by Cassie Cross
“The way you say my name. You spent so long calling me Abigail that hearing my nickname is…nice.”
“I’ve been an ass to you,” he said, self-loathing flooding over him. “I don’t know how I can ever make it up to you.”
She grinned, placing her hand on top of his, and he didn’t realize just how much he’d missed the feel of her skin until she touched him again.
“You’ll think of something. But for now, you can start by enjoying your dinner.”
COLE AND Abby finished their dinner while making polite conversation. It wasn’t until after they were finished, when they were both nursing glasses of wine, that the heavier subjects made appearances.
“So,” Abby said, swirling what was left of her glass of red. “That thing you said to me earlier.” She looked at Cole with those gorgeous eyes, and it took every ounce of willpower in him not to slide all the dirty dishes onto the floor and take her there, right on that small table in the middle of her apartment.
Instead, Cole searched his memory, trying to figure out which ‘thing’ she was talking about. “That I said I had fallen in love with you?”
She inhaled a sharp breath at the words, and instantly Cole knew he had found the right ones.
“Yes, that was the thing.”
“What about it?” he asked nervously.
She looked down, as if she was measuring her next words very carefully. Cole found that he was nervous, wondering if she was going to let him down easy. He wasn’t sure how he would deal with that, despite the fact that he would’ve rightfully deserved it.
“I can’t say it back. Not yet.”
Even though Cole’s heart sank, he couldn’t say he hadn’t expected this reaction. Still, it wasn’t easy to hear. The corner of his mouth turned up into a sad smile. “That’s understandable. After everything I put you through, I figured I owed it to you to put my heart out on the line first.”
“You said that you don’t do relationships.” She was playing with the corner of her napkin and was clearly very nervous.
“No,” Cole said, reaching out and touching her hand. He took it as a small victory that she didn’t shy away. “I said that I didn’t know how to be in a relationship. But I want one with you.”
“That’s still the truth?”
He squeezed her fingers. “Very much so.”
“You think the two of us will work as a couple?”
Cole’s eyebrows knit together. He was confused. “I don’t understand what you’re getting at.”
Abby rolled her eyes as if her issue was obvious. “You’re a billionaire. I’m a…I’m an assistant. People will talk, won’t that bother you?”
“I don’t give a fuck what people think or say about me, Abby. If I did, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
“But you’re a-”
“A billionaire,” Cole said with a light sigh. “I know. It’s just money.”
“Spoken like someone who actually has it,” Abby teased.
Cole smiled and was tempted to bite his tongue, but he figured they better put all their cards out on the table if they were going to really try to make things work out between them. “You ask me if it bothers me, but it sounds like it bothers you.”
“It does,” she admitted. “Not in the way you probably think, but we can’t—at least, I can’t—pretend like there isn’t an income difference between the two of us. Our lifestyles, I mean…there are a lot of things you’ll want to do that I won’t be able to.”
“Don’t allow my money to define me, and don’t allow our income discrepancy to define us. I’m a man who wants you, Abby. Desperately. And I’ll want to buy you nice things and take you out to dinner. Take you on trips. I understand your issue,” he said, squeezing her hand again. “Honestly, I do. But I need you to accept that about me and allow me to do it.”
Abby nodded, although Cole could tell she wasn’t quite sold on the idea. Yet.
“You once told me that part of the thrill of business for you is winning the unwinnable. Attaining the unattainable. The thrill of the chase. What happens when you finally have me?”
And there it was. She was worried that she wasn’t interesting enough, smart enough, intriguing enough, sexy enough to keep him interested. He was going to have to disabuse her of that notion immediately.
“Then,” he said, “I will be a very happy man.”
“Won’t you-”
“You’re asking me for guarantees, and I can’t give them to you. Even if I did, you know better than to believe them, Abby. You’re too smart for that. But I will love you with all of my heart, I promise you that.”
A smile spread across her lips, but she didn’t say anything.
“Since we’re talking about promises,” Cole said, standing as he gathered their dirty plates. “I need you to make a couple. First, that you’ll let me do the dishes. Second, that you’ll allow me to see you again. Tomorrow night.”
Abby made quite the show of considering Cole’s request. “Okay,” she finally replied.
Cole washed the dishes, Abby dried. They chatted about things people typically chat about on first dates. Cole couldn’t get enough of her smell, her clear eyes, her radiant smile. He practically had to tear himself away from her at the end of the night.
Standing in Abby’s doorway, Cole gazed down at her, longing to press his lips against hers. The electricity between them was palpable. Regardless of what happened between them in other areas of their relationship, their sexual chemistry was ever-present. Cole leaned against the doorway and Abby stood in front of him, fiddling with a button on her shirt. She licked her lips as she looked up at him to say goodnight. Cole grew hard just looking at her mouth, and he longed to taste, to feel her lips.
But tonight, Abby wanted to tease him.
And he was going to let her.
CHAPTER FIVE
TEN DATES.
