Cooper's Woman (8 page)

He slid his pistol into his holster while he stood, spellbound, watching moonbeams illuminate her exquisite features and shapely figure. Bedazzled, he tried to find his voice twice—and succeeded finally.

“What are you doing here? How'd you get past the locked door?” he chirped.

“I'm not completely without resources,” she murmured as she moved toward him. “I brought a bottle of wine. Would you like a drink?”

Coop remembered Miguel's mysterious illness and his own vow not to eat or drink anything this siren offered him. “No, thanks. I'm already drunk on the sight of you.”

“I didn't come here for flattery,” she said. “I told you that I get all the empty praise I can stand from other men.”

“Then what do you want from me, princess—?”

His breath gave out when she reached up to unfasten the top button of his shirt. Then the second and third buttons came undone—along with his willpower. His heart thudded against his chest so hard he thought the blow might have broken a rib.

“I've decided I want the same thing from you that you said you wanted from me,” she whispered as she slid her hand inside his gaping shirt to caress the expanse of his chest.

When she touched him familiarly, a soundless
purr
rumbled through his body. His thoughts were so entangled that he couldn't figure out what she meant. Hell, he couldn't even string words together. “Uh…” was all he could get out.

She glanced up at him. The impish smile playing on her lips nearly did him in.

“I want to be naked with you, Coop. Do you have any objections to that?”

“If I were granted only one wish before I died, that'd be it,” he choked out raggedly.

Her fingertips splayed from his collarbone to his belly, touching him boldly, experimentally. Driving him crazy. He wondered where she had learned that technique so he just came right out and asked her. “Where'd you learn that? It's hard to think straight when you do it.”

“I saw Lily do it to Elliot…Do you like it?”

“More than you know, princess.” He folded his hand over hers and brought her fingertips to his lips. “What else did you see while you were spying on Webster and the madam?”

“Clothes came off and went flying in disarray,” she replied, then unfastened the rest of the buttons on his shirt. She removed the garment and stood admiring the muscled planes and contours of his broad shoulders and masculine chest.

“The Greek gods have nothing on you, Wyatt Cooper,” she murmured appreciatively. He was warm and solid and touching him fascinated her, aroused her. “I've never had my way with a man before…do you mind being the first?”

He set her hands away from him and stared intently at her. “Why are you really here, Alexa? Because Webster is with his paramour again tonight? Am I your consolation prize? Is this your spiteful way of getting even with him?”

He sounded hurt. She hadn't expected that. Could it be that he actually
liked
her a little? Perhaps he did, but she refused to lie to herself and she refused to be lied to by a man. It had happened all too often since she'd come of age.

“This is only about tonight,” she told him as she wiggled her hand loose to trail her fingers over the corrugated muscles of his belly, following the dark hair that disappeared beneath his belt buckle. She felt him tense and wondered if her touch aroused him. The thought intrigued her. “No strings. No promises. No further expectations.”

He didn't say anything for a long moment, just stared at her with those probing evergreen eyes. “Why do you want
me
to be the first?”

“Why does that bother you? There always has to be a first time for everything,” she contended.

“I've never been anybody's first time. I don't think you—”

Alexa was not going to let him talk her out of this. She already had one walking conscience. She didn't need another. Earlier that evening she had decided to act on her desire for Coop. She had passed the point of no return when she used a hairpin to pick the lock on his hotel room door and awaited his arrival.

“You made me want you, Wyatt Cooper. I've been thinking about you for four endless days, since you kissed me and I discovered how much I liked it. I have less than two hours of freedom before Miguel picks me up. I'd rather not waste precious time with explanations—”

“In that case…” he interrupted as he lowered his head to brush his sensuous lips over hers. “And by the way, I like your dress.” He nimbly worked the tiny yellow buttons on the bodice. “I'd like it even better if you were out of it.”

Alexa figured she'd feel self-conscious disrobing in front of Coop. But when his lips moved gently over hers again, the possessive pressure of his mouth sent her thoughts into a tailspin. She lost herself in his long-awaited kiss, breathed him in and tasted him completely. She could feel his hands drifting over her gown, freeing her from it. Having him undress her was wonderfully arousing. He kept pausing to greet every inch of her exposed flesh with his caresses, causing need to unfurl inside her until she was trembling with anticipation.

The sensations he incited made her kiss him harder, made her breathless and impatient. This was the most erotic night of her life and it could only be two hours long. She wanted to be skin to skin with Coop and she wanted that
now.

To that end, she reached down to unfasten his belt buckle and holsters. Pistols clanked to the floor. His trousers dropped in a pool around his ankles. Boldly she wrapped her hand around his hard length, marveling at her daring and at the incredible intimacy of the moment. She loved the feel of him. He was steel and velvet and she enjoyed stroking him repeatedly.

