Chapter 14
Cole made a beeline for his kitchen when they walked in the door, and Emma heard the clinking sounds of him pulling plates out of a cabinet. She glanced around his living room, taking in the dark leather sofa and recliner, a big screen TV, a beat-up wood coffee table, and not much else. When she saw the painting she’d made for Cole hanging over the sofa, she flushed at the memory of it.
“How’d the show go?” he called from the kitchen.
“Pretty good. I sold a couple pieces,” she said.
He walked in the living room and handed her a plate, sitting down on the sofa with his own.
“Your place is so clean,” she said between bites. “It’s a lot cleaner than mine.”
“I’m never here,” he said. “All I used to do here is sleep, and lately I’ve been staying at your place.”
“Do you have two bedrooms?” She craned her neck, trying to get a glimpse of the rest of his apartment.
“Yeah, the second one’s an office I don’t use much. I didn’t need two bedrooms, but this was the only place open in this building and I liked it since it’s close to my office.”
Emma kicked her shoes off and curled her feet up underneath her.
“It’s really nice having you here,” Cole said. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too. Maybe next time I travel you can come with me.”
“Yeah, I’d like to. Especially if you wear that bikini. I hate the thought of other guys seeing you in that.”
“Men see women in swimsuits at the beach every day,” she said, raising her brows and grinning.
“Not women like you. You don’t realize how gorgeous you are, which makes you absolutely stunning.”
Emma’s cheeks warmed at his compliment. In the back of her mind she still wondered if this was real. Could the most beautiful man she’d ever known really feel this way about her?
“I’m all gross from traveling, do you mind if I take a shower?” she asked, taking the empty plates into the kitchen.
“Of course not, make yourself at home. Is it okay if I join you?”
Emma held back a laugh. Was it okay? Did she mind showering with the tall, sculpted blond god who could make her wet with just a wicked smile?
“Sure,” she said. “But I am a little sore from earlier, so—”
“Oh, shit! Was I too rough? I’m sorry,” he said, reaching for her hand.
“Don’t apologize, Cole. It was exactly what I wanted and maybe even … needed. I loved it. But go easy for Round Two or I might not be able to walk tomorrow.”
“Is it bad that I’m turned on by the sound of that?” he asked, grinning.
“Probably not, because I’m turned on by the feel of it.” Emma’s heart pounded from the thrill of being brazen, something she’d never dared with anyone but Cole.
“Em, you’re the sweetest, dirtiest girl I’ve ever known and you’ve got five seconds to get naked and into my shower,” he said in a low tone, moving toward her purposefully.
Emma was pulling her dress over her head before she was all the way through the door of the bathroom. The marble tiled floor was cool under her feet, and she stepped onto a plush rug as she waited for Cole to turn on the water. He had stripped his clothes off on the way to the bathroom and was down to his boxers.
It only took a few seconds for the water to get hot, and Emma felt a flicker of self-consciousness as Cole watched her, waiting for her to finish undressing. She only wore a bra and panties, but it was something. She wasn’t sure she wanted Cole eyeing every inch of her in the bright lights of the bathroom.
His eyes flared bright blue with desire, and she realized he wasn’t moving. He slid his boxers off and she drew encouragement from his obvious arousal. Having a hold over him was a heady, warm sensation, and she relished it, sliding the straps of her bra down slowly before reaching around to unfasten it.
Cole’s lips parted and he sucked a breath in as he watched. Emma slipped out of her panties and stepped into the shower, with Cole following closely. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and she closed her eyes, swimming in the sensations of the hot water and his body against hers.
“Want me to wash you?” he murmured in her ear. She nodded and couldn’t help but smile, her pulse quickening from the intimacy of the moment. She eyed Cole’s hands in front of her as he lathered a soapy-clean smelling body wash. When he laid them on her stomach, she pressed her body back into him. The gentle way he moved his hands down her thighs, across her stomach and over her breasts contrasted with the firm muscle of his chest against her back and shoulders.
When he turned her around to face him, she was done in by the sight of water dripping from the ends of his short blond hair and running in streams down his sculpted chest. Emma launched herself into him, her lips demanding as she pressed them against his.
She felt a deep groan within his chest, and he lifted her legs around him, pressing her into the wall of the shower.
“I want you now,” she said, her lips still grazing his. “Right now.”
