“Good?”
“Yes, don’t stop. Please don’t stop,” I plead as electricity and heat spreads through every inch of my body, the hair on my neck standing on end. My pulse thunders as pressure builds inside, desperate to feel all of him. His fingers enter me slickly and I start to buck against his hand, the rhythm increasing with intensity. Our eyes meet momentarily; his sincere gaze tells me all I need to know; that he owns a piece of my heart. Despite all my confusion over Pete, Cole will always be the only guy I ever truly love. Cole’s free hand moves toward mine. Our fingers entangle as he continues to work me with the other. Our kisses are intense, each contact of his swollen, supple lips is better than the one before.
“I love you,” I muffle between kisses.
“And that’s all I’ll ever need,” he gasps.
I smile against his lips, my heart galloping so fast it feels like it’s going to break out of my chest. I let out a small moan as Cole removes his hand from between my legs and cups my breast, pulling my shirt down to expose my nipple. He licks it in a circular motion, my bud hardening sweetly in response. I run my hands through his hair again, grasping on tightly as he continues to work his skillful tongue across my swollen breasts. The pressure builds, a dead weight in my stomach as my excitement grows.
One hand roams gently from my breast, down my side, and back between my legs. The slickness of my arousal grows as his fingers enter me again. He caresses his thumb across my clit, the touch and rhythm a heady mix. I can’t deny the way my insides tighten as he works me relentlessly. His mouth continues licking and sucking one breast while his hand works between my legs.
I thrust myself against his fingers, our tempo’s matching with every movement. My stomach tightens, the pleasure rippling through me as my sex begins to pulse. I know I’m close. I let out a yelp of excitement.
Cole’s mouth moves from my breast. I glance down to see why and his head is resting against the steps. His hands grab my butt as he pulls me up, my knees resting on the step, on either side of his head. I hold on tightly as his face touches my sex. Small puffs of air blow against my clit causing me to buck against him; needing to feel him. His tongue licks over my swollen bud and I close my eyes in ecstasy, knowing I’m about to lose control.
His tongue darts from my clit, down to my sex, and back to my clit again. Each touch more sensual than the last. He sucks and teases my clit until I feel my insides tighten and begin to pulsate. My body becomes limp and my legs begin to shake. Cole moves beneath me, swiftly moving me and placing me on his lap. His cock nudges at my entrance. I kneel up just a fraction, allowing him access to my opening.
I slide down, the aftermath of my orgasm allowing a smooth entry. I cry out in pleasure as he fills me entirely. Despite my limbs feeling weak and barely functional, Cole drives into me deep with his cock. It is almost too much to take; too intense as he plunges into me desperately, his warm mouth once again kissing and caressing my nipple. Cole starts to move faster, thrusting into me harshly, but I can’t deny how much I love it. I feel the build again before my sex starts pulsating around his cock. I almost collapse on top of Cole, but with a few more strokes, I feel the swell of his cock inside me as he lets out a loud moan, pulling me tightly against his chest.
We lay there, just holding each other in our post euphoric state. I love the way his hand feels as he draws circles softly over the skin on my back. I push myself up, kissing his head gently before getting up to redress myself. I look at Cole and a sudden expression of panic crosses his face.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, studying his face for the answers.
“Shit, the truck! I left the truck door open.”
I gasp, remembering that the truck was open when I arrived. Cole hops toward the door, trying to pull up his shorts as he goes. I chuckle to myself as he dances toward the entrance.
I make my way upstairs to get cleaned up, maneuvering around the boxes in the hall. I look around, trying to find my few belongings. I scan the rooms, noticing my bags on the bed in the largest bedroom. I dig out some clean clothes and toiletries before heading over to the bathroom.
I quickly clean up, throwing on a clean set of clothes, before heading back downstairs. As I head down, I hear faint voices, and I try to tune in, concentrating on the voices. I can’t make out who all is here. I head through the family room and across to the sliding doors, spotting Ash and Cole looking cozy out on the veranda. I rush out to greet Ash. He has this really, kind of weird smile on his face. Either way, it’s nice to see him smile again.
