by Rachel Lacey
Music began to play, muffled and tinny, and she recognized the ring tone from Cole’s phone. He paused, lifting his hips to drag it from his back pocket, which only served to press her more firmly against his cock, and whoever it was had lousy timing…
“Turning this fucker off,” he growled, swiping at the screen, but then he froze. “Shit. It’s my mom. She’s flying home from London today, so I’m not sure why she’d call unless…” He connected the call with an apologetic look. “Mom?”
“Hi, sweetie,” she answered, loudly enough for Jenn to hear her clear as day.
“Everything okay?” Cole asked, his brow furrowed.
“Oh yes, we’re fine. Our flight got diverted to New York. This man on board…well, I think he had a heart attack. They met us at the gate with medics and everything.”
Jenn sucked in an involuntary breath.
“Is he…did he make it?” Cole asked.
“I’m not sure. They took him out on a stretcher, so I assume he was still alive. It was so frightening, though. I mean, you just never think you’re going to see something like that happen right in front of you.”
“I bet.” Cole looked up and met Jenn’s eyes, because yeah, she was thinking about what had happened to her in Vegas. She’d never thought she would witness anything like that either. Other people’s tragedies were upsetting, but it was something you read about in a news article. You would express your sympathies on social media and move on with your day. Experiencing it firsthand was a different beast entirely, and her lens for how she viewed tragic events had been forever altered because of it.
“Well, I hope the poor man pulls through,” his mom continued, “but the reason I’m calling is that Royce and I are here at JFK, and before we start looking for a new flight into McCarran, I thought, well, we should try to take advantage of this opportunity to see you and Jenn. What do you think?”
“Oh.” His eyes widened. “Today? Right now?”
“Well yes, sweetie. If you’re around, of course. We thought we might stay the night and fly home to Las Vegas tomorrow. Royce doesn’t need to be back at the casino until Monday, but we have a function on Saturday that we need to be home for.”
“Ah, yeah, sure. It would be great to see you,” Cole said, mouthing sorry to Jenn.
She shook her head with a smile. He’d endured an entire weekend with her parents. She would be more than happy to entertain his mom and her husband tonight. And anyway, she sounded like a sweet person, one Jenn wouldn’t mind getting to know.
He hung up the phone with a groan. “Well, there goes the rest of our day off together.”
“Don’t worry, we still have plenty of days where we can make music together and fuck like bunnies.” She slid out of his lap with a smile. “Except…shit, I’ve got to clean my stuff out of the guest room.”
He grimaced. “You’re right.”
“Okay.” She shifted quickly into crisis-management mode. “We have at least half an hour until they get here, maybe closer to an hour if they haven’t gotten their luggage yet. I’ll pack up my things while you change the sheets on the bed. Then we both need to put on real clothes and make ourselves presentable.”
“’Kay.” He led the way out of the studio and up the stairs.
She rushed down the hall and into her bedroom, silently cursing herself for bringing so much stuff with her to Cole’s house while simultaneously cursing the fact that she’d have to move it all back tomorrow after his mom and stepfather had left. But they couldn’t know she and Cole had separate bedrooms, so she was going to have to grin and bear it.
And share Cole’s bed tonight…
That part made her smile. She’d shared his bed last night too, and it had not been a hardship. Not at all. Still smiling, she pulled her suitcase out of the closet and started emptying dresser drawers, stuffing in as many clothes as would fit. Cole walked by as she held a handful of her panties, and the grin he gave her was pure sin.
Thirty minutes later, she’d emptied the dresser and the closet and had gathered all the photos and knickknacks she’d brought with her, carting it all up the stairs to Cole’s room. She hurried back down to get her toiletries out of the guest bath, then wiped down the countertop and emptied the trash, hoping it was clean enough to look like it had been mostly unused since she moved in.
Finally—frazzled and hoping she’d gotten everything—she jogged back up the stairs to change into something more attractive than leggings and an old T-shirt to meet Cole’s mother for the first time. She put on a pink-striped dress that was casual enough that it felt like wearing an extra-long T-shirt but looked much nicer, then went into the master bathroom to brush her hair and put on some makeup.
Cole’s bathroom counter was scattered with his razor, shaving cream, and other toiletries. It smelled like him in here, aftershave and some kind of cologne that was subtle and masculine. Definitely a man’s bathroom.
Well, it was time to girl it up in here. With a grin, she added her makeup bag and toiletry kit to the mix. Just to freak him out, she considered putting a box of tampons under the sink, but she didn’t need them today, and she’d be back downstairs tomorrow, and okay, maybe she was even freaking herself out a little bit. She’d never shared a bathroom with a guy before. She and Chris had never lived together. And while she was more than ready for this next step in theory, she’d never imagined Cole would be the first man she’d share counter space with…
No matter.
As she finished applying lipstick, he came in behind her, taking in her stuff in his space without batting an eye. Had he done this before? No, she didn’t think so. He only did one-night stands.
“Everything looks good, as far as I can tell.” He’d changed into khaki shorts and a Quentros T-shirt.
She rested her hand over the band’s logo on his chest. “Do you miss them?”
