’s grip was unrelenting. “I don’t got shit to do in this town. I heard Lyle talking about the case and that ‘Little Bird’ thing, and I thought it would be –”

“A good idea to terrorize a traumatized woman? To waste police time and resources?” Cooper interceded, his blood flowing fire through his veins. “You sick bastard.”

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