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“We neverfinished the meal.” She whispered against his mouth.
“Hmm.” Hewas already hauling her on top of him. “It will have to wait.”
*****
Much later, with herface buried against his chest, the soft sound of her snores the onlysound inside the room, Cooper found himself staring up at the plainceiling, a whimsical smile touching his lips.
He had notbeen looking but had found someone who had stopped him in his tracks.It was indeed strange how life turns out. He was in love for thefirst time, and being with this prickly woman was an adventure.
He had becomeaccustomed to women chasing after him. After all, he was CooperRochester, son and heir apparent to a fortune. He was thirty-twoyears old, and settling down just now had never entered his mind.
He had a fulfillingjob, and if truth be told, even though his patients meant a lot tohim, he had never been one hundred percent committed to his career. Acolleague had told him that because he had a safety net, he wouldnever be as dedicated as he should be. And he had resented it, onlyto reluctantly acknowledge that the man was right.
He had money andnever had to depend on his salary. His apartment was the height ofluxury, and he lived in an exclusive neighborhood. He partied hardwhen he was not working and traveled the world.
Not until he metBrooke did it occur to him that people were suffering. Yes, he made acontribution to several causes, of course. Rochester Pharmaceuticalwas involved with numerous charities, donating millions each year.But he had never been actively engaged.
His time at herclinic had taught him a lot. He saw the immense needs of peoplestruggling to make two ends meet. The woman in his arms had used herincredible talent not to line her pockets or pad her bank account butto see the suffering people's needs.
He admired her andwas fiercely proud of her. No wonder he had fallen in love so quicklyand so hard. She was everything he wanted in a woman and neverthought he would ever find.
He wanted to rush herto the altar and put his ring on her finger. He wanted her to havehis name and bear his children. His heart melted as he wondered ifthat was happening even now. They had never talked using anything,and he was certainly not going to bring it up.
She had made such aprofound difference in his life that there was no turning back forhim. He dismissed the absurd talk of shacking up with her becausethat would not happen. He wanted total commitment. Tipping his chindown, he shifted to look at her face. And such an exquisite face atthat, he thought whimsically.
Her complexion wasflawless, her lashes thick and luxuriant, fanning her cheeks andmaking shadows. Her lush lips were slightly parted, starting thefamiliar yearning inside him. His woman, the love of his life -dammit! She was his life, his heart, and his entire being.
*****
“Dr. WendyBaker at your service.”
Brooke looked up fromthe files she had been updating to see the stunning woman standingjust inside the doorway of her tiny office. Even though she had beenexpecting her and had firmly told Cooper that she was not troubledbecause his ex had signed on to volunteer at the clinic, she stillfelt a sharp jolt.
“You are not atmy service. You are here to serve the people who come here to betended to. I know who you are, and Cooper told me some nonsense aboutyou signing on to check out the ‘competition.’ Thesepeople need me, Dr. Baker, and I am not the type of woman to fightover a man.
I refuse to demeanmyself in that manner. I will be frank with you and say Cooper ismine. It might sound territorial, and a few months ago, those wordswould never have left my mouth.
But things aredifferent now. If you are here to lend a helping hand to these peoplewho genuinely need the help, then I am grateful. If you are here totry to rile me up or swap tales about your time with the man I aminvolved with, then you are wasting your time and mine. Am Iclear?”
Wendy stared at herfor a few pulsing seconds. She had been prepared to hate her guts andresolved to do everything she could to demean and belittle Cooper,but the blunt and straightforward speech had floored her.
“As crystal.”She responded softly. “Where do you want me?”
A glint of admirationentered Brooke’s eyes, and a slight smile crossed her lips.Taking up several files, she handed a few of them to Wendy.
“These are themust-see - the ones that cannot wait. Today is Wednesday, which issupposed to be clinic day, so we get pregnant women and mostly sickchildren, mostly babies. The cries and screams will echo in your earseven when you are away from this place. Ready?”
Wendy nodded.
“Then let’sgo, and welcome to the Survival clinic.”
Brooke had to admitthat she admired the woman. She just jumped right in and alignedherself with the patients. After watching her with a few of them,Brooke determined she knew what she was doing and left her to tend toher own.
She was in the middleof writing up a chart when he called.
“How areyou?”
His deep voice hadthe incredible ability to soothe her nerves. “I am fine, andyou?”
