“I had one growing up. Mr. Whiskers.”
Warmth spread through her chest and she did her best to tamp it down. Falling for Mr. FBI wasn’t a smart move. “So they had cage after cage of cats. Most of them playing with their cage-mates, completely disinterested in any of the people looking at them. Then I came to my kitty. He was off by himself, watching the others play. A wallflower.” Getting choked up was not on the schedule of events.
Cole’s hand covered hers. He didn’t rush her, make a joke or cover it up with some flippant response. He just sat there with her.
It was a moment she would never forget.
She wiped a tear from her cheek and then took a deep breath. “I took him home that day. Lord Voldemort.”
Cole’s eyebrows went up and then he laughed with a shake of his head. “Great name.”
“I know, right? I gave him a bath. Not an easy task with a cat but at least he was still pretty small at that point. I cleaned him up and brushed out his fur and he was absolutely gorgeous.” Cole laced his fingers with hers and rubbed her thumb with his own. “He loved me. Bad hair, glasses, horrible fashion sense. Chunky. None of it mattered. So I decided to change.”
“Brave,” Cole muttered under his breath.
“Why do you say that? It wasn’t brave.”
“Sure it was. You went from invisible to a knockout. You draw attention I bet anywhere you go.”
“No I don’t.”
“I know you saw all of the guys on my floor staring at you while you left earlier. Your presence did not go unnoticed.”
“I just figured they were looking at something else.”
“No. They were looking at you, Charlie.”
She wrinkled her nose again. “It’s really strange thinking that. I just don’t see it. I’m still me.”
“Which makes you humble as well as brave. Very very rare qualities these days.”
“Why aren’t you married? Or were you married? And what about kids? I bet you’d make a great dad.”
He paused for a minute as if formulating exactly what he wanted to say. “Never found the right one to get married to. Just never felt that impetus to pop the question. Dated some really great girls, but something just wasn’t there. Always wanted to have kids. Especially being an only child. Here’s hoping I’ll be a great dad.” Sucking down the rest of his Coke Zero, he gestured toward her. “What about you? Marriage? Kids?”
“Well, I—”
“How was your meal?” Greg stepped up to the table. “Anything for dessert?”
“Charlie? Anything?”
“No. I’m so stuffed you might have to carry me to my car.”
“Me neither, Greg. Just the bill when you have it ready.”
He pulled a paper ticket from his apron and laid it upside-down between them. “They’ll take care of this at the front whenever you’re ready. Thanks for coming in and I hope to see you guys back again.”
“Thank you.” Charlie reached for the bill and Cole snatched it out from under her fingers.
“Ain’t no way.”
“At least let me pay my half.”
“Uh, no. I asked you on a date. You paying for your meal doesn’t go along with that whole date scenario.”
“Well, thank you. It was wonderful.”
“My pleasure. Truly.” He pulled his credit card out and stood. “You stay here for just a second and let me pay and then I’ll walk you to your car.” He slid into a suit jacket with the tail of the tie he wore earlier sticking out of the pocket.
He’d come right from work.
That somehow made her feel special. She tried to tamp down her attraction to him again and didn’t have any more luck than what she’d had earlier.
“Miss, is your husband still here?”
She looked up and Greg stood there holding a to-go box in a bag. “Oh, he’s not my husband. It’s our first date.” Probably their only date, but she didn’t want to say that one out loud.
“I forgot his to-go order of spaghetti and meatballs. I didn’t get it on his bill either.”
“Oooh. Let me take care of it. Can I pay you so it can be a surprise?”
“Sure.”
She pulled cash out of her purse and stood, handing it over.
Greg took it and smiled. “That dress is amazing. My girlfriend would give me the evil eye if she saw me staring but damn that dress is hot. Your date’s a lucky man.”
Smiling, Charlie took the bag and grabbed her purse. “It’s been a pretty good purchase. Glad I let my friend talk me into it. Thanks for the compliment and the food was amazing.”
“My pleasure.”
She turned to go and he headed back toward the kitchen.
“I needed an extra order of spaghetti and meatballs. I ordered it at the beginning of the meal and forgot all about it until now. If you can go ahead and add it, I can—”
“Nope. I got you covered. All taken care of.” She held up the bag.
“Excellent. I almost forgot to get it.” He faced the hostess behind the register. “How much do I owe you for it?” He pulled his wallet back out of his slacks.
“I paid Greg. So it’s all taken care of.”
“What do I owe you?”
“Nothing. It’s my treat. You wouldn’t let me pay anything for ours, so I’ll pay for whoever this belongs to. Paying it forward.” She smiled.
Then he kissed her.
Coletrane Johnson kissed her.
In the middle of Mario’s, with other people coming in and another couple walking up trying to pay, he kissed her.
His lips were soft and she loved the feel of his hand on the small of her back, pulling her body into his.
Some little noise of appreciation moved past her vocal cords and he lifted his head away. Before she could speak or ask a question or get a battery charger to jump-start her brain again, Cole scooped her up into his arms and strode toward the door.
