Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 114011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
“We’re just getting to know each other,” he says. “But I think you feel the same way I do.”
Oh. My. Gosh.
My brain screams. Who ends a sentence like that? It’s like I’m being set up for failure. No matter how I respond, I could be wrong.
Crap.
“I feel a lot of things right now,” I say carefully.
My answer makes him laugh. “Okay. Well, is one of those things that our relationship has shifted a little bit?”
“Yes.”
Cole comes around the counter. I lean toward him instinctively. He wraps his arms around me, pulls me into his chest, and nestles his chin against the top of my head. I wrap my arms around his waist and curl against him, breathing in the comfort of his cologne and listening to the rhythm of his heart. Wishing this were my every day, not kissing Cole goodbye at the front door like last night.
What would life be like if I had him in it? If he was here to hold me, laugh with me, pick up dinner?
I twist my head until my forehead is against his chest and press a kiss into his abdomen. I want so much with this man. He pulls back just enough to look into my eyes again. This time, he doesn’t have to say anything. I know what he’s thinking.
The connection between the two of us steadies me. When I look at him, when I feel his touch, I don’t feel alone in the world. Because I believe that if I needed him, Cole would be there. He cares—not just about me but about Ethan.
For the very first time, maybe ever, I have more hope than fear.
“Are you tired?” Cole asks.
“Yeah.”
He runs a finger down the side of my face. “I want to have a conversation with you. Soon. But I want you to be awake and caffeinated and ready to argue everything so I can prove to you that I’m right.”
I grin. “Sounds fun.”
Instead of feeling a flush of nervousness, the deepest sense of calm settles over me. I have never known a man to be so . . . intuitive. He gets me. He knows I’m exhausted and cares enough to wait to talk.
“Ethan is going to Sandbox’s house after school tomorrow,” I say. “He’s staying the night. Maybe we could talk then?”
Cole’s face breaks out into a smile. “Great idea. I could come over after you get off work, and we could go out to dinner or something.”
“Like a date? Like to Limoncello’s?”
He laughs. “I’d take you to Paris tomorrow if you wanted to go.”
I make a face. “Not Paris. Maybe . . .” I think. “Maybe Auckland.”
“New Zealand? Random, but okay.”
“Hey, this is my dream date.” I yawn. “I wouldn’t hate Paris, though.”
He glances at my dinner. “How hungry are you?”
“I’m not as hungry as I am tired.”
That’s all it takes. He picks me up, draping my legs over one arm and supporting my back with the other. I curl against him as he carries me down the hall toward my room.
“You know there’s a thirty-dollar plate of pasta spoiling on the counter,” I say.
He laughs. “I don’t think it was quite thirty dollars.”
“Still. We should probably put it back in the fridge, and I’ll have it for lunch tomorrow.”
We enter my bedroom. I flip the light on as we pass the switch. Then he lays me gently on the bed.
“Damn it, you’re beautiful,” he says, climbing on the bed beside me. “I know you’re tired, but it’s hard to keep my hands off you.”
I grin again. “It’s hard for me to stop thinking about that pasta.”
He shakes his head. “Is the only way I’m going to get your attention if I put the pasta in the fridge?”
“Yes. Or . . .” I tug at the hem of his shirt. “If you took this off, I’d probably be amply distracted.”
He laughs, stripping his shirt over his head. He hops up on his knees and flexes his impressive abdomen.
Good heavens.
“Did it work?” he asks, like he doesn’t already know.
I reach for him and grab the waistband of his sweats. Then I tug him until he’s hovering over me.
“Did what work?” I whisper.
He leans down and wraps me up in his arms. He rolls me on top of him, then presses my body against his so hard that it’s difficult to breathe.
But I don’t mind. Not even a little bit.
Cole nibbles my bottom lip until I giggle and then slides his tongue in my mouth. He rolls me onto my back and kisses me like I’ve never been kissed before.
And I kiss him back. Of course I do. How could I not?
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
PALMER
No. He left before Ethan got up,” I say to Val. I wave at the trashman as I pull into Skoolie’s. “We thought it was best if he didn’t do a walk of shame in front of Ethan.”