Cooper

Book #4 in The MacKenzie Brothers Quartet! Claire Drexel has loved Cooper MacKenzie since she was fourteen years old. But being ten years older, he’s never seen her as anything more than a kid sister. So she decides to take matters into her own hands. It’s not a secret that Cooper is a heavy player in the BDSM scene, and Claire decides what Cooper needs is the perfect bottom to his top. Only she gets more than she bargains for. Cooper MacKenzie can’t believe his eyes when he sees little Claire Drexel sitting on the lap of one of the most dangerous men he’s ever met. The fool. She’s just walked into the middle of a drug investigation at one of the premier BDSM clubs in the state, and one wrong move could blow the cover he’s been developing for the past three years. He has no choice but to intercede and claim her as his own, but facing the consequences of his actions might be more than even he’s bargained for.

COOPER The MacKenzie Brothers Quartet 4 By Liliana Hart

Copyright 2011 by Liliana Hart

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Mackenzie Quartet 04 – Cooper – Liliana Hart

Chapter One Club Dominique was for members only—one of the most exclusive BDSM clubs in the state that catered to an elite clientele who preferred a little something extra with their sex. So Cooper MacKenzie was thoroughly confused when he came through the private entrance of his club and saw Claire Drexel looking like she belonged there. His gaze had been drawn to her instantly. Like always. Dammit. He stood in the doorway of the long hallway that all the VIP members used to enter or exit the club, just observing. The dance floor was dark and strobes of light were the only way to see the writhing bodies moving to the beat of the thrumming bass coming from the speakers. Drinks were passed around freely and leather and chains decorated almost every body, including his. Including Claire’s. When had she gotten curves like that? Her breasts spilled out the top of the bustier-style leather top she wore, and the skirt that matched 5

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stopped just short of indecent. She wore leather boots that laced to her thighs and were spiked with five inch heels. He felt his lungs seize and remembered he needed to breathe. Maybe he’d been mistaken. Maybe that wasn’t Claire after all. He shook his head as if to clear his vision, but she was still there. Considering he saw Claire at least a couple of times a week—working at the library, grocery shopping or jogging around the park— he had a pretty good idea what she looked like. And he was pretty damned sure that was her. She was young, too young for the thoughts that popped into his mind whenever he felt himself looking in her direction. He’d been looking in her direction—though not doing anything about it— since she was eighteen years old. Tonight was no different. She was still as stunning and exotic as she always was. And his body still thrummed with heated excitement whenever he saw her. Her black hair was cut pixie short so it sleeked against her head like a silky cap. Her curves were lush and had caused him break out in cold sweats in the middle of the night on more than one occasion. Razor sharp cheekbones hinted at the Native 6

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American blood that ran through her veins, and her skin looked as if it had been sprinkled with gold dust. Her lips were slicked with red and her eyes were like black onyx and made up exotically. With her stunning looks, it was no surprise she wasn’t alone. She sat on the lap of Rafael Morda, her arm draped around his neck and her legs crossed, giving a minute amount of decency to the leather table napkin she wore. Rafael’s section was roped off and elevated on a dais so he could lord over the rest of the club. Special lighting illuminated the VIP’s so those on the bottom level could see everything they were missing out on. Morda touched her exposed thigh in slow circles where her skirt ended and the leather boots began, and Cooper saw red. What the hell did she think she was doing? She was a librarian for God’s sake. He started towards her with every intention of making a scene and hauling her ass back to Surrender. He could probably think of a reason to throw her into the jail for the night and keep her out of trouble. No one would question his decision. He was the sheriff. “How’s it hangin’, Coop?” Renegade, the owner 7

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of the club asked, interrupting his well laid plans. “We’ve got a nice selection of subs for you to choose from. Fresh meat. And they’re all lookin’ for someone to master them. There’s an energy in the air tonight, man. I don’t know how to explain it.” Renegade’s eerily colored yellow eyes were enhanced by some kind of chemical substance. Cooper knew exactly what was in the air. All hell was about to break loose. And Claire had planted herself right in the middle of it. He looked over Renegade’s shoulder and picked out an undercover female DEA agent making her sub lick her boots, and he found a state police officer making out in the corner of the dance floor. Ahh, what they wouldn’t do for the job. And then he caught the eye of the Special Agent in Charge of this whole operation, sitting at the bar nursing a beer and ignoring the women who were practically throwing themselves in his very dangerous path. Cade MacKenzie made Cooper look like a teddy bear on his best days. Cade was Cooper’s first cousin and the reason he was involved in this whole mess to begin with. Cade’s mouth quirked at the corner and he tipped his beer in Cooper’s direction. 8

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Bastard. Cade MacKenzie was going to owe him a hell of a favor once they had Morda behind bars where he belonged. All they had to do was catch the bastard and seize the merchandise. You’d think it would be simple, but Morda had slipped through their fingers for three years. When Cade had approached him asking if he’d like to be a part of the undercover team to take down Rafael Morda—along with other hand selected members from all different areas of law enforcement—Cooper had been all for it. It had given him a life outside of Surrender, Montana, and it put him in the middle of a sexual climate he happened to enjoy. Or used to enjoy. Three years in Club Dominique had given him a taste of the freedom he’d wanted and a yearning for the mundane he’d once been bored by. He was getting too old for this shit. The things he’d been a part of in his twenties lacked appeal now that he was in his thirties. And some of the women in this place were just damned crazy. He shot Cade a narrowed look and sighed tiredly, turning his attention back to Renegade. 9

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“You know me, Ren. I’m always looking for a good sub. Though I think I’m looking for something a little different tonight.” Cooper grabbed a beer off a passing tray and took a long pull. “But you’re right. There is something in the air tonight.” When he’d first started coming to Club Dominique, Renegade was a man who’d taken his job seriously. He’d protected his clients identities and their safety—especially the safety of the subs, or submissives. Each member went through an extensive background check and anything shady was dealt with by dismissal from the club. The DEA had given Cooper a fake identity and all the paperwork to go with it so he could go undercover. He sometimes had moments when he wasn’t sure who the hell he was. But he’d developed a friendship of sorts with Renegade because it had become obvious real quick that something was going on inside Club Dominique. And Cooper was willing to bet that Morda had paid Renegade off handsomely to use the club as a drop spot for the drugs that had been trafficking through Montana and across the Canadian Border. 10

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“Who’s the girl sitting on Morda’s lap?” Cooper asked, wondering what name Claire had given at the door. “Her name’s Vixen. Don’t she have the finest tits you ever seen? I thought about taking her for a spin for myself, but I watched her awhile and decided to pass. You don’t want to go there if you’re lookin’ for a good sub, my friend. Look at the fire in her eyes. She’s not interested in Morda. His lap just happens to be the best place to check out the action. See how she’s scanning the club. There’s no way she’s a sub. She’s looking for a challenge.” Cooper controlled the natural instinct to bash Renegade’s face in at his crude appraisal of Claire. He needed to get out of this place, he thought again. “I’ll be the judge of that,” Coop said. “She’s not a member.” “No. She’s a guest of Angel’s.” Cooper gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Angel had been one of his previous lovers, which meant that Claire had befriended her purposefully for the sake of tracking him here. He knew Claire had had a crush on him when she was 11

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a kid. It was hard not to notice those dark eyes following him everywhere he went. It didn’t matter that somewhere along the way he’d started watching her as well. That didn’t mean he was comfortable with it. He was ten years older than she was. And Claire had no idea what kind of trouble she was asking for in a place like this. Which was fairly obvious since she’d decided to make her first attempt at seduction on one of the most notorious drug lords in the country. When he got hold of her, he was going to paddle her ass good. He caught Cade’s gesture from the corner of his eye and narrowed his eyes. Cade had obviously recognized Claire as well and wanted him to get her alone so she could be questioned about the conversation Morda was currently having with the two gentlemen seated across from him. “I want her,” Coop decided, trying to think of a way to get her out of Morda’s clutches and isolated. His cock throbbed with the words he’d been denying himself the last few years. Want didn’t begin to describe his feelings for Claire. The intensity of his feelings scared the hell out of him. 12

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“I don’t want anyone else touching her. Pass the word around and put one of the private rooms on my tab.” A private room was the only place in the club they’d have any privacy. Renegade laughed until tears ran down his cheeks. “You gonna steal her from Morda?” Renegade slapped him on the back and almost fell over laughing. Cooper just stared at him and waited for the storm to pass. “He’ll kill your ass, man.” Cooper shrugged it off. “He’s not interested in her. You can tell by his body language. He hasn’t even looked at her since she’d been sitting there. She’s the most beautiful woman in the room, so Morda automatically thinks that she should belong to him. But Morda doesn’t like women who won’t cower in his presence. And this woman won’t ever cower before anyone. Look at the defiance in her eyes. She’ll be a hell of a challenge to tame.” “Whatever you say, my man. I’ll pass the word around, and then I’ll come to your funeral.” Renegade slapped him on the shoulder and moved closer so he wouldn’t have to shout his words over the bass coming from the speakers. “Word of 13

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caution, my friend. A little birdie told me we have a cop in the house tonight. I’m shutting down the club at midnight instead of two, so you’d better tame her fast and then get the hell out. Things is likely to get ugly. Like I said, there’s something in the air.” Cooper kept his expression completely blank as he thanked Renegade for the warning and watched the man walk away. Son of a bitch. They’d been compromised. He scanned the room again and scratched at a spot just below his ear. Cade obviously caught his signal because he was off the bar stool and blending into the crowd before Cooper could blink. He trusted that Cade would take care of warning the rest of the team of possible danger. Now Cooper only had to worry about Claire. He had no idea why she’d decided to track him to this particular club at this particular time, but if Claire Drexel was so curious to find out about the life he lead, then she was about to get an education she’d never forget.

