“This is not over, Shaun. We will talk about this.”
“I’m inclined to disagree with you, Mr. Jacobson.” She spit his name out like a piece of used up chewing gum that had lost all its flavor.
Conceding this round, Cole tugged open the door for Shaun and followed her inside, which bested the outside, but not by much. The wood decor continued into the large space with high cathedral ceilings. A faint smell that Cole likened to being stuck behind a garbage truck polluted the air around them. Myles stood next to a hand-carved solid oak table turned on its side, two legs broken off.
Shaun walked over to the restaurant owner and they brushed cheeks. “Good to see you, Myles.”
“You too, Shaun. Lovely as always.” He turned toward Cole. “Cole.” Myles gave a slight nod and Cole returned the gesture. “Thank you both for coming. As you can see, we have our work cut out for us. The property was acquired through foreclosure, and you know how dodgy that can be.”
“Yeah, this is not the same space I looked at before.” Shaun inspected the dining room, moving further in. “Just how much damage are we talking about, Myles?” Cole could see her calculating additional cost and labor figures in her head.
“Nothing too bad. All of the fixtures were collected and piled into a storage closet in the back, including the toilets from the bathrooms. Luckily, they flushed before removing them from the stalls.” Myles gave a humorless titter, wringing his hands together.
“Nice,” Cole chuckled. He’d had a little experience with foreclosures back in Sweetwater. No one liked to lose their home or business forcefully, and more often than not the owners destroyed the place before leaving. Sort of a last “fuck you” to the bank. Sure, the bank lost money, but the new owners were stuck cleaning up the mess and dealing with the sometimes irreparable damage.
“What were you thinking, Myles?” Shaun pulled out her phone and started taking notes with a stylus.
“Well, the dining room is not the worst. The woodwork is still in pretty good shape. I’d even like to keep a few of these tables, if that’s possible.” He tapped one with the toe of his dress shoe and grimaced when another leg fell off. “The kitchen will have to be completely replaced, and because of the garbage being used as decoration at the moment, pest control will need to be called in.”
“Garbage?” Shaun asked.
“Yeah, the reason for the beautiful bouquet in the air. Probably a month’s worth.”
Cole left the two of them to have a look around himself. The deeper in he walked, the stronger the rank smell of spoiled milk and rotten meat intensified. He peered into the kitchen and yanked his suit jacket over his nose to avoid breathing in the foul stench directly. Weeks-old trash had been strewn all over the stone floor. Maggots and rats fought for the remaining scraps. Cole heard the delicate clack of high heels and spun, catching Shaun’s waist with his forearm before she could enter.
“I’m not sure you want to go in there.”
Their mouths inches apart, she stared up at him in surprise. She parted her lips and drew down his focus. Memories of her on the balcony short-circuited his brain cells.
“I can handle it, Cole.” She started to push his arm away, but he was reluctant to let go, aching for the warmth of her body that he’d denied himself. “Cole,” she repeated with an arched eyebrow.
“Okay, but I warned you.” He dropped his limb and took a side step to allow her entrance.
A soft gasp followed, along with the retreating shuffle of shoes. “I will have an exterminator here today, Myles.”
Cole gave a sly smile, thinking that at least she had tried. He heard the unmistakable sound of her covering a gag with a forced cough.
“Someone has to clean up the garbage first. I don’t know of any exterminators that include housekeeping. Not for that size of a mess.”
“Are you volunteering, Mr. Jacobson?” Shaun countered.
“As a matter of fact, I am, Ms. Wright. If it will get me out of the office, I’ll do it.”
She appeared baffled by his response, seeming unsure of his meaning. Cole didn’t feel the need to clarify.
“Very well. I will have a few of the laborers we have on retainer help you.”
“Great. I just have to go back to my place and change out of this suit. Can someone give me a ride?” His gaze didn’t leave Shaun, his mind willing her to offer. She didn’t jump at the bait, but Myles did.
“Where do you need to go?” he asked.
