Risking the Crown

by Violet Paige

  His hands slid along the curves of my hips until his fingers were tucked under the waist of my shorts. His palm pressed against my skin, gliding down until he had my bottom cupped in his hand.

  “Ohhh.” I breathed into his ear as he squeezed me tightly against him. He took my mouth again and I melted into his hands.

  We couldn’t stay in these wet clothes. We definitely should not stay in these wet clothes. My hands fumbled for the hem of his shirt.

  The shirt slid over his chest and he stood while I stripped the wet fabric over his head. I felt an ache in the center of my body. I had never seen anyone I had wanted so much. There had to be a way to tell him.

  “Cole—” He silenced me with a slow kiss before his fingers wound along the edges of my tank top, and then peeled it off my chest. His mouth was hot and his tongue was in and out doing that thing that made me weak in the knees.

  The hardness of his tool belt pressed into my bare stomach. I reached down to find a way to loosen it from his waist.

  “Hold on. Let me do that.” His lips broke from mine, and he unclipped the belt and laid the tools on the floor. “Better?” he asked while hitching me up around his waist.

  “God, yes.” I latched my ankles together to keep from sliding down his wet and slippery waist.

  His hands moved up my back and held my head, forcing my mouth back to his. I couldn’t kiss him enough, even if we were in this shower all day. Something about watching the water trickling down his tanned skin heightened everything that was happening. Pressed against him like this, wet and half naked, I knew there was only one way to release the frenzy building under my skin. I didn’t want to think about how temporary my stay in South Padre was. Or that after this week, we’d have to deal with the complicated reality of Ryan.

  I didn’t realize he had stepped out of the shower and walked across the room until I felt the coolness of the sheets against my back. He laid me across the bed and stared hungrily at me.

  “You. Are. So. Damn. Sexy,” Cole growled between kisses.

  I arched my back a little so he could flick the clasp on my bra. He slid the soaked straps down my arms and tossed it on the floor. As much as I loved kissing him, my body was aching to feel his mouth in other places. I guided his head over my chest and bowed upward for him to take my nipple in his mouth. I cried out as he bit down and simultaneously slid his hand between my legs. My body was writhing. His fingers strummed my clit.

  “Let’s get these off.” His eyes were serious and seductive.

  He hovered over me, creating enough space for me to shimmy out of the running shorts I had put on this morning. Yes, they were tight and short, and yes, I might have had Cole in mind when I slipped them on. He looked down at the silky fabric of my panties now visible with my shorts on the floor.

  “Pink?” He cocked one eyebrow higher than the other.

  I stifled a giggle.

  “These are wet too, so they have to go.”

  The way he looked at me made me shiver. But I wasn’t cold—far from it.

  “Take them.” I didn’t recognize my breathy voice.

  He pulled the silky fabric down my legs, stopping every few seconds to plant kisses along my thigh. He threw the pink underwear next to my bra. I was completely naked, still slightly damp from the faucet mishap, and Cole was taking in every inch of me.

  Cole sat on his heels and unbuttoned his shorts. I sat up.

  “Let me,” I whispered. He smiled and dropped his hands to the side so I could unfasten the button.

  I let my hands trace the defined muscles wrapping his waist. He was ripped. Cole had closed his eyes and was waiting for my next move. I ran my nails along his chest until I saw his muscles tighten. Taking my time, my hands roamed the hardness of his torso, feeling the rise and fall of his chest under my touch. My palms massaged downward until I landed on the buttons on his shorts.

  He didn’t rush me, but waited patiently while I pulled on the zipper and freed the top button.

  “Kaitlyn, what are you doing to me?” Cole groaned as I took him in my hand. “Uh-uh, no. Stop.” I froze. Was he going to stop this? Please no.

  Before I had a chance to figure out what was wrong, Cole grabbed me around the waist and pulled me on top of him. I moaned. My hips fused against his damp skin and began rocking toward him, desperately wanting him inside me.