“What are you doing?”
“You said you might need me to carry you to your car.”
“I said might. Might need you to carry me to my car.”
“Just wanted to make sure you got the full Buffalo date experience. City pride and all that.”
“You most definitely get an A+. Aren’t I too heavy for this?”
“Hot teacher giving me an A. That really shouldn’t turn me on as much as it just did. And too heavy? You’re joking, right?” He pushed open the door with his shoulder and pulled her closer when she shivered. “I’ve gotta have a good five inches on you without those heels you’re wearing and I’m a good fifty pounds heavier. I could carry you around for a while.”
His grip tightened and she hazarded a glance at him.
Strong.
Hot.
She needed to hightail it out of here before she made a fool of herself and did something ridiculous like ask him to her hotel.
“Charlie?”
“Huh?”
He grinned. “Where’s your car?”
“Oh, sorry. I got distracted.”
“By my dashing good looks?”
“Possibly.”
“You’re honest, too. Damn. Even when you’re blushing and sorta embarrassed. You’re so real. Not fake. That’s pretty rare in my line of work sometimes. And scratch the sometimes.”
“My rental’s that way.” Pointing in the general direction of the parking lot, she held onto the spaghetti. He took her toward the line of cars parked beside the building and she had to remember what her rental looked like. “It’s the blue Pilot.”
Didn’t take him but a few steps to set her outside the driver’s door. He took the bag with the food in it from her and set it on the roof.
“What are you—”
His lips… They were even better the second time around. He held her face betwe
en his palms, angling his head as he licked at the seam of her mouth. She opened on a sigh and held onto the lapels of his suit jacket.
“Your taste. I needed your taste.”
“You’re kissing me.” Out loud. Maybe if she said it out loud she’d believe it.
Again and again he kissed her until they both breathed heavy into the summer night. “And you’re kissing me back. Fuck, your lips are so soft, and you taste like watermelon.”
“Lip shmutz.”
He chuckled and put his forehead against hers. “You just said shmutz.”
“Not sexy at all, huh? Ugh. Sorry. I’m completely out of my element here. And my heart’s about to beat out of my chest.”
He lifted his head, staring down at her, then slid his hand from her cheek to rest on the side of her throat. Feeling her pulse. Learning what he did to her. Another reaction she couldn’t hide from him.
“So fast. Like a hummingbird.”
“Very fast.” She nibbled her lip and watched him lick her taste from his mouth. “Do you wanna come back to my hotel?”
“Hotel? I thought you’d be staying with Kia.”
She shook her head. “I like my own space and she’s dating another doctor from the hospital. Cramping her style or feeling like a third wheel just didn’t do it for me.”
Checking his watch was all he had to do to make her feel ridiculous for asking.
“Never mind.” She moved out of the cage he’d created with his body around her. “I’m sure you have other things you need to be doing.” She grabbed her keys right before he latched onto her waist and maneuvered her back around in front of him.
“It’s not that. I have to drop off the spaghetti before it gets any colder.” He grinned and tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. “Going to your hotel sounds amazing. I couldn’t stay very long though. Maybe a couple hours. I have to get into work early tomorrow and I’ve been up for,” he glanced at his watch again, “a while.”
A car drove past and Charlie second-guessed herself. Maybe he wasn’t all that into her. She couldn’t blame him and didn’t want him to feel bad if he wanted to call it a night. Especially if he was tired.
He pulled her chin around until she faced him again. “Why are you chewing on your bottom lip?” Tugging it free, he leaned down and nibbled at it himself before kissing her again. He spoke against her lips. “Do I make you nervous?”
“Yes,” she hissed into his mouth as he deepened the kiss. Moving closer, he brushed against her and the hard length of him electrified every nerve in her body. “You’re hard.”
“Have been for hours.”
“For me.”
Moving against her, he kissed her one more time and she arched off the vehicle into his body. “You’re so responsive.”
“Never really have been before. Not gonna lie. I’m a little perplexed and a lot thrown by wanting you so badly. You could come to the hotel. We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to.”
“You’re joking, right? Me not wanting you. That’s funny.”
“Well, you need to go drop off the food.”
“What food?” By the expression on his face she knew he was joking. “After I drop off the food I could meet you at the hotel. Give us both a few minutes to cool off and maybe we’ll both decide this isn’t what we should be doing.”
“Do you think that’s going to happen? Just so I don’t get my hopes up too high.”
“No, I don’t. I want you. Twenty minutes from now isn’t going to change that. We can just think about it as foreplay. Where I need to go is in the direction of the hotel. I’ll follow you a ways, take a short detour, and then meet you again.”
“So, you’re saying for a little ways after we leave the parking lot, I’m going to be tailed by an FBI agent?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Do you have handcuffs, too?” The look on his face? Priceless. Well worth the embarrassment she felt before she tipped her head forward and laughed against his chest.
“I’ll make sure I have some with me when I arrive at the hotel.
Her head snapped back up, hard enough to leave her neck muscles tight and stiff. “I was joking.”
