Chapter 17
***COOPER***
Cooper rolled onto his side and looked down at Stephanie.
“Oh, sweetheart, the last thing I would ever do is break your heart, but being mine will change your life, and I want you to make this decision for the right reasons,” he said, every fiber of his being desperate to take her right then.
“If you give yourself to me now, you’ll be mine forever, and we’ll never want to be separated from each other.
We’ll be bonded together until the end of time, and I don’t know if you realize how big a sacrifice that might be for you. ”
Stephanie studied him for a second, then a smile spread across her face.
“I think I like the sound of that. After all, a girl can’t get more of a commitment than that,” she said.
“How exactly does this bond thing work? Do we have to say some special words or something? Is it like getting married? Can we get a bond divorce?”
He silenced her with a kiss, holding back laughter, very aware that she was almost naked in his arms. “It just happens if it’s meant to be,” he whispered in her ear, making her shiver. “Now, no more talking, Dr. Warner.”
“Yes, Mr. McFarland,” she sighed, then reached up, pulled his head down, and kissed him.
Pleasure instantly flooded his system, waking the dragon inside him.
His magic surged to the surface, and the fragile connection between them began to grow stronger.
He could feel Stephanie’s surrender in her kisses, knew that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her, and his body began to throb with need, but he knew that he had to go slowly.
Tracing a path across her stomach, he found her breasts still covered by the thin fabric of her lace bra and began to knead and tease them until she was shifting under him expectantly.
Reaching behind her, he unsnapped her bra, then slowly pulled it off and dropped it to the floor before kissing his way down her chest and sucking first one then the other pert nipple into his mouth.
Stephanie was squirming beneath him, her breath coming in short gasps when he was finished, but he didn’t stop, sliding his hand down between her legs, he pushed them open, making her gasp, then slipped one finger between her folds.
When he found her swollen pleasure button, she gasped, then dug her nails into his shoulders as he used his finger to show her just what pleasure meant.
She tumbled over the edge, calling out his name, her body slick and wet, more than ready for him, and he rolled between her legs but waited without moving until she opened her eyes and looked up at him.
The passion between them, already burning brightly, became an inferno when their eyes met, his magic began to pulse so strongly inside him that some began to escape and crackled in the air around them.
“I’m yours, Cooper, tonight, tomorrow, for as long as you want me,” Stephanie said, making the connection between them glow brighter. “Take me now, make me yours, I can’t wait another second.”
He wanted to be gentle with her, wanted to go slowly to give her time to adjust, but he filled her with one powerful thrust of his hips instead, her words draining away the last of his control.
Stephanie gasped, then closed her eyes and opened her legs wider for him, her body throbbing around him, and he filled her again and again, reveling in how perfectly their bodies fit together.
He felt Stephanie’s body grow even tighter around him as he thrust into her, felt her muscles beginning to tremble as she called out his name over and over before the pleasure overwhelmed her.
This time buried so deeply inside her, he could feel every spasm, every wave of pleasure that flooded her system, the bond slowly forming between them only intensified the feeling, and he was powerless to stop it when his moment came.
Driving himself even deeper with one powerful thrust of his hips, he emptied himself inside Stephanie, calling out her name as the most intense sensations he’d ever felt overwhelmed him.
His magic broke free and filled the room, wrapping itself around them, joining their souls together with a spell so ancient that its existence had long been forgotten.
But they both felt it, felt the moment they became one instead of two, Stephanie let out a gasp, then looked up at him, her eyes full of wonder.
He smiled down at her, sure that he’d never felt anything quite as wonderful as what he was feeling at that moment, then, unable to speak, leaned down and kissed her until they were both breathless again.
Afraid that he was going to hurt her, he collapsed onto his side, then gathered her up in his arms, still unable to put into words what he was feeling.
“That was amazing,” Stephanie said, looking up at him, her cheeks turning pink. “Is it always like that?”
“Give me a second and I’ll show you,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her, the thought making his blood begin to pump again. “After all, you can’t judge from just one experience.”
“I believe you’re right,” she said. “It would be irresponsible of me not to fully explore the issue.”
“Very irresponsible,” he said, running his hand over her hip. “In fact, I think it’s going to take a lot of experimentation before you have your answer.”
“Well then, we’d better get started right away,” she said, grinning at him. “Do you think I should take notes?”
“Oh, sweetheart, you won’t need notes,” he said. “You’re never going to forget this night.”
***Stephanie***
The next morning Stephanie woke to Cooper snoring softly in her ear, his arm draped across her middle possessively.
She started to panic, but before she could, he opened his eyes and smiled at her.
Warmth spread through her, and she instantly knew that she hadn’t made a mistake; she was right where she was supposed to be, even if she had no idea what the future might hold.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” Cooper said, leaning over and giving her a kiss. “Did you sleep well?”
“Once I got used to your snoring,” she teased. “I’m surprised you don’t wake yourself up.”
