Cooper (12 page)

His nostrils flared as his arousal became painful. "You don't want to live here with me. You want to see Chase. What else am I to think? I get it. He's the Alpha and has legs that work. But he won't make you happy like I would. I just want you to know that. I…I can perform now. My third leg works just fine now. So…"

Amy leaned over and shut him up with a kiss. Her innocent tongue, seeking entrance to his mouth, brought his cat to roaring life. Coop growled, dragging her closer – while the fucking arm of the wheelchair acted as a barrier, stopping him from getting her as close as he need her to be.

But he kissed her anyway. Or maybe devoured her was a better word. He clamped their lips together and fought with her tongue for dominance. His hands knocked her hat off and let her glorious hair loose so he could run his hands through it. Tears stung his eyes. What was wrong with him? This emotional roller-coaster ride was killing him.

When the arm was obviously causing her too much pain, he slowly pushed her away and sat panting, waiting for his breathing to slow down before he got too dizzy.

"Come to see Chase with me. When I explain it to him, you'll see why I seem reluctant to leave home. It's nothing like you think, I promise. I have never felt like this before. This mateship or whatever it's called, is the most beautiful thing I've ever known. I don't want anyone but you, Cooper. Only you."

He jerked a nod, cleared his throat and pressed the lift button. As the door automatically slid back and he felt himself gliding sideward, away from Amy, he fought the urge to stay with her. But before Coop had a chance to act on that desire, he was slowly being lower to the concrete floor. When the mechanism released his chair, he wheeled it around to Amy's side at cat speed and watched as she climbed daintily down from the Toyota.

In the time he’d taken to get around the van, she’d removed her coat. The soft, cream angora sweater beneath it was perfect for her. For a tall girl she had a lot of natural grace. Amy could have been a ballet-dancer if she hadn't been born to the Guild, was the only coherent thought in his confused and aroused mind as he took in her long, long shapely legs covered with soft, tight denim.

Chase met them in the conference room and he'd brought reinforcements: the rest of his Unit. Cooper felt like hitting him. Didn't Chase realise how daunting it was for Amy to be surrounded on all sides my mountainous, identical men?

But as everyone took their seats, Amy looked much less cowed than she had the night before. It was like he was watching a rose blossom in fast-forward. Her petals were unfolding right before his eyes.

With more confidence than he'd seen in her so far, Amy recounted her day. He was stunned by her discoveries and furious with whoever had set the plan in motion. What Résistance dickhead had played God with her life like that? Giving her to the Guild so they could torture her for the greater, and as yet unknown, good? It was shit.

When she was finished she took a little breath before going on with her own thoughts on it all.

"I feel different. Stronger. Like I've suddenly found the meaning behind all my suffering. I’ve discovered that the options I took were only ever wrong because, in the world where I grew up, no decision could
ever
have been right. I’m starting to trust my instincts... or my cat.

“So, to make sure my suffering was worth it, I have to find a way to stay in play as Guild. I can go places that non-Guild can't. I can be privy to information non-Guild can't. Being a girl is obviously a stumbling block, but if Karl Rothmen's wife is any indication, then change is in the air in that direction, too. What if I could befriend her? Or be mentored by her. I doubt Guild ever truly have friends. Being a female might not be such a disadvantage as it once was."

Coop was stunned, as was every man in the room. They looked from Cooper to Amy and back again.

"It would certainly be useful having someone on the inside of the Guild on this side of the Pond. We have Cam working his way up the ranks in London, but with someone here… It would be immensely useful."

"You can't put yourself in danger like that, Amy. If your father beats you again, your cat will come out. That's the end for you. I can't let you…"

Colt must have seen Coop stepping into a minefield he personally knew too well because he hastily interceded. "Then Hays needs to be taken out of play before he can hurt her again. How close to having the necessary evidence on Hays are we?" Colt looked at Caleb, who managed information mining for the group.

"Done and dusted. We can take him out any time. We've just got a bit of a backlog at the moment. None of the teams have been available to work out an extraction plan for him. And with Rothmen removed, Guild members all over the world are already tightening up on security, which slows things down even more."

