Alpha Fighter by Ava Ashley Page B

I've been living in a beautifully constructed fairytale world where I'm just a woman, he's just a man, and we can be an us without hurting anyone around us. I've been living in a dream world where being with me isn't suicidal.
    This is the real world. I'm the Ebola of women—exposure to me will catch up to you. Probably around the time that some of Daddy's thugs are knocking your teeth in. I shake my head. I can't let that happen to Cooper.
    "Cooper, no," I breathe, "You don't understand. I'm not good for you."
    "I'm a man. Let me decide that for myself," he says, coming even closer. The breath catches in my throat as his dizzying scent hits me and I am bowled over again by uncontrollable desire. My traitorous body responds, nipples hardening with desire against the fabric of my bra.
    "You don't know everything about me," I say.
    "Then tell me," he demands.
    "I can't," I reply. He's right there and I'm so full of desire that I can hardly see straight, but I have to pull myself together. I have to stay in control, like I always do. I can't lose my head or terrible things will happen. I repeat myself, more firmly this time, despite everything I'm feeling. "Cooper, I can't. Just believe me when I say that if you knew who I am, and where I'm from, you wouldn't want me."
    "Impossible," he growls.
    "It's not only possible, it's definite. You don't know anything about me," I say. He let's go of me and walks angrily over to the wall. He slams it with his hand, then turns to face me.
    "Damn it, Savannah," he shouts. "What, you think you're the only one with a past? You think you're the only one who's made some mistakes in their life?"
    "No!" I yell back, finally getting some of that anger I need, too, to push the desire away. "I'm not some sheltered princess. Life hasn't been all sunshine and butterflies for me, whatever you may think. But you don't know jack shit about where I'm from and what you're getting yourself into if you get involved with me. I'm the biggest mistake you could possibly make and I'm not fucking worth it!"
    "Fuck!" Cooper slams the wall again. "I know everything I need to know." He breathes deep, controlling his temper, and walks over to me. Suddenly, he's inches from me again, his hands on my arms. "I know you're smart and kind and beautiful and an amazing woman. I don't give a damn about where the fuck you came from or what mistakes you've made. All I care about is who you are right now, and who you are right now is the woman that I want."
    "But," I say, my temporary anger already gone and my voice much weaker. "Cooper, please stay away from me. I don't want to hurt you." I mean it, but there's little conviction in my plea for him to stay away and he can tell.
    "Never," Cooper says, coming up to me and taking me in his arms again. "And don't you ever let me hear you call yourself a mistake again. No one talks about my girl like that."
    I'm not letting myself give into his pull, at least not yet. "Cooper, I don't want to hurt you. If you get involved with me, you will get hurt."
    "You're worth it," Cooper says, and then pulls me roughly to him and kisses me. My knees buckle from the impact of not only his physical force, but also the force of his words. And I cannot resist any longer.
    I jump up on him, wrapping my legs around him and slinging my arms around his neck. He reacts immediately, one arm on my back and the other under my ass, holding me up. I find his lips with my own and then we're kissing again, this time fervently and hard, finally releasing the weeks of sexual tension that have been building between us. Our unbridled lust is perfectly matched in the heat of our passion and I'm tearing at his shirt at the same time that he's reaching under my top and unclasping the snaps on my bra. He frees my sensitive breasts, briefly breaking lip contact just to pull my shirt over my head and let me shrug off my bra, then his mouth finds mine again and we're rushing to kiss deeper, longer, harder. He slams me