“Forty-eight Bruckner Boulevard,” Shaun answered. Cole couldn’t stop the rush that churned his insides at the realization that she remembered his address. “Out of your way. I can take him if you have somewhere to be.” Cole prayed to God Myles had somewhere to be.
“Oh no, it’s the least I can do.” The least he could do is stop fucking up my chance to get Shaun alone, Cole thought. He tried not to look annoyed by Myles’s insistence to help.
“Very well.” Shaun dropped her phone into her handbag, having finished with her notes. “I’ll return to the office, and the workers will be here before you get back.” Cole couldn’t gauge her reaction to the prospect of him being away from the office. Had she intended to show her face at the office before he’d decided to volunteer? Now he’d never know.
“You unsettle her like no one I’ve ever seen,” Myles declared when Shaun left and Cole joined the restaurant owner in the back of his black Mercedes S-Class. “Is there something going on between you two? Not that it’s any of my business. I just find the whole situation rather curious.”
“Nothing.” Part lie, but also part truth. Aside from a hot and heavy make-out session and a standard case of blueballs in her presence, they hadn’t done much of anything worth noting. Especially not to a family friend. Shaun protected her privacy, and Cole would never betray her trust in that way. “Although, I do recall a rumor regarding Meyers Construct floating around. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?” Myles nodded with recognition that the topic of Cole and Shaun would not be addressed further, thanks to the frankness in Cole’s tone.
“My life partner, Carson, thought I should shop around. Not convinced that Shaun was the better choice. He felt as though I was being blinded by the personal acquaintance and the repercussions of turning down Preston’s precious daughter. Would you care for a drink?”
Cole shook his head, taking note that it was barely one in the afternoon. Myles opened the wide armrest between them; hidden inside was a minibar, emphasis on “mini.” He selected a glass tumbler and poured himself two fingers worth of a caramel-colored liquid from a small crystal decanter.
“He pushed me into a meeting with Lester, the project manager, who made outlandish promises.” Myles waved his arm in the air, nearly spilling his drink all over the beautiful beige leather, before taking a long swallow. “But I knew what the property looked like. The original acquisition that Shaun mentioned had been stolen right out from under me by a former colleague, and I had no choice but to take this one. I didn’t trust Lester to deliver. Not when I knew Shaun will give me everything I didn’t know I wanted.” He sighed, sitting back against his seat, visibly agitated by his dirty laundry being left out on the corporate clothesline. “I had hoped that word wouldn’t reach her, but I suspected that was the plan all along. To rattle her cage. Many in the business resent Shaun because of her father, if you haven’t noticed.”
Cole knew, all right. He wondered about the colleague who had stolen the original property and if there was any connection to Robert. Persistent little fuck.
“Lester has always looked for an opportunity to steal my business away from Shaun,” Myles continued. “But he can’t compete with the quality and attention she puts forth no matter what the circumstances.”
“If her reputation precedes her, then why is Mr. Wright so tough on her?” If Shaun wouldn’t open up to him, maybe Myles would, Cole figured.
“I don’t think this car ride is long enough for that story.” He chuckled, leaning forward
to tell the driver to circle the block until he said different.
CHAPTER 14
After Cole spent the rest of Tuesday and the whole of Wednesday getting rid of all the garbage and discarding the appliances far from repair, the exterminator dealt with the pest problem on Thursday and Friday. Cole called Shaun and left messages with updates, but she only responded by email. She encouraged him to hang around and make sure the rats hadn’t extended their damage beneath the surface of the restaurant. All the electrical appeared to be intact, saving Myles money and them time in rewiring. Some of the drywall destroyed by the previous owners would need to be removed and replaced, though, and they fought an uphill battle if they intended to make the soft deadline in three months.
Aside from not seeing Shaun, Cole relished being away from the office and out of the monkey suit. He also enjoyed the respite from his uncle. Robert didn’t try to call him once. Cole asked about the B&B in the message he left on the following Thursday, out of curiosity, but Shaun didn’t email back a more detailed response than, “I have everything under control here. Just focus on the restaurant.” Cole wondered if she was telling the truth or only shielding herself from reality. Most likely a little bit of both.
