His lips played with mine, tongue invading my mouth as his fingers moved again to push inside me, too. One, then another, moved in and out in an increasing pace that made me forget about trying to make this last. When Cole shifted to give the soft pad of his thumb access to the one spot still aching to be touched, the flash of intense pleasure took me by surprise. I came into his hand, my lips whimpering against his as he kept up his firm, sure strokes as my body jerked tight around him.
“My god, you have no idea how beautiful you are when you do that.” He moved his hand back to my side, fingers toying with my breast now, all emotion other than desire wiped from his face.
“The way I see it,” I gasped, still trying to regain my senses, “that took me less than two minutes. Now, it’s your turn.”
I reached down and grabbed him, sliding my hand from bottom to tip once, just to watch his eyes close, lashes fluttering against his cheeks, then guided him forward. He paused for a split second, our eyes connected as his tip rested just inside me, before he slid as deep as my body would take him.
Cole’s arms tightened around me, no longer concerned with teasing or touching, but it wasn’t like with Liam. His eyes burned into mine, our bodies somehow connected by more than flesh as we started to move together. After a moment his lips found mine again and he kissed me, emotion and tension and lust pouring between our mouths as he worked in and out, stroking deeper each time.
I broke away with a gasp, unable to hold back with the incredible feeling of him filling me. “Shit, it feels amazing. You feel amazing.”
He just shook his head and made a strangled noise, then buried his face in my neck and squeezed me tight against him, thrusting hard and gasping my name. The feeling of his sweating skin against mine, lips and breath moving across my pulse, while he shuddered inside me ripped a second completely unexpected orgasm through my body.
Holy shit, I thought, as we lay in each other’s arms, both shaking now. That entire thing had lasted less than ten minutes but I’d had two more orgasms than I’d had with Liam in six weeks. A grin split my lips and I rolled my head to find Cole watching me, a little wary.
“Oh, come on, you faker. It hasn’t been so long that you’ve forgotten what it feels like to make a girl come. Twice.”
That earned me a hesitant smile. He splayed his fingers out flat on my belly. “I just know it felt fucking amazing. All of it. You. Me.”
“I’m glad, because no way we’re done.”
“Oh, hen, we’re not even done for today.” His confidence had returned. Having sex after four years must be like riding a bike or something. “How did you know about this room?”
“I watch Grey’s Anatomy.” He snorted. “Seriously, it’s kind of a sad story.”
Something flickered across his face. Maybe fear, maybe something else. “You don’t have to tell me.”
“It’s not about me. The Gilberts, the ones the hospital is named after? My mom grew up with the woman, Lana. After they died in a car accident, she donated a bunch of money to their foundation and she’s part owner of the hospital. She comes down here for meetings and crap sometimes, usually for twenty-four hours, and insists I spend time with her, even though she’s always too busy.” I shrugged. “I spend most of my time studying in the cafeteria or napping in one of the on-call rooms.”
“Gilbert. Do they have a daughter?”
“Yeah, Kennedy. She’s younger than me by three or so years.”
“She’s a hot mess. She goes to Whitman—almost died at a party during orientation week.”
I flinched. I’d heard as much about the Gilberts’ only daughter, from my parents. I actually hadn’t realized she went to Whitman. We didn’t know each other, and I was positive she hadn’t gone through Recruitment.
My stomach grumbled loudly, and Cole raised an eyebrow. “A woman with an appetite. I like it.”
“You have no idea.”
“Hen, as anxious as I am to go again, I’m going to feed you first. Did you have dinner before you ran over here last night?”
“No.”
He sat up, feeling around for my underwear, then handing them over. He pulled his pants and T-shirt back into place while I re-dressed, then leaned down to press a lingering kiss to my lips.
I pushed up onto my toes, sliding my tongue along his lower lip and enjoying the way it made his breath hitch, then stepped back. “Well, you said you wanted food, so I guess we should go.”
“You are an evil woman. It’s one of the reasons I can’t get you out of my mind.”
