by Diana Nixon
His head angled slightly to the right and he deepened the kiss, leading in the game I started just a few moments ago. I can’t say I didn’t like it.
I LOVED it! Every single breath of it.
His lips were delicate, but demanding, as if he were showing just a little of what he could give me if I asked for more.
Damn, I wanted more than this. I wanted all of him, all for myself. Right now.
But it turned out I was completely unprepared to lose myself in him. The moment I realized I didn’t want to finish the kiss, I panicked.
What if he thought I was just another desperate girl dying to throw myself at him?
Or worse – what if he thought I was pretending I enjoyed the kiss to make his ex-wife jealous? By no means did I mean to become her replacement.
“None of the above,” he whispered in between kissing me.
It took me a few moments to realize he said something.
“What?”
He kissed me one more time and said, “Whatever it was that suddenly made you regret this kiss, it wasn’t true.” His lips found mine again; palms cupped my face. “Can’t wait for the damn party to end.”
“Why?” I asked breathlessly. My whole body tingled from his closeness.
“Because I want to kiss every inch of you, and not just your lips.”
Pure lust swirled in his gaze.
Sweet heavens, how was I supposed to say no to this?
“Shall we push the fire alarm button to make the guests leave faster?”
He chuckled and leaned closer to sear another kiss on my lips. “Smart.”
But our plans were not supposed to come true, not right now anyway.
“Cole, may I have a word with you?” Carol stood behind me. And even though I couldn’t see her face, I knew she wanted me to leave and let her talk to Cole in private.
His arm went around my waist as if he didn’t want me to leave.
And I stayed.
Plastering a smile on my face, I turned to Carol and mirrored Cole’s move by wrapping one arm around him.
She wasn’t happy to see that this conversation wasn’t going to happen without me, but she went for it anyway.
“I wanted to apologize,” she said.
“For what?” Asked Cole.
“I should have said it a long time ago, but I…” Her eyes switched between Cole and me. “I’m really sorry for what I did four years ago. I should have explained my choice, but I didn’t.”
“Save it, Carol. It was so long ago; I don’t even remember it.” Though I knew he was lying.
“Nevertheless, I don’t want you to bear malice toward me. I hope you will find your happiness.”
“I have found it, Carol.”
Their eyes stayed locked for a moment and I felt like I shouldn’t be there now, but I didn’t move an inch.
“Good,” she said finally. “My fiancé and I are leaving. Good night, Cole.” No doubt the bitch intentionally ignored me.
But I’d be damned if I let it go so easily. “Have a safe flight to Washington, Carol,” I said after her. “Hope it welcomes you better than New York did.” Or not.
“Thank you,” followed her cold reply.
As soon as she was out of sight, I turned to Cole and said the first thing that came to my mind, “I can’t believe you chose her of all the women to get married to.”
“Neither can I,” he said with a smile. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For having my back tonight.”
“You are welcome.”
“How did you know about Carol? I mean I’m sure I’ve never mentioned my ex-wife’s name or the fact that she would be here tonight.”
“My friend, Willow, who was also helping me with the guest list, told me. She found an article about you and it said Carol was your ex.”
“I see.” He gently removed the lock of my hair behind my ear and added quietly, “I think I really needed this night to realize how little she means to me now.”
“Is it true?”
“Yeah, it’s true.”
Again, I felt like kissing him, and I went for it without a second thought.
Hell, it looked like there was no place in my head for second thoughts that night, but I couldn’t care less.
I brushed his lips with mine and whispered, “Can’t wait for this party to be over.”
He smiled. “Why so?”
“Wanna see what else these lips of yours are capable of.”
“You better stop saying things like this, baby, or your dress might leave your gorgeous body even before the guests decide to get the hell out of here.”
“That would be spectacular, don’t you think so?”
He chuckled and shook his head, “You’re gonna be the death of me, woman.”
“Don’t rush dying. You owe me a whole-body kiss, remember?” I winked at him.
“Hard to forget. And hard is the key word here.” He took my hand and slowly pressed it to the part of his body that was more than ready for the night to promise exciting troubles.
I bit my lower lip and looked around, hoping no one could see my hand touching Cole through his pants.
“You are blushing,” he teased.
“Of course, I am. I don’t want my boss or anyone else to see where my hand is right now.”
“And here I thought after the office full of sex shop toys she wouldn’t be surprised by anything.”
“Ha-ha, smartass.” I pulled my hand out of his. “By the way, you will have to take a different guest room, because I brought all those boxes to the one you took last time you spent a night in this house.”
“Good. It means we will have plenty of games to play tonight.”
Just then, Vivian walked up to us. “I just wanted to thank you one more time, Cole. The party was a blast.”
“You should thank Harlee, not me. She took care of everything.”
“Of course, but it was your idea to organize this party, so you deserved a praise too. Now, I think Mr. Thompson and I should call it a night. And you young ones have fun. Isn’t it what life is about?”
