by Rhian Cahill
Of course, the non-disclosure clause in her payout package had something to do with that. Plus, Shaye wasn’t sure she’d made the right decision in accepting the company’s offer. But after months of dealing with inappropriate innuendoes and the final altercation that had resulted in her boss having a broken nose and bruised balls, Shaye had just wanted out. Fast.
The whole thing had left a bad taste in her mouth, and she couldn’t face going to that office every day no matter what the company did to fix the situation. So she’d agreed to keep her mouth shut and take triple what her severance pay should have been for doing so. It made her feel dirty in a way. And a coward. She should have pressed charges. She should have…
Too late for second-guessing now though. It was water under the bridge.
“You’re awfully quiet¸” Coop murmured.
She glanced over, found him looking straight ahead, his eyes on the road as he drove, but she knew he was aware of her—of her mood. “Thinking.”
“About?”
“Whether I really want to risk ruining my manicure by sanding your walls.”
He smiled. “I’ll pay for weekly manicures.”
Shaye laughed. “Have you seen my nails? The least of their worries is sandpaper.”
“I’ve notice you chewing on them from time to time. Not that it stopped you from leaving scratch marks down my back.”
Shaye gasped. “I did not!”
It was Coop’s turn to laugh. “Okay, you might not have drawn blood, but it certainly stung when you came screaming in my ear.”
“I did not scream.” She huffed.
“We’ll have to work on that.”
Shaye swallowed as her throat constricted. How did so few words set her on fire?
Coop brought his truck to a stop. “We’re here.”
She looked out the window at the house they’d stopped in front of. It was an average single-story dwelling. Not unlike the rest of the houses on the street. But it looked sad. A little neglected. “This is it?”
“Yeah. Want the full tour?”
She’d asked him to drive by so she could see what he was offering. “If we go in there, are we going to keep our hands off each other?” Shaye wasn’t about to place all the blame on Coop for their lack of restraint. They were as bad as each other.
“Maybe I should wait outside.” He switched off the truck and got out. “C’mon. You can walk through while I grab some things from the garage.”
Shaye unbuckled her seatbelt and opened her door. “Out of sight, out of mind.”
Coop grabbed her wrist, spun her around and pressed her between his body and the side of the truck. “Make no mistake, Shaye, you are never out of mind.”
He lowered his head and his mouth brushed hers. He swept back and forth. Light and sweet, it was such a contrast to their usual passionate kisses that Shaye’s knees wobbled and her tummy dipped. Coop took his time, left his tongue out of it and totally seduced her with his gentle caresses.
By the time he lifted his head, she was breathing hard and wondering why in hell she’d wanted them to keep their hands off each other.
“That’s to tide you over until later.”
He let her go and walked away. Left her leaning against his truck because her weak knees didn’t seem to want to hold her up and made his way to the front door. Before she got her breath back or her brain cells under the competent supervision of her common sense, Coop had opened the door and had gone inside.
Praying her legs wouldn’t buckle, Shaye pushed away from the truck and walked up the path. Like the house, the yard could do with some care. The grass was long—knee height—and the weeds outnumbered the plants five to one.
The closer she got to the house, the more obvious the neglect. Paint peeled from around the windows and door. The cladding had seen better days, in sections it appeared split, and the little porch roof listed on one end. On closer inspection, she saw the support post had been propped up with some cut-off bits of timber.
“I’ll fix that first.” Cooper stepped through the front door. “No point inviting a lawsuit.”
“It’s that unsafe?”
“Nah, it’s fine. Looks crap though.” He grinned. “I’ll be in the garage. Come get me when you’re done.”
Shaye watched him cross the yard to the garage and open the roller door, which rose with a screech of metal. She covered her ears with her hands but it wasn’t quick enough to save her eardrums.
“That’s on the list for next week too,” Coop called out as he went inside.
She frowned. He’d said the place was livable, but Shaye was having doubts. Although she had to admit Coop was one of the few people she would trust with her life, so if he said it was safe, then it was. She’d still rather check it out herself. Not that she was qualified or anything. Unlike Cooper.
Sighing, she turned and stared through the front door. No point putting it off.
Coop took his time. He wanted Shaye to take a good look at the house. It made no sense, but he wanted her to see what he did. The exterior might be a little shabby and need care, but underneath this place had the solid bones of a family home. Like the last place he’d flipped, he planned on sprucing it up and putting it on the market well over the price he’d paid.
He glanced at the house as he locked up the back of his truck. She’d been in there for ages. It didn’t take that long to walk through the four-bedrooms and living space. Making his way to the front door, Coop tried to remember if he’d washed the dishes and picked up his dirty clothes.
Striding through the front door, he almost collided with Shaye. She was in the foyer, peeling the sailboat-covered wallpaper with her hands.
“You know, I have a special tool to help with that.” He crossed his arms and watched her as she stripped a long section from the wall.
“Mmm…” She gripped another ragged edge and pulled.
“The wallpaper. I’ve got something to make removing it easier.”
“Oh. I like doing it this way. It’s…relaxing. Helps me think.”
