Slow Ride (26 page)

She smiled at the teasing in his voice. “What if I don’t ever get sick of you?”

Cooper’s arms tightened around her and she melted into him further. He dropped his
forehead to hers. “Then I’d be the luckiest fuckin’ man alive.”

She bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes as she let the love and warmth he was exuding
flow over and into her skin. “So, does this mean you’ll continue to evolve and I can
make steaks on the grill? Because seriously, a grill is not guy territory. Or it shouldn’t
be.”

He tilted his head to the side and grinned. “Hmm, we’ll see. I think maybe with some
up close and personal training, hands on, of course, I might find myself able to be
okay with that.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips over her cheek, then over
her lips. “You ready to talk to the cops now?”

She hadn’t acknowledged anyone else was in the house, other than Tommy for those brief
few minutes. Jack was at a barstool in the kitchen, holding an ice pack to the side
of his head and speaking to the cops, one of whom was Jackson. Tommy was still lingering
on the porch.

“Have they been watching us?”

“I don’t know. Don’t care either.” He kissed her again, his thumbs tracing over the
welts on her neck. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

She nodded and stood, linking hands with Cooper and heading outside. After answering
a million questions from Jackson, she went about mothering Jack and his injury, which
he was not happy about.

A car pulled into the drive and everyone froze. Jackson’s hand went to his gun. Kyla
squinted at the car, and then her eyes widened. She bolted out of Cooper’s arms and
down the steps.

“Kyla!” Cooper yelled, but she was already gone and at the driver’s side door just
as the man inside swung his leg out and stood up.

She threw her arms over the tall, blonde and blue-eyed man and burst into tears, sobs
she knew could be heard from the porch.

“I’m Mike O’Grady,” he said while still holding her in a bear hug. “You must be Cooper?
Nice to finally meet you.”

Kyla winced inwardly. She hadn’t been the one to tell him about Cooper. And now, seeing
him here, ready to help, to drop his commitments at home for her, she felt bad for
the rift she’d left between them for so long.

Cooper lifted his chin in greeting. “Jackson, this is Mike, Kyla’s brother. He’s an
assistant DA in Pennsylvania. Mike, this is Jackson, detective with the local PD.”

She finally stepped back but kept a grip on Mike’s arm, wiping at her tears with the
other. “I’m sorry, Mike. I should have called you. But I am so glad you’re here…”

Mike hugged her again. “The past is past, Kyla. I messed up. I let you down and I’m
not going to let that happen again.” He lifted her chin, eyes narrowing on the swelling
and bruising around her neck that was starting to show. “What’s wrong with your neck?
I thought you were hit on the head?”

“Some psycho attacked Jack and then me, just a little while ago. I didn’t ask because
I was too busy biting the fucker. He pulled my hair, Mike. Can you believe that? What
a sissy move! I mean. . .” she trailed off, something nagging at the back of her mind.

“Yeah well you always pulled hair growing up when you fought, too. Never heard you
call yourself a sissy.”

“That’s because I’m a girl and you were a boy who deserved it for those freaking charley
horses you’d give me.” She turned to Cooper “Mike and I used to have some knock-down,
drag-out fights growing up.”

Mike snorted a laugh. “Mainly because Kyla was always stealing my GI Joes to have
weddings with Barbie and all her friends.” He added to Cooper, “Kyla always thought
Ken was too much of a preppy snob to be with Barbie. Said Barbie needed a real man.”

She glared as the guys cracked up. “Shut up! Barbie may have liked her heels and fancy
clothes, but she needed a guy who could kick ass, not some tennis playing pansy.”
She followed up with a gesture they’d couldn’t mistake.

Cooper grinned, grabbing her hand and nipping at her extended finger. “You guys want
to stay for steaks? Kyla took about twelve out earlier because apparently she thinks
I can eat them all.”

“Sure,” Mike and Jackson said, heading inside first.

“Well, you look like a guy who needs his protein and meat has protein.”

“I am, babe, I just don’t usually eat all that at once. Otherwise I’ll get a gut.
Now come on. Let’s get this impromptu dinner started.”

• • •

Cooper insisted that Mike stay in the guest bedroom, the one on the other side of
the house, farther away from their bedroom.