I had never seen Vivian in such a good mood. Hopefully, the party made her believe I deserved the promotion she gave me.
“See you Monday, doll,” she said to me when kissing me on both cheeks.
“Good night, Vivian.”
After she was gone, the other guests started to leave too. And soon, Cole and I closed the door behind our last guest.
And uneasy silence filled the living room. He looked at me with a barely visible smile playing on his gorgeous lips.
“So, what’s next?” He asked in a playful manner.
“You tell me.”
With his hands in his trousers pockets, he stepped closer, leaving a decent distance between us, as if he knew I didn’t want to rush things with him, no matter how much my body wanted to do just that.
“How about a drink?” He said.
“Why not?” I turned around and headed for the bar. Cole followed me.
“I knew this dress would fit you perfectly.”
“How did you know that?” We came to the bar, and since the hired bartender was gone, I did his job and made two drinks – one for Cole and one for myself.
He took the glass and sipped his scotch, watching me from across the bar stand. “From what I could remember from the day we met, I knew what I wanted to see tonight, and I know that I’ve made the right choice.”
I took a sip of my Margarita and said, “Is there anything that you haven’t seen yet, but would love to see tonight?”
“Maybe… Depends on how much you are willing to show me.”
Our gazes stayed locked and I think we both enjoyed the little exchange of teasers. The glow in his eyes told me so much more than I wanted to hear. Because with every breath I took, I felt like I was diving deeper into the unknown. It promised pleasures, as well as disappointments. And I hated being disappointed. Especially in men.
I didn
’t know how far Cole wanted things between us to go. Maybe it was all about tonight, this very moment of wanting that both he and I needed to be satisfied as soon as possible. Or maybe he hoped for something more. The question was – could I give him more than one night?
“What are you thinking?” He asked, leaning against the bar stand.
I walked around it and stood in front of him.
“Tell me your story.”
“My story?”
“Your story with Carol.”
He hesitated for a moment. “Are you sure you want to waste our time on it?”
I nodded. “I want to hear it all.”
“Why?”
Interesting question…
“Because I want to know what has brought you here tonight. Apart from the desire to see me wearing this dress, of course.”
The corner of his lips lifted in a thoughtful smile. “It was the most important reason of all.”
“Still, I want to hear the story that preceded you buying the dress for me.” I knew he wanted to tell it. I don’t know why, I just felt like there had never been anyone he could openly share it with.
I took his hand in mine and pulled him to the swing. The night was warm and beautiful and perfect for the stories like his that, I knew it for sure, was far from being a good one.
He sat down next to me and wrapped one arm around me, causing me to move closer. Both to encourage and comfort him, I kicked off my shoes, put my legs on the swing and leaned into him, with my head resting on his shoulder.
Cole took a sip of his drink and said, “I never thought I would love someone as much as I loved her.”
I swallowed sudden jealousy that was never supposed to hit me at all, but it did.
“We were eighteen, both young and desperate to fight for a better life. She was all alone in New York, and so was I. She came here looking for something she could never have in her hometown, I – because I was running away from what looked like a pointless life. My father left us when I was fifteen. Mom started drinking, a lot. I was too young to stop it. I didn’t know what to do. I called my aunt and asked for her advice. She said she would take care of mom, and I needed to do my best to make my dreams come true. That’s why right after I graduated from high school, I knew I couldn’t let my life slip through my fingers. I entered the university, here in New York, and sank my teeth into books and business classes. It’s when I met Carol. She was so understanding and supporting. I couldn’t believe we had so much in common. Then, about a year later, I started my very first business project and it succeeded. We didn’t have to count every penny anymore. We could afford a better place to live and so much better food to eat. Carol looked so happy, and I couldn’t be happier for us. I told myself I would do my best to make her the happiest girl in the world, and I worked my ass off for it, every day. The day I saw my first six-figure salary on my bank account, I decided to propose to her. She never nosed into my business, and sometimes I wondered if she cared about it at all. I didn’t tell her much, but I thought it was obvious that our life was getting better with every day we lived through. I bought her presents and let her spend as much money as she wanted. Much later, I realized she wanted more. Much more than that.” He paused and swallowed the rest of his drink.
I didn’t ask any questions, nor commented on his confessions. I knew it was hard for him to travel back into his memories, and I decided to give him the time he needed to finish his story.
Cole put the empty glass on a small wooden table near the swing, then wrapped me in his arms. Which was a little unexpected, but most definitely welcomed. I think tonight brought us even closer to each other, and I couldn’t but admit I enjoyed the closeness, both physical and spiritual.
“The day we got married, something weird happened. I caught Carol going through the papers on my desk. She never did anything like this before. But I thought she was looking for a piece of paper to write a note or something. I didn’t pay much attention to it. Much later, I realized she wasn’t looking for anything, but wanted to see if my bank accounts were worth staying with me. Since I never kept any of my documents at home, she found nothing. She thought I was still too far away from making my dreams about my bright future with her come true. But she was so wrong… About everything.”
