by Layla Hagen
“Want to try your hand at it?” I asked Cole. “Gets stuck half the time.”
“Sure.” Cole pushed himself against the door, then lifted it a bit, and jammed it some more. Finally, he pushed himself harder.
“Ah,” he exclaimed, wringing his right hand.
“Did you cut yourself?” I asked, taking his hand immediately and inspecting it. There were dents in his forefinger, but it was just a scratch.
“It’s very superficial. But I can disinfect it. I have everything I need upstairs.”
“You’re joking.”
“No, really. It’ll just take a few seconds.”
“Sure, doc.”
Cole looked around curiously once we were inside. It was a huge place, and since it had one bedroom, a living room, and a kitchen, each room was big.
“Come on, the first aid kit is in the bathroom.”
That was the only space that was actually tiny. We both squeezed between the sink and a wall as I applied antiseptic.
Cole groaned a bit.
“Stings?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“Would this be a bad time to make fun of you?”
“Very.”
“Okay, well, then you’re all done.”
Glancing up, I was thrown by the way he looked at me. I suddenly became aware of how close we were. Now that I wasn’t doctoring him anymore, I was intensely aware of the heat of his body. He rested his good hand on the wall right next to my ear, as if he was barely refraining from touching me. I didn’t want him to refrain anymore. I wanted him to kiss me. It didn’t matter that I’d just met him yesterday, that I knew so little about him. Isabelle knew him, and he had a soft spot for his family. It was enough for this.
He tilted even closer, and then his mouth was on mine, hot and relentless. Pleasure shot right through me. The kiss was unexpectedly delicious and dirty. I couldn’t get enough. Every lash of his tongue stoked the fire inside me. My body was vibrating from the heat coursing through me. My fingers tingled, and I went up on my toes, then back on my heels as I tried to get closer, tried to get more. As if knowing my intent, his hands went to my waist, keeping me in place while he deepened his exploration.
This kiss, goodness. I felt lighter, suddenly, as if I was floating, as if he’d set free something deep inside me. I was aware of my body for the first time in years.
He pulled back for a fraction of an inch. Cole wasn’t saying anything, but he didn’t have to. The intensity just rolling off him did all the talking. The way he looked at me...
I smiled, touching his jaw. “I’ve made up my mind about you, Cole Winchester.”
“Told you kissing would tip the balance in my favor.”
“Who says it’s in your favor?”
“I should kiss you again, drive the point home.”
I swatted his shoulder playfully. “I can see now why you call yourself the leader of the bachelor pack.”
“Isabelle told you that?”
“No, heard it from Ian and Dylan.” They were Isabelle’s brothers. “You’re a confirmed bachelor, and my life in New York basically revolves around the hospital, so... what happens in Rome stays in Rome?”
I winced. Did that sound bad? I didn’t have confidence issues normally, but I was terrible at this. I hadn’t even tried flirting after losing my husband, and I was making a fool of myself. I cast my gaze down. Cole slipped two fingers under my chin, tilting it up. He had a huge smile spread on his handsome face.
“I’m more than okay with that.”
I let out a breath of relief, but as soon as I calculated how much time we had left, all I wanted to do was to prolong it.
“Okay, so you said you have to be at the airport at six thirty, right? That means you have to get a cab in about an hour. Doesn’t leave us much time to go to a restaurant. What do you say about buying pizza from the take-out restaurant next to this building? It’s really good. We could eat it here... and chat. Oh shit, did that sound like a booty call? It’s not what I meant.”
Cole stared at me for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. “You think this is a booty call? You don’t have experience with those, do you, doc?”
“Guilty. I mean, I didn’t want you to expect—”
Cole silenced me by kissing the side of my neck. He interlaced his fingers with mine at the sides of my thighs before straightening up. “Laney, relax. I’m not expecting anything. Let’s talk, eat pizza, and see what happens.”
I grinned. “And maybe kiss some more.”
“At your service, doc. And what happens in Rome, stays in Rome. That’s a promise.”
Chapter Five
Cole
Usually, I liked long-distance flights, where I had time to enjoy the service and sleep. This time was different. I was in a bad mood. Instead of sleeping, I pulled out my laptop. The internet connection wasn’t the best, but it was enough for what I needed—drafting the next steps in the Delimano partnership. I liked setting up terms, conditions, and a roadmap plan for new projects. I was officially the Chief Operations Officer in the company, but in reality, I was a jack of all trades, and I liked it that way. This partnership was all about opening doors on this side of the ocean. Delimano was going to oversee our first construction project in Europe. This was a huge step in our overseas expansion. I had all the reasons to be in a festive mood and pat myself on the back.
But my mood didn’t improve even after a few hours of sleep, when we landed in New York.
I passed customs and collected my luggage in record time. Stepping out into the arrival area, I was just about to order an Uber when I saw three familiar faces waving at me: Tess, Skye, and Ryker.
I couldn’t believe my siblings were here. Was I the luckiest bastard in the world or what?
Tess stood out most. Her light brown hair was piled up into a bun, and she was holding a neon-colored sign that said Welcome Home. Ryker stood behind our oldest sister, pointing with both forefingers at her, mouthing, It was her idea.
