"Because it wasn't a big deal, okay," I snapped. "It was a random thing. I forgot all about it until I saw her again and then it just didn't matter anymore."
His gaze went to the offensive pictures then. Damn it. I regretted keeping those. I loved how they had turned out, how they represented so much beauty and mystery. But that was before I knew what a pain in the ass she was. And now Cole believed I was hiding something.
"Baby-"
"What do you want me to do about this, Wells?" he asked me quietly.
I sighed. "Just ignore it. Throw it away. Burn it. I don't care."
He studied me, drawing his own conclusions. I could sense his brain working overtime.
"I'm not sharing her," he finally stated determinedly. "I already made that clear in the beginning. And you agreed to it. She isn't like all the other girls. The only reason I brought her here to live with us was because I trusted you to stay away."
"Jesus, Cole, I get it," I hissed at him angrily.
"Are you sure?" he shot back. "Because I get the feeling you're not being honest with me. Or yourself for that matter. I promised her she had nothing to worry about from you. If she knew what your thoughts were-"
"You're being completely ridiculous," I countered, snapping off my socks and then starting on my shirt buttons.
Sex was not going to fix this but he was being so damn stupid right now and I was so angry that fucking it all out of our systems was probably the best way to go right now. I could not keep explaining myself to him.
"Maybe I am being ridiculous. But it's just hard for me to digest the fact that you kept these in your personal collection for so long. And you never labelled the file or used it for any of your portfolios so can you blame me for being suspicious?"
I did not want to talk about this anymore so I refused to respond. Saying nothing, I removed my shirt and then my trousers draping them over the chair before sitting back down on the bed, too angry to approach him for sex now. Just what did he think of me? I would never betray him. Never hurt him like that. Not like he did to me.
After a minute, Cole walked over and stood in front of me, making my heart leap with crazy hope despite the situation. I thought he wanted to embrace me, kiss me hard in a punishing manner. Show me how he could not bear the thought of my attention going towards somebody else. But what he said next made everything go cold inside.
"I'm spending the night with Skye, okay. She's upset. She needs me."
I sucked in a painful breath and slowly lifted my face to his, unable to believe this was my lover. My partner of six years. The guy who once told me he was crazy about me even though I acted like an asshole most of the time.
"Okay," I managed to choke out quietly because words failed me then.
He started to leave but then paused and returned to open the bedside drawer and retrieve a pair of headphones from inside.
My mouth went dry as he placed them firmly next to me on the bed before flicking me a meaningful glance. Silence fell between us then. The emotional kind where nothing could penetrate it or break it. I felt numb as I watched him leave the room closing the door softly behind him.
~~~
Chapter 14
Skye
Cole walked into my room that evening wearing nothing but a towel, his skin slick with moisture due to the shower he had just taken and many of his well-defined muscles on display. Sitting on the edge of the bed, my gorgeous boyfriend looked me over with an assessing gaze. I did the same to him.
"Is everything okay with you and Jas-?"
"Please don't say his name," Cole interrupted me softly. "Tonight isn't about him."
I took a deep breath and dared to hope. "Okay."
Taking one of my hands in his, he raised it to his lips, kissing my fingertips and my breath hitched at the sensual feel of his lips against my skin.
"Do you have work tomorrow?" he asked in a low voice and started to drag my fingers down to his neck and then his chest.
I swallowed hard, unable to think clearly because of the lustful urges starting to rise up inside me.
"No," I whispered and he smiled slightly.
"Perfect." His other hand reached out to place a couple of condoms on my bedside table before moving to my knee as he began to caress it slowly. "Good thing we slept this afternoon, huh?"
I raised my eyebrows at him. "Is this going where I think this is going?" I asked him breathlessly.
Cole grinned in response, glanced down at himself where his erection was beginning to tent the towel and then looked back at me.
"Skye."
My name was like a sigh of pleasure upon his lips. A primitive call. A yearning.
I gazed at him with all the feelings I could no longer keep locked up inside my heart. "I love you so much."
He leaned forward to pull me onto his lap and I gasped at the feel of him hard underneath me through the towel
"Cole," I moaned with need because fuck, it had been so long and I wanted this so bad.
"Sshhh, baby," he murmured against my lips, his thumbs brushing back and forth against my nipples through the thin fabric of my t-shirt. "I know. I'm sorry I made you wait so long."
I made another sound to convey my emotions, feeling completely turned on and out of my mind for this man. "I need you, Cole," I whispered, squirming against his erection and he groaned with pleasure and frustration.
In that moment, I did not care how desperate I sounded and he probably related because he tossed me down on the bed and removed his towel with a look on his face that matched my own hunger. Taking my cue, I quickly shed my t-shirt and shorts which Cole helped me out of before our mouths crashed against each other's.
