Six
~~ ** ~~ ** ~~ ** ~~
“Yes, ma’am.” Sierra rolled her eyes as she managed to remember her manners. The woman deserved to be called a few choice other things, but at the moment, Sierra knew her reputation was on the line. Not that she should care. She was going back to Nashville, right? At least that was the plan she had drafted in her mind the night before. It had sounded so finite when she had shared the news with Sam.
“No, ma’am.” Once again Sierra let the woman drone on and on while she tossed in the expected answer where necessary. “Yes, of course I can be there this afternoon. I’ll see you then.”
Gritting her teeth as she pressed the end button on her cell phone, Sierra resigned herself to the fact that her shitty day had just gotten shittier. At least she had a few hours to build up the nerve required to spend another afternoon sitting in a room with Susan Toulmin while the woman proceeded to tell her in no uncertain terms what a terrible designer she was. The thought that this was the last time she had to see the woman was the only thing that would get her through the afternoon.
She needed caffeine in a bad way. And maybe some aspirin. A bottle of aspirin. After the night she had, most of it spent pathetically sobbing her eyes out as she curled into a ball on her bed, Sierra wasn’t surprised by the furious pounding behind her eyes. Pushing her weary body up from the couch, she ventured into the kitchen. Coffee would go a long way toward ridding her brain of the fuzz left over from the night before. Maybe.
After she had rushed out of Club Destiny, almost plowing right over Cole, Sierra had managed to make it to her car just in time to realize she was in no shape to drive. Thankfully Sam must have known because the woman came to her rescue and offered to drive her home.
Well, not home exactly.
Her original intention was to take Sierra to Luke’s, but she managed to tell her friend that under no circumstance would she be caught dead at Luke’s house. She was done with the man.
Finished. Through. Kaput.
Damn him.
Through a haze of tears, Sierra made her way to the coffee pot. She’d be damned if she would shed one more tear for that rat bastard. Let him have Susan Toulmin… the bitch. They deserved each other.
At least that’s what she tried to tell herself as she filled the carafe with water and tossed coffee grounds into the flimsy paper filter. Her brain was fully onboard with her plan to banish Luke McCoy from all conscious thought. Her heart not so much.
Standing barefoot in the kitchen, waiting for the coffee to brew, Sierra choked down two aspirin and then took the time to look around. Her little rental hadn’t become much of a home in the last few months. Which meant she had very little to pack up and take with her. Mostly her clothes and a couple of pieces of furniture.
The thought of going back to Nashville was bittersweet. She hadn’t yet gotten comfortable with Dallas. Big fat liar. Truth be told, when Sierra had been with Luke and Cole, she’d felt more at home than any one place she had ever lived. Her heart sank right into her stomach at the thought. None of it mattered. He’d made his choice, and clearly it hadn’t been her.
To top it all off, Sierra received a call from Cole just before dawn. She’d answered the phone, still groggy from sleep, secretly hoping it was Luke on the other end of the line, calling to grovel at her feet and profess his undying love.
So not the case.
However, the sound of Cole’s deep, familiar voice had her nerves settling and a spark of hope igniting in her chest. Whatever for, she had no idea. After she assured him that yes, she was alright, and yes, she did get home in one piece, they said their goodbyes. Little did Cole know that Sierra’s goodbye had been more final than he might have thought. She was going back to Nashville and Dallas would be just a little blip on the roadmap of her life.
The coffee gurgled to completion and Sierra grabbed one of the boring, white coffee cups she had picked up at the dollar store when she had moved in. No need to go out and find something that would cheer her up. At least not yet. She’d have plenty of time to do that when she got back home to Tennessee where she belonged. She would likely have to buy another house since hers was currently rented. That would ensure she couldn’t have a momentary relapse and wind up back in the Big D.
A pounding on the front door had her sloshing coffee in her cup, the hot, black liquid spilling over and onto her shirt. “Damn it.”
Setting the cup on the counter and grabbing a hand towel, Sierra attempted to wipe off the now cooling liquid as she headed for the door.
The door. Oh, shit.
Who the hell would be at her door that early in the morning? Whoever it was, she shouldn’t answer it. The knock thundered again, eliminating the hope that it might have been Sam coming to check on her. Definitely not a dainty, feminine knock. Her traitorous legs moved closer to the door and Sierra found herself glancing through the peephole, praying that it wouldn’t be…
Whew! It wasn’t.
Gripping the handle, Sierra pulled back the door, still trying to dry her now damp t-shirt.
“Hey.” Cole’s beautiful face peered down at her, those indigo blue eyes caressing every inch of her skin as he took her in.
