Heart Of Courage. Sue MacKay

of the blue came the need to keep Cooper with her. His hand was reassuring against her unease. Leaning into him, absorbing the warmth of being with someone as tension held her in its grip, was a tonic.

      Thump. She jerked around, staring into the night, seeing nothing more than she’d been gazing at a moment earlier.

      ‘It’s okay. Some clown tossed a metal bucket at the fence.’ Cooper slipped his arm over her shoulders, drew her in closer.

      ‘I thought...’

      ‘Yeah. Me too.’

      ‘Have you ever experienced anything like what went down here?’ She’d known signing up to the army, even as a medic, had its dangers, but this was the first time she’d been confronted with the truth of living and working as an army officer in Afghanistan. She needed to toughen up and put it behind her, not let every little sound or bang have her leaping out of her skin.

      Tension tightened the muscles in the arm draped across her shoulders. ‘Once. Near Kabul.’

      ‘Why do you keep coming back?’ She’d signed up for one year and now she wondered how she’d make it through without turning into a freaked-out wreck.

      ‘Army orders.’

      So he wasn’t up for personal conversation. ‘Of course.’ She pulled away, put distance between them again. Wrapping her arms around her body, she stared ahead at the officers’ quarters. Lights blazed out over the compound and the idea of going inside to be surrounded by her colleagues became repugnant.

      ‘Want to keep walking for a bit?’ So he could mind-read. Probably as well as he could twist a dislocated clavicle back into place, as he’d done for Kelly. Or as easily as he had most upright females drooling over him without a word.

      Including her, she realised. He had to be the most sexy, gorgeous, mouth-watering man she’d met in a long time. Had she drooled when Kelly had pointed him out? Couldn’t have or he wouldn’t have come over to see her, dribble on the chin being highly unattractive.

      ‘I’ll take that as a yes, then.’

      Huh? Oh, right. Unused to women not gushing out answers to his questions? ‘I won’t be able to sleep. My head’s spinning and my body aches from being tossed through the air.’

      ‘That was some landing you made.’

      ‘Didn’t you get thrown down?’ she asked, suddenly remembering how quickly he’d seemed to be with her, covering her as bullets had flown past. ‘Thank you for protecting me. That was incredibly brave.’

      ‘Honestly? It’s something I did without considering the consequences. You looked vulnerable and I just fell over you.’

      Sophie sighed. ‘That’s how brave people act. They don’t weigh up the consequences. Wasn’t it random how the three of us standing together ended up in different places? Kelly copped the worst of the explosion and was thrown in the opposite direction from us. We’re relatively unscathed.’

      ‘Be grateful. We were needed in Theatre afterwards.’

      ‘True.’ They were heading behind the officers’ quarters into comparative quiet and some darkness. Sophie looked around, saw no one in the shadows, and stopped. ‘Maybe I should go back.’

      ‘Afraid to be with me?’ That earlier challenge was back, deepening the huskiness in his voice.

      ‘Not at all,’ she snapped, even as awareness of him teased her. He was large; tall and broad. It would be so easy to lay her head on that chest and wrap her arms around his waist. She knew she’d feel safe for as long as she held onto him. Shock made her gasp.

      But she didn’t pull away from that tiny touch of his hand brushing against her thigh as he waited to see what she’d do. She couldn’t move. Hell, she didn’t even want to. Right this moment she needed him. Needed reassurance that she’d survived her first bombing alive and well. Needed to get close to another human, to share the horror and the recovery from the shock. Wanted more than to be held. Wanted to feel alive in his arms.

      ‘Sophie?’ Cooper growled.

      She stepped closer, so near her breasts brushed his chest. Her nipples pebbled, throbbing with longing, echoing the sensations moistening her at the apex of her legs. She had never wanted a man so badly. Never. The afternoon’s attack definitely had a lot to answer for. ‘Cooper,’ she whispered in reply. ‘Please take me.’

      ‘Are you sure?’ he asked, the softness of his voice surprising her.

      ‘Absolutely,’ she told him fiercely. ‘Absolutely.’ Now. Not in five minutes. Now. She leaned closer, spreading the length of her body up the length of his. She immediately felt his hardness, knew his reciprocating need in an instant. Winding her arms around his neck, she raised her mouth to capture his.

      Cooper took over. His hands spanned her waist, pulling her firmly against his body, so close they’d become one. His tongue pushed through to taste her, delving deep, taking charge.

      Sophie lost herself in his kiss, his scent, his strength. Her hands grappled with tugging his shirt free. The need to touch his skin, to feel his heat against her palms was urgent. So urgent she slid her hands beneath the waistband of his fatigues, her fingers seeking that throbbing heat pressing into her belly. Wrapping her hands around him, she heard his groan by her ear.

      ‘Sophie, you are driving me over the edge too fast.’

      ‘I want fast.’ Huh? Who was this wanton woman in her skin?

      Cooper obliged, shoving at her trousers until they slid to her thighs, and then he cupped her.

      All the air in her lungs whooshed across her lips as his finger found her hot, moist pulse. One slide of that finger and she was clinging to him, losing all sense of reality. Or was this reality? Another slide and her legs were trembling, losing the ability to hold her upright.

      So she wrapped them around Cooper, holding herself over that wondrous finger, ready for his next muscle-tightening touch. But instead Cooper slid two fingers inside her and a scream flew up her throat, caught by his mouth. Since when had she become a screamer?

      And then for the second time in twenty-four hours her world exploded. Shock waves hit her. Her body was racked with spasms, her head tipped backwards, and she was only vaguely aware of where she was. Again Cooper’s strong body was plastered to hers, only this time it was her weight on him, her legs around his body. Then he moved to lift her higher and she was feeling him enter her, inch by excruciating inch until he filled her.

      Then he withdrew to plunge in deep again. And again. And again.

      Sophie completely lost her mind as her body responded to Cooper’s. All she knew was she’d died and gone to some wondrous place she’d never experienced. All energy drained from her as her response overtook her.

      And afterwards somehow she made it back to her bunk and slept the sleep of the completely sated.

       CHAPTER TWO

      Seven and a half months later...

      COOPER SWIPED AT his forehead. The Aussie heat was relentless. Darwin did not come cold. Not even cool. And this was winter. Two hours since the troop carrier had touched down and he’d already had enough, felt in need of a cold shower despite showering and changing into clean clothes less than thirty minutes ago.

      He entered the Australian Army’s busy medical unit and looked around for her. Sophie Ingram. No doubt she’d be another reason for a cold shower as soon as he set eyes on her. He’d never been able to exorcise the woman completely from his brain. One night, one hot act, and she now ruled his thought processes far too often. Face it, once was one time too many. But the times that really bugged him were those in the middle of the night when he was tossing and turning in desperate need of sleep. She’d sneak in, reminding him of her amazing body and that off-the-scale sex