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I step into the doorway and take a moment to watch my guy as he leans over his desk, focused solely on whatever he’s looking at. His desk is an absolute mess, and his two mismatched visitor's chairs sit at an angle facing him. I gently knock on the open door causing his head to come up and his face to light up with the million-dollar smile I love.
I smile back, “Hi, handsome.” He’s in his uniform, and he looks absolutely yummy.
He waves me in, and I close the door until it's cracked. He told me he has an open-door policy so his deputies don’t feel like he doesn’t have time for them or that he has more important things to do than talk to them.
I walk over to him and give him a kiss and hold up the box in my hand. “I brought muffins for the guys. I figured I could put them in the bullpen later.”
“Thanks, babe. They’ll appreciate that, and they won’t last but a few minutes, so I’m just going to…” He sneaks one out of the box and immediately starts eating it as if someone’s going to steal it from him, which makes me laugh. I sit down on the edge of his desk and wait for him to finish. After he swallows the last bite, I tell him why I wanted to see him.
“You know how I’ve been having a hard time painting the sunset pictures I got at the lake?” He nods in response. “Well, I talked to Hailey about it and she had a great point. I was feeling so many things that night I’m struggling to convey them all into the painting. I thought you could sit with me while I paint, and it may help me pinpoint the right feeling I want to go with.”
“I’m not sure how much I can help, but I’d love to sit with you anyway. Hey, maybe I can watch you paint naked. That’s a thing, right?”
“Oh my god, Cooper,” I say laughing. “The models are the ones naked, not the painters. Although, if I were better at portraits, it would be kind of fun to have you model for me.” I take a minute to imagine what it would be like, but I know I’d just want to jump him if he was naked instead of painting him.
“Just let me know what you need from me. Naked or not,” he says with a grin.
“Thank you,” I say, smiling.
“You got it. Now, it’s my turn to ask you about something.” A frown line appears between his brows which makes me a little nervous. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately and… well… what would you think about moving in with me?” I’m stunned and, at the same time, not surprised in the slightest that he’s asking me this.
“You want me to live with you?” I ask just to make sure it’s what he wants.
“Yeah, I really do. I want to wake up with you every morning and come home to you every night. I want to see your stuff mixed in with mine and create a space that’s ours together. You’re the love of my life, Quinn, and I don’t want us to live separately anymore.” I smile, and then I laugh because I’m so happy. I grab his face and kiss him with everything I have. He pulls back before I get too carried away and smiles at me. “So, is that a yes?” he asks, making me laugh even harder.
“Yes, I would love to live with you.”
A knock on the door interrupts our moment but that’s okay. We’re both still smiling from ear to ear. “Hey, Rachel, what’s up?”
“Sorry to interrupt. Hey, Quinn.” I give her a little wave as she continues on, “I just wondered if you had those files finished up for me to put away.”
“Yeah, sorry about that.” Cooper grabs a few file folders from his desk and hands them over to Rachel. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” she says and then heads back out of the office.
“So, we’re doing this?” I ask just in case he changed his mind. There’s a part of me that’s still a little worried something bad is going to happen, but I want to be with Cooper. I want to take the next step in building our life together.
“Hell yeah, we’re doing this. You already said yes, so there’s no going back now.”
“Hmm. If I took it back, would you handcuff me to your bed and never let me leave?” I watch Cooper swallow hard and his eyes ignite with lust which only makes the inferno in me get hotter.
“You’re damn right I would. In fact, I might do that later so you can’t get away from me.”
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” I say, leaning down to kiss him with all of the promises for later and forever.
34
UNKNOWN
The shadows of darkness surround me as I watch her, leaving her completely oblivious to the danger lurking so close. Power surges through me as I move even closer, pushing my limits, all while staying unseen. It’s only a matter of time until she knows who I am, and I will relish the fear in her eyes when she sees me.
I’ve been so patient, watching her flaunt herself in front of me, and as hard as it is, I will continue to be patient. I need to be fully ready before I take her, and that takes time. It will be worth the wait once she’s where I need her to be.
My eyes find the sunburst clock on the wall telling me I don’t have much time before I need to be out. I take one last look at her and make my way back through the shadows while she remains completely unaware.
35
COOPER
