Cole stared at the guy. Was he for real? “You fucking know why.”
“I think you need to enlighten me, Cole.”
“Have you listened to anything I’ve said these last few months? Anything at all?”
“Every word.” John sat back, resting his hands on his knees. “Do you know what I think? I think you were hoping I’d give you a way out. An excuse to turn your back on this woman you care about. You’re afraid of what might happen if you allow your emotions to lead you. You’re afraid of letting her in, afraid that once she gets to know you, the real you, she’ll discover you’re all the things you believe yourself to be and will turn her back on you.”
Cole sat frozen in his chair. Everything he said was true, 100 percent. But the problem was, this guy thought he could be fixed—beyond just getting through one shitty day at a time—and he was wrong. So fucking wrong.
“Are we finished?” Cole stood.
John did as well, placing his notepad and pen on his desk. “Don’t close off. Open yourself to the possibility of happiness. Despite what you think, you deserve it, Cole, like everybody else.”
Cole flinched. That was where he was wrong.
He didn’t deserve a damn thing.
...
Piper closed and locked the door on the garage and headed across the parking lot toward the cottage. She’d repaired a radiator leak on a car after closing, then gotten some more work done on her secret project. The Chevy was coming along nicely. After that she’d caught up on some office work. They’d hired a part-timer to help out with the paperwork, giving Piper more time in the workshop. But she still needed to put in hours behind her desk, and it was getting dark by the time she finished with the month’s accounts.
Cole still wasn’t home from work.
He’s avoiding you.
The previous two nights had been the same. He called and told her he was burning the midnight oil at work, which, okay, could be true, since the business had taken off with Cole as the new manager.
But she really didn’t think that was it.
He’s totally avoiding you.
The thought that he regretted what they’d done, to the extent that he didn’t want to come home and risk seeing her, made her belly churn like she’d downed a carton of sour milk.
As she hit her front lawn, a car door slammed across the street. A navy blue sedan with a big white and red sign on the door sat opposite her cottage. Daniel Taylor Real Estate.
Great, that’s all she needed. The guy didn’t understand the word “no.” She’d told him she wasn’t interested in selling until she was blue in the face. Shoving her hands in her pockets, head down, she made for the front door, pretending she hadn’t seen him. The guy was a menace. Not only did he show up at all hours, but he left phone messages and slid notes under her door like the one she’d found after Alex and Deke’s wedding.
“Ms. West!”
She gritted her teeth and turned to the persistent pain in the ass. “Look, Mr. Taylor, I’ve just finished work and I’m hungry. I don’t have time to talk.”
“Piper…can I call you Piper?”
“No, I’d rather you didn’t.”
“I just wanted to check in, see if you’ve had a change of heart. I have a very keen buyer. He’s willing to pay top dollar. You could buy a beautiful apartment in the city with what he’s offering.”
She’d tried to be polite, and it hadn’t worked. No matter how many times she told this asshole she wasn’t interested, he kept showing up. “I’m not selling. I have no intention of ever selling. So please don’t come back, because you’re wasting your time and mine.” She turned to leave, but he caught her arm.
“You’re making a mistake. You won’t get another offer like this.”
She yanked her arm free. “Do I need to call the police, Mr. Taylor? This is starting to feel like harassment.”
He smiled like a shark, eyes going hard. “You’re overreacting.”
“Just get off my property.” She didn’t wait to hear what else he had to say and speed-walked to her front door, ignoring him when he called out, and locked herself inside. For the first time since Rusty and Alex moved out, she actually felt nervous.
She crept into the living room and, without turning on the light, peeked around the curtain. The jerk was back on the other side of the road, climbing into his car. He glanced over at the cottage one more time before slamming his door and speeding off. The breath she’d been holding escaped in a rush. With any luck, he’d stay away this time.
She headed to the bathroom for a quick shower, and when she was done, pulled on a pair of khaki shorts and an orange tank top. Then curling up on the couch with the romance novel she’d been reading, she settled in, picking up where she’d left off.
But it wasn’t happening. She tried to concentrate, but her mind wouldn’t settle, and she kept reading the same paragraph over and over. Throwing down her book, she went to the kitchen for a cold drink and couldn’t help looking out the window facing the garage. Still no Cole.
Shutting down her thoughts, she went back to the couch. Her day had been long and busy and, to top it off, was ending with a serious case of sexual frustration and no relief in sight. Not to mention her encounter with some creep harassing her on her own front lawn. If he showed up again, left her any more messages or notes, she was calling the cops.
She picked her book back up…
Bang, bang, bang.
The knock on the front door was loud enough to make her jump. “Shit.”
Surely that Taylor asshole wouldn’t come back, not at this time of night. He’d seemed pretty pissed when she’d refused to hear him out, though.
The banging came again, this time more insistent.
