“Well, I am back on my feet, and all I want to do is take a nice hot shower and go to bed. I didn’t want you to worry—I’m absolutely fine. I’m just going to close the door so I can get some sleep.”
“So you can get some sleep,” Ford repeated dryly. “Sure, dear.”
Even from the bed, Cooper could see the back of Gretchen’s neck flush bright pink.
But even if she was embarrassed at the thought of this motel owner being all too sure of what she and Cooper were going to get up to behind that closed door, she didn’t let it get in the way of her plan.
“Good night!” Gretchen said, with bright innocence.
She closed the door. Turning back to Cooper, she let the comforter fall to the floor.
She was glorious.
She was smooth and sleek, the perfect combination of soft, sweet curves and the finely-honed muscles that spoke to her devotion to the more physical parts of the job. Her skin was a warm golden-brown, a slightly lighter honey shade than her eyes, and seeing it juxtaposed against her cream-colored bra and panties made him want to just spend an eternity tasting her. He knew he wouldn’t regret a second of it.
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Cooper said. He untangled himself from the nest of blankets and went over to her, cupping one hand around the back of her head so he could kiss her deeply. “You’re perfect.”
“I can’t even believe you’re real,” Gretchen said softly against his mouth, the words a delicate vibration against his lips. “I’m so glad I met you. I wasn’t kidding about the shower... but I’d like you to take it with me.”
*
The showers in Ford’s motel were avocado-colored bathtubs with ancient showerheads that pelted water down at you at a terrifying speed.
They were standing outside the tub on the chilly tiled floor, shivering there in their underwear. Gretchen had been hoping for the best—despite the unappealing visual of the tub—until she’d turned on the water to test it. Most of the time, she liked the kind of shower where the water hit you like it was coming out of a pressure hose. It was like getting a free massage, if you were tough enough to take it. But she had to admit that it wasn’t exactly erotic—and neither was the prospect of slipping and sliding around the tub with Cooper while they both tried to get clean in the same tiny space.
“I wanted to pamper you,” Gretchen said, raising her voice to be heard over the thundering water. “But this isn’t as steamy and sexy as I was hoping for.”
“It’s a hot shower I can take in relative privacy,” Cooper said. “That’s good enough for me.”
She laced her hands together behind his neck, feeling the silky bristle of his hair as it tapered down. “I’m sure anything would be an improvement over the last few months. But you deserve something really luxurious.”
There was no disappointment in those sea-green eyes, though. Right here and now, Coop looked like he was completely at peace.
“If I get to sleep in the same bed with you tonight, that would be as much luxury as any man could handle.”
Warmth suffused through her. “I want you in bed with me.”
That night and every night afterwards. But she didn’t want to think about the future right now. As long as they were still stuck in their little snow globe, as long as the storm was still roaring outside, then they existed in a different world from all of their problems.
Cooper bent down and kissed her. He tasted like the sweet, light coffee he’d been drinking, and Gretchen felt that funny combination of grand romance and comfort again: his kiss made her think both of her own morning routine and of Sleeping Beauty waking up to the sight of her prince.
“I’ll go see if Ford can let me use the shower in another room,” Coop said. “And then I can meet you back here and we can—go to bed.” There was such gorgeous hunger in his eyes, but he still added, “If that’s still what you want after you see how I clean up.” His voice was light, but he really was trying to give her an out.
Well, she didn’t need one. She knew without a doubt that she wanted him, that she needed him.
Maybe she wasn’t his mate. Maybe the way they’d fallen in love with each other right away was just some kind