Lost in a world where I could think about nothing but Cooper and the bliss he was creating in my body.

  “Yes,” I whimpered as Cooper let go of my wrists and slipped his hands under my ass.

  He sucked.

  He nibbled.

  He teased.

  And then he satisfied.

  I threaded my hands into his hair, avoiding his injuries, as I felt my climax building.

  “Just make me come, Cooper,” I pleaded. “You’re killing me.”

  His tongue stroked over my clit and didn’t back off this time.

  Cooper gave me the pressure and seductive movement I needed to make my orgasm roll over me with so much strength that it left me gasping for breath.

  “Yes. Please. That feels so good, Cooper. Please don’t stop.”

  I lifted my hips to meet those wicked swipes of his tongue.

  And then…I exploded.

  I came long, hard, and screaming his name like it was my mantra. “Cooper! Cooper! Yes!”

  My thighs were still trembling when Cooper started to kiss and lick his way up my body.

  He stopped when he came to my breasts and gave them his undivided attention until I felt like I was going to pass out from pleasure.

  He pinched.

  He licked.

  He nipped.

  And then he soothed.

  “If you don’t stop teasing me right now I’m going to lose my mind,” I said breathlessly.

  Finally, he crawled up until he was eye to eye with me, his powerful body covering mine.

  I wrapped my legs around his waist. “Fuck me, Cooper. Please. Now. I need you.”

  I yearned.

  I ached.

  I needed.

  I wanted.

  I craved.

  All of those emotions revolved around the love and need that this man managed to wring out of my body every time he touched me.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close, but it was as though I could never get close enough.

  He put a hand behind my head and kissed me, devouring my mouth like he couldn’t get close enough, either.

  “I love you,” I choked out when he finally released my mouth. “I love you so much, Cooper.”

  Those words made me vulnerable, but they also filled me with so much freedom that I felt like I could fly.

  Cooper buried his face in my neck and tasted the skin there, knowing it drove me completely insane. “I love you, sweetheart. Tell me you’ll never leave me.”

  A tear leaked from my eye as I realized that the newness of these emotions made both of us vulnerable. Since women had a habit of leaving him or not giving a damn about him, he was obviously as gob smacked as I was by the intensity of the emotions between us.

  Hell, I felt just as exposed as he did, but ultimately, I trusted him, and I knew he trusted me, too.

  “I’m never going to leave, Cooper. Ever. Maybe you’ve never believed in soul mates, but I do, and you’re mine.”

  “You made me a believer,” he said huskily as he buried his cock inside me. “There’s only you, Torie. It’s always been you.”

  I groaned and lifted my body up to plaster it against him, moving with him as he started to thrust into me over and over again.

  As usual, I couldn’t get close enough.

  I wanted to climb inside this man until I was completely surrounded by him.

  “Yes, Cooper. Fuck me. Harder,” I begged.

  He put a hand under my ass and yanked me against him as he surged into me.

  That soothed some of my desire to get closer.

  “Fuck, Torie, you feel so damn good,” he said in a voice that was raw with emotion.

  I stroked over his hair and finally sunk my nails into his back as I felt my orgasm getting closer.

  “I fucking love it when you do that,” he groaned as he started moving at an almost impossible speed.

  I panted against his neck as my climax started to overwhelm me. “I can’t wait any longer,” I cried out.

  “Don’t wait, baby. Come for me,” he demanded.

  I did.

  “Cooper!” I screamed as my body started to writhe underneath him. “I love you!”

  I said that over and over just because I finally could.

  “Fuck! I love you, too, baby,” Cooper groaned as he found his own release.

  He rolled and pulled me on top of him, but kept us joined as I fought for my breath and tried to slow my heart rate down.

  “Are you okay?” I asked anxiously.

  He chuckled as he kissed the top of my head. “Do you really have to ask that after what just happened?”

  “Yes. You got your head bashed in and you still have a gazillion stitches, Cooper. Dammit! I thought maybe we could just take this one slow.”

