“Oh, I won’t be throwing anything at you, sweetheart,” he purred into her ear, his fingers slipping into the front of her panties. “But you’d better brace yourself, you’re in for a wild ride.”
Before she could say another word, he slipped a finger between her folds and began to stroke her swollen nub, making her gasp and nearly topple to the floor when her knees went weak. All too soon, Cooper pulled away, making her whimper for more, and he gave a low chuckle before tearing off her panties and stepping back to let his eyes roam over her naked body. His eyes drank her in as he slowly removed his clothes and threw them to the side, and that special spot deep inside her began to throb with need.
When he was as naked as she was, he walked over to her, threaded his fingers into her hair, and pulled her head back, then kissed her until she was breathless. He let her go, but before she could catch her breath, his mouth clamped down on one of her hard nipples, while his hands began to roam over her body in a possessive way that made the ache inside her for him almost painful.
Sure, that her legs would no longer hold her, she reached out for him, but he grabbed her wrists and gently forced her down onto her knees. “You can touch me now,” he whispered, running his fingers through her hair and making goosebumps break out all over her body.
She reached out and wrapped her trembling hands around his swollen manhood, making him gasp with pleasure, and a thrill shot through her. Emboldened by his reaction, she began to stroke him, enjoying the low rumble that came from deep in his chest as her body responded to his pleasure by releasing a burst of moisture between her legs. Letting instinct take over, she leaned forward and sucked Cooper’s throbbing manhoodinto her mouth, thrills rushing through her when his fingers twisted in her hair and he thrust his hips forward.
Only a few seconds later, Cooper let out a moan, then pulled her to her feet, his breath coming in short gasps, his eyes glowing a little in the dark. He threw her down onto the sleeping bag, then dropped down between her legs, shoved them apart with a growl of need, then dipped his head, and before she understood what he was doing, his tongue was sliding over her slick nub, sending wave after wave of pleasure rushing through her.
She climaxed only seconds later, crying out his name, her body bucking, the sensations only growing stronger as he lapped at her until she couldn’t catch her breath or think of anything but what he was doing to her. When he finally let her come floating slowly back down to earth, she opened her eyes and looked down at him, still kneeling between her legs.
“You win,” she panted. “Now finish this before I lose my mind. I need you, Cooper, I need you inside me.”
When he drove himself into her a second later, she opened herself willingly to him, taking him deeper inside than she ever had before, each thrust of his hips driving her higher and higher. The world around her faded until all she was aware of was the man above her, the man she was falling in love with, the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. They went tumbling into oblivion together, Cooper’s body buried deeply inside hers, and as he emptied himself inside her, she felt a tingling in her belly, then a rush of heat.
Above them, the room filled with pinpricks of light and down in the crypt, the mural changed again, then time adding a tiny figure between them. By the time Cooper collapsed next to her on the sleeping bag, the lights were gone, but Stephanie still felt the little flutter deep in her belly. Closing her eyes, she let out a long sigh, then snuggled up next to Cooper and was instantlyasleep, the warmth of their connection making her feel safe and protected.
CHAPTER 21
***COOPER***
It had only been a day since Sebastian had found them in the crypt and made his threats, but Cooper felt like it had been a week and hoped that his meeting with Marcus Reynolds would take some of the pressure off. He’d spent every waking moment looking over his shoulder or scanning social media on his phone, dreading finding an announcement or something even worse. But they hadn’t heard a peep from him, which meant he was planning something, and it was making him very nervous. Sebastian operating on his own could be very dangerous for them all.
Stephanie had decided to open the site up again that morning, sure that Sebastian would never strike when it was filled with people. There was work to be done, work that she couldn’t push off any longer. Cooper had stayed by her side for much of the day, a fact that a few of the other interns noticed, but although there were a few raised eyebrows, no one questioned them.
Now they were all making their way toward the tunnel, another day of work completed, and he was following them to meet Marcus in the parking lot, wondering how the elder was going to feel about the crypt and the mural it contained. It was abeautiful and sacred space, but its very existence was a danger to the entire shifter community. As a member of the clan council, it was his job to protect the clan from discovery, and he might want it destroyed, a possibility that chilled him to the bone.
He was waiting on the sidewalk when the big black car pulled up, and Marcus stepped out of the backseat, dressed for a board meeting, not walking around in a cave, and he hoped that meant he didn’t want a tour. The older man didn’t acknowledge him at first, forcing Cooper to wait patiently while he surveyed the ruined stadium, then finally turned and gave him a big smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Cooper, it’s so good to see you,” he said, walking over to him with his hand out. “I hear you’re doing great things around here.”
“I hope so sir,” he said, shaking hands. “I’ve been doing my best, but we’ve got a little situation here at the ruins. I should have called you sooner, but I thought everything was under control.”
“I see, and what would this little situation be?” Marcus asked. “I assume Sebastian and the Kappas have something to do with it.”
“Yes, sir,” he said. “It might be easier to explain if I show you what we found.”
Half an hour later, Marcus was climbing down the stone steps into the crypt, his expensive suit already covered in dirt, but he didn’t seem to notice; instead, he was focused on the mural. After letting out a low whistle, he walked over to it, then slowly let his eyes roam from the top to the bottom, a look of wonder on his face. When he was finished, he turned back to them and shook his head, then took one more look over his shoulder.
“Who else knows about this?” he demanded, a frown on his face.
“The two of us, my fraternity brothers, Sebastian, and now you,” he said. “I don’t know if Sebastian has told anyone, I thought he’d tell his grandfather…”
“As far as we know, he hasn’t talked to his grandfather for weeks,” Marcus said, then slowly walked around the room, looking into the niches carved into the walls at the cloth-draped bodies. “If we can find a way to silence him, we can cover this up before it gets out. I don’t have to tell you this could destroy us.”
“No, sir, we understand,” he said, then looked over at Stephanie. “We were hoping you could help with Sebastian, find a way to get him to back off. He thinks the discovery of the crypt is going to win him the alpha spot. He made a lot of threats, sounded a bit unhinged. Honestly, I’m a little worried about what he might do.”
Marcus strode back over to the mural and stood staring up at it again for a long time, then shook his head sadly. “This is an amazing discovery,” he said, turning to face him. “But it will have to be destroyed, we can’t risk anyone else finding it. I’ll leave the method up to you, but I want this entire chamber buried before morning.”
“There has to be another way,” Stephanie spoke up for the first time. “Just give us a little more time. If we don’t have Sebastian breathing down our necks, I’m sure we can think of something.”
Marcus gave her a dirty look. “This is none of your business, you’re not one of us, you shouldn’t even be in here,” he snarled at her. “I’ve put up with you because I don’t have any choice, but keep your silence or I will have you removed.”
Stephanie gasped in shock, then her eyes turned hard. “This is my site, you are only here because I allowed it,” she said, lifting her chin in the air and staring Marcus down. “Show me the respect that I deserve, or you will be the one being shown out.”
It was Marcus’s turn to be surprised, but he hid it well, then acted like she hadn’t even spoken. “I’ll alert the rest of the council about the situation. I expect you to keep me informed on your progress carrying out my wishes,” Marcus said, turning toward the steps. “There’s no room for sentiment in today’s world. The clan won’t miss this little piece of history, not when it means we get to keep our secrets. See that it’s done, Cooper. I would hate it if you let us down, there’s no telling what we might be forced to do.”
