I imagined doing just that, holding on tight while I fucked her from behind. Ass or cunt? Both. Definitely. Those tits would swing around while I did her, and she’d give little breathy moans with every thrust. Gorgeous.

Leaning back against the wall, I kept pumping. Wouldn’t take much more to push me over the edge—I’d been primed all afternoon, especially when I’d caught her watching me. She was hot for it, too. I saw it in her eyes and the way she licked her lips . . . They’d look real sweet wrapped around my cock. Would she swallow? My balls tightened, pressure burning deep inside. I decided that for the purposes of this fantasy, Tinker definitely liked to swallow. She’d drink my come and smile the whole time, reaching down between her legs and—

I came in a series of hard spurts, spraying the shower wall the way I wanted to spray her ass.

Fuck me, but that was good.

I rinsed myself and turned off the water, reaching for a towel. Nice to take the edge off, otherwise I wasn’t sure I’d make it through dinner. Any other time, any other place, she’d be under me already, but I knew my job.

Reapers forever, forever Reapers.

Sometimes loyalty sucks.

CHAPTER FOUR

TINKER

Cooper still had drops of water dripping off his freshly washed hair when he came back out to the courtyard. Combined with the week’s worth of scruff on his face, it gave him a rough-and-ready look that left me feeling almost woozy—the man was raw sex.

“How’s it coming?” he asked, offering a slow smile that made my knees shake.

“Just about done,” I replied, wishing I’d had slightly less wine. I wasn’t totally drunk, but I’d indulged enough that the edges of my world had fuzzed out nicely. In some ways this was good, because I felt less nervous around him. On the other hand, I’d be far more likely to do something stupid . . . Say, grab his butt or lean over and lick that little trickle of water rolling down the side of his neck.

“Anything I can do to help?”

I reached down with my tongs, picking up a piece of chicken so I could check the internal temperature. Perfect.

“You can hold the kitchen door open for me—everything else is inside,” I said, turning off the gas before setting the chicken breasts on the platter. “We’ll be ready to eat in a few minutes. I just need to grab the rest of the food and take it over to the picnic table.”

Cooper held the door for me as I walked past him. It opened onto a mudroom that would’ve been a porch if the house didn’t merge into the apartment building. We passed through to the kitchen, where I found Carrie and Darren exchanging a rather heated kiss.

“Get a room,” I announced loudly. “Otherwise I’m turning the hose on you.”

“Fuck off,” Darren said, pulling away from her. “If you’re still making out when you’ve been married for eighteen years, then you get a vote.”

Carrie and I laughed as Cooper joined us.

“Don’t think we’ve met,” Darren said, scoping him out carefully. Cooper held out his hand and they shook. I got a when-alpha-males-meet vibe, and Carrie rolled her eyes.

“Cooper Romero. I’m Tinker’s new handyman.”

“Yeah, I heard about you. Why’d you move to Hallies Falls?”

“Darren, don’t be rude,” Carrie scolded, pulling away from him. Darren ignored her as Cooper gave an easy laugh, stepping back to lean against the counter, big arms crossed over his chest.

“I’m in the middle of a divorce. My ex is in Ellensburg with our boys. I was looking for somewhere close enough to visit, but far enough that I won’t run into her on a regular basis.”

“What do you do? Besides working for Tinker, I mean.”

“Darren!” Carrie said, swatting his arm.

“I’m protective of Tinker,” Darren replied lightly, but his eyes were serious. “I saw you with the Nighthawk Raiders MC the other day. You a member?”

“Nope,” Cooper said. “Just dating a girl connected to the club, that’s all. I like to ride my bike and mind my own business. And to answer your question, I’m a trucker. That’s my rig parked out back. I’m taking a bit of a break for now—just need to sort out the legal stuff first.”

Darren nodded, seeming satisfied but still not overly friendly.

“Sorry, Cooper—Darren needs to learn to pretend he’s civilized in front of company,” Carrie said, rolling her eyes. “Let’s take the food out to the picnic table.”

She picked up the little caddy that held paper plates, napkins, and some silverware, grabbing the salad in her other hand. Darren unplugged the small rice cooker on the counter and followed her out the door, leaving me alone with Cooper.

“I’m sorry about that,” I told him. “I’d love to say that it’s not typical, but Darren has always been super protective of Carrie and I, even when we were kids. He’s like my big brother.”

Cooper gave me a slow, beautiful smile and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Having people who give a shit is a good thing.”

I smiled back at him, wondering why the hell he couldn’t fall down at my feet and declare his undying love. Of course, then I’d have stepkids . . . I’d never considered stepchildren. A stab of pain shot through me, and I shoved down my thoughts before they started down the dark path.

“Anything else I can do to help?” he asked, stepping closer to me. I could smell him—fresh and clean and male. My nipples hardened, and I shot up a swift prayer of thanks up that the halter had a little padding built in for the sake of discretion. Obviously the designer wasn’t a fan of nipping out any more than I was. Cooper reached over and touched my cheek softly. My heart stuttered.

“You had an eyelash,” he said, holding up his finger. Then he stepped back and picked up the platter of chicken. “Should I take this outside?”

Deflating, I admitted for the first time to myself that Carrie might just be right—maybe I really did need to get laid. I’d thought he was flirting with me, which was stupid. The man has a girlfriend. Get your mind out of your panties.

“Great,” I told him, refusing to blush. “I’ll go find my dad. Oh, there’s drinks in the fridge and wine on the counter. Grab whatever you want.”