For Love & Bourbon (30 page)

Ava let go of the breath she’d been holding, her heart breaking. With tears sliding down her cheeks, she squeezed his hand and grieved for him. “That’s awful. I can’t even imagine…God, Cooper, I’m so sorry.”

He nodded, aching from a wound that had never fully healed. “He died a hero. My mom never let me forget that. But after that day, I knew I couldn’t be a cop. I had to aim higher if I wanted to destroy the monsters responsible for his death. So I joined the FBI, and I’ve been moving up the ranks and waiting for my chance to get justice ever since.”

Silence fell as Ava absorbed the weight of what he had just told her. Despite how painful it must have been to relive the experience, she was grateful he had opened up about his past. Now she felt she finally understood him.

Without a word, she rounded the bar and embraced him, holding him tight against her as she released a heavy sigh. “Thank you for telling me.”

He framed her face in his hands, brushing aside a tear that fell with his thumb. “I told you I understood how you felt.”

“That you did. And I, being a stubborn fool, refused to believe you. Forgive me.”

The last dredges of his pain faded in the light of her smile, and for the first time in forever he felt like he could breathe.

“I think your stubbornness is my favorite thing about you,” he teased.

Her lips pursed into a playful pout. “Not my sexy laugh or Southern charm?”

“What can I say? I like rebellious women. It keeps things interesting.”

“Nice guy like you should settle down with a pretty little blonde in a white picket fence house,” she mused. “Most men can’t take the heat.”

“I think you already know I’m not most men.”

Her pulse jumped at the look in his eyes. “No. I don’t reckon you are.”

He captured her mouth with his, impatient and with something to prove. She curved into him, her hands roaming over his back as her heart thundered in her ears. It wasn’t just about wanting him anymore, she knew. They were connected now, bonded by tragedy and joined together by circumstances that should have made them enemies. Her heart had other plans, and when it filled close to bursting with love for him she realized it was about damn time.

Cooper broke free of her, out of breath and dazed. He didn’t even know what was happening to him, or why just being near her made him feel like he was having a heart attack. She was a jumpstart to his system that defied everything he had ever known. And when their eyes met, he swore the whole world stood still.

Her lips curved in a sultry smile. “What are you waiting for?”

“Hell if I know.” He dragged her against him, his hands in her hair and his mouth on hers. She wrapped herself around him like a vine and before he realized what was happening, they were on the floor.

She rolled him onto his back and unbuttoned his shirt, pressing her mouth greedily to the slope of his collarbone. Freeing him of his shirt, she sat up and pulled off her own, revealing the tanned skin and practical white bra underneath. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders and he couldn’t resist diving into that sea of auburn red.

She gasped when his tongue trailed over her neck, sending a smooth shiver through her body. Urgency hit her like a rushing wave and had her tugging at the waistband of his slacks, exposing him. He flipped her over so she was beneath him, and within seconds he’d peeled off her boots and jeans and brought his mouth back to hers.

Her breath came quick and labored as she arched up to meet him, thrilled when his hands ran down the length of her body, landing on her hips as he positioned himself over her. She looked into his eyes the moment he slipped inside of her, and watched the blue in them go opaque with desire.

He hovered for a moment, drunk on her like she was one of her family’s whiskies. Then he drove into her again, and the sound of his name on her lips echoed in his mind like a siren’s call, addictive and surreal. He marveled in her beauty as he dove in head first, letting go of everything else. All that mattered was Ava.

They moved together as one, fast and breathless and desperate. Her head fell back as the first wave swept over her, a hot shock that blasted through her system. Her eyes flew open in stunned surprise.

“Sweet Jesus, Slick,” she managed, her body shuddering against his.

He urged her to look at him and picked up the pace. His cobalt eyes darkened with an intense hunger that refused to let her go.

“Again, Ava,” he ordered, needing to feel the power of her release once more. The heat of her consumed him, drove him to a kind of madness he’d never before experienced. It roared within him, and all he could think about was watching her succumb to the pleasure he gave her, over and over again until there was nothing left.

Her mouth found his, lost in the heat and the pounding of her own heart. Soon she was cresting over the peak again, and this time when she cried out, she dragged him with her into the fire.

H
e awoke to the sound of birds chirping. It was such an unusual noise that at first he thought he was still dreaming, but after opening one eye he saw the source and it all came rushing back to him.

Ava.

There were trees outside her bedroom window. Darting among the branches he spotted a few russet sparrows, chasing each other in a dance as old as time.

Cooper closed his eyes again, releasing a long breath. He could feel her curled up beside him, her body warm and soft against his own. He glanced down and saw she was fast asleep, her lips parted and strands of hair falling over her face. On impulse he brushed them away, losing himself in memories of the night before.

If there was anything he could have done to make it harder to leave Fox Hills, this was it. It wasn’t the sex or the sharing of secrets, it was the falling flat on his face in love with her. He knew it had been brewing in his system ever since the moment they first met, but now there was no denying it. He cared about her in a way he had never cared for anyone in his entire life. And accepting that fact brought a bittersweet ache to his heart.

Eyeing the clock on her nightstand, he saw it was just after six in the morning. If he was lucky, he could leave without her family noticing. It hadn’t seemed to matter the night before when they had stumbled into the house, drunk on whiskey and each other. Now he realized just how bad it would be if anyone knew what they had done.