Relaxing? Peeling wallpaper? Was she mad? It was the one job Coop hated. Which was why he never put the stuff up. “Well, you’re not working for me yet, so don’t expect to get paid.”
She paused. “I won’t charge you for this.” She ripped off another section with a hard yank.
Something was up. “Shaye?”
“This won’t work.” Another piece. Another yank.
“What? Peeling wallpaper off by hand?”
“No. Me. You.”
Okay. “You’ll have to be a little more specific.”
“The first thing I thought about when I looked into your bedroom was messing up your bed.”
“Ah—”
“And the shower in the master bathroom is big enough for two.”
“Big enou—”
“Then there’s the island in the kitchen. That thing is perfect for…” She finally looked at him. “See what I mean? This isn’t going to work.”
Coop wasn’t sure what to say. Or think. All right, he knew what to think, he just wasn’t supposed to be thinking it. But the wall she’d been stripping was solid. Strong. Definitely able to take the weight of both of them leaning against it while he fucked her.
He took a step towards her. She took one away. He took another one. “Shaye.”
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?” He arched one eyebrow.
“Like you want to eat me whole.”
Coop grinned. “Oh, no worries about that. I have no desire to eat you whole. I plan to eat you one nibble at a time.”
“Coop—”
He pressed into her, making her move backwards, step after step until her back came up against the wall. She was breathing hard. So was he. Her face was flushed and those baby blues had disappeared—squeezed out by her dilated pupils.
His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath of her. She still smelled like sex. Neither of them had been able to shower af
ter they’d fucked at West’s house, and he loved that. Loved knowing the scent of them remained. Coop figured Shaye would wash him off the second she could, but for now he was all over her.
And he planned to drench her this time.
Soak so deep inside her that she’d never get him out.
“Cooper.” She licked her lips—sent his pulse skyrocketing. “We can’t.”
“Can.” He leaned against her, lowered his head until his jaw skimmed the side of her face. “You know you want to.”
“But.” She sucked in a breath when he swept his hand down her side and gripped her hip. “The rules. No hooking up at each other’s places.”
“I already told you I intend to break your rules,” he murmured, brushing her ear with his lips.
She shuddered. “But—”
He was done arguing.
Turning his head, he swooped in and took her mouth. He put both hands on her hips and pulled her to her toes so their mouths fit together better. There was no protest. Only demand. She might say one thing, but her body said another.
Shaye wanted this as badly as he did. He thought he held the upper hand until she surrendered. Melting into him, she thrust her tongue between his lips and plundered. Except she didn’t take. She offered. And right there, she had him on his knees.
If he couldn’t convince her they were worth more than a month. Couldn’t convince her to stay. Fuck. He couldn’t think about it. Not now. He needed to use everything he had to make sure she wanted to stay in Sydney. Stay with him.
Coop thought about heading for his bedroom. For a second. Then she gripped him through his pants and all bets were off. He’d have her here. Against the wall. Hard and hot. Fast. Neither of them would be able to walk when he was done. But first, he wanted another taste of that sweet cunt.
He let go of her mouth and dropped to his knees. Shoved her skirt up and pulled her underwear out of the way. Her cunt glistened with her juices and he took a deep breath as he leaned in and swiped his tongue over her. She bucked. Hips rocking into him and hands in his hair, she took what she wanted. What she needed.
She curled her fingers in his hair tighter and he knew she was close. A few more strokes of his tongue, a thrust of his finger… Except he didn’t want it to be his finger buried inside her when she came. He wanted her to come all over his cock.
Surging to his feet, Coop yanked at the button and zip on his pants. “Turn around.”
Shaye did as she was told. She pressed her palms flat on the wall and tilted her hips to offer him that sweet arse. He wanted to fuck that. And he would. But not now. He was far too close to the edge to take it easy on her, and there was no way he’d risk hurting her.
Cock in hand, he moved in behind her, kicked her feet wider and bent his knees to line himself up. He pulled her thong out of the way and, with one thrust, he plunged deep. And she took him. All the way.
He felt the walls of her cunt sucking at him as he pulled out. Pushed in.
He’d been right. It was hard. It was hot. And it was fast.
So fast his head spun.
His knees shook and he powered his hips faster. Desperate to take them both over before his legs gave out. Reaching around Shaye, he slid his hand down her belly and his fingers over her clit. She pushed back against him, grinding her arse into his groin and shoving him straight into the fire.
He exploded with a growl and rammed his cock deep. Pulse after pulse surged through his length. Fire burst through him. His lungs seized and the hot wash of release rolled over him.
Shaye rose to her toes when Cooper shoved deep and growled in her ear. The hard thrust along with the fingers stroking her clit set her orgasm off. She came. Wave after wave of throbbing pleasure that blurred her vision and shattered her sanity.
Breathing hard, she collapsed forward, the wall and Coop’s body pressed against her, stopping her from crumpling to the floor. Her legs shook, her muscles feeling like warm jelly.