  “Give it up, sweetheart,” he said with humor in his tone. “Slow isn’t happening anytime soon. And I’m okay with that. I’m just fine. We didn’t have to slow it down. Not for me.”

  I let out a sigh as I made sure that putting my fingers in his hair hadn’t messed anything up. “Your sutures look fine.”

  He grabbed my hand. “They are fine, baby. It would take a lot more than a little enthusiastic sex to pull those things out. They’ve been in for a while. The wounds are healing.”

  Cooper kissed my hand and then entwined our fingers and rested them on his chest as he added. “I missed you. You’ve been so standoffish for days now. I was tired of being a patient and not a boyfriend.”

  “Everything about this entire trip was scary,” I told him. “This is the best part of the whole trip.”

  “Leaving?” he said with a grin.

  I shook my head. “No. Being with you.”

  “Still sure you want to marry me?” he asked huskily.

  “Do you really have to ask that after what just happened?” I asked, repeating his question. “I love you, Cooper Montgomery. I doubt you could become my husband fast enough.”

  “Oh, I could make it happen pretty fast,” he argued. “Vegas in a month or so? Fuck! I know you deserve a big wedding with—”

  “But that’s not what I want,” I told him. “Chase and Wyatt are really the only important family I have left, and it’s not like I’ve had time or the opportunity to rebuild a network of friends in San Diego. If I had my way, I’d keep everything simple. Make it happen, Cooper. I’ll figure out the best place to kidnap and take you to on our honeymoon.”

  I didn’t want to wait, either. My biological clock wasn’t ticking that loudly, but I was thirty-two, and if Cooper wanted kids like I did, we’d have to get that process moving in the next few years. “Do you want to have kids?” I asked hesitantly.

  “With you? Hell, yes,” he said without hesitation. “Well, if you want them. If you don’t, I can live with that, too.”

  “I do,” I told him softly as I stroked over his stubbled jaw. “I’d like to take a little time to be together first, though. Once we’re settled and we’ve been able to travel a little together, I’ll be ready. I’ve always wanted to have a child or two. I just wasn’t sure if I’d ever meet the right guy.”

  He shot me a wicked grin. “I’m definitely at your service for that. No matter how long it takes.”

  I smiled back at him, my entire being filled with happiness.

  “I wouldn’t exactly be upset if it doesn’t happen right away,” he told me in a husky voice.

  I laughed, my spirit light. “I’m so glad you’re willing to practice until we get it right.”

  “Sweetheart, everything is right with me right now. I feel like the most fortunate bastard on Earth right now,” he said earnestly.

  I made a vow to make sure he always felt that way. No one deserved happiness, love, and laughter more than Cooper. After his childhood and his history with the women in his life, he deserved someone who would always love him, always appreciate all of the wonderful things about him.

  “I’m feeling pretty lucky myself right now, handsome,” I told him sincerely. “Nothing in my past matters anymore, Cooper, because in the end, I got you.”

  He frowned. “Considering what happened to you, that seems like a pretty lousy consolation prize.”

  I smacked him on the shoulder. “Stop that. You’re the best of prizes.”

  He put a hand behind my head, pulled me close, and kissed me senseless before he said, “I’ll always try to live up to that opinion.”

  “You already do,” I told him softly as I lowered my head to kiss him again.

  Cooper Montgomery might not realize it, but he was everything I’d always wanted, and I hadn’t even needed to kiss another single frog to find him.

  Torie

  Three Months Later…

  “Thank you both for not taking offense when I stepped in front of you in line to get married,” I told Taylor and Harlow as we all sipped a glass of champagne in the enormous reception suite in Vegas.

  As promised, Cooper had eagerly pulled a wedding together in Vegas. He took a little longer than initially promised so he could “make sure everything was perfect.”

  It had been.

  Our small but beautiful ceremony had taken place in front of friends and family in a gorgeous chapel.