Abby told Cole that sex was completely out of the question for ten dates. It seemed like a good idea at the time, considering they were two people whose hormones went wild when they were around each other. Abby wanted to take the time to make sure this was real, that their hearts were in it just as much as their bodies were. That their attraction was just as much mental as it was physical.
Ten dates, no sex. After that, well…Abby had plans and she was sure that Cole did too.
Tonight, they were on their second date. Abby agreed to let their dinner the night before count as the first. Tonight, probably to show her that he didn’t always live a high-end lifestyle, Cole was treating Abby to dinner at her favorite diner, two blocks away from his office.
“I miss this place,” Abby said, swirling a fry in a small dollop of ketchup.
“It’s not like you can’t come here. You quit the job, not the city.”
“I know,” Abby replied quietly. Even though she’d agreed to give Cole another chance, talking about her quitting her job and the events that led up to that was still a sore subject for Abby.
Perhaps sensing her unease, Cole tried to lighten the subject. “You should come here and meet me for lunch one day.”
Abby narrowed her eyes. “You don’t take lunches.”
Cole lifted a fry off of Abby’s plate and popped it into his mouth. He wore a sly grin that made Abby want to kiss him, want to forget about her stupid ten-date rule. Why had she made that again?
“I’ve been thinking that I should probably start taking them.” The fleeting humor of the previous moment was gone, and Abby met Cole’s gaze, which was suddenly serious.
“What made you think that?”
He smiled. “You did.”
“Really?”
Cole reached across the table and gently pushed his hand against hers until their palms were touching, then laced their fingers together. It was a simple gesture, but it stirred a few butterflies in the pit of Abby’s stomach.
“Really. When I nearly lost the woman I love because I put my work ahead of her feelings, I decided I needed to examine my
priorities.”
The woman he loved. Abby didn’t think she’d ever get used to hearing those words fall from his perfect lips.
Abby laced the fingers on her free hand with the fingers on his. “And what are those priorities?”
“You,” he replied, squeezing her hand. “My family. I don’t see them as often as I should. I’ve spent all my life living up to my last name, doing what I thought was expected of me. The business side of my life was always fulfilling, but my personal life was severely lacking. But now…” Cole drifted off, gazing into Abby’s eyes.
“Now?”
“Now I want more.”
Abby closed her eyes, taking in the conversation. Tonight’s Cole was such a drastic change from the way he normally was. Of course, Abby realized she usually saw him in work mode, with only glimpses of this one, especially when they were in Chicago. She liked work Cole, but she had fallen in love with this Cole. Maybe almost losing her really had rattled him. A calming warmth spread throughout her body as she thought about what that would mean for her. For them.
“So, what. You’re going to retire?” she teased.
“No,” Cole replied, laughing. “I’m just going to make sure I take the time I need to in order to enjoy my life.”
He reached into his back pocket for his wallet, and as he pulled out a credit card to pay for dinner, Abby caught a glimpse of a photo of him holding a baby.
“May I see?” she asked, motioning toward his wallet.
Cole grinned and handed it to Abby. She looked down at the picture, sliding her finger along the edge of the plastic that held it. She knew he had a nephew who was about five years old and that his niece was born about a month ago, but she’d never seen pictures of either one of them. Cole was notoriously private about his family, and while Abby respected that, she was sad she’d never seen this picture before tonight. Cole was gorgeous holding his niece. He wasn’t even looking at the camera, just staring down at her, absolutely smitten. A thought entered Abby’s mind of a time far into the future, when he might look at their child that way. Admittedly, she’d had these thoughts before, but she always pushed them away, believing them to be out of the question.
Abby held tight to this thought. It felt right.
“Her name is Alexandra?”
He nodded, smiling.
“She’s beautiful.”
“Tell me about it.”
Abby made a gesture with her little finger, indicating that the baby already had Cole wrapped around hers.
He laughed. “That’s definitely true.”
Abby flipped to the next picture, which featured Cole and his nephew playing with toy dinosaurs. The next was of the two of them in a swimming pool. Cole was holding his nephew over his head and the two of them were dripping wet and laughing hysterically. Abby couldn’t help but grin. She’d never known what a family man he was. She assumed he was all work and no play, but was happy to be proven wrong.
“What’s that smile for?” Cole asked, looking at Abby as if he was longing for her approval.
“This,” Abby replied, holding up Cole’s wallet and pointing at the picture of him and his nephew playing. “I never knew this about you.”
Cole’s expression grew tender. “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me.”
Abby couldn’t wait to find out every single one of his secrets.
LATER THAT evening, Cole’s driver pulled to a stop in front of Abby’s apartment building and Cole walked her up to her door. He stood incredibly close to her as she fished through her purse for her keys; so close that she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. She wanted to fall back against him, to feel the security of being in his arms. Her hand shook as she tried to insert the key into the lock, and Cole laughed. He ran his fingertips down the backs of her arms intending to calm her, and even though it set every nerve in her body on edge, her skin immediately warmed from his touch.
Abby finally managed to get the door unlocked, and then she pushed it open to reveal an empty living room. Becca was out for the evening.