“What’s all this?” I tease. “Come to help us unpack?”
“Likely, Barbie!” he chuckles. “If you think I’m going to ruin my nails, then you’re sadly mistaken. I just came to give you the super awesome news.”
“What’s that?” I question.
“Abbey’s coming home!” he squeals, lunging forward and hugging me so tightly my feet practically leave the ground. I push back on his shoulders, eager to find out exactly what he means.
“You mean…”
“She’s being transferred to the hospital here in Newport,” he interrupts. “I know she’s not out of the woods yet, but at least we can visit. I’m pretty sure if she hears familiar voices, it will help, you know? She will start to remember and wake up.”
“Possibly,” I say, trying to sound optimistic, but my mind fleets back to seeing her in the hospital, all hooked up and lifeless.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, hooking his arm around my neck. “This is good news, Ken. Why you look so glum?”
“No, I’m happy. Of course I’m happy. This is great news. We should celebrate.”
“Tomorrow we celebrate. Today we unpack.” Cole laughs, walking back inside the apartment.
“This is such an awesome place, I’m happy for you and Cole. It’s about time things worked out for the two of you!”
Cole
The sunlight streams through the window, waking me. I throw my arm over my head, trying to stop the light from fucking blinding me. I turn to the side, noticing Kennedy’s side of the bed is empty. I bolt upright, blinking rapidly, trying to get my eyes to adjust. I scan the room quickly, but see nothing. I throw off the sheets and head out of the bedroom and down the stairs, calling out for her as I go. As I reach the bottom of the stairs, I see her on her tiptoes, reaching in the cupboards, aimlessly searching through them. I stand there for a second just watching the beauty dressed in nothing but my sweater. That round ass shows every time she stands tall to reach the top cupboard. I lean against the wall, my feet crossed, as I lazily clear my throat.
Ken spins, her long hair flowing freely as she turns to look at me. I can’t help the grin that spreads across my lips. I try to fight it, but the look on her face is just too damn amusing.
“Cole!” she yells.
“Yes, Kennedy,” I chuckle, slowly walking toward her.
“We need food,” she snaps, thrusting her hands beside her.
“Of course there’s no food. The house didn’t come with all of the cupboards stocked,” I mock, but her face doesn’t change. I reach out and grab her limp arms, pulling her into my chest, her head lying perfectly against my shoulder.
“What’s wrong, baby? What’s this really about?”
“Nothing,” she whispers, her head moving slightly against my neck. “I just didn’t sleep well and I’m damn hungry,” she chuckles. “We really need to go grocery shopping,” she sighs.
“Well, let’s go!”
“What? Now?” she asks surprised.
“Now!” I answer, pulling back and looking at her face. A small smile curls at the corner of her lips as she dances past me. My heart feels a little lighter at the sight of her smiling again. I push myself away from the counter and follow her up the stairs.
We wander around the grocery store picking up everything we possibly can to fill every inch of space in the damn kitchen. I pick up the necessary cold drinks, beers, and snacks for tomorrow’s house warming slash birthday party
. Thankfully, I have my fake ID on me. Ken grabs all the sensible shit I hadn’t even thought about. I check the time on my watch. Fuck. I don’t think I’ve ever dragged my ass out of bed on a Saturday morning this damn early.
We pay for our things and start to head out toward the truck. I walk to the back, loading the bags from the cart. Suddenly, I hear the screech of a car approaching. I swing around and look at the vehicle parked inches away from my door. I recognize it immediately.
“Shit,” I grate out, rushing to get the rest of the stuff in the truck.
“So, where’s my baby sister’s momma at?” he drawls. The blood rises in me almost instantly.
“Fuck off, Dennis,” I growl. “Just go back to the cesspool you came from. Nobody is concerned about a damn thing you have to say.”
“Oh really? Looks like the police were pretty interested in what I had to say.”
“Police?” I glare at him questioningly. “They’ll soon see through your bullshit lies.”