“What’s up?” She asked, doing her best to sound nonchalant but feeling a little unsteady from the intensity of his gaze.
“Can I come in?” He was halfway through the door as he asked the question, apparently sure of her answer. Good thing because she hadn’t been… sure that is.
“Ok.” Stepping back so he could come inside, Sierra felt incredibly small once again. She’d gotten used to being around Luke, but Cole still had the ability to make her feel utterly feminine and incredibly fragile.
Realizing she was still trying to dry her shirt, she tossed the hand towel onto the back of the chair and turned away from Cole. “I need to, um, change. I’ll be right back.” See, that wasn’t so hard. She could talk to this man. There was no reason to get all flustered when he was around.
Sierra double timed it to her bedroom, ripped the stained t-shirt up and over her head, tossing it in the direction of the clothes hamper in the corner and missing it entirely. What was wrong with her? When she reached for the dresser drawer, she noticed her hands were shaking. And not some little vibration either. No, this was a full blown earthquake in her limbs.
She wasn’t aware how long she stood there, staring down at her hands, but the next thing she knew, Cole was coming up behind her, turning her in his arms and pressing her against his chest. She pressed her damp – shit, she was crying – cheek against his broad torso, her hands snaking around his waist. His masculine scent filled her nostrils and soothed her frazzled nerves.
“Baby, it’s going to be alright.” Cole muttered, running his hand through her hair as he cupped her head, holding her against him.
How did he know it would be alright? How did he even know what the problem was? She sure as hell didn’t.
And when had he taken to calling her such an endearment? Baby?
A sudden flash of memory had Sierra gripping Cole tighter. The remembered way that this man made love to her while they were alone in Vegas had heat coursing through every limb, chasing away the icy chill that had been in residence since the night before. On top of that, she had the scorching hot reminder of Valentine’s and the way he had settled between her legs…
What was she doing?
To her relief, Cole took a step back, but when he tilted her head back to meet his gaze, Sierra’s stomach nearly plummeted to the floor. The heat in his eyes was hot enough to scorch the sun.
“God, I’ve missed you.” He whispered.
Missed her?
“I’ve missed you too.” She had? What the hell was going on?
Sierra was mesmerized by the midnight blue depths of his eyes, the way he looked at her, the way his fingers felt on her chin, the heat emanating off of his massive body… she was in trouble here.
“I’m going to kiss you, Sierra.” Cole stated, his voice low and intense.
Heaven help her, the only thing she could do was nod and anticipate the sweet, seductive feel of his mouth on hers.
The room disappeared when his lips came down to meet hers, and she was lost to the tender, gentle way he plied her mouth open with his tongue. This wasn’t hot and fierce, though her blood was boiling and she wanted nothing more than to climb his body. No, Cole was making love to her mouth, using his tongue to delve gently, taking up residence, filling her with longing and need.
The next few minutes passed in a blur, their bodies melding together, their clothes quickly falling to the floor to be forgotten as Cole eased Sierra down onto her rumpled bed, sliding between her thighs as she held on for dear life. If only he would take her like a starving man, she might stand a chance of surviving the sensual onslaught. Instead, Cole eased between her legs, his mouth devouring every inch of her skin, taking long minutes to tease her nipple – one and then the other – until Sierra was nearly blinded with lust. She needed to feel him.
“Look at me.”
Sierra had been lost to the sensations, her eyes closed, her head thrown back, but his voice lured her to the present.
Opening her eyes, she was struck with tenderness. The way Cole looked at her said so much more than words ever could. This was so much like the last time they had been together in Vegas, yet so very different. His emotions were written clearly on his face, and Sierra choked back a sob as she pulled him closer.
“You don’t know how bad I’ve wanted to bury myself inside of you again.” Cole whispered, his lips a hairsbreadth away from hers. “It’s nearly killed me having to stay away from you.”
Sierra inched downward, trying to align their bodies, wanting to feel him inside of her. With his weight hovering above her, she couldn’t move, so she did the next best thing. “Make love to me, Cole.” The whispered words tore from her chest, the emotions coming out with them as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down until their lips met once more.
Her body opened to him, taking him in until she wasn’t sure where she ended and he began; an all too familiar cliché she hadn’t fully understood until that moment when their bodies joined in the most elemental of ways.
“You feel so good.” Sierra moaned, unable to hold herself back.
He lifted her knee, holding it close to his side, changing the angle as he slid slowly in, before retreating. Over and over he filled her. Sierra wanted the moment to last forever, wanted to remember the way it felt in Cole’s arms, making love to him, giving him her very soul. Because when it was over, she knew she would have to walk away.
