Four
Aubree
Mate. Cole referred to me as his mate. What the heck does that mean? And why is Slate so pissed that I’m here? Weird. Gabe seemed fine, happy even, which again is kind of weird. These three men are massive compared to me, tall with broad chests and bulging muscles. I want nothing more than to get away, but I have nowhere to go. Stupidly, I let Cole drive us back to his place, and I left my Jeep back at Remy’s. Things were actually going great until we got here and his brothers were hanging out in his living room.
I watch as Cole orders his brothers out of his home. The steel I hear inflected in his tone sends a shiver down my spine and makes me want to listen to whatever the hell he tells me to do. His brothers do as he commands and leave the way we came in. Once we are alone, the one thing that keeps zooming around in my head is that he called me his mate, why? “Did you just call me your mate?”
He nods and watches me carefully. I can tell he’s waiting for what I’m going to say, but I’m still confused. “What does that mean?”
He sighs and leads me to one of the couches in the living room where he sits beside me. I watch as he wipes his hands down over his handsome face. I can tell he’s exhausted from working all day and I hate that he seems so uneasy about talking to me. I wish I could just push him into a hot shower and lather him up. I’d rinse him off and then wrap my mouth around his dick. I just want to make him happy, make him relax, and I want to be the only one who can. What the hell am I thinking?
Cole turns to face me and gives me a look that I can only describe as hesitant. “I’m going to start by saying that I know how unbelievable this is going to sound, but just give me a chance to explain.”
If he only knew the thoughts, I have running through my head. I nod, already accepting whatever it is he has to say as truth. There’s this unexplainable pull between us, something I’ve never felt before. The strength of it is purely magical. I run my fingers over my pendant, and little sparks of electricity tickle me where I touched it. I look up to see Cole watching me intently. Licking his bottom lip, he slowly grabs for my hand and kisses each finger before dropping our hands into his lap. He rubs his thumb back and forth over the top of my hand.
“My Dad always told me that when I found the one, I would spend the rest of my life with, I would know it the moment I saw her. You are that woman, Aubree. I’ve never dated before, never once had a girlfriend or anyone for that matter that meant anything to me. I have waited my entire life for you to come into my world. Now that you’re here I’m never letting you go.”
“Why did you agree to a blind date then if you were waiting for me?” I ask, unmasked jealousy burning through me at the thought of him going on a blind date with anyone, even if that person turned out to be me.
Cole pulls me onto his lap, so my butt is snug against his very hard dick, and my legs are hanging over the other side of his lap. He cups my face in his hands and pierces me with his dark, demanding stare. “I didn’t. Ruby told me a few minutes before I was supposed to meet you because she knew I wouldn’t have gone. She also knew I wouldn’t have left a woman at Remy’s all alone. That isn’t a place for a lady. My sister likes to meddle in mine and my brother’s business, but only when she has good intentions. I’ll have to thank her later because she was right when she picked you.” He ends, rubbing the back of his fingers against my cheek.
His touch is burning me up inside. I’ve never met a man that I wanted to touch me. My core is aching, pounding in rhythm with my racing heart. Leaning into his touch my hard nipples press against his firm chest and I swear I hear him growl before he presses his full lips against mine. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back, loving the feel of our bodies pressed against each other. We open our mouths at the same time, our tongues colliding against our wet lips. He grips my hips tightly and moves me, so I’m straddling his lap. He drags my heated core against the hard cock pressed against his stomach. Moaning, I shamelessly rub myself against him again, loving the way his dick rubs against my clit and shoots pleasure through my veins.
I kiss down his neck, sucking and licking loving his taste. Scraping my teeth against his skin, I have the strangest urge to bite him and taste the blood. I imagine it tastes sweet and intoxicating. I’d mark him with my bite, and he’d wear it like a badge, proving to everyone that he’s taken. I pull away from him breathlessly, struck by the ludicrous thoughts I’m having.
“Hey, you okay baby?” Cole asks, lifting my chin, so I’m looking him in the eyes.
I shrug my shoulder, not knowing what to tell him. Cole wipes the remnants from our kiss from my bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “That kiss was hot as hell, but let’s slow this down. I don’t want to scare you off now that I’ve found you.”
I small smile spreads across my face, and I nod. “I think that’s a good idea.”
Cole lifts me off his lap and sits me where I was before and then stands and rubs his palms together. “How about that dinner I promised you?”
My stomach rumbles at the thought of food. “I could eat,” I say laughing.
I follow him into the kitchen, and I’m in kitchen heaven. “Cole, this kitchen is incredible. It’s like my dream kitchen.” I rub my hand along the granite countertops and take in the six-range gas stove with double ovens. All the appliances are stainless steel, and the fridge is huge. I open the door, and I’m struck by all the space inside. “What I would give to bake in this kitchen.”
“You like to bake?”
“Ruby really didn’t tell you anything about me, did she?” He shakes his head no. “After I got my degree in baking and pastry arts, I came to work with my grandmother at Berry Delicious. That’s actually why I moved here, it’s been a dream of mine since I was a little girl.”
“You’re Ms. Molly’s granddaughter?” He asks looking a little shocked and happy.
I nod. “Why?”
“It’s just a small world is all. Your grandmother is an angel. She looked after us when Dad had to work a job late or on the weekends. She would always bring something sweet with her. She’s just always been there for us when we didn’t have many people in our corner.”
“She is the best person I know. My parents aren’t the warmest people. They have always been more concerned with their law firm and winning cases than having a family. That’s not the life I wanted for myself, and I missed the time I got to spend with my Grandma Molly. I decided when I was little that I would come back here and work with her.”
“How did your parents take that?”
“They didn’t like it, but there wasn’t much they could do once I turned eighteen and went to school on a scholarship. I’ve seen them a couple times since graduating high school and talk to them a few times a year, but we aren’t really in each other's lives. I think once they realized I wouldn’t be following in their footsteps, they gave up on me.”
Cole pulls me into his arms and hugs me close. “Do you miss them?” He asks and places a kiss on the top of my head.
I smile against his chest. “Not like I thought I would. I miss what I never had from them, a family that wanted to be a part of my life. Gram gave me that though, so I’m happier than I’ve ever been now that I’m home.”