Get a Clue

'-have sex with me?' she whispered. 'Make sure I'm not doing something really wrong?'

Definitely not big enough to walk away from that request, or the lingering hurt in her eyes, not to mention the offer of her sweet, hot body.

'I'll do all the work,' she promised. 'Everything.''

His knees actually wobbled.

'And afterwards, you can critique me-'

'Breanne-'

'And then tomorrow morning, we'll dig out and go our separate ways.'

She was serious. She wanted to have him tonight, bare their bodies and souls, then walk away in the morning.

After he told her what was wrong with her.

'Think of it,' she said softly. 'A whole night of unattached, unemotional sex. Any guy's idea of Christmas, right?'

'Stop.' Walking over here had been a massively stupid idea, because now he was inches from her, with a knee already on the bed.

She pulled her lower lip between her teeth. Stared up at him.

All he had to do was lean over her-

She tossed the covers aside.

On her back in that stretchy red top and painted-on skirt, both of which showed off her curvy body in a mouthwatering way, she smiled up at him-shaky, but a smile nevertheless. 'Do you want me, Cooper?'

Only more than his next breath. He wanted to pull her beneath him, he wanted to slowly strip her out of those sexy clothes that were hot but not her, wanted to run his tongue and teeth over every inch of her.

But not like this. Damn it, not like this, not with her hurting, and vulnerable. Not with her trying to set it up so that for once she could be the one to walk away before she got hurt. It took every ounce of restraint he had, but he backed up.

'I know you want me,' she said softly, and they both looked down at the unmistakable bulge behind the buttons on his jeans, offering vivid proof of that wanting. 'Yes,' he said hoarsely. 'But-'

'No. No buts.'

'But… not like this, Bree. Not because you're hurting and sad.'

'Cooper-'

'I don't want you to wake up in the morning and regret anything. Especially me.'

Her eyes were as luminous as the fire's glow while she digested this. 'And I thought you said you weren't a gentleman.'

A sound of deep need escaped him-he couldn't help it.

She turned on her side away from him and pulled the covers back over her head.

Was she embarrassed now? He didn't want that, anything but that. 'Breanne-'

'Forget it.'

He didn't move, couldn't get himself to walk away.

'Every minute you stand there,' she said, her voice muffled by the covers, 'you risk being jumped by the pathetic chick. I'd run if I were you.'

Shit. He stalked the length of the room, heading back to the fire, even though he didn't need the heat; he was damn hot enough.

Craning his neck, he glanced back at the bed. The lump that was Breanne hadn't budged. Good. She was going to be a good girl and go to sleep.

He only wished he could, but as he was currently hard enough to pound nails, he doubted sleep would come any time soon. James would have smacked him upside the head for turning down the sexiest, hottest woman he'd ever seen. He couldn't believe he'd done it. He was truly an idiot.

Suddenly exhausted, he dropped into the chair, sprawled out his legs, and tipped his head back. Closed his eyes.

His mind did not turn off. Nope, it kept whirring and cranking out disturbing thoughts.

Wake her up.

Tell her you changed your mind-

Better yet, show her you've changed your mind.

'Cooper?'

He opened his eyes to find her standing right in front of him, his living fantasy in the flesh. 'Thought you'd gone to sleep,' he said.

Slowly she shook her head.

'You should go to sleep.' He was sounding a bit desperate, even to his own ears, but damn it, he could only take so much with her standing there two inches from him, looking as if maybe she wanted to gobble him up whole.

He could really get behind that. 'Breanne.'

'I know. You want me to go far, far away, but I can't do that.'

'Why not?'

'Because.'

Her eyes held his, shadowed by insecurity. There was no use in pretending he couldn't see because he might as well try to stop breathing. Every part of him was focused on her, locked in some hypersensitive state. 'You can't go back to bed because…?'

'Because I want you in it with me.'

'Breanne-'

'I need you, Cooper. Don't make me beg.'

Ah, Christ. 'Are you sure?' he whispered fiercely.

She straddled his legs and sat on his lap.

Okay, she was sure. 'Breanne,' he groaned. 'We've taken this about as far as we can with our clothes on, and I don't want to stop again.'

She shook her head. 'No stopping this time.'

'Good, because I've been hard since you got here. I'm going to damage myself if I keep it up.' He shot her a lopsided grin. 'Have some mercy.'

She laughed, but her eyes shone with emotion as well, yanking at his heart, and his smile slowly faded.

'I need somebody tonight,' she whispered, her hands going to his shoulders. 'And I want it to be you. You, Cooper Scott, and no one else.'

The promise was far more than he could have, or would have, asked for. He sat up a little straighter, running his hands up her body to cup her face, tugging her down for a kiss.

She obliged him in the sweetest, hottest connection he'd ever known, then pulled back, her lips leaving his with a little suction noise that tugged all the way through his body.

With a little smile, she got off of him and shimmied out of her skirt. God, he loved those black satin panties, the way the small patch of material barely covered her, how the stretchy fabric rode low on her hips, and though he couldn't see her ass at the moment, he knew the material was riding up, outlining her to perfection. 'Breanne,' he said hoarsely.

She crossed her arms in front of her, grabbed the hem of that red shirt, and pulled it over her head.

Leaving her in nothing but those panties, and suddenly he wished he'd let her keep the boots on, because holy shit, that