Skye was just smiling, holding both hands on her enormous belly. My nephew was growing nicely, and he still had two more months to go.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked when I reached them.
“Surprising you, of course,” Tess answered, batting her eyelashes. “Did we go over the top? Wait, don’t answer that. We just missed you.”
I laughed, pulling my oldest sister in for a hug. Yeah, the sign was a bit over the top, but the Winchesters were like that. It was all or nothing, and I fully embraced the family motto.
I hugged Skye next and shook Ryker’s hand. “Sorry, bro. Tried to talk her out of the sign, but she was like a kid in a candy shop.”
Tess glowered at Ryker. “What? I thought it’s a nice touch.”
“It is,” I said quickly.
Ryker shook his head. “Man, keep indulging her and next time, she’ll bring a teddy bear too.”
I wouldn’t put that past Tess. She had her own way of doing things. I’d missed my family.
“Come on, let’s buy a huge-ass breakfast and eat it at my place,” I suggested.
“We already have that covered.” Ryker held up a bag I hadn’t noticed before.
It took a while to get out of JFK with all the traffic, but we arrived at my loft quickly. Once inside, we laid food on the coffee table in my living room and sat around it, devouring it.
Tess smiled, her eyes closed as she sipped from her coffee cup. “Tell us about the trip,” she said.
“How was Laney? Gave you good tips?” Skye asked.
“Yes. I ended up doing a one-day tour at the Colosseum with her.”
“That’s a great— Wait, what’s with that expression?” Tess asked. Both she and Skye now had trained their gazes on me.
I felt as if I was under a magnifying glass. Schooling my features now wouldn’t help one bit; quite the contrary. They’d know I was trying to keep something from them.
“He isn’t his usual happy self,” Skye remarked.
> “Hmm... you’re right,” Tess added, tilting her head. I loved keeping them on their toes when they were like this. Also, I was very curious if they’d eventually guess. I was betting against that outcome... I couldn’t even believe myself that I was all twisted up.
“Maybe he’s sad he didn’t get to see more of Rome,” Skye theorized.
“Maybe the deal didn’t go quite as planned,” Tess said.
Damn, I was good. They’d never guess at this rate, but I enjoyed the process. I was making a concerted effort not to laugh.
“Maybe he’s just messing with you,” Ryker suggested helpfully. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I burst out laughing. No one could read me better than Ryker.
“You’re bad,” Tess teased, pushing me away playfully.
Skye’s jaw dropped. “Wait, you actually were messing with us?”
“Sort of,” I answered, because I didn’t like lying.
“You can’t do that to me, I’m pregnant,” Skye exclaimed.
“Cole Harry Winchester,” Tess said. I groaned. Nothing good ever came from anyone in my family using my middle name. “You don’t fool me. I’m noticing some suspicious frown lines. It’s not jet lag or business related.”
I yawned, shaking my head. I’d actually planned on telling my family about Laney, if only to get some perspective and because I was a believer in our no-secrets policy. After our dad abandoned us, Tess had come up with it, insisting we had to talk to each other, that it was better than keeping it all in, and I agreed one hundred percent. I liked being able to talk to my siblings about everything. Hearing their perspective was always useful.
But I’d planned to tell them after I’d gotten over the jet lag, or at least after a good night sleep in my own bed. But then again, the best laid plans never worked out in my family. It was an unwritten rule, but I still liked to try my luck from time to time.
“I liked spending time with Laney,” I began. No one reacted. “Anyway, it was a lot of fun and...” I didn’t finish the sentence because that was basically it. I didn’t know how to put everything else into words.
“And holy shit, she made an impression if you’re still thinking about her now,” Tess said.
Ryker just looked stunned.
Skye pointed a finger at Ryker. “Don’t give him shit.”
“I wasn’t going to,” my brother replied slowly, still looking stunned. Okay, so I did feel a bit like a shithead for causing this reaction in the first place. True, I was an eternal bachelor, but I wasn’t a jackass. It was simple and easy, and no one got hurt. Relationships were messy and unpredictable, and they could implode even after decades, as had been the case with our parents. Being a bachelor was just easier, and it worked for me. The bachelor group used to be bigger—Hunter and Ryker had been my brothers-in-arms, but now Hunter had married Josie, Isabelle’s sister. Ryker had gotten married last year to Heather; they’d shared the ceremony with Skye and her fiancé, Robert, who’d wanted a speedy wedding before the baby was born. Tess and I were the only unattached ones in the family.
“Okay, so I’m sensing that we won’t get too many details, but that’s okay. We can circle back to the topic once you’re not jet lagged anymore.”
“Why, thank you for being so merciful, sister,” I said mockingly. Tess just wiggled her eyebrows. I laughed, now focusing on them. “Anyone have any news?”
“Heather and I are thinking about giving Avery a sibling,” Ryker said.
It was my turn to be stunned. I knew my brother was happily married, and he’d just finalized the adoption of his wife’s daughter, but this was definitely news.
“Congrats on deciding on that step,” I said. Tess hugged him.
Skye patted her belly. “Our kids could play together. That would be awesome.”