She couldn’t possibly love two men. And how could she ever believe she and Cole weren’t settling?
“So tight, baby.” Cole groaned.
Sierra lost herself to the sensations, Cole’s impressive body above her, his seductive mouth doing wicked things to hers. When he slid his rough, strong hands down her arms until their palms touched, fingers intertwining together, then lifting them above her head, Sierra knew she was a goner. There was too much emotion involved. She wasn’t going to survive with her heart intact if he kept doing what he was doing.
“Faster.” She pleaded, trying to pull him closer, trying to buck beneath him, needing to ratchet the heat up a notch so he wouldn’t look at her like that. Like she was all he ever wanted. Pressing her mouth to his, she closed her eyes, needing to put some distance between them, even if only in her mind.
“Look at me, Sierra.” Cole stated once more, breaking the kiss. “Look at me.”
The demand was unexpected, but she stared back into his eyes, hoping he’d see everything he wanted to find.
“I love you, Sierra.” He whispered the words, but Sierra’s heart heard them like they had been shouted through a canyon, the meaning ricocheting through her until… she shattered.
Cole groaned, his body tensing as he held still above her, his release filling her body while his words filled all of the dark spaces inside of her. For the life of her, Sierra couldn’t say the words out loud, but she knew…
She definitely knew she would never be the same.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Cole couldn’t have moved if he wanted to. Lying in the darkened room, Sierra’s soft body pressed up against his side, he accepted that he’d died and gone to heaven. That was the only explanation for what had just happened. He had made love to Sierra. And what they had just done couldn’t be categorized any other way.
He’d taken his chances coming to her house that morning. After spending the last two months sitting on the sidelines, waiting for Luke to make up his mind, to figure out what the hell it was he wanted other than mind blowing sex, Cole had somehow managed to fall in love with this one small woman. But that’s where normal ended, and unusual picked up, because what Cole was feeling couldn’t be described any other way.
Being pulled in two different directions was not uncommon for Cole, but when it came to his emotions, this situation couldn’t have been more outrageous if he’d dreamed it up himself. The night before, he’d wanted nothing more than to pull up to Luke’s house, barge in and demand the man wake the fuck up and take notice. Instead, he’d talked some sense into himself and gone home to an empty house. Too much had been at stake, and thankfully, Cole had come to his senses before he made the biggest mistake of his life.
Second biggest, actually. The first had been coming to Sierra’s that morning and giving in to the temptation that had eaten away at him for weeks.
Lying beside her, Cole recognized the mistake, knowing he’d never be able to just walk away from her again. It didn’t matter how he felt about Luke, there was a part of himself that was reserved solely for this woman.
Maybe he should have remained on the sidelines, played the third like he’d been doing for years. That would have been the easy way out. Unfortunately, he couldn’t sit back any longer. He did what was expected of him, he walked away from Sierra although it tore him apart to do so. He sat back and waited for Luke to figure out what he wanted and where did that leave him? It left him wondering just what the fuck he was doing.
Coming to see Sierra hadn’t been a calculated move. According to Sam, Sierra was leaving, and Cole couldn’t bring himself to sit back and let her just walk away without showing her – no, telling her – exactly what he felt for her.
Sierra stirred in his arms and he pulled her closer. Her slim thigh slid over his while her hand drifted over his chest, and Cole wished like hell that they never had to leave the bed.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Luke felt the tension in his shoulders the second he pulled into Sierra’s driveway, taking note of the all too familiar truck parked on the street in front of the house. There was no mistaking the huge black Silverado and that could only mean one thing. Cole had found another place to go the night before.
After last night, Luke wasn’t prepared to face Sierra or Cole, let alone both of them together. And he wasn’t sure he could explain the emotions churning through him. His brilliant idea to show up at Sierra’s house, pray that she would let him through the door, now seemed like a rash decision. What had he been thinking?
And wasn’t that the fucking question of the hour. Luke had done nothing but think for the last two hours. Ever since he woke up in his bed alone, he’d contemplated the result of his actions. The way he’d purposely pushed Sierra away, the way he’d denied whatever it was he had begun to feel for Cole, although, for the life of him, he didn’t understand it.
Explaining it away didn’t make things any easier. The fact of it was, Luke was so totally screwed. He’d gone and fallen in love with Sierra. That wasn’t all that surprising. The woman was incredible. In every single possible way. So sweet, so sensual, and so damn beautiful his eyes hurt to look at her. Those glowing blue eyes penetrated his very soul, and she saw so much more than anyone else had ever bothered to.
