by Zoe York
“She’s fine,” Mrs. Hume said.
“And when will she be making an appearance?” Bunny was too smart to not be aware of how the Humes shifted. Scarlett wanted the ground to open up and swallow her.
“I’m not sure she’s coming home until Christmas now that she broke it off with that felon.” Mrs. Hume clutched her purse with both hands.
“What?” Scarlett gaped at Mrs. Hume. Was she serious?
“Young lady, I’d encourage you to check your facts.” Bunny straightened and stared at the woman.
“We know what our daughter told us,” Mr. Hume said, drawing his wife in closer.
“Mom, Dad, really?” This from the youngest Hume daughter barely twenty-one. She rolled her eyes. “We all know AK lies.”
“Have you met him? This boy your family abandoned?” Bunny let go of Scarlett and took a few steps toward Mr. and Mrs. Hume.
The two adults shifted and found somewhere else to look.
“I’d have thought better of the two of you. AK’s a good girl, but she did that boy wrong. That’s a reflection on you the two of you.”
Scarlett bit her tongue. Not to mention AK had run off with Cole’s dog and his car.
“Think about what you say before you say it. Hear that, girls?” Bunny leaned past to look at the other two girls in their early twenties. “Your words have consequences. Scarlett? Let’s go, dear.”
Scarlett marched forward in a daze, delivered Bunny to her car then joined Garth at the truck.
“What the hell was that?” he asked her.
“I have no idea.” Scarlett slid down in the seat. She prayed Garth waited a bit before laying into her.
“Damn L.O.L.s sticking their nose into everything.” He sighed and shifted into gear, easing the big truck out of the spot. “They didn’t give you any trouble, did they?”
“No. I think the Humes are as uncomfortable as the rest of us.”
“AK took off with his car, right? Least, that’s what I heard.”
“Didn’t I tell you that?”
“I don’t know.” Garth shrugged. “Maybe?”
They rode in silence for a few moments.
“Aren’t you going to talk to me about last night?” she asked, ready to get all the uncomfortable bits over with.
“Uh, I’m not particularly interested in hearing about it,” Garth said.
“You aren’t going to tell me it’s a bad idea?”
“Like you said, you’re an adult.” He sighed. “I’m trusting that you know what you’re doing.”
“Huh.” Scarlett sat up a bit straighter.
She knew Garth had the same reservations that whispered in the back of her mind. The only difference was that she had feelings for Cole. Feelings that felt deep, passionate and scary.
* * *
* * *
Cole flipped channels on the TV without much consideration for what was on. Sunday nights were now about quality time with Scarlett. With their schedules they didn’t get a lot of it, but they were finding a rhythm. Not to mention over the last week his world was taking a dramatic shift what with introducing his blood family to the woman who had taken up residence in his heart.
He was ready for Scarlett to be there.
Whenever she wasn’t there, he wanted her to be. It was a silly wish. They both had jobs they loved, lives, friends and family besides each other, and yet he wanted to do all of those things with Scarlett.
He’d never wanted to be with someone as much as he wanted to be with her.
Which was one of the two reasons why his butt was still on the sofa and not in the car headed up to her house.
The other reason was the five pounds of fluff currently snoring on his thigh. They’d learned the hard way since last Saturday that Pip, the little Terrier-Chihuahua long haired mutt his brother had brought him, could not be trusted to stay close to the house if he was let out unsupervised. He required fences and a watchful eye or else he’d vanish.
Both times he’d pulled that routine Garth or Benji had found him. Cole wasn’t going to take a third chance with the pup. If it weren’t for Cal having found the dog in a dumpster, Cole might think Pip had merely run away from home. Being left in a dumpster was a pretty big sign someone hadn’t wanted him.
Cole stared down at the black, brown and white dog. Pip was one of those dogs so ugly he was cute. Cole hadn’t meant to keep him. Initially he’d taken the dog to the clinic to give him a check-up. He’d come into the kennel room later to find that Pip had escaped into another kennel and was comforting a surgery patient. For all of Pip’s liveliness, he seemed like an empathetic creature who only wanted to comfort both animals and humans.
It was hard to not fall in love with the little guy.
Pip had Scarlett wrapped around his little paw that was for damn sure.
On mornings she hadn’t spent at his place she’d demanded regular pictures of the dog and had ordered Cole a few toys for Pip.
It was clear the pup wasn’t going anywhere and that both he and Scarlett had taken to the dog.
He’d never been one for small dogs. The corgi mix that Allie had taken was Cole’s first foray into the smaller breeds. Pip was about as small as they came.
Cole picked up his phone.
Still no message from Scarlett.
He lived for those texts. The occasional call. Every time he got to talk to her it made his day better. He didn’t know where this was going, but he knew he wanted to be all in for as long as it lasted.
This last week, spending their evenings and nights together, sharing meals and the normalcy of arguing about what to watch, had been magical. He’d lived with women before, not many but a few and it had never been like this. Everything about her made him smile. The way she got excited when she spotted something new on one of the multitude of wedding or crafting sites she frequented. How she invested herself in each event she worked with. She never did anything halfway. It was all of her or nothing at all.
