“What’s that look all about?” Cole asked and they stopped to examine a display of quilts.
She had looped her arms around his as they strolled through the displays. She must have been staring up at him with a lovesick look on her face and hadn’t realized it. Ignoring his comment, she asked a question of her own. “I was just wondering why you’ve gone all quiet. You’ve been acting funny since that run-in with Martin.”
He shrugged. “It’s like I said. I don’t want him causing trouble for you.”
“Why don’t you let me worry about the McKays?”
He squeezed her hand where it rested against his arm. “I don’t want you to have to worry about anything.”
“I can handle it.” She wasn’t sure how she’d handle it, but she was determined that she would. She hoped her smile showed more confidence than she felt.
“Has Mrs. McKay already said something to you?”
She didn’t want to tell him the woman had warned her off him only a couple of days ago, so she just said, “Not really. Can we buy some more rock candy? I’ve finished mine already, and it was so good. I haven’t had it in years.”
“Sure.” He pulled out some bills and handed them to a woman wearing a traditional, Revolutionary Era dress.
Josie selected a bag of the candy while Cole chose a sucker that had the candy clustered around its end. He popped it in his mouth. She began salivating. Not for the candy in her bag, but for the taste of it on his tongue.
Pulling him away from the crowd of people, she asked, “Want to share?”
He slowly removed the treat from his mouth and held it out to her. Josie grasped his wrist and slid her tongue from the bottom to the top of the candy attached to the stick. She purposely caught his fingers in the process.
He sucked in a ragged breath. “Keep that up and we’ll be out of here in record time,” he warned.
She trailed a finger down his chest. “We could be back at my house in about five minutes,” she suggested, in a low, husky voice.
Cole grabbed her hand and headed for the exit. Rick barked as Cole jerked his leash. “Sorry, boy.”
Josie had to jog to keep up. Her laughter trailed behind them, causing more than a few heads to turn.
The sun was just setting behind the mountains rising up behind the lake, when Cole unlocked the door to his truck and helped Josie inside. After he’d settled Rick in the back and gotten in, he started the engine and said as Josie slid over close to him on the bench seat, “I hate to bring this up, but you said you needed to go in to work.”
She removed her glasses, then snuggled up against his arm and nibbled his neck. “It can wait an hour or so.”
Gravel flew as Cole threw the truck into gear and roared out of the parking lot. “You sure you don’t want to go back to my place? It might be more private.”
“Too far.”
He got them there in record time. Josie hadn’t stopped kissing and touching him all the way back to her house. He followed the drive around to the rear of house to where a garage had been added on. When they hurried for the back door, Rick whined his displeasure at being left behind.
“Stay, boy,” Cole said.
Josie looked back at the hound. “He can come in.”
The dog would probably jump right in the middle of them if he did. Cole wanted no distractions. “He’ll be fine.” Thankfully, the hound yawned and lay back down.
The door clicked shut behind them after they entered her kitchen. Cole wrapped an arm around Josie’s waist. “Come here.” He smoothed a hand down her back and pressed his lips to hers. She tasted like fresh air, sunshine, strawberries, and true love. He wanted nothing more than to melt so far into her that neither of them would know where she began and he ended.
Josie broke the kiss, but he couldn’t stop tasting her face, her neck, the curve of her shoulder. When her shirt got in the way, he slid it off her shoulders and eased it down her arms until it lay in a puddle on the floor at her feet. Underneath, she wore a pale pink snug fitting shirt with thin little straps that he wanted to watch slide down her arms leaving all that creamy skin bear for him to explore.
The gold chain he’d given her sparkled against her skin. The class ring was hidden between her breasts beneath the fabric. He trailed the backs of his fingers across the exposed skin above the shirt’s low neckline. She shuddered and grabbed handfuls of his shirt.
“Cole . . .” she breathed.
“Tell me what you want,” he encouraged.
She leaned into him so that he couldn’t read her eyes. “Give me a second,” she said against his neck. After a brief pause that seemed like an eternity to his overcharged hormones, she continued. “Could we go into the sitting room?”
He nodded, and she led him into a small room off the back hallway that had a couch with deep cushions, a chair and a fireplace. She stopped at the couch and sat. Cole followed.
Josie crossed her legs and faced him. She took his hands in hers and laced their fingers. She acted like she was working through something in her mind. He wanted to take her in his arms and finish what they’d started in the kitchen, but he just waited for her to make a move. Give him an indication of where her head was.
After a few moments had passed, she said, “Cole?”
He couldn’t stand it any longer. He reached around behind her head and laid her braid across her shoulder. He removed the band securing it and began to run his fingers through the braid to loosen it. “Hmm?”
“Remember yesterday when I told you I didn’t know how this worked, and you told me that nothing would happen that I didn’t want to?”
He almost groaned. Had he been stupid enough to say that? Sheez. He’d meant it at the time, but now with her sitting so close, knowing they were all alone in her house with a bedroom somewhere nearby . . . .
“Yeah.”
“Would you believe me if I said you’re the first man I’ve really enjoyed kissing?” She closed her eyes and leaned forward to lay her head on his shoulder. “Oh, and I feel so much when you kiss me.”
