He cupped her face again and searched her gaze. “I need you.”
“I need you too.”
He backed her up until they fell tumbling onto the bed. Her body was still bouncing as he came over her, propping himself on one elbow while his other hand slid to her breast. Urgency had driven him to this moment, but now he wanted to slow down.
Thumbing her nipple, he watched her expression as her mouth fell open and she arched into his touch. He waited until she was squirming restlessly, her fingers digging into his biceps, to smooth his hand down her body and between her legs.
As he slid one finger between her folds, he lowered his lips to hers. “You’re so wet.”
“Mmm,” was all she managed in response.
Cole pushed a finger slowly into her, his thumb finding her clit.
April gasped. “Please…”
His cock was harder than ever, but he wanted to watch her come before he entered her, so he ignored the way she tugged on him and focused on driving her higher and higher.
When she dug her heels into the mattress and lifted her hips off the bed, he rubbed her clit faster.
“Cole…”
“Ladybug…”
Her breath hitched and she stiffened, her nails digging into his skin. He didn’t care. Watching her shatter was all he wanted. As she started pulsing around his fingers, panting and moaning with every quiver, he knew he wanted to be the one to bring her to this pinnacle for the rest of her life. He would find a way to make sure that happened, even if he had to grovel and beg. No way was he returning to San Diego without her tomorrow.
Her hands slid up into his hair as the waves of her release eased. “What are you waiting for?” she asked, bucking her hips upward to rub against his cock.
“Just savoring the moment,” he whispered.
“Savor it after you get inside me.”
He chuckled. “So impatient.”
“Yes.” She squirmed. “Cole…” Her voice switched to pleading.
He loved how much she wanted him to fill her after her orgasm, and he couldn’t deny her or himself for another moment. The second he thrust in all the way to the hilt, she gasped and her eyes rolled back.
Yes. He loved watching her fall apart in his arms. So gorgeous. It made his cock even harder inside her, and he’d put off this moment for so long that he wasn’t going to last. He needed to come.
He gritted his teeth as he thrust in and out of her several times, trying to give her the deep thrusting she craved while keeping a pace that wouldn’t send him over the edge too fast.
It wasn’t possible though. He would have to make things last longer on the next pass. There was no hope for this round. All he could do was tip his head back and groan as he came, every pulse of his cock seeming to punctuate his claim on her. If he could just stay inside her forever, then she’d never be able to get away from him.
He was panting as he stopped moving, his cock still hard and surrounded by her warmth. He cupped her face and held her gaze, needing something from her.
“Please come back to San Diego with me, ladybug.” He didn’t care that he was begging. He didn’t care about anything as long as she was his.
She’d always been his. And he’d been hers. Nothing had changed except the passage of time. He wasn’t willing to let another minute go by without her.
She cupped his face. “I can’t leave here with you tomorrow, Cole. I need time to wrap things up here.”
He swallowed. “Let’s make it happen. I’ll help.”
She smiled sweetly. “It’s too rushed.”
His heart squeezed, though he didn’t know why he was being so irrational. She could come in a week or whenever she settled her affairs. But he didn’t like it. A part of him feared she would slip through his fingers if he left her behind. It scared the hell out of him.
“Cole. It’s okay. I promise. I need to pack up this apartment, break my lease, find other people to take my current clients. I need a few days.”
He inhaled slowly. There was no way he could stay in town. He had to get back to base. He had twenty-four hours left with her before he got on a plane.
She chewed on her bottom lip a moment. “And Cole, what am I going to do there?”
He held her tighter and smiled. “Anything you want, ladybug. Take some time to figure it out. Go back to school if you want. Meet new friends. Join some clubs. Or…” He grinned wider, “…you could just meet me at the door when I get home naked so we can make up for lost time.”
She rolled her eyes. “I think you left out barefoot and pregnant.”
He shrugged, not at all opposed to the idea. “I mean, maybe not this week, but someday, maybe…perhaps?”
She stared at him, but she wasn’t upset. She looked…happy. Her cheeks were pink as she whispered. “Okay. I like that idea.”
His heart beat faster. Thank. You. God. Unfortunately, he still needed to wrap up some loose ends here in town. He couldn’t spend the entire afternoon in bed with her where he’d rather be.
Chapter 18
The air between them was somber as they showered together and then while they quietly dressed. April kept glancing at Cole, but he seemed to be inside himself. Worry lines stretched from his eyes.
“I need to deal with a few things at the shop and then stop by my dad’s house and touch base with my stepmother,” he grumbled.
“I’ll go with you.”
He finished pulling on jeans and then hauled her into his arms again. His expression was so serious. “Will you?”
“Of course.” She kissed him and then wiggled free to finish dressing. Thirty minutes later, they were back in his SUV, heading for the shop.
Everything was in full swing at the shop. The bay was filled with cars, and she could see four people working hard as they climbed down from the SUV.
Bart seemed to be the spokesperson for the group, and he wiped his hands and came out of the first bay to greet Cole. “I heard about Chamberlain and Clarkson.”