  We’d kept the wedding formal without being stuffy.

  I’d found an amazing tea-length, white lace dress that made me feel like a princess. I’d opted for a white, simple pearl and flower headpiece that was woven through my crazy hair rather than the traditional veil because it was more my style.

  Savannah had stood up for me, and Chase had stood up for Cooper, which had taken the pressure off my husband of deciding which brother to use as a best man. It had allowed Hudson, Jax, Taylor, and Harlow to just be honored guests rather than going through the hassle of being part of a very small wedding party.

  Our reception was being held in a fantastic penthouse suite with amazing food and plenty of space for our guests.

  Everything about my wedding day had been absolutely splendid.

  I glanced down at the flawless diamond ring that Cooper had slipped onto my finger soon after we’d returned from the Amazon. Of course, they were gems from the Montgomery mines, and the gigantic center stone had taken my breath away.

  Cooper claimed he wanted to make sure every guy could see that I was taken.

  I thought he was just continuing his trend of being the most amazing man on Earth.

  Taylor snorted from her chair next to me. “Flying off to Vegas for a weekend on my fiancée’s private jet wasn’t exactly a hardship.”

  “Not for me, either,” Harlow assured me from her seat on the other side of me. “And I don’t blame you for not wanting to wait until after Jax and I get married next Valentine’s Day. I think your wedding was perfect. I’m tempted to ask Jax if we can do the same thing.”

  “Do you think Riley is completely over the fact that her brothers lied to her about Last Hope?” I asked with a sigh.

  Hudson, Jax, and Cooper had finally spilled the beans to their little sister about Last Hope about six weeks ago.

  Riley had just started talking to them again two weeks ago, and probably only because of the wedding.

  Cooper had been right. She had been upset, but she was currently talking with her brothers across the room like it had never happened.

  “She’s totally over it,” Taylor assured me. “I think she was okay a week or two after they told her, but she wanted them to get the message that she wasn’t okay with them telling all those stories about being treasure hunters.”

  I smiled. “I’m glad she knows. I’m always afraid I’ll say something I shouldn’t.”

  “Me, too,” Taylor said in a relieved voice. “I hated having to watch everything I said when she was around. She’s my friend.”

  “Mine, too,” Harlow said as she smiled at me. “I heard we have you to thank for that.”

  I shook my head. “Not really. I just told Cooper what it’s like to be a little sister. They made the decision to tell her.”

  Taylor let out a small sigh. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell us that Savannah Anderson is your best friend. She’s so gorgeous, and she’s such an amazing reporter. I’m not sure I’d be half as brave as she is about going into some of the world’s hot spots.”

  I shrugged as I looked across the room at Savannah. “I guess I don’t think of her as a celebrity. She’s been my best friend since grade school, and being a journalist was always her dream. I’ve always been so proud of her, but I worry about her sometimes. I know she has security, but her job is still pretty dangerous.”

  “So what’s the deal between her and Chase?” Harlow asked. “He can’t seem to take his eyes off her. Are they an item?”

  My gaze immediately flew to my best friend and my brothers, both of whom were at the buffet tables.

  Savannah and Chase were having an animated conversation, which was nothing new.

  I watched the two of them for a few minutes, but I didn’t notice anything unusual.

  “They’re friends,” I told Taylor and Harlow. “Savannah has always been the only female who could bring Chase down a peg or two. She never lets him get too cocky.”

  Harlow’s gaze followed mine. “Maybe you’re just used to the way Chase looks at Savannah like he wants to get her naked and devour her. Believe me, those looks are predatory.”

  “I have to agree,” Taylor said. “The two of them look like they’re friends or friendly acquaintances, but there’s definitely some sexual tension there.”

  “No!” I denied. “Not those two.”

  Taylor raised a brow. “Maybe Savannah has never told you that she’s hot for your brother because he’s the dreaded brother of the best friend.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I think the whole idea of that being some kind of taboo is ridiculous. I’ve reminded Vanna that Chase and Wyatt are still single, and she’s always refused like she had zero interest in either one of them. She’s not holding back because he’s my brother.”

