Chapter 15
15
The centre was a ghost town when they arrived back home, bottle in hand. Kate could already feel the stress of the place settle again on her shoulders as she walked down the corridor towards her room. Cooper hadn’t said a word on the ride home, but he hadn’t let go of her hand until he had to. He had walked out of the cab himself into his chair, unsteady still on his prosthesis but he made the few steps unaided. She wanted to throw her arms around him to congratulate him, but she held herself back, sensing what a big step it was for him. He didn’t need to be mollycoddled, and she didn’t want to belittle him. She was fast realising what a strong man he was, inside and out. How gentle and loving he was beneath the muscled, coiled exterior of the hardened soldier he presented to the rest of the world. As they neared her room, Cooper’s chair giving the occasional squeak in the otherwise silent corridor, she could feel the nervousness between them return. Cooper had the bottle resting on his lap, and she wondered whether it was for someone, or just something to help him sleep.
‘This is me,’ she said when they reached her doorway. Cooper nodded, running his hand through his hair. ‘Will you?—’
She was just asking him what his plans for tomorrow were when she found herself yanked down till she was sat in his lap. He put his hand around her back to steady her and pulled her to him. Her legs dangled off one side, the wine stuffed down the seat edge. She gasped and turning to him, she could feel his breath on her cheek as he looked at her, their faces almost touching.
‘Forgive me if I don’t get up,’ he quipped. ‘I figured that you would have less chance to push me away when I did this.’ He closed the distance between them and touched his mouth to hers. His stubble tickled her face as his soft lips caressed hers, and she sighed into him. He used her open mouth as an invitation, flicking his tongue against hers before deepening the kiss. His hand pressed into her back, and Kate felt the heat through her dress. They kissed slowly, deeply. Kate reached her hands up to his face as she kissed him back. When she ran her fingers along his stubble, moving down to his neck, he let out a low rumble from the pit of his chest and his hand gripped her tighter. His other hand came around till he encircled her tight within them. He broke the kiss, breaking away just enough to look her in the eye.
She looked at him and smiled. ‘You are so beautiful,’ she breathed.
He kissed her again, laughing softly. ‘That should be my line,’ he replied, dropping little kisses along her jaw line. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensations, the feeling of his skin on hers. ‘You are stunning.’
She giggled nervously, unused to the attention. She stole a glance around them, relieved to see that there was no one around to witness them together. He sensed her unease, and pulled her further into his embrace.
‘Don’t worry, Missy, your virtue is intact. For tonight, anyway.’ He smiled ruefully, and she once again pulled his lips to hers. The kiss was tender this time, deep but light, full of meaning. It made her head spin.
‘We have to be careful,’ she agreed, pulling back reluctantly. ‘You are still my patient, and I need this job.’
‘I don’t know what’s going on with us, with anything, but I know now that this was always going to happen. I could feel it the first day we met.’ His facial expression changed like a kaleidoscope; from happy to pained.
‘I’m so sorry, being around me causes you pain, doesn’t it?’ She made to sit up, but his arm tightened around her body. He ran his index finger from the top of her hairline, down her cheek to her jaw, watching the skin he touched. Kate wondered whether he could see the line she felt. It was as though he was leaving an indelible mark on her.
‘It did, at first, but you know what they say,’ he grinned. ‘What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.’ She frowned at his bad joke, but he ran his fingers along her forehead. ‘I’m not going to lie and say I’m okay with being in this chair, but I’m here. No more frowning Kate, I meant what I said. You made me want to try. You actually make me get my arse out of bed on a morning, and that’s something I never thought would happen again.’
‘I—’
He shushed her. ‘No more talking about Iraq. Let’s just take this a day at a time. See what happens.’
‘I can do that,’ she told him.
‘Good,’ he winked. ‘That’s my girl.’