On top of that, he’d somehow let himself feel something for Cole. Sure, he’d been shocked by the way he had reacted to the man that night at his house so many months ago. When Cole had gone to his knees… fuck.
The top of Luke’s head had damn near come right off when Cole had gone to his knees and sucked him into the deep, hot recesses of his mouth. Until that moment, Luke had never known anything like it. He had only known his own need to possess the man, to own him. He needed Cole’s total surrender and he had received it. Cole’s rough touch had assuaged an ache Luke had thought would never be soothed. An ache that had taken up residence inside of him and longed to be sated.
Shutting off the truck, Luke opened his door and stepped down. His heart was beating like he’d just run a mile. What was he about to walk into?
No, he wasn’t naïve enough to believe Cole and Sierra hadn’t found solace in one another. Hell, he’d pushed them away. Both of them. And neither of them had done anything except try to be what Luke needed.
He hadn’t thought about Cole’s declaration from last night until he stepped out of his front door that morning. Cole had said, or more accurately, threatened, that he was coming by. Unless Luke had been too damn drunk, which was quite possible, but highly doubtful, Cole had never made it to his house. And seeing his black Chevy in front of Sierra’s house told him why.
With resigned steps, Luke managed to make it to the front door. He hesitated briefly before he pounded his fist on the wood, his heart suddenly lodged in his throat. What was he going to say to her? Would she even listen to him?
When no one answered, Luke tried the knob. Finding it unlocked, he pushed the door open and invited himself in. Gently closing the door behind him, trying to make as little noise as possible, Luke wondered what he was about to walk into. Before he could turn around, Luke found himself slammed chest first into the door, Cole’s impressive size pressed up against him from behind.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Luke bellowed, pushing Cole off of him, making him stagger back a couple of steps before Luke turned and Cole was up in his face.
“Me? What the fuck is wrong with me? That’s the same question I have for you.” Cole’s deep baritone reverberated through the room, bouncing off of the walls and back at them.
Luke felt the burning rage ignite inside of him once again, and he pushed Cole with everything he had, sending the man flying back into the opposite wall before Luke descended on him.
“Oh my God!” Sierra’s shriek startled them both, and Luke staggered back when Cole launched himself at him once again, this time losing his footing as both men went to the floor. Sonuvabitch. They landed with a thud on the carpet, rolling until Luke was on top of Cole.
“What are you two doing? Stop it!” Sierra screamed, scolding them both like they were children.
Luke ignored Sierra, staring down into Cole’s face, expecting to see rage, or anger, or anything except what he did see. The dark, midnight blue eyes staring back at him reflected none of those things, only… affliction.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Luke growled, trying to keep his voice low, but knowing Sierra would hear everything regardless of how quiet he tried to be.
“I want him here.” Sierra stated, answering the question for Cole.
Luke ignored her, waiting for Cole to answer for himself.
“She’s leaving.” Cole choked out, not trying to move.
What?
“What are you talking about?” With a huff, Luke pushed off of him and stood.
“Sierra’s going back to Nashville.” Cole stated, all of the anger seemingly draining from his body as he pushed himself up off of the floor, his eyes darting between Luke and Sierra, finally landing on Sierra. “She’s leaving.”
Luke stared at the beautiful woman standing in the middle of her living room, draped in a black sheet, her hair in disarray, looking like she’d just… crawled out of bed. Shit. He was too late.
“What does he mean you’re leaving?” Luke asked Sierra pointedly, trying to ignore the fact that Cole and Sierra must have just come out of the bedroom. Sierra didn’t answer; she simply glanced at Cole as though trying to figure him out.
“Sam called me last night.” Cole admitted, taking a step closer to Sierra. “She told me you were going back to Nashville.”
Fully expecting Sierra to set the story straight, to reassure both of them that she wasn’t going anywhere, Luke held his breath as he waited for her response.
“I am.” Sierra whispered, a single tear rolling down her cheek.
“What?” Luke’s stomach knotted, and he clinched his fists at his side. The sudden need to hit something overwhelmed him and he had to remember where he was. “Why?”
“There’s nothing for me here.” Sierra said, wiping that lone tear away. “I tried. I really did.”
Was she trying to convince him or herself? Luke knew she’d tried. She’d done everything that could be expected of a woman and he still succeeded in pushing her away. And now, as he stood in Sierra’s house, only feet from the two people he needed more than he needed oxygen, Luke felt his body come to life. Apparently heartbreak wasn’t even enough to dispel the sensual need these two aroused in him.