"Mmm, God, yes," I could not help but utter shamelessly running my hands all over his hard muscles.
"Fuck, Skye, I want you so bad," he grunted and sucked on my tits with so much fervour, I almost fainted.
Gasping loudly when his fingers drifted down to my pussy and slid along the opening, I felt like eating him up. That was how horny I was.
"I want your cock. I want your cock now," I told him urgently.
He laughed at me huskily. "Jesus. Slow down, woman. Let me make it good for you."
I was beyond turned on. His body felt too good. His kisses and the bold strokes of his hands on my skin set me on fire. I had a feeling I was not going to be able to hold back my orgasm for too long because I already felt the pressure building unbearably.
At one point as I writhed and moved beneath him in abandonment, Cole licked and placed open-mouthed kisses on my neck and muttered, "God, you're so responsive."
No shame. No judgment. I loved it.
"And you feel soo good," I moaned, snatching fistfuls of his hair and nibbling on his jaw line and earlobe while waves of desire crashed over me.
"Wait till I'm inside you, baby," he replied with a grunt. "I'm going to feel so much better," he promised.
His words sent me over the edge. It was as though he had already plunged inside me. I cried out my release and Cole lifted his head, his face flushed and features tightened with lust.
"Fuck," he whispered as if in pain and I heard him tearing open a foil package as I recovered from my intense climax, his mouth latching onto a straining nipple as he finally slid inside me.
A groan of pleasure escaped his throat once he was buried balls deep in me and I whimpered, so damn wet and sensitive down there.
Cole began sliding his cock in and out of me and it felt amazing. So amazing that I could not help but confess, "Cole. It's been a while for me, you know. I haven't even been using my vibrator since I moved in. I wanted to wait."
He laughed jerkily at my words and increased the pacing of his thrusts, probably lost in a realm of pleasure because that was sure where I was headed for the second time that night. Gasping and straining against each other, we cried out upon reaching climax simultaneously and Cole's hot, heavy weight fell on top of me, spent.
He did not remain like that though. After a minute
or so, he moved and lay down beside me, his breathing slowing down a little while he murmured something incoherent with his eyes closed, a satisfied expression on his angelically handsome face. He seemed to have dozed off. I looked at his sleeping form for a while before slowly sliding out of bed and pulling on my t-shirt. I needed a bathroom break.
Spotting the pile of laundry which belonged to me in the hamper, I could not help but smile to myself. He said Adalina the cleaning lady had been in here during the day and tidied up my room as best as she could but she could not tell the clean clothes from the dirty ones. He had insisted on me sorting them out and taken them to the laundry area. Now I realised why he had wanted to make sure my room was looking perfect for our first time together. It was kind of nice not to have to worry about a messy room while enjoying a sexy night-in with your boyfriend.
I was not sure what to do now because sleep was the last thing on my mind. The sex was over. It had been fantastic. I would have liked for him to have remained awake for a little while at least so we could murmur sexy little nothings in each other's ears but oh well, I couldn't complain. He did give me two mind-blowing orgasms.
Heading back into the bedroom, I glanced at him briefly, lying there like some beautiful, naked Greek God totally sated and content. A little smile formed on my lips as I bent to pick up my shorts from the floor.
"What're you doing?" His voice was drowsy while he regarded me with a slight frown from his position on the bed.
I straightened, holding the shorts to my chest and smiling sheepishly. "I don't like sleeping naked," I explained with a shrug.
Cole stretched a little, his gaze becoming more focused. "Wait, you're sleepy?" he questioned me. When I did not answer, he grinned at me. "Is once always enough for you, Skye?" was his bold question and I felt heat spreading across my skin.
"Um...you're the one who fell asleep," I pointed out in confusion.
He shook his head at me before getting out of bed and walking over to me with a smile. "That wasn't me sleeping," he murmured, his hands taking my shorts away and tossing them God knows where. "That was me recovering."
I bit my lip, my head bowing as I blushed and Cole laughed a little at my shyness as he picked me up and headed back to the bed with me. I was already turned on again at his manhandling and forward behaviour as he stretched out on the sheets once more, tugging gently on my wrists so that I was positioned on top of him. My eyes widened at his lazy grin while he palmed my breasts from beneath me, kneading the sensitive flesh and driving me crazy again.
"You want to be on top this time?" he asked in a playful voice while he hardened once more and reached for another condom on the side table.
God, yes. This guy was amazing. So fucking sexy. So unashamedly sensual. So inclusive because he wanted me to enjoy myself as much as him instead of only taking pleasure from me.
"It's going to be a long night," he murmured in a teasing tone as he gripped my hips and his indulgent attitude made me lean over and take his mouth in a deep, passionate kiss.