I slam the door shut, ignoring him as I push the shopping cart back to the bay outside the store. I turn quickly, eager to get back to the truck knowing that Ken is probably freaking the fuck out right now.
Shit this guy has a massive fucking chip on his shoulder. I wish I’d finished him when I had the chance. Yeah, I know what I did was wrong, but this fucking jerk has put us through hell for no good reason. I walk around the truck, smiling at Kennedy. I see the dread written all over her face.
Desperate to get inside, I reach for the door handle, but it’s locked. I walk around the car and see Dennis is tugging on the Kennedy’s door, trying to get in. I grab the collar of his shirt, spin him around, and push him back against the truck.
“Seriously, Dennis. I’m fucking sick of this bullshit.” I thrust him back against the truck again, before turning and pushing him as hard as I can. I watch him stumble backward and land on his ass with a thud.
“This isn’t over, Peterson,” he yells out.
“Oh, I think it is,” I growl in warning. I grind my teeth together, letting out a huge breath as I jump in the truck and drive out of the parking lot.
“Shit, Cole. Is this what it’s going to be like, hmm?” Kennedy asks, annoyance dripping from every word. “Every time we leave the house? Every time we go to the grocery store?” She slaps her hands down against her lap in an act of defeat, her head turns away from me as she stares out of the window.
“It won’t always be like this, baby. He’ll soon get bored and move his attention to someone else. He obviously has his own, deep rooted issues he has to deal with. You know, I think he’s pretty fucked up.”
“All my life I’ve been scared, living in fear. And now this. I’m sick of living in fear, Cole.” I watch as a solitary tear slides down her face, staining its path before dripping down on her arm.
“He can’t hurt you, Kennedy. I won’t ever let him hurt you.” I try and reassure her, but my words don’t seem to register. She shakes her head, refusing to accept what I’ve said.
“Listen,” I raise my voice a little. “Don’t give up, Kennedy. I see you’re shutting down on me. Don’t do this! I have never once given up on you. It’s time you don’t give up on yourself or on us.”
Her swollen, tear stained eyes lock on mine. “You’re right.” She sniffles. “I can’t let every encounter with him bring me down, bring us down,” she rushes out, reaching and taking hold of my hand.
I smile widely at her. “Wipe those eyes, baby. I got a surprise for you!” She sniffles some more before sitting upright, her eyes widen as she turns to face me.
“What kind of surprise, Cole?”
“A good surprise.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure how I feel about this,” she says nervously.
I look at her and simply smile, not wanting to give away anything else. I’ve worked hard on keeping this a secret and I’m not about to give it up now.
Kennedy
I watch intently as we drive down yet another unfamiliar street. I crane my neck, looking past Cole as we approach a small row of shops. Cole slows, pulling into the parking lot. I look through the windshield, noticing we are parking directly outside a small, but expensive looking jeweler. I look at Cole, then back over to the shop, and back over to Cole.
He smiles from ear to ear. “Come on, we need to collect your birthday present.”
I feel a wide smile stretch across my face as the anticipation builds inside me. I’ve never celebrated my birthday. I remember having that exact conversation with Cole about how birthdays for me were never “special” and I had never received a present, at least not the kind of normal present a child should expect to receive. If anything, birthdays were used as another damn excuse for me to get my ass beaten, or raped, for no good reason. I shudder, closing my eyes tightly, as if trying to wipe away the memories. It works, if only temporarily.
He smiles, taking my hand in his, before leading me toward the shop. The window has the most spectacular jewelry displays; the florescent lights helping to make the diamonds shine brighter than the stars in the sky. I can’t help but gasp at the beauty of it all. I look at the window, then back at Cole, and my excitement turns into guilt. If it was the other way around there’s no way I could do this for him. I have jack shit money, and I know guys aren’t really into expensive jewelry, but still, I could never do this whole grand gesture thing, even if I wanted to.
