Say You Won't Let Go: A Return to Me/Masters and Mercenaries Novella (Lexi Blake Crossover Collection Book 4)

by Corinne Michaels

  I debate what to tell him. I can be honest or play it off as something work related.

  Me: A girl.

  Wyatt: I figured. One in particular?

  Me: Emily.

  Wyatt: Nice! We’ll talk soon.

  This is why I like having him as my partner. He gets it. Girls make us do shit we’d never consider any other time. I’ve been a very patient and practical guy. I don’t make a fool out of myself very often; yet, here I am, driving four hours because she said she misses me.

  Women.

  Chapter Six

  Emily

  I chew on the tip of my thumb as I pace in the tour bus. The guys are all partying in the hotel, but I wanted to be far away from everyone.

  Then I got the flowers, and all I could think about was him. How perfect he is. I was so overcome with emotion, I couldn’t stop myself from texting him.

  This could go very good or end in disaster. I’m not sure what I was thinking, other than I had to see him again. It was far beyond just want—it was need. Once I broke the dam, allowing the feelings to flood forward, I drowned in them.

  I need his touch.

  I need his arms.

  I need him to give me air.

  I hear a car door close, rush to the window, and my stomach flips at the sight of him.

  Okay. I can do this. It’s Cooper, and I like him. He clearly likes me since he drove almost four hours, and this doesn’t have to be anything more than tonight.

  Right. I’m a freaking liar and a fraud.

  The knock on the door forces me to move.

  When I see his face, my smile is instant. Cooper stands before me, looking a little tired and just as nervous as I feel. His deep green eyes bore into mine as he moves forward, climbing the steps without taking his gaze from mine.

  “I’m here.” Cooper’s deep voice fills the space.

  “You are.”

  He takes another step, and we’re eye to eye. It feels like all the oxygen is sucked from the room. My head spins, and my legs grow weak. Cooper turns, closing the door behind him. I try to step back, give him room to come in, but he grips my hips, holding me firmly in place.

  “I want to be clear,” he says while pulling my body closer to his. “I don’t know what we’re doin’ or where this is going, but I’ve never felt so…”

  “Pulled?” I ask, trying to explain what I’m feeling too.

  “Yeah.” Cooper grins. “I couldn’t get here fast enough. I had to touch you again.”

  My hand lifts to cup his cheek. The stubble pricks my palm, a soft scratch that reverberates all the way to my heart. He’s doing something to me, and I don’t think I’m strong enough to stop it. Years of wanting and wondering all come to this moment.

  Here goes nothing.

  “I’m feelin’ the same thing. It was as if as soon as I allowed myself to see you as more than my friend—”

  His lips crush down on mine, and I tangle my hands in his dark brown hair. He moves us back to where we laid the other night. Only tonight, we won’t be just talking.

  He sets me down in front of the bed. I see the hesitation in his eyes, but there’s none in mine. I want him and whatever tonight brings. It might be fast, but I feel like we’re about ten years late on doing this.

  I lean forward, gripping his shirt, pulling it over his chest. My hands move across the taut skin, feeling the muscles flex beneath my fingertips. He’s gorgeous. Absolutely freaking gorgeous. His body is even better than I dreamed of, and I did a lot of dreaming. I move slowly, trying to commit each dip and rise to memory. I move from his defined six-pack, up over his chiseled chest, and rise slowly to his broad shoulders, loving the way he feels against my palms. Cooper Townsend is going to ruin me for all men.

  My eyes meet his, and he grins as if he can read my thoughts.

  “Kiss me,” I request.

  Cooper moves instantly. His lips are against mine, and I drop my hands to his waist, hooking my fingers in the belt loop of his jeans, pulling him back on to the bed. He moves his hand down, slowly tracing the profile of my body. “Emily,” he rasps in my ear. “Are you sure?”

  I’m not sure of a lot of things, but I’m one hundred percent certain if we stop, I’ll explode. All I can think about is this: there are no answers in life on if this will work. Nothing comes with a guarantee, but we have now. I know him. I know who he is, and he’s a good man. He isn’t some asshole who will use me and that’s it.

