“Did you eat?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“You like lasagna?”
“Love it.” He grinned sheepishly.
She stepped around him toward the kitchen. The dinner dishes from the meal she’d shared with Jackson were still all over the table. She gathered a handful and carried them to the sink. And then she filled a clean plate for Cooper and popped it in the microwave.
She could feel him at her back, his breath heavy across her shoulders. “Is this what you always wear on a first date?” he teased, his fingers landing on her bare biceps and stroking up and down her arms as he inched closer.
“No. Only when I intend to end up between the sheets.”
He chuckled. “That didn’t work out so well for you.” He gripped her biceps firmly and pulled her back against his still-bare chest. “I’m sorry.”
“You mentioned that.”
The microwave pinged, making her flinch, and she squirmed out of his embrace to open the small door and remove his plate.
He followed her to the table and sat.
“Wine?” she asked.
He shook his head, chuckling softly again. “That’s where I met him, you know.”
“Where?” She sat in the chair next to him as he took his first bite.
He moaned around the flavor. “God, you’re a good cook.”
“Thanks, where did you meet Jackson? When?” she redirected.
“The liquor store. This evening. I stopped to buy a bottle of wine for my sister Laurie, and he was there buying a bottle for you. I knew it instantly.”
“You could tell he was your mate?”
Cooper nodded. “Yes. And I almost collapsed. I’d been wallowing in a pity party for one since Tuesday when Laurie told me you’d found your mate.”
Ah, that explained why Laurie didn’t bother to tell Sharon that Cooper was in town. Everyone assumed the subject was moot. She’d met Jackson. “That distressed you?” She couldn’t keep from grinning at the thought.
“Very much so. Though I hated to admit it. I wanted to kick myself, thinking I’d fucked things up by denying Fate until finally She turned Her back on me and selected another for you.”
“You think you have that much power, Cooper?” Sharon fiddled with a napkin on the table, staring at the thin paper.
Cooper shrugged. “I couldn’t think of another possibility.”
“That’s not how it works, you know.” She met his gaze. Lord, he was attractive. When he wasn’t being an ass or cracking jokes, she could tell he had a serious disposition that made him older than his years. She wanted to run the tips of her fingers over the lines on his forehead to smooth them out while telling him everything was going to be okay.
It was, wasn’t it? She shivered.
“How does it work, genius?” Cooper asked.
She shook her thoughts from her head and faced him again. “It’s an orchestrated dance out of our control. We were meant to meet tonight, not yesterday, not last year, but tonight. Hell, Jackson took up skiing this past winter. I saw him. He saw me. We knew there was a connection. And yet we didn’t approach each other.
“It doesn’t matter what our motives were, the timing wasn’t right. And you could no more have come to Cambridge before this week and forced your hand, either. I’ve always known that.
“I’m not going to suggest I haven’t been frustrated over the past twenty-some-odd months, but in my heart I knew you would be here precisely when the time was right and not a moment sooner. And here you are.” She smiled.
“It’s a cluster fuck.”
She nodded. It was.
“How are we going to convince Jackson?”
“We don’t have to. He won’t be able to stay away. I’m sure Jazmine will talk to him. Hounding him won’t help.”
Cooper squirmed in his seat, openly adjusting his cock with one hand. “How long do you suppose this will take?”
“About three seconds once you get inside me,” she teased, leaning her elbows on the table so she brought her face closer to him.
Cooper dropped his fork, stood, and leaned across the table to cup her face. “Don’t tease. I can’t take it.”
She grinned. “I don’t see how you have a choice.”
He rolled his eyes as he sat back in his chair. “Tell me something.”
“What?”
He swallowed another bite, moaning around it as he chewed. “Is it different? I mean, do you feel the same way about me as you do him?”
She shrugged. “It’s different. Probably the same way a parent loves both kids equally, but focusing on a variety of characteristics.”
“Hmm.” He ate in silence for a few minutes and then continued. “I never wanted this.”
“I know. And I never expected it. Not for a second. I have only one female cousin, Tessa, in Oregon. She mated with one man. How was I to expect I would mate with two?”
Cooper nodded. “After your brother Logan mated with Amanda and my brother Sawyer, I thought we were home free. I was so relieved I would be the one sibling who didn’t have to share.”
She reached across the table and set her hand on his. “We will get through this.”
“Do we have a choice?” His smile melted her a bit, softening her as she got to know this man she’d never met, who’d undoubtedly paced outside her condo for over an hour before taking this risk and knocking on her door.
Chapter Eleven
Cooper helped Sharon clean the kitchen in a comfortable silence that was only stressful because of the elephant in the room that was their driving need to fuck. Now. Fast. Hard.
As they ignored the arousal and put the last dishes away, he grabbed the island and stiffened. “Do you feel that?”
Sharon turned to face him. “Feel what?”
“The tremor.”
She stayed very still, but he could tell she didn’t feel the same thing he felt. It was subtle, not a huge aftershock, but still there.
“We have to go.” He righted himself and scrambled to find the rest of his clothes behind him in the living area.
