The way his warm tongue flicks across my hard nipples once he抯 laid me bare.
The way he carefully undresses me, and then rips his own clothes off in two frenzied movements before sliding into bed on his back and guiding me over him with a dizzying squeeze of my ass.
揙n top? You never let me棓
揅an抰 risk hurting you again.?He ends that fierce statement by pressing his lips to mine.
Oh, right.
The way his eyes brighten tells me it抯 a promise梐 vow he means to keep. I spread my legs slowly, careful to find my balance, taking him in more than just physically.
God, my body missed this.
The challenge of engulfing a man so enormous, my walls hugging his thick, angry head. I can feel him pulsing inside me, this bestial thing that抯 been deprived of its prey for too long.
This is it.
Everything we lost reclaimed in a hot fusion of flesh.
I can抰 be closer to him than I am right now with his body connected to mine. He抯 already pumping slowly, his hips rising to meet mine, plunging his cock in to the hilt.
揑-I can抰 lose you again,?I whisper. 揙h!?
With a feral look, he pulls my hips tighter against his, craning his face up to kiss me. He holds me up so I don抰 have to put pressure on my bad arm.
I抦 gliding all over Cole Lancaster.
Even when I抦 on top and theoretically in control, he shows me who抯 boss.
His kisses come so intense, so rough, so full of teeth that mean to mark me, I can抰 decide what抯 better. The way his tongue chases mine or the way he moves, owning me so deeply.
揈liza, fuck!?He throbs again in my depths, growling my name, and breaks away from my face to plant his lips on my shoulder.
No, not just his lips.
He抯 sucking, biting me, aiming to leave a secret mark on my skin I抣l enjoy wearing.
I clench around him, secure in his arms, riding the hottest sex-high of my life and relishing the fire building in my core.
He senses it, too.
The heat. The sweat beading on my skin.
The way I whimper when he drives deeper梠h God, deeper梬hen he molds my throat to his palm, when he sends the other crashing against my ass in a blistering smack of white-hot sweetness just before I go cascading over the edge.
揋o, sweetheart! Come your pretty head off,?he orders, eclipsing my lips with his.
My body obeys him effortlessly.
This time, when I come for this glorious man, he has my entire body, mind, and soul.
He has my heart forever梐nd I want to prove it as my senses return.
I fixate on riding him.
A messy smile pulls at my lips as I watch the stunned heat in his eyes. I抦 on the attack, and I抦 going to make this man give me every freaking drop in his balls.
The tempo rises as we crash together.
Just several blinding minutes of chaos tangled together, his thrusts pleasing and punishing and racing me to the finish.
揈liza! Shit, I抦棓 His loud groan chokes off the last word.
I know, baby. I want you to break inside me, Cole.
It抯 all I can think, wishing I could say those words, but I抦 already breathless.
The instant his cock roots deep inside me, swollen and seething, I抦 gone.
We come together in a grinding, violent collision.
Nails and kisses.
Curses and prayers.
Sin and souls.
I don抰 even realize I抳e left several long red scratches on his shoulder until my face falls against it. I kiss the parts of his skin I抳e savaged.
His breath keeps me so turned on as he pulls out with a parting kiss, ragged and satisfied.
When it抯 over梐s if this isn抰 just round one梙e holds me so tightly I can feel his heartbeat against mine.
揑t抯 never been that good, Eliza. Never,?he whispers, kissing my forehead. 揌oly fuck. Loving you should come with a warning label.?
I smile at how awestruck he sounds.
揥hat? Like a prescription? Like 'may cause grumpy bossmen to come so hard they can抰 walk for twenty-four hours'??
揃rat.?He smacks my ass, chuckling loudly. He looks at me with his eyes warm and narrow. 揟hat抎 be a good start, anyway. I抦 sure it抎 be longer than a novel, though.?
揕iar! No way.?I playfully slap his arm.
