by Cassie Cross
Cole scored on two of the children: one boy and one girl. Then he lifted the smallest one of the bunch to the net so that he could dunk the ball. Everyone was laughing and smiling, and Abby longed to be a part of that. Cole huddled with the kids, and Abby tried not to look awkward as he kept glancing over at her. The kids looked, too. Cole said something and the children nodded vehemently.
What in the hell is going on?
“Miss Waters,” Cole yelled, grinning. He held up the ball. “Can you play?”
Even though Abby was short, she actually could play. Quite well in fact, but she decided not to tell Cole that. Instead, she employed a strategy that Cole would be quite familiar with: concealing your abilities in order to take your opponent by surprise.
Abby shrugged. “I don’t really know how.”
Cole’s eyes lit up the way they did when he had a great idea, or when he found a fledgling company that he could purchase for a bargain price.
“C’mon,” he said, waving her over. “We’ll go easy on you.”
Abby pretended to be reluctant, slowly standing before she walked over. Cole tossed her the ball and she purposely missed the catch. She ran and picked it up, then set in motion a plan to hustle him. “So, are there teams or what?”
Cole grinned, completely unaware of what was about to happen to him and his poor little friends.
“Yes, there are teams,” he replied condescendingly. “Matt, Jorge, Kayla and Xavier, you’ll be on Miss Waters’ team.”
Abby thought that Cole calling her by her last name was adorable. The four kids walking over to Abby’s side of the court did not look at all pleased to be on her team. Their lack of enthusiasm made her smile.
“So, what are we playing to?” Abby asked.
Cole looked around at the kids, who already looked tired.
“Ten?”
“Ten!” they shouted in unison.
Abby dribbled the ball, bouncing it between her legs and catching it with her left hand. Cole’s eyes widened and the faces of her little teammates lit up. “Ten it is.”
And then Abby and her team proceeded to smash their opponents. Cole and his team of merry little misfits were no match for her kids. They communicated well, even though they had never played together. It was the most fun Abby had in months. And truthfully, she wasn’t sure if Cole let them win or if her team just had better moves, but when the game was over they all shook hands. Cole’s hand lingered in hers, and he began to walk away while they were still touching. “Good game,” he said with a smile. “I’m going to take a quick shower, then we can go.”
“I’ll wait for you here.”
Cole stopped at the bleachers a few feet away from where Abby was sitting, looking as if he had something he wanted to say to her. He stared at her for a long while. He was sweaty and beautiful. A complete mystery.
How can I get him to open up to me more? It was the first time Abby didn’t over-think the ramifications of caring for Cole. She just wanted to know more about him, everything there was to know.
“Hey Cole,” Kayla said, grinning from ear to ear.
He didn’t tear his eyes away from Abby. “Yeah?”
“Is Miss Waters your girlfriend?” The last word came out in a singsongy way, and Abby wanted to crawl under the bleachers and die.
Cole grinned, and Abby thought she saw a hint of redness in his cheeks. She was sure that hers were crimson. Cole picked Kayla up, spinning her around in a circle as she squealed with delight. The peals of laugher bounced off the gym walls, creating a wonderful echo.
“What would you know about girlfriends?” Cole asked as he put her down.
“Nothing,” Kayla laughed.
“Miss Waters is my employee,” Cole said, talking to Kayla and the group of children surrounding her. “And if you guys keep your grades up and study really hard, someday you’ll have employees too.”
“I hope they’re all as pretty as Miss Waters,” Xavier said.
Abby thought Cole might’ve stopped breathing. She definitely did.
“If you’re lucky, Xavier.” Cole mussed Xavier’s hair as he walked away, glancing over at Abby once before he walked out the door. It wasn’t until he was gone that Abby could finally breathe normally again.
Abby looked at the banners hanging up around the gym, each with a different inspirational saying written on it. It was such a warm, fun place and Abby was proud of Cole for making it possible. She wondered how long she would’ve gone thinking he was such a cold, standoffish man if she hadn’t visited today. Because as she sat down on the bench, she realized that she had been so wrong about the kind of person he was. So incredibly wrong.
TONY PICKED Abby and Cole up promptly at six-fifteen, and even though they were quiet in the back of the limo, it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence like it used to be. Cole was checking his Blackberry, catching up on emails he missed.
“Why do you keep all of this a secret?” Abby asked, unable to stay quiet anymore. She was dying to know the answer.
Cole pondered the question for a moment, the light from his phone creating shadows on his face that accentuated his perfect bone structure.
“It seems more charitable if nobody knows. Once people find out, it becomes exploitive. I would never use any of those children for positive press.” He turned toward her, his expression tender.
“Why do that, though? You didn’t grow up needing a community center.”
He nodded. “I was lucky, but they are not.”
“Yes they are,” Abby replied. She longed to reach for his hand, but wasn’t sure how he’d react to the gesture. “I’m sorry I barged in there today. If I had known-”
“Don’t apologize. You did what I would’ve expected anyone who was loyal to me to do. But there’s no time limit with Findlay.”