“Crap.” Grabbing Deke’s old baseball bat from under her bed, she crept down the hall to the front door. “Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
Her visitor didn’t say his name, but he didn’t need to. That voice could only belong to one person. Unlocking the door, she opened it up, still shaky from the surge of adrenaline, and now also a good dose of excitement. “Hey.” She stared up at Cole, trying to read his expression. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
He didn’t speak for a second, just stood there, gaze roaming her body from head to toe and back again. “You in the mood for some company? I, ah, I brought dinner, if you’re hungry.”
He watched her, carefully, and damn, his eyes looked amazing, their color bright, even in the dim light. He wore jeans and a faded navy T-shirt that clung to his wide shoulders and biceps, and his fingers clenched and unclenched around the pizza box in his hands, making the thick veins in his forearms bulge under his skin.
“I’d like that.” His hair was damp, like he’d just come from the shower, and stuck up on one side as if he’d dragged his hand through it several times. Without conscious thought, she stepped forward and reached up on tiptoe to brush the wayward strands down. He sucked in a rough breath, eyes locked on her the whole time. “Ah…come in.”
He took a step forward, but then he looked down a second before his hand snaked out, and he took the baseball bat from her, frowning momentarily before resting it against the wall by the door. “What’s going on? What’s with the baseball bat?”
Her face heated. “You banged on the door like you were going to break it down. You surprised me, that’s all.”
A muscle in his jaw jumped. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“I’m fine, really. Do you want to watch a movie while we eat?” She quickly changed the subject. No way did she want Cole to know what was going on. Deke would just love an excuse to make her move out of the cottage, and he wasn’t above using Daniel Taylor and his harassment to do it.
“I’d like that.”
She smiled at him. Now that the shock of seeing him on her veranda was g
His lips lifted on one side, almost a full smile. “Come on, you know me better than that. I know how fussy you are when it comes to pizza.”
“Extra cheese?”
“Of course.”
She grabbed a couple beers, plates, and napkins, then took a seat on the couch. Cole sat down beside her, putting the pizza on the coffee table and flicked open the box.
They each grabbed a piece. “I didn’t think I’d see you tonight. I’m glad you came.”
He ran a hand over his injured knee. “Yeah, sorry I’ve been scarce the last couple days. Shit’s been hectic at work. You know how it is.”
“I totally get it. I just got home a little while ago from some extra hours myself. A woman I met at the grocery store had a radiator leak.” Relief that he hadn’t been avoiding her washed through her.
His brows lifted. “You’re that busy? You could only fit her in after hours?”
Her tummy rumbled loudly, and she realized just how hungry she was. She shook her head. “It’s not that. I mean, yeah, we’re busy, but this job was off the books.”
He took a sip of his beer. “Why’s that?”
Piper took a bite of her pizza. Yum. “She’s a single mom. I saw her struggling with her kids in the parking lot. I helped her out, we got talking, then I noticed the leak and told her to stop by and I’d fix it no charge.”
Cole stilled beside her, and she glanced over at him. He was staring, eyes soft. “Yeah?”
“Mmm hmm.” She felt her face warm.
“That was a nice thing to do, Pipe.”
She shrugged and took another bite of her pizza before she forgot all about eating and climbed into his lap. Damn, it really was good. Groaning, she polished off her first piece in minutes. When she looked up, while reaching for another slice, Cole was still watching her, and he was actually grinning. Lips higher on the undamaged side of his face. Her heart flipped around in her chest.
“Good, huh?” The grin turned to a sexy smirk.
“Are you making fun of me, Cole Black?”
“Nope. I wouldn’t dare.” He kept up with the smirk. It was the most glorious thing she’d seen in a very long time.
“Glad to hear it. Remember, I know all your embarrassing stories. And the ones I didn’t see for myself, I heard while eavesdropping on you and my brother. I won’t hesitate to use them to defend myself.”
His brows shot up. “You eavesdropped on us?”
She shrugged. “Of course, what else are annoying little sisters supposed to do?”
The grin dropped a little. “You were never annoying, Pipe.” He finished his pizza, then took a sip of his beer. “So what embarrassing stories did you hear while you had your ear glued to the door?”
Piper felt her face get hot. “I think I’ll keep that information to myself.”
He chuckled, reached out, grabbed her around the waist, and hauled her into his lap. “Spill, woman, or I’ll be forced to torture it out of you.”
She blinked up at him, excited, thrilled by his playfulness, and terrified it would end. “How?”
His eyes flashed, full of mischief. “You know how.”
“You wouldn’t.”
His hand slid to her knee, where she was the most ticklish, and he flexed his fingers around her kneecap, making her squeak. “I would.”
“Cole…”
“I’ll start. Maybe that will get you talking?” He held her in his arms, that hand on her knee ready to torture her at any moment, while he pretended to mull over her most humiliating moments. “I know.” He laughed out loud and, right then, hearing that, he could spill every single one of them and she wouldn’t care. “What about the time you tried to dye your hair black and instead it went green?”
She faked outrage, but really she was loving every minute. “It wasn’t that bad!”
“You were the cutest punk on Axle Alley.”
She slapped his shoulder. “Okay fine, you asked for it. Mandy Crane.”
His grin dropped, and he actually went red. “You don’t know about that.”