*** Claire knew Cooper had spotted her the minute he’d walked into the club. If she hadn’t been able to 14

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tell by his angry stance—the way he leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed over his massive bare chest or the way he stared at her with those glacier chip eyes—she would have been able to tell just by the way her body started tingling. Cooper MacKenzie always made her body tingle. She’d been in love with him since she was fourteen years old. Since he’d been twenty-four at the time, he’d obviously had no interest in her crush. He probably hadn’t even known her name. Most people in town just knew her as the youngest of the Drexel pack. Since there were eight Drexel children, she could understand how it might be hard to remember everyone’s name. It was sometimes hard for her parents too. Claire hadn’t been like the other girls in town who’d chased after the MacKenzie boys. She’d been quiet and shy as a kid, so she’d watched Cooper from afar and observed. And when she’d gotten older, she’d paid attention to the rumors that were whispered about him and his preference for sex of the unconventional sort. She’d had no idea at the time what that meant. And in all honesty, she still didn’t know the full aspects of what went on in 15

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places like this. Since she’d never had sex before, she was still a bit shady on a few of the more pertinent details. She might not have firsthand knowledge about sex, but she had made it her business to find out the things that might please a man with Cooper’s appetites. She was a champion researcher. Now if only she had the courage to go through with this harebrained scheme of hers in reality, as opposed to only reading about it. She’d known Cooper was meant for her from the moment she was old enough to see the dark intent in his eyes whenever he looked at her. She could do no more than be ready to give him exactly what he wanted when the time came.

And the time was now. But if this Neanderthal who’d pulled her onto his lap and told her he was a very important man didn’t stop squeezing her thigh, she was going to accidentally elbow him in his perfect Roman nose and chip his perfectly capped teeth. She scanned the crowd, trying to keep one eye on Cooper, one ear on the very interesting conversation her lap buddy was having, and the 16

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other eye searching for a way to escape to the dance floor. The Neanderthal started rubbing her thigh just above her boots and she saw Cooper move from the wall like he was going to come to her rescue, but a giant of a man with skin the color of dark chocolate and hair the color of butter cream frosting intercepted before he’d taken a step. Claire let out a sigh of disgust. Where were all the damned knights in shining armor in this place? She watched as a man was lead by a leash on hands and knees across the floor and had to fake a cough to keep from giggling. Clearly she’d have to rescue herself. She watched Cooper out of the corner of her eye and felt heat rush over her skin as his gaze seemed to devour her. He barely stopped to glance at his companion at all, and she could tell by the way they were both watching her that she was the topic of conversation. At least her plan for getting Cooper to notice her was working. Kind of. The Neanderthal had been unscripted. If she’d waited for Cooper to approach her in Surrender, she’d be a grandmother before she saw any action. Whenever she saw him in town, his eyes 17

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darkened and skimmed over her body, and then he made it a point to turn away. She knew he was uncomfortable about their age difference. It was pretty obvious since when he was forced to actually speak with her, he addressed her as ‘Hey, kid.’ She had a Master’s Degree for Pete’s sake, and she’d been well above the legal age for some time now. It was a good thing she liked a challenge, but enough was enough. Cooper’s days of running were over. “Let’s dance,” Angel shouted to her from across the rope that kept the Very Important Neanderthal (or VIN as she’d decided to call him for short) separated from the commoners. Thank God for Angel. She moved to get off VIN, but he grabbed her around the wrist and tried to pull her back. “You must always ask your Master permission to leave his presence. There will be consequences if you do not obey.” His accent was thick and foreign and his eyes were flat. This was not a man to piss off, her subconscious was practically screaming at her. But her mouth didn’t always listen to her subconscious. She blamed it on the years she spent buried in 18

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books instead of getting out and socializing more. She hadn’t learned to carry on a decent conversation without stumbling over her words in nervousness until she’d been in college. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to happen,” she said. “I’ve never been really good at the obedience thing. Maybe you should try that girl over there.” She pointed to a waif thin woman who was eating gourmet hors d’oeuvres out of a dog bowl. When his gaze followed her finger, she took the opportunity to scramble out of his lap and down the carpeted stairs that led to the dance floor. She grabbed Angel in a quick hug of thanks and they joined the ebb and flow of bodies. They danced together out of pure enjoyment, legs and hips and arms moving in tandem to the pumping bass. They ignored the groping hands that occasionally passed their way and danced for themselves. Angel had been her roommate her freshman year of college, and they’d been close ever since. Angel was one of the sweetest people she’d ever met, so it made sense that she was one of the more popular subs in a place like Club Dominique. Her 19

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skin was silky smooth and the color of mocha and her corkscrew curls were a shade darker. It was because of Angel that Claire had found out about the kind of lover Cooper really was. The things he liked in bed and liked to do to his partners. It had been hard to control the jealousy that surfaced whenever Angel had talked of Cooper, but like always, Claire had focused on the research and learned more about how she might one day please Cooper. Fortunately, Cooper and Angel’s relationship hadn’t lasted more than a few weeks, so she hadn’t had to murder Angel in her sleep. Angel grabbed her hand and spun her out into a turn that made applause break out around them, but when she spun her back in, something solid and hard was in Claire’s path. She stared eye level at a muscled chest of pure perfection. It was completely smooth and gold rings were pierced through both nipples. The thought of what those rings would feel like against her body sent a shiver across her skin. The music changed to something slow and sultry, the bass pumped a seductive tattoo and the smell of lust lay heavy over the bodies on the dance floor. She raised her gaze slowly, taking in every 20

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inch of him until she met eyes the color of a cold lake, frosted with chips of ice. Claire rested her hands against his chest, just below his nipple rings, and watched his eyes darken with desire. “Hello, Cooper MacKenzie. Fancy meeting you here.” Lust and anger played across his face. He grabbed her by the hips and held her close, swaying to the beat that bumped in time with her heart. Her hands moved down his chest and stomach until they rested just above the waistband of his leather pants. His body was a furnace and it was hard to miss the erection stretching the seam of his pants. He brought his mouth close to her ear and nipped her lobe. Hard. Moisture pooled between her thighs and her knees weakened. She was shaken by the intensity of the need that came over her, so it took a minute for her to realize he’d spoken. “What the hell do you think you’re doing in a place like this?” he yelled. “Do your parents know you’re here?” Claire snapped her head back and met his gaze with her own blast of anger. She pushed out of his 21

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arms with defiance and faced him in the middle of the dance floor. The other dancers were giving them a wide berth, no doubt waiting to see which of them came out on top. “Last time I checked, I didn’t need my parents’ permission or anyone else’s to take a lover. I’ve already had several offers to be collared for the night. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go find a different dancing partner.” It was common practice in the club for Dominants to collar their chosen submissive for the evening, so others would know they were taken and leave them alone. “I don’t think so,” Cooper said, eyes narrowed. “There’s not a man in here who could be your Dominant.” She looked him over insultingly from head to toe and smirked. “Except for me,” he added. “A good Dom knows there’s no satisfaction to be had in a weak-willed submissive. It’s when a strong willed submissive is tamed that both parties find satisfaction.” Claire raised a brow and propped her hands on her hips, causing her breasts to test the limits on 22

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the bustier she wore. Cooper’s eyes were drawn to the round flesh of her breasts and his mouth quirked at her attempt to distract him. She stalked toward him until they were only a hairsbreadth apart. Her fingernail circled his nipple and then tugged lightly at the ring that hung there. He grabbed her wrist, but she’d seen the desire, and more importantly, the approval in his eyes that she hadn’t backed down from him. She leaned up close to his ear and licked around the outer shell before whispering, “You think you can tame me? I dare you to try.”

