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Lie, lie, lie

Hartwell is my home

Eave me a sad smile “I’ll miss you”

That ain “I’ll miss you, too”

Later that night, I was sitting on Vaughn’s couch, sipping a glass of wine and staring dazedly at a hts I tried so hard to shut out I couldn’t stop thinking aboutabout howthat was rare in our lives growing up—supportive, kind, loving Mostly I thought she’d have liked how safe he made me feel He would have ht she’d have been angry athim

No I knew she’d have been angry athim

If Julia had overcoone? Maybe I wouldn’t have shut down so much about what had happened Maybe I’d have been able to talk about the pain without feeling like I enuinely die if I did

If she’d lived, would I have gone down the sa me down? Would I have still wanted to be a doctor?

Yes

Tears burned in ined that life and I could clearly seemedicine

It wasn’t just about penance

“Shit,” I muttered

Before I could think aboutMy heart juhn’s lass on the coffee table and got slowly to ain Cautiously, I tiptoed out into the hall and put my eye to the spy hole in the door

Standing outside was an abstract version of Cooper

My breath caught

Hands tre, I unlocked the door and pulled it open to find Cooper glowering down at ht of him

I openedthere, but the words were silenced as he pressed hisa beat, wrapped an arrabbed on to his shoulders for balance

And then, like always, the taste of his drugging kisses overpoweredhim back before I could stop myself

I suddenly found round as Cooper lifted hn’s hallway He pressed his and I wrapped the into him and his hard, desperate kisses

He broke the kiss, pulling back only to grab the he it upward

“Wait,” I said, out of breath “What are you doing? Why are you here? I thought you were fishing”

His fingers tightened in the fabric, and there was soruff, “All I could think about was the fact that e last fucked I didn’t knoas going to be the last time So I came back”

A shot of pain lanced across my chest “To punish me?”

He gave a sharp shake of his head “To give us one last tiain “You know you want it”

I did

As stupid as I kneas, as much as I kneould only hurt even htdress My bra was quick to follow

I shivered,Cooper’s attention He cupped h as he kneaded thes

“Now I get to remember you like this,” he said

I saw the anger, the ice and the accusation, in his eyes and closed ainst it

All I wanted was to feel how good it was between us I didn’t want reality to intrude

“Open your eyes, Jessica,” he growled

They immediately snapped open for him

His were narrowed onshut me out for this Not for this”

“Not for this,” I promised softly

Cooper wrapped his fingers up in a handful ofmy neck and back to lift my breasts closer to his ht nipple

I whimpered asa sharp streak of desire toon to the other

Needing to feel hi on Cooper’s jacket He stepped back from me and hurriedly re it by htdress on the floor As soon as he stepped toward rowing frantic with need With one hand I caressed his strong back, with the other his hard chest before sliding it down over his abs At the feel of his abs rippling under s

Cooper pulled back froh “Will I find you wet? Do I still have that from you, Jess?”

I looked directly into his hurt, hungry eyes and whispered, “Always”

Pain flared in his gaze and suddenly he was kissing and biting at hs in his hands All I could do was hold on for the ride

As he pressed hot kisses against ainst my skin as he did so, I rubbed htly down his stoers curled in the fabric ofhim only to brace my hands on the sideboard at either side of my hips so I could lift my bottom to allow Cooper to pull them off lie, lie