Darkness Before Dawn

by Contreras, Claire

  "Hmm, other than I've been dragged to it every year of my life? Nothing. It's boring. People dance, there's food, a lot of important people usually go—athletes, politicians, you name it. You like the cause, I'm sure, so you'd enjoy it...Blake would, too. Aub and I will be there," she replies. "My dad won't be, if that's what you're really asking."

  I rub my forehead before resting my elbow on the car door. "All right. And you know for a fact he's not going? What about Mark, does he go? And Brian?"

  She exhales a breath. "There's really no telling, Cole. Sometimes they do, sometimes they just send money. I'm not the right person to ask about the guest list. I can find out and call you back if you want, but I know Mom really...she feels horrible. She's physically sick over this shit. She's...she's leaving my dad," she says, her broken whisper snagging at my heart.

  I close my eyes wishing I had something nice to offer her: a condolence, words of encouragement, anything. "Are you okay?" I ask quietly.

  "I mean, it's just weird, I guess. It's not like we were this big happy family or anything, but still."

  I nod my head in understanding because I think I get it, a dysfunctional family is better than no family at all. And that's when I decide that I'll go to the charity event Colleen is hosting.

  I stifle a laugh when I hear Spencer grunt in the seat beside me as I take a sharp turn onto Michigan Avenue.

  "Sorry," I lie with a smile.

  Cole's been using the Escalade lately, even leaving it at the airport when he goes out of town for work, so I get to use the black Audi A5 that we leased when he got his own show. Normally I don't drive any of the cars since I only use them when I'm going someplace in a hurry, and Spencer ends up driving me. I still prefer taking the L to get around, but I have way too many things to get done. It's hot out, so I'd rather sit in air conditioning, even if it means paying an obscene amount of money for parking.

  Once I find a space in a parking garage, I toss the keys over to Spencer before walking across the street as he trails behind me. I scramble through the herd of business suits, looking over my shoulder periodically to make sure I haven't lost him before reaching the large glass doors of the mall. A masculine hand wraps his hand on the metal handle at the same time I do, and the scent of cinnamony-cigarettes wrapping around me startles me to a halt, as the door swings open.

  "Missed you, chick," he murmurs low against my ear, so that only I can hear him.

  My heart runs a mile a minute. I turn to him, wide-eyed, with my mouth hanging open and find him watching me in amusement. He places his forefinger under my chin, as if to playfully close my gaping mouth, and snaps me out of my shock.

  "What the hell are you doing here?" I whisper harshly, snapping my head bewilderedly in all directions, even though I don't know exactly what I'm looking for.

  "It's a public mall, I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to be here," he replies, making me look back toward him.

  I cross my arms, raising an eyebrow. "What store are you going to?"

  His smiling hazel eyes scan my face before trailing slowly down my body and back up. I watch his smile waver and his eyebrows pull together as he steps forward and jerks my hand quickly.

  "You got engaged?" he asks in a low voice, looking from my hand to my eyes and back to my hands a couple of times.

  I nod as he drops my hand from his. "Yeah, last week," I reply quietly with a small smile.

  He scratches the back of his neck as he looks around the crowded mall before turning his attention back to me. "Congratulations," he offers with a small smile. "Are you happy?"

  "I am. Very," I reply, smiling as my mind drifts to the moment Cole proposed, the house, my friends.

  "Good. I'm glad, chick. I really am," Dean says, bobbing his head before tilting it to look at me.

  "Thanks," I reply with a shrug. "Do you...do you want to go shopping with me?" I ask awkwardly.

  The side of his mouth twitches. "Why not?"

  "I have to get a dress though. Fair warning," I respond, raising an eyebrow.

  My hand brushes his when we begin to walk beside each other, and I tense when he holds it in his. I turn toward him with probing eyes as I wiggle my hand out of his.

  "Spending time with a friend is always fun," he says, squeezing my hand before I take it back completely.

  "Friend," I confirm seriously.

  Dean shakes his head with a laugh. "Yes, friend. Get over yourself!"

