"Uh, thanks," I glanced down at the jeans I was wearing. I'd changed three times before Cole had picked me up, and I didn't think I looked that great. Jeans and a simple blouse weren't all that fancy.
"Would you stop?" he paused at the door, and turned to face me. "You seem always to worry about everyone else's opinion and not your own. I know he messed with your head for a long time, but you are beautiful, and you need to believe that."
"I'm just not used to hearing it, that's all," I whispered. "Thank you."
“You’re welcome. Now…you ready?” he pushed the door open, and stepped back to let me pass.
When we entered, the smell of popcorn and chocolate filled the air. It had been years since I’d been to the movies. Richard had never wanted to go, and after I'd left him I'd been too afraid to be anywhere dark by myself.
"You've got a goofy grin on your face," Cole nudged me as the line moved forward.
"I love the movies. I don't remember the last one I saw in the theater though. It's been forever," I leaned into him feeling content.
"It can't have been that long," he cocked his head to the side as he smiled down at me.
"Well…" I thought for a minute "the last movie I saw was before…" I trailed off. "So it's been at least eight years."
"What?" Cole's eyes went wide. "That's crazy!"
"You wouldn't understand," I grumbled. "No one ever does," I released his hand and crossed my arms over my chest. I was feeling defensive, and beginning to wonder if I should have just kept my mouth shut.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that," Cole murmured as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. At this point, the line had moved, and it was our turn to purchase tickets. "What do you want to see?" he glanced at me waiting.
"You want me to pick? I thought we were coming to see Street Fight 4?" I wrinkled my forehead as I looked up at him.
“That was the plan…and then you said you hadn’t been to the movies in eight years. So…I think you should get to pick what you want to see," he reached in to his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.
"Um…" I looked up at the sign above the ticket counter. There were several movies out that I wanted to see, but I wasn't sure what Cole would like. I didn't want to make him sit through a love story, but I really wasn't in the mood for action either.
“You want to see The Cove, don't you?" he grinned down at me.
“But you don’t,” I muttered.
"Two for The Cove," he pushed a twenty across the counter to the girl selling the tickets.
"What?" my head snapped up. "Really we don't have to see that."
"Oh, you'll love it," the girl smiled at me as she handed our tickets to Cole. "Shawn Dawson is so hot," she grinned at me before blushing at Cole.
“See,” Cole chuckled. “He’s soooo hot,” he fanned himself as he grabbed the tickets and led me towards the snack counter.
"You didn't have to do that," I mumbled.
"I wanted to…besides…I don't plan on watching the movie," he murmured so quietly I almost missed it.
“Cole,” I scolded.
"What? You can't expect me to watch the movie when I've got you sitting beside me in those sexy jeans."
"We're adults," I hissed.
"And it's dark," he added with a smirk.
oooooooooo
Once we’d gotten our snacks, a large diet soda to share and a giant bucket of popcorn, Cole led us into the theater. It wasn’t dark yet, and very few people were inside. I glanced around, not sure where he’d want to sit. Anytime I had gone anywhere with Richard, I’d never been allowed to have an opinion, so with Cole this was a new concept for me. It didn’t matter that Richard wasn’t part of my life anymore, every decision I made was as if he still was. I wasn’t used to this independence, and as I stood there scanning the rows of seats in confusion Cole nudged me from behind.
"How about here?" he moved down a row that was just a few from the back.
"Sure," I followed him to the center where he plopped down and lifted the armrest that was between the seats creating a loveseat for us.
"You ok?" he leaned forward to set our soda on the floor.
"Yeah," I looked around again. "I'm just…I don't know. Ignore me," I muttered.
“No, what’s wrong?” he turned slightly, and right at that moment the lights began to dim.
"This is just different for me, that's all. I promise…I'm fine," I whispered as I leaned in to him, and made myself comfortable. I felt Cole relax as he accepted my answer, and as the previews began to roll, I found myself getting lost in the moment.
ooooooooo
Cole
I didn’t really know what was going on with this movie. I tried to pay attention, but with Maddie sitting there snuggled into my side wearing those skin tight jeans I couldn’t think of anything other than touching her. Every once in a while, I felt her sigh, or saw her wipe at her eyes, but other than that she’s been lost in the story. The ticket girl was right. Maddie was loving this.
