by Amber Heart
“You’re welcome to a drink first. We could sit and talk,” he leaned in to whisper in my ear. I jerked my head around to look at him, my eyes sparkling with anticipation.
“We can talk later,” I told him and Cole gave me a knowing smile.
“I was hoping you would say that,” he said, and with renewed enthusiasm, he led me out of the study that we had walked into, and to the winding staircase.
I gulped as we walked up the never-ending steps, stupidly wondering how long it took him every morning to come down the stairs. My brain was all over the place. This was all a dream. Just that morning, I had finally accepted that I would never see him again.
He pushed open the door to his enormous bedroom and we stepped in and I finally let his arm go.
“This is gorgeous!” I blurted out, as I drank in the massive four-poster bed, the buttery thin curtains on the walls, the grandfather clock on the side. His house and rooms were decorated very differently from his modern, minimalistic office decor.
Cole closed the door behind him and when I turned around, I found him smiling, staring at me with his hands shoved into the pockets of his pants.
“Do you even know how beautiful you look in my house? I’ve dreamt of having you here,” he said, walking stealthily towards me like a predator who had set his eyes on a prey. I blushed deeply, clasping my hands together. The closer he got, the hotter I felt, the more slippery it got between my legs. He had no idea how often I’d fantasized about having him again.
Cole kissed my shoulder, while his hand gently slid down the straps of my dress. He was standing behind me, with his jacket off and his shirt undone. I shuddered from the touch of his lips on my skin and my face felt flush. We had never taken it this slow before, and he was setting my body on fire.
“I can’t wait to have you, Nina,” he whispered as he left a trail of wet kisses down my shoulders, then my arms and the whole time pushing my dress out of the way. It slid down, to my waist and then he helped me out of it, till it was lying in a heap on the floor. When I was in nothing but my underwear; Cole gently turned me around to face him.
He smiled, and I blushed some more and then he kissed my chin, gently biting it, while his hands found the hooks of my bra. My breasts were released of their confines and in full view of him now. He stepped back from me, to look at my body.
“God! You’re beautiful,” he mumbled, more to himself than to me. Within seconds, his own remaining clothes were coming off, till he was standing in front of me, with not a stitch of clothing on his body. Cole was gorgeous to look at and I dared to gaze at him from under my heavy eyelids. His muscles stretched and pulled. His washboard abs revealed the faint trace of dark hair that led my gaze down to his engorged throbbing cock.
I licked my lips when I saw it, and Cole smiled again.
“I’ve been with nobody else since you,” he said and stepped towards me again.
“Neither have I,” I said in a weak whisper and he placed a warm hand on my belly.
“Good because that would drive me crazy. I want you all to myself, Nina,” he growled and gently pushed me back. I stepped away, with his hand on my belly, till the back of my knees hit the bed and I fell on it. My body bounced on the luxurious mattress and Cole threw himself over me.
He was covering me with kisses again. My face, my neck that I thrust out towards him, my breasts, licking and teasing my nipples, down my stretched torso, till finally his mouth reached the top of my hot wet core. I moaned when his tongue gently flicked my swollen clit.
“Cole, please…don’t torture me,” I winced and I sensed his lips stretching in a smile. But torture me he would, and my fingers weaved into his thick dark wavy hair as he used his tongue to stroke me. Repeatedly, with purpose, till I was clutching his hair wildly. Begging him to not stop.
He grabbed my hips, pressing me down deeply into the bed while he licked me between my legs. I arched my back, thrusting my hips towards him, hoping he would just finish the job and wouldn’t keep me waiting. And just when I was about to come, he pulled his tongue out.
“I need to be inside you when you come for me, baby,” he said in a deep guttural voice. I looked at his face and saw that his eyes were glazed over, his lips were glistening with my juices as he moved himself over me. I heard the rustle of the condom wrapper, but I kept my eyes focused on him.
Cole caught my hands and pulled my arms straight over my head, the soft silk bedsheets gliding under my sensitive skin. He stretched himself over me, so that we could look deep into each others eyes when he entered me.