“Oh, yes I do.”
“Okay, you win,” he said quickly.
Piper started giggling, couldn’t stop herself. “No, it’s your turn.”
He took her plate from her, placed it on the coffee table, and flipped her back on the couch, looming over her. “I’m warning you, if you say it, I will torture you.”
“What? You don’t want me to say how she came to your place to deliver your mom’s Tupperware order and caught you with your…” He covered her mouth with his hand. Piper pulled his fingers down. “…hand on your…”
He grabbed her knee and started tickling her like crazy. She squealed and thrashed around, throwing her head back and laughing like a crazy person.
When he finally stopped, Cole was laughing as well. That light was back in his eyes. She’d put it there. Her chuckles turned husky with emotion. This was her Cole, the one she’d fallen for all those years ago. He was still in there. He’d given her a glimpse, made an appearance, just for her.
God, that felt good.
“Who the hell just walks into someone’s house like that?” Cole said when he stopped laughing.
“Mandy Crane, apparently.”
He stared down at her, his expression suddenly serious. “I was thinking about you,” he rasped.
“Me?” She swallowed hard. Why would he have been thinking about her?
“Yeah.” He shook his head. “God, I shouldn’t be here, Pipe.”
“Yes, you should,” she whispered back.
He cupped the side of her face, rough palm against her cheek, fingers sliding into her hair. “I tried to stay away.” He pressed in close, and she felt the thick, unforgiving length of his erection straining against her belly. “But I couldn’t.” He leaned down and rested his forehead against hers. “What have you done to me, sweet girl?”
She slid her hands around his waist, fisting the soft fabric of his T-shirt, holding him to her, afraid he’d change his mind and go. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad you came.”
“You know how this has to be?” His rough, low voice skated across her skin, making her shiver.
“Yes.”
“You’re okay with that?”
He was asking if she was okay with this just being about sex. If she could be satisfied with that alone. If she was okay with him coming to her when he needed that release.
If she wanted him as well.
There was no physical way she could turn him away. She wanted this, wanted whatever he could give her.
She slid her hands up over his shoulders, pulling him down so she could press her mouth against his. She sucked his lower lip, moaning when her nipples grazed his hard chest. “Yes.”
His gaze darkened, moved over her body, then he cursed and slid his hand from her waist, up to cup one of her breasts. He squeezed and massaged, thumb swiping over her painfully hard nipple. “Jesus.” Another delicious swipe. “I want you naked.”
Shocks of pleasure shot through her lower belly at the raw hunger in his voice, the feel of his hands on her. She didn’t hesitate—and dragged her tank over her head. Then his hands were back on her breasts, and he watched as he squeezed her aching flesh, eyes bright.
His lips were parted, his breathing rapid. “Fuck, baby.” Leaning in, he sucked a nipple into his mouth hard, and his deep groan drowned out her own. He sucked and licked her for several minutes, making her crazy, then his hands moved to her waist, and with one last lick, he released her.
He slid his fingers down the sides of her shorts and panties and dragged them down her thighs. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are? Have the slightest clue what you do to me?”
Her pulse picked up speed, because they didn’t sound like words a man said to a woman he only wanted to have sex with, they felt like more. “You…you do the same to me.”
“Show me,” he rasped. “Show me how much you want me inside you.” He sat back, giving her room. “Spread your legs, sweet girl. Show me how wet you are, how much you want me to fuck you.”
Right then she wanted him, bad, so bad she ached for him, felt empty without him. The deep throb inside bordered on painful, and only Cole could ease it. She loved this, loved it when he acted this way. When he took what he wanted from her, no second guessing, no hesitation.
She parted her legs, offering up her body to him and loving every second of it. He made her feel beautiful, desired in a way she’d never experienced in her life, and she wasn’t in a hurry to give that up.
His deep groan lifted goose bumps across her skin. He came back down on top of her, the denim of his jeans brushing her thighs. He still hadn’t touched her where she wanted him most, and she was close to begging. “Cole…”
“So wet, baby. Your inner thighs are slick with how badly you want me.” A thick finger slid through her cleft, pushing inside, but just for a second, then back out.
He made a low, hungry sound, and she wriggled, a desperate moan escaping, telling him without words how much she wanted him inside her.
He leaned in, mouth brushing hers, then he started kissing her, deep, hungry. She reached for the front of his jeans, popping the button. The erotic rasp of his zipper sliding down seemed loud in the quiet room, somehow reaching her ears past her panting and his harsh breaths.
“Last chance to say no,” he said against her lips. The roughened skin of his palm smoothed over her bare ass, making her shiver. “Shit, Piper. Once I’m inside you, I won’t be able to stop.”
She held him tighter. “I don’t want you to stop.”
His palm skated up her side and back down to her ass. “You’re as desperate for me as I am for you, aren’t you, sweetheart?”
“Yes.” She was writhing with lust beneath him, and still he questioned how much she wanted him, like he thought she could change her mind. Wasn’t going to happen. “Please, Cole.”
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