Dani glanced over at Cole as he pulled into her driveway. She loved him in jeans, but damn, the man looked good in a suit. The cut of his black jacket accentuated the strong line of his shoulders. All she wanted to do was spread her hands across his chest—under the guise of admiring what he was wearing, of course.
Cole put the car in Park and turned off the ignition. Dani’s pulse couldn’t settle on one speed, so it was doing crazy chaotic things in her throat right now. Cole had stated the obvious—they were about to have her big beautiful house to themselves. Did that mean they were about to put the memory of their two false starts to rest? And if so, how did she feel about that? There was so much unfinished business between them, things that had to be said, but she still wasn’t sure she could trust him to truly let her in. She couldn’t trust him not to hurt her again.
Inside, Dani set her purse on the kitchen counter, unsure what her next step was. “Do you want a drink?”
“I wouldn’t mind a little bourbon to take the edge off. That memorial and knowing that Rich was at the TCC has my mind going about a hundred miles an hour right now.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Dani headed into the living room, and Cole followed. Her bar, a stunning handcrafted piece made with dark wood and glass, was in the corner near one of the front windows. Pouring the drinks, she reminded herself that she needed to keep her wits about her, but she, too, needed to soothe her ragged nerves. She was feeling jumpy and anxious, too fixated on the freedom they had right now. If he was on board, they could tear each other’s clothes off right there in the living room. Maybe that was all she needed—to get Cole out of her system once and for all.
“Cheers,” he said when she handed him his glass.
“What are we toasting?”
“How about just that we’re here, together? Nothing like a memorial service to put life into perspective.”
“Hear, hear,” she replied, clinking her glass with his. The bourbon went down like warm silk, leaving behind a pleasant tingle in her throat and a rush of warmth in her chest.
“Ooh. That’s smooth.” Cole tilted the glass and shook his head before taking another sip.
“Nothing but the best. I learned that in culinary school. It’s just that I can actually afford it now.”
Cole surveyed the room. “You really have done well for yourself. The house is beautiful.”
“It’s amazing what celebrities will pay for you to cook for them. The investments I made with the life insurance money from my father have done very well, too.”
“But that’s you. Standing on your own two feet. You don’t need anyone else.”
“I’ve always been that way. Never had a choice. You know that.” Dani choked back the words she wanted to say. She hadn’t been exactly like that when they had been together. She’d leaned on him, especially when she was in the stressful home stretch of culinary school. They had been a team once, and she missed that more than anything. The loss became especially apparent when she found herself with two newborns. She would’ve done anything to have had Cole by her side at that time. But he’d made that an impossibility.
“It’s always been one of the things I admired most about you.” He took the last sip of his drink and set the glass on top of the bar. His voice was as warm and smooth as the bourbon, sending ripples of recognition through Dani. She knew what that particular tone meant. He was standing only a few inches away now, his smell so sexy and inviting. “Although you have lots of things to admire.” He gripped her elbow and looked down into her eyes. “Can I kiss you, Dani?”
A breathy laugh rushed past her lips. “Do you realize you have never asked me that question before?”
He was already coming in for what he’d asked for, a clever smile tugging at the corners of his enticing lips. “I never had you turn me down before the other night, either. I’m not taking any chances.”
“Yes, Cole. You can kiss me.”
He cupped her shoulders with his strong hands and planted a soft and sensuous, unmistakable kiss on her lips. A little tongue. Leaving her wanting more. She was dizzy from it.
“No more surprises between us, okay?” he asked.
That question was dripping with serious consequences. She sighed. Nothing between them was strictly fun and carefree, however much she wanted it to be that way, if only for an afternoon. She couldn’t promise no more surprises, so she kissed him, popping up on to her tiptoes. She dug her fingers into his thick hair. He tugged her closer, giving her bottom a squeeze. Dani gasped. “Didn’t you come over so we could figure out what I’m wearing to my first-ever sting operation?”
“Why do I feel like I’m being punished for stopping things the last time we kissed?”
“No punishment. Come on.” Dani made her way up the stairs, Cole behind her. She was definitely aware of the sway of her own hips as she climbed those stairs. Let him get an eyeful of everything he’d been missing out on all these years.
She traipsed down the hall and into her bedroom. “Have a seat in the chair and I’ll bring out a few options.”
Cole marched over to the chair, but only to remove his suit coat and drape it across the back. Dani wasn’t about to argue with the idea of him undressing. He sat on the bed instead, giving it a bounce. “Nice.” He cocked an eyebrow at her while loosening his tie. Dani was about to be the next thing in the room to come undone.
