Page 3 of Cooper's Command

He held firm, leaning in when she frowned — looked as if she was back to considering dropping him on his ass. “Sweetheart…”

She swallowed, half-coughing when it obviously didn’t go down right, before glaring up at him. “If this is you telling me you’re not interested…”

“Not interested?” He pressed against her, nipping at her neck, again, when she groaned. “Does itfeellike I’m not interested?”

He clenched his jaw when she rubbed against him, nearly blasting the bit of clarity he’d clawed back into a million pieces. “Trust me, there’s nothing I want more than to lift you up and pound into you until neither one of us has the strength to stand.”

“That’s a plan I can get behind?—”

“Except where you’re raw. Vulnerable. And as much as I want this — want you — I’m not the kind of man who takes advantage of a situation.” He placed his finger over her lips when she opened her mouth. “And yeah, it would be. So, here’s what we’re going to do…”

He trailed his finger down her neck, along her shoulder then across the side of her breast. “We grab your suitcase and take it inside, because you did bring all your stuff with you, right?”

Nova gave him a guarded nod.

He smiled. “Right, so we bring it inside and get you settled here, with me, instead of at that sterile rental. Then, we snuggle in my bed where I promise to hold you until the sun comes up. No sex. Just the two of us together.”

Nova stared up at him. “I’m going to stay here with you and we’re just going to sleep?”

“For now, while we’re neck deep in this op. But mark my words…” He shifted until his mouth was an inch from hers, their breath mixing in the cool night air. “Once we wrap this up, all bets are off. Because I plan on picking up right here with you strung tight. Desperate for me to finally make a move.”

He brushed his lips across hers. “Well, sweetheart? You in?”

She braced her weight against the wall, glancing at Whiskey then back to him. “Whiskey will let us know if there’s a threat, right?”

“No one will get past her. Or me. Promise.”

“Is making out off limits, or…”

Cooper chuckled then claimed her mouth, tracing every inch before finally easing away — nuzzling his nose against hers. “Definitely allowed. In fact, it’s highly encouraged, but…”

“No sex until this investigation is over.” She laughed. “I knew you were trouble the second I met you.”

“Is that your version of yes?”

“Yeah. But…” She snagged his hair and dragged him back to her. “I plan on pushing the limits as far as I can, so… buckle up. You’re in for one hell of a ride.”

CHAPTER 1

Two weeks later…

“You ready?”

DEA agent Nova Martin blinked, giving herself a mental shake as she glanced up at Cooper before pushing off the side of his truck, hoping he hadn’t noticed that she’d been drifting for the past five minutes. “Sure.”

He sighed, moving over and pinning her against the door. “Were you sleeping on your feet?”

“What? Of course not.”

Cooper merely chuckled when she yawned a moment later.

She gave him a shove but the jerk barely moved. “Fine, so I’m a bit tired. It’s nearly midnight and we haven’t gotten more than a short nap in since Moody’s takedown.”

Cooper frowned. “That implies you were sleeping well before that. And don’t think I haven’t noticed how you’re still pushing down all that shit regarding Tate. Everything Moody’s death brought to the surface.”

Nova pursed her lips, holding her head high. “The bastard’s dead. Justice was served. It’s over.”

“Rumor has it if you keep lying to yourself long enough, you’ll start to believe it.”

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