She felt her cheeks turning pink. “Cooper, don’t even joke about that,” she said, pushing him off her. “We should get up, it’s late and I’m embarrassed enough as it is. She’s going to know we’re in here together.”
“She’s an adult, Stephanie. Besides, she likes you,” he said, pulling her back under him. “We don’t have breakfast until late on snow days, so we won’t miss anything.”
He was doing things with his hands under the covers and she was quickly forgetting what they were even talking about. “Are you sure?” she asked, trying to ignore the way he was nibbling at her neck but finding it impossible. “I don’t want…”
The thought died away when his mouth found one of her breasts, and she stopped thinking about anything but Cooper for a long time. When they finally came up for air, she jumped out of bed and headed straight for the bathroom, afraid that if she stayed, they’d just get tangled up together again. Cooper found her in the shower, and she finally had to escape to her room to get away from him, but she was humming the entire time she was getting ready.
It was almost mid-morning before she finally made it to the kitchen. Cooper was sitting at the table with his grandmother, sipping coffee and looking very pleased with himself. A blush flooded her cheeks when she thought about the night before and hoped that Gilda hadn’t overheard them, but the look on the older woman’s face when she walked into the kitchen told her all she needed to know.
“Good morning, I’ll get you some coffee,” Gilda said, standing up. “I hope you slept well. I was out like a light and didn’t wake up until this morning. There’s just something about a snowstorm that makes me sleep like a baby.”
She looked over at Cooper, who was grinning behind his grandmother’s back, his eyes sparkling with amusement, and she felt the blush deepen even further. “I slept great, the bed was very comfortable,” she said, heading straight for the coffee pot, relieved to turn her back on them both. “I can get my own coffee, you don’t have to wait on me, but it’s nice that you want to take care of me.”
“Well, you are family after all, we take care of each other,” Gilda said, sitting down again. “But I’ll break the rules this once and let you help yourself.”
Hand halfway to the coffee pot, she froze for a second, touched by the woman’s words, wondering if she knew just how deep the connection between her and Cooper had become the night before. When she turned back to the table with her coffee, they were both smiling like they’d won the lottery, and she felt her cheeks flaming again, but found herself smiling back at them.
“Come sit with us and drink your coffee. I’ll make us all some breakfast in a few minutes,” Gilda said, gesturing to a chair. “Ricky has been out with the snow plow since it stopped snowing just before sunrise. He should have the road in decent shape in a few hours, so you can head home if you need to.”
“We probably should be getting back,” she said. “But what about the barn and the horses? I would feel terrible if we left and you needed us. I’m sure I could take another day off if it would help.”
“I’ve got Ricky and Sue here to help, and my neighbors will be there if I need them. I’ve already called the sheriff and emailed him the security camera footage of those two idiots starting the fire,” Gilda said. “I’m sure they won’t be messing with me again. At some point, Sheriff Boyd might want to talk to the two of you, but I’m sure he can do it over the phone.”
“We’ll do anything we can to help,” she said, shivering a little at the memory of being cornered by the two men the night before. “If Cooper hadn’t…well…I don’t know what they would have done to me.”
Gilda reached over and took her hand. “I’m sorry you got tangled up in my mess,” she said, then looked over at Cooper. “I should have told you what was going on a long time ago. I just never thought it would come to this. I feel terrible that you both could have been hurt.”
“But we weren’t, and I’m glad we were here. Even with the sprinkler system, that fire could have gotten out of control,”Cooper said. “I can’t believe the clan will let those two get away with this.”
“They’ve turned a blind eye to everything else they’ve done thanks to their father, no one on the council wants to oppose him,” Gilda said, shaking her head. “I’m hoping the other elders will think he’s gone too far this time. They’re not going to appreciate the authorities getting involved, but if I want my insurance to pay, I didn’t have any choice.”
Stephanie realized listening to them talk that she had a lot to learn. “Who’s the clan?” she asked. “You don’t mean the people who wear white sheets over their heads, do you?”
They both burst out laughing. “No, not that kind of clan,” Cooper said, giving her a kiss. “It’s what we call our…well…community, I guess you could say. It’s hard being different from other people, and we figured out a long time ago that banding together makes us stronger. We have an elder’s council that makes decisions for the clan as a whole. Their main goal is to help keep our existence a secret, but they also protect us against other clans. They’re going to be really unhappy that the Amos brothers have drawn the attention of law enforcement; that kind of thing is frowned upon, and I guess I don’t have to tell you that you’ll have to leave a few things out when you talk to them.
She nodded. “I never thought I’d see the day that I’d have to lie to the police,” she said, shaking her head, then looked over at Cooper. “But I guess I’m going to have to get used to keeping secrets.”
CHAPTER 18
***COOPER***
“I’m sorry, I know that it’s a lot to ask,” Cooper said, reaching out to take Stephanie’s hand. “If it’s too much, I’ll understand. It’s not too late… you could still walk away… you could…”
“The only thing I’m going to do is be right here by your side for as long as I can,” she said, interrupting him. “I have no idea how I’m going to make that happen, but we’re in this together. If that means I have to lie, then so be it. Besides, it’s not a bad lie; it’s not like we’re hurting anyone. In fact, it would hurt people if I didn’t lie, so I think I’m in the clear.”
“What about the crypt? I know how much it would mean to your career if you could announce what we’ve found. I don’t want you to hate me someday because I asked you to keep it a secret,” he said. “Your career is important to you, and I respect that. I understand what it’s like to have a passion for what you do; I feel the same way about architecture.”
“I’m not keeping a secret just for you; I’m keeping it secret for all the shifters in the world. If word got out that you exist, it would just be a repeat of history, but I don’t think this time you could all hide out in that cave,” she said. “I won’t be responsible for an entire group of people being persecuted, and that’s exactlywhat I think would happen. I just hope we can keep the crypt a secret. If we manage to find it, someone else will too.”
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that, maybe we can find a way to hide the button to open the trap door,” Cooper said. “I know it’s against every rule you follow, but this might be a rule-breaking kind of thing.”
“I agree,” she said, then looked out the window at the snow-covered landscape. “But we have to get back there first.”
“Don’t worry, the road will be fine when Ricky’s done with it,” he said, squeezing her hand. “We’ll take it slow. I’m an expert, remember?”
She nodded. “I might just keep my eyes closed the entire time,” she said. “You can just tell me when it’s over.”
He grinned at her. “That’s a deal,” he said, then leaned over and kissed her. “You’re very brave, that’s one of the things I love most about you.”