“This will just take a minute.” She retreated to her closet, mumbling to herself, “What are you doing? Do you really want to sleep with him? Won’t that make things so much more complicated?”
“What was that?” Cole called from the other room. “Did you say something?”
“No. Just deciding what to show you.” She rushed over to the far corner, where the full-length gowns she owned were hanging. She chose her three favorites—dark blue beaded, slinky black satin, and a red crepe mermaid gown.
She took all three dresses to Cole. “Well? Thoughts?”
He leaned back on the bed, placing his hands on the mattress and scrutinizing. “I need to see them on.”
She smiled. This was definitely a fun form of seduction.
“Of course.” She marched back to the closet and took off her clothes—every stitch. All three of these dresses required a strapless bra, and two required a thong or no panties at all.
She tried the blue one first. “Well?” She twirled, loving Cole’s eyes on her. All of this silky fabric against her naked body was nice, but she wished he had his hands all over her.
He bit down on his lower lip as his gazed traveled up and down her body. Her heart was thumping in anticipation. She didn’t care about the dress right now. She wanted him.
“I don’t think it’s quite sexy enough.” He shook his head. “The black one next.”
Disappointed, she headed back into the closet and changed. This one was even more torturous. The soft satin skimmed her breasts as she threaded the dress over her head, causing her nipples to come to attention. Mr. Tall, Dark and Dreamy being in the other room was not helping.
“Well? Thoughts?” This time she walked right up to him, turning once and looking down at him, trying her damnedest to send him psychic messages. Even if this dress wasn’t the one, it was an excellent choice for ending up in a puddle on the floor.
He reached out and touched her hip lightly. “I don’t love it.”
“What don’t you like?” Dani looked down at herself. She loved the way this dress hugged her curves.
“I just don’t think it’s the one.”
A frustrated grumble left her throat. “Okay, then. One more. Otherwise you’re taking me shopping, and I’m telling you right now that it’s not going to be cheap.” She returned to the closet once more.
“Something tells me I’d live.”
“Damn you, Cole Sullivan,” she muttered.
“I heard you that time.”
“Good.” She pulled the flame-red dress from the hanger and unzipped it. It was a mermaid-style gown made of fine jersey crepe, with impossibly skinny straps and a plunging back. The skirt followed every contour of her body and then flared out at the knee, making it deliciously swishy when she walked.
She was ready for another ego-crushing comment, but this time, Cole’s eyes gave it away. The smoldering flash across his face made heat plume in her chest, down her belly, and straight to her thighs. “Well?” she asked. “Thoughts?” This time she gave him no buffer, stepping so close she was between his knees. She turned slowly, letting him drink in the vision.
“Wow. Just wow.”
“You’re just saying that because you have a weakness for red dresses.”
He shook his head. “I have a weakness for you in a red dress. Every other woman is on her own.”
She fought a smile. Why was a compliment from Cole so much better than a kind word from another man? She had no idea. “So you approve?”
He sat straighter, bringing himself closer. His eyes were about even with her chest. “Can you move well in it?”
She leaned forward at the waist and gave him an eyeful. “I can. It’s nice and stretchy. It’s actually surprisingly comfortable.”
He drew in a deep breath through his nose, seeming to be grappling with a few urges. Good. She’d been fighting a few of her own. He must have unbuttoned his shirt when she was in the closet the last time. There were three undone now, giving her a view of his sexy chest and the tiny patch of hair in the center of it. She wanted to tangle her fingers in it. She wanted to get lost in him.
“Good. I want you to be comfortable,” he said.
“So that’s that, then.” She turned her back to him and cast her sights over her shoulder. “I’m going to need help with the zipper, though. It’s a little sticky.”
Now Cole was sitting up pin straight, his eyes plaintive. “No games, Dani.”
“No games.”
“Good. You knock me down a peg every time you stomp on the brakes.”
Dani hated the way the past crept into these conversations, intentional or not on either of their parts. It was omnipresent—the hurt, the transgressions, the untruths. She needed a break from all of it. She wanted to disappear into the one place she’d ever truly felt safe—Cole’s arms. She wanted him to make her feel good. She wanted him to make the rest of the world go away.
Which meant she had to face this head-on. She turned and looked him square in the eye. “I brought you up to my bedroom, Sullivan. I’m trying on dresses that leave very little to the imagination, and I’m doing my best to make you want me the way I want you.”
His trademark cocky smile made an appearance—the one that said the universe was particularly good at glossing over his mistakes. He was too handsome. Too likable. The irresistible golden boy, like dessert for breakfast, lunch and dinner. “You want me to show you my intentions?”
Her breath hitched in her throat. “I do.”