I knew I probably should have left her alone since she hadn’t been to a movie in so long, but I couldn’t. My body was humming it was so keyed up right then, and having her hand on my thigh so close to where I wanted it to be was causing me to die a little more with every passing second. I wasn’t sure how far I could push her tonight, but when she snuggled a little deeper into my side, I knew I needed to try something.
“You’re killing me,” I murmured into her hair as I let my arm drop down around her back, and pull her closer to my side. She tensed slightly but didn't pull away. Instead, she turned sideways and draped her legs across my lap. When her denim-clad thighs brushed over my semi-hard cock, I groaned. This was not fair.
She broke her stare down with the movie screen and turned towards me as a coy smile slipped into place. Who was this, and where was the Maddie that came with me tonight? Before I could react, she slide closer, and placed an open palm on my chest as she leaned up and pressed her mouth to mine, "This is what you wanted…right?" she whispered against my lips.
"You don't have to do this," I pulled back as I watched a frown appear on her beautiful face.
"I want to," she moved closer, and this time I didn't hold back.
When her lips covered mine I responded by wrapping my arms tighter around her, and pulling her flush to my chest. She gasped, and I tentatively slipped my tongue in to taste her. It had been a week since I'd kissed her like this, and the taste I'd gotten on the beach hadn't been enough.
She was slow to respond at first, but when I didn’t push to deepen our contact, she soon melted for me. Her hands went from being idle, to wrapping around my neck, and tangling in the hair at the base of my neck. I groaned when she tugged lightly. This woman knew exactly what to do to unravel me, and she was great at it.
I could feel her chest rising quickly as her breath quickened, and she gripped me tighter as if I might disappear. "Maddie?" I gasped. "You ok?" I pulled back to look into her eyes and what I saw caused me to groan again. The fear that had once possessed them was gone, and all I saw now was trust. She was finally giving in fully to whatever was going on between us. Acceptance was there along with want, and several other emotions that I couldn't quite place.
When she leaned in to resume the kiss, I let my hand slide up her thigh slowly, and make its way around to her backside where I squeezed lightly. She responded by grinding herself into my lap even further, and I knew at that moment if we didn't stop we'd be doing it right there in the theater.
"Maddie?" I panted as I broken the kiss again. I wanted to make sure that she wanted the same thing I wanted and that I wasn't pushing her into something that she wasn't ready for.
She nodded before clarifying, "I want you too."
It didn't take me any more convincing as I lifted her off my lap, grabbed her hand, and began tugging her along behind me as I stalked toward the exit. "The movie isn't over," she giggled from behind me as we burst through the doors and into the lobby.
“Fuck the movie,” I growled. “I’ll buy you the Blu-ray."
ooooooooo
Maddie
I'd never seen him like this…all alpha and flustered. It was as if I'd lit a stick of dynamite, and I was watching the fuse slowly disappear. Cole was moving so fast towards the parking lot that I was almost running to keep up. When we got to the Explorer, he spun me, pushed my into the passenger side door before pressing the length of his body into me, and pressing a fiery kiss to my lips. "Are you sure?" he squeezed his eyes shut as if he was in pain. "I mean…we can wait, but…" he trailed off.
"I'm sure," leaned forward and nipped at his ear. "I wanna be with you Cole. I trust you. I know you won't hurt me."
“No one is ever going to hurt you again," he growled as he reached up and cupped my cheek. "I promise."
"I believe you," I reassured him.
“You’re amazing…you know that?” he smiled softly at me. “You’re strong, and beautiful, and smart. Any man that didn’t treat you like a princess should be shot."
I could feel the tears coming, and sunk my teeth into my lip to stop them, "Thanks. You're pretty amazing yourself."
“I’m lucky…that’s what I am,” he sighed as he stepped back, opened my door, and helped me climb in. I watched him bound around the front, before climbing into his own seat, and cranking the car. “My place or yours?”