“Yeah. I’m still shocked. It’s a cluster for a lot of people. That’s for sure. Can I talk to you for a few minutes?”
“Of course.” Bart followed them into the waiting room and then back to the office.
April thought she might wait outside while Cole spoke to Bart, but he didn’t release her hand. She crowded into the small office and leaned against the desk while Cole sat behind it, Bart across from him.
“Everything okay? You think you’ll be able to save the shop?” Bart asked, rubbing his pants with his palms.
“Yes. I’m hopeful. I don’t think Chamberlain’s wife will give us any trouble. I’m not even sure she has the legal paperwork to back up anything my dad owed her husband. Even if she were vindictive and came after us for the loan payment, I doubt it would hold up in court. But I’m hoping she decides to wipe her hands of all this mess and walk away.”
“That would be great,” Bart stated, his shoulders dropping several inches. “The guys will be glad to hear it.” He cleared his throat. “Of course, maybe you’re planning to sell anyway, seeing as you don’t live here. Is that a possibility? It would help if I knew what to tell the guys about their jobs.”
Cole picked up a file folder he’d carried in from the car, spun it around, and slid it in front of Bart. “You can tell the guys whatever you want. I’m no longer the owner.”
Bart frowned, his breath catching as he opened the folder.
April was confused too. What was Cole up to? She knew he wouldn’t give this shop to Jacob. Not a chance.
Suddenly, Bart gasped and his hand started shaking as he held up a piece of paper. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.” Cole lifted one side of his mouth in a half-grin. “I suspect you’ve been running this place for the last several years while my dad was off gambling it away.”
“Well, that may be, but I can’t afford to buy it from you, Cole. I don’t have the money.”
Cole leaned back in his chair. “Of course you can. It’s
already been arranged. The sale price is listed on the next page.”
Bart drew in another sharp breath. “A dollar? What the hell?”
April bit her bottom lip to keep from crying. Cole was such a good man.
“You’ve been here for decades, Bart. The place is yours.”
Bart’s eyes were wide as he held Cole’s gaze. “I can’t accept something like this,” he murmured. “It’s your inheritance.”
Cole leaned forward. “It’s yours now.”
“What about your brother?”
Cole shrugged. “Don’t care. It’s up to you if you want to employ him or not.”
“He rarely makes an appearance,” Bart murmured.
“Well, he doesn’t have that kind of luxury anymore. Not if he’s going to work for you. You decide. I don’t care if you toss his lazy ass out. Let him find his own way. He’s not entitled to a thing and Dad seemed to agree.”
Bart smiled wide and shook his head. “You’re a good man, Cole.”
“I’m just trying to make things right.”
“Well, I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”
“No thanks needed.”
As the two men stood and shook hands, April thought Bart was going to choke up. Somehow he managed to hold back his emotion, but it was clear he was beyond grateful.
Their next stop was Amanda’s house. April could sense the tension as Cole parked the SUV out front and stared at it before exiting the car. “I don’t want to face this woman.”
April squeezed his hand. “I’ll be with you.”
He smiled down at her.
The truth is she’d only ever been to this house a few times. Cole rarely had her come to his house. She’d never known why back then, but now she understood better. She wished she’d known the emotional pain he’d suffered when they were in high school. She had no idea what she could have done about it, but she liked to think she would have at least eased some of the stress by being a friend.
He finally took a deep breath and exited the car. When she joined him on the walkway leading to the front door, he took her hand again. He’d rarely stopped touching her the entire day.
It felt good. It grounded her. It reminded her that he was really here with her. That he was hers.
Amanda answered the front door soon after Cole knocked, and she looked exasperated, as if Cole had interrupted something important. “What do you want, Cole?” She didn’t invite them inside.
“Not a thing. Just wanted to stop by and let you know I’m leaving tomorrow.”
She narrowed her gaze. “How you gonna do that with everything so unsettled? I heard about Chamberlain’s untimely death on the news. That mean you don’t have to pay him back?”
“Looks that way.”
“Then how you gonna run the shop from wherever the hell you live?”
April winced at Amanda’s attitude. It was ridiculous for the woman to act like she didn’t know where Cole lived.
“I’m not. I sold it to Bart.”
Amanda’s eyes widened. “You shitting me?”
“No.”
“What’s Jacob gonna do?”
“I have no idea. He’ll have to talk to Bart if he wants to keep working there.”
“You had no right selling that place out from under your brother. I hope you intend to split the proceeds with him.”
“Sure. Fifty cents each if he’s that desperate.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I sold it to Bart for one dollar. The deed is his now. Free and clear. I’m leaving town. Just wanted to let you know.” Cole took a step back, obviously eager to flee his childhood home.
“You can’t do that.” Amanda’s voice rose. “It ain’t right.”
“It’s done, Amanda. Have a nice life.” Cole turned around, switched the hand he was holding, and gave April’s fingers a squeeze.
Amanda stood on the porch and continued to bitch and moan, but Cole ignored her and didn’t release a full breath until they were back in the car.
“Is it weird not going inside?” April asked. She couldn’t imagine never returning to her childhood home, the one her parents still lived in and maintained as if April still lived there.
