"You might be right," he admitted. "What do we do about it? I don't know how the FBI works, but I don't think you can accuse a seasoned veteran of Burnett's stature without evidence."

  "Which is why we have to get some. I need to think about it." She let out a sigh and scooted up the bed, so she was leaning against the pillows and the headboard. "But I have to admit my head hurts."

  "We passed an all-night drugstore on our way over here. I could pick you up something."

  "No, I don't want you to leave. It's better that we stay together. I just need to rest a little."

  "Or a lot." He got up and turned off the light, then stretched out on the other side of the bed.

  She did the same, as they faced each other in the shadowy light of a shitty motel room. There was a brightly lit sign across the street from the motel that cast a glow through the broken blinds, making it easier to see her face.

  "Never thought we'd end up together in a place like this," he muttered.

  "Life is strange," she agreed. "I never thought I'd see you again. But here we are."

  "On a case, just like when we were kids, only there are real people's lives at stake, real bullets flying. Not that that bothered you. You were calm and cool. You never looked scared or uncertain. You just acted. It was impressive."

  "I've had good training."

  "Training doesn't account for everything. Take the compliment, Andi."

  "I will, because you don't hand them out very often. You've been a really good partner, Cooper. You were the first one to spot the intruder on the monitor. That gave us valuable seconds."

  "That was luck."

  "Better to have good luck than bad."

  "I can't argue with that."

  "Finally."

  He smiled as he dragged the pillow under his head so he could support his neck and see her better. "Look who's talking. You're the champion of arguing."

  "I can be too competitive," she admitted. "I hate to lose."

  "You always have. You take losses too personally. Not everything is a personal failure. Some problems just can't be solved."

  "Logically, I know that. Emotionally, I still get a sick feeling in my stomach when I can't make something right."

  "You do more than most to right a wrong. I've always admired that in you, Andi." He paused. "Now tell me something you like about me."

  Wariness entered her gaze. "Why would I do that?"

  "Because after everything we've been through today, we should let go of the bad feelings."

  "Can you do that, Cooper? You have far more bad feelings about me than I do about you."

  He thought about that for a moment. "I have to admit that hating you has become a habit, maybe even a reason to not look at the real truth, at my own failures."

  "You're going to have to explain that."

  He rolled onto his back and stared at the odd shadows dancing across the ceiling from the light outside the room. Then he said, "I couldn't make things good for Kyle. I wanted to make him okay, but I couldn't do it."

  "I know you tried," she said softly.

  "It's taken me a long time to make peace with his death, to acknowledge that it wasn't just about the horrible time when he was accused of kidnapping and other heinous crimes. That experience was traumatic, and it haunted him. I won't say it didn't, but there were other issues, too. Instead of spending so much time fighting and hating people who didn't treat him well, I should have tried to get him more help." He still felt a frustration that he didn't think would ever go away. "I used to feel guilty that he was messed up and I wasn't. It seemed unfair. We both came from the same parents. Why didn't I have to carry his burden?"

  "Because you couldn't. You were you. Kyle was Kyle. Your parents loved you both and Monica, too, of course."

  "They were good parents. They tried hard to give Kyle the best life. But they didn't see everything that was happening. I was at school with him. I was his age. I saw more than they did. Sometimes, I just didn't want to see it."

  "Like his car the night of the kidnapping," she said quietly. "You knew it was Kyle, just like I did."

  "Kyle didn't take Hannah."

  "That wasn't what I said."

  He rolled back to face her. "I honestly thought you were wrong, Andi."

  "Then or now?" she returned, her gaze boring into his.

  "You always ask the hard questions."

  "You don't have to answer. You started this conversation."

  She was right, but he did have to answer. "Then," he said. "I honestly didn't believe Kyle was anywhere near our street that night. And no one ever proved that he was."

  "Okay. Then why does it feel like there's a but coming…"

  "But," he said. "Kyle's story did change a lot. He couldn't say exactly when he left the concert. Will said Kyle left early, but Kyle claimed that Will took off first. Later, he told me that he'd gotten mad at Will that night and left because Will was high and acting like an asshole. Which made me wonder if you did see Kyle's car that night. It wasn't at the house when I got back, but Kyle could have just been driving around."

  "Did you ever ask him flat out if he saw Hannah that night? I'm not talking about when it happened, but later, when everyone was older, when time had passed?"

  "No. I never asked him flat out. I didn't want him to think I ever had any doubts about his innocence."

  "So you stuck to the story that I was the bad guy, even though you knew Kyle wasn't very clear on his actions that night."

  "That was my story," he admitted, seeing the pain in her gaze. "I had to tell myself that. I had to hate you."

  "Why?" she asked in bewilderment. "Why did you have to hate me?"

  They were venturing into dangerous territory and into thoughts he'd never spoken aloud to anyone. But this was Andi. This was the girl he used to tell everything to. "Because," he said, his voice so thick he had to clear it before continuing. "You hurt me. I didn't understand why you couldn't stand up for me or my family, why you couldn't protect us. You were my best friend. I felt betrayed."