“You're killing me,” Coop gasped in tormented pleasure.

“I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?”

When she tried to pull her hand away, his fingertips folded over hers. “I only meant that your touch is worth dying for, princess. You can do whatever you want to me, with me. This is your night. But all these extra undergarments you're wearing are in my way and they have to go.”

Feeling self-confident, empowered by his words, she waited for him to cast aside her chemise and pantaloons. She amazed herself by standing there, allowing him to look his fill. His roguish smile indicated that he wasn't disappointed in what he saw. She wondered, though, if she measured up to the women he'd been with. But she decided this wasn't the time to ask. Besides, she wasn't sure she really wanted to know. It might spoil her fantasy.

“I want to see you with your hair down,” he murmured as he pulled the pins from her hair and let them drop beside their discarded clothing.

He ran his fingers through the long curly strands that cascaded over her shoulders. “You are breathtakingly beautiful,” he whispered as he picked her up in his arms and moved toward the bed.

Alexa remembered when Elliot had said the same thing to her. She hadn't been flattered, only suspicious of his ultimate intentions, wondered what else he'd say to get what he wanted. But she accepted Coop's comment as a true compliment, whether she should trust him or not. He had told her right from the start that lust and passion were enough to satisfy him, not the prospect of acquiring access to her wealth.

She was with him tonight because her instincts told her that Coop was good to his word. In this respect at least. She'd still like to strangle him for defecting to the enemy camp. However, she couldn't confront him with the accusations because she wasn't supposed to know that Mr. Chester had hired him.

Coop was going to answer for double-crossing her eventually, but not tonight. She wanted him to appease the nearly unbearable longing that he had instilled in her.

Her thoughts scattered like a covey of quail when he laid her on his bed then followed her down. She could feel his muscular flesh pressing intimately against her. She wondered how long it took to engage in the act of passion. She squirmed beneath him, silently telling him that she was ready and willing to discover what the intimacy between a man and woman was like.

Coop raised his raven-black head and grinned down at her. “We have two hours, not two minutes,” he said, amused. “No need to rush through this.”

“About how long does it take?”

He chuckled rakishly. “I don't charge by the hour, if that's what you're wondering.”

Her beguiling blue eyes were wide as dinner plates and her jaw nearly dropped off its hinges.
“Charge?”

Coop laughed softly as he shifted to lie next to her luscious body. He still couldn't believe she was here with him. He was astounded that she had selected
him
to teach her about passion. There had to be a catch. There was always a catch, he mused cynically. But he was too eager and too aroused to ask what consequences awaited. All he wanted was to memorize the feel of her supple body by taste and touch.

“Okay, you win,” he teased playfully as he reached up to close her gaping mouth. “No charge for first-timers. But if there's a next time it'll cost you double.”

When she realized he was ribbing her, she smiled and relaxed beside him. “So what do I do first? I'll need instruction to do this properly.”

“Just close your eyes, princess,” he whispered as he lowered his head. “I'll take it from here…”

H
e rubbed his mouth gently against hers and felt her surrender. He glided his hand over her breast and she arched responsively against him. Never in his life had he been so aware of a woman in his bed. But tonight his sole purpose was Alexa's pleasurable introduction to passion. In this, he refused to disappoint her. He wanted her to want him desperately when he sank into her lush body. He wanted her to welcome him, eager to savor the intimacy for as long as the moment lasted.

“Oh…my…” Her breath sighed out raggedly as he trailed his hands and lips from one rigid nipple to the other. “I didn't realize—”

Her voice evaporated when his hand skimmed over her concave belly to trace the silky flesh of her inner thighs. He cupped her mound then traced her moist heat with his fingertip. Her eyes flew open and she stared incredulously at him as she trembled in uncontrollable response. Coop held her gaze as he moved down her body—one deliberate kiss at a time. She watched him offer the most intimate of kisses and he heard her quiet moan when he flicked at her with his tongue. He suckled her gently, tasting her essence and he felt the fiery heat of need course heavily through him.

He discovered that arousing her aroused him to the extreme. He had never shared such untold intimacy with another woman, but this was his fantasy lover. This was his one mystical moment in a space of time outside the harsh reality that was his life. He wanted to know Alexa as he had known no one else before her. He wanted her to remember her first experiment with passion, as well as the man who was there with her, offering all the tenderness he had within him. He wanted this night to be unforgettable for her. Because it would be unforgettable for him.

Slowly, deliberately, he kissed and caressed until she was writhing frantically beneath his hands and lips. His name tumbled from her tongue in a panting plea to satisfy the ache he instilled inside her. Only when he felt her quiver and reach impatiently for him did he glide over her.

