Page 2 of Deadly Rescue
There was a time when Celina would have agreed. Now, she knew better. When she’d first met him, anti-social hadn’t even come close to describing Cooper Harris. The man was a fine-tuned working machine who barked first and asked questions later. It’s why Celina had nicknamed him the Beast, to begin with, which caught on pretty quickly with the rest of the taskforce. Little by little she’d managed to chip away at his gruff exterior until she unearthed the man underneath—the one who cared deeply for those around him and would do anything to protect his friends and family.
“But, since you’re going to make me go anyway, I might as well save my breath,” he added, a smirk taking the sting out of his words. His hands encased her upper arms as he hauled her to him. Capturing her mouth with his, the kiss left her breathless. “Don’t expect me to share you for long, though. You know what a jealous bastard I can be.”
Cooper’s hand stayed at the small of her back as they wound their way downstairs and into the hotel bar. Celina could feel the heated stares from the men around her, but with one hard glare from Cooper, they quickly returned to their drinks and conversation. She stifled a laugh. Lord, how she loved this man and his pain-in-the-ass, overprotective instincts. Jealous bastard indeed.
They were last to arrive, or so it seemed judging by the large crowd that had gathered. Celina’s eyes danced over the room, taking in the overflowing bar and tables as she tried to locate their friends. Her trained eye caught on more than one tell-tale bulge hidden beneath a jacket. Not that she was surprised. The room was filled with agents cutting loose before the training session started in the morning.
Bursts of boisterous laughter and conversations filled the air, which is why Celina nearly missed it when a familiar voice said, “It’s about time you guys showed up.”
She turned to find Nelson Cruz studying them through dark, brooding eyes, a beer bottle in each hand and a smug grin on his handsome face. An ICE agent for Homeland security, Nelson was six-feet of brawn and muscle, and Celina had no doubt he knew exactly why they were late.
“Had I known you were pining for me, I would have come sooner.” Cooper clapped his friend on the back, taking one of the beers when Nelson held it out to him. “Thanks, man.”
Celina accepted the other, flashing a smile. “Where is everyone?”
“In the back. Sophie’s bladder isn’t what it used to be, so we camped close to the restrooms.” Nelson led the way through the crowd, weaving between tables and patrons until they reached the rest of their group, seated at a large table. “I’m going to grab some more drinks, be back in a few.”
“I hope it’s with more beer,” Roman Walsh quipped good naturedly, training his eyes on Cooper and Celina’s bottles. “Glad to see you found us. I think everyone in the training sessions came here tonight to blow off steam.”
He rose to his feet, clapping Cooper’s hand warmly before wrapping Celina in a hug. The head of the Domestic Terrorism Taskforce had a PhD in criminal justice, and when he wasn’t interrogating the bad guys with those icy blue eyes of his, Roman was playing house with his anthropologist girlfriend, Dr. Brooke Heaton.
“It’s good to see you again, Roman. No Brooke?” Celina slid into the chair Cooper pulled out for her before he took his own seat. His thigh brushed against hers a second before his hand followed, and the warmth of his palm through the thin fabric of the dress pants she wore sent all sorts of deliciously naughty thoughts to her brain.
Roman shook his head. “She’s on a dig in New Mexico, but said to tell you hello.”
As if he knew the effect he was having, Cooper’s fingers began to trace a lazy pattern on her leg. Celina had to force her brain to function as she turned to the other woman at the table. “And you let him drag you along, Polly?”
A cyber geek by nature, Polly O’Donnell was a crime scene expert on Roman’s taskforce, and his right-hand gal. Her infectious smile and upbeat personality could literally brighten a room. Celina recently learned her full name was actually Polly Ana, which Celina found rather sweet, but rumor had it that the woman would maim anyone who dared to call her by it.
“Come to the coast, he said.” Polly spread her arms wide. “All expenses paid, he said.” She rolled her eyes, which held barely contained laughter. “You would think I would have learned my lesson after the last training session he dragged me to.”
Laughter rose around the table as Nelson reappeared with two more beers and a Diet Coke. One of the beers went to Roman while the Diet Coke went to Polly. She thanked Nelson and poured it over the ice in her nearly empty glass.
Polly wasn’t much of a drinker. She claimed she didn’t like her brain to be as fuzzy as her hair, so she generally stuck with soda when she was out.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Roman took a long pull from his beer bottle. “You were dying to come along, said you needed to get out of the office for a while.”
“Don’t let him kid you, Polly.” Nelson laughed. “You’re here because Walsh can’t function without you.”
The jabs continued, and Celina leaned into Cooper’s side, sighing contently. His arm went around her, naturally tucking her beneath his shoulder without even breaking conversation. Celina smiled, her heart melting a little. It was such a natural movement that he probably didn’t even realize he’d done it. Even on a subconscious level, Cooper seemed to know exactly what she needed and made it happen. She couldn’t love this man more if she tried.
This is exactly what they needed—a night out with friends before they dug into things tomorrow.It’s been too long since we’ve been out together without the baby.
Stealing a glance at Cooper’s laughing face made her heart swell even more. He looked so relaxed and happy as he added snarky commentary to the jabs that were rolling around. They had both given up a lot when they’d had Via. Celina moved from fieldwork to crime scene photography, while Cooper managed his team on the home front, rarely going into the field on missions anymore. They seldom went out without Via, and never had they both gone to meet friends for drinks. Putting family first was important, but Celina wondered if it wasn’t time to start making more time for their friends again, and for each other.
Nelson was about to reply to one of Roman’s jabs when he suddenly straightened, his gaze centering on something over Celina’s shoulder. Celina turned to see what held his attention so rapt, doing a double take when she saw the very pregnant Sophie Diaz returning from the restroom. The dark haired, hazel eyed FBI agent was expecting twins in four weeks. She normally worked undercover in Mexico, but with her pregnancy, had reluctantly agreed to be on desk duty until after she had the babies.
“I know what you’re thinking.” Sophie smiled as she waddled towards the table. “I’m huge, I know it.”
Celina jumped up to give her an awkward hug, laughing softly. “I wouldnevercall you huge, you are absolutely beautiful. I just can’t believe how much the babies have grown in the month since I’ve seen you.”
“That’s the understatement of the year.” Sophie rubbed her belly. “I feel like I'm as big as a bus.” As she returned Celina’s hug, she flinched, drawing back to press a hand to her back. Everyone at the table froze, and if Celina didn’t know any better, she could have sworn the color in Nelson’s face faded three shades.
Spotting Nelson’s worry, Sophie waved a hand through the air, one hand rubbing her large belly, the other supporting her back. “Relax, everyone. The babies are stretching. Not every pain means I’m going into labor.”
Nelson rubbed his forehead wearily, looking more tired than he had moments before. “She keeps saying that, but the doctor said she could go any day now. Maybe it wasn’t such a good time to leave home.”
Sophie scowled, swatting his arm. “And do what, sit around while you guys get to have all the fun? I don’t think so. I may not be able to participate in the training, but I sure as heck can hang out with the girls. The pool and spa are calling my name.”