I tried to hide my smile as he led me out to the parking lot, but it was a struggle. He raised his eyebrows at me, looking a little out of control and disheveled for the first time since I’d met him.
“You drove?”
“No, I took Quinn’s car. You?”
“Yes.” He pressed a key fob—I hadn’t even known he had a car—and the headlights on a gorgeous black Jag flicked twice.
He settled me into the passenger seat then walked around and got in, starting it up without another word. “Pancakes?”
“In lieu of beignets, sure.”
“I can’t wait for you to show me New Orleans.”
The offhand comment tightened a twinge between my shoulder blades. We were really doing this. Talking about not only later tonight, or tomorrow, but fictitious vacations home. “Tell me about Scotland.”
He did, the lilting brogue of his voice filling the rest of the ten-minute ride to the diner. We went inside and ordered pancakes and coffee, and I kept catching myself smiling at him like a weirdo. I shook my head, trying to dispel a little of the crazy. We’d been dating for like, an hour. “What are your plans after graduation?”
He dumped half a bottle of syrup on his plate and cut a bite, swirling it in the sticky mess. It was one of the first uncontrolled thing I’d seen him do, and it made it easy to see the little boy lurking in his past.
“I have a few options. Gavin wants me to come and work with him in Afghanistan. My parents have positions at their nonprofit back in Elgin. But I’d really like to finish at least my master’s before I leave Whitman, like the twins are doing. I’m not sure yet if I want to work in non-profit or try for tenure.”
“Teach college?”
He nodded. “I like learning. If I taught and researched and published, I’d never have to stop.”
“Don’t tell me you’re missing the Stuart do-gooding gene,” I teased, taking a sip of my black coffee.
“Not at all. I’ve got more real-world nonprofit experience than most of the professors at this school. But as you’ve so aptly observed,”—he winked and took another bite—“nonprofit is the family business. It will always be part of my life, no matter what path I choose.”
“It’s nice, isn’t it? Being sure where you life is headed?”
“Yes. Although my talents pale in comparison to yours.”
“If you saw every performance of As You Like It and supposedly had a crush on me then, why didn’t you ask me out until that first day of speech?”
Cole swallowed and glanced out the diner window, then took a drink of coffee. It felt suspiciously like stalling, but he finally cleared his throat. “I was going to. It took me the entire run to get up the nerve, because you’re so goddamn beautiful, for one, and for another, the way I felt, without even knowing you or talking to you, scared me a little.” He snuck a glance at me, probably to see if I was about to call him a stalker and bolt.
I might have, if every word didn’t sound like it had been torn from my own mind. My attraction to Cole had been strong from the first day I’d laid eyes on him, and the reason I’d fought it for so long was the strange surety that he wouldn’t be the same as the rest.
If Cole had a reason for not sleeping around, like I had a reason for sleeping around, maybe we’d both been scared of the inkling that this would be different. It would shake things up.
“But….” I prompted, letting him know I wasn’t going anywhere.
“I went to the cast party and you were so happy, and obviously into something with Liam. I didn’t want to be the one to ruin your night.” He ducked his head. “And I was a fanny. Dinnae want you to shoot me down.”
“I’m glad you didn’t say anything then, because I probably would have said no.” He looked up, startled. “And I like how we got here, Cole.”
I blushed, embarrassed by my stupid cheesiness, but Cole didn’t seem to mind. My skin heated under the weight of his stare and I suddenly wanted very badly to get out of this restaurant. Our eyes met and I saw the same desire hanging in his. We both scarfed the rest of breakfast, Cole paid the check, and we hustled back out to his Jag.
Chapter Eighteen
Tension wound me up, infecting me from his side of the car, and it didn’t take a genius to recognize it for the sexual variety. Now that we’d come to some kind of agreement, it looked like things were game-on for Cole, which was good, since they’d been game-on for me for weeks.
“Where are we going?”
“My house.”