She was desperate to feel him inside her again, and it was only a second before she did. Emma wrapped her hands around his shoulders, moaning as he pulled her hips against his. Cole’s skin was hot beneath her fingers from the steaming shower water.
“You feel so fucking good, baby,” he said, moving in and out of her slowly. “Show me you like it. Make me sore tomorrow, Em.”
She met his eyes, moaning with frustration as he slowed his pace.
“No, Cole, no … don’t stop!” she cried.
“I’m not stopping, baby,” he said, his voice strained. “Give me what I want and then I’ll go faster.”
Emma wanted to ask him what he wanted, but he sank himself deep inside her and she moaned loudly, lost in the hot, throbbing sensation between her legs.
“God … Cole!” She clutched his shoulders desperately as he kept himself buried inside her, not moving.
“You drive me fucking crazy, Em,” he hissed. “I want to be able to feel this tomorrow like you will. Give me something that’ll hurt so sweet it’ll make me hard. Come on, baby, just let go … give me your nails or your teeth – mark me. Make me yours.”
He pulled back slowly, and Emma knew the next touch would be it. Her entire body was humming from his words and the feel of him deep inside her. She was expecting him to go slow again, and when he slammed into her, her eyes rolled upward with the intensity of the orgasm that rocketed through her. Her cry was muffled as she bit down hard on his shoulder, her body constricting.
“Fuck, yes, baby,” he ground into her ear, groaning loudly.
Her body went limp in his arms, and she was panting as he lowered her feet down to the shower floor. She looked at the steam rising around them and felt the heat of the water against her chest, realizing she’d temporarily lost touch with everything but their bodies.
“Cole,” she said, smiling. “God, that was …”
“I should’ve gone easier, I’m sorry,” he said softly, putting his palm on the small of her back.
“No, that was … intense and just … God, so good. I’m barely standing right now. You may have to carry me to bed.”
He turned off the water with a smile, reaching over the top of the shower door for a towel and handing it to her. When she opened the door to step out, she looked up at his shoulder and saw a circle of deep purple marks, some tinged with red.
“I really bit you hard,” she said apologetically.
“You did,” he said, glancing at his shoulder. “It was really hot. Just what I wanted.”
Emma wrapped the towel around her head and sighed with satisfaction as Cole dried her body with another one. The back and forth of him being rough and gentle, demanding and tender, was intoxicating.
He silently picked her up and she looked at his face while he carried her to bed, wondering if the adoration she felt for him would ever fade. As he lowered her gently into the bed and rifled through his dresser to find her a t-shirt to sleep in, she admired the lines of him. He was solid, golden perfection, and she wondered if it was possible to feel more than she did at this moment.
He winked as he tossed her a gray t-shirt, and she grinned when she unfolded it and saw that it was one of his old high school football shirts. Her inner 14-year-old passed out with excitement, and Emma pulled it over her head and crawled under the covers. Cole pulled on clean boxers and climbed in next to her.
The smell of him on the bed sheets and the solid feel of him spooning her from behind lulled her to sleep quickly.
***
The aromas of fresh baked bread and sautéed garlic made Emma’s stomach rumble as she looked for Cole at the small Italian restaurant where they were meeting for dinner. It was Thursday night, and he’d been working late all week. He came to Emma’s apartment when he left the office, but it was usually around midnight. She was always asleep when he got into bed and wrapped his warm body around her.
But it was nice. She loved waking up next to him, and morning sex was the only kind they were having these days, since they were both too tired by the time he got home from work.
“You look great,” he said as she approached the small round booth he sat in. “Your hair’s different.”
“Oh, I straightened it,” Emma said, touching it self-consciously. “Do you like it better this way?”
“It looks good – sophisticated, maybe. I like it both ways, though.”
Emma smiled at his diplomacy.
“How was your day?” she asked.
“It was great. I had the hearing on the case I’ve been working on, and I got the judgment. I won’t have to work so late from now on.”
“That’s good, it’ll be nice to see more of you.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been so wrapped up in it,” he said, looking serious. “Being a new attorney at a firm like mine is tough. I have to put in a lot of hours to pay my dues.”
“Cole, it’s fine. I get wrapped up in my art sometimes. When I said it’ll be nice to see more of you, that’s all I meant. It wasn’t a dig.”
“I know, but I want you to know I want to be with you, even when I can’t,” he said, reaching an arm around her waist to slide her up against him in the intimate round booth.
