“I can’t believe you. I mean, I can but…oh, Jessa. I can’t believe you!”

Avery and I are leaning against the fence watching Lucy ride the little flying elephant ride at Summer Fest, the yearly festival that practically everyone in town attends.

As Lucy squeals and laughs in delight on her ride, Avery glares at me.

I just filled Avery in on last night. Not every sordid detail but…definitely the gist.

“It was just last night and it won’t happen again. That you can believe,” I say, trying to believe it myself.

“I love you, but I call bullshit,” she says. “You know this guy, Jessa. He’s about as emotional as a block of ice. You’re going to get hurt if you see him again. Stay away.”

“I know, I know,” I say. I wave at Lucy as she flies by, a big grin on her sweet little face.

“You didn’t tell him, did you?” Avery asks.

“About Lucy? No.”

“Good.”

I turn to look at my sister. “Really, Avery?”

“I’m just saying! The guy couldn’t stick around for you. Do you really think he’d be excited to know he has a kid?” she says, lowering her voice.

“I still feel bad about it, though,” I say. “He should know about her.”

“Need I remind you of the mess he made of you three years ago?” Avery says. “I had to peel you off the kitchen floor. You cried for days.”

“I did not,” I say.

“You bitched and ranted and complained and cried and I don’t blame you one bit,” she says. “Look, Jess. I get it. Cole is good looking. Okay, he’s super fucking hot. The point is, that’s all there is to him. He doesn’t care about anyone other than himself. He doesn’t care about your feelings and he certainly wouldn’t stick around to be part of that little girl’s life.”

“I get it, Avery. You can drop it,” I say. “But you have to admit it’s not fair—”

“Like fair was ditching you without a word!”

“I was trying to say,” I interrupt, “that it’s not fair for her. For Lucy. She deserves a dad.”

“There’s a difference between a dad and a father,” Avery says. “A real dad doesn’t leave.”

I sigh. I know she’s right. Getting involved with Cole again—or getting more involved, I should say—can only lead to more heartache. Maybe I should just take last night for what it was—a good old-fashioned booty call. Nothing more.

Finally, the ride ends.

Lucy runs and jumps in my arms. “Oh, you’re getting so big!” I tell her, planting kisses on her cheeks.

“Momma, stop!” she says, but she’s smiling. I set her down.

As we walk through the fairgrounds, I can’t help but notice the stage, where there are banners and chairs and a few people standing up at a microphone.

Later there will be music, but right now the mayor is speaking, his voice echoing loudly to the people congregated near the stage, watching with drinks in their hands.

“…know we come from a great community, and that’s evidenced by the work of this young man.” Mayor Jenson gives a clap himself as he turns towards the people sharing the stage with him. “He’s proven that if you dream big in Morningside Valley, big dreams come true. Let’s give a big Morningside welcome back to our local boy, Cole Frost!”

My heart stops. From the small crowd on stage, Cole emerges, wearing some sort of humble smile on his chiseled face. I know the truth—he’s not humble. He’s smug.

And also really freaking gorgeous in another pair of perfectly fit jeans and a black T-shirt that hugs his muscles just right. He waves to the crowd as everyone claps for him, and I swear for just one moment he sees me. The moment moves on quickly. He takes a small plaque from Mayor Jenson and they smile for the camera—Bonnie May Greene, the photographer for the Morningside Valley Chronicle.

“Oh my freaking God,” Avery mutters.

“Stop,” I hiss. Lucy gets bored the moment she realizes there will be no singing or dancing, and starts tugging on my hand. I have to peel my eyes off Cole as he charms the crowd and smiles so perfectly for Bonnie May. That smile that looks just like my little girl’s.

“Who wants cotton candy?” I say. Lucy starts jumping like she’s in the bouncy house.

We make our way through the crowd slowly. Of course the cotton candy is miles away and all I want to do is escape. Did he see me? Or was he just looking out at the crowd at all of his adoring fans swooning over him?

“Hey, I thought that was you.”

I stop in my tracks, heart in my throat. Lucy is tugging on my hand, the cotton candy she desires in her sights.

Lucy is here.

And Cole, standing before us, watching us. Watching me and his daughter, the one I never told him about.