  I roll my eyes at his statement and smile as we continue our walk around the stores. I spot a pair of shoes that I instantly fall in love with, but after searching for a dress to no avail, we take a break and go to the food court. Spencer appears beside us while I'm taking a bite of pizza and unexpectedly hands me his cell phone.

  "Mr. Murphy wants to speak to you," Spencer announces in a serious tone.

  My insides twist at the sound of his name, and my eyes shoot from Dean to Spencer before they land on the phone he's handing me.

  "Hello?" I answer, my voice barely audible.

  "Please tell me you're eating lunch with Russell," Cole says through clenched teeth.

  I shut my eyes closed tightly. "I'm not," I whisper, not hearing my own voice over the sound of my pounding heart.

  "You've got to be fucking kidding me, Blake!" he yells before huffing a breath. "I thought we went over this? I don't want you near him, ever. You need to cut ties with that part of your life. Enough is enough!"

  I rub my forehead and open my eyes to look at Dean who's sitting across from me, watching me intently. His twitching jaw and hands fisted on the table tell me that he hears every word Cole is saying to me. "Can we talk about this later?" I ask Cole in a low voice.

  He exhales into the line. "Are you going home now?"

  "I still need to get a dress."

  "We can go look for one tomorrow...together," he replies, his tone serious.

  "I'm already here, Cole," I mutter with an eye roll that makes Dean snicker.

  "I don't like him, Blake. I don't fucking like him," he says with a sigh.

  "I know, but it's not what you think," I respond, defeated.

  "I'll be home in an hour. If you're not there when I get there, I'm coming to the mall to get you," he says before hanging up, not giving me a chance to say anything.

  I narrow my eyes at Spencer as I hand the phone back to him and push my slice of pizza aside, no longer hungry. Dean and I look at each other for a couple of seconds or minutes in complete silence; the only noise is that of the chatter around the food court.

  "He really loves you, you know?" Dean says after a while.

  "I know," I agree with a sigh. "But he can be a bit overprotective sometimes."

  Dean's lip twitches. "I've noticed. That's not a bad thing, though. Sometimes you need that in your life...you definitely need that in yours!"

  I purse my lips and nod in agreement, my mind drifting to Cole and the many times he's unnecessarily been overprotective of me.

  "Whatever, he's pretty awesome even if he's a little annoying sometimes," I reply with a laugh and watch Dean's eyes sparkle in amusement.

  I stand up, taking the balled up paper of my Jimmy John's sub and cup of pop to throw out. When I come back to the table, Dean is still sitting there, leaning back on his chair with his arm over the seat beside him and his legs splayed open, not a care in the world. I laugh, rolling my eyes at him as I approach.

  "What did you have to buy?"

  "Socks," he replies, shrugging the arm he has placed on his lap.

  "Socks?" I ask, sputtering in laughter.

  "Yeah, you can never have too many socks. Don't your socks magically get lost when you wash them?"

  I purse my lips at his question. "I guess? Cole does the laundry." I shrug.

  A slow smile spreads over his face. "Huh. I woulda never thought that. Lucky girl," he replies in his amused tone.

  We say our goodbyes in the food court and I go home to wait for my petulant fiancé. I toss the bag in my room and kick off my shoes b
efore heading to the kitchen to open up a bottle of wine and prepare our dinner. I head to the balcony to water my plants and as I'm walking back inside, I hear the front door swing open and close. I tread back to the kitchen quietly and bite down on my lip when I see Cole striding toward me, carrying his suit jacket over his forearm. My breath hitches at the sight of him in his charcoal gray suit and unbuttoned dress shirt with loosened tie. I can tell he's been running his hands through his rumpled dark hair, and I give him a sad smile when he stops walking just steps away from me. His exhausted green eyes meet mine. He stares at me for a long moment before closing his eyes and taking a breath. When he opens them again, he tosses his jacket over the couch and continues to walk to me, his eyes blazing into mine. My heart rate spikes up when he stands flush against me. So close that the tip of my nose is touching his blue and gray tie and all I can smell is Cole as my chest heaves against his white dress shirt.

