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“Yes. I’m sure,” she said.
From the way his lips spread into a smile, she knew her response had pleased him. “All right then. Lead the way.”
That smile made her heart miss a beat as they continued to walk along the sidewalk. Like she’d told him, she didn’t live far and they arrived at her studio apartment in no time. “It’s small,” she said, opening the door. “But it’s the right size for me.”
She stepped aside and he entered. She immediately thought her apartment might be just the right size for her, but with him inside it, it suddenly appeared small.
“Nice place,” he said, glancing around.
Bristol was glad she was a neat freak. There was nothing out of place. “There’s a bottle of wine over there if you want to pour us a glass,” she said, removing her coat and hanging it in one of the closets.
“Okay,” he said, removing his jacket. She took it and hung it in the closet, as well. She tried not to notice how perfect his abs were and what a broad chest he had. She also tried not to notice the sexual chemistry between them, which had increased now that they were alone and behind closed doors.
“Do you need to let your friends know where you are? Won’t they be worried when you don’t return to your hotel?” she asked him.
He shook his head as he grabbed the wine bottle and glasses off the rack. “No. They’ll figure things out.”
“Okay.” She sat down at the table while he poured the wine into their glasses. And then he joined her there. “I know this isn’t champagne but let’s make a toast.”
“To what?”
“To what I believe will be the best holiday I’ve ever had.”
Deep down she believed it would be the best she ever had, too. Their glasses clinked and then they took a sip. She met his gaze over the rim and immediately, a deep sexual hunger flared to life in her midsection. From the hot, penetrating look in his eyes, the same hunger hit him, as well.
Bristol placed her glass down the same moment he did. And then he stood and reached out to her. She went into his arms willingly and he lowered his head and captured her mouth in his. The moment she felt his lips on hers, a deep, drugging rush of desire filled her to the core.
He was using his tongue in the most provocative way, making shivers of need course through every part of her. She had never been kissed like this before and he was an expert.
He deepened the kiss and her mouth became locked to his. She couldn’t hold back the moan that erupted from deep within her throat. Nor could she hold back the sensations overtaking her. She had been kissed before, but never like this. Never with this much possession, this much overwhelming power.
Moments later he ended the kiss and pulled back slightly to look down at her. A sexy smile touched the corners of his lips and the arms around her tightened, bringing her closer to him. “I wanted to kiss you from the moment I saw you. I had a deep yearning to know how you tasted.”
Wow! She wasn’t used to having such carnal conversations with a man. “Is that why you kissed me the way you did just now?”
“Partly.”
“And the other reason?”
“I just wanted the feel of my tongue in your mouth.”
And then as if he hadn’t gotten enough of doing that the last time, he lowered his head and captured her mouth again. On a breathless moan she parted her lips, giving him the opening he needed. He slid his tongue inside, mating it with hers, over and over again.
When he finally released her mouth, she looked up at him with glazed eyes. “What are you doing?” she asked, barely able to get the words out. Never had a kiss left her so off balance.
“Starting our celebration of the holidays.”
She could feel blood rushing through her veins with his words. She hadn’t expected this so soon. She figured they would share a drink today and then tomorrow he could come back for lunch. But it seemed he had other plans, plans she was giving in to. She couldn’t help it. So many sexual sensations were taking over her mind and body just from his kiss. She knew there was no way she could stop from wanting him. He sealed her fate when he began kissing her again and she felt herself being lifted into his arms.
He was carrying her someplace and she knew where when he placed her on the bed. What happened next was amazing. In record time he had removed both of their clothes, as if needing to be skin to skin with her was paramount. As if needing to see her naked body was essential.
In a way she understood, since seeing him standing there without a stitch of clothing was doing something to her, as well. He represented such virility and masculinity, and coiling arousal was throbbing deep in her core. Never had she wanted to make love to someone so badly. Never had she felt this filled with need. And she could tell from his huge erection that he wanted her. His desire for her was obvious.
She watched as he put on a condom before heading back to the bed. She reached out and glided her hands up his tight, sculpted abdomen and chest, loving the feel of his skin. Heat curled inside her with the contact.
“You touch me and I will touch you,” he warned, grazing his jaw against her ear, while growling low in his throat. It amazed her that he would respond to her touch this way.
“I want you to touch me, Laramie.”
She couldn’t believe she’d said that. But there was something about Laramie Cooper that she didn’t understand. Namely, how he could make her lose her common sense. How he could make her nerves dance and her brain race. How he had the ability to make her want to have things she’d done without in the past. And how he made her want him with a passion.