Just like that, we抮e lost in each other抯 smiles again. Why does it feel so easy?
Maybe because this time, it抯 crystal clear.
It抯 lasting.
Later, he texts his driver to go to Dakota抯 house and pick up my things.
When I wake up in the morning after two more rounds of gravity-defying makeup sex, I expect him to be getting ready for work.
But he sits on the edge of the bed, stock-still, gazing at me. 揑 decided I抦 working from home until you抮e fully recovered,?he tells me.
揥hat? That抯 totally not necessary, Cole.?Oh, but there抯 no hiding the overwhelmed quiver in my voice.
He leans down and kisses me. 揑 want to be here with you. Already had a set of keys made for you this morning.?
揥hat? So, I抦 like棓 Living here now?
He shrugs nonchalantly.
揔eep your apartment if you want to, but I抎 feel better with you here full-time so I know you抮e safe.?He holds up a hand. 揑 don抰 mean to rush anything. Hell, after Troy, I just think we抎 both feel better. I have security. Nothing would ever happen, but if someone ever got stupid enough to try, I抦 here to rip their throat out.?
Wow.
For the first time ever, I don抰 mind him doting on me, being a little overpossessive.
I definitely don抰 mind feeling like I belong.
There抯 no place I抎 rather be than in Cole抯 world.
There抯 no life I can imagine without him.
26
More Espresso, Less Depresso (Cole)
Three Months Later
Wired Cup couldn抰 have rolled out these goddamned splendid fall drinks with Eliza gone, so I made her a consultant.
Honestly, she likes it better this way. My girl has access to the lab for experimenting to her heart抯 content, plus she helps us dream up new pastries on the side.
With the creeping Seattle chill and incessant rains moving in last week, we took off for a breather in Kona. I don抰 think either of us are eager to relive memories of Troy every time the sky rips open and pours like that dark, stormy night.
It takes time to get over, even though the maniac抯 trial was brief and he抣l be spending his days behind bars.
This time, it抯 a different air in Hawaii, lighter than before.
Maybe because she抯 only here as my girlfriend now.
I find her sitting on the bamboo couch outside, sipping a fragrant coffee and playing on her phone.
揕et抯 go for a walk on the beach,?I say.
揙kay! Let me get ready.?
I snort. 揧ou need to get ready for a walk??
揧eah, I want to bring some things with me.?
揥hat do you need to bring to the beach??I glare at her. 揑t better not be another damn brew pipe. You know I love your quirks, sweetheart, but that thing棓
揅ole, don抰 worry about it. Just stuff.?Her eyes shine, cryptic as ever.
I sigh affectionately.
揥oman, no amount of time I spend with you ever prepares me for your randomness, does it??
揑sn抰 that a good thing??she teases, craning her neck to gaze up at me.
揑t抯 a thing. Good or bad, I don抰 care. You know there抯 nobody I抎 rather spend time with.?I tilt her chin up with my fingers for a kiss.
揈w!?I don抰 see her until she moves. Destiny stands behind the couch to the side, just out of Eliza抯 sight. She makes a face like she抯 gagging. 揋uys, get a room. How much time do you need to get ready for the beach, anyway??
揂bout twenty minutes or so,?Eliza says. 揂nd sorry-not sorry, you wanted this too, Dess. The cost of having me around is seeing your dad make kissy faces.?
I nod, biting back a laugh. 揋o on, get the hell ready, so we can get out of here.?
Destiny gives me an awkward thumbs-up. Pain in the ass or not, she抯 a little more grown-up every day.
When Eliza leaves the room, she asks, 揌ow far are you walking??
揥e抣l make the rounds. Probably stop where you found your turtles before,?I tell her. 揑t抯 almost whale season. If we抮e lucky, there might be a couple humpbacks showing up early.?
揙h, wow!?For a second, I think she抣l insist on coming with, but then she remembers. 揜ight. So, what are you gonna say to her? Did you practice??