“Would you like to come in?” Abby asked, turning and facing Cole.
He smiled wistfully, looking over her shoulder for a moment before his gaze returned to hers.
“I want to more than anything, but I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said. He dropped his hands to his sides and Abby missed the feel of him immediately. “I wouldn’t be able to leave, and I promised you I would respect your wishes.”
Eight more dates.
Her hormones were in overdrive, and she knew she was doing the right thing. “Okay,” she replied, trying to mask the disappointment in her voice. It was her fault it was there in the first place.
“I want to see you tomorrow.”
Abby nodded. She had a fleeting thought of playing hard to get, but Cole was going to get her. Even he knew that. The rest of this was just an exercise in restraint and letting their hearts catch up to their hormones. “Tomorrow.”
“I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty.”
Abby licked her lips.
Cole watched.
Then, he knit his fingers through her hair and she pushed herself up on the tips of her toes, closing her eyes as his lips brushed hers. The kiss was tender and full of longing, but too quickly he pulled away, breathless.
“I have to go before I-”
“Yeah,” she said, before running her tongue along her upper lip.
Abby backed in the doorway and held his eyes as she closed the door. Once it was closed, she leaned against it, needing something sturdy to hold her up.
Seconds later, there was a knock. Abby flung open the door and was immediately wrapped in Cole’s arms, kissing her deeply this time. His lips pressed against hers like he never wanted to be parted from her, and their tongues brushed together like they’d been kissing their whole lives. They clung to each other like their lives depended on it. When the kiss ended, Cole held her close, his forehead touching hers. Then they slowly, reluctantly untangled their limbs and grinned at each other like a couple of love-struck teenagers.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, rubbing his bottom lip with his fingertips, as if he wanted to ingrain the feel of her in his memory. She watched him walk down the hall until he disappeared into the stairwell, then retreated into her apartment, floating on air.
ON THEIR third date, Cole took Abby dancing.
For the fifth, they went horseback riding through Central Park.
The seventh was a romantic, candlelit dinner for two.
It took them nearly two weeks to get to their tenth date, which was a surprise that Cole wasn’t going to spoil no matter how much Abby begged him to. It was such a surprise that Cole wouldn’t even allow his driver to take them to wherever it was they were going. They walked hand-in-hand down a street near his office; one that was bustling during the day but a little less busy at night. Even though there were other people walking nearby, Abby felt like she and Cole had the entire block to themselves.
Cole couldn’t wipe the smile from his face, and Abby loved the fact that Cole having her on his arm made him look like that. She loved the way that look made her feel, just knowing that he was happy. And it was then that she said the words she’d been dying to say for the past month, without even a thought before they left her mouth.
“I love you,” she said. She felt it so much in that particular moment that she just wanted to tell him. She had to tell him. It wasn’t a grand, sweeping declaration, but it was the truest thing she’d ever said.
Cole stopped dead in his tracks, the already present grin on his lips spreading wider.
“I’m sorry I just said it on the street like that,” Abby rambled, realizing that maybe she should’ve waited for a more intimate moment to share her feelings. “I just felt it so much that I wanted you to know.”
Cole cupped her cheek, then kissed her, long and lingering.
“I love you too,” he whispered against her lips, and she’d never felt so
bright inside. “C’mon,” he said, clasping her hand as he led her further down the street, seemingly energized by the sentiments they’d just shared.
“Will you just tell me where we’re going?”
“No!” he laughed.
“Damn it, Cole. You’re driving me crazy. Don’t make me take back the thing I just told you!” she teased.
Cole looked over at Abby, grinning. “You couldn’t take that back even if you wanted to.”
Damn him, he was right. She could never, would never take that back.
“Just give me a hint.”
Cole stopped right in front of an empty storefront, it’s darkened windows standing out along the line of lit up shops.
“We’re here.”
Abby looked around, wondering exactly where “here” was, and Cole pulled a key ring out of his pocket. Confusion clouded Abby’s brain. Cole held the door open for her, and she tentatively stepped inside. The store was immaculately clean, but empty.
“What is this place?” she asked, running her fingertips along the bright white shelving that lined the wall.
“It’s the site of my next business venture.”
Abby turned to him, her eyebrows knit together. “You own this place?”
Cole smiled tenderly at her as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.
“No, you do.”
CHAPTER SIX
COLE HELD his breath as Abby processed what he had just told her. He had to admit that he was concerned about her reaction; he just hoped she would hear him out when he explained why he decided to give her this gift. And hope that she would accept it.
Abby took a measured breath before she said anything, and when she spoke her words were very slow.
“You…you bought a building for me?” Her eyebrows were scrunched together in an adorable way, and Cole wanted to kiss the confusion from her face.
“Well, a retail space, yes,” Cole replied, smiling.
“A store,” Abby said dumbly, her eyes wide.
“A store.”
There was a fleeting moment of silence when Cole thought Abby was going to accept the gift without any protestations. It was a lovely moment.