She needed to make him aware of something. Make him understand and she heard herself saying, “I’ve never brought a man here before.”
She felt the intensity of his gaze all over her body.
“There’s a first time for everything, don’t you think?” he replied, slowly moving back toward the bed.
With each step he took, she felt her womb contract. He was staring at her with dark, penetrating eyes and her body heated under his intense regard. She’d never had a one-night stand in her life. Always thought she was above that. But at that moment the only thing she wanted was this man, who had the ability to mess with her mind and senses.
There was something else she needed to tell him and it was best if she did it now. “Laramie?”
“Yes?”
“I’m not on any type of birth control.”
If she thought that revelation would stop him dead in his tracks, she’d been wrong. He kept moving toward her. “I have condoms. Plenty of them. Around a dozen or so. And if we need more we’ll get them,” he told her.
Get more? Did he honestly think they would use more than a dozen? Her heart began beating way too fast as she wondered just what kind of stamina he had. Would she be able to keep up?
She was about to find out.
He joined her on the bed and began kissing her again while touching her all over. Sexual excitement churned inside her, sending an intense throb through her veins. She slipped her arms around his muscled back, loving the manly feel of him.
“I’m dying to taste you,” he whispered, just moments before shifting his body to place his head between her legs.
She gripped tight to his shoulders as she felt his hot tongue inside her, stroking and licking. He was unwavering in his determination to taste her like he wanted. Sensations she’d never experienced before rushed through her and instinctively, she made sinfully erotic movements with her hips against his mouth.
Over and over he laved her womanly core with greedy intent, making her whisper his name over and over. Suddenly, her body exploded like a volcano erupting and she surrendered to the pleasure he’d given her.
Before the last spasm left her body, he had shifted to position his body over hers, and then she felt him enter her, stretching her to accommodate his size. She inhaled the scent of him—the scent of them—and then used her tongue to lick his shoulder, needing to taste the texture of his skin.
He pushed his shaft as deep inside her as he could go and then he locked their legs together. He began moving, thrusting back and forth, in and out. He established a rhythm that sent sexual undercurrents all through her body.
He looked down at her, held her gaze as he made love to her. She clung to him, holding tight to his shoulders as if they were a lifeline. His languid, deep, hard thrusts were driving her over the edge and making every nerve ending in her body zing brutally to life.
He threw his head back and growled her name as he continued to make love to her, indulging her with his words. Her skin sizzled where their bodies connected and the more he stroked inside her, the more her body awakened to the aching hunger he was feeding.
And then he called her name again. Together they were slammed with another orgasm. He gathered her in his arms, touched the side of her face with his fingers as they rode the tidal waves of ecstasy together.
The next morning it had felt odd waking up with a man in her bed. They had made love practically all evening, only to get up around eight and eat some of the soup she’d made the day before with French bread. Then they had gotten back in bed and made love all over again. All through the night.
No personal information was exchanged. None was needed. She knew the next three days would be considered one and done. Chances were, they would never see each other again. They were taking advantage of the now.
“You’re awake?”
She glanced over at him and saw desire in the depths of his dark eyes. “Yes, I’m awake.”
“Good.”
He got out of bed to put on a condom then returned to her. “And what if I wanted breakfast first?” she asked, grinning.
He grinned back. “And do you want breakfast first?”
She shook her head. “No. I want you, Laramie.”
And she did want him. She had to keep telling herself this was just sex and nothing more. When he left here the day after Christmas he wouldn’t be coming back, nor would they stay in touch. The only thing she would have were her memories. Regardless, she could not and would not ever regret any time spent with him.
After making love that morning they dressed and went out to grab breakfast. He surprised her with his suggestion that they get a Christmas tree. That meant they had to purchase ornaments, as well. He refused to let her pay for anything. Like kids, they rushed back to the house and decorated the tree. Their tree.
Since most restaurants were closed for the holidays, she decided to prepare Christmas dinner for them. That meant grocery shopping, which she told him she wanted to do alone. She knew from their earlier shopping trip how he liked to spend money and she wanted Christmas dinner to be her treat.
When she returned to her apartment he was waiting for her. The minute she opened the door and glanced over at him, heated sexual attraction consumed them. She couldn’t put her grocery bags down fast enough before he was ripping off her clothes, making love to her against the refrigerator.
He surprised her on Christmas Day with a gift, a beautiful scarf and a pair of earrings. The gift touched her deeply. He’d apparently gone shopping when she left to get groceries.