"Bring it on, baby," I told him in a whisper when he groaned against my mouth.
He was everything, everything I had ever imagined and so much more. Like a prayer I had never expected to be answered.
~~~
Chapter 15
Skye
I woke up to a rosy dawn illuminating my room with the soft whistle of leaves outside my window and Cole's warm body nestled against mine.
Man. What a night. A smile formed on my lips as I recalled all the dirty details. My body felt sated and my soul felt as though it had gone through some kind of major rejuvenation.
My Cole was perfect. Glancing towards him, I was surprised to note that he was actually awake and his eyes were fixed on one of my paintings propped up in the corner. A dull, grey sky and people dressed in drab colours. I had drawn that during my separation phase from Cole.
"Baby?"
He startled upon hearing my voice and masked the seriousness of his demeanour by giving me an instant, boyish smile.
"Hey. I thought you'd never wake up," he murmured and reached out a hand to caress my cheek fondly. "Good morning."
I pressed into his touch, savoring it for a few seconds before sitting up slowly. "Ow," I said at once and he frowned at me.
"What? What's wrong?"
I bit back a giggle. "Nothing. Just...sore."
His answering smirk was naughty and full of ownership and he leaned forward to brush his lips against mine, looking down at me with so much love, my heart skipped a few beats before resuming its natural rhythm.
"What were you thinking just now before I woke up?" I asked curiously, running my fingers lightly over his chest.
His lips parted but he did not speak as he looked at me uncertainly. Then he shook his head and moved away. "I'm hungry. I thought I'll wait for you and then we'll have breakfast together," he stated, throwing his legs out of bed and looking for something to wear.
He seemed a little agitated for some reason and then stiffened when he heard the sound of dishes clinking in the kitchen and a cupboard drawer opening.
"Shit," he muttered, grabbing his discarded towel from last night and getting up to wrap it around himself. "Skye, do you mind if I jump into the shower for a minute? I just...I need to-" He closed his eyes upon hearing another sound in the kitchen and that was when I knew what had him so wound up.
Jasper.
He felt...guilty? I wanted to ask him but the look on his face gave me pause. Maybe he just needed to sort it out himself. In the shower.
"I'll make us something to eat," I told him, getting out of bed and pulling on my t-shirt and shorts.
Cole gave me a grateful look. Then he followed me out of the room and I could not miss the fact that he avoided looking at Jasper at all costs while heading towards the bathroom. Jasper, on the other hand, had no problem looking at him before extending me the same courtesy as I strode over to the kitchen.
"Hi," I said hesitantly but he just stared at me with a blank expression.
Oookay. Point taken. This was awkward. So, so awkward. Cole loved me so much and this was all open and legit so why did I still feel like the other woman?
I finished drinking a glass of water and turned to find Jasper still staring at me from the top of his coffee mug. He was wearing shorts. Just a pair of shorts which showed off his hunky body. His hair was all messed up and his stubble gave him that rough, sensual look which made the kitten in me want to say 'Meow'. That same burning curiosity arose in me yet again but I squashed it.
"Oh, come on," I burst out, losing the silent stare-down contest because I just could not take his judgment anymore. "You knew this was inevitable the day you asked me to come back. Stop making me feel guilty."
His eyebrows came together as he lowered his coffee cup. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said in his sexy morning voice.
"Stop sounding like Gerard fucking Butler," I snapped without meaning to.
He looked at me as though I was crazy. "What?"
"Nothing. So I slept with your boyfriend. How many times must we go over this? He's my boyfriend too and you're responsible for making that happen," I declared loudly.
Jasper turned to refill his mug. "Doesn't make it any easier," he muttered and I sighed and sagged against the sink, watching his broad back with a guilt-ridden expression.
Fuck, why did this have to be so complicated? Why did he have to be so complicated, making me care when I should just be enjoying my relationship without worrying about how Jasper fucking Wells dealt with his issues?
"Do you...er...want to talk about it?" I offered slowly. God, what was I saying? But it was like I could not stop. The fixer in me would not let me. "I mean, I know it must be hard for you. I heard you and Cole arguing about something-"
"Don't," he gritted out, throwing me a dangerous look. "Don't you fucking question where I stand with him because your brain would never be able to comprehend just what we are to each other."
&n
bsp; I gaped at him. "Jasper, I was just being considerate-"
"Whatever," he barked at me, grabbing his coffee and walking away. "Warm his breakfast. It's in the fridge. And make him lemon juice. He likes it."
I bit back a grin at those caring words spoken in his stern voice.
"Okay, Daddy," I said under my breath and then sucked in a sharp breath when Jasper paused at his bedroom door and scowled at me over his shoulder. Shit. Did he hear me?
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