I nuzzled into her neck, inhaling her sweet scent and tasting her warm flesh. I wanted her body snug around my cock. I ached for it. “I can’t stay away from you.”
Laney gave a little whimper and her hips arched up toward mine. “Cole, please.”
I growled, taking her hips in my firm grasp, lining my cock up to claim her. The air thickened with need until I could have sworn time slowed. Just as slowly, I pressed into her, sinking into her tight warmth with a satisfied groan. I held myself there, and our gazes met, and hers widened when she felt me throb inside her.
“Cole, I need you. Please.” Her hips tried to buck in my hands.
Every shred of self-control I possessed disintegrated. Pulling back, I pushed home. Her back arched, and her legs wrapped around my waist.
I filled her over and over. The tilt of her hips letting me in so deep that my control began to wear thin. Before I could blow, I rolled us, and she settled on top of me. Her cheeks were flush and her eyes sparkled feverishly. Gripping her hips, I helped guide her as she began working figure eights on me.
When my eyes rolled back in my head, I took control, rocking her back and forth on my cock, lost in the desire burning between us. My vision when white the second she started fluttering around me. Digging my fingers into her skin, I pumped into her, taking her over the edge. When she screamed, I finally let go, coming harder than I ever had in my life.
She collapsed on my chest, breathing hard and hot as a furnace.
Trailing my fingertips lightly up her back, I allowed the dreamlike fog that filled my brain to push everything else to the corners of my mind. Nothing else mattered but the woman in my arms. Nothing else existed but us in that moment.
Nothing but us.
9
Laney
Had we really done that again?
I blinked at the window as early morning light streamed through the curtains and the brilliant sunshine promised another warm day. Rolling over, I realized I was alone in my bed. I sat up, scanning the room for Cole. My heart squeezed in my chest.
Had he left while I was asleep? Why did that make me sad? Did I really want him to have spent the night with me after he’d made it clear that being together wasn’t what he wanted?
I slipped out of bed, dragging the sheet with me and wrapping it around my body. On the way to the bathroom, I heard his voice out in the living room.
Peeking through the small crack from the door left ajar, at the front door he was accepting bags from a delivery guy. I took a moment to admire Cole. He’d thrown on pants, but no shirt, and I enjoyed the way his muscles moved under the skin of his back and shoulders. Damn.
So, he had stayed.
Having sex was incredibly intimate, but spending the night with a man? That was way more intimate. I’d never done it. It required a level of trust that I hadn’t thought I had. But I trusted Cole, and that in itself was scary.
Cole turned, caught sight of me, and smiled. He offered a bag to me. “I ordered breakfast.”
I opened the door wider, leaning against the doorframe and arching an eyebrow at him as I crossed my arms. I wasn’t going to let him know how pleased I was with this situation. He’d made the rule about us not having sex, after all. Now he was getting us breakfast after he spent the night. He was going to give himself whiplash if this kept up.
“Have you tried avocado waffles?” He sounded hopeful as he stood in the foyer, bag held up. “They’re supposed to be savory rather than sweet.”
Okay, he had me at avocado.
“Breakfast in bed?” I offered. With my mouth watering, I turned and headed back toward the bed. The sheet caught air and billowed around my legs as I perched on the side of the bed, my chin held high.
He followed, sitting heavily on the other side of the mattress. I studied his powerful shoulders and the way he moved as he opened the bags. Heat blazed white-hot low in my belly and my breath left in a whoosh.
His eyes met mine and narrowed. A heartbeat passed, then another while we studied one another. My heart fluttered against my ribs like a moth against a lantern, and when his gaze dropped to my lips I saw stars. Suddenly feeling faint, I sucked in a deep breath, only just then aware I’d been holding it.
“Are you hungry?” His voice was deep, gravelly.
I had a feeling he wasn’t asking me if I wanted breakfast. Gaze still locked on his, I gave a tiny nod.
He settled back and opened up one of the bags. The Styrofoam container shrieked as he opened it and passed it to me.
