Chapter Six
The dinner was a semi-disaster. Cole couldn’t believe that he’d given Elena his plate instead of her own. At the end of it she was laughing.
“I cannot believe you eat so much chili. It’s insane.”
He shrugged. “I like spicy food.”
She chuckled. “Do I get a slice of cake as a reward?”
“Already on it.”
“Wait, wait, does it have chili in as well?”
“No, but where I like my food really spicy, I like my desserts really sweet.”
“I’ll risk it,” she said.
He took their plates, noting that she did leave some of the food, but he wasn’t the perfect cook. He enjoyed being in the kitchen, but he’d never said he was good. Could he cook? Yes. Was that food good? Not always.
She hadn’t run screaming yet, or accusing him of killing her, so that was a bonus.
Putting the cake onto the counter, he grabbed a knife and cut two large slices. He added a dollop of sweet whipped cream, said a little prayer, and entered the dining room.
She was still sitting where he’d left her, sipping from the wine he’d given her before dinner.
“Would you like me to refill your glass?” he asked.
“No. There’s really no need. I don’t drink a whole lot.”
“But you were too drunk to rate my performance?”
“I have my off days,” she said.
She took the spoon he offered, and he saw her hesitate. “There’s no chili at all in this.”
“Okay.” She laughed, and took a spoonful of the dessert. He watched as she licked her lips, and finally put it in her mouth. She closed her eyes and released a moan. “Wow.” She covered her mouth, and kept on chewing. Her eyes opened as she swallowed, and she licked her lips. “That is one good cake.”
“I’m pleased you approve.”
It was the one recipe he had perfected in the last couple of years, so he knew whatever disaster dinner was, he’d make up for it with dessert. It was one of the reasons he loved baking. Providing all the steps were followed, nothing could go wrong, not a single thing.
“I know what everyone else has talked about, but I’m curious, why did you go to college just to quit it?” she asked, wondering if there were more to it than he’d originally told her.
“It’s simple really. I never wanted to go but I didn’t have the balls to tell my folks. My dad finally figured it out, and asked that I try one semester. I did, and I left.”
“Plumbing and working with your hands is what you want to do?”
“Yes.” He glanced around his home. “Look at this place. I built it with my bare hands, and I’m proud of it. I love creating stuff. Sitting behind a desk all day, some people can create, and I get that. I like to see something as I work. What about you? No college in your life?”
“I wasn’t the most academic student. I got by all right, but I didn’t really excel at anything. To be honest, I’ve always loved books, and being in the library was where I wanted to be. Then they let me go.”
He saw the sadness in her eyes. “You miss it?”
“I miss being around books. They’re not as scary as people can be.”
“You’re afraid of people?”
“I have this wild imagination. If I see someone buying plastic, shovels, and rope, my mind goes straight to murder. Not to mention the fact that I’m a huge hazard in the workplace.” She laughed. “Please, don’t take it as a fault, or me complaining.” She covered her face. “I’m so horrible. I do love working there, I do. I really need to shut up.”
“You’re adorable,” he said.
“I do love working there. It’s hard work, which I’m not afraid of. But when someone asks me what the best tool is for a job, I must look so stupid because I don’t have a clue.” She laughed.
“Deuce is good for that. It’s why I have you working with him. That way you can take over whatever job he’s doing, and he can guide them.”
“And I really appreciate it,” she said.
They finished off their cake, and he watched as she licked her lips.
“That was divine, Cole. Thank you.”
“It’s been my pleasure.” He took the plate, and made his way toward the kitchen.
Elena followed him. “I’ll help with the dishes,” she said.
“No. I’ll do them later.”
“And things can stick. Don’t worry about it. I’ll help.” She grabbed a clean towel. “Wash or dry?”
“I’ll dry,” he said.
“Excellent.” She stuck her hands in the bowl and cried out. “Ouch! Fuck!”
She pulled her hand out of the water, and Cole knew it was bad the moment he saw the blood.
“Fuck!”
He grabbed the towel, and wrapped it around her hand, keeping it tight. “I need to take you to the emergency room.”
“What did you have in the damn water?” she asked.
Carefully, he placed his hand in, and then winced as he pulled out the newly sharpened chef’s knife.
She glared at him.
“Hospital it is,” he said.
“Why would you put a knife in bubbled water? No one can see it,” she said.
“I know. I know.” He’d not been thinking, and now he had seriously hurt the woman he’d been trying to impress all night. This wasn’t going well at all. Making sure everything was turned off, he ordered her to keep the towel secure, and then helped her out toward his truck. Just great. His second date, and it was ending in a hospital trip.