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Chapter Two Cooper smiled in admiration of her boldness. It wasn’t often he came across anyone, man or woman, who didn’t back down when he gave them a certain look. The men back in Surrender respected him but steered clear, and the women just wanted him to be something wild and forbidden in bed. He looked forward to the challenge Claire presented to him. Cooper caught a glimpse of Cade from just over Claire’s shoulder and recognized the signal. He had to get Claire to a place he could talk to her quietly without arousing the suspicion of anyone in the club. They could continue playing later, but right now there were more important things to deal with. He pulled the gold collar he’d brought with him from the small of his back and clipped it around her neck before she could issue a protest. The collar was a smooth band about an inch wide and it snapped together to make a smooth, unending circle. The only way to get it off was with a key. Claire’s eyes shot fire as she felt for away to remove 24

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it. “You’ve gone too far, Cooper. I didn’t give you permission to collar me.” He skimmed his fingers just above her boots and moved his hand up to grasp her bare bottom. “You’ll find out real fast, sweetheart, that I don’t ask permission for anything. You’ll be on your knees begging for whatever I can give you by the time I’m done claiming you.” He trailed his fingers down the cleft in her buttocks, following the line of the g-string she wore until he felt the smooth skin of her pussy. He was tormenting himself, touching her even though he knew he should throw her over his shoulder and get her out of danger—from Rafael Morda and from himself. There was something about her that was refreshing and innocent, and she deserved someone better. Someone not so jaded. Someone who could give her a home and a family of her own. He groaned as her moisture covered his fingers and she stumbled against him, pressing her soft breasts fully against his chest. Her moan of pleasure cut through the thumping bass pounding the walls and she lifted her face to his so he could see her 25

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desire clearly. “You have no idea what you’re asking for, Claire. You’d be better off driving home to Surrender and pretending you never saw me here tonight. I can’t give you the gentleness a girl like you deserves.” “I’m not a girl any longer, Cooper. And all I’ve ever wanted is you—whatever you have to give.” Cooper shook his head—one last denial before her lips became too tempting. But it was a futile attempt. And he knew it. It seemed like he’d waited his entire life to kiss Claire Drexel, and he could no longer resist what she offered him. He crushed his mouth to hers and enfolded her in his arms, trying to ignore how right she felt against him or the mounting panic that prickled along his spine. She was a woman he didn’t fully understand. A woman he hadn’t yet learned the intricacies and quirks of, yet he felt as if his body had been made for her and her alone. She didn’t shy away from his ardor—almost as if she’d expected it—and she opened her mouth readily to his invasion, thrusting back against his tongue and cradling his hardness between her thighs. He groaned at the sweetness of her taste 26

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and her boldness as she gently suckled his tongue. His cock was throbbing hard and needed the release that only she could satisfy. He broke away and they stared at each other with a mix of awe, need, and bafflement. His heart thudded in his chest, a hollow thump that felt near to bursting with the need he had for her body and a different need to get her out of the club. Without a word, he took her hand and led her from the dance floor to the VIP level, where rooms of pleasure could be rented either by the night or by the month. With any luck, Cooper wouldn’t be enclosed in the room too long before Cade interrupted. He wasn’t sure he would be able to reign in his control if he and Claire were left alone for very long. They took the stairs to the upper level, and Cooper couldn’t help but notice that Rafael Morda’s gaze never left them. The drug lord didn’t look happy. In fact, he looked furious. Maybe he’d been more into Claire than Cooper had originally thought. Or maybe Morda just didn’t like the idea of anyone taking something he thought of as his. The thought of Claire sitting on Morda’s lap and the way he’d been touching her had Cooper’s anger 27

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rising to the surface once again. “Slow down, Cooper. I can barely walk in these shoes much less run.” He gave her a look over his shoulder that had been known to make prisoners break down in tears, but she glared back at him with an identical look that almost made him burst into laughter. He slowed his stride and loosened his grip on her hand as they approached the VIP area. Renegade stood at the mouth of the dark hallway that was lighted with eerie red bulbs. The hallway led to the private rooms that rented from anywhere from five hundred to a thousand dollars per night, depending on what equipment a customer wanted in the room. Coop shuddered to think what Cade had spent on the budget of this whole operation. Or how he explained the charges to his superiors. Renegade handed Cooper a key card and turned to leave them to their privacy, but Cooper stopped him by gripping his shoulder. “No cameras, Ren. Turn them off. I mean it.” He didn’t want any witnesses to what happened in that room. Renegade looked at Claire from head to toe, his 28

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dark eyes heating at the sight of her. “I don’t know, Coop. It could be a mighty fine show.” “If you don’t need my money we can certainly go elsewhere,” Cooper threatened. “Aww, now Coop, you don’t hafta go there. I’ll turn ‘em off. Just don’t fuck up and get my ass sued or anything.” “I never fuck up, Ren. Turn the cameras off.” It wasn’t a request. “Yeah, yeah. And remember what I told you earlier.” Renegade headed back into the pulsing heartbeat of the club and Cooper led Claire down the dark hall of the private wing. For the first time since she’d challenged him on the dance floor, she was beginning to really look around her. He could feel her nerves bouncing off his heated skin and wondered, not for the first time, what she thought to accomplish by coming here. She was completely out of her comfort zone, and if she started breathing any harder he was afraid she’d hyperventilate and faint at his feet. Cooper slid the key card into the door closest to the exit. It clicked open soundlessly and swallowed 29

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them with dark, cool air. He flicked on the light, and sconces—one on each wall—lit with soft yellow light. The room was no bigger than a large closet. The walls were gray concrete and had hand and feet manacles bolted to them. A thick red rug covered almost the entire floor, and a lone wooden chair sat in the middle of the room. Shelves lined one wall that held an impressive display of whips and other sexual toys. It was sterile and cold and meant for one thing only. And by the glassy look in Claire’s eyes, she new exactly what that one thing was and was expecting him to pounce at any moment. For someone who seemed completely unbothered by having an international drug dealer touching her, she seemed downright panicked at the though of Cooper taking it a step farther. Not that he was going to, he qualified to himself. He was here because that’s where Cade wanted him to be. “Relax, Claire. I’m not going to jump you,” he said, trying to reassure her. Her gaze jerked to his and he could have sworn he saw a mix of hurt and confusion before she covered it. 30

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“Why not? Did I do something wrong?” Cooper’s jaw dropped open. “No you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s obvious there’s something going on here. I don’t know why you decided to follow me here or become friends with one of my former lovers to do so, but despite the way you’re dressed and your attitude out there, it’s pretty damned obvious you’ve never been in a place like this before. Your teeth are practically chattering with fear.” “I’m not afraid of anything, Cooper MacKenzie.” She put her fists on her hips and narrowed her eyes. “Especially not of you. I just don’t particularly like the idea of you bringing me to one of these rooms like you would any other woman.” The bluster seemed to go out of her and she seemed almost…shy. “I just always thought it would be different when we finally…” “When we finally what?” he asked. His voice was barely a whisper. “Became lovers. And Angel and I were friends long before you ever met her. She was my roommate in college. I’m not a child anymore, Cooper. I’ve seen the way you look at me. I can 31

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give you what you. What you need from a woman. If you’ll give me a chance.” The breath seized in Cooper’s lungs as he thought of what she was offering. She was a good girl from a good family. And he was nothing but darkness. His father had died from a heart attack in his late thirties. His mother had died from cancer in her forties. And they’d both left behind children who’d needed them to be there. Especially Cooper. As the oldest, he’d taken on the responsibility of taking their dad’s place. Of trying to steer his three brothers in the right direction so they made good choices in their lives. He’d screwed up plenty of times, but he knew there was one thing he could do right. He was thirty-four years old and he’d accepted it as his fate that he probably wouldn’t outlive his own parents. He figured he might have another ten years left. Tops. Genetics didn’t lie, especially when you were talking about cancer or heart problems. He had both in his family. So he’d decided early on that he’d never leave a widow or children behind to mourn him. 32

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And then somewhere along the way, he’d started he’d decided that if he was going to die, he might as well go down the hard way. So he’d joined the Marines after high school and then gone to college to major in criminal justice. It was then he’d started experimenting with the seedier side of sex. It was all about the thrill of power and control. He’d had too little control over his life until then. Once he’d graduated, it hadn’t taken him long to be offered the job in Surrender. He’d grown up there, as his parents had before him. And while he’d had his family and a job he was proud of, there had still been something missing from his life. He figured he’d never know what it was unless he went looking. “You’re too young to understand what I need,” he said softly. “And you’d never agree to what I want.” She came toward him with determination, and he had the sudden urge to start backing away. He planted his feet on the ground and gritted his teeth at the sight of the sway of her hips, waiting for whatever she was about to spring on him.