“Need to sit.” Cooper’s arms wrapped around her waist and guided her to the floor with him. Somehow, he managed to keep them connected. “We’ve got a problem.”
Other than being brain-dead? “Huh?”
“I forgot again.”
Forgot? Again? “Oh shit.”
“I’m sorry.” He pressed his lips to her shoulder and tightened his hold. “I’ve got no excuse. You should kick my arse.”
She’d like to let Coop take all the blame. Pretend she had no say in any of this. Except that was a cop-out, and she knew it. “You’re not the only responsible adult here.”
“You can’t leave.”
“What?”
“Perth. The job. You can’t take it.”
Shaye’s spine stiffened.
“Not when we don’t know if you’re pregnant.” He cradled her in his lap, their bodies still joined. “You have to stay.”
“I don’t have to do any such thing.” She gathered all her strength and climbed off Cooper. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
Scrambling to her feet, she tugged her skirt down. She might surrender to Coop’s demands when it came to sex, but she wasn’t about to let anyone, least of all Cooper Moreland, tell her what she could and couldn’t do.
“C’mon, Shaye, be reasonable.”
“R-re-reasonable?” She saw red. “Reasonable? I’ll give you reasonable, you chauvinistic Neanderthal.”
He held up his hands as he got to his feet. “Now wait a second.”
“I’m not waiting for anything. It’s my life and no one is going to force me to do something I don’t want to.” She pushed past him, headed for the door, but she only got a few steps before Coop grabbed her wrist and spun her back.
“I’m not forcing you to do anything.” He let her go. “I would never do that, and you know it. So what’s the real problem?”
She sucked in a breath. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
One side of his mouth kicked up in a half smile. “You know, I think you might actually be telling the truth for once.”
“What does that mean?” She didn’t understand, and Cooper’s knowing look only heightened her frustration and in turn, her anger. “If you’ve got something to say, then say it.”
“It’s not me saying you can’t take that job that has you upset. It’s that you don’t really want to take it.”
Her mouth dropped open. Snapped shut. Opened.
“You can put your rules on this—” he waved his hand between them, “—to hold me at arm’s length. And you can pretend that the job is everything you’re looking for, but it’s a lie and we both know it.”
“It is not!” Shaye crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s a dream job.”
“I bet it is. But it isn’t your dream job, Shaye.”
“Of course it is.”
“No. Your dream job wouldn’t have you uprooting the rest of your life, leaving behind the people that matter most to you, or have you unable to accept it the second it was offered.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?” He tilted his head and studied her carefully. “You know, I thought you were braver than this. The Shaye I know wouldn’t let anyone shake her, never mind a spineless man who needs to use his superior position to cop a feel.”
All the air left her lungs. How did Coop know about that? She’d told him and their friends about the inappropriate comments, but she’d never mentioned the contact—the touching.
Coop stepped closer. Ran a finger along her jaw. “The Shaye I know wouldn’t be feeling cornered or desperate enough to accept a job that takes her away from everything and everyone she loves. My Shaye would do whatever necessary to live the life she wants.”
“It’s not that easy.” God, she wished it was.
He smiled. “It is Shaye. You just have to make it happen.”
“What if I can’t?” There was so much at stake. In leaving. In staying.
“You can do it.” He cupped her cheek. “I dare you to.”
Chapter Eight
Coop hadn’t seen Shaye all week. He’d dropped her at her house Saturday night and heard not a peep since. And she’d not been home the five times he’d gone by.
He was so antsy his skin itched.
He’d called West. Pumped his friend for info, and when that had gotten him nothing, he’d called Kelsey. She’d given up less than West. Seemed his prediction of girlfriends sticking together had come to fruition.
The wallpaper in the foyer mocked him whenever he left or entered the house, and he’d been so agitated that he’d been unable to get anything done. At work or home. All he thought about was Shaye and how he missed her. How much he wanted her here helping him turn this house into a home a family would love.
And that only made him think about fucking her without protection and that she could be walking around right now carrying his kid and he wouldn’t know.
Because she wouldn’t talk to him.
It was Friday, and as soon as he locked up, he was hunting down Shaye and dragging her back here so they could have this out once and for all. She wasn’t leaving. He’d tie her to his bed if he had to.
Of course, he’d be sure to drive her mad with pleasure while she was there. He’d make it impossible for her to walk away from what they had.
Lord knows, he couldn’t.
He’d probably been in denial for years because he’d always felt a pull towards Shaye. He’d just been a dumbarse and not recognised what that tug meant.
He was in love with her.
So deep in love that he couldn’t live without her, and if that meant he had to use every trick he had to keep her here, he would. And if he failed to make her want to stay, he’d follow.
The thought of uprooting his life, leaving behind a prosperous business—his family—didn’t deliver the pain that giving up Shaye did.
That right there told him all he needed to know.
He might have been slow on the uptake, but now that he’d seen the light, he’d move heaven and earth to get what he wanted.
Shaye.
Forever.
Except the best plans always got waylaid.
Opening the door, he came face-to-face with West. “Hey. What are you doing here?”