“You like Mike?” she asked as they climbed into bed, whispering as she laced her fingers
through Cooper’s.

“Yeah, he seems like a good guy, a good brother. He did everything he could to protect
you. He was willing to give his life for you, Kyla. That makes him a pretty amazing
guy right there.”

She sighed, turning into him. “Yeah, he is pretty awesome. Just don’t tell him I said
that.” She kissed his shoulder, then his jaw and chin. “I needed to hit rock bottom,
but if he’d taken me outta there before I could make that decision myself, I’d have
gone right back to Frank. I needed to be strong enough to be ready to leave. By then
Mike was still there, ready to lose his own life to protect mine. I wasn’t alone.”

Cooper was silent, his fingers gliding along her hip. “You weren’t alone then and
you aren’t now.” He looked into her eyes. “I never thought I’d feel like this, Kyla.
Thank you for giving me the best gift I could have ever wanted.”

Shyly pleased, she leaned her forehead on his chest. “Whatever.”

He smacked her ass, grinning at her surprised yelp. “Don’t ‘whatever’ me. For the
last five years I refused to believe I would ever find the one woman I needed to make
me whole. Figured I was just meant to be alone. But you changed that the minute your
car broke down and you called for a tow.” Cooper kept his fingers dancing across her
skin in random patterns. “I was engaged to this girl I dated all through college.
She left me when she realized my one goal in life was to stay here, open a car shop,
and raise a family. She wanted more—bright lights, big city, money. I wasn’t good
enough for her and she let me know it by stepping out on me. Repeatedly.”

Kyla was tense as she listened to Cooper’s story. “Does she live around here? Because
I don’t know whether I should kick her ass for breaking your heart or thank her for
giving me a chance to be with you.”

“My baby has claws. Feisty,” he said in that sexy voice she loved. Kyla snuggled against
him. “But no, she doesn’t live around here. She left town with a friend of mine from
college. The guy I caught her cheating on me with. But that’s over. My point in saying
all this is that I was so focused on work and avoiding exploring my personal life,
I didn’t have any expectations of ever finding someone, of having a future. Now it’s
all I can think about.”

She felt the weight of what he was saying on her settling around her. But it wasn’t
a heavy constriction in her chest. It was light and comfortable, like a blanket being
pulled around her, warming her insides.

“How much of your stopping had to do with my Mustang ? Come on, tell me truth.”

He laughed full out. “Gotta admit, I heard the make and model and it got my attention.
It’s not often a mechanic gets his hands on a beauty like that. But the beauty I got
in my bed is a hundred times better.”

“That’s a good thing, ‘cause where the car goes, I go. So you’re stuck with us both.”

Cooper lifted her up over his chest as his hands slid down into her panties. “Wouldn’t
have it any other way.”

She rested her cheek on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “How is Lola anyway?”

“Things are looking up. She’s still on life support, but a few parts have come in.”

“You’re keeping a tab still, right? So I can match the hours of work?”

“Kyla.” There was a warning tone in her voice.

“No, you have to, Cooper. That was our deal. The fact that I’m naked in your bed doesn’t
change that.”

He sighed, she hoped because he respected her narrowed eyes and stern look. “Fine.
We’ll talk about it later. Are you planning on staying in the city, even after she’s
fixed?”

She looked into his face, biting her lower lip. “Yeah, I mean, I want to. I just have
to find an apartment someplace.”

“No reason to do that since you’ll be sleeping with me at night and waking up with
me in the morning. Why waste your money? And why schlep our stuff back and forth?
Your stuff is already here.”

“Yeah, but isn’t this kind of soon, to move in together? I don’t want to ruin this
by being an idiot and going fast.”

Cooper gave her an amused look. “Babe, you’ve been in town almost three months. In
that time we’ve seen each other almost every day. You’ve been living here for over
a week and before that I was at your place. If we were going to kill each other, I
think we would have already.” He squeezed her bottom. “And we won’t ruin it so long
as talk to each other and we listen. That means when one of us says or does something
stupid, or that we don’t understand, we talk it over. And there will be no stewing
over shit, either.”

“Well, Mr. Bossy, seems like you have it all figured out.”