One look back at her had him wanting nothing more than to rouse her awake and lose himself in her all over again. But she was so peaceful while she slept, all the sharp edges of her foxy face smooth and relaxed. It was best for both of them if he left.

He eased out of bed and dressed as quickly as he could, then knelt down to press a kiss to her forehead. She stirred beneath him, her eyes fluttering open.

“Hi,” she murmured, her lips spreading in a slow smile.

“Hey, you.” He caressed her face, aching for just one more moment. “I need to run. But I’ll call you later, okay?”

She nodded, then snuggled back into the blankets. “Bye, Slick.”

By the time he stood, she had already fallen back asleep. Amused, he grabbed his coat and slowly opened her bedroom door. The house was silent as a tomb. Feeling confident that he could make his escape, he stepped into the hallway and closed her door behind him.

Just then Ty emerged from his office down the hall.

The two men stared at each other, and Cooper’s heart slammed into his throat.

Ty’s brows drew together. “What are you—” His eyes shot to Ava’s bedroom, then widened with understanding. “Oh.”

Cooper finally found his voice. “I’m not gonna lie to you. This is exactly what it looks like.”

Disapproval hardened the lines of Ty’s face, but he looked too tired to argue. “So it is.”

Since he couldn’t get out of the situation, Cooper decided to take advantage of it. “How are you doing, anyway? You’ve been avoiding us all week.”

“I just had to bury my wife, Agent Lawson. I’m sorry if I haven’t felt up to entertaining the FBI,” Ty grumbled, pushing past to head into the kitchen.

Cooper followed him. “Actually, that’s exactly why I wanted to speak to you. The local PD is insisting it was a robbery gone bad, but I think you and I both know otherwise.”

Ty ignored his statement and put on a pot of coffee. When it was brewing, he faced Cooper. “What are you still doing here, son? I have nothing to say to you.”

“Ned Brannon had your wife killed to punish you. We both know that’s the truth. Help me prove it.”

A scowl darkened Ty’s face. His hand shook as he swiped it through his hair, looking sick to his stomach. “I’m done helping the FBI. I never wanted any of this. It was all her idea, and now she’s dead. I have nothing left.”

Cooper frowned, confused by his statement. “What was her idea?”

Cold laughter bubbled out of Ty. “Don’t you get how
pointless
you are? How pointless all of this is? It’s just been for show. You’ve been investigating a crime that wasn’t even committed.”

“What are you talking about?” Cooper’s heart began to race as he fought for understanding. “You’ve been sending money to your cousin for the purpose of funding the IRA.”

Ty crossed his arms and leaned against the kitchen counter. “Yes, I have. And the FBI helped me do it. In fact, they
asked
me to.”

Cooper shook his head, a thousand denials racing through his mind. Then it hit him, and he could have kicked himself for not having thought of it before. “You’re an informant.”

Ty nodded. “And have been for twenty seven years. They tell me it’s highly classified information, for my protection. Not that any of it matters now.” He turned away to pour himself a cup of coffee, giving Cooper time to process all of it.

“If you’re an informant, why did they let us open the investigation on you? Why not just tell us?”

Ty moved to the kitchen island, taking a long sip of coffee. He placed a second cup in front of Cooper out of habit and ingrained Southern manners. “They needed a reason to cut off the money to Ned, and the less people who knew the truth the better. You’d be surprised how easily information like that can get to the wrong ears.”

Cooper accepted the coffee, but didn’t drink. “So why cut off the money supply now? And what’s the goal?”

“It took those two Americans getting killed in Dublin for us to get permission to finally make a move on him. But I told your boys it wouldn’t be enough to convince him to leave Ireland for the States. He needed one more push.”

Ty’s expression creased with pain, and he lowered his head. Cooper waited patiently for him to continue. When he spoke again, his voice cracked with a deeply rooted misery. “I knew if he saw Sandra, he’d want to take her away from me.”

“He wasn’t aware you’ve been married this whole time?” Cooper asked, unsure he followed what Ty was saying. “Ty, who was she to Ned? Was she important somehow?”

Ty gripped his coffee mug in his hands so hard his knuckles turned white. He shook his head, tears spilling from his eyes. “She was everything.
Everything
.”

He released the mug before it could be thrown and stormed out of the room, slamming himself shut inside his office. Cooper stared after him, stunned by what he’d just learned. And even more confused than ever before.

I know she’s with you
.

Christ, the FBI had used her as bait, and now she was dead. It was all their fault.

The realization struck him like a blow to the head. He reeled from it, unable to believe the role he had to play in this perverse game of cat and mouse. Ava’s mother was killed in cold blood because the FBI put her in the sights of a madman. A madman who they knew would be triggered to murder if he knew of her existence.

No wonder Ty was ruined. He’d gambled with the lives of his family to try and bring down his cousin, and it backfired. Cooper couldn’t even imagine how that must feel.

Anger and guilt snuck under his skin and festered, blinding him to anything else. He reached for his cell phone and stalked out of the house to where his car was parked a ways down the road. He dialed Horvath’s number and grew angrier with each ring.

“
Don’t you know what time it is?
” Horvath grunted sleepily.