When she clutched at him like a drowning victim going down the final time he swallowed a triumphant smile. He couldn't recall being wanted this much by anyone, for any reason. He didn't remember caring if he was—until now, with Alexa.

As he guided her legs around his hips and positioned himself above her, he made the mistake of staring into those beguiling blue eyes. Something in her expression called out to something buried deep inside him, something that he thought had calloused over after thirty-two years of hard living.

Coop tried to stifle the unfamiliar sensation that seared the inside of his chest, but he couldn't control both his body and his heart at the same time. With Alexa, it couldn't be either physical or emotional, he realized. It had to be both—and that rattled him.

When the sweet pressure of her hand contracted around his throbbing length, his thoughts and willpower abandoned him. Expelling a gusty sigh of need, he surged forward to claim her completely. He felt her tense momentarily, and then she accepted his masculine invasion. When she hooked her legs around him to invite him deeper, Coop's noble intentions of tenderness fell by the wayside.

She grabbed two handfuls of his hair and brought his head to hers to deliver a lip-blistering kiss. She kissed him as if there were no tomorrow. As if he was the last thing she'd ever do in life.

Not that he minded her doing him as many times, as many ways, as she pleased. He was all in favor.

Coop's pounding pulse nearly beat him to death as desire spiraled out of control and took command of his body. He moved instinctively against Alexa—harder, faster, deeper. She kept kissing him until
she
ran out of breath and
he
became light-headed. He dragged in air but all he could breathe was her, all he could feel was her velvety warmth caressing him intimately.

Coop groaned when hundreds of intense sensations converged like a thunderbolt. Indescribable pleasure radiated through him and he swore the top of his head was about to blow off. Soundless quakes rumbled through his body and he shuddered uncontrollably as the fierce impact of passion bombarded him.

He cursed silently, wishing he could prolong the incredible moment and make it last forever. He never wanted to forget how it felt to be buried so deeply inside Alexa that he couldn't tell where his body ended and her soft, responsive body began.

For now, they were one living, breathing essence suspended in a timeless moment and all was right with the world.

The scorching jolt of rapture buffeted him and he collapsed helplessly atop of her. He gasped, struggling to draw air into his starved lungs. Then he remembered that he was crushing her into the mattress and he levered himself up on his elbows.

Tender sentiment blossomed inside him as he pressed a kiss to the damp blond curls on her forehead, then to the tip of her pert nose and finally to her dewy, soft mouth.

“Any questions?” he teased huskily.

“No. I understand now why you usually charge for love lessons,” she teased back. “Very impressive, Mr. Cooper. Do most folks know that your skills with pistols are the
second
best thing you do?”

“That's a little known fact. Don't spread it around. It might ruin my intimidating reputation.”

He adored her quick wit and playful sense of humor. This was no fluff-headed socialite, to be sure. But then, he wouldn't be so intrigued if she were. In fact, if she had lived up to his cynical expectations of the spoiled, pampered upper class, he could have dealt with her more easily.

Alexa reached up to comb his ruffled hair over his forehead then traced her fingertips over his high cheekbones and his eyebrows. “How much time do we have left, I wonder.”

“Why? Did you have something special in mind for the remainder of your two hours?”

She smiled provocatively. “You said you'd charge double for the second session?”

When he blinked at her in surprise, she laughed softly. “You think I'm insatiable? That offends you?”

“Not hardly, but—”

“It's my nickel, right?” She moved suggestively beneath him—and felt him grow hard inside her.

“Damn, woman, you're going to wear me out.”

“I accept that challenge.”

 

Alexa didn't know what had become of her usual restraint with men. With Coop, her self-control seemed nonexistent. She experienced phenomenal need, followed by the most astonishing pleasure imaginable. She wanted him all over again, wanted to revisit that hazy realm of rapturous desire she'd discovered in his arms. She knew he was going to ruin her for all other men, but she didn't care. For whatever the reason, this was the man her heart desired and her untried body craved. She adored the power-packed feel of him, loved the hair-roughened texture and sleek muscles of his body. She savored the sensations of having him pressed familiarly against her.

“It's your nickel, princess. Whatever you want,” he whispered as his hands began to work their magic with her body.

“I—” Alexa shut her mouth and gave herself up completely to the wondrous caresses and stimulating sensations that flooded over her.

She could not possibly be falling in love with a man whom she'd known for a little more than a week. She must be caught up in the newness of passion, she convinced herself. Never mind that his dry sense of humor and amazing self-reliance appealed to her greatly. Not to mention that he possessed the most incredible body a woman could ever hope to get her hands on.

