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Christ, as he going to do when he and Grace did become lovers?

No ould he ever leave her alone afterward, but he couldn’t fall asleep, didn’t want her to hear hi do you think you can function without sleep, genius?"

Growling, he got up and decided to make someone else miserable, too, the comm his weapon of choice

"Whoever you are," caravel of deep sleep, "I will hunt you down, tear out your spleen, and eat it fried with mushrooms"

"Creative," he said to Riaz

His fellow lieutenant’s sleep-mussed hair appeared on the screen, followed by the rest of his face, as if he was levering up on his elbow in bed

"Coop? Is this an eency?"

"Yes My cock’s about to break in half"

"If it was anyone but you" Disappearing off-screen, Riaz returned with daer hazy with sleep "Right, telltalker, especially when it ca this important, but he and Riaz had been friends since childhood, knew each other inside out The other man would understand what this meant

"You’re really gone for her," Riaz mur dance hadn’t begun, but that was a minor detail as far as Cooper was concerned - soon as her as ready, it would "Only, she doesn’t know it yet"

"Uh-huh"

"I think I want to punch you" A good drag-down fight hat he needed, but in this hter anyone but another one of the lieutenants, or the alpha "You don’t kno lucky you are to be sitting pretty halfway across the state"

Riaz’s grin ithout rea over a woman"

Cooper rubbed a hand over his cropped hair, wondered absently if he should just shave everything off like a few of the other guys Then again, some of their women hadn’t exactly been impressed by the look So maybe he should check with Grace first And if that ive a shit He wanted her to care about what he did with his body, wanted her to consider him her damn business

"I need help, Riaz," he said to the ized about how to attract feawky teens at the time

"How do I court her?"

"Didn’t you say you ith her tonight?"

"Yes" He hadn’t mentioned any specific details, just that he was frustrated in the aftermath

"Well, it’s been less than a week - if your subot blue balls, I’d say you’re already doing things right We both know you’re a bit much for even some of the doht He was de, in bed and out

Even when he tried to tone it down, it only lasted so long "Grace can handlefor her for a lifetih maybe I should try a otta ask, Coop You sure about this?" His friend’s eyes were night-glow in the dark of his bedrooot any claws, not in cohter than anything else in her than everyone thinks She’s already challenged o toe-to-toe with ainst her"

"In that case, balls to the wall, lory"

"Why are you spouting aphoris-thirty in theand I need to be up for a six aer "Get some sleep and chase your wolf toet about subtle That’s not your style"

AT nine the next ant bunch of flowers that had been delivered to her office a few reenhouse attached to the den Overfloith color and texture and scent, though she saw he hadn’t forgotten her favorite daisies, it was a blatant public declaration of intent

Then there was the card According to the grinning juvenile who’d delivered the flowers, Cooper had inserted it into the bouquet hi a horrible death to anyone other than Grace who dared open it

Like I said Lots and lots of foreplay xx Coop