Cooper saw Amy's face change from tensely resolved to hopeful. She was volunteering for this dangerous job, not because she wanted to, but because she thought she should. Now it had become a little more appealing. He felt his cat relax too.

"Then we put Hays at the top of our list. Let's start recon immediately and get him out of the picture. While-ever he's in play Amy and the secret of our cats are in jeopardy," Chase said firmly.

Chase looked at Colt, who was in charge of orchestrating recon and most retrievals. He'd been otherwise occupied since Alyssa came into his life, but this was his forte. And while Connor would return to London with Alice after Rothmen's trial, Colt would get back to his normal duties. He imagined Alyssa would work on her next album while he did so.

His own dreams of finding a way to keep his mate at his side were fading fast. Amy was uniquely placed to make massive inroads into the Guild for them. She was never going to be his lab assistant, able to take a back-seat to his role, even if she wanted to. It felt more tragic than their Romeo and Juliet scenario had been. Now they truly were star-crossed lovers never meant to be together.

It felt like a dream come true to Amy. The man she had feared and loathed every waking moment – the monster who had made her life a living hell – was going to be taken down. Not because of her but because he was a criminal of the worst kind. She would reap all the benefits and carry none of the guilt for his death.

She looked over at Cooper who seemed to have calmed down after Caleb had given them that good news. But he was still troubled. It showed in every line of his body, and she was hyper-sensitive to his every mood swing now. Would it always be this way or would they grow easier with each other as time went on?

As the men filed out, she stayed seated with Cooper, waiting to get his reaction to what was happening. Amy knew he wanted her to move in with him at HQ, and she would have loved to do that. But it felt like cowardice. So many people had gone through so much to get her where she was right now. She couldn't just walk away, just to be with her man.

"Can we go to your room?" she asked him softly. Amy’s cat pressed at her to take the lead yet again."Or do you have to go back to work? I should have thought to leave this until after working hours."

"We don't keep normal working hours around here. I'd normally be in the lab until I was just about to fall face-forwards into a petri-dish. Then I'd drag myself away, grab food at the canteen and fall face-forwards into my pillow instead." He smiled, trying to make a joke of it.

"So are you saying no time is a good time to interrupt your work?"

He groaned and rubbed at his aching head. "No, I'm saying anytime is a good time for
you
to interrupt my work."

She gave a nervous little smile and felt a blush rising like a hot wave up into her cheeks. Instead of covering her face she simply grimaced comically.

"Beetroot and Carrots. I'm quite the vegetarian's delight. Caleb wouldn’t fancy me," she tried to joke.

"Your hair is the colour of fine copper wire, not carrots, and I find your blushes delightfully dramatic," Cooper said loyally.

"Delightfully dramatic. I like that. So can we go to your room?" she asked again, more tentatively this time. She wanted to continue with what they started in the van, and she wanted to do it comfortably.

Was she planning to lose her virginity? That thought stopped her in her tracks. Amy smiled. Yes, that was exactly what she was planning. And now that Cooper had gained that capacity, if she'd understood him correctly in the van, then it seemed a waste not to take advantage of it.

"If that's what you want. I can't promise you anything. I'm getting aroused at the idea of having you there… But I can't say how long I'll keep the erection. It fluctuates."

"No promises neccessary. I just want to be with you in any way I can."

He lifted his chin then and smiled more confidently. "That's how I feel, too. Anyway I can."

The trip down the dark corridors should have been daunting. Instead it was exciting. When he opened a door and led her into his private space she suddenly felt that excitement turn to nerves. She could smell something unknown in the air. Something she wouldn't normally be able to smell. It was one of the advantages of her new cat status: all her senses were heightened. But it was disconcerting too, especially when unknown odours assailed her.

Coop looked from her to the wash-basket in the corner of the large bedroom. Blushing bright red, he wheeled himself over to the basket and sealed off the plastic liner inside. Then he put on the lid with more force than necessary, setting the woven receptacle to rocking, as if there was something alive inside.