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The urge to put his hands on her was growing stronger by the minute. “I think you’d be surprised at my understanding of your need, Cooper. I’ve watched you grow up. Watched you change through the years and become the man you are today. And how do you know I won’t agree to what you want?” She leaned into him so her mouth skimmed just below the corner of his jaw. “You’ll never know unless you tell me.” Cooper kept his hands behind him, but didn’t step away from her kiss. The feel of her against him was pure pleasure, and he wanted what he could get for as long as she would give it. After he told her the truth, he might lose his chance. “Why don’t you first tell me what it is you want from me,” he said. “Why you came here after all this time. You see me back in Surrender every day. Why didn’t you approach me there?” “Because you would have avoided me like you always do. I knew if I came here that I would finally get your attention. And it’s no secret that you like things…a little different.” She looked down at his nipple rings and licked her lips. “It doesn’t scare you?” 34

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“Cooper, I’m a librarian. Which means I read constantly. If you think I haven’t spent the last several years doing research just for this moment then you’re insane. I always know exactly what I’m getting myself into.” Cooper’s scowl deepened as he tried not to imagine exactly how she went about her research. He was about to ask her just that when she rubbed her finger across his bottom lip, tracing the line slowly until he could feel her touch all the way in his cock. “So now that you know the extent I’ve gone to so I can be here,” she whispered. “I think it should be pretty obvious exactly what I want from you. I want you to stop running in the opposite direction when I walk down the street. I want you to stop giving me those disapproving looks when you think my skirts are too short.” “Your skirts are always too short,” he interrupted. “Librarians shouldn’t show that much leg.” She kissed his chin and then up to the corner of his mouth, silencing him. “I want you to come in the library on your lunch break and kiss me between 35

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the stacks of books. I want you to take me to dinner and then take me to bed. But most of all I want you to touch me. I’ve dreamed of your touch for years.” Cooper couldn’t hold himself back any longer. The temptation was just too great. He turned his head and caught her roving mouth, licking across the seam of her lips with his tongue, begging for entrance. She was spicy and sweet and hot, and his body burned with the need for more. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pushed her hips against him, searching for an ease to the ache. His hands roamed down her back until he cupped her buttocks, and he lifted her against him, molding her body to his as his tongue parodied the sex act. Cooper moved blindly toward the lone chair in the room, never breaking the contact between them. He sat back on the chair and pulled her into his lap so her legs straddled his waist. The tiny leather skirt she wore had ridden up around her hips, and all that was visible to him was the tiny scrap of lace that barely covered her mound and the top of her boots that came to mid-thigh. “Christ, Claire. You should be illegal.” 36

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“We’ll get to the handcuffs later. Just don’t stop kissing me.” She grabbed his face and nipped at his bottom lip. His cock jerked beneath her and she moaned against his mouth. Things were going too fast, and he had to make her understand before he made love to her. He grimaced at the term. Already she was changing the way he thought. He’d never made love to anyone in his life. Had sex. Yes. Fucked. Yes. But making love was an experience he had no desire to add to his list of sexual exploits. Her fingers trailed down his chest to the button of his pants. She snapped them open with a flick of her fingers and pulled down the tab of his zipper. He groaned as her hand curled around him and her thumb rubbed the area just under his cock where his barbell piercing was located. “Mmm, I love this,” she said, massaging just under the bar to give him the most possible pleasure. He moved her hands to his shoulders and grasped her hips, knowing if she kept touching him there it would all be over too soon. He ground 37

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against her covered mound. He nipped at her jaw and tasted his way down her neck until her head dropped back in surrender. His arm was anchored behind her and she leaned back even farther, her flexibility making it look as if she were bent in half. The position displayed her corseted breasts so they lay like a feast before him. He inched the leather cups down until she was completely bare to him. The sight that greeted him was almost enough to make him come right then and there. “God, Claire. That is the sexiest damned thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” Her nipples were pierced and decorated with long dangles of shimmering gold. Added to the gold collar he’d fastened around her neck earlier, she looked like an expensive and beautiful jewelry display. The thought of her wearing nothing but the collar and the nipple ornaments had his breath shuddering with anticipation. He skimmed his finger along the edge of the decoration and over her nipple, and then watched as it peaked in response to his touch. “Please, Cooper. I need your mouth on me.” He lowered his head and flicked his tongue 38

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across her nipple before suckling it in to his mouth. She thrust her hips against him with every pulse of his mouth, and his cock was soaked with her juices. All he had to do was move her panties and he’d be inside her. She whimpered as he lifted his mouth from one breast and moved it to the other. He could tell by the jerk of her hips and the mewls that escaped her lips that she was close to fulfillment. “Please, please,” she begged. “I want you inside me.” Cooper tried to get his brain back in functioning order. This wasn’t the time or the place to do this. Cade was going to be there any minute and he hadn’t brought any condoms with him tonight because he was supposed to be working. They needed to move this to his place fast. But first there was something he needed her to understand before he took her to bed. He didn’t want to leave any doubt in her mind what she was getting in to. “Wait, Claire. Just a minute, baby.” “Don’t stop. I’m so close,” she cried. “Claire, open your eyes and look at me.” He waited until her glazed, feverish eyes met his. “You 39

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need to know something before this goes any further.” Her chest was heaving, making the nipple ornaments quiver with anticipation of what was to come. The sight was a hell of a distraction to his already scattered mind. “Is this confession time?” she asked. “Because there’s something I should probably tell you too. You know, before we do this.” She slid against his shaft and he sucked in a breath at how good she felt against him. “Fine, baby, but let me get this out, okay? It’s hard to think straight with you in my arms.” “Then hurry,” she said, laughing. “Whatever happens between us, Claire, I want you to understand that it can never be anything serious. I don’t want any miscommunication or hurt feelings between us. I think it’s best to be honest about these things from the beginning.” She stiffened in his arms, and he realized he was handling this all wrong. His lack of interest in a relationship wasn’t the type of thing he had to explain to his usual partners. But Claire was different. She wasn’t worldly. She was a small town 40

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librarian who was looking for a little fun, but would eventually settle down with a husband and have a couple of kids. “I do want you,” he continued, trying to figure out how to make the words come out right. “You were right that it’s time for me to stop running. But I can’t offer you the type of relationship a woman like you would normally look for.” “You mean you won’t,” she said, as the desire faded from her eyes and disappointment filled them. “I find it hard to believe that you can’t have the kind of relationship where two people commit fully to each other. But don’t worry, Cooper.” Her smile was bitter as she tried t reassure him. “I’m not here to try and tie you down. I’ll be completely satisfied with one night. Maybe it’ll be a disappointment to both of us and we can chalk it up to a failed experiment and just go back to Surrender, pretending it never happened. You’ve proven many times that it’s not impossible to avoid someone in a town with only three thousand people.” “Claire…I’d like us to still be friends once we’ve gotten this all out of our system. I don’t want that to change. We’ve known each other forever. This is 41

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just a little detour in the road.” He didn’t know what else to say or do. He’d told her the truth, but shame crept along his skin and he had the urge to apologize. He had the feeling that he’d crushed something very, very special, but he didn’t know how to fix it without compromising everything he believed in, and eventually deceiving her into thinking they would be living a life of happiness and children only to be left alone. “Sure, Cooper. A detour. Whatever you say. Now let’s stop talking and get on with things. It’s getting cold in here.” She kissed him again, but it wasn’t the same. This kiss lacked the heat of her others, the softness and desire—the urgent need. The spark was still there between them—the hardness between his legs would attest to that—but it was as if that spark had been doused by water and was slowly fizzling. “Why don’t we take this back to my place?” he said, thinking the change of atmosphere might help her relax. “We’ll have more room and a soft bed. And plenty of condoms.” “I’m on birth control.” “That’s good, but I’ve never had sex without a 42

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condom, and I don’t plan to start now.” His decision to never have children insured that he always remember to suit up. Because of his feelings toward the matter, he’d never even been tempted to feel the inside of a woman flesh to flesh. Some things couldn’t be taken on chance. “Your place. Sure,” she said, though her voice was robotic. Claire got off his lap and adjusted her clothing. She kept her gaze diverted and her movements were quick and jerky. He was just about to ask her what was wrong when a knock sounded at the door. Cooper didn’t know whether to curse Cade’s timing or thank him. He turned to look at Claire one more time before answering the door. Her lips were swollen and red and she looked like she’d been well and thoroughly ravished. But it was her eyes that haunted him. They held nothing but emptiness.