“Shit.” Cole stated, turning his back on Sierra.
“I’m sorry.” She said, taking a step closer to him, not looking at Luke.
Cole surprised Luke when he turned around quickly. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about.”
When his penetrating glare landed on him, Luke knew what Cole was getting at.“What do you want from me?” Luke growled back at Cole, fury lighting him up from within.
Cole turned to face him, and Luke noticed Sierra was stepping backward, leaving them alone in the living room. He wanted to call out to her, but the intent look on Cole’s face captivated him.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with you, man, but this shit has to stop.” Cole said, his voice low. “You’ve been running for too long.”
“Fuck you.” Luke barked, his hands clenching at his sides. He was sick and fucking tired of being told that. He hadn’t run last night, had he? No, he’d gone home where he was supposed to go, looking for Sierra and waiting for Cole. Neither of them had shown up. But he didn’t fucking run. “What the fuck does it matter to you, anyway?” Luke asked, suddenly feeling like the outsider.
“Are you serious? Are you that fucking dense, Luke?”
“Why are you even here?” Luke choked out. “Why aren’t you with Lucie?”
“Lucie? Why the hell would I be with Lucie?” Cole asked, sincere confusion contorting his features.
“I saw the way you two looked at each other. I know you’re paying the doctor bills. I know you care about that little girl.” Luke found himself rambling, but couldn’t seem to stop.
“Yes, I care about her, and I care about Lucie. She’s a friend of mine, and that’s what friends do.”
“Friends? I saw the way you looked at her. That looked like more than friends to me.”
“No, Luke. You saw what you wanted to see. Lucie and I are friends. That’s it. That’s all it ever will be.” Cole’s tone had cooled considerably.
Was that true? Had Luke projected his own thoughts on Cole? Had he tried to find something to explain the wedge he’d inserted between them all on his own? Yes, damn it. That’s exactly what he had done. The same thing he had done with Sierra…
Sierra.
She was leaving.
For good.
“You’re full of shit.” Luke said, his voice coming out as a choked whisper. He wasn’t sure if he was talking to himself or to Cole. All of the adrenaline drained from his body as he leaned against the wall thankful there was something to hold him up.
“The only woman I care about, the only one I have ever cared about is Sierra. Cole stated solemnly. “But she’s not the only person I care about.”
Luke stared into the depths of Cole’s eyes, seeing something he’d always known was there, but something he hoped he’d been wrong about. Something he’d refused to acknowledge.
“It’s always been about you.” Defeat tinged Cole’s words and Luke felt a hard tug on his heart.
What had he done?
Sierra’s sharp intake of breath told Luke she was still there. He didn’t look away from Cole. He couldn’t. The man’s admission had stunned him. Ok, so maybe he’d had an idea of how Cole felt about him, but the denial he’d shrouded himself in didn’t allow him to dwell on it. And now… now he didn’t know what the hell he was supposed to do.
“Obviously not nearly as much as you say. I know you were with her in Vegas. When I left.” Luke said, not sure what the accusation meant at this point. Up until today, Luke had wondered if Cole and Sierra had gotten together. Hell, he had actually hoped they had at one point. But now he was certain of it. And by the looks of it, there was more between these two than just sex.
“I was. I’ve never denied it. She needed me and damn it, I needed her.” Cole admitted, and the red haze began to cloud Luke’s vision once more. The feeling was anomalous, considering the types of relationships, or lack thereof, that Cole and Luke had once engaged in. Luke wasn’t used to this possessiveness that overcame him; the desire to have Sierra all to himself defied logic.
“Christ, Luke! What the hell did you expect me to do?” Cole asked, pacing the open area, not looking at Sierra. “You walked out on us – um… her. She needed someone to comfort her.”
Luke looked at Cole. Really looked at him. The little slip of the tongue wasn’t lost on him, but for the life of him, he didn’t know what to say. Yes, Luke overreacted in Vegas. Yes, he walked out on Sierra. And yes, God help him, he walked out on Cole… numerous times. What did that mean for them? Did he want it to mean more? Did it mean more?
“But you fell for her, didn’t you?” Luke asked, not wanting to hear the answer, but needing to just the same. Cole’s penetrating gaze rooted Luke in place. He had. Cole had fallen for Sierra, the same way Luke had. Only Cole managed to stay away from her, at least for a little while. “You love her.”
Cole didn’t answer, and the silence told Luke everything he needed to know.
“Do you love him?” Luke asked, turning to Sierra. He was on the verge of having a breakdown and her response could very well send him over the edge.