After an additional week of repairs and replacements, Cole returned to the office on Friday. As a favor to Justin, the foreman on the project, Cole had volunteered to drop off the laborers’ timesheets for the week. Hoping to avoid most of the drones and gossips, and with any luck his uncle, he arrived around six in the evening. It felt like ages since he had walked through the sliding door or rode the elevator. The sixth floor appeared deserted, most employees having raced out once the clock hit five. Even Henry was absent from his usual cockpit overlooking the office. Cole didn’t miss the assistant in the slightest.
Deciding to stop in his office, Cole took a seat in the dark and riffled through the pile of papers in his inbox. Nothing seemed all too important, providing further proof that pitching rancid garbage and installing drywall was a far better use of his time. He had scanned the last memo regarding break room cleanliness when a quick movement across the way caught his eye.
Shaun. Jumping to his feet, he strode the short distance with purpose before she even had a chance to see him. Once she crossed the threshold of her office, he followed in right behind her and slammed them both inside.
“What the hell?” Shaun spun, taken by complete surprise.
Cole stood firm, blocking her only exit. “Shaun, we need to talk.”
“You’re damn right we do. Who the hell do you think you are talking to Myles behind my back? I should have approached you as soon as I found out, but I couldn’t risk the delay in work.” Anger flickered in the depths of her pale gaze. “I’m almost afraid to ask how you even knew anything about Meyers Construct. But given my source on the matter, I’m not so sure I should be surprised.” She crossed her arms over her chest, and Cole fought to stick to his train of thought. He wondered when Myles had told her about their conversation in the back of his Mercedes and how much of it he’d revealed. “Are you and Robert colluding behind my back?”
“No.” The half-truth came out before he could stop it. “No, I overheard Robert’s conversation with you. I stuck around in the garden after our meeting the morning he told you.”
“You mean you spied?” she spat back.
“Yeah, I guess I did.” He shrugged, not sorry and not about to tell her the real reason why.
“You should’ve never approached Myles with that information. You have no idea what kind of position it puts me in.” Shaun pinned Cole in place with an index finger pointed at his chest.
When they had circled the block after their meeting, Myles had gone into further detail about the relationship Preston had with his only daughter. How the proud businessman boasted of her accolades behind her back, but didn’t believe praise drove one toward success as well as criticism. A theory he proved true with his own daughter. Cole couldn’t imagine what that felt like. His father and mother had always showered him with praise when he deserved it, nurturing his drive to be even better at what he loved. Shaun fought hard for everything, even approval from a man who seemed hardwired not to give it.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I just wanted to be sure he wouldn’t end up screwing us after all the hard work you poured into that contract.”
“Bullshit,” she replied in disbelief, rubbing her forehead with her hand. “I don’t know what to think when it comes to you, Cole.” She paused and worried her bottom lip. “I want to trust you, but my mind tells me I’m crazy if I do.”
He nodded in understanding and took a step toward her, eyes zeroing in on her glossy lips, the first desired point of contact. She pressed her palms against his chest, stopping his advance. “Oh no, you closed the door on this at my apartment.”
Cole shook his head, refusing to stop until they were breasts to chest, her hands sandwiched between. “That wasn’t me closing the door, Shaun. I just wanted you to be sure before I yanked that fucker off the hinges.” He witnessed a nervous swallow work down the muscles of her neck. With every inhale, her upper body heaved against his. He ached to feel her skin to skin, pearled nipples teasing his chest.
“Yeah? So tell me, what would you have done if you’d stayed?” She posed the challenge in a voice that toed the line between angry and aroused.
