Two full bags of trash waited by the garage door, so I aimed for those, ignoring Mama’s musings. I wasn’t about to tell her I’d worn my best dress because I needed Cole to stop looking at me like I was a child. As far as I could tell, it had worked, too. I’d felt his eyes on me all night, and the heat in his kiss had nearly set me ablaze. I had a feeling I’d be replaying that kiss for the rest of my life. That thought gave me a pang, and I let my shoulders drop once I stepped into the shadowed garage.
I did not want him to leave.
I mean, how was that for timing? Right when I realized that I had feelings for him and — by all outward signs — he felt something for me, he was going to flee in the middle of the night? I could think of plenty of ways we could spend the hours before dawn, and all of them behind my locked bedroom door.
Instead, he’d be driving to New Orleans, and who knew when he’d be back.
If he’d be back.
I heard the sounds of a car engine on the street, and I assumed it was the clueless Marshall and Daphne making their long-awaited departure. Cole’s black Audi R8 was parked on the other side of the garage door. I knew the moment I hit the switch and the retractable door whirred to life I was setting myself up for a lecture, but so be it. Helping Cole and his family had now become my highest good.
I grabbed the handles of the garbage bin and pushed it out of the garage and down the driveway. Right when I got to the street, Mama opened the utility room door and stuck her head out.
“Elise Nicole, what are you doing?” I could hear the disapproval tightening her voice.
I took a breath and played my part. “I’m putting the trash on the curb. It’s full.”
She shook her head at me, scowling. “You know pickup isn’t until Tuesday. You want this house to look trashy with garbage sitting in front of it for two days?”
“But Mama, all that seafood? It’ll smell in the garage.”
Even from a distance, I saw her form grow rigid. “You bring that back in here,” she scolded. “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times—”
“Fine!” I snapped, turning the bin around and heading back. I’d pissed off Mama, but my plan to get the garage door open so I could move Mrs. Abigail’s bag could not have worked better.
Mama was still grumbling under her breath about “…hard-headed teenage daughters…” and “…why can’t she remember anything I tell her?”
But then the door shut, cutting off her rant, and I halted my return trip.
As quietly as I could, I darted back into the garage and grabbed the Vera Bradley. I made my way to the driver’s side of the R8. The scent of the car’s interior made my knees go weak. It smelled just like Cole. Leather, juniper, and strength. I leaned over his seat, gripping the cushion as I did — wanting to touch something that had touched him — and I set the bag on the floor in front of the passenger seat.
I sighed as I straightened up and shut the door soundlessly. And then I pushed the trash bin back into the garage and closed the automatic door.
An hour later, after I’d taken down my hair and changed into a sweatshirt and jeans, I wrapped myself in my coat and scarf and crept outside to the patio, hoping that Cole would keep his promise.
The night was quiet and cold, but the moon was full and low in the sky, lighting up the patio like a spotlight. I knew immediately it was empty, and so I wouldn’t wait out there freezing like an idiot, I snuck around the side of the house and checked the driveway. With a sigh of relief, I spotted Cole’s car just where I’d left it, so I made my way back to the patio.
I settled onto one of the cushioned pool loungers, wishing I’d brought a blanket. Instead of going in search of one, I wrapped my arms around myself to hold in my heat and tried not to shiver. I’d chosen a lounger that faced the back of the Whitehursts’ house, and the whole place was dark except for the light Mama kept on over the stove. Cole’s room faced the back yard, and both his windows and the master bedroom’s were shadowed.
Despite the cold and my eagerness to see him again, it was late, and my eyes felt heavy. I let my lids close, burrowing into the warmth of my memories of Cole’s kisses. They had moved through my whole body, awakening me in places no one had ever touched.
Reliving the sensation of his arms around me, his body against mine, was definitely the best way to ward off the cold. Soon my shivering stopped, my breath deepened, and my body sunk deeper into the lounger.
Time passed. I knew this because warm lips brushed against mine, and when my eyes fluttered open, Cole was there. He sat on the edge of my lounger, looking down on me with a bittersweet grin.
“Are you trying to turn into a popsicle?” he asked, his voice low but not quite a whisper.
“I was waiting for you.” But he was right. Parts of me felt frozen. My cheeks were numb and sluggish. I started to rise, but he braced his hands against my shoulders.
“Don’t get up.”
Leaning back again, I frowned. “Why not?”
“Because—” He brought his warm palm to my cheek and ran his eyes down my body. “—even bundled up like this, you look…”
I could tell by the set of his mouth he was weighing his words, being careful not to say the wrong thing. I stayed quiet because I didn’t want him to take his hand away. His warmth was heavenly.
Cole lifted his gaze to mine and our eyes locked. “…like an invitation… for me alone.”
Lying down before him, even under layers of clothes, my body felt supremely touchable. Both his words and the look in his eyes lit me up like a fuse. The lounger was wide enough for two so I scooted to my right to make room for him.
His mouth pinched against his grin. “I shouldn’t,” he said softly.
Courage I didn’t know I had rose up in me. “But you know you will.”
Cole’s eyes sparked with amusement before he seemed to remember himself, and he gave me a look of confused awe. “You got in trouble for us tonight. Twice.”
