Copper Read online

  Copper couldn’t stand it anymore, and he couldn’t just walk away. This shower was over. He pushed open the glass door. The sobbing became even louder. He scooped Marla into his arms. He tried to ignore the fact that she was completely naked, even though the water from her body seeped through his clothes, plastering them together.

  Startled, Marla flailed her arms and legs. “Let me go!” She demanded in a voice hoarse from several minutes of crying. She shoved hard against her captor’s chest but got nowhere.

  Copper didn’t’ want either one of them to get hurt. He tightened his grip, trapping her between the tight hold of his arms and his much larger body. “It’s okay,” he tried to reassure her. “It’s me, Copper. I’ll let you go as soon as you stop fighting me.”

  She instantly stilled. Marla refused to look at him. Instead she buried her face in the side of his neck. She took several ragged breaths and eventually managed to stifle the sobs.

  Copper murmured encouraging words to her. He glanced around the bathroom, snagged the nearest bath towel, wrapped the cotton around her, and walked them over to his bed. He quickly turned back the covers and gently eased her down onto the firm mattress. He slid in behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist to provide physical support.

  “That was one hell of an emotional outburst. Anything you want to share or bounce off of me, just let me know,” he offered. He wasn’t much for small talk, but he needed a distraction. And he was damn sure Marla needed one too.

  It might make him a horny bastard, but his sex was already growing hard from the feel of the warm, soft woman pressed against him. Copper discreetly adjusted his erection so it wouldn’t be so obvious. He was trying real hard not to be a bastard and take advantage of the situation. If that meant urging her to bare her soul, so be it.

  Seemingly oblivious to the sexual tension that was coming off of him in waves, Marla finally lifted her head and looked at him. Her eyes were shiny from the tears. The deep and vivid brown color was mesmerizing to Copper.

  “I’m sorry,” she said between breaths. “I thought I could be strong. You know, not let the bad memories engulf me and bring me down. I guess I was wrong.” Another sob followed by a jerky breath left her body.

  This was sorely testing Copper’s will, but he gritted his teeth. He was determined to do the right thing. “I’m no expert, but I would say there’s a lot more behind all that pent up emotion than being grazed by a bullet.”

  “You could say that.” Marla sniffed. “The attack and the realization that my ex-boyfriend could be involved brought back all kinds of horrible memories and feelings. I tried to wash off the dust from my fall in the parking lot and hurry out of the shower, but when I closed my eyes all I could see was Rob’s hateful face.” She shuddered.

  “I scrubbed harder thinking the soap and water would symbolically wash away the bad memories, but it didn’t work. Before I knew it, I was reliving the worst day of my life inside my head. Once again I was a scared and pregnant eighteen year old, lying at the bottom of the stairs, bleeding out and losing my baby.”

  Every muscle in Copper’s body tensed. The hand that was absently stroking her hair stilled. He was afraid he already knew the answer, but he needed to ask anyway. “Marla?”

  “Huh?” Her voice sounded far away, like she was lost in the frightening memories of long ago.

  “How did you fall down the stairs?”

  “Rob and I were arguing about the pregnancy. He wanted me to have an abortion, but I refused. I tried to tell him I would find a way to take care of the baby without him. It would have been tough, but Natalie and I already talked about ways to make things work.”

  Copper’s fingers clenched and unclenched around the comforter. “You gave the SOB an out, and he didn’t take it?” Copper’s jaw was clenched so hard, it was difficult to get the words out.

  “No,” her voice was full of bitterness. “He lost his temper and grabbed my arm. He was shaking me really hard. I was so scared, I couldn’t catch my breath.” A shiver skated down her spine, and her whole body shook.

  He couldn’t resist the urge to hold her. He wrapped his arms around her again, hugging her close to his body. He’d heard all he needed to hear. “I think I can guess the rest. You don’t have to say anything else.”

  Marla placed her hand on top of his and squeezed. "No, I need to finish, say the words out loud. I think it’ll help, and you already know the worst of it anyway.”