She surprised him with a gift, as well. A pair of gloves, since she’d noticed his were well-worn. He said he enjoyed Christmas dinner, but most of Christmas was spent in bed making love rather than eating.
The next morning, the day after Christmas, she awoke to find him dressed and ready to go. Ready to walk out of her life. She hadn’t expected it to be so hard, but it was. She knew she had fallen in love with him. Not with the sex but with the man.
He kissed her deeply, wished her the best in her artistic dreams and thanked her for making this one of the best holidays for him, ever. And then he turned and walked out the door...without looking back.
She’d quickly gotten up and stood at the window to watch him leave. He’d called a cab and, as if he’d known she would be there at the window, before getting into the cab he looked over his shoulder, saw her, blew her a kiss and then waved goodbye.
She blew him a kiss and waved back. And as the cab drove away she knew at that moment that Laramie Cooper had taken a piece of her heart with him.
Three (#ube58158b-e8a2-5bc9-81e5-8504e7cd5817)
New York, present day
“I’m glad you guys are finding this entire thing amusing,” Laramie said as he moved around the hotel room to dress. He had placed the mobile call on speaker while engaging in a five-way conversation with his teammates.
“Hey, Coop, we can’t help but think it’s pretty damn funny,” Bane Westmoreland said. “I can just imagine the look on your face when you discovered what you were delivering to that member of the Security Council wasn’t top secret documents like you thought, but her pet cockatiel.”
Laramie couldn’t help but smile as he slid on a T-shirt. “No, Bane, you can’t imagine.”
“Well, just think positive,” David Holloway said. “You got a free trip to New York.”
“Damn, Flipper, it’s cold as the dickens here. I prefer California weather,” Laramie said.
“Stop whining, Coop,” Gavin Blake said, laughing.
“Kiss it, Viper.”
And then he said, “Hey, Mac? You still with us? You’re kind of quiet.”
“I’m still here,” Thurston McRoy said. “I’m trying to keep up with you guys and watch the game, too. In case none of you realized, it’s Thursday night football.”
That led to a conversation about their predictions for what team would make it to the Super Bowl. By the time Laramie had ended the call, he was completely dressed and ready to leave.
And go where? He figured that since he had a taste for a juicy hamburger, he would grab a meal at Xavier’s. Flipper had recommended he dine there and said he wouldn’t be disappointed.
A short while later, Laramie entered the restaurant and was shown to a table. It was busy and there had been a fifteen-minute wait but he didn’t mind. This wasn’t his first visit to Times Square, but he did note a lot of changes since he was here last.
“What would you like tonight?”
He glanced up at the waitress. No one could credit him with being slow and he immediately knew the double meaning behind her question. “A menu would be nice,” he said, hoping that would defuse any ideas she had.
Maybe another time, but not tonight. He just wasn’t feeling it. He chuckled and wondered if he was running a fever. There hadn’t been too many times when he’d turned down sex. And there was no doubt in his mind the woman was offering.
“I’ll make sure you get a menu...as well as anything else you might want,” she said, smiling.
He smiled back. “Thanks. The menu will do for now and a beer.”
She walked off and returned with the menu and his beer. “Thanks.”
“You can thank me later.” Then she sashayed off.
He wondered why he wasn’t taking advantage of those curves and long gorgeous legs. His excuse had to be that this place sort of reminded him of that café in Paris. The one where Bristol worked.
Bristol.
He’d been thinking about her a lot lately. Maybe because it was around this time—during the holiday season three years ago when they’d met. Whatever the reason, Bristol Lockett was on his mind.
After his rescue from Syria, one of the first places he’d gone had been to Paris to see her, a woman he hadn’t meant to ever see again. But something had compelled him to seek her out, only to be told by the manager of the apartment complex where she’d lived that she had returned to the United States a couple of years ago and had not left a forwarding address.
When he noticed the waitress looking over at him, he decided to place his order, eat and then leave. He wasn’t up for any female company tonight and didn’t want the woman to get any ideas.
An hour or so later, he left the restaurant a pretty satisfied man. The food had been delicious but he’d had a hard time deflating the waitress’s flirtation. By the end of his meal, she’d all but placed her apartment key in his hand.
Instead of catching a cab back to his hotel room, he decided to walk off the hamburger and fries he’d eaten. Although he’d complained earlier about the cold weather, it really wasn’t too bad. He’d endured worse. Like that time his team had that mission in the Artic.
He was about to cross the street when a sign ahead stopped him. It was an art gallery and the poster said:
TONIGHT
SPECIAL SHOWING OF ART BY BRISTOL
Bristol...