I blinked at his sudden change of topic. “Wh-what?”
Cole stretched out on his right side next to me. He planted an elbow into the cushion and rested his head against his fist. Like a magnet seeking true north, I rolled to face him. I felt his heat along my length, and then his hand came back to my cheek, his thumb stroking my jaw.
“You got yourself in trouble to help us. I heard Flora bawling you out twice.” A frown creased between his eyes, but his eyes themselves and the corners of his mouth turned up. He looked mystified. “You knew exactly what you were doing when you turned out that light.”
What was the point of denying it? “Well, it worked,” I muttered, his intense gaze embarrassing me a little.
His brows shot up. “You bet it worked. I’ve never seen Daphne and Marshall Murphy get a clue so fast.” White teeth flashed with his smile. His fingers brushed the hair from my face. “You’re amazing.”
“I was glad to do it,” I said honestly, ready now to change the subject.
Cole obviously wasn’t. His thumb caressed my cheek again, sparking a trail of invisible fireworks across my skin.
“And then you got Mom’s bag out to my car. I saw it there by the front seat.” My eyes widened at this news. Reading my surprise, he nodded. “I just carried Ava’s stuff down. And that’s when I realized that you must have planned the whole thing. Opening the garage door… taking out the trash… Flora getting all worked up…”
I wrinkled my nose. “You heard all that?” I’d always hated it when Mama scolded me in front of an audience of Whitehursts. Especially Cole.
His thumb moved to my bottom lip where he skimmed over it with a barely-there touch. “Mmm-hmm. I didn’t know what was going on at first. I just wanted to stop her.”
My breath caught. He’d wanted to stop Mama from scolding me? A shimmy of something warm and soft and wonderful moved down my front. It was a feeling I’d never had before, and I liked it. It made me feel as if I could let Cole see anything about me, and it would be okay.
His thumb continued its dance, tracing the outline of my lips, sending delicious tremors down my body.
“I don’t think I can ever thank you enough,” he said softly. The look he wore was both vulnerable and captivating. It pulled tight at something inside me.
Just come back, I wanted to tell him. But I tamed my response. “I’m glad I could help.”
Cole smiled at me but shook his head. “No. I owe you big. I’ve owed you for years.” His smile turned pensive. “A phone and a website aren’t nearly enough. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
I didn’t miss my opportunity. “Well, I can think of a way.”
Cole’s eyes bugged, and I realized too late how it sounded.
“Not that!”
The thumb at my lips became a palm over my mouth, and Cole’s eyes bugged wider. “Shh!” Horrified, I shot my gaze to the upstairs windows. I hadn’t shouted, but the words had come out loud against night’s silence.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered against his hand. Waking his father now would be disastrous, and I’d never want to cause trouble for Cole or his family. But when I turned my eyes back to him, I found Cole shaking with suppressed laughter.
“Your face…” Silent laughter choked out of him. “You’re cute when you’re mad, but your “Oh shit” face is priceless.”
My worry and regret vanished, and I raised brow while he continued to laugh.
“Oh, and here comes cute again,” he chuckled, wiping his eyes.
In spite of myself, I had to admit hearing him say I was cute left me weightless. Still, I narrowed my eyes at him. “I thought we were talking about you repaying me for years of loyalty and assistance?”
Cole cleared his throat and tried to look serious, but he was failing miserably. “Yeah, and then you hinted that you may or may not accept certain favors—”
“I did not.” I spoke through gritted teeth, setting him off all over again.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to make him laugh again. I so did. Cole almost never laughed, but when he did, it was like watching a shooting star streak across the sky. I wasn’t about to take my eyes off it, and it made me want to make a wish.
His chest danced against my hand. Those gorgeous swimmer’s shoulders hunched, bringing him closer. Cole’s laughter was a full-body experience even for me.
He filled his spasming lungs as though fighting for breath. “Elise…” He said my name on the exhale, and, I swear, the sound of it never seemed so satisfying. Because he sounded completely content.
I realized I was smiling just watching him, smiling so big my face hurt with it.
Cole’s eyes held mine as his body stilled. “Elise.” And this time, I felt the five letters of my name grip me in my middle like a hand. He was so close, and he looked right into me. I could see such intensity in his gaze, but I saw hesitation, too.
I didn’t want hesitation to win, so I kissed him. And he let me.
Oh God, did he let me.
I wrapped my arms around him as his hips pressed into mine. Before I knew it, I was on my back with Cole on top of me.
And. Nothing. In. My. Entire. Life. Had. Felt. Better.
His weight was delicious. The way he swallowed my kisses as if he was starved for them drove me wild. I wanted to touch him everywhere. I wanted him to touch me everywhere. I opened my knees, and gravity did me the honor of laying him against me in just the right spot. When we made contact, his moan vibrated off his tongue and onto mine, and I echoed my response. I could feel him there, pressed against me, his desire undeniable.
The knowledge that Cole Whitehurst could feel that way about me blew my mind. How? Why? Since when? Now that I’d admitted to myself that I liked him — that I wanted him — it seemed like I’d always longed for him.