I stretched my legs wide, wrapping my ankles together behind him, using the strength of my thighs to pull him towards me. His rock-hard cock was pressing against my legs. I could feel his readiness.
Cole slid in, gently at first and then he thrust himself into me with force. We both groaned. I closed my eyes and jutted my chin out towards him, as I felt him sliding in deeper into me. His cock was as huge as I remembered, but it never failed to surprise me. With one wild thrust, he was buried deep inside me.
With slow rhythmic moves at first, he titillated me to the point of no return. Every time I opened my eyes, I found him looking straight at me. He was watching me come. The bulk of his body over me, his muscles ripping as he kept my hands bound together while he drilled me…he was too overpowering. It was too hot to resist.
I came loudly, my voice ringing in the room as I moaned and called out his name, begging him to not stop. My toes curled and my body shuddered. Cole didn’t stop. He continued to ram into me. Without warning he came too, pulsating inside my hot wet core. I could feel the force of his shoot, the warm drizzle of his seed inside me. I nearly fainted from the overwhelming sensation of the orgasm.
When he finally let go of my hands, he smiled. I smiled as well. Relief flooding my body. All those days of fantasizing about him, holding back on my desire for him…it was finally done. Cole remained inside me for a few moments longer, and it wasn’t until there was danger of spilling that he began to pull out of me.
“Maybe we should stay at home tonight,” he said with a laugh, when he slid over and lay back down beside me. Our arms and legs were entangled together, our breathing heavy and difficult. I laughed and turned to him with a reddened exhausted face.
“Yes, we shouldn’t risk it again,” I said and Cole reached out his finger to tuck one strand of curling blond hair behind my ear.
“Not yet, anyway,” he said and then he reached over to kiss me again and I knew that I had finally found him. I’d finally found the man I was looking for. I wasn’t so naive after all.
Bonus Chapter
Cole
I saw Nina from across the road. I knew she had no clue I was there. Two PM on a Wednesday, when I should have been in London closing a business deal. I had parked my Maserati and got out just to stop and stare at her, when she thought nobody was looking.
She was sitting under an umbrella, at the front of her favorite cafe. I had a feeling I would find her there, doing her usual thing. She was sipping her frothy iced latte from a tall glass, while reading a book.
Her dark sunglasses were pushed into her angelic blond curls on top of her head. She was in a pair of denim cutoffs and a thin white spaghetti top, through which straps of her pink bra peeped out. Her brilliant green eyes were sparkling in the harsh Las Vegas sun, while her brows were crossed, concentrating on the text in hand.
Her slender yet curvaceous legs were crossed over each other, her arms were bare, getting tanned, and in the warm breeze of the afternoon, her curls sometimes blew behind her. Nina was completely oblivious to my presence across the road. She hadn’t once looked up from her book or looked in any direction. I could literally stand there for several hours, just watching her and she would never know. And I knew I could do it too. I could look at her endlessly and never grow tired of watching her.
I knew every freckle on her cheeks, the length of her neck, the way the edges of her lips turned when she smiled. The deep dim
ple that formed on the left side of her mouth when she blushed. The way the tops of her ears grew bright red every time I kissed her velvety pink mouth. And even though I thought I knew everything there was to know about Nina, she surprised me every day.
I had been away to London for five days, and I felt giddy and breathless with the thought of seeing her again, with surprising her. What was this hold that she had on me? Where had she been all my life? Why was she the only one who could make me feel like this?
I crossed the road, growing nervous now as I walked towards her. I was like a blushing teenage child afraid of my schoolboy crush.
“Mr Emery! Cole Emery. I’m a fan,” I heard someone’s voice beside me, and I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at the guy. A young early twenty-something in cargo shorts and a polo shirt. I quickly looked over to Nina again, she still hadn’t looked up. I was relieved that my surprise wasn’t spoilt yet.