"It' doesn't matter to me. I have to work tomorrow," I could feel my face heating. Was I really about to do this? I was just thankful that it was dark out, and it would hide my embarrassment.
“My place then…its closer," he muttered. "Buckle up," he winked at me. "I don't plan on going slow."
I swallowed not really knowing if he was talking about the driving or what was inevitably going to occur tonight once we got to his place. As soon as my belt clicked into place, Cole peeled out of the parking lot on a mission. I was really going to do this. I was going to finally let Cole in, in a way, I hadn't let anyone since Richard. Excitement, desire, and a slight fear began churning in my stomach. Richard had always told me I was a lousy girlfriend. Would Cole think differently of me after tonight? Would he even want me anymore?
Chapter 17
Cole
When I pulled into the parking lot of my building, I quickly found a spot and cut the engine. I looked over at Maddie and couldn't help but smile. She was twisting her hands together in her lap, and chewing on the inside of her cheek so hard I thought she might draw blood. I took a deep breath to calm myself, and then shoved my door open. As I rounded the back of the Explorer, I paused for a minute out of her line of sight. I needed to calm down. I wanted tonight to mean something for us. This was not some quick fuck or one night stand…this was Maddie…MY Maddie. "Did I really just say that?" I had muttered before I moved to open her door.
When I opened it, she was staring straight ahead and bouncing one of her legs vigorously. “Are you ok?” I murmured as I reached out to cup her cheek. She turned in my direction and nodded, but didn't move to get out of the car.
"You'll tell me, right?" it was a strangled whisper like she had a knot in her throat.
"Tell you what?" I cocked my head as I studied her.
"If…" she trailed off and squeezed her eyes shut.
"I don't understand," I leaned forward and pressed my forehead to hers. "Tell me what's wrong…please?"
“It’s just,” she swallowed. “Why is this so hard?” she muttered angrily before she took a deep breath. “It’s been a long time, and Richard used to say,” she began forcing the words out as she pinched her eyes shut.
I knew whatever was getting ready to fly out of her mouth was not something important. It was some lie that bastard had fed her so many times that she now believed it. Without thinking, I pressed my mouth to hers silencing her. Maddie's eyes flew open in surprise as she tried to pull back. I slid my hand from her jaw up to cup the back of her head, and hold her in place. When she finally relaxed, I broke the kiss and whispered, "Whatever he told you is wrong. You are beautiful and sexy, and I can't wait to get you out of these," I ran my other hand up her jean-clad thighs. "Relax, and if you don't want to do this, we don't have to."
"No, I want to. I just don't want to disappoint you," her eyes softened as she stared at me.
"You won't…trust me," I stepped back and offered her my hand to help her to her feet. "Come on before I embarrass myself out here," I pointed down to the obvious bulge in my pants. It was painful at this point, and when Maddie glanced down and blushed, he took notice immediately and throbbed in response.
She giggled as she slid from the seat and let me lead her to my door. After fumbling slightly with the keys, I shoved the door open, and stepped aside to allow her to enter first.
ooooooooo
Maddie
Cole's apartment was nothing like I thought it would be. It was very modern. Lots of glass and metal with nothing out of place except a few magazines that were piled on an end table. There was a couch on the far wall that faced an entertainment center on one end of the room, and a weight bench on the other. The walls were a cream color, and the entire room had wooden floors. A large area rug was in the center under the coffee table, and an open kitchen was to the right.
As I stood there admiring the place, Cole stepped around me and tossed his keys onto the bar. The clinking noise brought me back to the present, and caused me to jump slightly.
"Relax," he murmured as he moved behind me, and wrapped his arms around my middle. "There's no rush here."
"Your place is nice," my voice hitched slightly and I couldn't figure out if it were nerves or desire to cause it.
“It’s ok,” he mumbled as he placed a kiss to the side of my neck.
