Page 6 of Cooper's Command

Cooper leaned in, one arm braced against the wall as he drew a path down from her shoulder, circling her nipple until it stabbed at the shirt she’d borrowed from him. “Dangerous.Because with how primed I am, this could last the rest of the night.”

“I’d be disappointed if it didn’t. So… get us inside, slugger. Unless you want me to go to my knees, right here?”

He clenched his jaw, making the muscle in his temple jump then kissed her — deeper than before. A hint of what he was capable of. As if he’d only been teasing earlier. Nova wasn’t sure how long they stood there, her back pressed into the wall, his body hot and hard against her before he finally seemed willing to move.

He snagged her hand, pausing one last time. “Are you sure? If it’s still too soon…”

Nova jumped at him, grinning when he caught her, helping her wrap her legs around his waist before he started walking. Kissing her the entire time as they bumped their way back to his bed. He didn’t bother stopping, just launched them both onto the mattress, laughing when they bounced once before his weight settled on top of her, and everything clicked into place.

She palmed his jaw, beckoning him to her with a tilt of her head — allowing her fingers to slide along his cheek and into his hair. Anchoring him to her when he ate at her mouth before finally shifting his weight onto one elbow as he reached for the hem of her shirt.

Whiskey yipped, and a moment later, someone pounded on the door. Cursing, Cooper glanced over his shoulder as he huffed out a breath. Nova looked, too, hoping maybe they’d imagined it when the person knocked, again. Louder than before.

“I swear to god, it that’s Bellamy or Ethan or Rusty, I’ll freaking kick their ass.” He rolled off her, extending his hand. “Come with me.”

Nova took his hand, nearly banging into his chest when he pulled her off the bed. She arched a brow, allowing her gaze to sweep down his body. “That’s what I thought I’d be doing, but…”

He’d definitely growled, the low sound accentuating the needy roil of her stomach. “Hold that thought, because this is only a minor interruption.”

He struck off, their hands intertwined, Whiskey trotting along beside them. Nova stopped just shy of the entrance, leaning against the corner of one wall as Cooper checked the upper window, glancing back at her before opening the door.

He didn’t bother trying to hide anything, simply cranked it aside, allowing Whiskey to stand beside him. “Hawk? This is unexpected. Wait. Are Bellamy and Octavia okay? Were there more tangos? Shit, I can grab my gear…”

“Whoa. Slow down. You know, Bellamy claimed you were the mother hen of the bunch, but I just hadn’t seen you in action, until now. And no one’s bleeding out, but there’s a situation that needs your attention.” Hawk glanced back at her, obviously taking in the way her hair was likely spiked up in all directions from Cooper fisting it and how she was only wearing his shirt.

Cooper waved the man inside. “Is this your way of telling me I have a mission that can’t wait?”

“Not exactly…” Hawk sighed. “I’m actually here for Nova.”

“Me?” Nova joined Cooper, leaning against him when he placed his hands on her hips. A sure sign they were far more than friends. “Only Bellamy’s parents and my boss know I’m on the island… Shit. Please tell mehedidn’t call you?”

Hawk winced, and Nova knew things were about to go off the rails. The reckoning she’d been dreading since Tate’s off-the-books mission involving Octavia had come to light.

The man sighed. “He said something about you not answering your cell. I guess because of Bellamy’s parents being DEA, they had my number and…”

Hawk braced some of his weight against the door frame. “I called Bellamy and got the address for that rental you’d booked, but a very disgruntled host said you’d checked out a few hoursafter checking in. So, I took a chance that you were staying with Cooper.”

She snorted. “Looks as if I’m not half the special agent I thought I was.”

“You two are rock solid in your professionalism. You don’t let a hint of whatever you’ve got going on here show through… until you look at each other. Then… Let’s just say I’d be horrible at my job if I didn’t see the connection. You both glow.”

Nova glanced up at Cooper, and the way he looked at her was more than just a simple glow. It was neon. Blinding in its intensity and she couldn’t help but wonder if all his buddies had noticed, too. If it had been futile attempting to keep their budding relationship a secret.

“It’s not that we care if anyone knows, it’s just…” Cooper sighed. “With the non-stop threats, we thought it best to have everyone focused on the mission and not razzing us.”

Hawk chuckled. “Right. It’s all for the greater good. Anyway, your boss is waiting to have a video chat at the office, so if you think you two can keep it clean for an hour, we should go.”

“Now?” Nova tensed. “Cartwright wants to talk at two o’clock in the morning?”

“Guess he’s impatient.” Hawk grinned. “Is that a problem? Do you two need to finish what I obviously interrupted first? Or can you slip on some pants, tamp everything down with a shot of Glenfiddich, and pick this up later?”

“You know Whiskey’s trained to tackle a person on command, right?” Cooper eased back, grabbing Nova’s hand. “Give us five and we’ll follow you back to the ranch.”

Hawk snorted as if he didn’t quite believe they’d keep to the schedule then headed out, jumping into one of the Brotherhood trucks.

Cooper tugged her close, nibbling at her neck as he blew out a rough breath. “If this wasn’t our first time together, I’d throwcaution to the wind and bend you over the counter so we could take the edge off. But…” He turned her in his arms. “I need this to be special.”

Nova tiptoed up, claiming his mouth to the point it was indecent. “I’m with you. Special’s a given, but five minutes isn’t going to cut it, so, we’ll have to pick this back up later. After I get fired.”

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