I stop moving as though my feet are suddenly glued to the ground. Cole looks back at me with sadness in his eyes.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
“Nothing, it’s just um…”
“Too much?” he asks, cocking his head to the side. His eyes are downturned. He looks sad.
My mouth twists up at one side in a half sad smile. “Kinda,” I answer honestly. He pulls on my hands, wrapping them around his waist.
“At least lemme show you what I picked out.” He shrugs. “You decide you don’t like it. Fine? I understand it might all be too much. It’s not a big deal, I promise.” He bends his head, his eyesight now in line with mine. “Deal?” he asks, with a slight smile and a shrug of his eyebrows.
“I…I…I can never repay you for something like this.”
“I don’t expect you to. This is for you. This is me showing you just how much you mean to me. You’re worth more to me than diamonds and gold.”
I feel the emotion in me heighten, tears threatening to break through. I breathe in deeply, my chest pushing out as I straighten my posture, doing everything I can to keep the tears at bay.
Dammit, I don’t want to cry. A gentle hand appears under my chin, lifting it until I’m met with the sweet taste of Cole kissing me. I close my eyes as a chill runs through me, the familiar excitement I feel every time he kisses me.
He quickly breaks the kiss and I shudder at the loss of his touch.
“Come on.” He gently pulls on my hips, guiding me inside the stunning shop. As I walk inside, I glance around, taking in the splendor of this beautiful store. It is elegant, yet understated. I can totally see why Cole has chosen this quaint jeweler.
The tall, slender woman behind the counter greets us as we make our way over to her. I break away from Cole’s hold, slowly browsing the cabinets. I hear them talking, but I’m so engrossed in gawking at the bright stones, that their conversation is a blur. After a few seconds, I feel both pair of eyes boring into me as I wander through the small store, oblivious to them.
I turn, looking between the both of them and blush a little with embarrassment.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I mutter, shuffling toward the counter with my head in a downward position. Shit, I’m awkward. Everything about my social skills screams ‘outcast’.
“You don’t have to apologize, Ken,” Cole reassures. “Are you ready to see what I chose for you?”
I bite the corner of my lip, nodding my head slowly in acknowledgement. In fact, I couldn’t be sure if I was ready or not. My hands shake, as I clasp them together, hoping to keep my nerves and exci
tement under control.
Everything about Cole’s body language screams nervous. One minute he’s touching his face, the next he’s running his hand through his hair. I reach out, taking his hand in my own, hoping we can put each other at ease in this moment. The lady reaches underneath the counter, pulling out a small box, and places it slowly in front of me on the glass counter top.
My eyes are fixed on the box as she opens it and I’m floored. In front of me is a heart shaped ring, filled with a huge sparkling diamond. I stand there, frozen, mesmerized by the spectacular beauty of this ring. I snap my head to the side. The warmth of a single tear cascades over my cheek, falling down onto the glass counter. Before I get chance to say anything, I notice the assistant walks slowly backward, through the door to the back room of the store.
“Cole, I…I…I…I don’t know what to say.”
He reaches forward, taking the ring from the box. “It’s a promise ring, Kennedy. This is my first step of showing my commitment to you, to prove that I’m in this for the long haul. Despite what happens, I will be here for you, as your best friend, as your partner. I needed something special to show you how I feel in here.” He makes a fist and starts to pat his chest. “Because, shit, I’m not good at always showing you how I feel.”
My heart pounds a thousand miles an hour, a tingle runs through every part of my body as this hunk in front of me openly declares his feelings for me. I can’t help but throw my arms around his neck, kissing him deeply, with everything I have.
He pulls back, studying my face. A smile twitches at the corner of his mouth. “You like?” he chuckles.
“Oh, I do. I really do,” I gush. He holds my hand, sliding the ring carefully onto my ring finger.
“But won’t people think this is an engagement ring?” I ask confused, as I look at the placing of the ring. I’d never heard of a promise ring. The only rings I’ve ever seen on this finger were engagement and wedding rings.
“Who cares? This is about us, nobody else.”
Keeping Hope (Broken Girl Series) Page 18