I feel like I might throw up, but instead I act nonchalant.

“Hey,” I say, all cool-like. “What’s up, Cole?”

“Hi, Jessa,” he says. He looks down at Lucy. “Hello, young lady. What’s your name?”

Lucy hides behind my leg. She’s boisterous until faced with a direct question from a stranger. Good girl.

“Well, look who it is,” Avery says, her voice dripping with disdain. “Cole Frost, I never thought I’d see you again in our little Podunk town.”

Cole straightens when he sees my sister. “Hey, there, Avery. Good to see you.”

“I bet,” she says. “What brings you down to our level?”

“Just in town to do a little business,” he says.

“Yeah, I heard,” she says, her eyes darting over to me.

I want to die.

“We’re going to get cotton candy,” I say. The words sound stupid coming out of my mouth but I really just want to walk away from him, not to mention get Lucy away from the entire situation. I am not at all prepared for this. My heart races.

Why, I wonder for the thousandth time, did he have to run off and never respond to my emails ever again? And then breeze back in town like it’s all nothing.

“Great, let’s get cotton candy,” he says. “My treat.”

“Wow, how generous of you,” Avery says. “Considering we basically can’t afford it on our own.”

“Avery,” I say. “Give it a rest.”

“Come on, Aunt Avery,” Lucy says. “Cotton candy!”

“Yeah, come on, girls,” Cole says. I can’t tell if he’s messing with me or what. “Let’s just all go together. I think I saw some fried Twinkies over there too. How does that sound?” he asks Lucy.

“Yummy! Mommy says if we have one bad thing we have to also eat something good. Can we get a hot dog too?”

Oh, my kid. Hot dog as health food.

“Sure,” Cole says. “Have you been on the Ferris wheel yet?”

“Not yet but Mommy promised.”

Cole looks between me and Avery, his brow creasing slightly.

Shit. Now I really might puke.

“Did you win a prize?” Lucy asks him. “I saw you on the stage. People clapped.”

“Sort of,” he says, looking back down at her.

“What for?”

“For working very hard,” he says. “That’s how you become successful. You have to work hard. Then you can buy all the cotton candy you want.”

“I want to work hard!” she says.

“Are you going to do something?” Avery says through clenched jaw in my ear.

I am stuck between a rock and a hard, hard place. Someone needs to be the grown up here, and it definitely won’t be my sister—or Cole, for that matter. He makes it look so easy, the way he talks to Lucy. She never talks to strangers like this. Damn if it doesn’t bring tears to my eyes and I cannot let that happen. Not at the freaking Summer Fest in front of Cole Frost.

“How about this,” I say. “You two go get that cotton candy. Get dinner too.” I fish money out of my purse, avoiding the laser glare of Avery’s disapproving eyes. I shove some bills in her hands. “I’m going to talk to Mr. Frost. We have some business to talk about.”

“I’ll text you in a bit,” I tell Avery. Stepping close to her, all I can say is, “Please.”

“Do not let this guy fuck with you, Jess,” she says. “I’m serious.”

“I know, but I can’t keep avoiding this. We have to talk it out.”

“Then talk,” she says. “And keep at least five feet between you at all times.”

I wave them goodbye and the crowd quickly swallows them up. Luckily, Lucy is easily distracted by the prospect of fairground food.

I let out a deep breath once they’re gone.

“So…” Cole begins. “Something you want to tell me?”

“Wha…huh?” I stammer. I do not want to have this conversation with a balloon artist standing three feet from me.

“Avery has a kid now?”

I let out the tiniest breath. “Oh, well. You know. Kids! Seems like everyone’s got one!”

“They do?” he asks.

I shrug, feeling the sweat beading on my head that has nothing to do with the sun in the sky.

“It’s hot, right?” I say, waving my hand at my face. “There’s like, no breeze. Whew!”

Cole still looks puzzled, but says, “Let’s get you some fresh squeezed lemonade.”

We start through the crowd and I can literally feel my knees shaking.

“That was weird,” Cole says, looking back over his shoulder. “You didn’t tell me last night about Avery having a kid.”

“We weren’t really doing much talking, were we?”

I cringe as soon as I say it.

