Cole got up to check on the restaurant for his friend, and when he came back, we left. We didn’t touch on the way out. We didn’t need to.
I was already imagining him over me, sliding inside, thrusting and pulling back, only to go deep once more, stretching me. The ache between my legs wasn’t going to go away.
The drive was the same. I didn’t see the scenery. I could only concentrate on his hand. He positioned it on his leg, half turned up. Maybe it was there for me to hold if I chose. A part of me was glad he didn’t put his hand on my leg. The other part of me wanted nothing more. And when my mind continued its play-by-play of what would happen once we got to my place, it got to be too much. So I tried to change my thoughts.
Sia.
That picture of her and Jake at the hockey game flashed in my head. My body cooled, just a tiny bit. But then Cole reached for the stick shift to change gears, and I went right back to fixating on that hand—what it would feel like, where it would touch me, how his fingers would be inside of me.
I was wet, beyond the point of embarrassment.
“You okay?” Cole’s voice was soft.
I looked up and nodded, seeing his desire. “I am.”
He held my gaze for another second before turning back to the road. I was reassured. Any tiny doubt that might’ve tried to tunnel its way into me was stopped in its tracks. I was ready.
Instead of parking in front of my building, Cole turned to the side street and pulled into the parking lot. Really? I smiled. Yes, he could say again that he knew the code and the parking lot because of Dorian, but I suspected it was more. Too knowledgeable. Then he wheeled into the building manager’s slot. It was labeled on the pavement. I didn’t know what Cole did, but he was someone.
He got out of the car, and I didn’t wait for him to open my door. I climbed out, and we walked beside each other to the elevator. The closer we got to my place, the more my blood pumped through me.
Once inside the elevator, I stood to one side, watching him. He returned my gaze.
We still did not touch.
My chest tightened, hoping no one would call the elevator at that moment. We sailed past the lobby, the second floor, and stopped at mine. I put in the code, and the doors opened to my home.
I drew in a breath, filling my lungs again. God, it was time.
Stepping out with shaky knees, I bypassed the light switch. The full moon lit up my entire floor. I went to the kitchen and paused at the island. “Did you want something to drink?” I caught sight of the tequila and wine on the counter. There was more than enough.
Cole stepped up behind me and followed my gaze. “Were you going to have a party?” he asked, his breath coating the back of my neck.
I shivered, closing my eyes for one delicious moment. “I stocked up. I thought a friend was coming over tonight.”
His hand rested on my back, nudging my sweater aside to touch my skin. “He?”
“She. Sia.” I looked over my shoulder. He was so close. “She stood me up for a date.”
A faint smile showed. “I need to send her a thank-you card.”
“Please don’t sign it.”
“Why not?”
I turned around, easing my back against the island. Cole placed his hands on either side of me, trapping me in place.
“Because she’s slightly obsessed with you, though she’s in love with someone else now. She could circle back,” I joked.
“Me?”
“We saw you one night.”
“When?” He leaned away, but his hands remained on the counter. It was like he was giving me breathing space on purpose.
“At Gianni’s. We went there the night I moved in.”
He didn’t move, but I could feel him pulling away. A protest started in my head, but I bit back the words. He didn’t reply. He was waiting for me instead.
I continued, “You came in with a bunch of men and went upstairs. That was it.”
His eyes narrowed. “Did you talk to anyone?”
“What do you mean?”
“The staff?”
“About you?”
“About anything.”
My forehead wrinkled. “Sia networked with the hostess. They exchanged cards. Sia said the girl was a model. She recognized her from the Gala. That was it. Oh, well, another server sat with us for a drink later on. But they mostly talked with Sia about the Gala and about photographers—stuff like that.”
He relaxed, his hands loosening their hold on the counter. I was scared to ask what he was so worried they’d told us.
“I don’t know who you are.” I lifted a hand, placing it on his chest. His heart was racing, just like mine. My mouth parted in surprise. “If that’s what you’re worried about.”
He glanced down at my hand and held still. He was thinking something over. I held my tongue, worried it was me, that he was second-guessing this night for us. I wanted to tell him there was nothing to worry about, but it sounded ridiculous. I really had no idea. So I waited it out, my heart pressing against my rib cage.
When he looked back up, the hunger was in his eyes again—dark, primal, and more evident than ever. He took my hand and leaned in, closing the distance between us. With his other hand, he cupped the side of my face. “I wasn’t second-guessing this. I want you to know that.” His touch was tender.
“What were you thinking about?”
“Something else, but it wasn’t you.”
“This is one of those moments where you wish you could tell me, but you can’t? Not yet?”
The corner of his mouth lifted. His eyes moved from mine to my lips. “Something like that, yes.”
“Mmmm-hmmm,” I started to tease, but then his head dipped down, and his lips were on mine.
I gasped. The pleasure was immediate. His mouth was gentle, but as he felt my body’s reaction, he applied pressure. His touch grew more demanding, then I was kissing him back. I wanted more. Someone groaned. That was me.
His hand slid around to the back of my neck. He held me in his grip as his mouth explored mine, opening over me and slipping inside. My hands grasped his shoulders, just holding on. All I could focus on was his tongue. I met his with mine and reveled in the sensation. But it wasn’t enough. Need shot through my whole body.
My hands slid under his shirt and moved over his back and shoulders. His body was just as powerful as his presence. I felt the shift of his muscles. They trembled under my hands. The feeling was intoxicating. I had power over him, and I wanted more. I wanted to see how much power I actually had.
Pulling back, I studied him.