"I…I had a wet dream this morning. That's what you can smell. My first-ever ejaculation. That's how I know it's possible for me to perform…Possible, but not probable. It may have been an aberration. Anyway, I got the sheets off, but the guys who're rostered on for washing won't pick up my basket until tomorrow. It reeks. Sorry. I'd get rid of it myself if—" He was jabbering nervously, and it was adorable.

For the first time in her life Amy felt truly powerful. She went over to the neatly made bed, (How much work must that be for him?) and sprawled languidly out on it, kicking off her ankle boots as she went. Knowing the complex was well heated, she'd left her coat in the car. So now all she had to do was pull the cream sweater over her head and throw it on the floor. Beneath the sweater she was wearing a floral, long-sleeved shirt. Jeans, her default clothing in winter when she wasn't expected at a business or formal event, covered her lower half.

Cooper's eyelids grew heavy and he growled softly as he wheeled himself over to the bed. Before getting out of the chair he peeled off his shirt, revealing his bare, muscular torso for her viewing pleasure.

And it was pleasure – scary, exciting pleasure.

Cooper eased over onto the bed and leaned down next to her, running gentle fingers across all her uncovered flesh, setting off delightful little ripples of sensation everywhere he went.

"Does it offend you to think I came in my sleep, dreaming of you?" he growled, not meeting her eyes as he continued his feather-soft strokes.

"Why would it? I'm…flattered. Are you sure it was me?" She grinned when he looked up, frowning.

"Of course it was you. Who else has been driving me and my cat wild since we met?"

She got the courage to stroke fingertips across his chest, following the ridges and hollows. It was like his body was a piece of perfect sculpture she couldn't fully appreciate unless she touched it.

The purr vibrating deep in his chest only entranced her more. This time neither of them was surprised by the cat-like sound. She felt like purring too.

"I try to keep my upper body in good nick. My legs are okay, but not quite as muscular. It's hard to get any kind of weight on them from the exercise regime I follow." He was prattling again and she leaned up to claim his mouth, to stop him.

That ended all the nerves in an instant. Suddenly, his warm lips were tender and demanding all at once. She opened to him, revelling in the slick feel of his tongue sliding into her mouth and finding hers. Having read her share of Cosmos and romantic fiction, she knew all the theory and had always thought French kissing to be rather a disgusting practise. But the reality was far different from the theory. It felt sexy and luscious, almost as if his mouth became an extension of hers.

For the longest time that was enough, just kissing and touching softly. Then, as their breathing grew more ragged, it stopped being enough.

"I need to touch you. Can I get rid of the shirt?" he asked, with shy intensity.

Instead of answering, she pulled it off, leaving on only her pink uplift bra. Her mother insisted she have expensive lingerie, which had always seemed a waste, given no one ever saw it but her. Now she was glad of it. Gleeful even, as she watched his heated gaze take in the sexy scrap of lacy fabric. It was pretty, with rose appliqué worked into the lace.

"You smell like roses. Do you know you smell like roses?" he said drowsily, leaning in to smell her skin.

"It's just my body lotion."

Cooper breathed in again, this time next to her neck. He shook his shaggy head, making soft feathers of his hair stroke her neck and cheek. "Nope, it's you. I love roses." His mouth closed lingeringly over her neck and then began working his way down to her lacy bra. Her breasts actually ached. She'd never experienced that before.

"I haven't a clue what I'm doing, you know that don't you?" he muttered as his mouth closed over her nipple through the lace. She drew in a gasping breath as fire ignited deep in her core.

"I bet that's what you tell all the girls. Anyway, I don't know much about this, except what I've read in steamy romances. But this is working for me," she said as a moan forced its way up and out, and she arched her back into the warm wetness of his mouth.

"I feel like I'm at smorgasbord and I don't know what to put on my plate first," he growled as he kissed and licked his way down her stomach until he reached her jeans.

"Well that's the thing with a smorgasbord; you can always come back for more." Where had that cheeky retort come from? This feeling of sexual power was turning her into a different girl.

"Can I get rid of the jeans?" he asked, his fingers playing with the button at the waist.

"Only if you get rid of yours."

Almost faster than her eyes could take it in, Cooper turned to lie flat on his back and strip off his work pants, losing his shoes at the same time.