He placed his hands on her hips, the heat from his palms nearly searing her through the dress. He curled his fingertips into her flesh and tugged her closer. Her knees were flat against the side of the mattress, his face close enough to her breasts that her nipples drew hot and tight. He trailed one hand to the small of her back and dragged the zipper down. Electricity danced along her spine as his fingertips grazed her skin along the way.
“Does this help?”
She nodded. “It does.” With one hand, she slipped both dress straps from her shoulders, clutching the gown to her bosom with her other arm. “Does this help you?”
Their gazes connected. Cole’s eyelids were heavy with desire, making her want to give in to this right here and now. “I want it all,” he said. “Everything.”
Dani let the dress drop to the floor, placed her hand on Cole’s shoulder and pushed him back on the bed. She planted one knee on the mattress between his legs, unable not to notice the bulging ridge in his pants. Any doubts she’d had about whether or not he wanted her had been a waste of time and energy.
She leaned down and yanked his shirt out of the waistband of his pants, then made quick work of the buttons, traveling north as she went. As soon as his chest was bare, she stretched out along his side and let her fingers roam, threading them through the hair she’d been dying to touch mere minutes ago.
Cole rolled to his side and cupped the side of Dani’s neck, his fingers warm and craving at her nape. They kissed like their lives depended on it, mouths eager and open, tongues wet and hot. Cole rolled her to her back, his thigh firmly rocking against her center, making heat flame between her legs. She couldn’t remember ever wanting him more. Maybe because she knew what was in store for her and she’d gone so long without him. Too long.
“You’re wearing too many clothes,” she said.
He shifted to his knees and tore his shirt from his body, tossing it to the floor with her dress. She unbuckled his belt, then unhooked his pants and drew down the zipper. She could already feel the tension coming from his hips. It radiated from him like the sun off a tin roof. He pushed his trousers past his hips, leaving them bunched at his upper thighs. Dani couldn’t wait anymore. She sat up and tugged down his boxer briefs and took him in her hand, stroking lightly, letting her palm roll over the smooth skin with every pass. He moaned so deeply that the bed nearly shook. Her other hand trailed down his firm belly, her fingers knowing every hard contour, remembering every luscious dip and bulge of his body.
Cole stood and shucked his remaining clothes, then climbed back onto the bed. He pulled her into his arms, kissing her softly as their legs tangled and hands roamed everywhere—hers down his back and his to her hip, then up to cup her breast. He pushed her to her back and their gazes connected as he drew delicate circles around her nipple. She felt like she was floating as the need built inside her. She loved it when he took things slow and drew out the pleasure, but there was a lot of want bubbling to the surface. She needed him.
“I’m on the pill, but do we need a condom?” She’d been in near zero danger of getting pregnant in New York, having had only one boyfriend, who hadn’t lasted long. She’d only kept her prescription to regulate her cycle. Still, she knew very little about Cole’s personal life while she’d been gone.
“You tell me, Dani. There’s been no one since you left. No one.”
She kissed him softly, to give her a second to think. “Nobody? Not a single girl you picked up at a bar or anything?”
He shook his head. “You say it like it’s a bad thing.”
“I just...” She searched for the right words. “I’m surprised, that’s all.”
“Well, do you want to be surprised, or do you want me to set your world on fire?” He pushed up on his arms, towering over her. His chest was heaving. So was hers. She hooked her leg over his hip and grabbed both of his strong shoulders.
The muscles twitched beneath her touch. “I want the fire.”
* * *
As much as Cole wanted to soak up the stunning sights of Dani, he had to close his eyes as he sank down into her. The warmth and pleasant tug of her body was so familiar and yet had been out of reach for so long. It was as if he’d gone without her forever. She wrapped her legs around him, caressing the backs of his thighs with her ankles. He planted both elbows on the bed and combed his fingers into her hair, kissing her unforgettable mouth. She tasted so sweet, even when her tongue did things that made him feel like he’d been a very bad boy.
Dani tilted her hips, allowing him to thrust even deeper. He pressed his lips against her cheek, along her jaw and down her neck. They moved together in that rhythm he knew so well, one that belonged to only them. He hadn’t merely missed Dani, he’d missed this closeness with her—where nothing else mattered and the rest of the world could be forgotten. He’d lost his shield when he lost her—or, to be more accurate, when he pushed her away.
Dani’s breaths were short and ragged now. The motion of her hips was more insistent, and that only made Cole want to try harder. He pushed up from the bed, holding his torso tight, trying to keep it together while he made his thrusts longer and deeper. His legs were on fire, the pressure coiling in his hips, gathering in his belly. He listened carefully to Dani, watched for clues as she closed her eyes and bit her lower lip, looking so impossibly beautiful and sexy. She turned her head to one side and he kissed her neck, knowing how much she loved that. She arched into him, muscling him closer with her heels.