  “Talk all you want, darlin’, and I’ll listen.” It might kill him, but he’d do it and not say a word, if that’s what she needed.

  The woman in his arms took a deep breath and actually relaxed against him. “Thank you, Copper. This means a lot to me. Natalie’s the only person I’ve ever talked to about this, and we haven’t mentioned it in years. It’s been festering inside of me for way too long. Being attacked and knowing that Rob might be behind it brought everything bubbling to the surface.”

  Copper leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “Here’s your chance, talk all you want.”

  After a long drawn out sigh, she picked up the thread of the story. “I tried to get away from Rob when he started shaking me.” She gave a bitter laugh. “Naively I thought everything would be all right if I could just break his grip and get away from him. For a split second, I thought I succeeded. I started down the stairs, trying to put some distance between us.” She paused and was silent for several seconds.

  Copper gently rubbed her temple with one hand and stroked her long blonde hair with the other. He didn’t talk. He just offered his silent support and hoped that some of his strength found a way to sink into her. He was a man of action. Copper wasn’t really known for his patience, but for Marla he would wait all night, if that’s what she needed him to do.

  Finally her soft voice broke the taut silence. It was barely a whisper. “Natalie was in the kitchen, and I knew if I could get to her, I’d be safe. The shove completely surprised me, though looking back, I’m not exactly sure why. I lost my balance and toppled down the stairs.”

  Her whole body was trembling now. Copper didn’t know if it was from fear or the sudden chill in the air. He settled the comforter around them the best he could without jostling Marla. He knew in his gut that she wouldn’t feel better until she got it all out in the open.

  Her voice shook when she spoke. “I knew right away something was terribly wrong. The discomfort kept growing until it became excruciating enough to make me scream. It was the worst pain I’d ever felt, way worse than the black eye and split lip Rob gave me several months before.”

  “What!” So much for keeping his mouth shut. “He hit you?” The words came out in a menacing growl. A vein on the side of his neck stood out and started to throb.

  Marla winced even though she knew the anger wasn’t directed toward her. She laid a comforting arm on his shoulder, hoping to calm down his mushrooming anger. “More than once,” she confirmed.

  He took a deep breath but didn’t have another outburst, so Marla continued. “I mentioned earlier tonight that I was involved in an abusive relationship,” she softly reminded him. “He only hit me twice. I forgave Rob the first time, because I thought I was in love with him and that he felt the same way about me. Chalk it up to stupidity, but I gave Rob a second chance, and I’ve regretted it every day of my life.”

  Copper snorted, but he entwined his fingers with hers. When she didn’t attempt to break the contact, he gave her a comforting squeeze. It gave Marla the courage she needed to continue. Now that the dam was broken, the words were flowing, and they came out faster and faster as she kept talking.

  “I wasn’t willing to forgive him a second time. I broke up with him a couple of weeks before I missed my period and realized I was pregnant. I was scared to tell Rob, so I tried to keep the pregnancy a secret for as long as I could.” She paused to take a deep breath.

  “I was as careful as I could be, but it didn’t matter. He was in my bedroom waiting for me one evening when Nata
lie and I got home from running errands. He’d somehow heard rumors about my pregnancy. You know the rest…” She grew silent.

  Copper gritted his teeth and fought to keep the building rage inside him. Any display of anger or temper would spook her. He wanted Marla running to him not away from him. His silence didn’t stop him from making a promise to himself. Rob Storey was going to pay, even if he wasn’t behind tonight’s attack the SOB was going to pay with interest for his past crimes against Marla.

  “Copper?” Her tentative voice whispered his name. She paused, waiting for him to answer.

  “Yes, darlin’?”

  “Thank you.”

  “I haven’t done anything.” Yet! But he was going to act as soon as he acquired a more detailed picture of what was going on.

  “You listened, and that’s what I needed the most. I never talk about that night, because Natalie feels guilty, and I don’t want to say or do anything that would make her feel worse.”