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you,” I turned so that my back was to her now and I stuck my hand out to the excited guy who shook my hand vigorously.
“I’m sure you get this a lot, but I would love to pick your brain. I want to get into wealth management myself, and I studied some of your cases last year,” the guy was still shaking my hand and grinning. I nodded my head and forcefully retrieved my hand away from him. My mind was clouded with thoughts of Nina, and yet I didn’t want to be rude.
“I’m humbled, but I do really have to go. I wish I could stay and chat,” I said and took a step away from the guy.
“Of course, Sir. Mr Emery. Cole,” he was fumbling with his words and suddenly I felt sorry for him.
“Here. This is my private email,” I said and fished out a business card from the back pocket of my dark pants and handed it to the guy. He was delighted, and stared at it with the grin returning to his face.
“Thank you, Sir! I will email you right away. I’m sure you’ll be interested in my ideas, Mr Emery, Sir. This is brilliant. You made my day. My name is Josh,” he said, gushing with his words now and I nodded and smiled.
When I turned around, I stopped in my tracks again. Nina had stood up from her chair, staring directly at me, her face covered in that gorgeous smile of hers, her book lying discarded on the table in front of her.
“Have a nice day, Mr Emery,” I heard the guy call out behind me, but I was already running. Running towards the love of my life.
“What are you doing here? You were in London when we spoke last evening!” were Nina’s first words, but I didn’t have time to answer her. I had to kiss her first. Our mouths met, and I devoured her, breathing in the sweet taste of her breath. I moved her face around between my hands so I could kiss her deeply. My hands found the hem of her top and in my desperation to have her, I rolled the top up till she forcefully pulled it back down.
“We’re in a public place, Cole! There are kids!” she said, laughing, as she pulled away from me.
“I had a surprise planned, but someone intercepted me first,” I said, my hand seeking out hers so that I could hold her close to me. Nina was flushed, her green eyes were sparkling even more in the sun now.
“One of your many fans?” she said and edged herself closer to me. I could sense eyes on us. People were watching us, me, her…together. We got a lot of looks wherever we went. I was still making news. Not only for the crazy business deals that had suddenly begun falling into my lap, but also because the tabloids couldn’t believe that I had been with one woman for three months now. They were constantly sniffing for stories. But I wasn’t even annoyed. I had nothing to hide. In fact, I was happy showing Nina off and she was slowly getting used to the limelight.
“You should have just told me you were coming home…back, I mean,” she said and her eyelids fluttered with embarrassment. Even though we had been together for three months, she hadn’t agreed to move in with me yet. God knows I’d tried to convince her it was a good idea. Nina insisted that we take our time. To her, moving in with somebody was as good as committing to a point of no return. She had never lived with a man before, and she didn’t want to make a hasty decision. And we both knew the consequences of hasty decisions already.
I smiled and brushed her cheek with the back of my hand.
“Well, I’m home now and I wanted to surprise you,” I said, and she was blushing still.
“I could have cooked for you, my apartment is a mess. Will you come over tonight?” she asked, and I stared at her, the way I always did. It was like I was still in shock that she had agreed to be with me.
“I don’t care about the mess, babe and if you’re worried, we can just stay at mine tonight,” I said and Nina gave me a hug. I wished she would just agree to move in with me, so that we wouldn’t have to go back and forth between our places like this. As far as I was concerned, I was more ready now than I ever was before. I knew she was the one. Nina Philips was the woman who had changed my world, my way of thinking…I was ready for the commitment. But I also knew that she needed to take her time, I didn’t want to push her into anything. It would take time for her to trust me again, and I was willing to spend an entire lifetime getting her to trust me.
“I’m so happy to see you, Cole,” I heard her say, her voice snapping me out of my thoughts and I rested my chin on her head. We were still standing wrapped up in each others arms, outside the coffee shop, neither of us wanted to be the one to let the other go. Even five days felt like a lifetime apart.