Especially because I feel like I’m hiding Lucy—as if I’m ashamed of her. The truth is, I’m trying to protect her.

Or is it really myself I’m protecting? Am I so afraid of being rejected completely, of watching Cole run away even when he finds out the truth about our beautiful little girl?

I swallow hard and try to shake off my confusion.

“Hey, you two!”

Bonnie May Greene appears before us, camera at the ready. “Smile for the Chronicle!” I turn my head before she can get the shot. “Someone’s shy. Come on, Jessa. Show me that smile!”

“Maybe some other time, Bonnie May,” I say, trying my hardest to sound pleasant. She mutters and shuffles away.

“Shit, you’re embarrassed to be seen with me,” Cole says, looking shocked and a little wounded.

“I just can’t be here with you.” I wipe my forehead and my wrists comes off slick with sweat.

Cole looks worried. His hand goes to the small of my back. “Are you all right, Jessa? Is it the heat?”

I’d laugh if I weren’t so eager to escape the eyes of the town. If people see us together—especially in the Chronicle—the rumors will fly for sure. It’s still a tiny town with lots of big mouths.

“It’s not the heat,” I say. “Let’s just get that drink somewhere a little less public.”

“You got it,” he says, and within moments we’re driving away from the fairgrounds and headed to the little downtown area that has a pharmacy, a hardware store, an ice cream shop, and a historical hotel—which, of course, is where Cole is staying.

As he passes the front desk he asks the cute receptionist, “Could you send up some lemonade?”

“Yes, of course, Mr. Frost,” she says all too eager to please. I’m pretty sure she shoots daggers at me as I pass.

Up in the cool, darkness of his room, I take a deep breath. Cole brings me a glass of water.

“Tell me,” he says as I gulp down the water. “Does my mere presence send you into panic attacks?”

“Not funny,” I say. I sit back in the deep soft chair and finally try to collect myself. When I look across at Cole, sitting on the edge of the bed, I realize what I’ve done.

“Stay where you are,” I say, pointing my finger at him. “I mean it, Cole. We are here to talk. That’s it.”

“I’ll stay right over here. Promise I won’t move,” he says. He leans forward on his knees, folding his fingers together. Somehow that makes him look even sexier. “If you’re upset about last night…”

“I’m not upset,” I say. “I’m just…nothing. I don’t know. It’s fine, Cole. Really.”

“You don’t seem fine,” he says.

“That’s because I’m not!” I say. “God, don’t you get it? Seeing you has me all twisted up. You can’t just leave and come back whenever you feel like it.”

“Actually, I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what I can do. It’s called freedom. Ever heard of it?”

“Don’t be cute.”

“Am I being cute?”

“You are so annoying.”

“Annoying but cute, right?” He smirks, and I feel it all the way down to my…well, right down between my legs. Jesus, he is so gorgeous. His skin is golden, and how does a T-shirt and jeans fit a body so perfectly? I look at his arms, so smooth and strong and I’m wondering why I didn’t ask for vodka with that lemonade?

“I have questions for you, and you’re going to answer them,” I say. “Now I’m on your turf, in your little room, and you can’t run away.”

“I never ran away,” he says, and a serious look crosses his face.

“You couldn’t wait to get rid of me last night,” I say.

“Not true,” he says. “Not even close.”

“What about before?” I say. “Three years ago?”

“That was…”

There’s a knock at the door. He starts to get up but I stop him.

“Nope. You promised you wouldn’t move.”

He sits back, looking comfortable as can be.

I start to open the door but then whisper back him, “Do I need cash for this?” He smiles and shakes his head no.

I open the door and a guy in a maroon vest and black pants rolls a little cart in with an icy pitcher of lemonade and two crystal glasses.

“You can just put it—yeah, over there,” I say. The guy knows exactly what to do.

He turns to Cole. “Anything else, Mr. Frost?”

Cole looks at me. “Hungry? They have a killer strawberry cake.”

“No, I’m fine,” I say.

“I guess that means we’re fine,” he says. “Thanks, Derek.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Frost,” Derek says.

After he leaves the room, I sit back down in the chair across from Cole and try to act like my heart isn’t beating furiously in my chest. Being alone, being so close to him, knowing what we both want to do right now and how easy it would be…

“Are you still doing that ridiculous documentary?” I say, using my sarcasm and barely concealed anger to hide my need and lust.