  Copper figured it was just like his efficient and fiercely loyal assistant to shoulder the blame instead of putting it all where it belonged, squarely on the shoulders of Rob Storey. “It wasn’t her fault, and it wasn’t yours either,” he felt compelled to point out.

  “I know, and deep down I think Natalie does too. That doesn’t stop her from believing she should have protected me better, especially in our own home.” Marla stifled a huge yawn. She was on the downside of an emotional rollercoaster ride at the end of a traumatic day. Her body was finally crashing, and she had no choice but to let it.

  “I’m so tired.” She closed her eyes and leaned even more into the warm and comforting body holding her up. “Going to crash now,” she warned just before drifting off to sleep.

  A gentleman would leave the bed and probably the room too. Copper wasn’t a gentleman, and he wasn’t moving. He wanted her to get used to being near him. He wanted her used to his touch too.

  He gently shifted Marla onto her side, so he could adjust his own position. She stirred enough to try to move away from his embrace, but Copper just tightened his hold and whispered comforting words. The woman he was spooning with quieted down and went back to sleep.

  Rest would have to wait for Copper. He needed to be alert when protecting Marla, but he needed to strategize too. Once during a particularly challenging mission, he went forty-eight hours straight without sleep. He could afford to give up one night of rest to put a plan together. The quicker he and the rest of the Metal Cowboys came up with a concrete plan, the faster they could move from planning to the action phase.

  FIVE

  Marla slowly stretched. The scrapes on her knees and palms were still stinging from the fall on the asphalt parking lot. She glanced down at her taped side. A dull ache settled in sometime during the night, but the tape was clean, no sign of bleeding. She was grateful for that much at least.

  After taking stock of her body the first thing she noticed was that the other side of the bed was empty. She remembered Copper being with her when she fell asleep. Judging by the cool sheets, he’d been gone for a while. She should be relieved, instead she felt bereft. She would examine her strange reaction to his absence later.

  She carefully maneuvered her way out of bed, cleaned up, and got dressed. She could hear faint sounds coming from downstairs. Time to face her hosts, all five of them. In the back of her mind, Marla was aware that Copper was the only one who mattered.

  She took a deep breath and put one foot in front of the other, moving closer toward the noise and the unavoidable face-to-face with Copper. Seeing him always tied her stomach in knots. Now it would be even worse. She laid her soul bare to him. He knew about her worst mistake, her darkest secret, and the cause of her deepest heartache.

  Last night, she opened up to him in a way that she’d never been able to do with anyone else. She wasn’t intimidated by his rough good-looks and tough demeanor anymore. Instead she was overwhelmed by the sizzling physical attraction between them and the unexpected tenderness and concern he showed for her the night before. Rough and tough she could ignore and move away from. She had no idea how to fight this other side of the intriguing man.

  The trail of sound and the unmistakable smell of frying bacon led her to the kitchen. As soon as she entered the room several pairs of eyes turned her way. She flashed a smile around the room but refused to raise her eyes above shoulder level.

  “Morning,” she greeted everyone with a shy smile and soft voice.

  There were several grunts of acknowledgment. A clear hello from Natalie rang out above the deep sounds made by the men. “Just ignore them,” she told her sister. “They were still plotting and planning when I came down for coffee first thing this morning. You want some breakfast?”

  At the mention of food, Marla’s stomach loudly growled. Her hands flew to her belly. “Sorry about that. I didn’t eat dinner yesterday. I was going to have leftovers when I got back to the apartment, but getting shot kind of derailed that plan.”

  Looking around the kitchen at the somber faces, Marla sighed. “I’m starving, where’s the food?”

  “I thought you might be hungry,” Natalie said with a smile. “I saved a plate of bacon and eggs for you. It’s warming in the stove.”

  Marla spied the stainless steel commercial double oven and headed that way. “You’re a lifesaver. Thanks, Natalie.” Almost as if to prove her point, her stomach growled again.

