The Girl Next Door (Shadow Agents #6)(41)
Author: Cynthia Eden

“You thought I was going to blow your cover. You thought—”

“I thought that if anything happened to you, I’d go crazy.” He was right in front of her. Not touching her, but seeming to surround her.

She shook her head. “You don’t have to paint some fake story about how you feel, okay? You had orders. You had—”

“I’d had you,” he told her bluntly. The burn in her cheeks got even worse. “I’d had you, and there was no going back. It wasn’t about one night—I want more than that from you. I want a hell of a lot more.”

The first time she’d met him, Gabrielle had known that he was out of her league. Too intense. Too fierce.

And, damn him, too sexy.

“I’ll have you again,” Cooper said.

Her jaw dropped.

“Because you want me. You’re angry, rightly so, but you still want me.” He took her hand. Put it over his chest. Over the heart that she could feel racing so frantically. “And I want you. More than I’ve ever wanted another woman. The way I feel for you isn’t about a mission. It’s not about anything, but us.”

Was he about to kiss her? She didn’t want him to kiss her. Oh, dang it, she was the liar now. She wanted his mouth more than breath right then, but she was also scared.

Of him.

Of the way he made her feel.

Of making a mistake. I’m already in too deep with him.

“What do I need to do—” his words were a deep, sexy rumble “—to get you back again?”

“I don’t want secrets.” Her words surprised her. She’d meant to pull away from him.

Hadn’t she?

So why was she edging closer? And why did she continue, saying, “I don’t want any lies. I might not have your EOD clearance, but that doesn’t mean you get to jerk me around.” His heart was still racing beneath her touch. Only fair, considering her heart felt as if it would jump out of her chest. “And if we’re partners, really partners, then that means you don’t leave me behind. We work together. We share everything.”

He was staring straight down at her.

She just didn’t want…secrets.

“I should be running from you right now,” Gabrielle said. That would have been the smart thing to do, but her heart wasn’t interested in smart. Her heart just wanted her to be close to him.

He’d gotten past her defenses. He’d gotten to her. She was afraid that she wouldn’t be the same ever again.

“If you ran, I’d follow.” His voice was deeper, sending a shiver over her spine. “I think I might just follow you any place you go.”

Gabrielle couldn’t pull her gaze from his. His stare burned. “Tell me…tell me that you didn’t sleep with me for the case.”

His hands lifted and curled around her hips. They seemed to singe her through her clothes. “I slept with you because you were driving me out of my mind. Fantasies weren’t enough to keep me sane. What happened between us had nothing to do with the case.”

That was good. That was— “If you ever have me handcuffed again, you are going to have some serious trouble on your hands.”

He smiled at her. A smile that reached his eyes and made her heart ache. “Sweetheart, if I handcuff you again, you’ll be in my bed—and trouble will be the last thing I get.”

That was…oh. His mouth took hers. She let go of her fear and her anger because right then, they didn’t matter.

She wasn’t sure how much time they had left together. With the killer out there, there was no way to determine their future.

So she forgot about the future.

She let go of the past.

Gabrielle just held on to him.

His tongue thrust into her mouth. His hands curled around her hips and lifted her up against the hard bulge of his arousal. She met him, kissing him back with a fierce desire that grew and grew within her.

She’d never been the kind of girl to get swept off her feet…

Cooper raised her higher in his arms.

…until now.

He took a few steps, and her back hit the wall. He didn’t release her. He kept her pinned there, and she twisted, arching against his hips.

Need rose to a feverish pitch within her as his mouth trailed down her neck. He licked her, kissed the curve of her throat. Had her gasping and digging her nails into his shoulders.

“I can’t get enough of you.” One of his hands yanked her shirt over her head. He held her easily. Sometimes, she forgot just how strong he was. He lifted her a few more inches, and his mouth pressed to the curve of her breast, right above the lace of her bra. “Your scent drives me crazy.”

He was driving her crazy. It hadn’t been like this before. With Lane, the passion had been slow to build. She’d been hesitant, unsure.

There was no room for uncertainty with Cooper. He swept her up into a storm of need. Pleasure already pulsed through her. She wanted him naked. Wanted to wrap her body around him and hold on as tight as she could.

He’d gotten rid of her bra. Those fast fingers of his. His mouth closed around one breast, and desire pierced through her. She curled her legs around his hips.

She hated not being able to touch his skin, so Gabrielle yanked up his shirt.

He helped her toss it across the room. Heat radiated off him. Those hard, rippling muscles. So much power. But he was always so careful with her. So very careful.

And he was making her wait. “Cooper…”

His hand was at the snap of her jeans. The snap popped free, and her zipper hissed down. Then his fingers were pushing inside the material. Pleasure wasn’t just close. He stroked her, caressing her sensitive folds. His fingers drove into her. Pleasure exploded within her at his touch. She jerked against him, caught off guard by the fast rush of her release.

“You’re so damned beautiful.” He carried her into the bedroom. The bed dipped beneath their weight. In moments, he’d finished stripping and their clothes were scattered across the floor.

He took care of the protection, then he came back toward her.

But this time, Gabrielle wanted her chance to explore him.

She pushed him back on the bed. Cooper hesitated, frowning at her.

She smiled at him, even as the desire rose once more. Bending forward, she put her knees on either side of Cooper’s body. Her mouth pressed to his throat. When he groaned, and his hands flew up to hold her hips, Gabrielle knew that she’d just found Cooper’s weak spot.

Her tongue licked over his skin. Then she slid down. She explored his chest. Those muscles that just begged to be—