  I continued to watch the two of them, trying to figure out if I’d been missing something.

  I had to admit, Vanna’s eyes were slightly wary even though she was smiling.

  And Chase? Okay, maybe he was looking at Vanna a little differently from the way he used to when we were younger.

  “Can you see what I mean?” Harlow asked quietly.

  I nodded slowly. “I think you’re right. God, how did I miss it? Something changed at some point during our friendship. I guess I just wasn’t paying attention.”

  “I’m sure it happened after you were all grown-up,” Harlow mused. “By that time, why would you even be looking? I think the only reason Taylor and I noticed is because we barely know Chase and we’ve never met Savannah. It was a lot more obvious. Do you think they’ll ever figure out how they feel?”

  “I’m not sure,” I said thoughtfully. “They’ve known each other since they were kids, just like me and Vanna. They’ve always been a little antagonistic, but Chase was always just as protective of Vanna as he was of me as a child. He treated her like a second little sister.”

  “No offense,” Taylor said. “But he’s not looking at her like his little sister anymore.”

  “How much longer are you two planning on monopolizing my bride?” Cooper asked teasingly as he arrived from the buffet. “Hudson and Jax are starving, but they don’t want to eat without you.”

  I accepted the plate that Cooper had filled for me from the table.

  Taylor rose. “I’m ready to attack the food,” she said with a laugh.

  “Me, too,” Harlow agreed as she got up. “We’ll catch up with you a little later, Torie.”

  I waved at them as they went to find their fiancé’s. Cooper quickly plopped into the chair that Harlow had vacated so he could start working on his own plate of food.

  “How are you holding up?” Cooper asked.

  I sighed. “I couldn’t ask for a better wedding day. Thank you for the food. I’m starving.”

  I put my champagne glass down on the table in front of me so I could focus on my plate.

  “How long before you think we can sneak out of here?” he asked as he devoured a huge helping of prime rib.

  I nearly choked on my food. “Are you trying to sneak out of your own wedding? Our wedding?”

  He nodded as he chewed and swallowed. “You’re mine. I’m yours. Now I think we should get to reap the rewards.”

  I snorted. “This morning wasn’t enough?”

  He leaned over until his mouth was close to my ear. “It was, but then I saw you in that dress. Have I told you how beautiful you look today?”

  “Several times,” I reminded him. “Did I tell you how hot you look in a tux?”

  He grinned. “Once or twice, but I don’t mind hearing it again.”

  That mischievous smile of his was starting to make me wonder how soon we could escape, too.

  “I love you, Cooper Montgomery. I’ll remember today for the rest of my life.”

  I’d remember the confident way he’d said his vows.

  The joy in his expression as I’d walked down the aisle.

  And the promise of forever as I’d looked into his eyes.

  He lifted his hand and palmed my cheek. “I’ll make sure I remind you every single year on our anniversary. This date will never pass without me figuring out a way to celebrate my incredibly good fortune, sweetheart.”

  I sighed.

  For a man who swore he wasn’t romantic, he said some very sweet things.

  “How much longer?” he said huskily.

  “We haven’t cut the cake yet,” I reminded him. “And nobody is finished eating, not even my groom.”

  “You’re right,” he answered thoughtfully. “I’m not going to rush you. It’s our wedding day.”

  My heart somersaulted. I knew how he felt.

  We’d been so busy over the last few weeks getting ready for the wedding that I couldn’t wait to have him all to myself and completely relaxed. “I can down a piece of cake pretty quickly,” I teased. “And we can use our early departure for Europe in the morning as an excuse.”

  I had a fun hop around Europe planned for our honeymoon.

  Cooper took my empty plate, dropped his on top of it, and put them on the small table next to him before he took my hand and raised it to his lips. “I love the way you think, Mrs. Montgomery.”