His fingers trailed south, along the side of her breast, his touch almost tickling. “I thought you said you had a tattoo on your right breast.”
“You remember that?” She and Violet had been throwing up a smoke screen that day when Natalie had mentioned a boob tattoo.
“Trust me. When it comes to you, I remember details.”
“We were trying to distract you,” she explained.
“It worked.”
“Well, you hid it well, Detective.”
“But you weren’t telling tales about the knife-stabbed heart on your left cheek.”
How had he seen that in the midst of all of those kisses?
His fingers drifted down over her belly. “Along with this tattoo on your hip. But you’d talked about it being a guy’s name.”
“I went to the tattoo artist you recommended.” Natalie glanced down at the tattoo—a Day of the Dead version of Rosie the Riveter. “The cover-up turned out amazing.” She couldn’t see even a trace of her ex’s name.
“You didn’t mention that you’d had it fixed.”
She shrugged. “It’s been over a month. I was keeping it to myself. It’s sort of a celebration of letting go of my fucked-up past and embracing the new sabbatical version of me.” She sniffed. “Although you blew my no-sex vow out of the water.”
“If it’s any consolation, you weren’t easy to veer off course.” He leaned down and kissed the Rosie tattoo, his lips making her quiver.
“I like the new one. It’s sexy. Like you.” His focus returned to her face. “What happened today?”
She grimaced at the memory of her wild ride through Yuccaville. “It’s complicated.”
“Complicated how?”
“Crazy complicated.”
One of his eyebrows climbed up his forehead. “You realize that by taking off your shirt in front of my uncle, you’re going to be a popular topic during his drunken and non-drunken revelry for months to come, right?”
She chuckled, but then remembered her earlier Yuccaville adventures and sobered. “Kate and I caught the diamond killer this morning.”
He pulled back, pushing up onto his hand so he was half-sitting over her. “Are you kidding?”
Natalie licked her lips and let loose about her adventures in Yuccaville with Kate, ending with Grady chewing Kate’s and her asses in between picking their brains over and over before releasing Natalie from custody.
When she finished, Coop let out a flood of curses. “You chased a violent serial killer with a damned Taser gun? Are you insane, woman?”
“Probably. It’s Kate’s fault.”
“Oh, really?”
Natalie shrugged. “Mostly, but I couldn’t let my pregnant cousin chase down a killer on her own, could I?”
“Is this from going over that fence?” he pointed at the small wound on her side.
“Yeah. Ronnie cleaned it, though, while we were at the cop shop, so it should heal up fine.”
Coop let out a frustrated growl and eased down onto his back. “God, woman. I can’t believe you.”
“Me? You should have seen Kate. She went all Clint Eastwood on the killer, shooting him in the knee when he took a step toward her.” Natalie left out the part about the killer calling Kate “crazy” and instigating her wrath. “Grady should hire her to track down criminals.”
“You and your cousins are nuts.” Coop closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I dread going back to Deadwood.”
Natalie stilled. I don’t date local girls … “Why’s that?”
He opened one eye, looking at her. “Because you’re going to hook up with Parker like usual and give me daily heart attacks.”
Oh, that wasn’t so bad.
“Yeah, so?” She pushed up onto her knees and straddled his thighs. “Are you going to rue the day you succumbed to me and my bewitching touch?”
He tucked his arms behind his head, staring up at her with both eyes now. “Rue? No. Although I might regret letting you see how wild I am about you.”
She leaned over him, running her lips along the stubble on his jaw. His body hardened under her. “How wild are we talking?”
“More wild than your cousin, Kate.” He watched her as she tasted his skin in different spots on her trek south.
“So straitjacket wild, then?” she asked at his hips, peeking up at him.
He groaned as her fingers climbed up his thighs. “Sure.”
“Coop.” She leaned over him, wetting her lips with intent to do delightful harm.
His gaze lowered to her mouth. “Hmmm?”
“Read me my rights.”
His brow wrinkled “What?”
“You heard me.” She wrapped her fingers around him. “The Miranda warning. Say it to me.”
His eyes darkened. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, I have this fantasy.” She ran her tongue over him, making his body bow under her.
“Tell me.” His hands gripped the sheets at his side.
“Tell you what?” She enticed another groan from him.
“About … your …” he growled low in his chest. “Fantasy.”
“I want to resist you when you’re in cop mode and tease you over to the dark side.”
His gray eyes held hers for several breaths. Then a grin eased onto his face. “Natalie Beals, you have the right to remain silent,” he started.
She bit him below the navel, and then sucked on the tight skin there, leaving her mark on him.
“Anything you say can and will be …” He paused to gulp as she ran her lips over his hard flesh, following with her tongue. “… Used against you …” His fists twisted in the sheets.
“Oh, really?” She slid up his chest, teasing, arousing. And she then sank back down, taking him in full. “Use it against me,” she taunted.
“Sweet hell.” He clamped onto her hips and helped her move. “Natalie …” He said her name with a gruff intensity that lit her up inside. “Yessss. Just like that, wildcat.”
“You’re mine, Coop.” She claimed him the same as he had her earlier.
That was as far as he made it through the Miranda warning … that time.
* * *
Later that night …
Mac sat on a stool on the customer side of the bar tonight with a local craft beer in his hand. He looked out over The Shaft. If Butch agreed to sell, this would be his future home away from home. No more hot, dusty days toiling under the
