Changing the Rules (Richter Book 1)(3)

Clear, calculated, and well-practiced moves started to unfold inside of her. Her arms and legs moved at the same time. Her knee came up and met something entirely too hard to be mistaken for flesh, especially male genitalia, which was what she was aiming for. Even without that jarring surprise, she twisted her legs up with his and heaved her weight until he was on the ground under her.

And he was still laughing.

Claire brushed the hair out of the man’s face and finally saw him.

Her mouth opened and her eyes narrowed.

“Cooper?”

Their eyes connected. “Hello, Yearling.”



Cooper Lockman hadn’t seen her in nearly six years.

Six long, education-filled years.

Six years in absence because it was the right thing to do.

Six years where not one day escaped that he didn’t think of her.

Claire’s surprised expression was followed by flailing hands that slapped at his chest in a much more playful way than when she was tackling him. “What. The. Actual. Fuck!”

And he laughed.

“You’re the one that asked for drama.” Neil’s voice sounded in both of their ears.

Cooper could see Neil’s words register in Claire’s head at the same time they did his.

Claire settled on top of him. Her legs spread over his hips, her body upright . . .

Slowly, she started to smile.

When she did, her body relaxed on top of his, and it was then that Cooper realized that six years had changed absolutely nothing.

He placed his hands on her hips to move her off of him.

Once she was on his side, he felt he could actually say something intelligent. Something other than . . . God, you’re beautiful and just as amazing as the last time I saw you.

“I thought we lost you to Europe,” she said.

“And become an expat? Never gonna happen.”

Her smile moved from happy to radiant seconds before she threw her arms around him in a hug of unadulterated happiness.

Cooper allowed his arms to encircle her in response.

He closed his eyes and found himself lost in the moment.

Not that it lasted.

“I trust no one is hurt.”

Cooper looked over Claire’s shoulder to find Sasha standing several yards away.

“Never better,” Cooper told her.

Claire stopped smiling in a millisecond, and without warning she placed her hand on the cup that protected his sexual future. “I knew it.”

He brushed her hands away before her touch made him turn red.

They pushed off the ground at the same time. Cooper shrugged out of his jacket and lifted his shirt to tug on the Velcro that kept the fake pounds around his waist.

“When did you get back?” Claire asked.

“Last week.”

“Are you back to stay, or does Neil have you slated for the London team forever?”

He opened his mouth to offer an ambiguous reply only to be cut off.

“The reunion can wait. We still have work to do.” Sasha walked up to the two of them and handed Claire the shoes she’d tossed to the ground before she did a full body tackle to take him down. Not that he resisted all that much.

Claire pulled at the hem of her skirt and smoothed a hand over her stomach. “Is my dress okay?”

Cooper wasn’t sure the question was directed at him since she turned a full circle in front of both him and Sasha.

“You look like you’ve been rolling around in the grass,” Sasha said, her Russian accent always apparent.

He reached out and pulled a leaf out of Claire’s blonde hair.

Claire was all smiles. “Or maybe people will think I snuck away to get lucky.”

He laughed.

“Run a brush through your hair. It’s getting dark, no one will notice the grass stains on a black dress.” Sasha turned to Cooper. “Relieve Lars. We’ll recap at the end of the evening.”

Claire turned toward the back door of the Victorian home. “Glad you’re home,” she called out over her shoulder.

“Me too.”

Then she was gone.

He brushed at his pants. “That was fun.”





CHAPTER TWO


“I forgot how hot he was.” Jax stood in the doorway of Claire’s room in the Tarzana house they shared.

It was after one in the morning, but they were still buzzing from the late night. Claire was slipping out of the formal clothes and into a pair of boy shorts and a T-shirt to sleep in. And Jax was talking about Cooper.

“Don’t let him hear you say that. He will remind you every chance he gets about that ‘one time’ you said he was hot.” Claire motioned toward the disguised camera in the hall that she knew was equipped with audio as well. The home had undergone some extensive security adaptation back when Neil’s wife had lived there. The man took protecting his family to serious extremes. When Jax made the move, she and Claire both decided that the internal cameras and audio needed a kill switch. The last thing either of them wanted was for their coworkers to see what they were doing in their personal time. Like talking about the hotness that was Cooper.

Jax flopped on the end of Claire’s bed and curled her pajama-covered legs under her. “Any idea what this special meeting we have tomorrow is about?”

Claire shook her head.