When he hit that sensitive spot, it caused me to melt into him, and my legs began to weaken. I slowly turned in his arms, and lifted mine to wrap around his neck, "Cole?" I peered up at him hoping he understood what I was trying to say. "I'm ok," I lifted onto my tiptoes and pressed my mouth to his. "It's ok," I mumbled against his lips.
"Really? Because I'm holding on by a thread right now," he groaned.
"Really," I pressed my hips into his and caused both of us to moan in unison.
Before I could react, Cole reached down and grabbed the back of my thighs in his hands and hoisted me up his body. A growl ripped from his chest as he began walking blindly towards the back of the apartment. Our lips were still fused together, and not wanting to overthink the situation resumed the hungry kiss that had started in the living room.
“You’re perfect,” Cole praised as he set my feet on the floor by the bed. “How the hell did I get this lucky?” He pressed his lips back to mine so quickly that I couldn’t answer him. His tongue came out and took a swipe at me silently asking to take things to a place we hadn’t been yet, and my body responded with a resounding yes.
I broke the kiss, grabbed to bottom of his shirt, and began pushing it up his torso. Cole reached behind himself, grabbed the material in his hand, and ripped it over his head tossing it to the floor before sealing his mouth to mine once again. Our kisses began to spiral out of control as his hands began wandering over me. It was as if he was memorizing my body, afraid he'd never see it again. I arched into him and slid my hands over the muscles of his back. They bunched and flexed as his hands worked to free me from my shirt.
"I can't get enough of you," he groaned when he finally freed the last button of my blouse. He pushed the material off my shoulders, and stepped back to admire what was underneath. I couldn't help but feel self-conscious. Richard had been the only man to see me like this, and he’d always criticized me. What was Cole thinking at the moment?
“Beautiful,” he murmured as he trailed a finger across the swell of my breasts stopping at the lace cup of my bra.
"Stop!" I blushed.
“Why?” he questioned. “You don’t think you’re beautiful. I obviously need to tell you so you’ll start believing it. He stared at me for a minute before he stepped closer and ben
t down beside my ear, “He was wrong, Maddie.”
I nodded silently as I reached for his belt buckle, and began to fumble with it. "Not yet," he reached down and covered my hand with his. "If you touch me, it's going to be over real quick, and I want to know what's under these first," he cupped my rear and squeezed.
"But I wanna see you," I begged as I glanced up into his eyes.
“You will,” he smirked before releasing my hand, and lifting me into his arms again. I soon felt the softness of the mattress at my back as Cole placed me in the center of the bed. He made quick work of peeling me out of my jeans, and when he rocked back on his heels to admire me, I couldn't help by flush. Here I was splayed out in front of him in nothing but my pink lace bra and panties, and he was licking his lips like I was a piece of candy he couldn't wait to consume.
I stared up at him telling myself that he wasn’t going to hurt me, and as I watched him stand to remove his jeans, I knew that it was the truth. His body was perfect, and as I watched his pants fall to the floor, I couldn't help the rush of desire that pooled between my legs.
“Like what you see?” he teased as he began to climb back on the bed. He moved on his hands and knees until he was hovering over me.
“Mmm hmm,” I nodded as I sucked my lower lip into my mouth and began trailing my hands over his bare chest. He had a small smattering of dark hair on his pecks, but the rest was all smooth tan skin. He held himself there letting me explore at my leisure, but I could tell it was killing him. His boxers were stretched from the erection he was sporting, and it was twitching every time I touched him. His thighs were rooted on each side of my hips, and they trembled as he fought to remain still. I gave him a coy smile and trailed my right hand down his side. When I reached his waist, I moved to cup him through his boxers. His hips jacked forward as a groan tore through him. “Maddie?” he warned. I did it again only this time I lifted my head and pressed a heated kiss to his mouth. He took the silent invitation and lowered his body to make contact with mine. With experienced hands, he quickly removed my bra and began kneading my breasts in his palms. I couldn't help but curve into him. He knew exactly how to bring maximum pleasure without the pain. Richard had always been so rough that I had fought him on things like this, but Cole…Cole was bringing nothing but pleasure with his touches.
Irreparably Broken (The Broken Series Book 1) Page 11