  She grabbed the plate and returned to the table. The only empty seat just happened to be to the right of Copper, who was seated at the head of the table. Her knee brushed against his when she sat down. Her body tensed. She jerked away, knocking over the glass of orange juice at her place setting.

  She quickly stood, trying to mop up the spreading liquid with the paper napkin that was lying next to her plate. Marla unbalanced her chair. It toppled over, causing a loud crash that made her spin toward the noise. A dismayed look settled on her face. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I guess I’m all thumbs this morning,” she quickly threw out a plausible excuse.

  Copper looked like he was trying to swallow a grin. “I think you’re entitled after the day you experienced yesterday.” He reached out a hand. “Let me get that.”

  His voice was right next to her ear. His close presence didn’t help matters much. “I’ve got it,” she insisted. “It’s my mess,” she quietly told him. “I really don’t mind cleaning it up.” She thought she was going to jump out of her skin when his hand came down on top of hers several seconds later.

  “Here. Use this damp dishcloth. That napkin has had it.” While she wiped the table, Copper righted her chair. “I’ll get you another glass of juice, then I want you to sit down and eat. Starving yourself isn’t going to make you feel better about anything that’s happened,” he warned.

  Marla glanced quickly at the man standing next to her and then looked down at the soggy and shredded paper. Evidently she was destined to make a fool of herself in front of Copper and the others this morning. As soon as she felt him walk away, she quickly wiped up the rest of the mess, disposed of the destroyed napkin, put the cloth in the sink, and returned to her breakfast.

  She took one bite and then another. “Yum, this is great. My compliments to the chef,” she said to break the awkward silence.

  “You’re welcome. It’s just bacon and eggs, not a gourmet meal,” Copper reminded her.

  “I’m so hungry this breakfast tastes better than a double chocolate cake,” Marla said with a smile.

  Everyone around the table chuckled, and Marla instantly relaxed. She took a few more bites of food and listened to the idle chit chat flowing around her. Her sister and Chrome were having an animated discussion. Their interaction made Marla smile. She didn’t hang around with the Metal Cowboys much, but from what she’d seen in the past, Natalie and Chrome never missed an opportunity to butt heads with each other.

  Copper cleared his throat. Everyone stopped talking and turned his way. “Now that Marla’s here, I want to go over today’s s
chedule, make sure everyone’s on the same page.”

  “I’m only a little sore. I know that Natalie usually works half a day on Saturdays. So I was thinking that Natalie and I could go back to the apartment and get out of your way once she finished work today.” She gave her sister and then Copper a wishful look. She wasn’t too happy when both of them vetoed her suggestion despite her pleading looks.

  “You and Natalie are staying put until your ex or whoever’s responsible for your attack is out of the picture,” he reminded her in a strong tone of voice that left no room for arguments. “If either one of you needs to leave the house for any reason, A Metal Cowboy needs to escort you.”

  “Damn straight,” Chrome grunted.

  “But I don’t think…” Marla started to say before Copper cut her off.

  “No exceptions, it’s nonnegotiable,” he declared in a stern voice that didn’t leave for argument. “Marla, your sister sent you here, and you trusted us enough to come. The Metal Cowboys promised to protect both of you. We don’t take that or any other promise lightly. Do not leave the house unless one of us is by your side,” he ordered.

  A loud knock on the back door stopped his tirade and startled Marla. She visibly jumped. The five men all glanced at each other.

  “That should be Sheriff Davis,” Copper informed the group.

  Mercury got up to let in the early morning visitor. Marla watched him go with a sinking feeling in her gut.

  It didn’t take long for an unfamiliar but friendly voice to come nearer and nearer. Two pairs of heavy boots thudded against the hardwood floors and echoed down the hallway. Marla was nervous enough to clench Copper’s arm. “Sheriff?” she asked in disbelief.

  “Yep, he served in the same SEAL unit as Chrome and me. He’s about a decade older than us and retired from the military a couple of years after we were assigned to the unit.”

  Marla immediately stiffened her spine and shot Copper a worried frown. “Um, I don’t trust the law, especially in this county.”