Dee, Lavada - Nothing to Lose [Blackhawk Brothers] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) by Lavada Dee Page A

spread his legs, pulling her in closer. “We’ve got all the time in the world.”
    All the time in world, leaning against a counter in the bathroom. She wanted to suggest they find someplace more comfortable, but she didn’t want to move. Cooper’s arms held warmth, safety, and something else she couldn’t quite define. Not moving from his embrace, she pulled her head back so she could look up at him. Her voice surprised her when it came out low but strong.
    “I met Mick one night when I had to call 911 for my mother. He was one of the officers who responded.” She told him about her mother’s disease and how both of them had worked so she could go to college. “I wanted to quit school and get a full-time job, but it upset Mom so much, I didn’t. She was adamant that I have an education and not end up with a minimum-wage job like she had.”
    Galynn stopped. Could she tell him about Mick?
    His hands circled her waist as he bent and brushed his lips across her forehead. “And Mick?”
    “Do you really want to hear this? It’s so…ugly. And embarrassing.”
    “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. I want to be a part of this with you. I want to…” He hesitated before prompting her to continue. “You said you aren’t married?”
    “No, Mick wanted to marry me and help with mother, but he was already married.”
    “Where was his wife?”
    “She left him and took their little girl. The story he told me made me feel really sorry for him.” She pulled away from Cooper. “It’s hard to understand how good he is at conning people. He even has his folks fooled, but they love him. I still don’t know how I could have been so stupid.”
    Cooper hadn’t moved. When she pulled away from him, he dropped his arms and let her go. She needed to put a little distance between them and headed toward the door. “Let’s get some more coffee.”
    He nodded and followed her into the kitchen where he took down a couple of cups. “Have a seat.” He motioned for her to sit at the table with him.
    She took a sip of coffee from the cup he handed her. This was so hard. Cooper wasn’t forcing her to do anything. She could say good night and go to bed.
    Again, his voice prompted her to continue. She couldn’t look at him. Her voice surprised her. She thought it would be hard to get the words out, but when she started, they seemed to flow with a will of their own. “The house only had two bedrooms, but with our shifts, we shared my room. On weekends, I used the sofa. Even as weak as she had gotten, Mom would have never agreed to us sleeping together. Mick was getting tired, he wasn’t getting nearly enough sleep, but he still treated mother well. After about three weeks, he said he wanted to talk to me about our living arrangement. He’d never made any move that told me he wanted more than a friendship.” Galynn raked her hands through her hair. “I…ummm, really didn’t know. I thought he wanted me for a friend. I didn’t…”
    Cooper reached over and took both her hands in his. Her eyes focused on their clasped hands. She took a breath and started telling him the story again. “He explained how men had needs. That a big part of being so tired was that he wasn’t sleeping.” She could feel her face burning, but she stumbled on. “He said we should get someone to come in and take care of mother for a couple of days and go off together. When we got back, we’d tell everyone we were married. Then when he got the divorce, we’d just go out of the area and make it legal.”
    * * * *
    Cooper knew he should call a halt. Galynn had turned as white as a sheet. With an oath, he stood up, not thinking that his body language would scare her to death. Surprisingly, it didn’t, and she stood up and walked straight into his arms. He could smell her unique scent and felt his body tighten in response. Again, his gaze met hers and held until he pulled it away. He lowered his mouth to feast on her lips, which were full and