Silence became the loudest thing in the room. Breathless, Cole moved his mouth down the side of her neck, lips hovering just above the thin flesh. “I would’ve started with this.” His tongue snaked between his teeth, licking a slick, molten path up her throat. Her skin shivered beneath the languid stroke, but she didn’t push him away. “So fucking sweet,” he whispered against the hot trail he left behind. “Then, I would’ve done this.” Cole took a small step back, bending down farther, far enough to slide his tongue over the upper curve of her breast, which peeked out from the square neckline of her chocolate brown dress. “And then, this.” He slanted his mouth over hers, tongue delving deep into the warm recess between her parted lips, tasting and urging her to open wide. They broke away together, both panting desperately for the same tiny cloud of air separating them.
“What about Violet?”
“Violet?” Cole asked, confused about her name even being brought up until he remembered Sunday at the market. “God, no. We’re just friends.”
“Cole,” she breathed, and his cock grew harder still. Her hands gained courage, fingers twisting his cotton t-shirt tight. “I don’t want us to be the subject of office gossip.”
One corner of his mouth curved upwards in a crooked smile. “They already suspect something is going on, Ms. Wright. Don’t you think we might as well enjoy making it true?”
Her fingers twisted his t-shirt further, molding him tighter to her body while her mouth staked a claim on his swollen lips. If there was any doubt of her attraction to him, all traces melted away with the flames engulfing Cole in a blazing inferno.
“I needed you.” She growled the words against his jawline. Then she bit him. Cole felt the pain all the way down to his balls, a sharp, pleasurable sting that surged his hips forward. “I needed you and you left.” Shaun shoved him hard and he stumbled backwards. She moved to push him once more but he cuffed her wrists with both his hands, holding them still.
“And that shit killed me, Shaun.” She gave a few good tugs, trying to free herself from his restraint, challenging him with a pompous smirk. Losing himself in the moment, he kissed the smirk off her face, a rough, angry possession of her lips. “Every step killed me.” He growled against her mouth.
The silence lingered once again while their gazes remained mutually fixed. Shaun wrenched her arms free from his hold. Cole winced, preparing himself for another, more violent onslaught of emotion, but instead he hissed when her fingertips grazed his abs as she yanked his t-shirt up over his head. She scored his chest, raking her blunt nails along his pectoral muscles. Every inch of him tingled with anticipation, his body readying itself fo
r the hard fuck her aggression promised. He leaned forward for another kiss, but she turned her face.
“Let’s just get this out of our system. Then things can go back to how they need to be. Okay?”
The words cut deep. Reason appeared in his conscience once again, trying to convince Cole that this was indeed a mistake. But reason could take a flying leap out the fucking window, because nothing aside from Shaun changing her mind would stop him this time. Lesson learned.
Now it was his turn to take control. Spinning her outward to face the door, Cole pinned her body in place with his hips, groaning when his hard cock came in contact with the perfect curve of her ass. Fighting for his focus back, he worked the zipper of her dress with shaky fingers. The upper half loosened and he skated the capped sleeves down her arms, helping her out of the top. The form-fitting silk pooled around her waist, and Cole feasted on the vision of her, gloriously bare except for the straps of her taupe lace bra. He pressed his naked chest to her back, sparks of electricity firing now that they were skin to skin.
Snapping her arms up over her head, he held her wrists in place against the door. “I hated watching Olivia flirt with you at the party.” He nipped her earlobe. “You hear me?” A little pain and punishment of his own. She gifted him with a nudge of his cock with her ass. He returned the nudge, managing a few test thrusts of his hips, imagining being buried deep inside her slick heat.
Shaun wiggled one of her hands free and reached back to tangle her fingers in his hair. Their bodies curved together in an erotic arch. Cole sucked and nibbled at the nape of her neck while his hands roamed her exquisite body, unable to get enough. He needed more before he went mad from the ache. Quickly, he spun her back around to face him, taking the kiss she’d denied him while he slid her dress down to the floor. Needing to give his dick room of its own before it punched a hole through his jeans, Cole popped the top button of the button-fly free and continued working at the rest.
Drawn Through You Page 12