Stunned by the sudden turnaround, I blinked a couple times before taking the food he offered. “I’m hungry for you.” The words sounded shy as they came out of my mouth, and my cheeks burned.
His hands stilled, but he didn’t look at me. “I know.” Those two words sent a shiver down my spine. “But we need to talk.”
“I swear, if you tell me it was a mistake—”
He chuckled. “No, I’m not saying that at all. If I’m going to pretend to be your boyfriend, then we need to nail down details. How long have we been dating? Are we planning to get married?”
“Calm down, cowboy. You’re just posing as a loving boyfriend for my sister’s wedding.”
A grin flashed across his face.
My heart fluttered as I stared at him. He was so damn handsome, and hearing him talk about being my boyfriend made my whole body tingle with warmth.
His gaze met mine, then moved back to the container in his hands. He opened the white takeout box and offered me a piece of bacon.
I took it with a soft “thank you” and took a bite.
He watched me carefully as I chewed. “Just dating, then? Will they suspect you’re doing it to piss them off or just to have a date for your sister’s wedding?”
He had a point. And damn, he was right.
The deeper I got into this, the more I’d realized I was being an immature little brat. This was something my sister might do, the trickery and sneaking around. She’d humiliate me if she found out it was all part of the sham I’d invented. What I was doing was wrong and I knew it. But it was too late to back out now. I was trapped, locked into this plan. And even if there was an easy out, I wouldn’t take it. I didn’t want to let Cole off the hook that easily.
I let out a sigh and took a bite of the avocado waffle. The crunchy bacon bits and the flavor of parmesan attacked my tongue first. The creamy avocado balanced well with a hint of spice and a sweetness that lingered after I swallowed.
Staring at it in amazement, it took a moment for me to realize he was speaking to me. “Do you like it?”
“Like it? I love it! This is so good.” I practically moaned the words, and the flash of pleasure and heat in his eyes surprised me.
“The waffles are supposed to be slightly sweet. They said they use coconut milk, buttermilk, and maple syrup.”
I nodded. My tongue confirmed all of that. “And lemon?” I was sure there was something citrus in there.
He nodded. “Yep, fresh squeezed.”
“This might be my new favorite thing.” I took another bite and lost myself in the flavors before noticing the smile on his face.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“You’re right, though.” My brain switched gears. “If we say we’re new, my family’s going to suspect, I’m pretty sure.”
He nodded, taking a bite of his eggs. “I think we’d be better off saying we’ve been dating off and on for a while, just that you kept it a secret for obvious reasons.” Something in his tone of voice held a hint of how that scene back in high school had made him feel.
I laid my hand on his. “I’m sorry for the way they treated you. You deserved better. Still do.”
He went still and his dark eyes surveyed my face. We didn’t say anything for a moment, yet I’d swear everything that needed to be said passed between us just then.
When I let go to take another bite of waffle, he continued to study me.
“How about, you never said anything about us
because it’s not serious.” He quirked up one brow, waiting for my response, but the sharp pain in my stomach prevented me from answering. He nodded his head. “So that’s settled.”
I finally found my voice, and wanted to rake him over the coals a little. “What do we do about breaking your rules?” Plus, I was genuinely curious what the plan would be now. After all, there’d been touching and sex, both things he’d said absolutely no to. I wasn’t in love with him, but two out of three rules had been broken, not a good ratio.
“I told you last night, I can’t keep my hands off you.”
He had. The thought of that moment sent an excited shiver through me, and flashes of how he’d touched me last night rolled across my vision. Warmth flooded every inch of my being and I wanted him to put his hands on me again. I wanted his body to demand that mine yield to him, that my body accept all of him. A tiny, stunned gasp of need burst out of me and he arched an eyebrow as he crunched into another piece of bacon.
“Yeah, I don’t think keeping our hands to ourselves is something we’ll be able to do.” My voiced tremored, I was so turned on.