She sighed. “A year.”
“What?” he asked.
“The last time I visited the hospital was over a year ago, and that was because I fell and hit the back of my head on a rock. It was bleeding everywhere, and Juliet had to drive me. We’d decided to take up running, which if you ask me is a stupid sport. You run away from things, not for fun.”
He was trying not to laugh. Was she talking because she was nervous?
“I’ve got to call Juliet. Let her know what is happening. She’ll put it on a tally.”
“You’ve got an injuries tally?”
“Yep. I’m trying to prove I’m not a klutz, and so far, I think she’s winning. I know for a fact I’m not.”
He stayed silent as she dialed Juliet’s number. She surprised him even more by having it on speaker phone.
“You’re calling me already? That was fast?” Juliet said.
“Yeah, erm, I’m heading toward the hospital.”
“What did you do?”
“Hey, I was being polite, and offered to wash his dishes for him.”
“Why has that ended with a hospital trip?” Juliet asked.
“Because there was this large, scary chef’s knife, and I think I’m losing a lot of blood. I won’t be able to make rent for the rest of the month.”
“Yet you can still talk to me. One year you lasted. I’ll restart the tally.”
“You’re an evil woman,” Elena said, hanging up.
“You love her, don’t you?”
“Yep, I love her like a sister.”
They arrived at the hospital, and he dropped her off at the entrance as he parked his car. He was climbing out when his cell phone rang. Vincent was calling.
“I don’t have a lot of time right now. I’m about to enter the hospital.”
“What the fuck? Is everything okay?”
“Of course it’s okay. I, er, I, I’ve cut Elena. I’ve not cut her, cut her. I put a large ass knife in the sink. I didn’t stab her or anything. She’s got a big cut in her hand, and I’m going to take care of her. I fucked up.”
“Holy shit, it must be love.”
“Shut up, Vincent. I’ve got to go. Talk to you later.”
He entered the main reception and saw Elena already sitting with a clipboard on her lap.
She smiled at him as he entered. “Do you need me to do that?” he asked.
“Nope. It’s pretty standard stuff. In the year since I’ve been here, nothing has changed.” She filled in the forms, and took them back to the woman behind reception. “We just have to wait now.” She took a seat beside him, and rested her head on his arm. “You know what this means, don’t you?”
“You hate me right now?”
“Nope. We’ve had an unlucky two dates. It means the third is going to be amazing.”
“You’re going to give me another chance.”
“Of course. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t.”
“What did it?” he asked. “My sparkling personality? Spicy food? What?”
“Your smile and your cake. That cake will get you whatever you want, Cole.” She winked at him, and with how close she was, everything else ceased to exist apart from her.
****
Five stitches in Elena’s hand, along with a bandage to make sure she didn’t bang it up or hurt it in any way. This was so embarrassing. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Cole didn’t take her back home though. By the time they were finished at the hospital, it was after eleven at night.
“You’re not taking me home?”
“No. I was the one who hurt you, and now I’ll be the one to take care of you. After all those stitches, I think you need a slice of cake, and a cup of hot chocolate.”
She couldn’t believe how caring and sweet he was. Actually, she could believe it. Every time one of her cuts required attention at work, he’d always been there. When Deuce had taken care of it, Elena recalled Cole’s anger at not being consulted. Since then, Cole handled every single one of her injuries. She rather liked his attention, but then she always had.
Cole took the lead, entering his home, and he ordered her to sit on a chair at the kitchen counter, and not to touch a thing.
“I’m not dangerous, you know.”
“We sat in the hospital for over four hours because of your hand, Elena. Don’t touch anything.”
She heard him shutting up the curtains and putting a few lights on, before returning to the kitchen.
“You were really great today, thank you. You know, for being so utterly sweet.”
He took her hand, careful not to put any pressure on it, and turned it.
“I’ll have a scar. A second date reminder.”
Cole pressed a kiss to her bandaged arm. “Let me get you that cake.”
She sat back in her chair, watching as he moved around his space. “The renovations on this place must have been a nightmare to complete.”
“They were. I had to wait for some supplies to be delivered. It was a labor of love, still is. I was able to do most of the work myself. With the stuff I couldn’t, I gave an extra discount at the store for those that gave me a reasonable price for the work. It’s a family home, you know.”
“Where’s the family?”
“I’m working on it.” He stared at her, and she was sure he was trying to tell her something. She refused to be sucked in by that.
Cryptic wasn’t something she was ever good at, and she wasn’t about to start now. Pushing her hair off her face, she rested her bandaged hand on the counter. “Do you think I can get some time off with this?”
