by Piper Rayne
28
I lie tangled in Cole’s bed sheets with one leg draped over his, my front pressed into his side, while we lazily watch Game of Thrones. We do a lot of this after we’ve had sex. Almost like we don’t want to leave the scene of the crime—or the orgasm, as it were. Well, orgasms, plural.
“How are you feeling about your big meeting?” I ask.
“Good,” he says, wiggling under me.
We’ve been counting down until the day that Cole meets with the national distributor and now that we’re less than a week out he seems to be getting more and more nervous every time I bring it up.
“Do you think you’re prepared?”
His fingertips brush up and down my upper arm a few times. “As much as I can be. I’ve got all my figures and projections pulled together. We’ve laid out a plan of how we’re going to produce enough product, should we be successful and have to supply to bars and restaurants across the nation.”
“Well, I for one think you are going to nail your meeting.” I turn my head and press my lips to his chest for good luck. I don’t think that’s really a thing—kissing bare chests for good luck—but it totally should be. I’ll take any excuse I can to get my lips on this man.
“Thank you. I hope you’re right.”
“Of course I am. I’m always right.”
“Is that so?” He chuckles and the rich, deep sound reverberates through his chest into my ear. I smile.
Cole’s hand trails a path down my arm, onto my hip and then dips between my legs. I suck in a breath when his fingers coast back and forth over my clit.
“Hmm, already so wet for me.”
When aren’t I? I swear I’m perpetually wet and ready for this man.
I spread my legs apart a little more to give him better access and allow my eyes to drift closed. He works his fingers back and forth and back and forth before one of them breaches my entrance. I suck in a breath and rock my hips, urging him to continue.
The vibrating of his phone interrupts my happy thoughts and Cole lets out a sigh and draws his hand away.
“To be continued,” he says, dropping a kiss on the top of my head and rolling away from me to step out of bed. I watch him make his way across his bedroom to where his phone rests on his dresser, fascinated by the way the muscles in his perfect ass clench while he walks.
He lifts his phone up and looks at who’s calling and a crease forms in the middle of his forehead. He hits the button to take the call.
“Hey, Steph. What’s up?”
I now know that Steph is the blonde woman who bartends for him at the Thirsty Monk. The one woman who always gives me that predatory vibe where Cole is concerned.
He listens to her speak for a few seconds before responding. “Calm down. I’m sure it’s nothing. You’re positive? Uh-huh. Okay. Hang tight. Don’t worry. No, it’s okay. I wasn’t doing anything anyway.”
His gaze snaps over to mine and I mask the sharp pain in my chest over his comment. She’s obviously upset about something—maybe he’s just trying to make her feel better.
“Yep. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He hits end on the call and blows out a big breath before coming to sit beside me on the edge of the bed. “I have to go.”
“Yeah, I gathered as much. Problem at the bar?” Maybe I’m asking to be conversational because it seems like the logical thing to say, but deep down I know I’m asking because I feel insecure. Which I hate.
“Not exactly.”
Okay. I’ll be honest. That answer doesn’t instill much confidence in me.
“I shouldn’t be too long. Why don’t you stick around and I’ll make dinner for us when I get back?”
“You don’t mind me being in your place by myself?”
“Of course not.”
That eases some of my lingering uneasiness.
He leans in and places a chaste kiss on my lips then rises from the bed to start getting dressed.
“I need to jump online and check out the job ads anyway. I’ll take care of that while you’re gone.”
He nods as he lifts his jeans up to his hips, seeming a little preoccupied now. Another couple of minutes pass and he’s fully dressed and walking over to me on the bed.
“I’ll be back before you k now it.” We kiss and moments later I hear the door to his place close and I’m left sitting in the middle of his big bed alone, feeling none of the warmth I usually do.
Hours later I’ve scoured every online job site known to man, applied to a few that I’m more than qualified for, and I’m resting on the living room couch watching Sunday afternoon TV. Which is to say watching my third episode of Storage Wars. I stopped on this channel for a second just to check it out and somehow, I blink and it’s three episodes later.
I hear something and I mute the TV. It sounds like a phone vibrating, so I hurry into Cole’s bedroom thinking it’s mine. I realize when I get there that it’s Cole’s phone ringing on the dresser. He must have forgotten it when he left in a rush. I don’t pick it up, but I walk over to it and see the name Nadia flashing on the screen. Something about seeing the name of another woman on my… hell, I don’t even know what to call him—my boyfriend, fuck buddy, friend with benefits? Whatever, something about seeing another woman’s name on his phone lights a fire in the pit of my stomach.
I don’t recognize the name and yes, she could be one of his employees whom I’ve never met, but something doesn’t sit right in my gut about the whole situation. First Cole gets called out in the middle of the day by Steph for some reason he didn’t seem too eager to divulge to me and now another woman I’ve never heard of is blowing up his phone.
The vibrating stops and a minute later a message appears on the screen, indicating that he has a new voice mail.
Before I can figure out how I want to handle this I hear the door to the condo open and Cole’s heavy footsteps enter.
“Whit? You still here?”
I come walking out of the bedroom with what I’m hoping is a genuine-looking smile. “Right here.”