“I was not.”
“You’re full of surprises, Agent Johnson.”
“As are you, Charlie with no last name still. And don’t think I haven’t forgotten.” He pulled her away from the side of the vehicle and opened the driver’s door. “Inside with you. Making out with you in a parking lot was not my smartest move. I want you in a bed so I can focus on you. Nothing but you.” He leaned in the open door and kissed her again, tilting her face to one direction so he could taste her.
“Do you have condoms?” She asked it. Yes, it embarrassed her, but it was better than the alternative of him showing up unprepared.
“I’ll bring one with me.”
“Can you bring a couple? Better safe than sorry, you know?”
“Smart, sexy, fun and safe-sex conscious. Total keeper.” He kissed her again, urged her to start the vehicle and then took a step back. “What’s the room number?”
“213. All the way at the end of the second floor.”
“Perfect. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Drive safe, okay?”
“Deal if you’ll do the same. And don’t forget the food on the top of my rental.”
“Dammit. I almost forgot it again. And I’d be in so much trouble if I forgot it. Okay.” He snatched the bag off the roof and closed the door.
Charlie pushed the button to put her window down. “Can I give you my number and if something comes up you can just text me? I’d hate to wait up and then have no reason to.”
“Great idea on the numbers. Let me give you mine and you can text me. I’ll capture your name and get you added to my contacts.”
He moved in and captured her lips in another kiss. “You’re real, right? You’re not just going to disappear when I turn around?”
Her palm found its way to his cheek and she held him close to kiss him again. “I’m pretty sure I should be asking you that question.”
He backed up and shook his head. “Okay. I’m focused. Mostly. Ready for my number?”
She pulled up a new contact screen. It took her three tries but…yeah. “Ready.”
“Did you just add a smiley face by my name?”
“Do not pay attention to the man behind the curtain.”
“A Wizard of Oz reference? Seriously?”
“Yep. One of my favorites. Don’t let the exterior fool you. I’m still totally a geek at heart. Number, Agent Johnson?” She tacked the end on nonchalantly but her insides had seized up.
What if he didn’t really like smart chicks?
What if she’d just made a complete fool out of herself and he disappeared when he left the parking lot?
“I have a feeling you’re totally going to be my flavor.” He eyed her mouth when he said it and looked as if he were ready to lean back in the vehicle.
“That’s a good thing, right?”
He smiled. But it wasn’t some simple smile, a tilt of his lips. It was like a promise and a threat and a dream come true.
“Pulling you into the back of your rental and having sex with you would be a poor choice. I’m an FBI agent. I know how to control myself. I do.”
“Umm…are you telling me or convincing yourself?” The apex of her thighs was quite on board with the back of the Pilot idea. She was wet. As in really wet.
“How wet are you?”
“Please tell me I didn’t say that out loud. Please. Or I’m probably going to just die right here.”
“You said nothing. And I’ll check myself for confirmation of the comment you most definitely did not say out loud as soon as we’re locked in a room together. Number.” He rattled it off and she’d let her screen go dark
so he had to repeat it.
He kissed her again and then tapped the bottom of the window opening.
“You promise you’ll text if something comes up?”
He’d already turned around to head to his vehicle but he paused and faced her again. “The fact that you’re asking that means someone else or several someone elses have disappointed you. I don’t want to admit that happening royally pisses me off. So I’ll simply say, I will not disappoint you. If something comes up I’ll call and tell you. And make another date while you’re still in town. But Charlie?”
“Yes?”
“I’ll be less than five minutes behind you when you get to your hotel room. Mmmm… Make it ten since I need to stop at a drug store. And arriving to your gorgeous self? Naked in bed? Would not hurt my feelings in the slightest.”
Excitement welled inside Charlie and she thought she might burst with it. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“One last kiss and then we’re out of here. I have spaghetti to deliver and a very pretty girl to see tonight.” He leaned in and she met him halfway. Lips to lips, kiss for kiss. Need for need. “Okay. I’m leaving this time. Really. Be careful and I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
“Naked? Preferably…” She was flirting. With a cute guy. Who she was about to sleep with. Well…maybe not sleep exactly.
“Preferably. Give me a couple minutes. I’ll be right behind you.”
He palmed his keys and his spaghetti and took off across the lot.
Wonder who it’s for?
Charlie sent him a simple “Hi” text so he’d have her number and then reversed out of her space. She waited at the exit until Cole pulled up behind her and flashed his lights. He was driving a black SUV. He looked law enforcement as he followed her onto the highway.
Blood rushed in her veins as she thought about their date and what was to come. He was different than she expected. Much more than she expected. Him having a cat growing up was endearing and adorable. Losing his dad so young made her sad. The mere thought of how hard it was when her dad died still upset her.
Anytime is hard, but right when entering high school seemed exponentially more horrible.
He flashed his lights at her again when he exited the highway. One exit before hers. She called Kia as she parked at the hotel. It went to voicemail.
No Place Like Home: The Coming Home Series, Book 1 Page 4