A waiter appeared and tried to look invisible as he filled two glasses on the table with red wine.
“You can make it up to me,” Emma said softly. Cole laughed lightly as he lowered his face into her neck, kissing it gently.
“You know I will, baby,” he said. “As soon as we finish—”
Emma was distracted by movement next to their table. Her mouth went dry as she glanced away from Cole and saw her mother standing at the edge of the table, the hurt in her brown eyes and her drawn expression stabbing Emma in the gut.
“Emma,” she said in a level greeting.
“Mom! Oh, Mom.”
Cole had pulled away and now looked like a school boy who’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He was blushing and glancing down nervously. If the situation wasn’t so serious, Emma would have laughed at him.
“Hello, Cole,” Emma’s Mom said, piercing him with a sharp look.
“Hi, Mrs. Carson,” he said uncomfortably.
“Mom, I can explain,” Emma said. “We’re seeing each other.”
“Well, I should hope so, the way you’re carrying on in a restaurant. Why haven’t you said anything?”
“Because of Layla. She’ll kill me if she finds out, Mom, you know she will. She has this image in her mind of her and Cole ending up together. You kind of have it, too, and I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
“Disappoint me?” The hurt on her mother’s face turned to outright sadness, and Emma buried her face in her hands.
“Mom, let’s just—”
“No, tell me what you meant. Emma, Cole is a fine young man and you know I think a lot of him. Why would I be disappointed you’re with him?”
“Because you think Layla should get him. You always want Layla to have the best,” Emma blurted, unable to meet her mother’s eyes.
“I want the best for both of you,” her Mom said softly.
“I know, but there’s only one Cole, and if we both wanted him, I think you’d want her to have him.” Emma looked up at her mother, wishing she looked angry. She was just sad, which made it so much worse. It wasn’t seeing Emma and Cole together that made her sad, Emma knew – it was that Emma had hidden it.
The silence was thick, and Cole’s uncomfortable sigh was the only thing breaking it.
“You think I love Layla more than you?” her Mom asked, looking wounded.
“No. No, I don’t think that, Mom. I just think that you picture Layla getting someone like Cole, who has everything going for him, and you picture me with someone … different. Like I’m different. I always have been.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way. Honestly, Emma, I’m thrilled for you and Cole. I just wish I could have found out another way, rather than on my way to dinner with the women in my book club.”
“But you know what I’m saying about Layla, don’t you? I mean, about her going crazy if she finds out?” Emma asked pleadingly. Her Mom gave a small nod.
“I know she’ll be disappointed, but I also know she loves you. I think you’re underestimating her, Emma.”
“I don’t know. I just … I’m not ready to tell her,” Emma said. “So please keep this to yourself.”
Her Mom gave Cole a questioning glance.
“This is what you want, too?” she asked sharply.
“No,” he said firmly. “I think we should tell everyone and Layla can just get over it. I hate keeping it a secret. But I’m trying to respect what Emma wants. She knows her sister better than I do.”
Her Mom sighed and gave them a sad smile that wrenched Emma’s heart.
“Okay. I’d better get back to my dinner. It was good to see you both.”
“I’ll call you soon, Mom,” Emma said as her mother left. The romantic mood at the table had vanished, but Cole still took her hand and squeezed it gently.
“It’ll be okay,” he said. “Moms like to be the first to know everything, but they always recover when they’re not.”
Emma shook her head miserably.
“I feel terrible,” she said. “This should have been happy news, but I ruined it. Plus I skipped lunch and I’m getting a headache.”
“I ordered some bread and dinner salads, they’ll be here soon,” Cole said, rubbing her back soothingly. Emma smiled weakly, wondering why she hadn’t realized she was missing anything before Cole came back into her life.
***
Vincent stalked up the quilt toward Cole, swishing his tail. Emma smiled, wondering if her cat was being territorial. He seemed to decide ignoring Cole was the best approach, and he snuggled into a ball near Emma’s chest.
“Hi, baby,” she said softly. “Have I been neglecting you? Do you need some attention?”
She stroked Vincent’s back and he purred, squeezing his eyes closed with contentment.
“Shit, I was hoping you were talking to me,” Cole mumbled as he looked up.
“I can give you some attention,” Emma said, grinning. “It’s Saturday morning, so for once we don’t have to jump out of bed and get ready for work.”