We ate in silence for a few moments. The thought of how I was going to trick my family weighed on me a bit, but I brushed it off. What was the worst that could happen? They wouldn’t figure it out. It made sense that we would run into each other at some point, and maybe go out. That their attempt to pull us apart all those years ago wouldn’t hold. My mom would claim she’d known it all along. Dad would likely be pissed. Cadence would cry and scream and tell me he couldn’t be at her wedding. A smile crept onto my face.
I could only hope my family wouldn’t hurt Cole more than they already had. Should I should warn him how this was going to go down? But then, what if he backed out? Besides, he had to know things wouldn’t play out any differently than they had the first time I’d brought him home.
“You’re pretty deep in thought.” He finished off his breakfast and tossed the carton on the bed.
“Just nervous.” It wasn’t a lie. I was nervous about how this would go.
“Everything will be fine.” He reached out and squeezed my hand. The contact had an instant effect on me; goose bumps began to break out and travel up my arms. I didn’t want him to stop touching me, and as if he’d read my mind, his hand ran up my arm toward my shoulder. His eyes followed the motion, then ticked to mine. “Are you cold?”
I shook my head, mesmerized by him. His dark eyes narrowed and he trailed his fingertips up my shoulder to my neck before tracing around my ear. I sighed. My eyelids drifted closed and I focused on the tickle of his touch and the arcing sensations popping through me.
“You said no touching,” I whispered teasingly, and his hand hesitated before trailing back down my neck, across my collarbone and down my arm. His warm hand rested on mine a moment, and I opened my eyes and blinked up at him.
“Is that what you want?” The growl in his voice excited me even more.
I shook my head. It wasn’t what I wanted. Not at all. I wanted him to touch me. I wanted him to do more than touch me.
He leaned in, and my heart tried to pound right out of my chest. His lips touched mine, gentle and hungry all at once, making my whole body melt like a chocolate bar on the dash of a car parked in the sunshine.
“It’s not what I want either.” His lips tickled the sensitive skin of mine, and he tasted salty, like bacon. “I’m not sure I can get enough of you, Laney.”
My whole body hummed with warmth. I leaned closer to him, fully aware that the only thing covering me was a sheet that hadn’t been wrapped perfectly. When it slipped, cool air caressed my skin while excitement blazed bright though me. Oh, I wanted him to try to get his fill of me. I wanted that badly.
His lips claimed mine, but we both froze as a knock at my front door intruded on our kiss. I pulled back a tiny bit and met his even gaze.
“More breakfast?” I hoped it was his doing. Maybe the delivery person had forgotten something and stopped back by?
But Cole shook his head.
Another knock and my heart began to race. Who the heck could be at my door? If it was my mom or dad or Cadence…well, things would get ugly.
10
Cole
“Laney? Are you here?”
Laney’s eyes got bigger than soup bowls, confirming my suspicion that I recognized the voice calling out. Amber—Laney’s best friend. And judging by the tone of Amber’s voice, she suspected her friend was home and that she wasn’t home alone. Damn, hadn’t I locked the door?
“One sec!” Laney leaped into action, the sheet billowing around her as she flew to her bedroom door and snapped it closed. “She has a key.” She hissed the words at me.
I shrugged. I wasn’t ashamed of being caught. Not because I was thrilled to have another notch in the old bedpost, but because Laney and I had a history that included Amber. I couldn’t wait for her to realize what was going on.
“You have to get dressed.” Laney was panicking. It was so cute, I wanted to kiss her as she leaned into the door, obviously unaware that she was the one that was naked and wrapped up in a sheet. When I quirked an eyebrow, she looked down at herself. “Oh god, I have to get dressed.”
“Everything okay?” Amber’s voice was on the other side of the door.
“Yeah.” Laney’s attempt to sound normal resembled her voice after choking on a drink of water. “I’m just not dressed.”
“Who are you talking to in there?” Amber was unfazed. In high school, they had never been ashamed to share all their secrets. They’d traded clothes and spent every second together.
“Um, nobody.”