“Yep,” he says. “Most of the crew are staying here but a couple are at rentals around town. Do you want to be in it?”

“That fake piece of propaganda? Hardly.”

“Fake? How dare you,” he says, feigning insult.

“I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to make yourself look like some corn-fed, good old country boy who came out of nowhere and made it in the big city and still never forgot your roots. But I know you, Cole. I know the whole truth. You hate the country. Why are you trying to hide how you really feel?”

He looks at me carefully, quietly. Finally he says, “Don’t you want your lemonade?”

Clear change of subject. Not going to work.

“I wanted it earlier,” I say. “Now I don’t.”

“No longer interested?”

I shake my head. “Nope. You should know a thing or two about changing your mind.”

His jaw flexes. Then he glances me up and down. “Your cheeks are looking a little flushed. Are you hot?”

I swallow hard. If he doesn’t stop talking I’ll surely do whatever he wants me to do. I shift in the chair just trying not to picture all the things we could be doing in this room.

“Stop messing with me. Answer my question, Cole.”

“I don’t even know the question,” he says. “But I’ll answer yours if you answer mine.”

I keep my eyes on him, trying to figure out what he’s up to.

“Swear you’ll be honest?” I say.

“Cross my heart,” he says.

“Fine. Why did it have to be all or nothing with you? The city is only a few hours away. Why did you want me to go with you that night and when I didn’t drop everything at a moment’s notice, you never contacted me again?”

“Sounds like more than one question,” he says. “But I’ll answer anyway. I’m an all-or-nothing guy, Jessa. I wanted you, I wanted out, and if I couldn’t have everything I wanted right then, I had to go figure out a way to get what I wanted. And I think I did.”

I shift in the chair. “What did you figure out?”

“Nope,” he says. “Only one question. Now it’s my turn. And you have to be honest.”

I roll my eyes “Fine.”

“On a scale of one to ten,” he says, “how wet are you? I can see the way you’re trying to hide it, shifting in your seat and keeping your thighs pressed together. You can’t fool me, Jessa.”

My eyes drift down from his, down to his crotch. He sees what I'm doing and moves his hands out of the way, leaning back a little to show me the bulge in his jeans.

“Ten,” I say. “At least.”

“Come over here,” he says, and I stand up despite the little voice in my head telling me to stop where I am.

All thought or reason has left my mind.

“Take off those clothes.”

I stand so close to Cole that I can practically feel his breath on me as he looks up at me, watching.

Don’t do this.

You promised Avery.

But I’m weak. I can’t resist the pull of Cole Frost, I never could and nothing has changed. I pull off my shirt and step out of my shorts. I arch my breasts toward him as I reach back to unhook my bra.

He groans, and says, “Peel off those soaking panties.”

I do, and kick them off to the side.

“Look how much you fucking want it,” he says, seeing how wet they are. “This time you’re going to get it. I’m not letting you out of this room until you’ve been fucked properly.”

He runs his palms across my stomach and up to my breast, squeezing it in his hand. He eyes every inch of my exposed body, and I don’t even want to cover up for him. I want him to drink me in. I reach to him, running my fingers through his thick hair, touch his face with day-old stubble. I could come just from his hand on my tit.

He moves quickly, like an animal, and grabs my wrists. He pulls me into him, one hand clasping my wrists behind my back, my nipples right in his face. He looks up at me and says, “I’m ashamed of myself for last night.”

“Why?” I ask, breathing heavily.

“Because I barely got started on you. I always need more. Don’t you?” He pulls me even closer, his mouth so close to my tit and my pussy on the verge of dripping juices down my thighs.

“Take what you want,” I tell him, because if he wants to give me more, no way in hell will I stop him. Not in this moment.

With one hand still holding me back, he puts his other hand between my thighs, letting his fingers slip across my soaking, swollen walls. I almost buckle under the touch I desperately need. He feels the length of me but never pushes past the outside. He moves his wet fingers to my nipple and circles it with my juices. My pink nipple is so hard, so eager for him. He pinches it, sending waves of pleasure pain through me. He cups my breast fully in his hand and covers it with his mouth, his tongue sucking off the juices he just put there. As he sucks he goes back to my pussy with his hand, getting more of my wet goodness and gives my other nipple the same treatment.