“Nah.” He shrugged. “Solo life suits me better.”
In life as well as art, she supposed, although he seemed pretty relaxed about everything that had gone down between them so far, maybe even more so than she had been. “I guess we should go downstairs to wait for them.”
He nodded, leading the way. When they got to the kitchen, she started wiping down the counters and putting away stray glasses and items they’d left lying around.
“Relax,” he said, settling on a barstool. “The place doesn’t have to be perfect. She knows she only gave us an hour-long heads-up to get ready.”
“I know, but…I just can’t help myself. Sorry.” She was a planner and organizer by nature. She couldn’t not make the house as spotless as possible before their guests arrived.
But just as soon as she’d started, the buzzer rang.
“Ready?” Cole gave her a look as he headed for the back door.
She nodded, even as a rush of nerves splashed through her stomach, leaving her cold and jittery. There was no reason to be nervous about meeting Cole’s mom. In fact, if they didn’t get along, it would only make things easier when she and Cole divorced. But still, she hoped they did get along…
Cole pulled open the door to reveal a well-dressed couple in their fifties. Cole’s mother wore black pants and a sequined top, her short brown hair carefully styled. She had a warm smile, arms already extended toward Jenn. “It is so wonderful to finally meet the woman who captured my Cole’s heart!”
“It’s great to meet you too, Mrs. Rinehart,” Jenn managed before she was swept up in a hug.
“You can call me Gwen, or Mom…whatever suits you.” Cole’s mother was still smiling from ear to ear.
“Oh, okay, Gwen, thank you.” Jenn made the split-second decision on what to call this woman who—she realized with a gulp—was her mother-in-law. But she’d always thought it strange when people called their in-laws Mom and Dad. She had parents of her own, thank you very much.
“And this is Royce.” Gwen motioned to her husband.
He had slate-gray hair that was an almost perfect match to the shade of his pants. H
e extended a hand, his expression kind, if less effusive than his wife’s. “So nice to meet you.”
Cole led them into the living room, insisting on bringing their luggage to the guest room himself.
“Can I get you guys anything?” Jenn asked.
“Seltzer water would be perfect, dear. Thank you,” Gwen said.
“Same,” Royce agreed.
Jenn poured two glasses of Perrier and brought them into the living room, then sat next to Cole on the couch. He scooted closer, resting a hand comfortably on her thigh. “How was London?” he asked.
“Oh, well, it was lovely, but London is always lovely.” Gwen waved a hand in front of herself. “But I really want to hear more about my new daughter-in-law. Tell me, how exactly did you two meet?”
15
Cole realized the problem as soon as his mother posed her question. He and Jenn had never come up with an official cover story for how they’d met. They couldn’t exactly tell people the truth, that they’d met a few hours before they tied the knot. He risked a glance at Jenn and saw by the look on her face that she’d just realized the same thing.
“We met through work, actually,” she said after the slightest pause. “I’m Katherine Hayes’s personal assistant.”
“I know the name,” his mother said, a thoughtful look on her face, “but I don’t think I’m familiar with her music.”
“She’s the best-selling female artist of the decade.” A note of pride crept into Jenn’s voice. “She and Cole recorded a duet together earlier this year, and that’s how he and I met.”
“Oh, how lovely.” His mom pressed her hands together.
Of course, Jenn had handled the moment smoothly. She was so good at this, it was almost scary.
“I guess you could say we hit it off right away,” he added.
“Gwen always likes to say that’s how it was for us too,” Royce said, giving his wife an affectionate look.
Cole kept his opinion on that to himself. His mom had a terrible track record with men, and the fact that she’d married Royce the same week they met did not inspire any kind of confidence about their relationship on his part at all. He figured they’d be divorced by the end of the year.
“And how long have you guys been married?” Jenn asked.
“About six months now,” his mom told her. “We had a whirlwind romance just like you and Cole did. There must be something in the air.”
And so it went. They talked about weddings and jobs and Cole’s progress on his upcoming album. Jenn left out the part about her own songwriting, so he followed her lead. Gwen hung on every word. After a while, Royce wandered into the den and turned on the game. Cole longed to follow. The truth was, he was feeling increasingly restless, like he couldn’t quite catch his breath or needed to go pound the shit out of something.
Yesterday this time, he’d been waiting for Jenn to get home from LA. In twenty-four hours, she’d gone from his roommate to his lover, and now they were playing happy newlyweds with his mom and Royce, and he might just freak the fuck out if he wasn’t careful.
“We should think about dinner reservations,” Jenn said softly, looking over at him.
He glanced at the clock and saw that it was already past five. “I’ll have Jorja find something for us.” It shouldn’t be difficult on a Thursday night and with the status his name provided. He pulled out his phone and messaged Jorja but received an automatic reply back that she was at a movie and wouldn’t receive his message until around seven thirty. “Her phone’s off for the evening.”
Jenn pulled out her own phone and stood. “I’ll take care of it.”
“No, babe—”
“Seriously, let me handle it.” She gave him a don’t-mess-with-me look. “I was thinking about Coquette on Thirty-fourth. It’s French. Great food, great ambiance, great views. Does that sound good to you, Gwen?”