He didn’t want to think about what life might be like if she dumped him. He also didn’t want to examine the feelings he had for her too closely. It wasn’t just chemistry and lust. It was more, and he wasn’t prepared for that.
Hell, his wedding date was coming up. It was crazy to think he could be falling for anyone in such a short amount of time.
No, he and Scarlett were simply going through the surge of new relationship bliss. That was it. Nothing more. It had been so long since he’d felt a connection like this he’d forgotten what it could be like. With Allie he’d just woken up one day and they were together. No emotion, just convenience and comfort.
Cole’s phone buzzed with an incoming call.
He snatched it up, but it wasn’t Scarlett.
“Cal. Hey.” Cole pressed his phone to his ear.
“I’m going to quit,” Cal grumbled.
“What happened today?” Cole had gone through two of these conversations. After the first Eve had texted to tell him it was no big deal, Cal was frustrated. But Cole wasn’t so sure.
“It’s the same stuff, different day. I just—we could be doing so much more for these kids than giving them a home, clothes and food.”
“Those are pretty big things for kids who might not have had that stability.” Cole would have been grateful for those growing up.
“I know, but we could be doing more. Did you know we have two kids who are mute? I barely know enough sign language to communicate with them. We’ve resorted to dry erase boards and texting. I’ve applied three times to get ASL training and I keep getting denied.”
“That sucks, man. Maybe look on YouTube for tutorials? Can the kids teach you?”
“That’s what I’m doing, but…it’s frustrating. I need to learn faster which means dedicated time to study and I can’t have that and still be around for Eve.”
“I bet.”
“Then today a donor wanted to give us tickets for all of the kids to go to Six Flags. We aren’t allowed to accept them for the kids beca
use it’s too risky. They’re going to raffle the tickets off so we can get new sheets for the beds. I mean, I know that’s something we need, but—they’re kids, Cole. Kids.”
“I get that you and Eve have a soft spot for this Hope House place, but have you considered opening your own home? You’re both trained professionals and if you did your own thing you could make the rules.” Cole wasn’t entirely sure he understood the structure they worked in, but he knew there were a lot of kids in need of a safe home.
“I talked to Eve about that and she’s intimidated. I mean, we’re only twenty-five. She wants us to wait five years before taking on something like that. It’s just frustrating to think that we have to play in this sandbox with all these limitations until then. Did you know we can’t celebrate Halloween with them? No costumes. No trick or treating. Nothing.”
“That’s pretty severe.”
“Yeah, well, them’s the rules.”
“Hm.” Cole had an idea, but it might be too out there.
“How are you guys?”
“Good.” You guys. Cole and Scarlett. It was nice to be referred to as a unit. A couple.
“Eve mentioned wanting to invite Scarlett down for something. Probably a pamper, girly thing. I forget.”
“I bet Scarlett would love that.”
“You sure you two just started dating?” Cal chuckled.
“I’ve only been in Texas for…twenty-six days?”
“Dang.”
Headlights slashed across the front windows.
Pip bounded off the sofa and barked.
“Hey, man. I’ve got to go. Scarlett just got here.” And there was no way Cole was spending a minute of his weekend time with her on the phone with his brother. Plus, he wanted to run this idea by her and see if it was good or plain crazy.
“Later.” Cal hung up and Cole left his phone on the sofa.
By the time he reached the door Scarlett was there, juggling her purse and a bag. He scooped up the dog and swept the door open, saving her from having to get it herself.
“Hello, beautiful.” He took in the long coat, her bare legs and the low heels. She must have come straight from working the event tonight.
“Hi.” Scarlett’s smile was bright, lighting up her whole face. But there was something particularly mischievous about it tonight.
“Hi.” He quirked a brow at her.
She set her things down then loosened the belt on her coat. The fabric gaped enough for him to glimpse creamy skin, lace and something far to see-through to be considered outerwear.
* * *
* * *
Scarlett turned into Cole’s driveway.
She’d been positive one of the guys would want to stop and talk to her on her way out, or she’d get pulled over for something silly and someone would ask questions about her long, winter coat. It might be October, but it wasn’t yet cold. Hell, her air conditioner was still running. If it weren’t for her need to cover up the super sexy, barely there number she’d bought while shopping with the girls.
Never in Scarlett’s life had she done something like this. She wasn’t really the lingerie and sexy stuff girl. Awkward and opportunistic were more her speed, but with Cole she wanted to make an effort.
She killed the Jeep, grabbed her bag then carefully slid out of the driver’s seat. She could already hear Pip barking away inside. The newly installed blinds meant nosy neighbors couldn’t see inside. She’d never hung curtains or anything because she liked the sunshine but after this week she was ready to measure and place her own order.
Her heels clicked on the stairs and her stomach fluttered. She hoped Cole approved of what she was wearing. If he didn’t, well, she wasn’t planning on wearing it long.
The door swept open and Cole stood there in a T-shirt, jeans, bare feet and holding Pip.