She didn’t have to tell him that she was close. He could feel the tension inside her. He stayed focused, not ready to give way until she did, even when his mind was fuzzy and the pleasure was knocking at the gates, threatening to barrel through him. He had a hell of a lot to make up for. His performance needed to be spectacular—enough fireworks for a hundred Fourths of July.
Her mouth was slack now, her breaths halting and choppy. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and tightened the grip of her legs. The next thing he knew, she was unraveling, falling apart at the seams in the most stunning way. He watched her, transfixed by the vision, until his climax ran through his body like a freight train headed straight down a mountain. He pressed his hips into her one more time and dropped his head, nestling his face in her neck.
Dani wrapped her arms and legs around him even tighter, humming softly, a habit of hers he’d nearly forgotten about. She hummed after sex. He still had no idea why and she could never explain it, either, beyond the fact that she was happy.
“That was incredible,” she muttered into his chest.
Yeah, well, remind me to go without sex for nearly six years. That’ll do that to a guy. “It was, Dani. It really was.”
He eased to his side and she hopped up from the bed, flitting into the bathroom. How he loved watching her lovely rear end bouncing along in close proximity. He hadn’t merely missed Dani. He’d been starved for her. She made him feel more than alive. She made him feel invincible. This high was something he hadn’t felt in six years. He hadn’t felt this good for even one minute since she left.
That meant he needed to get his priorities straight and figure out what he wanted from her. They couldn’t just sleep with each other and walk away—there was too much between them. Too many secrets. But then again, would he ever get her to tell him the truth about her sons? She’d kept things hush-hush for so long.
Dani stopped in the doorway of her bathroom and leaned against it, trailing her finger up and down the jamb. “I almost hate to say this, because I don’t want to feed your ego, but you look spectacular in my bed.”
“Consider my ego fed. That’s the best thing anyone has ever said to me.” Laughing, Cole peeled the covers back, offering them in invitation. “Please. Join me in looking spectacular.”
Dani climbed into bed and placed a soft and delicate kiss on his lips. Her breasts pressed against his chest, sent the all-hands-on-deck signal straight to his groin. No question this would be his shortest recovery ever. And damn, he wanted another chance at everything they’d just done together. He couldn’t wait for more.
Dani slipped her leg between his, rocking her thigh against him. “Ooh. Again?”
He was so hard it nearly made him dizzy. “Yes. And maybe again after that.”
Dani didn’t hesitate to straddle his hips and take his erection in her hand, guiding him inside her. She sank down onto him, and his eyes drifted shut as her warmth enveloped him. She dropped down and kissed him hard, bouncing her hips in a rhythm that had his head spinning. He curled his fingers into the velvety flesh of her bottom. Tension coiled tightly in his groin and hips. He needed the release again. He thrust more forcefully, lifting her off the bed. She was grinding her hips into his and he could tell from her breaths that he was hitting the right spot. Just when he thought he couldn’t take it much longer, Dani called his name and buried her face in his neck. The pleasure rocketed right out of him in waves while Dani let her full bodyweight rest on his, a feeling he’d always loved.
She rolled to his side and curled into him. “So was that a line about not being with any other woman since me?” she asked, still a bit breathless.
Cole pulled her closer, loving the feel of her silky skin against his. “What if it was? Would you be mad?” If only it was a line.
“No. I mean, I’ve fallen for worse, for sure. And you certainly made it worth my while.”
“But? I’m sensing a but here.”
“But nothing. I’m just surprised. I don’t know how often you look in the mirror, but I’m trying to figure out how you stayed out of the beds of every last woman in Royal during that time.”
He placed a kiss on her forehead. “Thank you. That’s sweet.” If he looked back, it seemed impossible, but at the time, he hadn’t seen any other way but to stay single. He wasn’t about to pull another woman into his orbit. He was damaged goods. Had he looked at women and wanted them? Sure. But his heart hadn’t been in it. He didn’t see the point. But things were different with Dani, and not just because they had a past. Not because it took no effort at all to want her. She knew the Cole he had been before the glioma was discovered. She knew the old him, the person he wished he could be again.
Trouble was, that was the guy she’d loved, too. And that guy no longer walked the earth.
“I wasn’t trying to be sweet. And I already knew there was no other woman when you broke up with me. Megan told me.”
He lifted a brow. “How does Megan know the details of my personal life?”
“You’ve said it yourself a thousand times. This is a small town. People talk.”