“Oh yes, that sounds perfect.” His mom beamed up at her.
But you’re not my fucking assistant, he wanted to shout. Except he hadn’t made a dinner reservation for himself in years and had a feeling he might screw it up—not to mention raise a few eyebrows—if he called a restaurant directly.
“I’ll be right back.” Jenn walked into the kitchen, phone pressed to her ear.
“Well, I can sure see how she swept you off your feet,” his mom said, leaning toward him and lowering her voice. “You guys are so perfect for each other, I can hardly stand it.”
“Really?” he couldn’t help asking, because he’d always thought the idea of him and Jenn together for real was somewhat ludicrous.
“Oh, it’s obvious every time you guys look at each other that you’re just crazy about each other. She’s a part of your world, but she’ll never try to upstage you in the spotlight. She’s smart and funny and kind and certainly seems ambitious. Honestly, I can’t believe some other man didn’t snatch her up years ago.”
He glanced over at Jenn where she stood in the kitchen. “She’s very particular about things… A planner, or she was until she met me, anyway.”
His mother leaned back with a satisfied smile. “You never can plan for love.”
“Oh my God, I’m exhausted.” Jenn slid into bed beside Cole. It had been a long afternoon and evening with his mom and stepfather, but she thought the whole thing had gone as well as possible.
“Might be because we didn’t get much sleep last night,” he said, his hands sliding down to cup her ass.
“I’m sure that has something to do with it.” She slid forward so that her body pressed against his, wondering why she’d even bothered to put on her pajamas. Cole was already naked…and hard. “But you do have to let me get some sleep tonight. I have to be at Kate’s by eight tomorrow.”
“Why does she always need you so early?” he asked, frowning.
“It’s just how she works. We have a lot of early morning meetings.”
“She works you a lot harder than I work Jorja.”
Yeah, Jenn had noticed that too. Not that Kate worked her too hard, but that she had a very different working relationship with Kate than Cole had with his assistant. “You and Jorja don’t seem to work face-to-face nearly as much as Kate and I do.”
“I have her there when I’m doing public appearances and when I’m traveling, but day-to-day, nah. She works in the office, and I do my own thing.”
“Whatever works for you. Kate likes to have me there for the day-to-day stuff.”
“As long as she isn’t taking advantage of you,” he said as his hands crept inside her pajama bottoms, skimming over her bare skin.
“Are you serious?” She drew back to stare at him. “My work terms and hours are very well-defined, and for the record, she pays me extremely well.”
“Okay.” Now he looked amused. “It just seems like you work a lot, that’s all.”
“I do work a lot, but I love my job.”
“Love it so much you’re ready to quit.” He winked, drawing her in closer. One of his muscular thighs slid between hers, seriously distracting her train of thought.
“Only because I’m ready for a new chapter in my life, but I hope Kate and I can still work together in some capacity, and even if we don’t, we’ll still be friends.”
“You are awfully damn loyal, you know that?”
“Well, yes.” She rolled her hips, letting his thigh press into her just right.
“My mom thinks you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” There was something funny glinting in his eyes as he said it, and she couldn’t quite figure out what it was.
“Your mom sees what we wanted her to see,” she said, deflecting. “But, all things considered, I think today went pretty well.”
“Me too.”
They started kissing then, letting their bodies do the talking as they gave in to the hunger burning inside them. They touched and tasted, and Cole made short work of her pajamas. Their naked bodies pressed together, letting the heat and friction build until neither of them could wait another moment
. When he pushed inside her, her whole body sizzled and sang.
This. This kind of raw, overpowering passion was what she’d been waiting for. This was what she’d never found with another man, a passion that ran as deep as it was real. Sex with Cole felt somehow more intimate, maybe because he knew her better than any man had before, or at least he knew things that she’d never shared with another man. Maybe because there were no expectations or pretenses between them, she’d always been completely open and honest with him.
And as he carried her over the crest of yet another earth-shattering orgasm, she wondered how anything could ever top what she’d found here with Cole.
Cole was just drifting off to sleep when Jenn bolted upright in bed beside him. “I forgot something.”
“What?” he mumbled.
“I left something in the drawer of the bedside table.”
He sat up too, sliding an arm around her shoulders to draw her up against him. “I doubt my mom will look in there.”
“But what if she does?”
“What will she find?” he asked, overcome with curiosity because Jenn sounded absolutely horrified at the prospect.
“It’s my…well, it’s my vibrator.”
His dick stirred at the thought of Jenn having sex toys in the drawer of her bedside table, especially here in his house. “Your vibrator.”
“Yes,” she said miserably.
“That would…that would not be a good thing for my mom to find.”
“No. I forgot all about it when I was rushing to get my stuff out of there, and oh my God, what if she finds it?” Now she sounded absolutely panicked, her eyes locked on his in the darkened bedroom.
“She won’t, but if she did, she’d probably think one of my previous, ah, companions left it, assuming she even knew what it was.”
“I’m sure your mom knows what a vibrator is, and don’t give me that look! She’s been married three times. But okay, she’d have no reason to think it was mine. You’re right. Okay.” She blew out a breath, nodding.