“Sorry I was gone so long.” His easy-going mood from earlier is gone and he seems tense and on edge. He has frown lines between his brows and the sparkle in his eyes has dimmed a fraction.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” He pulls me into him and wraps his arms around my body.
I lean into him and enjoy the cadence of his heartbeat in his chest, the soft feel of his shirt against my cheek. “Maybe I should go. You have your big meeting first thing in the morning. I don’t want to be in the way.”
He pulls away and looks down at me. “No. I want you to stay. Please?”
I study him for a moment. Something happened when he was gone. What I have no idea. But this isn’t the same man who left six hours ago. “You sure?”
He nods and tucks a section of hair behind my ear. “Positive.”
“Okay,” I near-whisper.
I decide not to press him for answers and I’d like to say that it’s because I’m confident he’ll tell me when he’s ready, but the reality is that a part of me doesn’t want to know.
We’ve got a good thing going here and I’m not eager to mess it up. That makes sense, right?
I’m awoken by the sound of my cell phone vibrating on the night stand beside me. At first, I moan and roll over, enjoying the vestiges of sleep too much to want to wake from my slumber.
But it begins vibrating again almost immediately. This time I crack my eyes open as much as they’re able. The room is filled with a soft morning light. It’s apparent that it’s early, probably somewhere around dawn.
Who the hell would be calling me right now?
I reach out for my phone and tilt the screen toward me. It takes a moment for my eyes to focus. The sight of my grandparents’ contact info sends a spike of fear straight through me. My pulse picks up immediately and I sit straight up in bed and slide my finger to answer.
“Hello?” Though my mind now feels alert, my voice hasn’t caught up yet an
d still retains that raspy just-woken quality.
“Whitney? Oh, my dear.” My grandma’s voice sounds frightened and panicked and it dawns on me in the way that strange things do in a time of crisis that I’ve never heard her sound so afraid, even when Sparky chased the Jehovah’s Witness who knocked on our door down the street.
“Grandma, what’s wrong?”
“I’m on my way to the hospital. I had to call an ambulance.” She breaks down and I picture her standing all alone in the middle of the kitchen, clutching the phone tight.
“Is everything okay?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know. Your grandpa got up in the middle of the night, I guess. I found him passed out in the hallway, blood pouring from his head.”
My hand flies up to cover my mouth while she speaks and tears threaten to spill from my eyes.
“Are you still waiting for the ambulance?” I ask once I’ve removed my hand.
“They’re just getting him in the ambulance now and we’re headed to the emergency room.”
“I’m coming, Grandma. You hang tight. I’ll be there soon.”
“Okay, dear. Okay.”
I hit end on the call and spring from the bed.
“Hey.” Cole’s raspy voice comes from behind me while I attempt to locate my clothing. “What’s going on?”
“My grandpa was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. I don’t know much more than that, but I have to get there.”
I pull my underwear up my legs and turn to face him. He’s already out of bed and striding over to his dresser. “I’ll drive you over.”
“No, no, you don’t have to come. You stay here. I can take an Uber or something.” I bend down and pick my jeans up off the floor and shake them out so I can step into them.
“Whit, I’m not letting you take an Uber. No arguments.”
I don’t bother complaining because truth is I’m glad he’s taking me. It’ll be faster and having him near feels like a comfort—something I can use right now. Every conceivable scenario runs through my head. It’s amazing how it only takes your brain a split second to conjure up a million terrible possibilities, but we can be so resistant to believe the good things.
When we’re both dressed and I’ve managed to pull my dark bob back into the world’s smallest ponytail, we race out of Cole’s place, find where his Jeep is parked by the curb and speed off.
29
The two of us are silent on the drive over, though I can’t manage to sit still. Eventually Cole reaches over and places a hand on my thigh and squeezes, a show of support that settles me somewhat.
It’s all a blur, but we park and as soon as I run through the main doors to the emergency room I spot my grandma sitting in the uncomfortable-looking chairs in the waiting room, her arms wrapped around herself.
I slow my pace and walk over to her while the sterile scent of the hospital registers in my brain.
“Grandma.” My voice breaks when I say her name.
She raises her head to look at me and then she stands. Wet stains are clear on her cheeks. We hug and I can tell that she’s trying to hug me with all her might, but her frail body just doesn’t have the strength it once did.
We pull away from one another but I keep my hands on her shoulders. “Have you heard anything from the doctors?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “No. No. Last I heard they’re still running some tests.”
“What happened?”
“I have no idea. Your grandpa wasn’t feeling the best yesterday, but it didn’t seem like anything serious.”
I reach down and squeeze her hand in mine. “I’m sure he’s going to be okay,” I say, hoping it’s the truth.
A single tear runs down her wrinkled cheek and she swipes it away. “I hope so. I don’t know what I’d do without that big lug in my life.” A sad smile forms on her face and her gaze flicks over my shoulder. “Oh, hi, Cole. I didn’t see you there.”
“Hi, Mrs. Knight. I’m sorry we’re seeing each other under these circumstances.”
“Enough with the Mrs. Knight stuff. Please call me Edna.”