  She bit down on her lip, his words obviously hitting her hard. "I didn't know in the beginning that I would get Kyle in horrible trouble. I thought maybe he had just seen something. It snowballed after that. I made mistakes. I know I did. I talked too much to the wrong people. I thought I was standing up for Hannah, for justice, for truth. But I wasn't thinking enough about what my actions were doing to you, and I did regret that. I just didn't think I could fix our broken relationship. I still don't. Even when we have a laugh together, there's a moment where you suddenly realize how you really feel about me. You'll never forget what's between us."

  "I've never wanted to forget it…until now."

  "Why now?" she challenged.

  "Because I don't want the past between us anymore." His heart started pounding hard against his chest. "I want to see what else could happen with us."

  Her eyes glittered in the dim light. "Could you really take that risk with me? Because I don't know if I could take it with you. It was hard to get over you, Cooper. I missed you for so many years. I don't want to start something now that's going to end up in the same horrible place of pain and unhappiness."

  "It would never be the same place."

  "It could be worse. It's not worth it."

  "It could definitely be worth it."

  At his words, a spark lit up her eyes. She was hesitant, but she was also tempted, and it was nice to know he wasn't the only one feeling that way.

  "I think we should just go to sleep." Her words sounded a little desperate now. "There's too much at stake. And it could go bad. Because it's you and me, and we'll be good and then we'll be bad."

  He waited until she ran out of steam and then put his hand on her arm. "Or it could be amazing. And consider this. We've already risked our lives twice today. Maybe tonight is all we have. If that were true, would you want to spend it sleeping?"

  She shook her head and let out a sigh. "You're pulling out all the stops."

  He smiled. "You told me earlier today that I move too slow. Let's speed things up. You like speed. You like danger. You like to feel like you're living on the edge."

  "You know exactly how to play me, Cooper."

  "Which bodes well for what could happen next."

  A smile lifted her lips. "I know a few things about you, too."

  "Why don't we just start with a kiss and see if either of us wants to take it further? You can say no at any point. You know that, right?"

  "Of course, I know that. But let's say the kiss goes as well as the last one. Let's say we want to take it a lot further. We're going to see each other naked. Are you ready for that?"

  He laughed. "While that thought would have grossed me out at eight, I was intrigued by the idea at fourteen and even more so now. Are you interested?"

  "Very interested. But ready? Not sure. I feel nervous. Like I've never done this before."

  His pulse was already racing fast. "Me, too, but I think we could be good together."

  "Or horrible. It could go either way."

  "There's the pessimist I know so well."

  "Realist," she corrected. She put her hand on his waist as she leaned in for a kiss. "Let's see what you've got, Cooper."

  "Let's see what you've got," he returned.

  She gave him a cocky smile. "You know I like to be good at everything I do."

  "And I hope you know that you're not going to call all the shots."

  "We'll see."

  "You'll see," he promised as their mouths met.

  They started out slow, slightly tentative, curious, exploring, but the heat built fast. One kiss led to two, then three. His hands roamed her body, exploring her curves, sliding under her sweater to feel the warmth of her skin.

  Andi got impatient quickly, tugging at the hem of his shirt, until he pulled it up and over his head. Then her hands were on him with an eagerness that sent a jolt of desire through every nerve ending in his body. He loved the way she touched him, kissed him, moved against him. They were running hard and fast toward the edge of a cliff.

  He didn't want to stop. He didn't want her to want to stop. Because every dream he'd ever had about her was coming true, only it was so much better than he'd imagined.

  Every kiss, every taste, every touch stoked the fire that had been simmering for years. But as he'd told her, this time he was calling the shots, so he flipped her on her back and smiled into her surprised eyes. Then he pulled her sweater up over her head and unfastened the clasp of her bra, feasting on the sight of her luscious curves. His hands led the way, his mouth following as he kissed his way down her body, taking his time, savoring every moment, as he stripped off the rest of her clothes.

  One high led to another, until she wanted her turn with him, until they were both naked and impatient to have no more barriers between them, until they were both gasping for air, their bodies singing with a song that only they could make.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Laying in Cooper's arms after a firestorm of feelings and emotions, Andi couldn't quite believe what had just happened. Her pulse was finally starting to slow down, but her body tingled all over, her mind still remembering every touch of Cooper's mouth and hands, the way he'd moved against her, inside her. How perfectly they'd fit. How in sync they'd been, reading each other's minds the way they'd always done, but in a way they'd never done before.

  It should have felt strange, awkward, but it hadn't been either of those things. It had felt exactly right, like it should have happened a million times before. Maybe it would have if they hadn't fallen out, if their world hadn't changed. Or maybe it had been sweeter because of everything that had happened between them.

  Whatever the reason, Cooper had kissed like a dream, and she was only realizing now that she'd had this particular dream before. She'd just never been able to see the face of her phantom lover. He'd always been in the shadows. Had it really been Cooper all these years? Was that why no one else had ever made her want to get serious, to move in, to be committed?

  But that was crazy. She could not have been pining for him for eighteen years.