“I missed you, Nina,” I said and she looked up at me with her enormous expressive green eyes and I took in a deep breath. It felt like it was time. I had to take the leap at some point, and I could feel a host of emotions coursing through my veins. I had thought about nothing other than being with her while I was away.
“I love you,” I said, for the first time, to anybody, and I held my breath. The look in her eyes changed, grew tense and then suddenly relaxed. I was regretting my decision to say those words already. Had I majorly screwed things up between us? Would she despise me now? Was it too soon?
“I love you, Cole,” she said in a tender voice.
Epilogue
Nina
I woke up in a sweat and sat up straight in bed with my curls damp and pasted to my forehead. It was that nightmare again.
A vision of Cole at the other end of a crowded room, me on stage with my band, catching sight of Cole’s hand grazing Rosalie’s waist. Them leaning close together, Rosalie smiling, laughing at something that Cole had said. Him whispering something in her ear. Me jumping off the stage, running towards them and yet never coming even close to them. Me still running, still screaming, calling out for Cole, but he doesn’t even turn to look at me. He doesn’t even know that I’m there. Rosalie laughing still, Cole reaching out to tuck in her hair behind her ear, grabbing her face between his hands, squeezing her cheeks before he covers her mouth with his. I’m shrieking still, tears streaking down my cheeks. I want to call out to him, tell him I’m still here. That I love him and don’t want to lose him, but Cole doesn’t even turn. He doesn’t know I’m there. Nobody knows I’m there. Nobody knows who I am.
I shook my head, to drive the remnant thoughts of the nightmare out of my head. I turned to my side and saw the empty bed. Cole’s side of the bed was cold. He had called me at the last minute, after I had already set the table for dinner; to tell me that he needed to stay home that night. He was going to have to burn the midnight oil trying to close a business deal. He had phone calls to make to Germany.
I slid my damp warm legs off the bed and stood up on wobbly feet. I got this nightmare every night that I didn’t spend with Cole. The same one, over and over again. This constant fear, even after eleven months of being with him, that one day he was going to leave me for another woman. That I was never going to be good enough for him.
I went into the bathroom and washed my face with cold water, when I looked up at my reflection in the mirror, I felt like my skin was peeling off, my lips were dry, there were dark circles under my eyes. When was the l
ast time I had slept an entire night’s worth of sleep? Probably three nights ago, when I spent the night in Cole’s house. Being with him was driving me nuts, and the last thing I could do was tell Cole what was going on. I couldn’t have him know just how insecure and untrusting I was of him.
xxx
“I need to do that last bit again,” I said into the microphone. I was sitting on a stool, in the small soundproof room of the recording studio. Across from me, through the glass wall, I saw my sister walk in and take a seat behind Liam, the sound editor, who was helping me record the songs.
“Actually, lets take five,” I said and hung up the enormous earphones and jumped off the stool. I walked out of the room and straight into Clara’s arms. She had been away to Europe for several weeks, overseeing one of Cole’s projects. He was training her to take up a position in his London offices. His end goal was to scale back his need to travel to London as often, and allow Clara to take up that responsibility.
It had been six months since she started working for his firm, and they were getting along really well. It wasn’t my idea to get Cole to hire Clara, he had come up with it all by himself after I had introduced them over dinner one night at my place. They hit it off and my sister had never been this professionally happy before.
“You look well, slightly pale, but very well,” I said into Clara’s hair as we hugged. Clara was gushing when I pulled away from her.
“And you look excited. I heard some of your song, it’s coming along very well,” she said and squeezed my shoulder.
“It’s taking time though. I’ve spent the past four months on this album, and only managed to record three songs yet,” I said to her, taking in a deep breath.
“These things take time,” she countered and I shrugged my shoulders.
“And money…Cole’s money,” I said, looking away from her.
“He wants you to be happy. This is what you’ve always wanted to do, this is what you’re good at. You should take this opportunity, sis. Mom and dad are so proud of you,” Clara said, as we walked out of the studio arms entwined. I leaned my head on her shoulder and sighed.