  I tug a little harder. “I’m sure that I want you. I’m sure that you get on a plane back to Bell Buckle in a few days and I don’t know when I’ll be home. More than anything, I’m sure I’ll regret not bein’ with you for the rest of my life if we stop. So, yes, I’m sure. I want this, Cooper.”

  He studies me for a second as he rubs his thumb across the skin on my belly. “I’m going to make sure you remember tonight.”

  I have no doubt about that.

  Cooper’s lips are against mine again, and he flips me on top of him. I straddle his body and lean up. He lifts my shirt off, exposing my breasts and pulling me to his mouth. My head falls back as he licks and sucks my nipple. I groan loudly as he moves to the other side and lavishes my breast. My fingers tangle in his hair, holding him in place.

  It’s been a long time since I’ve been with anyone. My body seems to be hyper aware of the loving it’s been lacking. Either that or Cooper is just that good.

  He flips me on my back so quickly that I squeak.

  “Coop,” I moan as I squirm beneath him.

  His hands glide down my sides, removing my shorts, taking my panties with them. “You’re absolutely perfect.”

  I close my eyes, relishing his compliment. I hadn’t realized until just now how much I wanted his praise or just how thoroughly he’s turning me inside out. Not once have I ever cared what a man thought of me. Sure, I work hard at keeping fit, but I also love wine and candy. However, knowing that Cooper likes what he sees causes a rush of heat to flood my body.

  My back bows when he bends forward, kissing his way down my body. I close my eyes and try to get my rapid breathing under control, but it’s useless. He doesn’t waste a second. He runs his tongue against my clit, and I fist the sheet. “Cooper.”

  He repeats the motion, and I squirm. Then he takes my legs and throws them over his shoulders and begins to draw more pleasure from me than anyone ever has. His tongue circles and flicks the bud, making me shift and thrash beneath him.

  I climb toward an orgasm, praying I can hold off because this feels incredible. I never want this to end, but I can’t hold back. He sucks my clit in his mouth and slides a finger inside me, causing me to fall over the cliff. I scream and grip his head as I continue to plummet into the depths of the most intense pleasure I’ve ever experienced.

  Cooper leans up with a shit-eating grin, and I try to catch my breath. He doesn’t give me a second.

  His lips are against mine, kissing me hard, forcing me to taste myself on his mouth.

  I kiss him back, using my hands to push him up. If we only have tonight, I want to make sure it’s something neither of us forgets. I fumble with his belt and button and then slide his pants and boxers off, freeing his impressive length.

  My hand grips his cock, and I begin to pump. His green eyes lock on mine before his lids shut. “Fuck, Em.”

  “Get on your back,” I request.

  Cooper lies down, and my lips move to his ear. “I’m pretty sure you won’t be the only one makin’ memories.”

  He moves and takes my face in his hands. “You’re going to fuckin’ kill me.” Cooper doesn’t give me a second to respond. His mouth presses to mine, and he gives me a searing kiss. It’s rough, desperate, and filled with the promise of what’s to come.

  My hand wraps around him, and he moans in my mouth. I want to hear all the sounds he’ll make. I want to make sure that Cooper Townsend never forgets what we share here. I need to know that when he’s gone, he’ll think of me.

  I break away from h
is mouth and make my way down his chest, looking up at him with a coy smile.

  Cooper grins and shakes his head. “I hope you’re ready for a long night, darlin’.”

  I smirk. “I hope you’re up for it, cowboy.”

  “Oh, I’m definitely up for it.”

  I look down at his rock-hard erection and then back to him. “Yes, yes you are.”

  I kiss his stomach and run my tongue along the rim of his cock, loving the hissing sound that escapes his lips.

  I do it again before taking him in my mouth.

  Now it’s my turn to make Cooper squirm.

  I suck, lick, and bob my head as he moans and grunts. Cooper rests his hand on the top of my head and grips my hair gently. It spurs me on more. I love knowing I’m doing this to him. That I’m drawing this from his body.