“Fuck, you taste so good,” he says. “I want to eat that pussy of yours all night long.”

“God, yes, Cole,” I say. I want to reach for him but he’s still holding me back.

“I want to see how you’ve been finger fucking yourself,” he says.

I’ll do anything he wants, especially to get a little relief between my legs, but he has other ideas.

Cole releases my wrists to whip off his shirt—Jesus, his chest, his abs, so golden and hard I need to reach out to him. And then he goes for his jeans and boxer briefs, takes it all off in seconds until he’s sitting naked before me, his dick tall and proud and erect. I can’t help but reach for it, but he stops me.

“Get on top of me,” he says.

Now I know my poor cunt is moments from relief. As I step up to straddle him, I can already feel my walls stretching around the tip of that dick of his, pushing so high in me that I want to cry.

But not quite. Cole is cruel in the best ways.

“Put those pussy lips of yours on my cock,” he says, guiding me. I spread my knees and when my eager body sit on the length of his cock, I moan out. He pulls me closer to him, soaking his dick, pushing open my walls, but never letting me inside.

I arch my back, pushing my clit down on his dick. He pulls my body in closer as my hips pump over him, wet humping his dick. I push harder, feeling his head at my opening. I’m trying so hard to get him inside me. I’m so wet I know his cock will just slip right into my cunt if I can just get there. If only he’ll let me.

I buck my hips, holding tight to his shoulders and his head presses in me a little more, giving me a little taste of what I want. But Cole’s hands on my waist are suddenly lifting me off him and setting me back on my feet in front of him, panting, begging—literally.

“No, Cole. Please, please…”

“Now lick me clean,” he says. He holds the base of his cock, angling it toward me. “On your knees.”

I kneel before him and open my mouth as he holds his dick for me. My tongue licks him from the base up the long shaft to the tip. I run my tongue across the top, tasting his pre-come. I wrap my lips around his head before dipping back down and licking up again, curling my lips around him as I go. I look up at him, his mouth open in lust.

“Take it,” he says, and I take it in my hand. I pull on his hard shaft, wet from my cunt and mouth. I love looking at his dick, so big I’ll never be able to fit it all in my mouth, but I’ll try my best.

Cole pushes my head down, forcing me to stop thinking and start sucking. He sets the pace with his hand, pushing me down as I stretch my jaw wide and take him in.

“That’s a girl,” he says. “Fuck my cock with your mouth. Fuck it good, Jessa. Let me feel that tongue. Oh, God, yeah. God, you’re so good when your mouth fucks my dick.”

His encouragement makes me want to suck him even better so I take him even deeper, opening up my jaw even wider. I pull back and suck on the head like I’m going to suck him dry as my hand works his veiny shaft. I pump and suck him for all I’m worth.

“Look at you,” he says, his hand still on my head but letting me set the pace now. “Your ass is sticking out like you’re ready to be fucked. I wish I could fuck you and get sucked at the same time.”

I moan around his cock. It feels so good in my mouth.

“Christ, you’re going to make me come already,” he says. Even though I want to be fucked in my cunt, which is begging for him, I know enough about Cole to know that he won’t let me down.

Not in the bedroom, at least.

He pulls me up and tosses me on the bed, my tits bouncing with my body. I love the way he takes me, tossing me around like I’m his toy.

His hand covers his cock, moving slowly up and down it. “Where do you want me to come? In your mouth?”

“Yes,” I moan, sitting up slightly on my elbows.

“In your pussy? God, look at that thing. So fucking pink and wet. I’m going to come all up in that pussy of yours. But not yet.”

I reach for him as he pumps his dick in his hand. His stomach clenches and hot streams of milky come spray out and splash on my stomach and tits. I push my body into the impact, taking all of that hot liquid on me.

When he’s finished he barely takes a second before he leans over me and covers my mouth with his. I can feel his come sliding down my ribs as his tongue pushes further into my mouth, as deep as I took his cock.

He sits back on his heels and looks down at me.

“Now we can finally begin,” he says.