He didn’t ask my permission and he didn’t have to, but putting on an encore for his family didn’t hold much appeal. As though he’d read my mind, Cole shot me a dimpled grin. “The twins are out with Mum and Dad at the beach, then they’re attending a charity dinner.”
A delicious shiver slid down my spine. “Are you supposed to go?”
“I’m not obligated.” Cole put his right hand on my knee and squeezed lightly. “I’m happy you’re here.”
As always, his frankness put a smile on my face and eased some of the fear still tightening my belly. I was doing this. We were doing it, and Cole had made it clear that going home with him, having sex with him, meant more than hooking up.
His hand slid up my thigh until his fingers dipped under the hem of my shorts, brushing my underwear and making it pretty much impossible to change my mind. The next light turned red. Cole stopped the car and reached for me.
“Give us a little nip, hen?” He breathed into me, then crushed my lips with his.
There was nothing little about the kiss; it deepened immediately, until I clung to him, out of breath. His tongue stroked mine and his hands were everywhere—on my legs, my hips, tugging me as close as possible with a console between us. My palms slid up over his neck, into his short hair, and when the car behind us honked impatiently, I felt dazed.
“Can you hurry?”
Cole laughed, but it sounded tight. “Trust me, I am.”
He needed to relax. Feeling deliciously turned on and emboldened by Cole’s loss of propriety, I reached across the console and pressed a hand to his belly. A sharp intake of air rewarded me, encouraged me, and I rubbed lower, teasing him through his khakis until he strained against my palm. I paused when his eyes kept closing on their own, honestly worried for our safety, and settled for giving him a good squeeze now and again until he pulled into the driveway and around back.
“Unless you want to go doggin’ this time, I suggest you move that pretty little ass inside,” Cole said, his green eyes bright.
“I’d consider it, if I knew what it meant.” It sounded dirty, which did nothing to help the situation.
He grinned slyly. “It means I toss you in the backseat.”
“I’m sure we’ll get around to it, but I was thinking we could figure out how to use up the rest of the day inside.” I got out of the car and went up the steps, pausing by the locked back door to wait for Cole.
He was there a second later, his arms around my waist, body pressed against me from behind. His fingers found the hem of my hoodie and stripped it over my head, tossing it aside before his lips landed on the pulse in my neck and trailed heat down my shoulder. One hand moved up to cup a breast through my thin tank top, and we both groaned.
I wiggled my ass against the hardness at the front of his dress pants and he snuggled me tighter, turning my chin far enough to kiss me until my knees threatened to give out.
He let go and unlocked the door, leading me into a mudroom and then down the hall. Cole’s bedroom was exactly as I’d imagined—neat and orderly, with no suggestion that the sheets were dirty or that I’d need to worry about sitting on the toilet seat later. The bed sat high off the ground and thick down covered every inch. Cole was still behind me and I decided to take control.
I spun around and settled his hands on my hips. “Don’t move those until I say.”
He raised an eyebrow. “What about my mouth? Can I move that?”
“We’ll see how you do.”
I got to work, unbuttoning his shirt and checking his face every couple of seconds. It dropped off his shoulders and I hooked my fingers under the hem of his undershirt, letting my nails trail up his chest until it landed on the floor, too. His impossibly perfect upper body pushed my desire to places I didn’t know existed. I pushed up on my toes, hands exploring every inch of rock solid muscle, and kissed him. He tasted like morning and toothpaste, much better than I did, although the piece of gum I’d sneaked on the way out of the diner hopefully helped.
His fingers twitched at my waist and started to move. I jerked my hands down to still his, shaking my head as I pressed kiss after kiss to his jaw, down to the pulse jumping in his neck, and over the muscles rippling over his chest.
My fingers found the clasp on his belt and I pulled it loose and dropped it, then unbuttoned his pants.
His hard length arched toward me, still trapped behind the fabric. Cole’s hands were forced to leave my hips as I moved a few steps backward and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling him with me. I kissed the trail of blond hair to where it disappeared into his pants, then pushed those out of the way and licked my way lower.