“Nope. Haven’t been inside since the day I left. Glad we didn’t have to. There’s nothing but bad memories in there. I’m done.”
April lifted his hand to her cheek and rubbed his knuckles against her face. She watched him closely as he shook off the encounter with his stepmother.
Eventually, he turned to her and smiled. “That’s the last of my loose ends. Where shall we go next?”
Chapter 19
She drew in a breath. “My parents. They deserve to know what’s going on between you and me.”
A huge weight had lifted off Cole’s shoulders after securing closure with Amanda. As long as he didn’t encounter any issues with the money technically owed to the mayor, he would never need to speak to Amanda again.
He would love nothing more than to speak to April’s parents, grovel a bit about his idiocy in the past and do his part to convince them he would not let April down again. “Let’s do it.” He started the engine and pulled away from his childhood home to head the few blocks to April’s.
It wasn’t until he pulled up to the house that he realized what time it was. “Your parents might be sitting down to dinner.”
April shrugged. “No big deal. If they are, we’ll talk to them while they eat. They won’t mind.”
Cole couldn’t keep from grinning when she took his hand as they entered the house without knocking. He’d been touching her all day, but he wasn’t presumptuous enough to instigate the contact on her turf. Luckily, she took the lead, gripping his palm as they made their way into the kitchen.
Her dad was standing next to the fridge, leaning one hip against the counter, a beer in one hand. He’d obviously just gotten home from work because he was still in slacks and a button-down shirt, his tie loose at his neck, the top button on his shirt undone.
Bill McKay looked up at their entrance and smiled wide. “Look who’s here, JoAnn.”
April’s mom spun around where she’d been facing the stove and clapped her hands together, her smile spreading. “Oh goodness.” Her gaze slid down to their combined hands and back up, her smile growing wider before she rushed over and gave April a hug. “What a nice surprise. I hope you haven’t eaten dinner. I made spaghetti.”
Cole cleared his throat. “We don’t want to impose on your dinner. You weren’t planning on having us.”
“Don’t be silly,” JoAnn said, waving a hand through the air.
Bill chuckled as he reached out a hand to shake Cole’s. “The woman doesn’t know how to cook for two. We always have enough spaghetti for a week. You’ll be doing me a favor cutting down on the leftovers if you’ll join us. Can I get you a beer?”
“Thank you, sir.”
Bill rolled his eyes. “Please. It’s Bill.”
Cole let himself relax. He may have been a less than stellar boyfriend in the past, but no one in this house was holding a grudge. He accepted the beer and took a swig. He’d always loved April’s parents. They were good people. Her home had been a haven for him in high school. A place where he knew he would get a home-cooked meal and normal conversation. A place where no one screamed at him or told him he was worthless. He felt a twinge of guilt that his plan was to lure their only daughter clear across the country.
“How’d it go at the police station this morning?” JoAnn asked. “I’ll admit, I was worried about you two, so I called Rodney. He caught us up on the basics.”
Cole nodded. “Good. Luckily, it would seem the mayor’s untimely death is going to let my family off the hook for all the money he basically swindled from my father.”
Bill furrowed his brow. “Thank goodness. What a disaster. I can’t believe the mayor and the police chief were involved in something so underhanded.”
JoAnn winced. “Honestly, Richard Chamberlain
always rubbed me wrong. I’m not that surprised.” She clapped her hands together. “Dinner’s ready.”
In no time at all, the table was set and the four of them sat down to enjoy the first home-cooked meal Cole could remember eating in a long time.
April’s mom was an amazing cook. She always hit all the food groups, adding a salad and French bread to the table before they sat down. She’d even made an apple pie for dessert as if she’d known they would be there and had planned a dinner party.
When they were done, April surprised Cole by asking her mother if she could speak to her in private.
Bill waved them off. “You ladies go talk. We’ll clean the kitchen.”
JoAnn kissed her husband on the cheek and left the room with her daughter. After the antics the day before, when April came home in tears and spent the night crying before Cole showed up unannounced to make amends, it was no wonder April would feel like she needed some time to explain things to her mom.
Cole didn’t mind a bit, nor did it bother him to be left with Bill. The two of them loaded the dishwasher, put the larger pots and pans away, and headed to the living room with another beer.
Cole glanced down the hallway, but there was no sign of April or her mother, so he perched on the edge of an armchair and faced Bill. “I’m in love with your daughter,” he announced.
Bill smiled. “I’ve always known that, son.”
Cole drew in a breath. “I made mistakes. A lot of them. But I promise you it won’t happen again. I’ve asked her to move to San Diego.”
Bill nodded. “Not surprised. I would be worried if you didn’t. You’ve spent enough years apart. April’s never been content. I don’t think she was able to find herself fully without you. She’s been…lost.”
Cole winced. “I’ll do everything I can to make that right.” He would. It wasn’t going to be an easy life as long as he was still with the SEALs traveling and working an odd schedule, but every moment with her would be cherished.
“I know you will, Cole.” Bill took another sip of his beer as the women came back into the room.
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