“No,” I murmur. “You?”
Leaning down, he kisses my forehead. “Could never regret you, baby.”
Five words. Those five words have a direct line to my heart. The one this man kicks into overdrive whenever he’s near. The one that just melted into a puddle of goo at five little words. Those five words mean more to me than any declaration of love or feelings. Cole is a man who doesn’t hold back; he’s always blunt and honest to a fault. He knows I want more than just a fling, knows how I feel about it. He also knows I was willing to set that aside to be with him. Those five words tell me that this really does mean more to him.
We’re in this together.
That both excites me and scares the hell out of me. This isn’t his thing, being attached to someone. Although, I’ve yet to see his attention anywhere but on me. I agreed to try, and that’s what I’m going to do.
“Where did you go?” he asks, smoothing hair out of my eyes.
“Just taking it all in.” I smile.
“Don’t move.”
He climbs off the bed and I instantly miss him, the warmth of him pressed against me. I close my eyes, running it all through my mind on repeat. We’ve been dancing around this for months, and I’ve imagined it more times than I care to admit, but I never, not once, thought it would be like this. With Cole saying he wants there to be an us.
My eyes pop open when I feel a warm cloth between my legs.
“Sorry, sweets. Didn’t mean to startle you,” he says, tossing the towel back toward the bathroom. He stretches out beside me on the bed, pulling me against his chest. Reaching down, he grabs the covers and tugs them over us.
My head resting on his chest, I can feel the thunderous beat of his heart. Neither one of us says a word as our breathing syncs and we both relax.
Cole has one arm holding me tight against him, and with the other he runs his fingers through my hair. “I’ve never done this before,” he admits.
“Changing your mind?” I ask hesitantly.
“Never.” He tightens both arms around me and holds me tight. He gives me a gentle squeeze. “I’ve never . . . cuddled after sex.”
Noted. I try to pull away, but his hold is like a vise.
“Stop.”
I do what he says.
“I didn’t say I didn’t want to do it, Stacy. I said I’d never. I’ve never wanted to. I’ve never had the desire to stick around, to bask in the feel of a naked body against mine. I’ve never cared enough to make sure she’s comfortable.”
It’s a bit awkward hearing about his time with other women, but that’s Cole. He doesn’t hold any punches, and I know his history.
“Fuck, sweets, I never want to let you go. This feeling—your skin against mine, your head on my chest. It’s one I never want to let go of.”
Me either. I want to tell him that I’m onboard, that my thoughts are in line with his, but I hold back. This is still so new, and I admit that I’m still scared as hell. If I let sweet Cole in, will he break me?
“This is more, Stacy,” he states firmly, as if he can read my mind.
“Not just sex,” I say, snuggling closer. I’m going to soak up as much of him as I can. I’m going to take my clues from him and let the chips fall where they may. I want to believe he’s changed, that he changed for me, but my heart is hesitant. It’s his simple “this is more” that has me going all in I’m not going to let my fear of a broken heart keep me from enjoying every second that he claims to be mine.
“No, not just sex. Look at me,” he commands.
Taking a deep breath, I lift my head from what I like to think of as my spot on his chest and look at him.
His face is serious, more serious than I’ve ever seen. Those chocolate eyes bore into mine. “We made love, Stacy. I could never just fuck the woman who owns me. We’ll fuck, that’s a given, but there will always be emotion involved—there’s no other way with you. However, what we just shared, that was more than sex.”
Love. That one word among the many that fell from his lips is the one I’m stuck on. I bite my tongue, not wanting to blurt it out that it was more than making love—it was falling in love as well. That my heart is invested. Sweet Cole has cast a spell on me, and my heart was all too eager to succumb to his advances.
“Stacy.”
I pull myself together and focus on him.
“Tell me you get that?” His voice is pleading.
“I do,” I murmur. “We made love,” I rasp out.
He nods and I lay my head back on his chest, breaking the intensity of his stare.
“I want to wake up like this,” he says on a yawn.
This man. No one would believe me. If I told them about sweet Cole and the things he says to me, the way he holds me firm yet gentle. No one would believe that rocker Cole Hampton, lead guitarist for Soul Serenade, is the man holding me tight, vowing to do so all night long.