Even though he was surprised, her pronouncement made him insanely happy. He wanted to be the first and last man she’d ever kiss. He tipped her chin up. “Then why are we talking when we could be—”
He captured her lips and plunged his tongue into her mouth. God, he wanted so much. He wanted to show her how much he needed her, show her everything he felt for her, make her his forever. He pressed her back against the pillows, loving the way her hair spilled out behind her.
“Cole?” she said before he could kiss her again.
“Hmm?” he said as he trailed a hand down her thigh to her knee.
“I missed so much growing up. I never had time for the things other girls did, because there was school, and I was always studying.”
“It’s all right. I promise to catch you up on everything you missed out on.”
She smiled. “Really?”
He nodded. “Tell me what you want to do.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he couldn’t resist further exploring hers with kisses.
“Well . . . I missed the prom. Don’t guess we can make up for that.”
“There’s the Snow Ball in December, right before Christmas. I’d love to take you to that.”
Her smile was pure happiness. “Okay.”
“What else?” he asked as he traced the line of her jaw with his fingertip. God, the thought of being with her at Christmas made him insanely happy. December was more than six months away. This confirmed she was thinking of them being together that far down the road. He wasn’t just a fling for her.
“I want to date someone. Have a boyfriend and all that entails.”
“I’m all yours. What does having a boyfriend entail?”
“Going to movies and stealing kisses.” For good measure, she leaned up and touched her lips to his, then continued. “Going parking up in the tall pines.”
“Well, we’ve done the tall pines, but we can go again
and neck in the truck if you want. How ’bout tomorrow? We could catch a movie, too.”
“Mmm, tomorrow’s going to be really busy for me. How about Tuesday?”
“It’s a date.” He brushed the hair back from her face and asked, “Anything else?”
“I just want this feeling to last. Want to see if it will grow. Want to take things slow. Don’t want to miss a second of anything that’s happening between us.”
Cole smiled. “God, you’re so sexy when you talk in the present tense.”
Josie’s pure laughter danced around them in the quiet house. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tight. “What do you want to do right now, Josie Lee Allen?”
She ran a hand up his neck, and then smoothed it down his hair. As long as he lived, he’d never tire of the feel of her hands on him.
“You’ll think it’s silly. I’m sure you’ve done it a dozen or more times with other girls.”
He leaned back and looked into her eyes. “There’s no one but you. There won’t be anyone but you.” There had been others, but he’d never wanted anyone like he wanted her.
“I know,” she said softly.
“So tell me what you want. I’ll give you anything, just tell me.”
She chewed on her lower lip. “I want to neck.”
“What?”
“I don’t know exactly how, but I’d like to try it . . . with you.”
He laughed. “Well, it’s pretty much what we’ve been doing. Lots of kissing, heavy breathing, touching.” He trailed a hand back down her smooth thigh. “If we were still teenagers, there might be a hickey involved.”
She eased a hand under the hem of his shirt and slid it up his side before exploring his back. “I’ve never had a hickey. Is it hard to do?”
He focused his attention on her neck. He loved the scent of her perfume that clung there. Loved the way she tipped her head back when he kissed her there so he’d have better access. “No, it’s not hard, but you might have trouble explaining it at work tomorrow.”
“I could wear a scarf.”
He skidded a thumb across her throat. “They usually last for several days, and it’s not exactly turtleneck weather.”
“Mmm.” She touched his neck. “What if I gave you one?”
“That might be hard since you don’t know how it’s done.”
Her smile was slow and sexy. “I didn’t say I don’t know how. I understand the mechanics. I just haven’t ever had one, or given one.”
“Don’t tell me. You read about it in a book.”
“I’ve read romance novels.”
“So, are you saying you’d like to give me one?”
“Maybe. After we’ve necked for awhile.”
Dear Lord. And she wanted to take things slow. Bypass the cold shower. He’d just pick up a ten-pound bag of ice at the Quik Stop on his way home and sit with it in his lap for the rest of the night.
Still, he said, “Happy to oblige.”
“You won’t mind if people see it?”
He shook his head. “You’ll have a hard time keeping me away from a mirror. Every time I look at it, I’ll think of you and how you gave it to me.”
“So what are we waiting for?”
Josie loved the way Cole was looking at her almost as much as she loved the thought of him being hers. Hers and no one else’s. In education, she’d excelled, always gotten A’s, but in relationships, especially with men, she’d flunked miserably, never even trying. She knew her limitations. She was short with red hair and pale skin. No great beauty. But when Cole looked at her the way he was now, she felt like the most beautiful woman in the world.
They kissed again. Josie explored the expanse of smooth skin beneath his shirt, all she could reach anyway. He was still seated and leaning over her, touching the exposed skin of her legs and arms. She wished she could touch more of him.
She broke the kiss, slid her lips across his face to his ear and asked, “Do you mind if we switch?”
He swirled his tongue along the outer edge of her ear, pushing her to the limit of sanity. “What do you mean?”
“Can I be on top?”
