As her body began trembling, Coop used slow, easy thrusts, pushing her higher and higher while he dragged his thumb over her sensitive bundle of nerves. Unlike their frantic lovemaking sessions, this was sensual, unhurried, and tender, but every bit as potent.

Her muscles clenched, and she was free-falling without a net. As she tumbled into climax, they both cried out in ecstasy, falling over the precipice at the same time.

A long time later, when she finally came back down to earth, she collapsed on top of him, and he circled his hands around her waist to hold her tight. She listened to his heartbeat, and as it pounded in his chest, she wondered how she’d ever be able go back to the way things were before this incredible week.

When her legs started to grow numb, she rolled off him, and he packaged her against his body. She savored every minute while she still could. A soft, contented noise sounded in his throat, and when she glanced up, Coop gave her a lethargic smile and lazily ran his thumb up and down her arm.

“You’re kind of rocking my world,” he murmured, before dropping a gentle kiss onto her forehead.

In need of a distraction—before she did something crazy like tell him how she felt—she began tracing the outline of his face.

He gave a rough moan of pleasure. “Christ, if you keep touching me like that, I’m going to pin you down and take you again, and I know you’re too sore for that.”

“Oh,” she said as a thrill moved through her. She loved how she affected him—how he affected her—but in two short days, when the plane came to collect her, she’d never see him again.

She ran her finger over his crooked nose, and even though this week was supposed to be about casual sex—not about her getting to know him on a deeper level—curiosity finally got the better of her and she asked, “How did you break your nose?”

But as soon as the words left her mouth, everything between them changed. Coop went silent and cast his eyes down in deep thought. As his bliss disappeared, his body tensed, and he gripped her hand to still her exploration. He angled his head toward the window, away from her view, and once again she couldn’t help but wonder about his secrets.

He didn’t answer her, and while the lawyer in her was used to getting answers, and she was never passive in the courtroom, she was a bit hesitant to pry with him. Getting personal wasn’t in her best interest.

“I know this week was about sex, and just having fun, so I get that you don’t want to delve into your personal business.” She shrugged, trying to make light of things, despite the rawness in her throat. She stole a quick glance at the clock and continued to ramble on. “Soon enough I’ll be heading back to the real world and leaving this fantasy behind.” She gave him a smile and plucked at the bedding, like she did this sort of thing all the time. “It was good while it lasted, though, wasn’t it?”

…

It was good while it lasted?

He swallowed against the tightness in his throat. How could she still not see what she meant to him? Her plane left in two days, and if he couldn’t convince her that it was her he’d wanted all along, he was damn well going to lose her. No fucking way would he let that happen. She was the one and only girl for him, and he damn well planned to fight for her until her eyes were wide open and she saw this for what it was. Love. He grabbed a fistful of hair and tugged, blood pounding through his veins. He needed to do something, and he needed to do it now. Never had he felt like he had more on the line.

“Coop?” she said. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, come on.” He jumped from the bed and pulled her up with him. If he wanted her to trust him, to see that he wanted more than just sex, then he’d have to give more in return. That meant letting her get a glimpse into his life and opening up about his mother, no matter how painful it was to talk about it. He probably should have told her a long time ago he was a sports doctor, and that he usually only traveled to the ranch on weekends, but kept his mouth shut knowing it would lead to questions he wasn’t ready to answer. But it was that silence that was standing in the way of her seeing his real intentions. An uneasy feeling tightened his gut. When he opened up, would she be angry that he kept so much from her? Would she leave and never look back? Shit.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

This week had been about her, but now maybe it was time to be about him. “For a ride.” After a shower, they dressed and made their way outside. She kept casting curious glances his way, but he remained tight-lipped. Twenty minutes later they were in one of the ranch’s pickup trucks.

He felt her eyes on him and turned to see her looking at him with curiosity. “What are you up to?”

“What?” he said, laughing. A pickup truck came his way, and he waved to the driver as it passed. “I just thought we’d go get a beaver tail.”

“A beaver tail?”

“You do know what a beaver tail is, don’t you?” he teased.

“Of course I do. I am Canadian.”

“I’ve been craving a peanut butter and banana tail.” He cast her another glance as he drove along the back road to town. “You like them, right?”

“Fried pastry topped with all sorts of candy. What’s not to like? I guess I just never thought of you as a beaver tail kind of guy.”

“Not manly?” he questioned, giving her a half-cocked smile.

“How could it not be manly?” She laughed. “Every big strong guy I know eats peanut butter and banana pastry.”

“You think I’m big and strong.”

“Oh, my, God,” she said, laughing as she rolled her eyes.

He grinned. “What’s your favorite?”

“I’m kind of partial to the cinnamon and sugar.” She looked out her window. “I can’t believe there is a actually a franchise out here in the middle of nowhere.”

“There’s a town nearby, lots of shops and stores.”

“Oh?” Her eyes lit, and she probed, “Do you go often?”

“Not anymore. I don’t really have time, but I spent a lot of time there as a kid.”

Her brow crinkled. “You did?”

He waved a hand toward the pastures as they drove past. “I grew up around here.”

Her head jerked back. “You did? When did you move east?”

“Middle school.”

“I guess I just thought you’d always lived there.”

“Nope.” He drove a few more miles and then pulled off the road. He rolled the windows down, and a warm breeze scented with horses and hay drifted through the cab of the truck. “See that house?” he said, pointing to an old ranch in the distance. She nodded and he explained, “That’s where I grew up.”

She sat up, intrigued, and stuck her head out the window. “Really?”

“Yep.” He pointed to the corner room. “That was my bedroom. And you see that tree house?” He pointed to the big old maple at the side of the house.

“Yeah.”

“Dad and I built that.” At the mention of his dad he felt a little melancholy. He missed him so much. He gazed at Julia and smiled. His dad would have loved her. He’d have spent hours telling her about his childhood antics, and she would have laughed, loving every minute of it.

She pulled her head back in. “I remember your dad. He was always very nice when I went into the bank.” She looked a bit hesitant. “Is he…”

“No, he’s gone now,” he explained.

“I’m sorry.”

He reached out and squeezed her hand, taking comfort in her touch. “It’s okay. Are your folks still alive?”

“Yes. Dad retired from the service and is now puttering around the house fixing things.”

A truck sped by, kicking up dust. Coop rolled the windows up to protect her hair and clothes from getting soiled. “Fixing things?”

She laughed. “Okay, more like getting on Mom’s nerves. He needs a hobby.”

Coop laughed with her. “When I retire, I’m getting a motorcycle.” He held his hands out and rolled them, mimicking the action of riding.