Page 37 of Cooper's Command

Nova stood there, staring. Wondering if she’d heard him right. If he really had no idea how far she’d fallen. That she’d gladly give it all up if it meant she got to spend the rest of her life with him. And had he said he wanted her to stay? Implied that he’d been thinking about forever, too?

She pushed down the fear that she might have waited too long — that nothing she said would take the look of betrayal off his face — and said what she should have back at that crime scene. “I guess this means we’re not holding anything back. So, let’s start at the beginning. Since my first day on the job — getting partnered with Tate — I knew that I wanted to be just like him. Specialize in undercover ops. Spend as much of my career as possible immersed in all that adrenaline until I was either too old or too dead to do the job. And until a month ago, I would have done anything to prove I’m the only choice to run that office — be the agent Tate wanted me to be.”

She ran her fingers through her hair, hating the way her hand trembled. “But then, Tate died, and I came here and… Jesus, Coop, you turned my entire world upside down. And it hasn’tjust been the fact we’ve been shacking up — without having sex, I might add. It’s how you’ve had my back. Jumped in amidst car chases and gunfights without a moment’s hesitation. How you trusted me when all the evidence pointed to the fact that I’d cracked, just like everyone predicted.”

She gulped in some air, wondering if she’d get through it all without falling apart. “Do you know why I never pushed anything between us these past couple years?”

Cooper simply shook his head.

“It’s because I knew from the moment we met that you were special. That if I let myself fall, and I mean really fall, that everything I’d set in motion would grind to a halt. And all my plans would go up in smoke. I’ve never had a home — not in Seattle and definitely not in Columbia — but that’s what you’ve been to me since our first date, and the truth is, I was too scared to even think about trying to make it a reality.”

Was she crying? It felt like it as she stood there, floundering. “Do you know what went through my mind when Cartwright told me I was being reassigned to the Big Island — that my time in Columbia was essentially done despite hinting I might be able to earn it back? It wasn’t how my career was in the crapper. Or that I’d wasted the last ten years carving out a future I’d never manifest. It’s that I got to stay here with you. That, given time, maybe I could make you fall even a fraction of the way I have.”

She took a step toward him. “That you’d want me to be your home, too. So yeah, Coop, I’m upset. And scared and so damn crazy about you I can’t think straight. I meant what I said in there. I’ve made a lot of mistakes lately, but showing up at your house that night was the one thing I got right.”

Silence.

No breathing, no shifting his feet. Just total silence.

Even Bellamy and Ethan were frozen. Staring at her as if she’d spoken in a foreign language and they were still trying to translate all the words.

Fear sluiced through her veins, a cold sweat beading her skin. “You gotta say something, I?—”

Had he moved or had he just appeared in front of her? Because he was there a second later, his fingers sliding through her hair as he pulled her against him, his mouth claiming hers.

Had a kiss every felt this right? Like promise and anticipation rolled into one? She didn’t know — didn’t care — as her back hit the wall, his massive body holding her captive.

She vied for control, yanking him back down once he’d eased up — allowed them to gasp in some air. But she didn’t want to breathe. Didn’t need to. Not as along as he was there, kissing her.

Cooper sighed after he released her, staring down at her as if she’d lifted some soul-crushing weight. “Sweetheart, I…”

She smiled when his voice faded, the love in his eyes telling her everything he couldn’t. “Your team’s still here.”

He laughed. “I care even less, now.”

“Then, kiss me like you mean it, slugger.”

CHAPTER 11

Kissme like you mean it…

Hell yeah, he would. And he wouldn’t stop there.

Bellamy groaned, his footsteps heading toward the door. “And that’s our cue to leave. You’ve got two hours, Coop. Don’t have her still pinned to the wall when we get back.”

The door slammed, and they were alone. How Cooper had wanted to be since that fateful night when Nova had shown up at his house. He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers before lowering and claiming her mouth. Deeper than before. Longer. Until his lungs burned and he thought he might pass out. Not that Nova seemed worried about breathing because she tiptoed up and kissed him, again, once he’d eased back.

He wasn’t sure how long they stood there, her body shoved against the wall, his sheer size holding her captive as they kissed, breathed, then kissed some more. But he swore the shadows had crossed the room by the time he was able to disengage — think about picking her up and carrying her into the room.

Nova stared up at him with a dreamy lovesick smile that had his heart racing triple time as she leaned against the wall, completely oblivious to how far gone he was. That he’d fallen so in love with her, it hurt. “Before you ask me a thousandquestions, the answer’s yes. You should absolutely pick me up and take me back to bed where we should spend whatever time’s left making love.”

He extended his hand, frowning when she grimaced as she pushed off, her right side obviously still sore. He dropped his gaze to where she’d been shot, then back, that voice in his head warning him not to cause her more pain. That, despite his best intentions, she’d likely be running for her life, again, before this op was over.

Nova sighed, stepping into his personal space like she’d done before the meeting — teasing him with that finger along his torso, again. “Cooper. I’m fine.”

“That grimace suggests otherwise.”

“It was hardly a grimace.”

---