I agreed with Skye. It would be great for the next generation of Winchesters to grow up together. I remembered early on feeling that I could count on my family no matter what—except my dad, obviously, but I’d always had this uncanny ability of focusing on what was instead of what was missing, and it had always brought me a lot of joy. I’d been twelve when our father had bailed on us. To me, it had seemed that everything had happened from one day to the next. On the evening before we were set to move to New York, I found my mom sobbing in a corner. She tried to hide it when she noticed me, but I couldn’t unsee it. I’d made myself a promise that night not to give my mother further reason to be sad. I pestered Ryker until he agreed with me.
The Winchester clan lived by policies and pacts, and I liked it that way. Tess had insisted that there should be no secrets among us. Ryker and I had, in turn, insisted on the pact that we’d always have each other’s backs.
I couldn’t help laughing as I remembered that evening, how determined Ryker and I were to take care of our sisters, even though we were younger.
We all coped in our own way. Mom threw herself into her work as a teacher, taking on every additional job at the school that was available to make ends meet.
Tess and Skye helped, waitressing after school. I got my first job when I was thirteen, mowing lawns after school. It had been rather grueling, especially in the humid summer days, but it had taught me the value of hard work. And when I’d been old enough to work in restaurants, I’d found a job waiting tables on top of that. Even now, when I was in my office late at night, handling projects or double-checking cost structures, it didn’t feel gruesome at all.
Mom had insisted with all of us that we focus on school and learning so we could get good jobs in the future. The truth was, we probably would have anyway, but we wanted her to feel that she could count on us, that she didn’t have the weight of the entire family on her shoulders.
Even to this day, I wanted to make sure Mom never felt financially insecure. She wasn’t, of course, between her pension and savings. She and Mick had done well for themselves, but that impulse to protect her was still there. It probably always would be. It extended to my sisters too, whether they wanted it or not—most often they didn’t, but some things couldn’t be helped.
That was what it meant to have a family to us, and I could see this dynamic being passed to the next generation. And just like that, Laney popped back in my thoughts...
“Any other news?” I asked, trying to distract myself.
Tess nodded. “Yes. The good news is, the next ballroom gala is our busiest yet. It will likely be the last one for this season.”
Terrific! We ran these events for charity, and busy events meant we raised a lot of money. The gala season lasted from September to June, and the number of events always depended on how fast we gathered the necessary funds.
“And the bad news?”
“The bad news is, we need your approval on a few details right away.”
“I see. You brought the sign so you could guilt me into working,” I teased.
Skye grinned. “No, that’s what breakfast was for.”
“It can’t wait until the next working lunch?” We had one coming up on Wednesday. “The event is mid-May. That’s two months away.”
“We need to get the ball rolling right away,” Ryker explained.
“I slept on the plane, so I’m all yours for a few hours, then I’ll probably crash.” It was only a six-hour time difference, but my sleepless plane ride was starting to catch up with me. I got up and went to my carry-on to take out my laptop. The gift bags caught my eye.
“By the way, anyone want their souvenirs before we start to work?”
“Yessss!” Tess exclaimed. The other two nodded.
Laney was front and center in my mind as I handed out the gifts. I’d bought the last ones with her after our tour. I chuckled, remembering her cute but awkward “What happens in Rome, stays in Rome” speech. We’d only kissed, and I’d only known her for two days, but she’d been in my thoughts ever since I boarded that plane. I liked spending time with her. It had been the first time I’d gotten so caught up in an activity I was doing outside of work or spending t
ime with my family, and I knew it was all because of Laney. Her enthusiasm had been captivating. She’d been captivating. I’d been tempted to message her since my landing, but she’d made her boundaries clear...
When Tess got out her iPad, I rolled my shoulders, zeroing in on the screen. This was just what I needed to get my head back in the game and push any thoughts of Rome—and Laney—to the back of my mind. Once I’d put the jet lag behind me, I was going to be my usual self again: focused and in a great mood. I was sure of it.
Chapter Six
Cole
One week later, pushing Laney out of my mind proved to be nothing more than wishful thinking. It just wasn’t my style to walk around frowning or barking commands. Half my team was looking at me warily whenever they passed me; the other half was avoiding me. I didn’t like this one bit.
Was I ruthless when necessary? Hell, yes.
But I was also the type of boss who always kept his door open and was close enough to his team to know when anyone had personal problems or wanted a new challenge. You could say I was a considerate... tyrant.
Just before I left for Rome, I’d promoted one of our employees from the operations to the finance department. Even he was avoiding me. Great. Just great.
On Thursday afternoon, Tess surprised me by visiting me at the office.
“Tess, anything wrong?” I asked the second she entered the room.
“I can’t visit my brother?”
“Of course you can. You just usually don’t come by yourself. Do you need anything? Is anything wrong with the store?”
Her store was in Soho, and my office building was on the Upper West side—not exactly on her way home. The only other time Tess had come to see me alone was when she’d wanted to ask my opinion about quitting her job to focus full-time on the store. She’d been at wits’ end, completely drained of energy, and had admitted that she couldn’t do both things anymore. I’d felt oddly proud that she counted on my advice.
