Our lips reconnected; the same as before, yet different. This time there was a promise.
A promise of more.
My thighs clenched at the sensual way his tongue swept against mine.
“You are abso-fucking-lutely gorgeous.”
Cole’s hand dipped below the hem of my shirt, pushing up until his thumb caressed beneath the curve of my breast. His calloused fingers were warm, teasing my already sensitized nipples.
My fingers flexed against his arms. “More.”
One corner of his mouth lifted in what I could only describe as the most seductive smile I’d ever seen. My shirt and bra hit the floor in rapid succession. Instinct called to me to cover myself, but with an effort, I forced the notion down and let him look. He lowered me to the bed, his heavy-lidded gaze taking all of me in.
The moment he crawled on top of me, I sank my hands into his hair and took matters into my own hands. “Too slow,” I said, right before I yanked his mouth down to mine.
Things went from heated to blazing in seconds. Even through his jeans, I could feel his erection pressing into me, and every time my tongue touched his he thrust his hips forward. He moved his head down to lavish my breast, sparks of pleasure shooting straight to my core. By the time he moved to pay the same attention to my other breast, my whole body was squirming beneath him.
He seemed content to torture me but after the last few weeks, I needed an end. I wanted pleasure to pour through my body until I couldn’t move. I needed confirmation that I’d done the right thing—taken the right chance.
With small little nips, his mouth traveled lower down my body until he reached the button of my jeans. He popped the button and slid them down my legs and onto the floor, taking my panties with them. Cole stood and shed the rest of his clothing, his eyes on me the whole time. He was solid muscles from his head to his toes.
He returned to the bed, kissing a path up my leg until his tongue reached my core.
“Fuck me,” I said, grabbing his hair and pulling him up to me.
Although more than happy to sleep with Cole, that seemed too intimate a gesture. “I would argue, but damn I like the sound of that.”
He slid on a condom and crawled between my legs until I was consumed by the sensation of the warm heat of him pressing inside me.
I lost all ability to think about what I was doing.
The fire that had begun building earlier had morphed into a raging inferno, my body burning hotter with every thrust.
“Oh, fuck. Harder.” My head moved fitfully on the pillows and I bucked my hips to meet every stroke. My muscles clenched, the pleasure I’d been looking for within my grasp. Just a bit more and I would crash over the edge.
Cole must have felt my body’s reaction because he slid a hand down between us and pinched my clit. Stars danced before my eyes as every muscle in my body tensed. “God, yes,” I screamed, clamping my mouth shut when his name was about to roll off my tongue.
His strokes became rapid and uneven as a groan tore from his lips and he pressed into me one last time. He clenched his eyes shut, his head thrown back over his shoulders. My chest heaved. Cole’s breathing was just as heavy when he dropped down onto the bed. The scent of sweat and ocean surrounded me as the sound of our ragged breaths filled the air.
Cole pulled me tight to him, his front to my back. The kisses started at the nape of my neck and trailed up to my ear.
“You’re absolutely amazing. I would love to see you again.” His warm breath ghosted over my skin.
My body tensed, but I quickly forced myself to relax. So much for getting him to leave me alone. I pretended to be asleep, hoping I could sneak out once Cole fell asleep. If he was asking to see me again, I knew he wouldn’t ask me to leave. I’d have to do that myself.
Eventually Cole’s breathing evened out. Praying he wasn’t a light sleeper, I carefully moved from his embrace and reached for my jeans. I buttoned them, then grabbed my shirt and bra, remembering with a sinking stomach that my car was back at my place and there was no way I was calling Sawyer to come get me. Picking up my phone, I hit the app for Uber and almost cheered with relief when I saw there was a car two minutes away. With only about an hour until sunrise, I scheduled the pickup, pulled on my shoes and tiptoed into the living room.
The rest of the house was still dark. I assumed the roommate still wasn’t home. Lucky for me. I never was good at making small talk.
Cars lights flashed across the walls. I pushed my phone in my pocket and went out to the car. With the alcohol no longer stealing my brain power and good sense, I tried to figure out what would have possessed me to come here.
Had I really proven anything to myself? Yeah, I slept with Cole, but in the end what was it going to get me? It hadn’t made me feel any more confident. How could it when he had no idea who I really was? Only one lesson was learned tonight: none of my prior sexual experiences came even halfway close to what happened in that room.
The ride to my place was quick and quiet. Thankfully, the driver didn’t attempt to chat me up like so many others had in the past. My head was a mess. It had been since Cole showed up at the bar and tonight had only made it worse. I’d thought I had everything figured out.
Apparently, not so much.
With a gentle hand, I unlocked the door as quietly as possible. The last thing I needed was twenty questions. I’d be more prepared to deal with Sawyer after sleep.
The door snapped into place with almost no noise and I tiptoed my way across the living room. I’d almost reached the hall when the light flipped on. Shock made me whirl around. Sawyer sat on the couch, still in the same clothes from the night before. A vein pulsed in the side of his neck.
“What the fuck, Mari?”
I shrugged, hoping to play it off. Nothing good could come of this conversation. “What? I went out after the show.”