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Chapter Three Claire felt frozen inside. She’d known from the moment she’d set eyes on Cooper that he was supposed to be hers. And when an innocent crush had matured into the love only a woman knows, she knew it was time to act. She’d dated other men, but she’d never given them her body. Her body belonged to Cooper. She hadn’t come here tonight expecting Cooper to declare his love and pledge himself forever. But she hadn’t expected him to take everything that she had to give him—the love and the passion she’d held inside for so long—and tear it to shreds with a few careless words. He would accept her body, but nothing else she had to offer. No genuine affection. Just sex. The childhood hopes she’d once dreamed had been turned to dust, as if they’d never existed. If Cooper only wanted her body then that’s what she’d give him. He’d been the one she’d been saving it for after all. And once he ridded her of her pesky virginity and she’d slaked him from her system, 44

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she’d be free to get on with her life and find a chance at happiness elsewhere. And she very much wanted happiness—she didn’t have to be married or have children like her friends were starting to do. All she wanted was the chance for something special. She wanted the companionship. The laughter. And eventually that might turn to love. But Cooper had made it very clear that she wouldn’t find any of those things with him. Fine. She was a big girl now, and she could play this game. Just sex. Cooper turned and gave her one last, worried look, and she got control of her composure. She could be just as cold as he was for the time being. She’d save her pity tears for the comfort of her own home. Cooper opened the door just as the man on the other side was lifting his fist to knock again. She recognized him immediately, though she’d been thrown off by his long hair. The last time she’d seen him it had been buzzed close to the scalp. The tattoo was also new. Or maybe she’d just never seen him without his shirt off. The MacKenzies always seemed to have their shirts off in the 45

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summer, so she couldn’t remember exactly. An intricate design was inked over the left side of his chest and over his shoulder, and it ended at the bulging bicep of his left arm. He was huge. And he looked like a complete reprobate at the moment, though she knew he was anything but. “Hello, Cade. I didn’t realize Club Dominique was where the MacKenzies had started having their family reunions.” “It’s good to see you again, Claire.” “I didn’t realize you two were on a first name basis,” Cooper said, narrowing his eyes as his cousin. “Unlike you,” she said, “The other MacKenzies I see in town don’t run in the opposite direction whenever I walk down the street. And since Cade’s been spending the summers in Surrender since he was a kid, I actually know him pretty well. And just so there’s no further confusion, your sisters-in-law are some of my closest friends, and your brother is my personal physician.” Cooper frowned. It was obvious by the look on his face he hadn’t been aware of those facts. Cade coughed to fill the awkward silence. “I 46

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apologize for interrupting your evening, but I needed to speak to both of you. That’s why I told Cooper to bring you in here.” Claire flinched as if she’d been slapped, and she couldn’t bring herself to meet Cooper’s gaze. So he hadn’t really wanted her after all. Sure he’d seen her and singled her out, but only because he’d been given orders. Cooper must have thought she was a complete idiot. To think the desire in his eyes had only been for her. She’d just been the one to fall into his path. Despite her idiocy at relationships, she was smart enough to know something big was going on. She knew Cade worked for the DEA, and it was clear by Cooper’s lack of surprise at seeing him that he was in on the plan. Obviously, there was some kind of operation going on in the club that she’d stepped in the middle of, and she had a feeling it had everything to do with the Neanderthal she’d been sitting on earlier. God, she was such a fool. To think she could ever be the kind of women who could catch and keep Cooper MacKenzie for good was almost laughable. She stared at Cooper until he flinched at 47

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her accusatory stare. “You’re not interrupting anything,” she said, turning back to Cade. “I was just on my way out. What do you need from me, Cade.” “Did you overhear any of Rafael Morda’s conversation while you were…ah…” “Sitting on his lap?” Claire asked. “I didn’t realize that was the man’s name. He didn’t bother to introduce himself when he dragged me there.” She ran her fingers through her hair in disgust. “I only heard parts of their conversation,” she continued. “It was hard to hear because of the music, and they kept switching from Spanish to English to French, so it was hard to keep up.” “Can you speak Spanish?” Cade asked. “Sure. And French. As well as Italian and a little German. I was a linguistics minor in college. They men were obviously talking about some type of business deal, but they never mentioned anything specific, so I didn’t know what the merchandise they kept referring to was. I didn’t hear where the shipment was coming from, but they’re taking the mountain pass across the border into Rollinstown to deliver it. From what I gathered, the shipment has 48

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already been rerouted because this club had been compromised, so it should reach its destination by dawn.” “Shit,” Cade said, kicking at the leg of the chair as he paced back and forth across the tiny room. “I need to find out who leaked our position to Morda. We’ve been here three fucking years and it’s all just going to go up in smoke. It had to be someone on the team.” “One of the men was using while he was talking to Morda,” Claire said. “You might be able to find something if you shut down the club and did a search.” Cooper told him about the club closing at midnight, and they waited while Cade called in another team to raid the club just after eleven. “What do you want to do, Cade?” Cooper asked when he got off the phone. “We can probably beat them to the mountain pass if we leave now and take the back roads.” “But who do I take with us? I don’t know who I can trust anymore.” “Well, there’s me and you,” Cooper said. “And if there’s someone else you can trust your life with 49

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we’ll add them to the mix. We’ve been hunting in those mountains a million times.” “Are you crazy?” Claire asked, anger vibrating from every pore in her body. “The two of you are going to try and intercept a shipment of drugs by yourselves? These are professional bad guys. They’re not going to go down without a fight.” “Well, we’re professional good guys, honey. We can’t let them get across the border with those drugs. Think of how many thousands of lives could be affected.” “We can confiscate the shipment,” Cade said, “But that still doesn’t give us Morda. It’s all hearsay and reasonable doubt at this point. And it’s obvious that our cover at this club is blown. Maybe we’ll get lucky when the raid team gets here, but I doubt it. I’m going to have to start the whole damned operation over from scratch. With a new team.” “Is there anything else you need from me, Cade?” Claire asked, wondering what the hell had just happened to her night. It was completely surreal. All she’d wanted was a night of completely amazing sex with Cooper MacKenzie and a chance to be a little bad for once in her boring life. 50

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“No, you’ve been a big help, Claire. Would you mind if I sent one of my agents to take a formal statement from you sometime tomorrow? You might remember something else by then.” “Sure, now if you’ll both excuse me, I think I’ll head back to Surrender.” “I’ll walk you to your car,” Cooper said. “I know the way,” she said and pasted an empty smile on her face. “Don’t trouble yourself.” She opened the door and stepped into the red lit hallway. The club was still hopping on the main floor, but the hallway was empty. “Dammit, Claire, you know we have things to talk about. I saw the look on your face in there. There’s no point in trying to avoid me.” He grabbed her hand to keep her from walking away. Damned stubborn woman. “I’m not going to be able to follow you back to my place tonight. I need to help Cade here. But there’s a key under my mat and you can make yourself at home. We’ll talk as soon as I get back and get things straightened out. Things aren’t always like they seem. We’ll get everything straightened out and then take up where we left 51

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off.” She looked at him with wide-eyed amazement. He really didn’t get it. As far as he was concerned this was business as usual. He was living his entire life by staying detached from everyone but his immediate family. It was just a revolving door of nameless women and forgettable pleasure. “Cooper,” said, shaking her head sadly at the shame of it all. “Let’s just call it what it is and let it go. I think we both had different expectations of how things would be before I came here, and before you decided I’d be just as good of a fuck as the person standing next to me. But unfortunately I’ve recently discovered something about myself—as in the last twenty minutes or so. It’s been a hell of an eye opener, and I completely took it for granted before.” “You’re attitude is starting to piss me off, Claire.” “Cooper, if you had your gun on you I might take it from you and shoot you in the foot. Shut up and listen, please.” She smiled sweetly, though the anger was obvious in her eyes. “Sex should mean something. It should be more than a quick grope in a closet with someone who doesn’t give a damn one 52

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way or the other about you. Yes, it should be satisfying. It should be dirty or sweet or standing up or lying down. The how doesn’t matter. But the why sure as fuck does.” The growl that came from his throat didn’t intimidate her. If anything, it gave her the courage to keep going. “This was a mistake all around. I know it was my fault for instigating it, so I apologize for inconveniencing you and getting in the way of whatever you guys are doing here.” She pulled her hand from his grasp. “I warned you that you wouldn’t like what I wanted from you, but you said I’d never know unless I told you. I can’t change who I am, Claire.” “No one with a soul or an ounce of self-respect would like what you wanted from me. And if that’s a rule you’re determined to live by then I’m sure as hell not going to try and change you. There’s a lot I can take from you, Cooper, and there were a lot of things I was willing to try, but I won’t sacrifice myself on the altar of your illusions any longer. It’s fine for you to get what you want, but I deserve to get something of what I want as well. It can’t all be 53

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one sided.” Disappointment weighed like lead around her shoulders, and all of a sudden she was just so damned tired. The fight went out of her on an exhalation of breath, and her shoulders slumped in defeat. “Let me have what’s left of my pride and just let it go, Cooper. There’s no need to try and talk things out so you can try and justify your decisions to yourself.” He moved closer so he towered above her. “Whatever this is between us isn’t just going to go away.” “I know that,” she said softly. “But just like with anything, if you ignore it long enough, you can pretend it never existed in the first place. I’ll see you around, Cooper.” She turned and made it to the safety of her car before the tears began to fall. She didn’t realize until she’d gotten home that she still wore the collar Cooper had placed around her neck. She had no idea how she was going to get it off.