“Not a chance. Light duties only. I want to keep an eye on you.”
“My boss is a hard ass.”
“He is, and he’s also a caring ass.” He put a large slice of cake onto a plate, and put it in front of her. “Eat your cake, stop your moaning.”
“You’re a bossy boots,” she said, but didn’t argue.
He got to work doing the dishes as she ate the chocolate cake. Elena watched his ass as it moved around the kitchen. He really did jeans justice. Models didn’t have anything on him, but she knew he didn’t get it by going to a gym. Cole was a working boy.
She had promised herself that she wouldn’t sleep with him tonight, and that they’d just get to know each other. She wanted to know everything about him.
No sex tonight, but … she was struggling with her own decision. Would it be really wrong to turn him down? Did she even want to?
Cole made her feel everything, and no man had ever made her this crazy before.
“You have a nice ass,” she said, and then dropped her head down. “Ignore that.”
He laughed. “You think I’ve got a nice ass.”
“Ugh, ignore me. I say things, and they just blurt out of my mouth. Kind of like farts do.” What the hell? “Ignore it all. I don’t know what I’m saying. Not one little bit.”
Cole moved toward her. The kitchen counter separated them, and he rested on his arms. “You are a strange woman, Elena.” Before she could protest, he pressed a kiss to her lips. “I happen to like your ass as well. I love your tits, and your hips.”
“My hips.”
“I like holding onto them when I want to fuck you hard.”
Oh, she wanted that as well. No questions asked. She wanted this man, even with all of her confusing thoughts, and scary feelings.
“Your legs as well. The way they feel wrapped around my waist. It’s the best feeling in the world, and your pussy. I love the way it tastes, and how wet it gets around my dick. One day I want to take you without a condom. I want to fill you with my spunk, and watch as it eases out of your cunt.”
“I had no idea you talked dirty,” she said. Even to herself she sounded breathless.
“Your nipples are rock hard, and your chest is flushed. Do you want me, Elena?” he asked.
“Yes, I want you.”
He dropped the dishtowel, and she stood, watching his movements as he advanced toward her. She stood up, and then his hands were on her body, followed by his lips, and she wrapped her arms around him.
One hand cupped her cheek as the other slid down her body, to grab her ass. The hand on her cheek moved down, too, and he grabbed hold of her ass, lifting her up. She circled her legs around his waist, and held on.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I’m taking you to my bedroom where I’m going to show you exactly where I wanted this evening to go, but also, you’re going to stay there.”
“I am?”
“Yes.”
“What about my hot chocolate?”
“Stay there, and I’ll make it more than worth your while.”
She held onto him tightly, amazed at how easily he lifted her up. The moment they were inside his room, he placed her on the floor. She ran her hand down his chest, which was covered by the shirt.
Reaching for the buttons, she began to undo them, as her fingers were free of the bandages and she could still use them, revealing his tanned chest. He was hard, and she stroked a hand down his chest, going past his stomach, and sliding into his jeans. She wrapped her fingers around his length, and was shocked to find that he didn’t wear any boxers.
Staring into his eyes, she worked his length until he pushed down his jeans. She sank to her knees and held onto his cock. He was long, thick, and the tip was already wet with pre-cum.
Flicking her tongue across the tip, she tasted him for the first time. Liking the salty-sweet taste, she took more of him into her mouth. She closed her eyes and bobbed her head, taking him to the back of her throat.
Cole sank his fingers in her hair, wrapping the length around his fist as he thrust his hips, making her take some more of him.
He was larger than any of the other men she’d been with. Pulling off his cock, she licked the tip, and then took more of him, sinking him to the back of her throat once again.
She licked the vein.
“You look beautiful taking my cock, baby. Open your mouth.” His grip tightened in her hair, and she did as he asked, opening her mouth.
Cole took control and began to fuck her mouth. Reaching between her thighs, she teased her slit, feeling the first bloom of orgasm.
“I don’t want you to come yet. I want you to wait until I’m deep inside you.”
She whimpered, but stopped touching herself. She didn’t have much of a choice seeing as she was so close as it was.
Cole was the only one naked, and he seemed to realize it as he pulled her up to her feet. He wasn’t rough, but she liked how he was the one taking the lead. He cupped her face, holding her in place as he slammed his lips down on hers.
She pressed her body against him, reaching for his cock once again. He slapped her hand away, and then tugged off the shirt she wore. This time, she wore a black lace bra. It was a matching set, as lingerie was her weakness. She loved lace, and she loved to feel sexy. To her, underwear gave her that edge. The way it made her feel empowered her. It was weird, she knew, but she loved it.