And I had. Always.
I ran my hands down his sides, aiming for the bottom of his sweater. I wanted again to feel the ridged stomach he’d teased me with just hours before. But as soon as my right hand breached his clothes, his left caught me by the wrist.
Cole broke the seal of our mouths and drew back, panting, his eyes closed. “Wait…”
At his lone word, I don’t think I’d ever felt such frustration. “No.”
His eyes flew open, his frown automatic. “No?”
I matched his frown. “You heard me. I don’t want to wait. I want to touch you.”
Cole stared at me, mouth open, for a full three seconds, and then he was laughing again. He grabbed my other hand and hauled both my arms over my head and pressed them into the cushion behind me — all the while shaking against my body as he laughed almost silently.
It would have felt amazing if it hadn’t pissed me off.
Okay, that’s not true. It felt completely amazing, even though it pissed me off. He was still anchored between my thighs, his chest pressed to mine, and his lips against my neck. With each laugh, his hot breath gusted against me.
But I was still pissed.
“Don’t laugh. Why are you laughing?” I hissed.
He released my arms. “Because,” he said, pulling back from my neck to pin me with his gaze, “you’re so real. You ask for exactly what you want. I don’t know anyone else like you.”
Still irritated, I nodded. “Yes. And I want you to stop treating me like a child. You want to know how to repay me for saving your ass time after time? Well, that’s how.”
I didn’t really want him to feel he owed me anything for helping him and Ava over the years. I’d always wanted to help them. But I’d never needed him to see me as a kid, someone young and helpless, and he always had.
“I’m not helpless,” I said aloud.
Cole’s chin tucked back like I’d struck him. He shook his head. “I know you’re not. That’s the last thing I’d think of you.” Above me his chest rose and fell, and a look of regret stole over his features. “But you are young. And I need to leave you alone.”
His last words were like a blade in the stomach. I’d been alone one way or another my whole life. Of course, I had Mama, but beyond her, I had no family. I didn’t even know my own father. For years, I’d been alone at the bottom of my class, never as smart or promising as my peers. And I’d always been the odd one out in the Whitehursts’ home. Growing up watching Ava and Cole had taught me again and again that I didn’t belong.
But in Cole’s arms and beneath his kiss, I’d forgotten that feeling completely. Here, I was known. Here I belonged, and I wasn’t about to let him take that away from me. I gripped the fabric of his sweater in both hands. Maybe I’d just make a fool of myself, but I was used to doing that in front of Cole Whitehurst, so what did I have to lose?
“You say you need to leave me alone. But what do you want from me?”
Fire lit his eyes. “I want a chance.”
His answer surprised the hell out of me, and judging by the look on his face, I wasn’t alone.
I released his sweater with one hand and brought my palm to his cheek. “So, take one,” I said, my voice going soft.
Cole held my gaze for a moment, looking stricken. “Elise, if you’re talking about sex, you need to stop because I can’t—”
“Jesus, Cole. I’m not talking about sex. What kind of girl do you think I am?”
He stilled above me. “Not that kind of girl.” His voice came out rough and raw. “But if you were that kind of girl, I’d have a hard time being honorable.”
“Well, I’m not,” I said, unable to fight my grin at his confession. “So you get to be honorable… mostly.”
His left brow shot up. “Mostly?”
Heat rose to my cheeks. �
��Well, I’m a virgin, but…” How was I supposed to finish that sentence? I’d told Cole I didn’t want him to treat me like a child, but all of a sudden, I felt pretty childish. And inexperienced.
He lowered his chin and surveyed me under his brows. “But?” I could have been wrong, but Cole suddenly looked ready to pound flesh. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No, I’d—”
“Good,” he said, cutting me off. “You’re too young to have a boyfriend.”
“What?!” My voice disappeared in an incredulous laugh. “Are you serious?”
“Absolutely,” he said, and he looked serious.
I gave him my best glare. “For your information, I’ve had plenty of boyfriends.” Okay, so that might have been a little misleading since I’d only had two. But two boyfriends had been plenty. I didn’t need any more like them.
Cole’s eyes narrowed, displeasure simmering behind them. “Plenty?” His voice had become a growl.
“Yep.” I swept my gaze down his body and up mine. “And we did more than this.” And, yeah, that was true, but just barely. But it was the only way I could think of to make Cole see me as more than a child.
His nostrils flared. And Cole definitely wasn’t looking at me as if I was a child. I wasn’t even sure he was seeing me at all. His mind’s eye was somewhere else entirely.
“What did they do to you?” He spoke through clenched teeth. I rolled my eyes at this ridiculous display and tsked.
“What girls and boys do.” If he knew I was bluffing, he gave nothing away. Hovering above me, he still looked furious.
“Well, you should stop.”
I blinked my eyes in exaggerated confusion and braced my hands against his shoulders. He was still planted between my legs, and I could still feel his steely erection. Right. There. “So, let me get this straight,” I said, rolling my hips and creating just enough friction between us to make his breath hitch. Mine hitched to, but I’d been prepared. “You don’t want to be with me, but you don’t want me to be with anyone else. Is that right?”
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