  Cole’s lips crushed into mine, forcing his tongue in my mouth. I moaned out his name. “Cole, please.”

  “I know, baby. I know. Is this really what you want?” His eyes darted back and forth, scanning my face for confirmation, but all I could focus on was that he called me baby. It sounded sweet, sexy, and a little like I was the only girl he had held like this.

  My breath caught in my chest and Cole waited for my answer.

  “I want it. I want you.” I kissed him hard. I wasn’t sure what else I could do to show him. My body was aching with pent-up passion for him.

  “Darlin’, I want you too. More than you know.” I didn’t doubt him for a second. “Say it.”

  “Fuck me.” I stared at him.

  Cole’s arms reached around my back and pulled me against his chest before he rolled me under him. He kept his eyes locked on mine as he took his time. He kissed me, as if he needed to make sure our breaths were in rhythm. Everything he was doing was sexual perfection.

  He pried my legs wide, running his hand through my center, teasing my entrance.

  “Please,” I begged.

  He pushed his cock against my pussy, coating it in my juices. I looked at him, realizing we were getting ready to do this without a condom.

  “Do you have anything?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “I can run across the street.”

  “I’ve wanted you forever, Cole Thomas.” I looked in his eyes. I lifted my hips further so that his cock was now at my virgin rosebud.

  “Fuck, Kaitlyn. I can’t.” He shook his head.

  “I want it,” I moaned.

  I was aching just thinking about him being inside me.

  Our eyes locked on each other. We weren’t drunk. We weren’t hiding under the shadows. The sunlight streamed in. This was accepting us in the daylight.

  “Fuck,” he growled.

  My entire body arched off the bed as he pushed inside, sending a moan from my throat. I felt the full heat of his body spread through me as he moved in slowly at first. He grunted. His eyes closed. He pumped in and out, taking me to limits I didn’t know I could handle. I rocked against him, matching his movements and taking him deeper as I opened myself to him. My body surged with the energy building between us.

  “You feel so amazing,” Cole growled in my ear. “Fucking amazing.”

  He pushed his fingers inside my pussy and ran his thumb over my clit.

  “Shit.”

  That was it; I was lost. I clung to him, accepting the shattering spiral that consumed me.

  I shuddered all over when his hips pushed me to the point I couldn’t hold back any longer. Our bodies trembled together, and I held on to him with everything I had, wrapping my legs tighter around him. I had never felt this close to anyone before and I didn’t want it to be over. He filled me. Consumed me.

  “I’m going to come,” he groaned.

  He buried himself inside me, emptying his release. I felt the fire spread through me.

  Cole lowered himself next to me and kissed me fully on the mouth.

  “You are incredible. You know that?” He was smiling and his eyes were sparkling in the afternoon sun. We hadn’t bothered to pull the curtains—one of the perks of being the only guest at the Dunes.

  “You’re not so bad yourself.” I smacked him on the chest.

  He kissed my forehead and collected our clothes from around the room. “These are still wet. I can throw them in the dryer for a minute. I’ll be right back.”

  Cole grabbed one of the room towels, tucked it around his waist, and darted out the door.

  Holy shit. What had just happened
? I didn’t know I was capable of actually locking away my doubts, but for the last hour, I had silenced any thinking and let my body take over.

  There was no hiding the fact that I had just had the most amazing sex of my life, but deep down I knew it was something more. The way our bodies felt together, the way I connected with his breathing, the way he looked at me as if I was the hottest girl in the world—I shook my head. Just thinking about him touching me started the craving for him all over again, and he had just walked out of the room. How could I feel like this?

  Two minutes later, he walked through the door.

  “Did you say something about lunch?”

  I wrapped a towel around my chest. “Yes, it’s on the dresser. Are you hungry?”

  With what he had just done, I would willingly bring him lunch everyday if it meant I could feel half of that passion. He was unbelievable.

  Cole looked at the white bags of sandwiches on the dresser and then me. Just when I thought he was reaching for his lunch, he jumped on the bed and ripped the towel off me. I squealed.