  And she was getting way ahead of herself. They'd just had sex, really good sex. She had no idea where anything went from here. Maybe nowhere. Maybe that was okay.

  Frowning, she actually didn't think it would be okay. Because now she knew how they could be together, and it wouldn't be easy to forget him. But she didn't have to forget him yet. Not now with her head resting on his broad chest, her legs entangled with his, one arm around his waist.

  "So, naked is good," Cooper murmured.

  She lifted her head to look at him. "Yes, and no one started laughing."

  He gazed back at her with a tender smile. "I definitely didn't feel like laughing. How are you doing?"

  "I'm great. And thanking God you had a condom in your wallet. But then I shouldn't have been surprised. You were always a better planner than I was."

  "I sure didn't plan this. If I had, I would have chosen a much better location."

  "It's perfect. You got lucky at the Lucky Motel," she teased.

  "Or maybe you got lucky."

  "I can't argue with that," she said, as his magic fingers stroked her bare back, stirring up the desire she'd thought she'd vanquished. "You better stop that, or you're going to have to check out that 24-hour drugstore down the street."

  "I would go there in a second, except that I wouldn't want to leave you alone here."

  "We need to stay together," she agreed.

  "Just like this," he said with a laugh. "Or maybe even a little closer."

  She grinned. "Behave."

  "Why? It's so much more fun to be bad. And there are other things we can do without a condom."

  "I know. We already did some of them."

  "I bet you have other ideas. You always have ideas, Andi."

  "Maybe a few," she admitted. "But—"

  "No," he groaned, cutting her off. "It's too soon to think of all the reasons why this was a mistake. We're living in the moment. Let's stay there."

  "Okay." She wasn't that interested in talking, either. She just wanted to enjoy being with Cooper for however long they had.

  "That was almost too easy," he said suspiciously. "You're not going to wait for me to fall asleep and then bounce out of here, are you? Because putting what just happened aside, we need to be together."

  "I'm not bailing on you," she promised.

  "Good."

  She put her head back on his chest and drew in a happy breath, then let it out, feeling remarkably relaxed and more content than she'd felt in a long time. The problems would come flooding back with daylight, but here in this moment, she was exactly where she wanted to be.

  "Do you want to go to sleep?" Cooper asked.

  "I think so. There's a beautiful dream still going on in my head."

  "Mine, too," he whispered, as his arms tightened around her. "Let's meet there."

  "In our dreams," she murmured. "Just like before."

  "Before?" he asked.

  She heard the question, but she couldn't answer it, because she was already drifting away…

  Andi woke up Thursday morning to bright sun and a cold, empty bed. The man whose arms she'd slept in was gone, and her heart skipped a beat. She jumped to her feet and moved toward the bathroom. It was empty. Where the hell was Cooper?

  She told herself he was fine. He'd probably just left to get coffee, which was stupid, since he shouldn't have gone anywhere without her. A quick glance at the bedside table revealed that her gun was still there. She didn't know whether to be happy about that or not. But clearly, he hadn't wanted to leave her unprotected. However, he had left her in a funky motel room without the deadbolt engaged, which wasn't smart. She thought about using it now, but she wanted a quick shower and didn't want to lock him out.

  She took her clothes into the bathroom and took a very quick shower. When she returned to the bedroom, she found Cooper walking in with a tray of coffee and a bag of food.

  "Where did you go? Why did you leave without waking me up so I could lock the door?" she demanded.

  "Oh. Sorry. Damn! I forgot."

  "You forgot a lot of things," she snapped. "Like how we were going to stay together."

  "I also forgot how angry you get in the morning when you haven't had any food." He set the tray down and handed her a coffee. "I was only gone for fifteen minutes, and I did try to wake you up, but you were out, and I figured you could use a little more sleep." He frowned. "But you're right about the deadbolt. I should have thought about that."

  She grabbed the coffee and took a long sip. The hit of caffeine gave her a much-needed punch of clarity. She was hungry and she never did her best work on an empty stomach, so she grabbed the bag and pulled out a breakfast egg sandwich.

  "Am I forgiven?" Cooper asked dryly, as she took a bite.

  "I suppose. But you should have woken me up. We don't know who we're dealing with, but it's a sophisticated operation. No one breaks into an FBI safehouse unless they are well-connected. We can't afford to be careless."

  "It won't happen again. Where you go, I go."

  "I'm not sure about that. I still want to get you somewhere safe."

  "Where would that be? I won't endanger my family, and there's no one in law enforcement I'm going to trust except you. So we watch each other's back."

  "We'll see how things go," she said, not wanting to commit to a long-term plan. "What we need to do first is get a phone. I'm going to need some of your cash for that."

  "Already done," he said, putting the smaller bag in his hand on the counter. "I bought it while I was out. The strip mall across the street had everything."

  "Great," she said, ripping the plastic off the phone. "We're going to need this."

  "I figured." He grabbed the other breakfast sandwich and took a bite. "What's next?"

  "I need to talk to Agent Burnett. I have his number on my phone, but I don't want to start my phone until we're away from here. Then I can grab the number and call him."