Amy stared at Coop's almost naked body and realised just how real it all was. She really was lying on a bed with a handsome near-naked man, who was really waiting for her to remove her jeans. How was any of this possible? What if she woke up tomorrow morning in an institution and discovered it was all a delusion? Because, let's face it, how
Out There
was this whole cat thing, anyway?

But as she wriggled out of her jeans to reveal matching pink lace panties, she didn't care if it was real or not. This experience was everything she'd hoped for and more.

Before Cooper got a chance to return to her now semi-naked body, she pushed him flat and started her own exploration. It felt like she was controlled by of an instinctual, aggressive force that felt no fear, no embarrassment, and no modesty.

Cooper lay still as she kissed and licked his chest and then moved lower, her hands roaming freely over the expanse of bare, smooth skin. Every gasp and groan he gave her was an erotic gift that pushed her excitement higher.

"This hair," he purred, "I love this hair." She looked up to see her hair trailing over his chest and Cooper running it through his fingers as if it was fine silk.

She moved lower, and then felt her first moment of insecurity. His cock was outlined against his black stretch underwear. He looked huge. Should she touch him? What if he thought that was too forward, too much?

"Turn over, please. Let me explore your back." That was safer. She just wasn't ready yet for an up-close-and-personal with his 'third leg', as he'd called it.

Cooper used his powerful arms to flip his body over. The view from the rear was almost as amazing as the front. The muscles of his back were a work of art. She ran her fingers down the valley of his spine and across the hard expanse of flesh and sinew. His skin was fair and smoothly unblemished.

As she worked her way from the top of his spine to the bottom – touching, tasting, and smelling the subtle fragrance of his skin – he seemed to be awaiting her every touch. Even the slide of her hair across his skin seemed to excite him. When she finally reached his butt his breathing hitched.

"I sit on that way too much for it to be firm," he mumbled into the duvet.

Was this how she sounded, always self-conscious and self-critical, when there was absolutely nothing to apologise for?

Suddenly something primal sprang to life inside her, taking control.
Her cat was loose
! With a little cry of panic, Amy gave way to it completely.

With the small part of her mind left to her, Amy watched herself rear back, pull down Cooper's jocks and bite the fleshy part of his butt nearest the base of his spine. Her cat had been searching for something and now she'd found it.

Cooper cried out as if in pain, and she felt his blood tingling her tongue. A deep purr rumbled in her chest and was answered by one that came from his.

As if in some bizarre, erotic yoga pose, Amy found herself holding Cooper's butt in place while he arched up on his arms, curved his spine, and threw back his head to roar. Her shocked mind wanted to let go. Wanted to stop whatever was going on. But the other part, the more powerful part, held on, digging her sharp teeth even deeper into his flesh.

Cooper's body jerked beneath her, sharply thrusting his hips. Had she not been holding on so tightly, he would have dislodged her. The jerking seemed to go on for an eternity. Then, with a deep moan, her mate finally collapsed, face-first, into the bedding.

Very slowly she released her grip, both with her hands and her teeth. Automatically, she sealed the small puncture wounds with her tongue. Then, as if the air had suddenly been let out of her body, she collapsed on top of him, exhausted in a way she couldn’t remember ever being before.

Is this what satiation feels like?

How long they lay that way, Amy wasn't sure, but sometime later Cooper moved. Suddenly panicking, he tried to scramble out from under her; as if her very touch burned and repulsed him.

She rolled off him, her brain finally starting to function again. Had she really bitten his butt? That was carrying the cat act too far. But her thoughts were blown away as she watched Cooper use his arms and legs to propel himself up the bed on his butt until he was sitting up, his back pressed against the headboard, eyes wide with shock. His legs were shaking like branches in the wind.

"What? Did I hurt you? I didn't mean –"

"My legs. Pins and needles up and down my legs." He didn't sound quite sane as he rubbed distractedly at his up-drawn legs as a deep shudder passed through him.

"Did I cut off your circulation? I must have been pressing on a nerve…"

"No, stop Amy. You don't get it," he yelled at her.

Coop suddenly frightened her. Was he angry or insane? She needed to get out of here.