“Bullshit.” He stood, bracing his feet apart, his eyes narrowed on me. “You went home with him.”
“With who?”
“Goddamn it! Stop with the games.” Anger flowed off him in waves, and if it had been a physical entity, it would have knocked me clean off my feet.
I mimicked him, crossing my arms and narrowing my eyes. “What do you want me to say?”
He raked a hand through his hair. “Be real.”
“Real?” I scoffed. “You already know the answer to your question or you wouldn’t be sitting here in the dark waiting for me to get home.”
He glared at me. “I’m not the one sneaking out of a club with a guy who made my life miserable.”
My mouth dropped. “No, you don’t get to do that. This was my choice. You run away from your problems.”
He flinched, but that momentary lapse didn’t stop the venom that left his lips. “That was entirely different. And you’re going to stand there and tell me that you didn’t run the moment you could? I call bullshit. You forget, Mariella, that I already know your story.”
He never called me Mariella, and knowing my story gave him enough ammunition, if he really wanted to hurt me. But I also knew his. Blood roared through my ears. “You’re right. I ran until I learned that I didn’t want to run anymore. Can you say the same thing?” He opened his mouth to speak but I kept talking. I wasn’t going to give him a chance. “I wanted to prove I could do it.”
He threw his hands up in the air. “I’m sure you proved that all right.” The sarcasm rolled off his tongue like a coiled whip, each flick doing just enough damage. “It takes fucking a guy to prove you’re better than him. Sleeping with someone to prove a point. Sounds more like you’re making yourself the town whore.”
I recoiled. “Fuck you.”
Not understanding why he was acting that way and unwilling to let him get the best of me, I whirled around in the direction of the hall. My throat burned. Usually around Sawyer I didn’t hold back my emotions. His was the shoulder I cried on. He was my safe place. My person.
Not this time.
A hand clamped around
my arm, pulling me to a stop. I tried to yank my arm free but his grip was too strong. “Get off me.” I enunciated each word, proud that my voice came out as strong as it did.
“No. I’m—”
“I said, get off.” My voice cracked.
It was enough to give me away. The next thing I knew, he’d turned me around and brought me tight against his chest. “I’m sorry, Keys. I didn’t mean it.”
Unable to hold on anymore, I let go. Sobs made my whole body shake and I barely felt Sawyer’s arm slip behind my legs and lift me from the floor. He sat down on the couch, cradling me in his lap. The position was comforting, yet made me feel vulnerable at the same time. I tried to stand but he held me closer. “Please, stay. I’m sorry.”
I buried my face in his neck and let the tears fall. Sawyer ran his hand up and down my back in comforting circles. “Please don’t cry.”
The familiar scent of his cologne settled me. My breathing hitched and I tried to get myself under control. When I was sure there were no more tears I sat back, wanting to look him in the eye. He didn’t let go, but he did loosen his grip.
“Mari, I—”
I held my hand up. What I needed to say wouldn’t be easy and I had to get it out before I buried it with all the other memories.
“You’re right, what I did tonight was monumentally stupid. Part of me hoped that one night would get him to leave me alone, and with that I’d be able to prove to myself that what they’d done to me hadn’t broken me.”
He kept his eyes locked on mine. “And how’d that work out for you?”
The light caress from his fingers gave me the strength to continue. “It didn’t. But you already figured that out. It wasn’t what I expected.” My voice grew quiet with the realization I ignored in the car.
“What was unexpected?”
I dropped my gaze to his shirt. “I expected to feel triumphant. To feel like I won something. That I came out on top.”
He pulled me back down to his chest. Needing the feel of his arms around me, I went, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Nothing about revenge of any kind is ever going to make you feel like you won,” he whispered in my ear.
“I know . . .” I trailed off, trying not to think about the other things my brain had wanted me to recognize about Cole.
I snuggled into his warm embrace, taking comfort in knowing that Sawyer would always be there for me. The more my body relaxed, the heavier my lids grew. I wasn’t sure how long it was before I felt Sawyer stand with me still in his arms. He carried me back to my bedroom and slowly lowered me onto the bed.
“Sawyer.”
“Shhh.” He bent down and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Get some sleep. We’ll talk more in the morning.”
I kept my eyes closed, but in the silence of the bedroom it was hard not to focus on the physical chemistry I’d felt with Cole. The way he made me feel in his arms. With Sawyer, I was safe; protected.
Cole was different. It was like an inferno was racing through me, burning nerve endings along the way. I felt sexy and desirable.
It was only afterward the boulder had settled in the pit of my stomach. The sexual high had morphed into regret, and I was all too aware that my actions had been no better than those of the people who’d spent their lives making mine a living hell.
Not to mention, now that I’d had Cole once, I knew it wouldn’t be enough.
Somehow, I’d have to find the willpower.
Somehow.
CHAPTER 7
Cole
The weight of the morning hung over me like a woolen blanket. I’d gone to sleep with Mari’s warm body wrapped in my arms, only to wake up in the morning to cold sheets and an empty bed.