  “Fuck, Emily!”

  He moves fast, and before I know it, I’m on my back and he’s braced over me. Cooper’s lips find mine, and I ache for him.

  I’ve never been like this. Never have I had this insane deep need within my body for a man. Cooper pulls back and his eyes meet mine. I see the depths in those emerald eyes. The emotions swimming around that tell me he’s feeling it, too.

  “Cooper,” I say as my voice cracks. “I-I’ve never felt like this…”

  He kisses me slowly and then stares down at me. “Me, either.”

  “I need you.”

  “You’ll have me.”

  He grabs a condom. I watch as he rolls it on, my body humming with excitement.

  There’s no going back, and I honestly don’t ever want to. Cooper settles himself between my thighs, kissing me slowly as he slides in. I moan in his mouth and dig my fingers in his back. Cooper moves as our lips stay connected. Emotions rumble through me one by one. The last year I’ve dreamed of what it would be like. I had no idea it would be so much more.

  He looks down at me, and our eyes lock. “You’re going to ruin me,” Cooper says.

  Little does he know that he’s going to ruin me right back.

  We make love. There’s no other way to say it. Cooper’s eyes stay on mine as he gives himself to me and I do the same. I want him to feel everything I feel even though it’s too much. How am I supposed to go on the road and not think of him? It’s going to be impossible.

  I don’t care.

  For right now, I hold on to the thick muscles of his arms as I start to build again. My mind fills with all the things that have happened in just a few days, and I wonder if I’m not completely insane. Cooper is everything I want and nothing I should have.

  And the truth is that I’m falling in love with him.

  If I’m honest with myself, I have been for a long time.

  When the reality hits me, my eyes meet his, and I fall apart. Tears fall from my lashes as my orgasm rockets through me.

  Cooper’s lips are on mine, swallowing my cries of pleasure as he follows me over the edge.

  Chapter Seven

  Cooper

  What the hell am I doing?

  I shouldn’t be here.

  I should be in Dallas, but I couldn’t stay away from her. It was bad enough trying to keep Emily Young from my mind before, but now I’m screwed. I’ll never be able to walk away in one piece.

  I pull Emily into the crook of my arm and run my fingers against her skin. She shifts onto her side and looks up at me.

  “Coop?” Her sweet, soft voice breaks the silence.

  My eyes meet hers and I raise my brow.

  “Are we crazy?”

  I laugh. “Probably.”

  “What do we do now?” Emily questions.

  I want to tell her to pack her shit and come home with me, which is ridiculous. I would never tell her to give up her career, her dreams, but it’s what I want. I want to take her home and keep her with me. I want to wake up every day beside her.

  She’s perfect.

  Instead, I tell her the only choice we have. “We make it work. We talk, and I’ll find a way to you when I can.”

  Her eyes soften, and the sweet smile I love forms on her perfect lips. “I like that answer.”

  “I like you.”

  Her smile grows. “I like you. A lot.”

  “Yeah?” I ask with a hint of curiosity. “How much?”

  “A lot more than I want to.”

  “Why is that?”

  Her shoulder lifts and falls a little. “I think you’re goin’ to be a lot more trouble than you look.”

  I chuckle and tickle her side. “Trouble, huh?”

  Emily’s laughter fills the tiny room, and she squirms beneath me. This right here is everything I wanted. It feels like a lifetime of waiting, all leading me to this woman in my arms. I pull her close because a piece of me is worried this will evaporate like mist.

  More than likely it will.

  Emily is the girl I will never catch, the girl who shouldn’t have to be contained in a goin’-nowhere town.

  Sure, I’ll get what I can here and there, but in the end, she’ll see I’m a goin’-nowhere farmer while she’s reaching for the stars.

  Fuck, I’m a fool.

  “Hey?” Emily touches my cheek. “You okay?”

  I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the shit I don’t want to think about. I can berate myself later, but right now, I want to be with her. I don’t know how many moments we’ll have together, so I’m damn sure going to make each one count.

  “Just thinkin’ about other ways to cause you trouble.”