That got his attention. He sat back and looked at her, clearly surprised.
Josie took advantage of the latter. She pressed him back against the opposite arm of the couch and crawled between his legs. “Now I’ve got you where I want you.”
“Honey, you’ve had me where you want me longer than you can imagine.”
“Too bad I didn’t know. I might have taken advantage of you sooner.”
He circled her waist with his hands, hitching her further up against his chest. “Is that what you’re planning? To take advantage of me?”
“Maybe.” She teased a finger down the V created by the opening in his unbuttoned polo shirt. “I bet you’re not used to women taking advantage of you.”
“I could get used to it with you.”
She scraped her teeth across the nearly unperceivable cleft in his chin. The afternoon stubble lining his jaw felt rough against her face. Chill bumps erupted across her body. “Where would you like your hickey?”
“Mmm. Surprise me.”
“Let’s see . . .” She slid her hands down his throat and opened his collar further, then used her tongue to trace a line from his ear to the place where his neck blended into his shoulder. She nibbled there. “Mmm . . . that’s a nice spot.”
The scent of his cologne clung to all the right places, teasing her nose as she dipped her tongue into the concave V at the base of his throat. A kiss began there that ended at the curve of his neck just below his chin. She stopped to nibble a bit there as well. “That’s a nice spot, too.”
Cole was getting restless beneath her. She smoothed a hand across his chest. “Patience,” she whispered as she began an exploration of the other side of his neck.
“I guess now would be as good a time as any to tell you that patience has never been one of my strengths.”
“Then you know that the only way to gain patience is to have it tested.”
“Anyone ever told you that you’d make a master tormentor?”
She stopped nibbling the spot behind his ear and looked into eyes that had turned navy blue. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to torment you.”
“Don’t stop.”
“Are you sure?”
He slid his hands up under her shirt in back, pulling it up in the process. “Don’t ever stop.”
Josie returned to the place where his neck ended and his shoulder began. “I think I’ll put it here. It’ll be our secret spot. No one will know it’s there but us.” She nibbled and sucked until the spot became red. “Does it hurt?”
“So good . . .” he moaned.
“Do you think that was enough to do it?”
“Might want to work on it a little more, just to be sure.”
She obliged. As she kept working, he ran his hands over her back, her arms, her legs . . . After several moments had passed, she kissed the spot, then looked at him. “Your turn.” She tipped her head to the side, inviting.
Cole sat upright, supporting her back with one hand and guiding her legs around his hips. She sucked in a breath as if she were surprised. Now he had her attention.
He slowly eased her hair back over her shoulder, then hooked a finger under the thin strap of that pretty pink top that had been tempting him for the past half hour or so. “I think this might be in my way.”
“Of giving me a hickey?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
She smiled. “But it’s not anywhere near my neck.”
“Who says hickeys have to be on your neck?”
Her eyes widened. “Oh. Where do you think . . . oh . . .”
He eased the strap down her arm and explored every inch of her shoulder and collarbone with hot, open-mouth kisses. Her skin tasted as good as her kisses. When he was satisfied he’d enjoyed every inch of that shoulder, he worked his way up her neck to her cheek. “I wonder if the other side tastes a
s good?”
She shrugged the shoulder in question. “Maybe you should find out.”
Cole stared deeply into her eyes as he wrapped the other strap around his finger. “This will have to go.”
She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue and grabbed two hands full of his shirt, pulling him forward. “Of course.”
He captured that tempting tongue while he pulled the other strap down over her shoulder. He didn’t know how that blasted pink top stayed in place, but true to his word, he explored the other shoulder, kissing his way from her lips to her neck, across her shoulder, and back across her collarbone. Josie tipped her head back, exposing her neck to him completely. Her long hair teased the forearm he had pressed to her back. The shirt slipped lower as she arched her back, exposing the creamy upper curves of her breasts.
Cole groaned. More than anything, he wanted to ease that top down to her waist and see her wearing nothing but his class ring and that chain. But he also didn’t want to frighten her by moving too fast. She’d said she wanted to neck. She hadn’t invited anything further. But he was nothing if not human. He was beyond tempted.
“Cole . . .”
He buried his face in her hair and struggled for control. His chest rose and fell rapidly from the effort, making matters worse. His chest brushed her breasts with every breath.
The phone rang shrilly, offering them both a reprieve. When she didn’t move to answer it on the third ring, Cole said, “Shouldn’t you get that?”
She sank her hands in his hair and said, “The machine will pick up in a second. Kiss me again.”
“But—”
The machine picked up as she blew him away with a mind-altering kiss. For a woman who claimed to not have much experience kissing, she sure was a quick learner. She’d just deepened the kiss in amazing fashion when the machine’s jarring “beep” sounded, and Mrs. McKay’s voice filled the entire downstairs.
“Josephine Allen, pick up the phone this instant. This is Harriet McKay. Hello?”
Josie jolted back. A hundred emotions raced across her face and through her eyes. She eased away from him and off the couch. While she was in the kitchen getting the phone, Cole collapsed against the couch cushions, trying to recover.
Only You Page 14