He pushes his hands into both his pockets and nods. “Can I get you ladies anything to drink? I’m going to run down to the cafeteria to grab a caffeine fix.”
“I’d love a coffee,” I say.
“I’m all right, thank you,” my grandma says.
He nods. “Okay. I’ll give you both a little privacy and be back in a bit.” He leans in and kisses my forehead. I close my eyes for a second, thankful he’s here.
“It seems the two of you are getting on okay,” my grandma says while she takes a seat.
I sit in the chair beside her and reach over to take her hand in mine again. “Never mind that right now. Did the doctor or nurses give you any idea how long it would be before you got an update?”
She pats my hand and shakes her head. “They just said that they were going to do some tests to see what caused him to pass out. They were concerned about the fall and whether he hit his head hard enough to cause a concussion or something more serious.” She presses her lips together and I get the sense that it’s to try to stifle a cry.
“He’s going to be okay, Grandma.” I squeeze her hand. “He’s a tough guy.”
“I sure hope so, sweetie. I sure hope so.”
This time she does break out in tears and I wrap her in my arms and rock her back and forth, trying to comfort her, the same way she did with me when I was a child.
When Cole returns, I’m pacing back and forth in front of where my grandma sits. It feels like it’s been eons that we’ve been out here waiting on some word and I can’t stand to sit in that chair for another second.
“Here you go.” He passes me a steaming cup of coffee. “Edna, I picked you up a bottle of water. I know you said you didn’t want anything, but I figured you might change your mind.”
He walks over to her and I can tell that she’s moved by the small gesture.
“Thank you. That’s very thoughtful of you.” She pats his face and another small piece of my heart melts for him.
I sip my coffee and enjoy the way the hot liquid burns as it travels down my throat. It’s a distraction from what we’re doing here. It’s not long before my mind wanders back to everything that’s at stake though.
“How did you find him?” I ask my grandma.
“Sparky. That little thing wouldn’t stop barking at me from the bottom of the bed, so I eventually got up thinking that maybe he wanted outside to go to the bathroom.”
“Thank God he woke you.” I’ve never loved that little mutt more than I do right now. That fur ball might be responsible for saving my grandpa’s life.
My grandma nods, but her expression changes to panic.
“What’s wrong?”
“I forgot all about Sparky. He’s at the house and hasn’t been fed or let out to go to the bathroom.” Her shaky hand moves to her chest.
“I’ll take care of it,” Cole offers. We both turn in his direction. “That is, if you’re comfortable with me going into your house without you there.”
“It’s not too much trouble, is it?” my grandma asks.
He shakes his head. “Not at all. In fact, why don’t I keep him for a few days until you know what you’re dealing with? It’ll be one less thing for you to worry about.”
“Oh, you’re an angel. Thank you.” She motions him over and when he gets near her she stands up and embraces him. “Thank you so much.”
“Edna, I’m happy to help. You ladies have your hands full here.”
A sad smile forms on my face. I’m so touched by his gesture, but I hate that we’re here and it’s necessary.
“Let me grab you my key.” I walk over to the seat I left my purse on and dig through until I find my keychain. Once I have the house key pried off the thing I turn and place it in Cole’s palm. “Let me walk you out,” I say. “Grandma, I’ll be right back.”
She nods, preoccupied with her thoughts.
Cole s
lips the key into the front pocket of his jeans and takes my hand. Once we’re outside by his Jeep he wraps me in a protective embrace.
“Try not to worry too much about your grandpa. I’m sure he’s going to be fine.” He kisses the top of my head and as silly as it is, his reassurance makes me feel a little better.
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am.” He sounds so sure of himself. I wish I had his confidence.
“Thank you so much for dealing with Sparky. It’s one less thing for—” I stop abruptly as I remember what day it is and my hands fly up to my face. “Oh, my God! Your big meeting was supposed to be this morning.”
He takes my hands and pulls them away from my mouth. “I’ve already dealt with it. Don’t worry.”
My stomach flips. “What does that mean?”
“Relax.” He places both hands on top of my shoulders. “I made a call and put off the meeting. We’ve rescheduled for next month.”
“I feel terrible. I’ve ruined your big chance.” My shoulders sag and he must feel it because he squeezes them both then bends down so we’re eye level.
“You didn’t ruin anything.”
“How can you say that? This was your big shot.”
“There’ll be another big shot. Now don’t worry about me. Worry about your grandparents, okay? Your grandma needs you right now.”
I nod because he’s right. I need to be strong right now so that I can support her through whatever it is that’s going to happen.
“Okay.” I’m not sure what to say—what combination of words will accurately express my level of gratitude right now. “I can’t believe you did this, but thank you.”
“Stop saying that, will you? You’d do the same for me.”
He leans in and kisses me and I grip the front of his shirt tight because he’s right. The depth of my feelings for him is disconcerting, but I don’t think I’m in it alone. Otherwise, why would he be doing all of this?
When he pulls away he brushes a piece of hair off my face. “I’ll go make sure Sparky is fed and take him for a walk then get him settled at my place. Then I’m going to head back here. Is there anything you need me to bring back with me?”