  “I am, but I’m not quite finished with you. We have to wait for those clothes to dry anyway.” His breath was warm along my stomach and the yearning I had for him started all over again.

  “By all means, take your time, cowboy.”

  17

  Kaitlyn

  I didn’t go on vacation with the intention of having mind-blowing, life-altering sex with my brother’s best friend, but sometimes you have to deal with what life hands you. For me, that meant devouring as much between-the-sheets time with Cole as I possibly could.

  There was a bright light shining in my face. “What time is it?” I pulled the sheet over my chest and searched for my phone.

  “It’s early, darlin’. You can go back to sleep. I’ve got to get going. I’m having paint and materials delivered at seven so I have to go meet the boys.” He smiled at me.

  “Oh.” I tried to shake the fog that was still permeating my brain.

  I watched as Cole dove headfirst into a T-shirt. I was awake enough to know I wanted him to climb back in bed with me, but with the mountain of work facing him, I knew that wasn’t possible. I had derailed his schedule enough yesterday.

  He kissed me on the forehead, and then stole a kiss on the side of my neck that awakened the rest of my body. “See ya later.”

  “Bye.”

  I sunk back into the covers. There was no way I could sleep now. The numbers on my phone read six thirty. I checked my voicemail in case the airline had called overnight. It was my fifth day on South Padre Island, and my initial purchases weren’t going to get me through to the end of the week.

  With all of the hot sex yesterday, I never made it back to the office to finish the reservation checks or the expense spreadsheet I promised Cole. It was possible Lisa opened the shop early. I could run by and pick up a few more items before heading into the office to finish the projects.

  I pulled my hair in a ponytail, grabbed the tank top, and the extra short running shorts that Cole had retrieved from the dryer. We didn’t really discuss whose room to stay in last night, but we ended up in his after we took a stroll to the beach alcove. I didn’t have any of my makeup or even my toothbrush with me. I opened the door and stepped in the direction of my room.

  “Good morning, Carolina.” I heard Cal’s slow drawl. Cal and Lance were standing in the back of a truck, unloading boards onto the sidewalk. One of them started whistling.

  “Hey, guys.” I grimaced. Staying in a completely vacant motel, I never considered facing the walk of shame. Maybe they didn’t know that was Cole’s room.

  “Does Cole have any beer in there?” Cal was having fun. Ok, they definitely did know it was his room.

  I straightened my shoulders. I could do this. I just had to walk across the parking lot and into my room. I could crumble into a pile of embarrassment when I got there.

  “Beer? At seven in the morning?” I asked.

  “We’re not picky about what time we drink our beer.” Cal handed off another board to Lance, who was noticeably silent. He had yet to look in my direction.

  “I wouldn’t know. See you later, guys.” I flashed a smile and walked across the asphalt, relieved when I reached my room.

  Ok. This wasn’t terrible—just embarrassing. I peeked out of the corner curtain. Their truck was loaded with lumber; they would be here for a while. I couldn’t call Mary Ellen. She was sound asleep at this hour. I needed to hash this out with another girl. Maybe if Cal was up this early, Sasha would be too. I sent her a text.

  You awake?

  I sat on the edge of the bed, waiting to hear from her.

  Yep. Good morning.

  Any chance you can go shopping?

  When and where?

  I smiled. Now and at Tassels

  I’ll pick you up in ten minutes.

  Thanks. See you soon. Room 23.

  I walked over to the bathroom. I could at least brush my teeth and put on some makeup before facing the outside duo again. I had time to kill.

  “So, you and Cole, really?” Sasha’s arms were weighted down with sundresses.

  “Yeah, really.” I knew I was blushing. I held up the strapless black dress in the mirror I had eyed on my first trip to the store. It was cute and I was glad Lisa hadn’t sold out of my size.

