SEALs of Honor: Cooper (21 page)

“He’s free to go. He didn’t do anything. He’s worried about Theresa with good reason.”

“But there’s nothing I can do right now and I need to just…do something normal.”

“I understand. So we’ll go and see Ron, maybe visit your mom and then figure out what’s next.”

And damn it if his voice didn’t turn smoky and dark. She shivered and wondered briefly if they shouldn’t divert to his house instead.

He turned on the Jeep and drove to the hospital. “Let’s go see what he has to say.”

“I doubt he knows anything…”

“We at least need to check it out.”

Ron was awake and happy to see them. Until he heard the news. His face took on such a gray cast Sasha wondered about contacting the doctor on the floor. She had no idea what medications he was on, but the last thing they needed was for him to have a heart attack. Theresa was his daughter and finding out she was in danger had to be a blow.

“Have you seen her since our return?” Sasha asked.

“No, I haven’t,” he said softly. “She’s not happy with me.”

Ron stared out the window. “I didn’t approve of the marriage and knew she wasn’t happy. But neither did I approve of her hooking up with David. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the man, but I didn’t want her to be another of his short relationships and neither did I want her breaking her vows.” He turned to face Sasha.

“I would, however, condone a divorce. Her husband is an ass and treated her terribly, but she wouldn’t see it. What was I or anyone else going to do? She always treated me as a casual friend rather than her father in public.” He shrugged. “I wanted her to return to the US with me but she refused.”

“Maybe she changed her mind.” Sasha explained their working theory.

He frowned. “If she was short on money, I’d have helped her out. Would have happily bought her a return ticket.”

“But the contract gave her a flight home, allowing her to leave without him knowing…” Sasha frowned. That flight home wasn’t going to help much if she had nowhere to hide. “Of course, this is only conjecture.”

“No, it makes sense,” Ron said. “Her husband can’t travel to the US. Not legally, so he wouldn’t be able to follow her. When she was here for a visit, I took her over to the office. I’m sure that’s when she considered the notion.”

“He can’t come here?”

“No, he has a record. So he’s not allowed in the US.”

“And his brother?”

“He has two. The middle one works in the shipping industry and he travels the world on freighters. I think the younger one has worked with him but not sure that he still does.”

Cooper opened his phone and texted Swede. “Let’s make sure they know he can’t come over here.”

“But that doesn’t help get her back,” Sasha added quietly. She glanced at Ron and added, “Her brother-in-law’s freighter is docked in the bay.”

“We have to help her.” He tried to get out of bed and groaned.

“Right idea, wrong pronoun,” Sasha said. “
You
have to heal. She’ll need you to be there when
we
get her back.”

“Right idea and wrong pronoun,” Cooper calmly repeated.
“I
will be helping to get her back again.
You,
however, will not.”

She glared at him.

Ron chuckled. “I’m so glad to see you found someone, Sasha. You look very happy.”

She snorted. “Then you’re blind.”

Ron grinned. “Generally I see people very clearly.”

*

Cooper watched Ron,
looking for any deception. But he couldn’t see any. A man dedicated to his work and likely at the expense of his family. Then again his daughter was in her late thirties and well past the point of needing a father to be there at every corner.

He nudged Sasha toward the door. The hour was late.

“Bye, Ron.” She smiled at him as they walked out. “What’s the rush?”

“I thought you wanted to go to your mother’s as well tonight.”

“Not sure I do,” she prompted. “I’ll have to explain your presence in my life, and that won’t be easy as she’s still looking for Greg to return.”

“Maybe having me there with you will help to change her mind,” he suggested, liking the idea for that reason alone.

As they walked toward his Jeep she appeared to reconsider and pulled out her phone. “Okay, I’ll see if she’s going to be there.”

“Or just arrive unexpectedly so she doesn’t have time to let your ex know you’re coming.”

Sasha laughed. “That works too.”

They arrived at her mother’s place twenty minutes later to find her sitting outside in the lawn. She beamed when she saw her daughter.

Then her gaze caught on Cooper and she frowned. “Hello,” she said slowly. “Who are you?”

Cooper stepped forward and held out his hand. “I’m a friend of your daughter’s.”

Instantly the other woman’s gaze turned speculative. “Nice to meet you.”

“It should be,” Sasha said. “He’s one of the men who rescued me, Mom.”

She turned to Cooper and said, “This is my mother, Caroline.”

“Nice to meet you, Caroline.” He put on just enough charm to smooth the awkwardness but not enough to make her suspicious.

“I see,” her mother said, but it was obvious she didn’t see at all.

“We were at the hospital visiting Ron and thought we’d stop by to say hi,” Sasha carried on breezily.

Her mother smiled warmly. “And I’m so glad you did. Can I make you some coffee?”

“Sure, that would be lovely.”

Caroline got up and went inside leaving Sasha and Cooper alone. “That went well,” he murmured, barely keeping his grin back.

“Like hell,” Sasha muttered in response. “Well, I’d best go face the music. She’s motioning at me from the window.”

Cooper glanced over and sure enough she made a hard motion to her daughter then seeing Cooper watching, she gave a small wave and turned away.

“I can go, talk to her,” he said.

“No, you can’t,” she hissed. “How do you explain this?” She motioned between the two of them. “Us?” She stood up, shaking her head.

“I could explain,” he said.

She spun around and studied him. “How? What would you say to her?”

Her mother stepped out at that moment. “The coffee is dripping.”