  "What am I going to do with you?" he asks, cupping my chin and turning my face toward his. His deep voice makes my body hum and shiver slightly. "Do you know how worried I am every time I leave for work? Do you realize that every time I know you're out I think of a hundred different things that can happen to you and relive that day all over again? Every. Single. Goddamn time. So when I find out that you're WITH one of the guys responsible..."

  I take a step back so that I don't have to tilt my head as much to look at him. "I didn't ask him to meet me there. I haven't spoken to him since...in a while," I reply, reaching up to caress both sides of his face, the stubble along his jaw tickling my palms. "He happened to be there and we had lunch. I know you don't like him and I get why you don't, but you weren't there, Cole. If it weren't for him..." I shrug, dropping my hands from his face, unwilling to finish my sentence.

  He pulls me into his chest and cloaks me in his arms, resting his head above mine. "I don't understand it, baby. I really don't. And I don't want you to see him. I get that he protected you and got you out of there, but I hate the way he looks at you. And knowing that he was with you that whole time...when you were...I just can't deal with it. I can't even stand the thought of someone else being there for you when it should've been me."

  I snuggle into him, closing my eyes to savor his touch. "I'm yours, Cole. Only yours."

  He lets go of me and holds me at arms' length, grazing over my face with the tips of his fingers as he looks at me adoringly. I close my eyes and part my lips slightly when he brushes over them, continuing down my bare shoulder and gently down my arm, stopping over the ring that adorns my index finger. He turns it on my finger a couple of times before adjusting it back in place. My eyes flutter open when the smell of his minty breath hits my face and we lock gazes again.

  "You are," he replies quietly. "Mine."

  I yank his tie, bringing his face close to mine until we're nose to nose. "Forever," I say, looking into the deep green eyes that make my head spin.

  "Forever," he growls against my lips before crashing his mouth against mine.

  I run my fingers under my eyes in an effort to perfect my eyeliner and take a breath as I wipe the foggy bathroom mirror with my hand towel. I dab on some light lip gloss with the tip of my finger and smack my lips together a couple of times before deciding that I look as good as I can make myself look. Running my hands through my loose waves, I take a deep shaky breath and plaster on a smile.

  My heels clink on the hardwood floor as I walk to the living room to wait for Cole who's in what is now known as his home office, doing an interview. I sag down on the couch and switch on the television and find that it's already tuned in to Cole's segment. My mouth dries when the camera goes from the guy he's interviewing back to Cole, already dressed in his tuxedo for tonight's event and looking damn good. After a couple of seconds listening to them ramble on about the Miami Dolphins' new team, I switch it off and walk to the mirror to look at myself again. I thought I looked fine, but seeing how great he looks makes me want to fix up my hair a little more. I grab my soft curls with one hand and bring them up to the back of my head, trying to figure out how to clip them there and drop them, letting them cascade over my shoulders, when Cole's reflection appears in the mirror.

  His eyes blaze as they rake slowly over my body, and he runs his tongue between his teeth before moving it over his lips. I pivot around and look down, suddenly feeling shy under his gaze. The sound of his dress shoes patter against the hardwood floor as he walks toward me. I bring my face up slowly, breathing in a whiff of his scent when he's close enough for me to revel in it. I tilt my head, my lips parting slightly, and my body heating up from the desire in his eyes as he lets his eyes roam over me once more.

  "You look...amazing," he finally says hoarsely. "That dress-"

  "You really like it?" I ask hopefully. "I loved it when I saw it. I figured I would go with black since it's an evening thing, but I've never really been to anything like this-"

  "Stop. You look beautiful. Beyond beautiful. You look fucking edible in that dress."

  A small smile touches my lips and my heart swells in appreciation for this man, who could make me feel sexy in just about anything. Still not at eye level with him despite my five-inch heels, I lean up to kiss him, but he holds my arms and takes a step back, shaking his head slowly.

  "Let me see the back of that dress again," he says in a low voice.