He was panting lightly. So was I.
I could see him wondering what I was going to do, so I reached back to the counter and started to lift myself. His hands caught the backs of my thighs, and he lifted me the rest of the way. Now sitting on the edge of the island, my legs parted, and he was back between them. His mouth went right to mine.
I couldn’t get over what I was doing. I didn’t care.
I didn’t think I would care the next day, the day after, or however long this lasted. I had no clue. I only knew I had one night. One long night.
Another groan left me. Cole began trailing kisses down my throat and between my breasts. He pushed my sweater off. It fell to the counter, and his hands went to my legs, resting above my knees. Still his lips lingered between my breasts. The dress was a barrier.
I wanted it gone.
I wanted his mouth on me. I wanted to kiss him back, and I began tugging on his shirt, pulling it from his jeans. He lifted his head, helping me for a moment and then bent back to my chest. My hands returned to his back. Instead of feeling, I gazed down. I couldn’t help it. I was captivated. I had felt those muscles rippling under my touch, but seeing them now, my breath was gone.
He was perfect. There were no other words. He could’ve been a weapon himself, just his body.
“Cole,” I murmured.
He looked up and nodded, sliding his hands further up my legs. He waited, resting them on my waist beneath my dress. As he continued to hold my gaze, one of his hands moved lower and his finger slid inside my thong.
My body jerked, exploding at his touch. I didn’t climax, but dear God, I almost did. I clamped around him as he buried his finger inside me.
He pulled out, then leaned down. His lips found mine, and my legs wound around his waist. My arms clenched his back. His finger moved out, then back in. And again. Again. He kept going.
I was helpless against his onslaught, and I didn’t want to stop him. I started trembling, but I didn’t want to come, not yet. I wanted to wait, to hold off—but he never stopped. In and out. Slide in, pull out, and back in again.
“Cole.” My lips brushed over his.
He kept going.
“Cole, please.”
“Please what?” His voice was just as hoarse as mine.
I grabbed for his wrist, trying to pause his caresses. In response, he went even deeper. A second finger slipped in, and I could only gasp, my mouth hanging open as the pleasure went through me. Wave after wave coursed through me, coating me completely.
I couldn’t—I didn’t know what I couldn’t. He kept going, and going.
“Cole—my God.”
He lifted his lips to my ear and murmured, gently as if it were a caress in itself, “Let go. Please, Addison.” He kissed me there. “Let go.”
“But you—”
“You’re not done. Let me do this for you.” A third finger went in, stretching me farther than I had been in so long. His fingers moved together, going deep, sliding back, going in again. He started to speed up.
I was breathing heavily, panting loudly into the room. All I could do was cling to him, my legs and arms straining around him. And then, one last thrust and I soared over the edge. Tremors wracked my body, and Cole held me as I rode each wave. They kept going until finally the last one ebbed, and I was complete. My body was satiated.
But even as I thought that, I knew it wasn’t true. An ache formed, just a tiny one, between my legs. Cole’s fingers were still inside me. I turned so our eyes were inches apart.
I didn’t say anything.
His need sparked in his eyes, and it was deep, more ravenous than mine. His jaw clenched as he swallowed. His free hand flexed and then tightened on my thigh. For the first time, I saw into him like he had been seeing into me.
He waited, letting me regain control of myself. When I had, I gave him a small nod, and he picked me up, whisking me off the counter. He didn’t react to holding me. It was as if I were a doll.
He carried me down the hallway to my bedroom, then placed me on the bed. I sat up and pulled off my dress, then reached behind me to unclasp my bra. Finally I wore only my thong. My eyes traced over his shoulders, down his chest to his abdominals. He was lean, but he was muscled everywhere.
I had thought of him as a weapon before, and I know how true it was. I remembered the first time I saw him. I thought he stalked in a sensual way, like a predator, and my mouth watered once more thinking of how he’d feel inside of me. How he’d feel over me.
I sat up. His gaze went to my breasts, lingering there.
They reacted under his attention. His eyes smoldered, and he moved toward me. He leaned down, and I closed my eyes, knowing he was going to touch me again. The bed dipped under his weight, and then his lips were on my breast.
I gasped again, arching my back.
His mouth opened, taking my nipple inside. As he kissed and caressed me, he helped me move farther up the bed as he joined me.
I opened my eyes and watched as he continued his kisses, switching to my other breast. I writhed beneath him, wanting the feel of his body on mine. I wanted that heaviness, then to feel him entering me—not his fingers. Him. But for now he kept tasting me, touching me, and I continued watching.
What the morning would bring, I didn’t know, but I didn’t want to sleep to meet it. I wanted to be awake. I wanted the feel of Cole over and over again. Unable to hold back anymore, I slid my hands up his body, enjoying the dip and valley between each of his muscles until I wound my hands around his neck and grabbed his jaw. He answered my touch, lifting his head to look at me with wild eyes. He loved this as much as I did. He blinked and focused on me. When he saw what I wanted, the side of his mouth lifted.
He moved over me, bending now so he wasn’t crushing me, and his forehead rested on mine. He pulled out his wallet. Grabbing a condom, he tore the wrapper and then made quick work of his pants and his briefs. He kicked them off, putting the protection on, and reached between my legs. I gasped at his hands on my inner thighs and he paused, looking into my eyes.
I felt his unspoken question, and I nodded. I was ready.
He grabbed my underwear and ripped them. One second later, he slid inside, and my entire body lifted in response. He paused, letting me adjust to him, before he began to move. And then everything changed. Sometime during the night, I claimed him as well.