There were a few scars here and there, proof of his strength and dedication to his country. On his right bicep was a tattoo she’d seen numerous times, but until tonight, she hadn’t been able to touch.
Death Before Dishonor.
Those words were inked on a ribbon swirling around the image of a sharp dagger. He’d gotten it long before she ever knew he existed. It was a symbol many Rangers she’d served with used, but Mac knew for Coop, they were more than just words.
As deliciously sinful as the rest of him was, the man’s backside was a work of art.
From the broad shoulders she’d held to his defined back and muscular thighs, the man was seriously perfect. And then there was his ass.
Talk about a thing of beauty.
The two well-developed globes were just the right size, each one dipping in slightly as he walked. Mac’s insides tingled thinking of her heels digging into them, along with the repetitive tensing and relaxing she’d felt there as he’d driven himself into her.
Over and over again.
Her eyes dropped to the scar on the back of his right leg. An exit wound from when he’d been shot while they’d been in Venezuela.
What had started as a revenge mission had turned into a rescue when they found Olivia, her close friend and Jake’s wife, alive.
Mac could still feel the intense fear she had that day when she’d realized Coop had been hit. It was the first time since they’d become partners that he’d been injured like that.
It was also when she’d started to realize how truly important he was to her.
While Coop was presumably taking care of the condom and cleaning himself up, she got up and situated herself under the covers. Spent and satiated, Mac began to think about what would come next.
Normally, she’d already be dressed and gone. But that scenario didn’t really work for this situation. One, this was her place, and two…none of those other guys had been Coop.
Still, she could think of a billion reasons to send him home, the least of which being she never spent the night with a lover. Ever.
Not that she’d had many. Less than a handful—a number some would probably think was pathetic. She considered it being safe.
Those last few weeks before signing with the Army had taught her how dangerous it was to let anyone get too close. It was why she’d never brought anyone here, to her apartment.
Despite the incredible lengths she’d gone to, to this day, Mac still couldn’t risk someone getting hurt because of her. So she’d had her fun and always left immediately after. No follow-up texts and absolutely no dating.
Women like her, they didn’t do strings or commitment. And they sure as hell didn’t spend the night cuddling with a man after a round of casual sex.
Mac was still lost in her thoughts when Coop came back out of the bathroom and crawled into the bed. Sliding across the mattress, he stopped short of snuggling up against her.
She didn’t tell him to leave. Why wasn’t she telling him to leave?
Because you don’t want him to go.
The tiny voice was right. In a few, short hours, Mac would be driving away from this city and everyone she cared about. And it was a very real possibility she was never coming back.
“That beautiful brain of yours sure is working hard.” He began running his fingers through her hair with a gentle ease.
“Just thinking of the list of things needed for my trip,” she lied. “Making sure I didn’t forget anything.”
His fingertips stuttered slightly before continuing their slow glide. “I really can’t change your mind on this, can I?”
“No.”
She felt his long sigh as if it were her own. But rather than argue, as she fully expected, he inched a little closer, wrapping his arm around her waist and slowly skimming her lips with his.
“Well, then,” he purred, nipping at her bottom lip. “I guess we’d better make the most of these next few hours.”
It took Mac all of half a second to give in to the warmth of his touch. She’d already broken all her rules by inviting this man, herpartner, into her bed. Why not allow herself this one night to do what she wanted for a change?
To feel what she’d only ever dreamed of feeling.
Every day of her adult life had been a lie. An evasive, fabricated existence. But what had just happened with Coop was a truth she didn’t want to ignore.
At least not for tonight.