Abby was confused. “He explicitly said you needed to return his call right away.”
“Abigail,” Cole said, smiling. “When you hold all the cards, you don’t have to play by anyone else’s rules.”
CHAPTER THREE
AT HALF-PAST seven, Cole was huddled over his laptop, wearing the same hoodie and jeans that he was wearing when he returned from the gym. He was behind on his emails and having difficulty concentrating. Ever since he’d fucked Abigail that night in his office, he hadn’t been able to think clearly. He’d have the occasional streak of work time where he pounded through his daily routine without much interruption. Then he’d think of her or smell her perfume, and he’d get distracted by the memory of her taste, the memory of the feel of her skin.
Earlier today he’d slipped out of the hotel room, wanting to check in on the kids at his center. He didn’t want Abigail to know about his charitable endeavors, preferring to keep the business and humanitarian sides of him separate. Cole had always worried that blending the two would make him look insincere, like if he went public with his charitable works the world would think less of him and the good that he did. But when Abigail walked through the gym doors today, after the initial shock he found that he wanted her there. He wanted her to see that side of him, to know that there was goodness in his heart. And when he saw her playing with the children and kicking his ass at basketball, he knew he was in deep. Too deep.
The woman was going to be the end of him—or at least the end of his business—if he didn’t get his head on straight. But she was always there, on the periphery of every thought. Cole had always been more focused on work than he had been on his personal life, often preferring the company of The Wall Street Journal to the company of another human being.
He had never been the type to settle down. Being young and rich, he didn’t even need to have much game with the ladies; whenever he had wanted female companionship, it always seemed to find him. His bed had always been open, and his cock was fairly easy to please. But since he’d met Abigail, he’d started longing for more. He craved her mind almost as much as he craved her body. A cutting remark from her beautiful mouth could turn him on almost as much as her per
fect tits did.
With the women he’d bedded before Abigail, Cole had always been quick to love them and leave them. Once he’d gotten off, he began plotting an escape, making up excuses for why he needed to leave.
So, this was a situation he was entirely unprepared to deal with.
Completely lost in thought, Cole looked at the time on his laptop, surprised to find that he’d been sitting there staring at the email he’d been trying to reply to for over fifteen minutes. He reached up and rubbed his eyes, then ran his fingers through his hair.
Inviting Abigail along on this trip was going to wind up being either the best or the worst decision he’d ever made. There was no in between where she was concerned.
He smelled her presence before she uttered a word; fruity shampoo and soap that made him want to close his eyes and breathe deep, made him want to nestle his head in the crook of her neck and smell that scent forever. He didn’t turn around to look at her though. He wasn’t sure if she intended on speaking to him or if she was just going to stand there, and he wanted to give her the chance to make up her mind.
“Hey,” Abigail said after a few quiet moments. Her voice trembled on the word and Cole could tell she was nervous. Her nerves piqued his curiosity. He turned and looked at her, drawn in by her form-fitting jeans and sweater. He much preferred her like this. Even though he loved the way her work clothes hugged her figure, these clothes were more her.
“Hi,” he replied, giving her a sleepy smile.
“I’m hungry, and there’s a diner right down the street. Do you want to come grab a bite to eat with me?”
Cole wanted to do so much more than that, but for now he would settle for dinner.
“Absolutely.” He stood and grabbed his jacket. He could practically see the relief on her face. Had she thought for one second that he would deny her? He’d have to do something about that.
THE PLACE was packed, but Cole slipped a waitress a twenty, ensuring him and Abigail a private booth in the less crowded back section of the diner. The waitress who sat them told them they were short staffed that evening, so there might be a bit of a wait, but that she would get to them as soon as she could. Normally Cole would find that kind of service unacceptable, but tonight he relished the thought of waiting, of having more time to speak to Abigail.
“May I ask you a question?” Abigail poked at the edge of a napkin with her fingernail. “There’s something I’ve been curious about.”
“Absolutely.”
She didn’t miss a beat. As soon as the answer left Cole’s lips, she threw her question into the space between them.
“Do you ever Google yourself?”
All the things she could’ve taken this time to ask and she wants to know if he Googles himself? He couldn’t help but laugh. “Do I ever Google myself?”
“Yeah.” She nodded, blushing. Cole liked the look of bashfulness on her.
“I do,” he admitted. And he didn’t regret being truthful for one second; in fact, he rather enjoyed the look of surprise on her face when she heard his answer. The wideness of her eyes, how they shone under the bright diner lights.
“Wow.”
“What?” Cole replied, wondering why she’d be so shocked. Obviously she suspected he did it or she wouldn’t have asked.
“I’m just surprised you were so forthcoming. I thought you would’ve lied, maybe. To protect your vanity.”
Cole laughed. “I have no reason to lie to you, Abigail.”
She seemed to ponder his response for a few moments. “I’ve always wondered if famous people do that. Now I know, I guess.”
“I’m hardly famous,” Cole replied sincerely. He had name recognition, sure, and he’d been featured in a few of those eligible bachelor issues of popular magazines, but fame and notoriety were two different things. Besides, he didn’t want to be known for his face or for his personal life, so popularity was of little value to him. He wanted to be known by the imprint he left on the business world and the good that he did with both his company and his fortune.