  “Now you girls just holler if you need anything. Anything.” Lisa sat behind the counter with a cup of coffee. Sasha informed me that the surf shop opened early every morning of spring break, eager to catch any break-of-dawn surfer customers.

  My new friend pulled a purple sun hat from the wall. “I could tell the other night at the bonfire. You two had that look.”

  “What look is that?” I pulled the dress away from my body.

  “That we’re-going-to-devour-each-other look.” Sasha laughed.

  Shit. It was that obvious?

  “I’ve known Cole since he moved back.”

  I turned toward her. I felt a little pit of jealousy starting to form. “Oh. Were you a couple or something?” I was praying her answer was no.

  “Cole and me? No. He’s more like an older brother. A hot older brother.” She giggled.

  I felt a pit in my stomach. “Ok. So I need to confess something.”

  “What is it?”

  “He’s actually my older brother’s best friend.” I cringed.

  “What?” Sasha stared at me. “You two know each other?

  I nodded. “Yeah, but he’d kill us.”

  “You must really like him.” Sasha had switched from the purple hat to a purple pair of sunglasses.

  “I don’t know what it is. But, yes. For the past ten years I’ve thought Cole Thomas was the hottest guy on the planet. I didn’t expect this.”

  We were bonding over shopping, a common girl practice, but I didn’t think I could share with Sasha all of the little things Cole did that stole my breath. Like the way his eyes could change from stormy to sexy when he was trying to figure out how to fix something, or how he kissed the side of my neck and stirred the heat under my skin, or how he was so worried about me he followed me to Bottoms Up. I covered my mouth, realizing I had sighed audibly.

  “Cole’s a good guy. He’s just hard to get to know sometimes. He can be sort of stubborn.”

  “Tell me about it.” I thought about how many tries it took for me to convince him to let me help with the financials and how he held off giving in to the attraction between us.

  “He’s a total sweetheart. However, he’s dealing with a lot right now. I think he just takes everything so seriously. It’s like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. To be honest, I haven’t seen him smile much since his grandfather died. It hit him really hard.”

  I ducked into the dressing room with the dresses I had pulled from the racks. I thought about a world where Cole didn’t smile. That was an utterly depressing thought.

  “Since your families are already close, I guess you’ve met Grayson?” she asked.


  I shook my head. “Not yet. But maybe soon.”

  I didn’t know how that would work. I didn’t know how to bring up what his policy was with women and his son. And who was I? Uncle Ryan’s sister? Did that make me an honorary aunt? My head spun.

  “You ok in there, Kaitlyn? You got really quiet.”

  I still held the dress in my hands and realized I needed to try it on. The zipper opened on the side, I stepped in and shimmied it over my hips. I pulled back the curtain and flattened the fabric on the strapless black dress.

  “Oh, you are definitely buying that one. Whatever is going on with you and Cole, he is going to love that on you.” Sasha raised her eyebrows. “Hottie.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. Get that one. Are you about ready? I have to get back to the resort. I hate to leave you but reality calls.”

  I was happy with the selections I had tried on. “Yep, I just need to check out.”

  Sasha dropped me off in front of room twenty-three. Cal and Lance’s truck was missing, and in its place were two piles of freshly cut lumber. I wondered what construction project Cole had planned for the lumber.

  “Let me know if you want to go shopping again. I’ve got to get to work before the other spring breakers wake up.” Sasha laughed. “And have fun with Cole.”

  “Thanks for going to Tassels with me, and for the Cole advice. It’s nice to have a friend here.”

  “Anytime, Kaitlyn. See you later.” Sasha waved as I hopped out of the truck. I was quickly learning that everyone in Texas preferred to drive a truck.

  I watched as she turned on to Gulf Boulevard in the direction of the Wave Oasis.

  “Early morning shopping?” Cole stood behind me. My shoulders felt the tingle of his presence before I whipped around. How did he always appear like that?

  “Yeah, I think I’ve given up on my luggage appearing this week.” I held up three bags. “The airlines haven’t returned my calls. I think it’s a lost cause.”