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Chapter Four Leave me what’s left of my pride… Those words haunted Cooper all through the night, and they distracted him while Cade put a small team of four men together to intercept the shipment of drugs Morda was sending into Canada. They’d achieved their goal of arresting the men traveling with the shipment—though Cade had taken a bullet to the hand and shoulder, and Cooper had one come close enough to his ribs to leave a burn mark across his skin. But just like Cade had feared, they hadn’t caught the big fish. The men in the truck were just worker bees, and none of them could give the DEA Rafael Morda. The raid on Club Dominique hadn’t faired much better. They’d confiscated enough drugs to shut the club down for a while, but it was still just a small part of the picture. Cade had found out who’d betrayed their position inside Club Dominique. It had been the same female agent he’d seen at the club the night before who’d been getting her boots licked. The 55

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Morda’s men had given her up easily enough with a little persuasion. Once the action ended and he’d seen Cade comfortably resting in the hospital, Cooper found himself headed towards the MacKenzie house instead of his own apartment above the Sheriff’s Office. He’d get his brother, Thomas, to bandage his ribs, and he’d make himself a sandwich. And then maybe he’d get twelve hours of shut eye in the room he’d slept in growing up. It was going on noon, and he hadn’t had sleep in more than thirty hours. But it wasn’t Thomas he found when he entered the kitchen door. Cat MacKenzie, Thomas’s wife, was behind the stove burning something in the frying pan. Her face was flushed red enough to match her hair and he was surprised he didn’t see smoke coming out of her ears. “I don’t understand it,” she yelled. “I can scale a hundred foot wall with suction cups and pick a lock with my eyes closed, but I can’t make a grilled cheese sandwich.” Cooper winced at being reminded of what his sister-in-law had once done for a living. Technically 56

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she was still a thief, but since she stole for the FBI it wasn’t considered a crime. She’d had to put a halt to her thieving, though, once she’d found out she was pregnant. “This is all Thomas’s fault.” The pure disgruntlement in that statement had Cooper stifling a laugh. “He told me I needed to find something to occupy my time until the baby gets here. He said I could treat it like school and learn the things I never got to when I was growing up. Clearly he doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about.” Cooper took pity on her and took her by the shoulders, pushing her towards one of the stools that sat beneath the kitchen island. He took the pan from the stove and went about the task of making them both lunch. “How’s Cade doing?” she asked, narrowing her gaze at how easily he flipped the grilled cheese from one side to the other. “He’s in and out of it. The bullet that hit his shoulder didn’t do any major damage, but the one that hit his hand tore some tendons. He’s going to have some mobility issues.” 57

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“Thomas is going up to see him after his last patient is gone. How about you? Are you all right?” Having women join the MacKenzie family had been a completely foreign experience to Cooper. He and his brothers were close, but they didn’t talk about their feelings unless they were at gunpoint, and they sure as hell didn’t analyze each other. He’d found out very quickly that the MacKenzie women had no such issues. “Yeah, I’m fine. Mostly.” He thought about the look in Claire’s eyes when he’d told her they had no future. The fear that had clutched around his heart when she’d told him she’d made a mistake and didn’t want to see him again. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?” he asked. “You can always ask me anything, Coop. Even though you’re a cop.” Cooper smiled and put a plate of grilled cheese and chips in front of her and sat down with his own lunch. “Do you ever worry what would happen to the baby if something happened to you or Thomas? Don’t you think it’s a little unfair to bring a kid into the world knowing that you could end up 58

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abandoning him?” The reaction he got from Cat was not at all what he’d been expecting. He thought she was going to choke on her sandwich. Laughter rolled from her belly and tears pooled in her eyes. Cooper felt heat crawl up his cheeks and pushed back his stool to get up, but she grabbed his wrist and held him there. “Cooper, I love you, even though you took some getting used to at first. I’m sorry I laughed. I know this is serious to you, but that’s the biggest pile of bullshit I’ve ever heard. Does this have anything to do with your own feelings after your parents died?” Cooper just shot her a narrowed look. “Does it have anything to do with you’re the kind of woman you usually gravitate toward and how you like your…extracurricular activities? Why you never bring any one woman around the family and seem incapable of forming any lasting relationships?” He growled in annoyance at the way she’d just psychoanalyzed him and put him neatly in a box. Then he watched as sympathy moved through her eyes. “Are you asking because of Claire?” 59

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“I need to know the answer to my question,” he said, his throat dry. “No, I don’t think it’s unfair to bring a child into the world knowing Thomas and I will be gone some day. It could be tomorrow or fifty years from now. But our child will know how much we loved him, and he’ll have uncles and cousins to help fill in the gaps. My perspective is unique because of where I came from. What you guys have is special, and I had no idea how to react to being welcomed and loved unconditionally by the rest of you just because I belonged to Thomas. It’ll be that way for all our children too. You don’t forget that love just because a person dies. “And to answer your unspoken question, I don’t think it’s wrong to love. Not ever. Even when you know your time is finite. Why would you limit your happiness? Why wouldn’t you make the best of each day and hope for the best for the days to come? The fear of not knowing what’s coming would be like an axe hanging over your head. You’ll never really enjoy life if that’s the way you choose to live. What have you got to lose, besides a relationship you’re too afraid to nurture or the hope of a child 60

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you might someday call your own. You’ve already raised three kids. You’d make a damned fine father to your own. You have a tremendous capacity for love, Coop. You show it by the way you take care of your family. But love hurts sometimes. That doesn’t mean it’ll go away or you can overcompensate by trying not to feel at all. You’re not being fair to yourself or anyone who might love you in return if you do that.” Cooper’s eyes burned at how well she’d seen through him. He’d been the problem solver in his family for so long that he’d forgotten what it felt like to let someone else take part of the burden. “You’re a pretty good sister-in-law. For a thief.” A tear slipped from the corner of her eye and she wiped it away in annoyance. “Damned hormones,” she said. “You’re a good brother, too. For a cop. Now go have Thomas look at your ribs. I can tell they’re hurting you. “Oh, and Cooper?” she said on his way out of the kitchen. “Don’t give up on Claire. She’s loved you an awfully long time. I bet it wouldn’t take too much groveling for her to forgive you. 61

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Chapter Five Claire managed to avoid any and all MacKenzies for a whole week. Since she’d embarrassed herself at the club Friday night, she’d had plenty of time to play the scenes over and over in her mind. It didn’t matter how she changed her reaction or the things she said, the outcome would have ended up the same. She’d spent the week in seclusion, either in her tiny, two-bedroom house that she’d bought the year before, or at the library where she constantly looked over her shoulder, just waiting for Cooper to corner her. He might not have tracked her down in person, but he sure didn’t mind ringing her phone off the hook. She’d hung up on him the first time. She hadn’t bothered to answer the next time. She’d finally unplugged the thing completely from the wall. Cooper would lose interest soon enough. Once he realized she wouldn’t settle for anything less than what she knew he was capable of giving. But as she dressed for work the following Friday 62

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morning, she found herself staring at her naked body in the mirror on the back of her door. She was trim, but curvy. Her ass and breasts were always going to be more than a handful. No amount of exercise would ever change that. Cooper hadn’t rejected her body. He’d found it more than satisfactory. He’d liked the nipple ornaments, and she’d loved the way they’d felt when he’d put his mouth around her. It was her research that had given her cause to get them a few years before. She loved all her piercings—she hadn’t been sure she would when she’d first gotten them, especially the small hoop she’d gotten in the sensitive nerve bundle of her clitoris. It had been curiosity that had first led her to the unusual decorations—and no one ever saw them except her—but she loved the way they looked and felt, and she had no desire to get rid of them just because it wasn’t considered mainstream for a small town librarian or your average woman walking down the street. She was more than comfortable with her own body and sexuality, and she had a mind of her own. She knew what she liked. 63

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But Cooper had added to her body decoration— and not by her choice. The collar was a problem. Every time she looked at it she was reminded of what could have been between them. She was eventually going to have to see him again and make him remove it. But not yet. She wasn’t quite ready. The good thing about the collar was that it could be passed off as a necklace if she wore the right clothing with it. The bad thing about it was she’d had to dress up more than usual every day this week. She was getting tired of wearing hose. She pulled on sheer thigh highs and a black pencil skirt that made her legs look good. The weather was still cool in mid-April, so she picked a three-quarter length shirt the color of poppies that cut in a low vee to show just a hint of cleavage. Nerves overtook her, just like they did every morning, as she left the house and took the long way to the library. She had the added misfortune of the library being directly across the street from the sheriff’s office. The street was mostly deserted this early in the morning, and she sighed in relief when she saw Cooper’s truck wasn’t parked in front of the station. 64

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She prayed all the way into the building that she wouldn’t come face to face with Cooper today. She reminded herself that Club Dominique had been a moment of temporary insanity, and that she was still the same Claire Drexel she’d always been—a small town librarian with close friends and family. A woman who had the heart of an adventurer trapped in the mind of someone who never broke the rules. It was time she accepted her lot in life and moved on.