“Hello, beautiful.” His gaze traveled the length of her body and a slow smile spread across his face. He liked when she came straight from an event still dressed up for the day, which was what had given her this little inspiration.
“Hi.” Her nerves were getting the best of her.
“Hi.” He quirked a brow at her and gestured for her to enter.
She stepped into the house and he closed the door behind her. She placed her overnight bag next to the door and hung her purse on the hook Cole had placed there just for her use. That done, it was time to put her seduction plan in motion.
Scarlett turned and met Cole’s gaze. He was still watching her. Knowing him, he was aware that she was up to something. He always seemed to get what she was thinking or feeling.
She loosened the belt on her coat. The cool air slid down between her breasts and she saw the moment he caught a glimpse of what she was actually wearing. His eyes widened, then narrowed and jumped to her face. She grinned and flicked the ends of the belt attached to the jacket out on either side.
Pip wiggled and yipped at her from where he was cradled in Cole’s arms.
“Sh, you.” He bent his head, seeming to remember he had a dog and turned toward the kennel.
Cole slid the pup and a generous amount of treats into the kennel and secured the door. He straightened and his whole face seemed sharper, intent on her.
“What are you wearing under there?” He stalked toward her.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” She hooked her finger in the deep plunge and toyed with the first button.
“Let me see.” He crowded her back against the door.
“No.” She drew the word out and placed her hand against his chest. “You go sit on the sofa.”
Cole’s gaze narrowed further. He did prefer to call the shots, and she liked his bossy side. Especially in bed when he was focused on her. But this was what she wanted, to tease and treat him to something she’d never done before.
“I don’t even get a hello kiss first?” he muttered.
She fisted the front of his shirt and pulled him in, allowing herself to fall for his ploy. It wasn’t a hardship when she wanted to kiss him all over. He leaned into her and took her mouth in a hungry kiss. His teeth nipped her lower lip, not hard, but just enough so she felt his teeth.
Biting.
Who’d have thought she’d like that?
Not her.
Before the kiss could get out-of-control Scarlett prodded Cole’s shoulder. It was all too easy to lose her mind and let him have his way with her however he wanted to once they got kissing.
“Sit,” she ordered.
“Yes, ma’am.” His voice was a low, sensual rumble.
Cole backed away from her and sat on the sofa. He moved his phone to the coffee table then shoved that aside, leaving the floor for her.
“What did I do to deserve this?” He sat forward, elbows on his knees.
“Just being you.” For making her feel appreciated. Desirable. And a dozen other things.
She sauntered over to stand in front of him, her fingers stroking over the buttons.
The nerves were there. A part of her fretted that he might not like the outfit or be turned on by her novice attempt at a strip tease. She’d been laughed at before for something similar, but never by Cole. He was nothing but enthusiastic about every part of their sex life. Cole was attracted to her and made her feel beautiful and wanted no matter if she was in mud covered shorts or a cocktail dress. This, tonight, was about doing something fun and flirty, because she enjoyed being with him. He made her feel confident in not just her body, but about them.
“Baby, I’m not a patient man,” he said.
“You will be or I’ll leave.” She wouldn’t, but the threat got her desired result.
Cole groaned and eased back.
Scarlett slipped the top button free then trailed her fingers down to the bottom one. She’d practiced this in the mirror and though she felt silly, she couldn’t deny that it looked hot.
The bottom button went and there was only one left.
She pivoted, turning her back toward him.
“Come on,” Cole gr
oaned.
“So impatient.” She chuckled and undid the last button. One shoulder slid free of the coat.
She glanced over back at him, gratified when she found that he was focused on the tiny pink strap. This wasn’t such a bad idea. When she’d gone shopping, refreshing her underwear drawer had been a top priority. The lingerie had called to her when she’d seen it hanging on the rack. If it wasn’t for the girls urging her to get it she’d have never taken the leap.
Moment of truth.
Scarlett turned to face Cole and let the coat slide down her arms. It fell to the floor, leaving her in the cherry red heels, a pair of pink panties made out of lace so sheer she might as well not be wearing anything, and a long camisole style top. It was made out of the same pink lace, only it had red flowers embroidered across each cup and down over her stomach in such a way that it hid her nipples from view.
“Hot damn,” Cole muttered. His cheeks had sunk in and his eyes were dark with lust.
“I wasn’t sure you’d like it.”
She lifted a hand to her stomach and touched the embroidery.
This was where her plan ended. From here on she was winging it.
“You shouldn’t doubt yourself.” His gaze traveled up and back down her body. “You better come here if you want me to keep sitting on this couch.”
She laughed at that, a mix of nerves and need. One step and he reached out, grabbing her wrist and pulled her closer so she stood between his knees.
“Your turn.” She grasped his soft T-shirt and pulled it up over his head, leaving him in just the jeans.
Cole tossed the shirt away then reached for her, cupping her ass in both hands.
“You look like…a strawberry milkshake,” he said.
“A what?” Scarlett laughed and a bit of her sexy vibe crumbled.
A milkshake?
“Your milkshake has my attention.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the plunge between her breasts.
“I was hoping for something a little sexier.”
“You know the song, don’t you?”
