Behave, my brain tells my body, my heart.
I stumble back and step aside to let him in. I close the door and follow him into the living room, my gaze on his backside. My feet guide me forward, my palms itching to grab a piece of his—
“Ooomph!” I hit a wall of muscle and stagger back. Two strong hands grip my shoulders, righting me.
“Are you okay?” Cole asks, frowning at me.
Heat explodes across my face but I manage to bob my head. Oh wow, that Bailey’s went straight to my head.
“Want a beer?” I ask him, my pulse thudding in my ears.
He nods. I hurry to the fridge and grab a bottle before I end up groping him. The cool glass startles me, knocking some of the haze from the Bailey’s from my head. I return to Cole’s side and shove it in his hands, then stand back to watch as he twists the cap, slants his head back and takes a long drink. He lowers his arm holding the bottle and then wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.
Sexiest thing ever.
“Can I see the girls? I won’t wake them. I promise.” He breaks through my thoughts with those words.
He looks so broken. If seeing the girls will take away that look of hopelessness from his face, then so be it.
I nod and lead the way upstairs. Halting in front of Cora’s room, I push the door with my fingers. Snores drift from where Cora and Joce are sprawled on the bed, sleeping. The light from the hallway faintly illuminates the angles of their faces, while the other side is cast in shadows. We stand there, watching our daughters. Joce jerks her hands, startled in her sleep but quickly calms down and goes back to sleep.
“They are beautiful. You and Josh raised them well.” I nod, a lump forming in my throat. Cole takes another sip from his bottle. He looks at me, tears brimming at the corner of his eyes. “I miss him so much.” He squeezes his eyes and the tears fall down his cheeks.
“Oh Cole,” I murmur under my breath as I close the distance between us and wrap my arms around him. He returns my embrace with a tighter one, his face buried into the crook of my neck. His body shakes against mine. I can’t take away the pain, but I can hold him at least. I rub my hand down his back, and kiss his bowed head. He shudders as his tears subside and raises his head from my shoulder.
I cup his face in my hands and wipe the lingering wetness on his cheek. “He loved you so much, you know. He never stopped talking about you to the girls.”
“Fuck. He died thinking I was mad at him. I was angry with him for a long time. It took fucking cancer to knock some sense into me.”
I push the locks of hair falling on his forehead. “He knew you loved him.”
He shakes his head as if to deny my words and turns away from me. He props one elbow on the door frame and bites his bottom lip, his focus on our daughters.
I lean on the wall behind me and close my eyes. I try to sort out what I’m feeling. Warm lips brush against mine. My eyes flip open, colliding with Cole’s intense, dark gray eyes. A frown mars his brow as he continues to study me. I’m trapped by the sudden rush of bliss his mouth stirred up in me.
“It is wrong to kiss you like this, Snowflake. But I can’t stop myself. Why does it feel so right? I should have known we would end up in each other’s space sooner or later.”
His mouth presses on mine again, sucking my bottom lip inside his mouth, nipping it. I wince a little, but lift my arms and dig my fingers into his scalp. I take a fist full of hair and tug it.
He hisses, groans. That sound hits me low in my stomach, ricocheting all over my body. He leans to the side and I hear the sound of glass thud softly on the floor. He straightens, and then he’s kissing me and I’m moaning, the sound bouncing on the walls.
Crap. We’re going to wake up the girls. I pull back, ready to duck under Cole’s arm, but he seems to have other ideas. He slides his arm around my waist and walks me backward toward my room, his heated gaze never leaving my face. I want this so badly, even an earthquake wouldn’t stop me from taking what he is offering.
He stops and cups my face in his hands. He crushes his mouth on mine, kissing me wildly, desperately, needy. He pulls his head back abruptly, stares at me. “I need you so much. I want to bury myself inside you.” He removes one hand from my cheek, trails it down my shoulder, my breast. He squeezes it hard before kneading it and pinching my nipple. My body jolts and I whimper. I try to move away from his grasp. I want to grab his hand and drag him to my bed, but he seems to have other ideas. His hand continues its descent, in slow deliberate touches and by the time he rounds my thigh and cups me between my legs, I’m writhing against his hard body.