He sighed. “If that’s how you feel. We could at least sit down and unwind. Maybe have a glass of wine and talk about our strategy for tomorrow.”
“Talk? You really want to talk?”
Amazingly, if they couldn’t go straight to bed-together-he did want to talk. Allie was one woman whose company he didn’t find tedious, who didn’t talk endlessly about shopping and TV shows he didn’t watch and the love lives of people he didn’t know and what her latest body-mass-index reading was at the health club.
“What I really want is to take you to bed and make love to you all night. But I get the distinct feeling that’s not in the cards.”
Her shoulders slumped in defeat and she turned to face him. “Cooper, please. I don’t want to turn you down. In fact, I’m not sure I can. You’re too persuasive. So could you just cut me some slack and not push it?”
He sighed again, louder this time. If she’d played coy, he might have enjoyed the challenge of chasing her. But he couldn’t now, not when she looked like she was about to cry.
“Okay,” he said agreeably, as if it didn’t matter that much to him. “I’d still like a glass of wine to relax. How about you?”
She flashed him a cautious smile. “Sure.”
When they were settled comfortably in the living area-him in a chair, her on the sofa-with cold glasses of Chablis from the minibar, Cooper finally felt the tension seeping out of his muscles.
“Don’t worry, I intend to honor your wishes,” he said. “But I would like to know why you don’t want to spend the night with me.”
“Cooper. Surely you don’t need me to explain this to you. We are technically enemies who have called a temporary truce. There’s no future in you and me. Yes, I’ve been alone for a while, but I’m not desperate enough to compound last night’s mistake with more of the same.”
He lifted his glass to her. “Thank you for explaining all that to me. But I have never once thought of you as desperate.” In fact, he was the desperate one. Because the longer he sat there looking at but not touching Allie, the more he wanted her.
It shouldn’t matter. Why did it matter?
“Do you regret last night?” he asked her.
She looked down. “Last night we were in unusual circumstances.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
After a moment she looked back at him, holding his gaze so long that he finally had to look away. “No,” she said. “I don’t regret it. We were carried away, and I can forgive myself for that. Once.”
“More than once, if memory serves.”
He could have sworn a bit of fire flared in her green eyes.
“Don’t get technical on me.”
If he set down his wine, stood, walked the three steps that separated them and pulled her out of that chair and into his arms, would she still deny him? He had a feeling the answer was no. But he’d told her he wouldn’t push, and if he went back on his word he would just confirm every stereotype she harbored about dishonest, conniving, self-serving lawyers in general and him in particular. He had a responsibility to uphold the image of lawyers everywhere.
Right.
He gulped the rest of his wine in two swallows. Might as well face it, nothing was going to cool his ardor while Allie was within his range of vision wearing that dress. He wasn’t sure whether to thank Sara or curse her for convincing him to buy it even though Allie had nixed it.
Standing up, he set down his glass. “Guess it’s good night, then. I’ll order breakfast for about seven.”
She nodded and cleared her throat.
He turned, took two steps, then stopped. Had Allie’s eyes been shiny with tears? Surely not. But his feet remained rooted to the spot. He couldn’t bear it if he’d made her cry.
Slowly he peeked at her over his shoulder. She had her head down, her hands clasped in her lap, her breasts rising and falling in a too-quick rhythm to be natural breathing.
Damn it.
He was at her side and down on one knee in two seconds. “Allie, baby, what’s wrong?”
“N-nothing. Go away.”
“I won’t. Did I say something wrong?”
She took a deep, broken breath. “N-no. You said everything right. You did exactly what I asked you to do.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“The problem…” She looked up at him, her eyes swimming in tears. “The problem is me. I’m weak and an idiot to boot.”
“You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met.”
“But not the smartest! Because secretly I was hoping you would make it impossible for me to say no.”
Chapter Twelve
Cooper was looking at Allie like he wanted to devour her in one bite.
“Could you just leave me with whatever shreds of dignity I have left, please?” She didn’t like begging, but she was in desperate trouble here. He was within touching distance. In fact, he was touching her, smoothing her hair off her face, tucking a strand behind her ear.
Did he have to be so tender? Life would be so much easier if he was a complete jerk.
“You’re killing me here, Allie. I want you, you know that. But I won’t have you blaming me for pushing or taking advantage. I know I’ve brought a lot of trouble into your life, and for that I apologize. But I won’t apologize or feel bad about making love to you.
“So I’m going to stand up and walk into my room. I hope you’ll follow. But that’s entirely up to you. Are we clear on that?”
“You lawyers talk too damn much.” She cupped his jaw in her hand and kissed him hard enough to make him go cross-eyed. She was beyond caring who had manipulated whom. Her mind was too filled with the smell and taste of him, the feel of his hands all over her, the sound of his low moans of pleasure as she rediscovered territory she’d charted the previous night.
She nearly ripped his shirt getting it off him, and she mentally thanked him for buying the halter dress because it was so easy to take off. Cooper gave the bow at the back of her neck one tug, and the dress floated to the floor.
They never even made it to the bedroom. Cooper somehow had a condom handy, and they made love right there on the sofa. It happened in a blinding flash, yet at the same time Allie felt suspended in time as he filled her head with soft yet urgent endearments, and filled her body with himself.
Allie couldn’t have stopped any more than she could halt her breathing.
She felt her body tingle in a way she recognized, and she held her breath trying to prolong the exquisite feelings. Then her climax washed over her. She felt it in every cell of her body, down to her fingernails and the tips of her hair.
Cooper cried out in triumph as he found his own release, and they held each other for several long minutes. Allie was afraid to move, knowing she would break the spell holding them still on this plateau of pure sensation.
When the air conditioning kicked on, Allie shivered and Cooper stirred, shifting to a slightly more comfortable position on the sofa and pulling her against him. He sighed contentedly.
“Cooper-”
“Allie-”
They both stopped. Allie laughed nervously and Cooper barreled ahead. “Allie, please, please don’t start in with how big a mistake this is. There’s just no point.”
“I was only going to suggest we move to your bed,” she said in a slightly injured tone. She wouldn’t regret this. She couldn’t. Already she knew it would be painful when they resumed their antagonistic roles, but pain wasn’t exactly something new to her.
He smiled and kissed her on the forehead. She couldn’t remember ever seeing his face so boyish and unguarded. “Good idea.”
They fell asleep wrapped in each other’s embrace, but later Allie awoke to the delicious sensation of Cooper kissing her neck. He didn’t stop there, however. He kissed her all over, everywhere, places she’d never imagined being kissed. He worshiped her body in a way that made her believe he enjoyed it as much as she did, and they made love again, this time in slow motion, pausing to appreciate every nuance of feeling, every touch, every breath, every whisper of the silky sheets.