“Go where? It’s late. I’m exhausted. Let’s sleep.”
He chuckled as he sat on her couch to tug his shoes and socks on. “You could sleep right now?”
“Well, no, but…”
“I need to go back to my office where my equipment is and see where the epicenter of that tremor was.”
“Now?”
“Yes. Now. I’m a seismologist, baby. It’s what I do.”
She set her hands on her hips. “I’ll stay here.”
“No, you won’t. I’m not leaving your side for an instant.”
“Afraid Jackson will swoop in and claim me behind your back?” she teased.
“Something like that.” He didn’t meet her gaze as he found his wallet on the floor and stuffed it into his pocket. She wasn’t too far off the mark.
“Come on. Did you not just see that spirit breaking us apart so we could hardly kiss without pissing it off? Don’t you think it would do the same thing if Jackson were here instead of you?”
“No idea. Don’t intend to find out.”
“Possessive much?”
“Very.” He stopped looking around and turned to face her, glancing up and down her body. “As much as it pains me to say this, could you maybe put on more clothes? Like a turtleneck and a thick sweater and some baggy jeans or something?”
She tipped her head back and laughed. “No way.”
“Baby, it’s chilly outside,” he rationalized, stepping closer until he was in her space. He took her hand and tugged her toward the hallway. Her bedroom had to be down there somewhere, and inside would be bigger clothes that would keep him from ogling her sexy frame while he worked.
“I’m a wolf. You think I can’t handle a little nip in the air?”
He found the room he was looking for and dragged her inside. When he squared off with her, he glanced at her chest. Her nipples were stiff. They had been teasing hi
m ever since he walked in the door.
She gasped when he let his hands roam over her hips and up her waist until he cupped her fantastic tits. “Cover these, Sharon. I swear to God, you need to stop arguing with me and put some clothes on.” He stroked his thumbs over her nipples, making them poke out farther as she rose onto her tiptoes.
“Cooper…” The way she moaned his name made his cock stiffen. At this rate, he wasn’t going to stay alive long enough to claim Sharon.
“Baby, please…” he whispered into her hair, knowing he wasn’t helping matters at all, his hands molding to her breasts with enough pressure he could feel her nipples poking into his palms.
He released her breasts, but only to let his hands wander down her body, over her hips, to the hem of her dress. Fuck Nature. That black aura could hover next to them for all he cared. He wanted to pull this tight dress over Sharon’s head and feast his eyes on what lay beneath. He wanted to push her onto the bed, spread her legs, and inhale long and slow of her essence. He wanted more. Everything.
His eyes fluttered closed.
She leaned in closer, as if that were possible, pressing against his cock while her hands wandered up to the back of his head.
The hem of her dress rose with her. He could smell the arousal leaking from her pussy. He needed to taste her.
A shrill noise wormed its way into his brain, jarring him until he realized it was his phone.
Sharon jerked, releasing him and jumping out of his arms. “Shit.” Her chest rose and fell with every breath. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and she lifted her arms to run her fingers through her hair.
God, she was gorgeous. Her breasts rose high, swollen and pressing against the tight material of her black dress. “Are you going to answer that?”
He shook thoughts of ignoring the call and flattening his soon-to-be mate onto the mattress from his muddled mind and reached into his pocket to extract the phone. He connected with his team instantly. “Hamilton here.” He glanced away, cleared his throat, and repeated his name in a stronger voice someone might be able to hear. “This is Cooper.”
“Dude, you on your way? Did you feel that?”
“Yes. I’m headed that way now.” He followed Sharon around the room with his gaze while his coworker rattled on about the size of the tremor and the location of the epicenter.
Her space was immaculate, but then again, she’d expected to mate with another man tonight. Her bed was king-size, thank God. He licked his lips as he took in the missionary style headboard and footboard. The slats would come in handy. And since he didn’t have a place to live, he realized this would be his temporary home until the three of them built their dream home on the land left by his grandfather—the land shared equally with his four siblings near the edge of the reservation.
He pointed at her closet while he listened to Chuck continue to yap excitedly. Earthquakes were their adrenaline rush. He couldn’t deny he felt a certain amount of exhilaration. “Get dressed,” he mouthed.
She scrunched her face up and then did the unthinkable.
Facing him head on from about three yards away, she grasped the hem of her dress and drew it over her head.
His knees shook. All the blood rushed from his face and chest. He almost dropped the phone as she lifted her arms high above her head, stretching out her long lithe body. Her legs went on forever. Her pussy was covered with just a small swatch of black lace, the same matching lace that barely covered her nipples and left nothing to the imagination about the size of her pert, high tits.
When she lowered her hands and dropped the dress on the floor, he swallowed. Her breasts remained high and firm. Swollen. He could just make out her nipples under the edge of lace, hard tips that had to be sensitive against her bra. Her belly hollowed as she took deep breaths.
And then she turned around and graced him with her perfect ass cheeks, her thong almost invisible between them.