Cooper smiled and nipped at her lower lip. “Nah, just know what I want. So no more
freaking out in your head about shit. Like the grilling thing. You hung up on me.”

“I did not. I said my piece and then hit the end button.”

“Before I could respond or say goodbye,” he retorted.

She felt her cheeks flush. “Whatever.”

“Not whatever. I’m only letting it go because we kind of talked about it afterward.
But seriously, babe, it’s not a big deal. You cook dinner all the time for us. I can’t
bake to save my life, or do anything else with a stove really, but I can grill. So
let me help you out in areas I can. And grilling is one of them. And it has nothing
to do with me not wanting you touching my stuff. In fact I want your stuff everywhere
and your hands all over my stuff. But the grill . . . let me do it. Or we’ll do it
together.”

Kyla sighed, “Deal. But that means that we’ll cook together too, so you can learn
how. How have you survived not knowing how to cook, anyway.”

“The diner. Or pizza. Or anything that comes in a box-I can cook if it comes in a
package.”

She laughed, “We have a lot of work to do, then.” She leaned over and kissed him.
“‘Night, Coop.”

“‘Night, Ky.” His hands continued their lazy movement over her body until she was
asleep.

Cooper watched Kyla walk into the music store on her first day back, then parked his
bike out front as a decoy before he headed over to the garage. He couldn’t help but
grin—other than the psycho after the love of his life, he was living a dream.

As he rounded the corner he stopped and then ran a hand through his hair. Jackson
was outside his car in the lot talking to Kyla’s brother.

“Hey guys. What’s going on?”

“Just wanted to meet up, trade any info. Kyla go back to work today?” Jackson asked.

“Yeah, she insisted on handling the lessons she has planned for today through Saturday.
Sarah has been manning the register when she can between jobs, and even some of the
guys have pitched in, but only she can give the lessons. Kyla doesn’t want to let
the kids down.”

Mike sighed. “That’s my sister—always concerned about everyone else when she should
be focusing on herself.”

Jackson cleared his throat. “Look, sorry to interrupt this, but I got a shitload of
cases I need to get working on. Cooper, I stopped by to say that forensics came back
and we got nothing so far. The locals in Pennsylvania say Frank is still in the wind
but seem to think he was in town when the attacks on Kyla took place but they want
to find him so they can have a chat and confirm that. They are also trying to get
a warrant for his phone and computer. Hopefully that will be enough to show he is
breaking the Order of Protection and put his ass in jail. Has Kyla gotten any other
calls?”

“Nope. Things have been pretty quiet, though we’re both on edge, waiting for the next
shoe to drop.” And that was the truth. He didn’t even want to fall asleep lately,
worried that someone would break in and he wouldn’t be ready.

“Well maybe he’s given up. Or drove off a cliff. That would make closing this case
a hell of a lot easier,” Mike muttered.

Cooper snorted. “Yeah well, hopefully you and the cops in Kyla’s hometown can step
this up since someone is trying to fucking kill her. I would think this is a priority,
unless your douchebag boss has you busy busting the balls of innocent people again.”

“If the cops in Pennsylvania are right about Frank and his alibis, then we have to
start looking somewhere else. All indications are that this Frank guy is not the one
going after Kyla. Whoever this psycho is, he’s latched onto your girl. That isn’t
a good sign. So fuck you, Cooper.”

Mike held up his hands, standing between the two. “Enough. This is about my sister,
not about whatever is going on in this twisted town. We can deal with that later.
Right now, let’s all stay smart and alert about this fucker who wants my sister dead.”

Cooper lifted his chin. “Kyla is my only priority. Everything else is on the back
burner until I make sure she’s safe and this asshole is caught. Now I gotta get to
work. Call if you hear something.”

With that he headed into the shop and opened for the day, but before he slid under
the car he dropped in at the music store, just to make sure Kyla was all right.

• • •

On the first open mic night at Music & Motors, Kyla couldn’t stop smiling.
The turnout was awesome. She wandered around the floor, greeting other members of
the community who had come, including Steve, Rose, Sarah, Justin, and Maggie. Her
eyes swept over the many familiar faces and fell on Cooper, who stood along the wall
near the television. Kyla had spent the last several days moving furniture around
to maximize the space.