*** Cooper knew the minute Claire stepped foot into the library. He had a perfect view of the front steps from his office window, so he’d seen when she’d unlocked the big front doors and slipped inside. Even from a distance his cock hardened at the sight of her. She was his every fantasy come to life. The thought of her pierced nipples hiding under all those clothes made him crazy to peel them off layer by layer. He’d had nothing but time over the past week to think about what his sister-in-law had told him. Between that and thoughts of Claire, his mind had been pretty busy. Even now as he thought of the 65

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way he’d treated her, the things he’d told her, shame crept over his skin until he felt dirty from it. She’d deserved better from him. And he’d deserved to be horsewhipped. He’d been so used to his routine of how things went with the other women in his life, he’d almost become desensitized to the fact that there were still people in the world who had real feelings. He’d been cutting off his own emotions for so long that it seemed like the natural thing to do. But it wasn’t just Claire’s body he wanted, he’d discovered after a great deal of soul searching. He wanted everything about her. And he prayed he hadn’t screwed things up too badly to try and make a new start. “Lucy,” he called out to his secretary. “I’ll be available on my cell if there’s an emergency. I’ve got a few personal matters to see to.” He ran up the back stairs to his apartment and made a call. If Cat was going to dole out advice, then she should be there to back it up. “How do you feel about filling in some holes in your education?” he asked when Cat answered the phone. “I’m always up for something new. I just finished 66

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my very first pot mat, so I’m ready to conquer the world.” “Good, because Surrender is going to need a librarian for the rest of the day. And maybe tomorrow.” Cooper took out his piercings and dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt. He would come to Claire with only himself to offer. He would give her everything he had. Everything he was. He knew in his heart that she was the woman for him. It wasn’t something that age or life or death could determine. And if he accepted that Claire was the one woman on this Earth that had been created for him, then all he could do was make the choice to accept that fate. Or deny it. He’d already made the mistake of denying it once. Because of fear. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Claire was his. If she’d have him.

*** There were a few people in the library when Cooper went in a half hour later. It didn’t matter who saw him. He was determined to make Claire hear him out. Being without her wasn’t an option. Claire was straightening up the children’s section 67

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and talking softly to a little boy of about three or four. She didn’t turn around when he entered, but her back stiffened as if she instinctively knew he was there. He leaned against the front counter and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for Claire to run out of things to do just to avoid him. She finally had no choice but to come in his direction. She lifted her chin and kept her expression politely blank as she looked at the spot just over his shoulder instead of at his eyes. “Claire, I need to talk to you.” His voice was soft in deference to where they were, but people were still giving him strange looks. “I’m working right now, Cooper. And I’ve heard about as much what you have to say as I want to. Just leave me alone.” “I’m afraid I can’t do that, sweetheart.” Her eyes finally met his, and it broke his heart to see such bitter desolation in their depths. Because of him. “I’ve taken the liberty of finding you a replacement for the afternoon. I need you to come with me. Just for a little while, so I can explain.” She laughed softly and shook her head as she 68

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made her way around the counter so there was something physically between them. Despite the laughter, if was hard to miss the icy blast of her anger. “So have you made it your personal mission to ruin my life? You’ve decided to harass me at my work place and dictate what I will and won’t do? I don’t belong to you, Cooper. I’m not your possession.” He pointedly glanced at the collar she wore and found delight at the way heat flushed across her skin. “You can fight this, but you won’t win,” he said. “Despite the circumstances that brought you to my attention, and no matter the intentions of either of us that night or the resulting outcome, there’s one thing that stands out in my mind. It only took one kiss to know that you were mine.” Her eyes softened and her mouth parted with a sigh, but it was obvious by her visible effort she was digging deep to find the resolve to not open her arms to him. “I decline,” she finally said with an arched brow and fire in her eyes. And something more—a 69

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challenge. He could see the outline of her nipples clearly beneath her shirt and the decoration that waited for him there. She couldn’t have made it any plainer that he was going to have to work harder for her forgiveness. He opened his hand and held it out so she saw the tiny key that rested in his palm. “Come with me and I’ll take it off.” “I won’t be bribed, Cooper MacKenzie, unless you’re carrying that key between your teeth while crawling over shards of glass. I could probably be persuaded then.” “You drive a pretty hard bargain.” He put the key in his pocket then lifted the pass-through in the counter so he could join her behind the desk. He’d seen Cat come in out of the corner of his eye, and he knew he and Claire had drawn a crowd from the library patrons. They’d be the hottest topic of conversation in Surrender before lunch time. “W…what are you doing?” she asked, taking a step backward. “I’m going to have to get tough, sweetheart. You and that smart mouth of yours don’t leave me any choice.” 70

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“Cooper…really…this is getting ridiculous. Is it because I’m a challenge? Because you’ve never had another woman tell you no before?” “Sweetheart, I distinctly remember you telling me yes several times. But we’ll get back to that. I’ve wanted you for a long time, Claire. I was lying to myself by denying the attraction. And I owe you an apology for the things I said to you last week. It was a defense mechanism, pure and simple. I was terrified because I knew you were the one person who could change the way I’ve been living. Come with me,” he said, holding out a hand. “Please.” Her eyes were wet with tears, but they didn’t fall. She looked at his hand warily and shook her head in denial of the things he’d told her. Her stubbornness would have been a thing of beauty at any other time. They’d be butting heads for sure in the future, but enough was enough. He grabbed her around the waist and threw her over his shoulder to the delight of the crowd. Cat laughed as he passed by her and said. “Give him hell, Claire.” “Thanks a lot,” Cooper said. “Look on the bright side, Cooper. You’re brothers 71

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are going to give you grief for the rest of your life over this. Thanks for inviting me to see the show.” Cooper put a squirming Claire into the front seat of his truck and fastened her seatbelt for her. She stared at him mutinously, and he couldn’t help but grin. He’d never had another woman challenge him like she did. They drove in stony silence until he turned on the road that led to her place. “Why are we going to my house? How are you going to chain me in your dungeon and use all your whips and chains to bend me to your will from there?” He looked over and smiled at her. For the first time in his life things were starting to feel right. “I’ve got to tell you I’m crazy about that smart mouth of yours.” “I think you’re just crazy period.” The land her house was on was small, but it was heavily treed and private. The one-story house was white clapboard that had recently had a fresh coat of paint. A big wrap-around-porch surrounded it on all sides, and big ferns hung from baskets at even intervals. 72

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When he opened her door and moved to carry her inside, she stilled him by putting her hand to his cheek. Her eyes were both pleading and apologetic. “Please don’t do this, Cooper. If you have an ounce of kindness left inside you then don’t do this to me. You don’t have the ability to break my heart. You have the ability to crush it to dust. I realize now how naïve I probably seemed to you that night. I’ll readily admit that I weaved dreams as a girl about you. About being a part of something special with you. It was foolish to try to be what you wanted and expect to fulfill my own made up fantasies at the same time.” Cooper closed his eyes against the pain of her words. He’d hurt her deeply, maybe deeper than he would be able to repair. He knew better than anyone that the dissolution of dreams in the adolescent years could shape a person—whether for good or for bad—for the rest of their life. “Claire…” He couldn’t help but lean in and rub his lips across hers—slow and soft and gentle—how their first kiss should have been. Her eyes fluttered closed and she deepened the pressure, and he felt 73

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like he’d been given the biggest gift in the world. He brought his hands to the clasp at the back of her neck and turned the key in the lock. The collar fell from her neck into her lap. “I’ll only have you come to me because you want to,” he whispered. “Never because you think it’s what I might want or need. I’ll never own you, but I’ll always be a part of you. Just as you’re a part of me. The very best part of me.” “Cooper,” she sighed and kissed him again. “Take me inside. Take all of me.” He picked her up in his arms and cradled her against his chest as he made his way inside the house. The entryway was small and the house was open and roomy. The floors were wood and scarred but covered with rugs of vibrant colors. The whole house was vibrant—just as she was. “I’m so sorry, Claire. I’ve wanted you for so long, but I have no excuse for treating something that could have been beautiful between us as if it were meaningless. I hope you can forgive me. Because this does matter. Every sigh that escapes from your lips will be treasured. You’ll know that every memory we make or experience we share will 74

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be something that has the ability to break through the walls I’ve built over the years. And if we build on the past we’ve had and nurture the future, I think we’ll have something very, very precious.” The tears she’d been holding back fell from the corners of her eyes. “You are the most wonderfully confusing man I’ve ever met in my life. Now please take me to bed. I’ve waited a long time for you.” “With pleasure, sweetheart.” He tasted her lips and drew her tongue into his mouth, stroking and coaxing and building the flame that had existed between them from the first. Hands lingered and sighs were soft. They left their shoes in the entryway, and he circled her towards the bedrooms at the back of the house, a slow dance that made them dizzy with desire. Her skirt was unzipped and fell to her ankles, but he just lifted her over it and kept up his slow descent to her room. Her shirt came next, and his blood spiked as he saw her in just a black bra and panties and the silk of her stockings. “You are so beautiful,” he rasped, touching the swell above her breast reverently and drinking in her sighs of pleasure. 75