I looked at Cole. “What did she do?”
He sighed and spoke again, “About a week after the wedding, she called me saying we needed to talk about something very important. I rushed home just to see it was empty and she was nowhere around. I didn’t know what was going on. I tried to call her, many times. But she wouldn’t pick up the phone. Then I found a letter that she left on the kitchen table. It didn’t explain anything, but said she wanted to break up things with me and that she wasn’t ready for a marriage, and that’s why she had to leave so as not to make me suffer.” He smirked. “After almost ten years… She thought a fucking piece of paper was all I deserved.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that.” I rubbed his hand that was embracing me.
“Don’t be. I gave her what she wanted and now I’m free to move on, finally.”
I moved so I could see his face because I could feel his eyes on me. “Are you sure you are ready to move on?”
He caressed my cheek with the back of his palm and smiled softly. “Positive.”
***
CHAPTER 10
Cole
I didn’t know if it was the amount of alcohol in my blood or the moonlight that made Harlee’s eyes shine brighter than ever. But right now, they were the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen in my entire life.
I lost myself in them. But the most surprising part was – I never wanted to be found. I just wanted to stay there – in the depth of the look that spellbound my heart and my soul and became a cure I didn’t realize I had been looking for for years.
Slowly, my lips started to move closer to hers; heart raced beneath my ribs. I felt like I was a teenager again, too nervous to kiss the girl I liked. But I was a grown-up man now, and this kiss wasn’t going to be the first Harlee and I shared.
Still, the moment my lips covered hers, I knew something about it was different, as well as about the whole night.
The pain I had been nursing for so long, was no longer there. I wondered if it was ever there at all. Maybe I had been living in the imaginary world so long that I refused to leave it, afraid to get hurt again.
And then, I met Harlee. She pulled me out of my past and showed me a new world, where there was no place for pain.
Her chest was rising and falling against mine and I could feel the desire growing between us. There was no resistance in her response to my kiss, and I liked that, a lot. She was free and so was I, and we both enjoyed it like never before. I knew she wasn’t pretending with me. She was real. And for a moment, I thought that my reality had never been better than now, with her.
My lips moved down the curve of her neck. God, she smelled amazing. Like honey that I was dying to lick off every inch of her.
Passion boiled in my veins.
I reached for the spaghetti strap of her dress and pulled it down, with my lips showering the silk of her shoulder with more kisses. Her hand gently glided through my hair, as she threw her head back, giving me more access to her skin. She looked so beautiful tonight; I couldn’t resist touching her. I had been watching her the entire night, catching every look she sent my way. And every time our eyes connected, I could feel the longing pulsing between us. It was so clear, I could hardly think about anything but begging her to go upstairs with me and letting me taste her, the way I had been wanting to do it for what felt like a slow-burn forever.
She wasn’t going to run away from me, not tonight. And I was eager to make her believe that staying with me was the right thing to do.
I moved forward, making her lie down on the swing, with me hovering over her. Her breathing was rapid, eyes wild and breathtaking. With our gazes locked, I pulled the other strap of her dress down, letting the moonlight kiss the two round
and perfect breasts that were waiting for me to touch them.
She swallowed and closed her eyes, as if she were too shy to watch me doing it.
I bent my head and licked a circle around one of her nipples. She arched her back in response and moaned sweetly into the soundless night. It felt like everything around us froze at that moment, as if wondering about what was about to happen next.
And next was us, lost in each other’s embrace.
“Thank God, there are no neighbors around to see us,” she said, when I moved my mouth from one nipple to another.
I chuckled. “I don’t mind the audience.”
“That’s what I’ve read about you.”
I frowned and looked at her. “Read where?”
She looked puzzled and a little… scared?
“I…don’t remember.”
“Have you googled my name or something?”
Even in the dim light I could see her cheeks reddened. “Maybe…”
A smile touched my lips. “Maybe?” My palm slipped down the silk of her dress and then pulled it up, with my skin touching the softness of hers. “What else have you read about me?” My hand stopped at her hip and squeezed it slightly. “Any dirty details of my personal life?”
“Just a few…facts.”
“What were they?” My mouth returned to its work on her nipples, while my hand traveled to the edge of her thong and pulled it aside to get an access to another part of her body that I could hardly wait to touch.
“Is it true that four in the morning is your favorite time of the night?”
“I’m an early riser.”
“What exactly do you do at four in the morning?”
I looked her in the eye. “You will see later tonight.”
She pursed her lips, as if holding back a smile. “Which means it’s true, isn’t it?”
“Maybe… How the hell do you know that, anyway? I never doubted Google’s talents to find the dirtiest of secrets, but that…is not something I make daily posts about.”
“Still, there are people who know your dirty secrets.”
“I’d like to talk to them and tell them that giving away secrets that are not yours isn’t polite.”