I’d finally gotten her to do more than give me the brush off; although, something had seemed off from the moment she started flirting with me. I’d gone from being completely ignored to her trying to pick me up. Red flags went up everywhere, but with the woman of my recent desires finally giving me the time of day, I pushed them away. This was what I wanted.
And she hadn’t disappointed.
Mari was something else. One taste would never be enough. I’d planned to tell her that when we woke up and I could linger over her. Never did I imagine she’d be gone when I opened my eyes. I wanted to take her on an actual date. Not some hookup in a club after her show.
I scrubbed a hand down my face and glanced at the clock. About thirty minutes until the students showed up for their next class and I still hadn’t eaten anything. The cafeteria wasn’t far from my office next to the gym. Better to eat now than wait until I got home long after the football game was over.
After my shitty morning, I wanted to tug the tie loose and open a beer. There were still another two hours of school left, not to mention the three-hour game tonight. With as much thought as I’d given it, I still had no idea what to do about Mari. Should I go track her down after their show? See if she’d even talk to me.
The white paint of the halls blended together while my thoughts were tied up in Mari. It wasn’t until I reached the library doors that I realized I’d passed the cafeteria. Frustrated that I was letting a one-night stand mess with my head, I sighed and turned back, now having even less time.
The problem was that I didn’t want Mari to be a one-night stand, which sounded really fucking ridiculous since I knew absolutely nothing about her. She’d made sure of that. And yet, there was still something about her that drew me in.
Voices down the hall caught my attention. All the kids should be in class. I made the quick right to check it out. Being proactive earned me points with the administration and sometimes with the students. Not usually, though.
The voices grew louder, one incredibly familiar. I came around the corner and stopped. Jarrod, one of the players, was leaning against the wall while Chris, another player, stood across the hall, his back to the lockers. I took a step forward and noticed a girl trapped in front of Jarrod, fenced in by his arms. Tears stained her cheeks and her eyes were squeezed shut.
I glanced down at my phone. “Shit. You made us late, dickhead.”
Sam rolled his eyes. “We have Homecoming this weekend. Coach’ll get us out of detention. It might cost us a few laps but whatever.”
We turned down the main hall. Sam elbowed me in the ribs. “Ow, what the fuck?”
He nodded his head toward the blonde in front of us. “We’re not the only ones.”
“Aww. Late for class.”
Sam walked up, wrapping a hand around her arm. I leaned against the lockers to wait for him to get it out of his system. We needed to get to class and I wasn’t in the mood for bullshit today.
“You’re already late. Stay and have some fun.”
Sam moved her back against the lockers on the other side of the hall. He lifted a hand to brush the hair from her face. She flinched.
“Look at that, Cole, she doesn’t look happy to see us.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. Sam leaned in. She twisted her face to the side. Sam pulled his head back. What did she think he was going to do?
“Did you actually think I would kiss you?” He sneered. “Why in the hell would I let these lips touch a freak like you? No guy in this school wants to put any part of their body near you, Mariloon.”
I couldn’t stop the laughter that burst out. That name got me every time. A gem from freshman year. Sam stepped back, gesturing with a tilt of his head down the hall. “Let’s go. I don’t need a detention.”
We started down the hall and I turned to Sam. “Just tell them Mariloon tried to kiss you and you had to stop her before you could get to class.”
It was one way to get out of detention.
God, I’d been such an asshole.
“Jarrod! Chris! What are you doing?” I moved the rest of the way down the hall. Both guys froze for a second, before turning in slow motion.
The poor girl, whose name I didn’t know, sucked in a breath, her wide eyes darting between the guys and then dropped t
o the floor. She bent down, snatching the books off the floor, her hands shaking.
“Coach Wallace. What’s up?” Jarrod offered me a cool smile, one that didn’t even begin to mask the mischievous light in his eyes.
I stopped dead in my tracks. Did they think I was going to fall for that bullshit? “Not sure. Wanna tell me?”
“We were just chatting with Kristen about going to the game tonight.” He glanced over at Kristen, who immediately flinched and pushed herself closer to the lockers.
You want to keep your job. You want to keep your job.
I chanted the words over and over again in my head. A few deep breaths and I was calm enough to address the situation.
“Jarrod and Chris, go wait for me in my office.” Jarrod smirked at Kristen on his way past. Chris rolled his eyes, looking bored. “And don’t even think about skipping out or being benched for tonight’s game will be the least of your worries.”
Both their eyes widened. Jarrod opened his mouth but I held up a hand. “Save it. Now go.”
They grumbled on their way down the hall, Chris throwing a well-aimed punch to Jarrod’s arm. “Thanks a lot, asshole. My parents are gonna fucking kill me.”
“Stop talking and move!” I yelled. I turned to face Kristen, who still stood in the hall, eyes darting around, looking everywhere but at me.
“Kristen, right?”
“Yeah.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “It’s fine. They were just joking around.”
She didn’t seem to be able to hold her hands still, playing with the papers sticking out of the top of her binder or fidgeting with the strap of the bag on her shoulder.
“No, it’s not okay. Those guys have no right to treat you that way.”
Her eyes snapped up. “B-but . . . You’re one of the coaches.”
“And?”
Rock Me (Jaded Ivory Book 1) Page 5