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She pulled his shirt over his head and immediately noticed the absence of his nipple rings. She looked to him in confusion.” “Why…” “Because I wanted to give you nothing but myself. No enhancements. Just me making love to you.” The panic that normally accompanied the thought of making love was non-existent. Because with Claire that was exactly what he wanted it to be. She brought her lips to his chest and kissed each nipple, swirling her tongue around the sensitive nerves until his head was thrown back in ecstasy and he was gritting his teeth to fight the need to throw caution to the wind and take her against the wall. “I’ll gladly take you as you are, Cooper. And I’ll always find pleasure in every facet of your body.” She gave him a seductive grin and her dark eyes sparkled with mischief. “But don’t throw away your jewelry just yet. I like them. A lot.” He kissed her harder then, his body primed and almost past the point of the gentle seduction he’d wanted to give her. He lifted her in his arms and 76

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carried her the rest of the way to her bedroom. A large Queen bed dominated the room, and it was covered with a white down comforter and a mound of pillows. Cooper folded down the covers while she watched him, her hands twisting nervously in front of her. Seeing her nerves calmed his own, and made him focus on making everything as pleasurable as possible for her. He kissed her lids and worked his way down to her lips as he flicked open the back catch of her bra. It fell to the floor and the feel of her against him—the cool touch of the gold from her nipples—had him moaning with pleasure. He laid her back on the bed and rid himself of his jeans and briefs. His cock strained with the anticipation of release and his sac tightened as he saw her lying before him, her dark eyes feverish with need. He came over her slowly, enjoying the different textures as their bodies touched fully for the first time. “Mmm, you feel so good against me. Heavy,” she said as she roamed her fingers over him with shy curiosity. 77

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“You’re killing me, Claire.” He took her roving hands and pressed them to the bed, and then he kissed away her protest by moving down her body, his mouth paying homage to every dip and swell until he reached the panties that covered the very core of her. He traced his finger along the outside edge and felt the dampness that had already gathered there. His lips followed the trail of his finger and the scent of her desire was the greatest aphrodisiac he’d ever known. He pulled the panties down slowly, wanting to savor the sight of the gift she was giving him. “Jesus Christ, Claire.” His heart stuttered in his chest and his cock jumped in reaction to the tiny gold hoop that decorated her clit. She was waxed completely bare and the petals of her folds were open and slick with her honey. “Do you like it?” she asked. “Oh, yeah. I love it.” He lowered his head to the swollen nub and flicked the ring with his tongue, testing her level of sensitivity. Her hips lifted toward him and her head thrashed from side to side. She was very sensitive. Perfect. He lifted her to his mouth and feasted as if 78

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she were the sweetest banquet. He knew just where to touch. Just where to taste. And it didn’t take long at all for her body to begin quivering beneath his touch and whimpers of pleasure to escape her lips. “Cooper,” she shouted as an orgasm racked her body. She stiffened against him as he felt the rapid pulses of her release against his tongue. He moved up her body until his cock touched the quivering lips of her pussy. She was more than ready for him. “Look at me, Claire. This is one of our memories.” Her eyes fluttered open, dazed with desire and already heating again for what was still to come—her lips swollen and her heartbeat thudding against his chest. He’d remember her just like this. Always. He pushed against her opening and the feel of her moist heat surrounding him was almost his undoing. He’d never been with a woman without that thin layer of latex between them. Her arms came around him and she bit her lip as he worked his way back out, spreading her juices, and then pushed in another inch or so. Her eyes widened the 79

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farther the penetrated, and it wasn’t until he reached the barrier of her innocence that he understood why. “God, Claire,” he said, dropping his head to her shoulder. His body was quivering uncontrollably with the need to take possession. To be the only one who’d ever take possession. He thought back to how wild her natural responses to his touch had been—how unrestrained and almost violent they’d been in their passion the last time. He thanked God he hadn’t taken her virginity that way, sitting in a chair in a room made for sex.

Why the hell hadn’t she told him? “Dammit, Claire. You came to me at that club as a virgin? Do you know how badly I might have hurt you? Just the thought sickens me. Why didn’t you tell me?” “You make me forget,” she said, soothing his temper by running her fingers along his spine. “Could you maybe yell at me later? I’m trying to make a memory here.” His body shook with laughter at her impertinence, but the movement shifted him inside her and the laugh turned to a moan. He kissed her 80

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softly and fed her hunger until her hips were jerking against him, looking for completion. “Thank you for what you’re giving me,” he said, moving his hand between them so his fingers rubbed against her clit. Her breath caught as he moved his finger faster. “It was always yours to begin with,” she said. She clamped around him, and he felt the gush of moisture around his cock and the spasms that sucked him farther inside. He took advantage of her pleasure and impaled himself to the hilt, breaking through her innocence and shattering his control with one motion. He kissed her deeply and stroked once…twice…three times before he was coming with her. He swelled inside of her and spurt his seed to the deepest part of her. He’d never experienced anything like it before in his life. He’d been as much of a virgin as she had. When Cooper got his breath back, he pulled out of her slowly, watching as their bodies separated. He went to the bathroom and cleaned her blood from his body, and then wetted a warm rag. He knelt beside her and wiped away the evidence of his 81

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pleasure and hers, cherishing her with every touch. He lay down beside her and pulled her into his arms, and he didn’t know if they stay that way for minutes or hours, just touching and kissing. “Already I want you again,” Cooper said. Her leg was thrown over his hip, and the moist lips of her vagina teased him. “Mmm, I hope so.” She stretched languorously against him, and then her eyes found his, suddenly serious. “You didn’t use a condom the last time we…ah…you know. I thought that was something you never did.” “You’re the first woman I’ve ever felt flesh to flesh, Claire. And you’re the only woman I ever want to feel that way. I don’t think there are many people in this world who have the feelings between them that we do. I know my brothers have it with their wives, and I understand the possessiveness they have around them. Knowing I’ve been the only man to ever slip inside your body gives me unspeakable pride. You once asked me to let you keep your pride, but I want you to know that you have mine. Because I belong to you, Claire. You’ve 82

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claimed me completely.” “I love you, Cooper MacKenzie. Now stop teasing me and put your money where your mouth is.” He rolled her to her back and slipped silkily inside of her. “Your wish is my command, sweetheart.”

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Epilogue One Year Later… Cooper tipped his beer to his lips and smiled offhandedly at a story his brother Riley was telling, while watching his other two brothers, Dane and Thomas, argue over the best way to light a charcoal grill. It was good to have the family all together. The MacKenzie house hadn’t been this full in a long time. Dane and Charlie’s son, Jayden was kicking a soccer ball back and forth with one of his friends, Charlie was teaching her one-year-old son how to play peek-a-boo, and Cat was in one of the porch rockers nursing her infant daughter. Riley caught his wife, Maggie, as she walked by and spun her into his arms, kissing her to the catcalls of the rest of the family. Even Cade and his two brothers were enjoying the sunny spring afternoon, though Cade sat by himself, quietly observing rather than participating. He’d been forced to retire from the DEA once it 84

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became obvious that his shooting hand would never gain back the mobility it needed for him to fire a weapon. He could have taken a desk job, but he’d been more insulted by the offer than anything. Cade was still at loose ends, trying to decide what to do with his life, but Cooper had a feeling things would turn around for him soon. As for his own life, he wished daily that he hadn’t wasted so many years avoiding his feelings for Claire. She was his world and the one person who could bring light to the shadows that haunted him. He felt her hands slip around his waist from behind. She always seemed to have some kind of sixth sense of when he was thinking about her. He turned in her arms and gave her upturned mouth a slow, lazy kiss. He watched her eyes darken, and he felt the familiar stirring of desire that never got old when he held her. “I love you, Claire MacKenzie.” Her smile lit up her face, and she leaned up to whisper in his ear. “Do you think anyone would notice if we snuck into the house so you could have your way with me?” 85

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“No, I don’t think anyone would notice at all.” He put down his beer and tossed her over his shoulder, carrying her into the house to the sound of MacKenzie cheers and bawdy suggestions. “I’m going to get you for that,” she said, laughing, her face red with embarrassment. He sat her down in one of the guest rooms and lay back on the bed, giving her a wicked look full of suggestion. “You’re right, of course. I deserve whatever punishment you give me. I can’t wait to see what you’re going to do to me.” “I’m going to love you, Cooper. Forever and always.”

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If you love the MacKenzies, be sure to check out Cade’s full-length novel! CADE COMING IN SPRING 2012 www.lilianahart.com

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About the author: Liliana Hart is the pseudonym for an author of more than a dozen books. She lives in Texas with her husband and cats, and loves to be contacted by readers. Connect with me online: http://twitter.com/Liliana_Hart http://facebook.com/LilianaHart My Blog: http://www.lilianahart.com/blog

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