  “Yeah?” She gives me a sultry smile.

  I see the mischief dance in her blue eyes. I roll her onto her back, and as soon as I feel her heat, I want her again. When she grabs my ass, pulling me against her, I don’t deny her.

  “Oh, yeah, darlin’, a whole lot of other ways.”

  * * * *

  “Don’t go back to Dallas,” Emily whines from the bed.

  I stand at the end in my jeans and look for my shirt. “I wish I could stay.”

  “But I don’t know when we’ll see each other again.”

  I climb back on the bed, crawling toward her. I kiss her gently, and she grips my neck, keeping me there. It isn’t as if she has to try hard. I would stay for another night if I could. Hell, if she wanted me longer…

  No, I won’t go down that road now.

  Today is for goodbye. I need to actually see the presentation that I flew to Texas for. If I don’t get a move on, I’ll miss it.

  When I pull back, her eyes fill with emotion. At least this sucks for her as well. “Don’t be sad, darlin’.”

  She tucks the sheet under her arms and looks away. “But I am sad, Coop. I don’t want this to end.”

  “Who said it has to end?” I ask her as I pull her against my chest.

  I hate seeing her like this, and the last thing I want is to leave today knowing she’s sad. Not that I’m happy at the idea of driving away, but last night solidified how I feel and verified that there’s no way this is the end.

  Emily Young will be mine. I’m going to marry this girl come hell or high water.

  She nestles her face against my neck. “I like this. I like bein’ in your arms. I like it a lot more than I thought I would. A lot more than just spending a few nights together would mean with anyone else.”

  I push her back so I can look in her eyes. “We may have spent a few days together like this, but we’ve spent a lifetime building more. You’re not just some random hookup, Emily. You and I have history and we’re not kids.”

  “I know, and this is a long time coming.”

  That makes me feel marginally better. There is still so much I want to say to her, but the last thing I want to do is fall hard for a girl who will never be mine.

  Been there, done that, and I don’t want another fucking postcard.

  “And hopefully a lot longer to come,” I say with a twinge of hope.

  “How did you make me like you so easily?”

  I try not to laugh, but she looks so cute. “I’m just i
rresistible.”

  “Ehh.” She shrugs.

  “Ehh?”

  “Well, you’re somethin’, all right.”

  I grip her chin between my thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look at me. “I’m more than that, and I’m tellin’ you now that I’m not walkin’ away from this. You’re going to have a very persistent man waitin’ for you, Emily Young. Very persistent.”

  Her hand threads through my hair, and she smiles. “I’m pretty persistent, too.” Emily’s lips touch mine and then her blue eyes bore into mine. “Stay for breakfast. Then I’ll let you go without a fight.”

  I grapple with the fact that it’ll take me four hours to get to Dallas and, if I stay, there is a very real chance I’ll miss the presentation. I still have to shower, pack my things, and eventually get on a plane, but the idea of even just another hour with her ties me up. Saying no to her isn’t something I want to do. Ever.

  Jesus, I’m screwed.

  “Breakfast, but then I need to go.”

  Emily throws her arms around my neck, pulling me on top of her. She squeals and kisses my cheek repeatedly.

  This right here is why I may just sell my farm and become her biggest groupie.

  I lift myself up a little and Emily hangs on. “Get ready, darlin’. I have a feeling Wyatt isn’t going to be too happy with me if I don’t make it back to the farm.”

  She gets up, gets dressed, and I can’t stop smiling. I’ve never been this happy before. I can’t remember a time in my adult life when just making someone smile like that gave me such joy.

  While she finishes getting ready, I head out to the sitting area. There’s a huge bouquet of red roses on the table with her name on the card.

  “The flowers are nice.” I try to sound offhanded.

  Someone sent her flowers, and I’d be full of shit if I said it didn’t bother me.

  “Oh!” she yells and peeks her head in. “I didn’t thank you! I’m sorry!”

  “Thank me?” I ask.

  “Yeah.” She giggles. “Thank you for sending me the flowers, Coop. I love roses.”