Cole sucked in a deep breath. Maybe it was time to come clean on this one point. “Yes, I lied about there being someone else. And I’m sorry about that, but I had my reasons.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “Just like you had your reasons for waiting until after I left town to quit the Rangers, even when I’d begged you to quit?”
“Would you quit your job if I begged you? That wasn’t fair, Dani. I would never ask you to leave behind something you loved.”
Dani sat up and cast a look of deep anger at him. “I was trying to guarantee our future together. A long life. I was hoping to grow old with you, Cole. But you threw all of that away.”
That stopped him dead. How could he tell her that the thing she’d once hoped for was something he could never give her? Not even now. “Can’t we take a break from the past? Just for one day?”
“I don’t see how we can, especially when you don’t want to talk about it.”
From downstairs, the sound of children’s voices filtered into the room. Dani slapped the bed and gathered a chunk of the comforter in her hand, narrowly missing Cole’s thigh. “The boys are home. You have to get out of here right now.” She flew out from under the sheets and began flinging his clothes at him. His shirt hit him square in the face.
“Slow down a minute.” He scrambled out from under the covers and started putting on his boxers, hopping on one leg to do it. “I have a good reason for being here.”
“Not in my bed, you don’t. They’re little boys, Cole. They ask lots of questions. You need to put your clothes on right now.” Dani was furiously making the bed. Naked. It was the best view ever, but he had zero time to enjoy it.
Dammit.
Cole was turning his shirtsleeves inside out when the boys’ voices grew louder. The door was closed, but who knew who long it would be before they burst through it.
Dani raked her dress from the floor and scampered into the bathroom. “Get in here,” she whispered to him, loudly.
He followed orders and Dani closed the door behind him. She was still naked, clutching that man-killer dress to her chest. Cole buttoned up his shirt and gave himself a tour. It was like a spa—white marble and sleek fixtures, fluffy white towels, and a shower that might even be bigger than his.
“How many people does this accommodate?” he asked with a leading inflection, pointing to the spacious enclosure wrapped in clear glass.
Dani smacked him on the arm. “There’s no time to talk about that. Just finish getting dressed.” She pulled a robe from a hook on the wall, and he took his chance to drink in her luscious curves before she wrapped them up in terry cloth and cinched the belt tight.
Cole tucked his dress shirt into his pants, zipped them up and buckled his belt. “Is it okay for me to go out there? I can’t spend the whole day in your bathroom. Unless we get to use the shower. For that, I will rearrange my schedule.”
“Why are you being so cavalier about all of this?”
He didn’t want to tell her the truth—this was a good diversion from the stupid way he’d put his foot in his mouth a few minutes ago. Why he’d walked into the trap of discussing his departure from the Texas Rangers, he had no idea. He made a mental note to avoid the topic at all costs in the future. “It’s a little funny, don’t you think? Sneaking around and whispering in your bathroom? We’re adults.”
“And you know absolutely nothing about parenting. It’s my job to shield them from stuff like this.” Dani cracked the bathroom door and leaned out. Cole leaned against her, and they both craned their necks.
“Mommy? Is Mr. Sullivan here?”
“We saw his truck outside.” About a million tiny knocks accompanied the boys’ questions.
Dani closed the bathroom door. “See what you did?”
“What? I gave you a ride home. Last time I checked, that was not a federal offense.”
“I have to go answer them. You stay here. I’ll let you know when you can come out.”
Dani disappeared through the door, shutting it behind her. Cole finished putting his suit back on and neatened his hair, which was wonderfully disheveled after his afternoon delights with Dani. He fetched his shoes from her bedroom floor and was putting them on when Dani returned.
“Okay. The boys are out playing in the backyard with Elena. You can go now.” She’d changed into her bathing suit and was wearing a cover-up over it. “I’m going to go join them.”
“Maybe I can have them over to swim in my pool again?”
“We’ll talk about it.”
“Okay, then. I guess I’ll go.” Cole followed her out of her room and headed downstairs. He hated the cool turn things had taken, but thus was the state of their friendship, or relationship or whatever anyone wanted to call it right now. There were problems lurking in every corner of their past. Dare to poke at one issue and the rest would likely rush out for their hiding place.
“Cole,” Dani called from the top of the stairs. He turned and looked up at her, wondering if there was any way they’d ever get their act together. “I’ll see you on Tuesday? For the trip to Durango City?”
For once, the investigation had been the absolute last thing on his mind. “Yeah. I’ll pick you up at four.”
“Perfect.”
Cole merely nodded and walked away. Perfect was about the last word he would’ve used to describe the current state of affairs.