Great, I’d been demoted to nobody. Still, I couldn’t be more than just irritated while watching it all unfold. A slight smile tugged at the corners of my lips, and Laney’s face shifted into anger.
This isn’t funny, she mouthed at me.
I couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “It’s kind of funny,” I said at a half-whisper, lifting both shoulders.
Her brows lowered over her beautiful, snapping-furious hazel eyes. She scooped my shirt up off the dresser where I’d put it this morning and threw it in my face.
“Laney?” Amber tapped her fingernails on the door.
“Yeah, give me a minute.”
I could tell by her voice that Laney was trying to figure out what to do.
The shirt slid off my face and into my lap. I caught full sight of Laney as she leaned on the door like she could hold it closed against the tidal wave that was her friend. Like a gift from some wicked god, the sheet slipped off her at the same moment Amber pushed on the door.
It swung open and Laney scrambled to lift the sheet and cover herself as Amber stared. “What is going on with you—” Amber’s light blue eyes met mine and her lips formed an o. “Oh, no.” She shook her head as she took in my bare chest. “What were you thinking?” She directed the question at Laney, but said to me, “No offense.”
“None taken.” I knew her words didn’t come from a cruel place. Amber didn’t have a mean bone in her body. I also knew she didn’t like me one bit, yet she’d never once been mean-spirited.
“Oh, honey.” Amber helped Laney wrap the sheet back around her body. “I’ll just turn around while you get some clothes on.” Amber turned her back to Laney, then lifted her index finger and made a circular motion toward me, telling me to do the same.
I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. “I didn’t make that deal. I’m the boyfriend.”
Amber let out a stunned snort and glared at Laney, who was staring at me with her mouth hanging open.
“Not for real,” Laney blurted out, and I arched an eyebrow at her.
“What is going on?”
Laney sighed, blowing a stray lock of hair off her forehead. “Okay, so you know Candence is getting married. I have to have a date. So I asked Cole to pretend to be my boyfriend…to…to get even with them for being so mean to me…”
Amber seemed stunned as her attention swung to me. Sh
e crossed her arms, her brows coming together. “You let her do this? Her dad is going to kill her.”
I snorted and opened my mouth to respond, but Laney beat me to it.
“Amber, you let me worry about my dad. I’ve had more than I can take and I just want—” Her voice caught.
Amber and I both glanced at Laney. I was thinking about how oppressive her dad was, but I had no idea what frame of reference Amber was leaning on as we stared at a suddenly uncomfortable Laney.
“Turn around!” Laney shouted.
Amber turned around quickly, but I didn’t. Instead, I made eye contact with Laney, then slowly swiveled around until I couldn’t see her. I’d respect her wishes, but I wanted to make her squirm for a minute first. “I should probably head out.”
“Oh, no you don’t.” Amber stepped closer to me, like she was going to physically stop me from leaving. Not that she could. She had several inches of height on Laney; I’d guess her to be around five foot ten now, though I remembered them being about the same height. I doubted Laney was much more than the five foot five she’d been way back in the day. She was adorable and sexy all rolled into one confusing, insanely fun package.
“Did you have plans?” Laney didn’t sound happy.
I fought against the automatic urge to face the person I was speaking to. Did I have plans? Yeah, to get the fuck out before both women turned on me. “Nah. Just don’t want to interrupt girl time.” I inched toward the door. “Besides, I know Amber doesn’t like me, so I don’t want to make her uncomfortable.”
“How did you know…?”
“I just know. No hard feelings. Have fun, ladies.” I nodded and slipped out the door without looking back. But before I could get out the front door, a small hand landed on my shoulder and squeezed. I turned to face Laney as she planted a hand on her hip.
“Don’t tell anyone!”
“I’m afraid I can’t make that promise.” I smiled as a look crossed her face that told me she was thinking hard. She had absolutely no idea who I’d tell. I crossed my arms and shifted forward a tiny bit, wanting to kiss her goodbye.
Faking for Her Page 6