“They’re ringing the dinner bell. I gotta go. Love you, Mom,” Anthony spoke quickly as a loud dinging sounded in the background.
“Love you, too.”
When she hung up, she decided that, instead of having a talk with Anthony, like she’d planned, about how much information he’d shared, she needed to have a chat with Cole. Whether or not he’d meant to give Anthony the wrong idea, he had. She needed to make sure he understood, in no uncertain terms, that that was unacceptable.
She and Cole were adults. If either of them got hurt because of their “get in, get some, get out” plan, then so be it. They were choosing to play a sexy game of no-strings-attached Russian roulette. But Anthony was a child, and Julianna refused to let him get hurt.
* * *
“Okay. No more questions. I promise.” Cole smiled as he topped off Julianna’s glass of wine.
They were having dinner out on the patio in his backyard. The sun had set hours before, but the temperature was still around ninety. She looked breathtaking with her hair pulled back and a long, cream, cotton dress that hugged her curves. Cole was trying to concentrate on what she was saying, but he wasn’t doing a great job. His body was strung tight with need, and all he could think about was how badly he wanted to make love to her again.
Which was bad for a few reasons.
First, she was upset and deserved his full attention. Second, they were having a conversation about her son. His lascivious thoughts were not really appropriate. Third, he’d had sex with her just this morning—and a few times last night. That fact alone should have taken the edge off. Instead, it had the opposite effect. Instead of sating his desire, being with Julianna had made him crave her more. The second their first encounter had ended, he’d already been feenin’ for his next hit like an addict.
“Cole, I’m serious. You’re giving him the wrong idea,” Julianna implored.
“What wrong idea?” Cole knew he really needed to do a better job of following along with the conversation.
“That you like me,” she said in exasperation.
“How is that the wrong idea? I do like you.”
“No…not like… I know you like me…but not… He can’t think…” With each word that came out of her mouth, her frustration seemed to be inflating more and more, like a balloon that was about to pop.
The last thing Cole wanted was to start this night off with her being agitated and upset. He wasn’t sure exactly where her aggravation was coming from, but obviously he hadn’t been sneaking in the questions about her as smoothly as he’d thought.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked him about you. Honestly, I thought he wouldn’t even notice. He’s a smart kid. Scary smart.”
At the compliment, Julianna’s face lit up like Times Square and she nodded. “He is smart. Nothing gets past him. When he was two, his pediatrician gave me a book on parenting gifted kids. I guess she knew even then the road I had ahead of me. I’m glad she did. I’ve read it cover to cover three times. The thing has more highlights than Malibu Barbie.”
“He’s so lucky to have you,” Cole said with genuine admiration. Thinking of her at eighteen, reading a book on parenting, highlighting every passage that she thought was important, broke his heart and filled him with pride.
“I’m the lucky one,” Julianna said, deflecting, though he could tell that she meant it.
“What was the other thing you wanted to talk about?”
“What?” she asked as she cut her pork chop. Cole noticed that she took special care not to let the meat touch her veggies.
“When you got here, you said you had two things to talk to me about.”
When he’d opened the door, the first words out of Julianna’s mouth had been, “We need to talk.” Basically the four words that made any grown man cringe. And when he’d asked what about, she’d told him, “Two things, actually.” They’d covered the first. Now, he wanted to knock out the second so he could pick her up, throw her over his shoulder, and take her to his bed.
“Oh…it can wait.” A pink blush rose up her cheeks. She quickly put the bite of food in her mouth and began chewing.
It was obvious that she was stalling, and he got nervous that he might be about to get the “it’s not you, it’s me” speech even though, technically, they weren’t even in a relationship. Not a conventional one, anyway. He’d never been on the receiving end of that speech. Sitting on this side was no fun.
“It’s that bad, huh?” He smiled, hoping she wouldn’t see how nervous the thought of her ending this now made him. There was no way he was going to make it through the rest of his dinner without having a clue of what else she needed to talk about.
“No.” As she shook her head, the pink tint turned a deeper rose color. “Well, it is, but not in the way you’re thinking.”
“Okay, now you have to tell me.” Cole tried to appear casual as he picked his beer up and leaned back in his chair.
“Why?” she asked, a challenge sparking in her large doe eyes.
“You can’t say it’s bad but not in the way I’m thinking and actually think I’m going to drop it. Come on now.”
She stared at him for several seconds, and Cole had no idea what was going on behind her coffee-colored gaze. There was definitely some nervousness, some apprehension, but her lips were curved up and her body language read more embarrassed than serious.
Shaking her head, she replied the opposite of what her physical gesture was communicating. “Fine.” