For Love & Bourbon (44 page)
Read For Love & Bourbon Online
Authors: Katie Jennings
He blinked, taken aback by her statement. He had never been so humbled by someone in all his life. Seeing her there, open and honest and so very much the Ava he’d fallen in love with, repaired every last bit of his damaged heart. “This is pretty crazy timing, you know. I just got off the phone with Horvath. He offered to get me a job with the team working to take down Al-Qaeda.”
“Oh. Well, wow, that’s great. Congratulations.”
He stepped closer to her, needing to erase the disappointment from her expression. “He also said the field office in Louisville has a position for me.”
Her eyes widened as a hopeful grin spread over her mouth. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He ran his hands up her arms, caressing her skin. “I was just deliberating over what to do seconds before you came knocking on my door.”
“I see,” she drawled, her head falling back so her eyes could meet his. Her hands slowly drifted up his chest to toy with his tie. “So what’re you gonna do?”
He framed her face, his thumbs tracing over her cheekbones. “What do you think?”
He leaned in to kiss her and she backed away, shaking her head. “No. I can’t let you do that. I won’t come between you and justice for your father’s death. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing you’d given that up just to be with me.”
Cooper nodded. “You’re right. And I probably would have resented you for it at some point. But things are different now.”
“How so?”
He placed a hand over his heart, hoping he could put how he felt into words. “I’ve spent the last thirteen years chasing a ghost, Ava. I’m ready to stop now. I’ve finally found something I care about more than getting revenge. Besides, my dad wouldn’t want me to miss out on happiness just because of what happened to him. He’d want me to live.”
She stared at him, unsure what to say. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more certain about anything in my entire life.” He went to her again, his hand cupping around the back of her neck as his mouth found hers. He kissed her slowly, tenderly, and felt his world shift perfectly back into alignment. “Do you really love me?”
“You stupid fool, of course I do.” She laughed. “Even with all your city-boy quirks.”
He snorted. “Please. I just had to spend the last several weeks learning your ways. The least you could do is embrace mine.”
“Okay, it’s a deal. Now tell me you love me so I can call this trip a success.”
“I love you.” He kissed her again, needing to prove it. “God, I love you.”
“Good.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and let him spin her around, her heart soaring. “If you had rejected me I would’ve had to torch your apartment.”
He set her down, his eyebrows raised. “You’re joking, right?”
“Maybe, maybe not,” she teased, tapping his chin playfully. “Guess you’ll never know.”
He grinned. “Sounds like I made the right decision, then.”
“Yes, you did. I know exactly how I want to celebrate.”
She dug into her purse and unearthed a bottle of Lucky Joe’s Single Barrel Bourbon.
“How—”
“Don’t worry about the hows, Slick. Just find me a couple of glasses.”
“What would you have done if I’d turned you down?” he asked, unable to help himself.
She eyed the bottle, testing the weight of it in her hand. “Hit you over the head with it, most likely.”
“Ouch.” He chuckled, then went to grab a couple of red plastic cups from the kitchen. When he walked back into the living room, she gave him an incredulous look.
“What?” He held the cups out so she could pour the whiskey. “It’s all I got.”
“Well, it’ll have to do, then,” she mused, filling each cup. “Just know my ancestors are rolling over in their graves right now.”
“Please. I know you’re too Southern to deny the practicality and versatility of a red solo cup.”
“True enough.” She set the bottle aside, raised her cup, and offered him a brilliant smile. “To a new job, new beginnings, and damn good bourbon.”
He tapped his cup to hers, took a sip, then kissed her again. He loved how the whiskey tasted even better on her lips.
Their eyes met, and he drank in the sight of her. “That really is some damn good bourbon.”
I want a trouble maker for a lover,
Blood spiller, blood drinker, a heart of flame,
Who quarrels with the sky, and fights with fate,
Who burns like fire on the rushing sea
~ Rumi ~
Katie Jennings is the author of the popular fantasy series The Dryad Quartet as well as the award-winning romantic family drama series The Vasser Legacy. Her paranormal romance,
So Fell The Sparrow,
won an Honorable Mention in the 2014 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards. Her bestselling contemporary romance,
Things Lost In The Fire
, is a semi-finalist in romance in the Kindle Book Awards.
A Los Angeles native, she now lives in beautiful North Idaho with her husband, who thinks she’s the biggest nerd ever. She’s a firm believer in happy endings and loves nothing more than a great romance novel.
www.facebook.com/authorkatiejennings
Cover design by Katie Jennings
Cover design consultant, interior book design,
and eBook design by Blue Harvest Creative
Table of Contents