  I turn around quickly, feeling my hair swing with me and hit his body before I collect it up in my hands again so that he can see the low cut on the back of it. He caresses my back with the back of his finger close to the edges of dress, making me shiver as he pays close attention to the dip that's dangerously close to my butt. He draws the U of it a couple of times before sliding his finger inside of the fabric.

  "This is really low," he murmurs, closing the gap between us so that his mouth is over my ear and his chest is practically flush against my back. Even with his hand between us, I can feel him hard against me and see the heat in his eyes in the mirror in front of us. I let go of my hair and throw my head back against his chest. My eyes flutter closed when he moves his hand to hold my pelvis and pivots against me. He brings both hands in front of me and moves them over the thin fabric of my dress, placing them over my sensitive breasts, teasing them.

  "You're not wearing a bra?" he asks with a strained voice, still at the shell of my ear.

  My breath hitches in response, and he pinches my nipples, making me whimper and open my eyes quickly.

  "No," I reply breathlessly.

  "You're trying to kill me," he says, narrowing his eyes at me in the mirror. "You're trying to fucking kill me tonight."

  I bite down on my lip and push my hips back with a low moan, feeling his breathing increase in my ear.

  "Baby, don't start something you can't finish," he warns hoarsely.

  "You started it," I pant, slipping my hand behind me and cupping him over his pants. He groans deeply.

  Loud knocks on the door make us both pause and let out deep breaths. Cole drops his hands from my breasts and clears his throat, not taking his blazing eyes off mine in the mirror.

  "Be right there!" he yells at the door before lowering his head and biting my earlobe. "We'll finish this later...you need earrings."

  "Damn it. I knew I was missing something," I say under my breath.

  "You haven't been in your closet, have you?" he asks, shaking his head and letting out a chuckle as he adjusts himself in his pants.

  "No," I reply, confused.

  "Well, you may want to go now," he says, walking toward the front door.

  I walk back to our room and to my closet. I've had the dress hanging on the bathroom door for a couple of days, and rarely go into my closet since I keep my underwear and lounging clothes in the drawers in the bathroom, but I'm pretty sure I got my shoes out of there. As I'm trying to sort out my confusion, I open the door to my walk-in closet and switch the light on, gasping when I find a vase full of huge sunflowers beside a wrapped present on the small table in the middle. I bea
m as I walk toward it, wondering what in the world he could have gotten me now. I touch the yellow petals lightly and smile at his gesture, always the romantic. He got me the same flowers when we went on our first date together. I pick up a small envelope with my name on it and tear it open, finding a note from him:

  I smile and place the note beside the vase and begin to unwrap the present, careful not to tear the wrapping paper that has the word love written all over it in different colors. My eyebrows knit together when I find the Jimmy Choo shoebox that the shoes I'm wearing came in. I open it, finding a smaller box in it wrapped in the same paper. I groan when I realize the game he wants to play, which he knows I absolutely hate. His laughter erupts behind me, and I roll my eyes as I face him.

  "I love you and I love the flowers and the note and the gesture, but why do you always do this to me?" I ask exasperated.

  He's smiling as he strides toward me and taps the tip of my nose with his finger. "Because I love how cute you look when you're frustrated. It's fun!"

  "So not fun," I mumble under my breath, making him chuckle.

  "Hurry up and open it! We're already running late."

  I sigh and tear the wrapping paper of this box a little faster than the last and find another small box inside of that one. I grit my teeth to keep from cursing or saying anything mean and take another deep breath as I tear through the next box with wrapping paper, finally finding two Tiffany blue boxes. I bite down on my smile and pick one up.

  "That one first," he interrupts, making me look at him with narrowed eyes.

  I put down the smaller box and pick up the other one, opening it to find a pair of breathtaking diamond chandelier earrings. My mouth drops open as I take in how shiny they are. They drip perfection and expensiveness, and my mind battles between wondering how much they cost to whether or not I can pull off wearing them.

  "They're beautiful," I whisper in awe, looking from the earrings to Cole and back to the earrings. I place them over the back of my hand and swallow as my eyes drift from the earrings to my equally as shiny engagement ring and back to the earrings. "They probably cost a fortune, Cole," I murmur, looking back into his eyes.