Just Cole’s sleepy smile and mussed hair were enough to get Emma going, but when he sat up slightly and the covers fell down, revealing his hard chest and the large muscles of his arms, she picked Vincent up and moved him to the floor.
Cole moved on top of her, and the gentle pressure of his warm, firm body felt so good that Emma craned her neck up to kiss him.
“You’re eager this morning,” he said teasingly, pushing his tongue into her mouth with a passion that made Emma clutch his back tightly. His mouth moved down her jaw line to her neck, and she wrapped her legs around him, needing to lock her body against his.
The ring of her phone on the nightstand made Emma groan loudly.
“They’ll call later,” Cole said as his hand closed around one of her breasts.
“Sorry, it’s Layla,” she said, sighing. “I hate to not answer, after my Mom’s scare …”
“Sure, go ahead,” he said, moving off of her.
“Is everything okay?” Emma said as she put the phone to her ear.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Layla answered, sounding confused.
“Why would you call me at … 8:20 on a Saturday morning unless something was wrong?”
“We’re going shopping today, remember?”
“Oh.” Emma groaned. “Really?”
“I texted you about it the other day and you said yes.”
Shit, I did. I was busy at work and I completely forgot.
Cole’s hand was sliding up her thigh and Emma jumped when he pushed up the t-shirt she’d slept in and his warm lips grazed her stomach.
“Don’t try to flake out now, I have a ton of shopping to do,” Layla said. “I’m on my way to pick you up.”
“You are?” Emma shot into a sitting position. “When will you be here?”
“Maybe 15 minutes? Traffic seems okay.”
“I’ll be waiting out front,” Emma said, hanging up the phone as she jumped out of bed.
“I think this would be a great way for Layla to find out about us,” Cole said with a lazy grin. “When’s she gonna be here?”
“15 minutes! It’s not a good time for jokes,” Emma said, digging through a pile of dirty laundry in search of her jeans.
“That gives us at least ten minutes to fool around. Come back to bed.”
“You have no idea what my sister is like when she’s pissed. If she finds us together like this, she’ll go crazy.” Emma slid into her jeans and the first clean t-shirt she saw.
“Yeah, I remember her crazy temper from high school,” Cole said. “But we’re adults now, Em. I don’t like sneaking around.”
“It’s just for now,” Emma said, running a brush through her hair.
“Well, some of my friends from high school are getting together for dinner next weekend and I want us to go,” he said.
“There’s no way. That would get back to Layla.”
“This is getting crazy,” he said angrily. “I want you there with me next weekend. I thought this was what women wanted. It’s fucking frustrating to be proud of you and feel like you’re ashamed of me.”
When she saw his brooding, tense expression, Emma’s heart melted.
“Cole, nothing is further from the truth. I am not at all ashamed of you. You’re literally my dream guy. I know I’m being stupid about Layla. I know. It’s just … I’ve always been a little bit afraid of her. I always wanted to be friends with her, hang out with her when we were younger, and she never thought I was good enough. Now that we have that, I’m just scared of losing it.”
“Don’t get upset about it, Em,” Cole said, sighing. “Not right before you have to leave.”
“What are you doing today?” she asked, hoping a new subject would ease the tension.
“I didn’t have anything planned, but I guess I’ll go to the gym and play basketball with some friends if their game’s still on.”
“Will I see you later?”
“Yeah, just let me know when you get home,” Cole said. Emma’s mouth fell open a crack as he climbed out of her bed wearing only boxers. He was all long limbs and muscle, and she wanted to get back in bed with him and feel all the beautiful cuts and lines of his body.
“Um, why don’t you just stay here today?” she called as she ran into the bathroom to brush her teeth. “There’s a key in the top drawer of my desk you can take.”
“Okay,” he said. Emma glanced around the bathroom door frame and saw his smile, feeling like a lovesick fool for being so happy that he was happy.
“I’ve got to go,” she said, crossing the distance between them to pull him close for a hug. “God, you feel good.”
“Tonight we’ll make up for what we missed this morning,” he said, kissing her lightly.
Emma walked toward the door, wondering what her teenage self would say about her leaving a gorgeous, nearly naked, completely ready Cole Marlowe in her apartment while she went out shopping.
She’d say I’m crazy. Maybe I am. I have to stop looking at him or I’ll never make it out the door.