He laughed. “We’ll have to get you a pair of earplugs,” he said, rolling on top of her. “And maybe a pair for my grandmother. Good thing her hearing isn’t as good as it used to be.”
She felt her cheeks turning pink. “Cooper, don’t even joke about that,” she said, pushing him off her. “We should get up, it’s late and I’m embarrassed enough as it is. She’s going to know we’re in here together.”
“She’s an adult, Stephanie. Besides, she likes you,” he said, pulling her back under him. “We don’t have breakfast until late on snow days, so we won’t miss anything.”
He was doing things with his hands under the covers and she was quickly forgetting what they were even talking about. “Are you sure?” she asked, trying to ignore the way he was nibbling at her neck but finding it impossible. “I don’t want…”
The thought died away when his mouth found one of her breasts, and she stopped thinking about anything but Cooper for a long time.
When they finally came up for air, she jumped out of bed and headed straight for the bathroom, afraid that if she stayed, they’d just get tangled up together again.
Cooper found her in the shower, and she finally had to escape to her room to get away from him, but she was humming the entire time she was getting ready.
It was almost mid-morning before she finally made it to the kitchen.
Cooper was sitting at the table with his grandmother, sipping coffee and looking very pleased with himself.
A blush flooded her cheeks when she thought about the night before and hoped that Gilda hadn’t overheard them, but the look on the older woman’s face when she walked into the kitchen told her all she needed to know.
“Good morning, I’ll get you some coffee,” Gilda said, standing up. “I hope you slept well. I was out like a light and didn’t wake up until this morning. There’s just something about a snowstorm that makes me sleep like a baby.”
She looked over at Cooper, who was grinning behind his grandmother’s back, his eyes sparkling with amusement, and she felt the blush deepen even further.
“I slept great, the bed was very comfortable,” she said, heading straight for the coffee pot, relieved to turn her back on them both.
“I can get my own coffee, you don’t have to wait on me, but it’s nice that you want to take care of me. ”
“Well, you are family after all, we take care of each other,” Gilda said, sitting down again. “But I’ll break the rules this once and let you help yourself.”
Hand halfway to the coffee pot, she froze for a second, touched by the woman’s words, wondering if she knew just how deep the connection between her and Cooper had become the night before.
When she turned back to the table with her coffee, they were both smiling like they’d won the lottery, and she felt her cheeks flaming again, but found herself smiling back at them.
“Come sit with us and drink your coffee. I’ll make us all some breakfast in a few minutes,” Gilda said, gesturing to a chair.
“Ricky has been out with the snow plow since it stopped snowing just before sunrise. He should have the road in decent shape in a few hours, so you can head home if you need to.”
“We probably should be getting back,” she said. “But what about the barn and the horses? I would feel terrible if we left and you needed us. I’m sure I could take another day off if it would help.”
“I’ve got Ricky and Sue here to help, and my neighbors will be there if I need them.
I’ve already called the sheriff and emailed him the security camera footage of those two idiots starting the fire,” Gilda said.
“I’m sure they won’t be messing with me again.
At some point, Sheriff Boyd might want to talk to the two of you, but I’m sure he can do it over the phone. ”
“We’ll do anything we can to help,” she said, shivering a little at the memory of being cornered by the two men the night before. “If Cooper hadn’t…well…I don’t know what they would have done to me.”
Gilda reached over and took her hand. “I’m sorry you got tangled up in my mess,” she said, then looked over at Cooper. “I should have told you what was going on a long time ago. I just never thought it would come to this. I feel terrible that you both could have been hurt.”
“But we weren’t, and I’m glad we were here. Even with the sprinkler system, that fire could have gotten out of control,” Cooper said. “I can’t believe the clan will let those two get away with this.”
“They’ve turned a blind eye to everything else they’ve done thanks to their father, no one on the council wants to oppose him,” Gilda said, shaking her head.
“I’m hoping the other elders will think he’s gone too far this time.
They’re not going to appreciate the authorities getting involved, but if I want my insurance to pay, I didn’t have any choice. ”
Stephanie realized listening to them talk that she had a lot to learn. “Who’s the clan?” she asked. “You don’t mean the people who wear white sheets over their heads, do you?”
They both burst out laughing. “No, not that kind of clan,” Cooper said, giving her a kiss.
“It’s what we call our…well…community, I guess you could say.
It’s hard being different from other people, and we figured out a long time ago that banding together makes us stronger.
We have an elder’s council that makes decisions for the clan as a whole.
Their main goal is to help keep our existence a secret, but they also protect us against other clans.
They’re going to be really unhappy that the Amos brothers have drawn the attention of law enforcement; that kind of thing is frowned upon, and I guess I don’t have to tell you that you’ll have to leave a few things out when you talk to them.
She nodded. “I never thought I’d see the day that I’d have to lie to the police,” she said, shaking her head, then looked over at Cooper. “But I guess I’m going to have to get used to keeping secrets.”