Abigail tutted at him. “You’re not movie-star famous, but you’re well-known. There’s gossip about you. I see your picture in The City Whisper fairly often.”
“You do?” Cole was genuinely surprised. “I never would’ve pegged you for someone who reads gossip.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, and Cole got the distinct impression that she was embarrassed about what she’d just admitted to. “I don’t read gossip, generally. My roommate’s a fan.”
“Of me or The City Whisper?” Cole smiled so she’d know he was teasing her.
“Both.” He was amused for a moment, then his mood turned somber. “She doesn’t know you work for me, does she?” Too late, it seemed, he was working out the ramifications of their behavior. Even now the course of their relationship didn’t feel real to him. It wasn’t like him to act on a whim, even though he’d fantasized about her for months. No, he chided himself, he couldn’t consider her a whim.
“Generally when people make me sign contracts that say they’ll sue my pants off if I let certain information slip, I tend not to let that information slip.” Her voice was condescending, but Cole focused more on what she’d said than how she said it.
“You really think I’d sue you?” Cole had always held his employees to their non-disclosure agreements, but with Abigail… “If I wanted to get your pants off, I wouldn’t have to get a lawyer involved.”
Abigail rolled her eyes. “Yes I think that. Or I thought that, until just now.”
Cole looked out the window, pondering her answer. This was yet another moment where he knew he needed to proceed with caution, but he found that he just didn’t care. He should never have told her that he didn’t consider the NDA to be binding when it came to her, but what was really the harm in telling her the truth? He looked at her, and he could tell that she was expecting him to say something. Anything. But he couldn’t think of the right words.
“Isn’t that the point of making people sign non-disclosure agreements? What good are they if people don’t believe you’d actually sue them?”
“I could never sue you, Abigail.” Cole’s voice was quiet, and he could tell by the look in her eyes that she knew that he meant it.
As if on cue, the waitress came to the table and handed each of them a menu.
Since they didn’t have anything on tap, Cole indulged his child-like side and ordered a milkshake. Abigail asked for a cream soda, and the waitress brought their drinks almost immediately. Cole watched Abigail as she studied her menu, her eyes widening as she looked at different selections. She ran her fingertips along her bottom lip as she tried to decide what she was going to order, and Cole wanted to twine his fingers with hers and take her lip between his. He smiled as she closed her eyes when she took a sip of her drink, savoring it. She seemed so at home in a place like this.
Cole knew Abigail frequented the diner during her lunch breaks, and he figured there must be something about places like this that drew her in. He wanted to know more about it, figuring the answer would offer him a little insight into her.
“What is it with you and diners?” he asked as he drew his straw to his lips.
Abigail raised her eyebrows. “I wasn’t aware diners and I had a thing.”
Cole laughed, all the while dying to lean over and kiss her. Dying to grab her hand and pull her out of the seat and press his body against hers.
“You seem to eat in them frequently, and you…” Cole looked at her body, unsure of how to phrase his comment so it wouldn’t be offensive.
“I don’t have the typical diner physique?”
Cole laughed, relieved that she understood what he meant. “Yes, precisely that.”
“How did you know that I like diners?”
Silence. Cole had just done something he never did, at least he never did before he met Abigail. He showed his hand. He usually kept his cards close to the vest, and never in a million years would he have let anyone know how h
e got information about them. Knowing people’s motivations was key to taking them by surprise, to finding a weakness. But with Abigail, he didn’t want to surprise her, he wanted to know her. And if she had a weakness, he only wanted to do what he could to make it a strength.
“The delivery guy comes into the office often,” Cole said, hoping that would be enough of an explanation.
Just then, the waitress brought out their meals, and Abigail’s gaze locked with Cole’s as their plates were placed in front of them. Abigail poured a dollop of ketchup on her plate, then dragged a fry through it before she spoke again.
“I like diners because my mom was a waitress. Eating in them reminds me of her.” There was a sadness in her eyes that made Cole ache.
“You don’t get to see her very much anymore?”
She shook her head, looking down at her plate. “I haven’t seen her in eight years.”
“Take some time, Abigail. Go see her,” Cole said emphatically, tilting his head so she’d look at him. “If time off is an issue-”
“It’s not an issue,” she said quietly, and the sadness in her voice alerted Cole to the fact that this wasn’t an issue that time off would be able to solve. When her eyes met his, they were shining with unshed tears.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked-”
“She had breast cancer,” Abigail said. “We didn’t have insurance, so by the time she even realized she was sick, it was too late.”
“Jesus,” Cole breathed. He knew things like this happened to people all the time, he just hated thinking of it happening to her. “How old were you?”
“Sixteen.”
Cole felt a distinct wrenching in his chest. “Where did you go?”
“My best friend Becca’s mother took me in. I lived with them until I graduated from high school.”
“Did she…your mother, I mean…” Cole was unsure how to proceed with the question. “Did she leave you anything?”