Oh God, blood trails from his bent nose, the cartilage twisted and swelling rapidly. I grab a towel and hold it up to catch the bleeding.
“I’m leaving in two weeks!” Cole shouts behind me. “Is this what you’re going to be doing while I’m gone?”
“Dancing with my dance partner?” I whirl around, voice rising. “Yes, Cole. You better fucking believe that’s exactly what I’ll be doing.”
Cole and I fell in love so easily, naturally, perfectly. But I’d be lying if I said our relationship has always been easy. His temper is explosive, his jealousy obnoxious and turbulent on the best days.
“Where’s your ring?” He glares at my left hand with murderous accusation.
Shit, I forgot to put it back on. “Bathroom counter. I took it off to wax my—”
“Don’t ever take it off!” His roar echoes off the walls.
“Stop yelling at me!” I scream back.
“I can’t do this.” He paces through the room, threading his fingers through his hair and locking them together on his head. “I can’t be halfway across the world thinking about you rubbing your pussy all over another man.”
“I warned you. The morning we met, I said no jealousy. This is my job. You told me you could deal with it.”
“I also said I was hotheaded, and you told me you could handle that.”
He’s right. I can handle it. But…
“Nikolai didn’t sign up for this.” I step to the side and place a hand on my friend’s chest. “Un-fuck this up, and I mean, fix it right. I want groveling, Cole.”
“Danni, don’t.” Nikolai glares at me over the bloody towel against his nose.
“I want bowing and scraping and heartfelt apologies,” I say to Cole. “If Nik leaves here without forgiving you, you’ll be leaving with him.”
I walk toward the kitchen and pour a glass of wine as their footsteps trudge into the bathroom. A moment later, Cole’s voice rumbles through the house.
“I don’t like you.”
Christ. I pinch the bridge of my nose and release a heavy breath.
“I get that.” Nikolai’s Trinidadian accent sings through his pained voice. “But just because I fucked your girl in college— Ow! Fuck! You don’t have to press so hard.”
Cabinets slam. The faucet turns on and off. Then Cole’s hoarse timbre fills the silence. “I’m sorry.”
More silence.
“I’m struggling with…” Cole rasps out a sigh, and something thumps against the bathroom wall. “It’s killing me to leave her, and I’m going mad with worry. But there’s no excuse for taking it out on you. I don’t like you, but I do trust you. Because if you put your dick anywhere near—”
“That’s a threat,” I shout from the kitchen. “Not an apology.”
“You know,” he shouts back, “I eased up on that punch at the last second. His nose isn’t broken, so there’s nothing to forgive.”
I roll my eyes and leave them to it. Making my way to the front of the house, I recline on the couch and wait.
Fifteen minutes later, they emerge from the bathroom, both shirtless and sullen.
“Well?” I look at Nikolai expectantly.
“He loves you.” Nikolai prods a finger around his nose, his silver eyes squinting in pain.
My chest pinches. “Yeah, but—”
“He’s scared, hoss. Fucking terrified he’s going to lose you while he’s gone.” Nikolai rubs the back of his blond head, the corner of his mouth lifting in a small smile. “He and I won’t ever be buddies, but I’m gonna cut him some slack. He’s sorry. I forgive him. And my face doesn’t look so bad after he cleaned it up.”
His nose is swollen but seems a lot straighter in the light.
I turn my attention to Cole, where he stands a few feet away, hands on his hips and unblinking eyes fixed on my lips. He looks wrecked, desolate, and all I want to do is curl my body around him and give him back his smile.
“Since Cole won’t be here when we dance at Microfest,” Nikolai says, lugging the strap of his duffel over his shoulder, “we’re going to perform the routine for him tomorrow. A private viewing.”
“Is that right?” I ask.
A muscle bounces in Cole’s cheek, his gaze still locked on my mouth.
With his chest bare, his unease is evident in the bunched ridges of his abs. The tattoos, whiskered jaw, broad shoulders—everything about him is ruggedly intimidating. I should give Nikolai kudos for not cowering.
“He wants to see how hard we’ve worked.” Nikolai walks backward to the front door. “And how fucking awesome we are, because hot damn, we own that routine.” He holds a fist in the air and opens the door.
“All right, Nik.” I laugh. “See you tomorrow.”
When the door shuts behind him, Cole lifts his eyes to mine.
The fire, the wind, the mystical energy that defines the connection between us sparks, inflames, fueling itself and pulling us together. He gravitates toward me, our gazes consumed with each other.
Lowering to his knees before me, he wraps his arms around my waist and buries his face in my lap. “I’m so incredibly sorry, baby.”
I weave my fingers through his unruly brown hair. “I’m sorry, too.”
He lifts his head. “For what?”
“This.” I reach down and squeeze his nuts.
He hisses and jerks backward, but I follow him to the floor, landing atop his chest and tightening my clamp on his balls.
“That’s the last time you’ll ever hurt one of my friends.” My lips brush against his, softening my words.
“Got it.” He grunts in discomfort, and his warm Cole-scented breath fans my face.
Lying on his back with his arms out to the sides, he doesn’t buck me off, doesn’t try to dislodge my grip from between his legs. But he overpowers me in other ways. With his shirtless chest, low-slung jeans, and swelling cock jerking against my hand. Add the five o’clock shadow on his jaw and the heated look in his eyes and I don’t stand a chance.
My bones turn to dough. My insides tingle, and my fingers loosen around his sac. The anger and regret from moments ago dissipates, replaced by something more fundamental. Stronger. Us.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.” He lifts his hands, cupping them around my face. “I can’t stand the thought of another man touching you, looking at you, fantasizing about you.”
“You’re the only one I see, Cole.” I rest my brow against his and speak each word into a languorous kiss. “You’re the only one when you’re here. When you’re not here. For the next year. Forever.”
Briefly closing his eyes, he slips a hand into his pocket and holds out my ring. “If you never take it off again, I’ll be the happiest man on the planet.”
“It’ll stay.” I slide on the silver band and curl my fingers around it. “I promise.”
“Good. Now what about that other ring?” He paws through the gauzy layers of my dance skirt, his hands becoming rougher, more urgent in his hunt.
“You tell me.” I adjust my position on top of him, straddling his hips and gathering the material around my waist.