He leaned forward, putting a hand on his knee and gasping for oxygen as if he’d just run a race at top speed. The phone almost slipped from his other hand. “I’ll be there as fast as I can,” he muttered before ending the call and dropping the device on the floor.
“What did you want me to wear again?” she asked. The imp twirled a lock of her hair around one finger.
He could smell her arousal filling the room as if his face were buried in her pussy.
Righting himself, he took two long strides to reach her. He grabbed her by the hips, lifted her off the floor, and turned to flatten her onto the bed.
She bounced with a yelp and then giggled, pressing her heels into the mattress in an effort to scoot away.
He was faster, though. He grabbed her thigh, dragged her closer to the edge of the bed, and spread her wide open.
And then he closed his eyes and inhaled long and slow, letting her scent penetrate deeper. “Fuck, you smell good.” He lowered his face toward her pussy, still breathing heavily of her powerful pheromones. Unimaginable lust drove him to nuzzle her warmth through the small, black, lace triangle.
When he reached out with his tongue and pressed it against her clit, she squealed. She writhed beneath him, her hands grasping his head.
He released one thigh, braced it open with his shoulder, and tugged the swatch of lace to one side with his fingers. He didn’t care if he ripped the thong. He’d buy her another.
Or not.
All the lace did was tease him and get in the way.
The second he dipped his tongue into her tight warmth to draw out her arousal, the floor shook beneath him.
His head was forcibly removed from its goal, and he lifted his face, holding his mate by the thighs to ride out the small quake.
It only lasted seconds, but it was stronger than the last.
Her face was flushed as it ended.
“We have to go.” His voice was foreign to him, gravelly from arousal.
She nodded.
He glanced down at her pussy and moaned as he righted her thong and then stood, hauling her to sitting. “Baby…” He set his forehead against hers.
“Yeah…” She didn’t need to say anything else.
They had to stop fooling around like this. Hell, they might cause an even bigger earthquake if they didn’t wait for Jackson to come around before they tempted Fate with their lust. Was that even possible?
“I’ll get dressed.” She scooted forward, getting closer to him, needing him to step back so she could get up.
He cupped her face and glanced back and forth between her deep brown eyes. There were no words. Just emotion. Palpable emotion that filled the room to mix with the scent of unfulfilled need.
She swallowed.
Before he got caught up in her again, he reluctantly released her and stepped back. “Jeans. Several layers of shirts. If you must keep that lingerie on underneath, at least cover it with something to keep my mind off your damn curves.”
He stroked a finger between her breasts, loving the way she arched into his touch once more, moaning as she gripped his forearm. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Twelve
Sharon plopped down on the brown vinyl couch in the large conference room at the junior college, tipped her head back, and stared at the ceiling. At first she’d found the equipment and machines monitoring the seismic activity fascinating—for about half an hour.
The room Cooper had been assigned to use as a temporary office had counter space and narrow tables around the periphery. All available surfaces were covered with computers and printers. To one side was a long conference table that seated ten. And the one wall that wasn’t covered with equipment held the tan couch she occupied.
After a while, she grew bored, and no amount of pacing or holding her breath would distract her from the overbearing man filling the space with his scent and his presence. He had four people working for him. All of them were nerdy scientist guys.
For some reason, Cooper didn’t strike her as dorky, but then again, it was possible she was designed to see him in
a certain light.
He was confident and totally competent as he directed his team, gathering data and analyzing the results.
Sharon watched him intently, enjoying the lines of his body, the way his muscular ass filled his jeans. She licked her lips when he bent over to look at something, and almost immediately he twisted around to shoot her a knowing glare.
He suffered the same way she did. He tapped his fingers constantly on the desk, the table, his thigh… Nervous energy that had no escape.
She clenched her legs together, wishing the denim of her jeans would rub her hard enough to allow her to come. She didn’t even care if she came in front of these guys as long as she got relief somehow. The chances of them noticing were slim. They were so involved in their work they barely noticed her.
And she couldn’t describe a single one of them, either. Her attention was focused on one man only. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She also spent half her time wondering where Jackson was. Was he asleep? That seemed unlikely. The more reasonable scenario was that he was pacing his apartment and thrumming his fingers on any surface he could reach just like Cooper.
It was the middle of the night. The three of them had first entered the same space at the same time at approximately nine o’clock Friday night. That was six hours ago. How many hours could mates go without solidifying the claiming?
“There,” Cooper shouted, tapping his pointer to a spot on a map spread out all over the table. “That’s the epicenter.”
The other guys nodded.
Cooper turned toward Sharon, grabbing his jacket off the back of a chair. “Let’s go.”
“What? Now?” She sat up straighter, thinking he’d lost his mind.
“Yep.”
“Boss?” Apparently one of the guys thought it was ludicrous too.
Cooper waved him off. “Just going to get closer so I can be ready to access the area when the sun comes up.”
“Okaaay.” The guy drew out that one word in a way that suggested he thought his boss had lost his marbles.
Sharon couldn’t blame him.
Cooper shrugged into his jacket and tossed Sharon’s into her lap. “Come on.”
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