“Thanks, Mom,”

“I’d hoped you’d have come inside with me so I could show you my new dishes,” Caroline said, a faint rebuke in her voice.

“Sorry.” But Sasha’s voice was completely unrepentant.

Cooper decided they could do this dance forever or he could shake it off. “She was afraid you’d ask questions. So I’d just like to clarify that we are seeing each other. I care for her very deeply. Your daughter is a very special woman, and I feel very blessed to have her in my life.”

Sasha stood frozen beside him. Caroline stood with her mouth open in shock.

He spoke over top. “I met her over a year ago. She helped put me back together again, and it was because of her that I would return to the work I love. She was happily married at the time, so I walked away. Neither cheating nor breaking up a marriage is something my sense of honor or integrity would allow. I found her again.” He reached across and lifted her hand in his. “Literally, as it were, and when I realized she was single, I knew I’d do anything for a chance with her.”

“What kind of chance?” her mother asked, clearly torn.

“As in, permanently. She’s a very special woman, as I’m sure you agree.”

“Yes, of course.” Caroline said slowly. “She’s my daughter.”

“And deserves to be treated with honor and respect…and of course given a whole heart, not just a cheating heart,” he added calmly.

Her mother sat back, a lemon slice look on her face, then her shoulders sagged and she nodded. “Yes, she does.”

She turned to her daughter who’d been sitting immobile at his side. “And is this what you want?”

Sasha squeezed Cooper’s hand and said, “I really want to see where this is going.”

“And Greg?”

Sasha laughed. “Greg is a deceitful, lying, two-faced, son of a bitch. He betrayed me. I will never get back together with him. He burned that bridge permanently. I need to know my partner has my back, not targeting it.”

The coffee maker inside beeped. Caroline quickly stood up and rushed inside.

“Did you mean it,” he asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.

“Mean what? What I said about the relationship with you – absolutely.” She studied him. “Did you mean what you said?”

“Absolutely.”

She smirked then said in a wicked tone that caught him off guard, “Does that mean we can go to bed now that we have all the basics out of the way?”

“I sure hope so,” he whispered fervently, heat rippling through him. “Can we skip coffee?”

A giggle escaped. Her eyes widened, and she slapped a hand over her mouth and stared at him. But her eyes were twinkling with mirth.

“Sasha, are you all right?” Caroline called from the kitchen.

“I’m fine, Mom,” she managed to get out, but her shoulders still shook. He loved that lightheartedness in her. In fact, he was pretty darn sure he loved her. Period. And likely had for a long time. Now to get her out of here and back to his place – fast.

“I
thought we’d
never get out of there,” she whispered as she buckled up her seat belt then waved good-bye to her mother.

“Do you think she believed us?”

“I’m sure she did. We were giggling like two-year-olds.”

“With good reason.” He pulled the Jeep into traffic. “So a quick stop at your place then mine?”

“Hell no.”

He glanced over at her in surprise. “Sorry.”

She leaned closer and ran a silky hand down his thigh. “Your place then mine.”

“Shit,” he whispered in a strangled voice. “You do pick your times, don’t you?”

“Not intentionally, but right now, I do wish we were at your house and tucked up in your bed.” And she let her fingers slide down the inside of his thigh.

He made a strangled sound and switched lanes. “Your empty house is closer.”

“No, never there,” she said. “I want to be in
your
bed.”

“And that’s where I want you,” he said when he could, his voice a hoarse whisper. “You’re a hell of a tease.”

“No way,” she said. “I’m making promises.”

When he groaned, she laughed. When he wove in and out of traffic and managed to get them back to his house in record time, she knew he was as anxious as she was. She tumbled out of the passenger side and ran around to his side where she threw herself into his arms.

He picked her up and pinned her against the hood of the Jeep, her legs wrapped around him and his erection exactly where she wanted it. Minus the clothing.

She wanted this man with an overwhelming passion. She couldn’t imagine that ever changing. With tears in her eyes, she kissed him. She poured her feelings into that kiss. Emotions she’d worked hard to heal over the last year. He was so damn honorable. And that mattered.

Hell yeah it mattered.

He’d never cheat on her. He’d never hurt her deliberately and he’d never act like a kid with his hand stuck in the candy jar when he got caught. If he did wrong he’d stand up and take the punishment like a man.

A man. Jesus. A fucking big man. She rocked against him, her thighs tightening around his.

He flung his head back and thrust against her.

“Jesus,” he cried as if seeing where they were standing. “What is it about you that I lose all sense of awareness?” He hitched an arm under her hips and walked into the house, the door slamming behind them.

She pressed frantic kisses on his cheek and jaw and neck, her hands running under his shirt while he growled. And then he ran up the stairs to his bedroom. She giggled.

He flung the two of them on the bed but twisted so he landed on his back – even now looking out for her.

She sat up and rode him through his jeans.

“Fuck,” he roared, his hands going for the snap closure. She immediately shifted so he could open his pants and helped him drag them off. His boxers went with them. She pounced. But he wasn’t having any of it.

“Hell no, fair play.”

She shot him a frustrated look and stood up then whipped her shirt over her head and stepped out of her Capri length pants. She stood in her thong and bra and stepped up on the bed. He immediately stood up and placed tiny kisses over the lacy triangle. His fingers slid underneath the elastic edge to find the dampness inside. She cried out, her knees buckling. He flipped her to the side and quickly reversed their positions. Now it was his turn. His tongue tasted and stroked and sucked then delved until she was a writhing mass of nerves on the bed.