Coop was everything she liked and admired. Strong, passionate, playful and yet incredibly gentle…

Alexa lost the ability to process thought when passion swept her up and away, holding her suspended in a realm of vivid sensations. Her last thought before she tumbled into rapturous oblivion was that Coop was almost everything she had ever wanted in a man.
Almost.

Too bad he had double-crossed her—as Mr. Chester. Coop was going to pay dearly for that…as soon as she recovered from the most amazing night of her life.

 

Harold Quinn checked the time, grumbled irritably then paced the floorboards. He'd called a meeting with his top four advisors, but all of them were running late. Not that he was in a flaming rush to get home. He'd come to realize that he'd allowed civic duty to occupy most of his time. Time he should have spent with Alexa. Now she was gone and the place seemed empty without her.

In addition, he was curious about the progress of the investigation she volunteered to initiate in his stead. Unfortunately he'd had to distance himself from the goings-on in Questa Springs, for fear of inviting suspicion. He could only hope Lexi was overseeing the matter, from a safe distance.

“It damn well better be from a safe distance,” he mumbled to himself.

“Sorry, Harold,” Ben Porter said as he scurried into the office. “Unavoidable circumstances caused our delay.”

Ambrose Shelton, William Trent and John Marlow followed swiftly in Ben's wake. Trent and Marlow were grinning like Cheshire cats, while Ambrose and Ben looked a mite embarrassed about the late arrival.

“Why did you have difficulty getting here this evening?” Harold asked curiously.

John Marlow's blue-gray eyes crinkled at the corners as he straightened his lopsided cravat. He parked himself in a chair at the conference table and snickered. “There was a bit of a fiasco at the bordello that Ben and Ambrose took us to.”

Harold's brows shot up as he stared at Ben and Ambrose, who squirmed uncomfortably in their chairs then shot John a perturbed glance.

“You have a loose tongue,” Ambrose chided sourly. “It amazes me that a man of your supposed intelligence doesn't have the good sense to know when to shut up.”

“Don't take it so hard,” William inserted jokingly. “Everybody is aware that a man has his needs. We just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, is all.”

Harold noted the flushed expression on Ambrose's face. Interesting, he mused. Then he focused on Ben who sighed dramatically.

“We had to make a run for it,” Ben reported as he refastened the uneven buttons of his vest. “Some crazed cretin was out for blood and had the entire establishment up in arms.”

John took up where Ben left off. “The hothead stormed upstairs with a shotgun in hand, threatening to blow away the man who horned in on his standing appointment with his favorite harlot. We didn't see who he was, just heard him yelling to beat the band.”

“Good God, was anyone hurt?” Harold asked as he plunked into his chair at the head of the table.

“No, three patrons subdued him. We weren't among them because we tried to keep a low profile,” Ambrose reported as he tugged on the cuff of his shirtsleeve. “Rose makes sure her establishment is civilized and she caters to the upper class. Why that hooligan was there I don't know.”

Clearly all four men had dressed in a rush and fled the scene, Harold noted.

“We thought we would while away an hour before this meeting by enjoying some pleasurable diversions,” Will Trent remarked as he raked his hand through his tousled gray hair. “The police arrived to haul the rascal to jail but he was nowhere to be found. Everything should be back to normal by now.”

“I'm pleased to hear that,” Harold said.

“Except that we didn't have time to finish what we started,” John said wryly. “I don't like to pay for services unrendered, if you know what I mean….”

“Yes, well, now that we're all present and accounted for, let's get on with the meeting,” Harold insisted. “We have less than a month to renew or to offer new livestock and beef acquisition contracts for the military and Indian reservations. I have gathered information on the three applicants who have asked to be considered.” Harold placed the files in front of his committee members.

Ambrose glanced up and frowned curiously. “You mentioned to the four of us a few weeks ago that you were reluctant to continue doing business with Elliot Webster. What is the problem?”

The question sounded innocent enough, but Harold didn't trust anyone until he received the results of the investigation Alexa had commandeered.

“We have to follow necessary procedure in order to provide equal opportunity to other deserving applicants who would like to be considered for this contract. We are discussing a considerable amount of money, after all,” Harold reminded the committee.

Will Trent glanced at his timepiece and absently stroked his dark beard and mustache. “I suggest we save ourselves the trouble and award the contract to Webster again. Then we can adjourn to the pleasurable pursuits that were interrupted earlier.”

Damn, Will was eager to grant the contract to Webster without further discussion. Why was that? “Fair is fair,” Harold contended. “Other large ranches in cattle country have prime horses and cattle for sale. I'm wondering if we shouldn't spread the wealth around rather than playing a favorite.”

Ambrose stared at him contemplatively. “As I recall, Webster paid your daughter a great deal of attention at the recent party. Is this your way of rejecting him and his pursuit of Alexa?”