Cole pulled the rubber band from my hair, loosening the blonde mass down around my shoulders, and fisted a hand in the waves hard enough to drive me insane with desire but not hard enough to hurt me or impede my progress when I took him in my mouth.
He groaned, hips moving involuntarily toward my lips as my tongue toyed with him. I thought he’d be more confident after this morning, and he didn’t seem nervous now, or in danger of losing control. This was the Cole I’d sensed lurking under the tense surface—confident and sexy.
I eased back and stood in front of his completely naked, amazing body, my arms in the air.
Cole obliged, stripping me with as much intent to tease as I’d dished out a moment earlier, his knuckles scraping my breasts as the tank top disappeared over my head. His lips sought mine like he would drown if they stayed away too long, and as he gathered me into his arms, the feeling of my bare breasts pressed against his hard, naked chest drove shudders through me that wouldn’t stop.
Without taking his mouth from mine, Cole nudged us both back onto the bed until he hovered over me, then he settled a big hand on the spot where my shorts met bare skin.
His lips moved downward, lingering on my breasts so attentively that I swore I couldn’t take the pleasure anymore, then trailed over my ribs. I felt his mouth stretch into a smile every time I sighed and grabbed at the comforter, and when his hands pushed my shorts and underwear out of the way together, I held my breath.
The feeling of his tongue as it teased me briefly along the insides of my thighs, then moved toward the heat pouring from my center, had me whimpering incoherently. Cole maneuvered with expert movements, his fingers and tongue working together outside me, inside me, until they tumbled me expertly into oblivion. My thighs squeezed his ears as I came, my hips pressing toward the pleasure his tongue still dished out even as the sensation felt like too much, so much I screamed as roaring waves pushed me down, held me under until I couldn’t breathe. Stars danced in front of my eyes and sounds disappeared.
When they returned, I saw Cole watching me from between my legs, a strange combination of satisfied and starving dancing across his handsome face.
“You’d better not think you’re done, gorgeous,” I growled, my voice strange and scratchy.
He crawled up and kissed me with a
kind of need that let me know he was by no means finished. An arm snaked out and opened the drawer in the nightstand, then returned with a condom that he had out of that package and on his package before I could blink.
It felt as though I’d waited for him forever, when in reality it had been less than three months since we’d met, less than an hour since we’d had sex in the On Call room. He nudged my legs farther apart and leaned down to kiss me. I opened everything up to him—my legs, my mouth, my tentative belief that he was what he promised.
He pressed against the still throbbing heat between my legs, looking down into my eyes with the sexiest combination of sweet and teasing that I’d ever thought possible. “You have been driving me so fucking crazy for weeks.”
In answer, I pulled his face to mine and kissed him hard as he buried his length inside of me. It filled me up and my hips tipped back to take more of him. Matching gasps and groans mingled between our lips. We moved against each other with single-minded purpose, our bodies taking over and finding an increasingly faster rhythm as sweat slicked our skin and our tongues grew rough in desperation.
As his lips tugged one of my nipples into his mouth, rolling it on his tongue, another tide of pleasure rose, the build slower this time but no less intense. The sensation of him thrusting into me, his hands fisted in my hair, mouth on my breast, swirled me into a hurricane. When it exploded inside me and I clenched tight around Cole, my arms a vise holding us flush together as I gasped and bit his shoulder harder than I meant to.
Cole lifted me off the covers with one arm, holding me against him as he came, saying my name into my hair as we shuddered together for several moments. He eased me back onto the bed a moment later but didn’t leave the warmth inside of me, staying close and kissing me in a way that made me feel precious and sweet and made me want to cry.
“You really are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met, Ruby. And I’ve decided something.”
“What’s that?” I asked, still feeling a little like Cole and I were underwater.
Heat Up the Fall: New Adult Boxed Set (6 Book Bundle) Page 80
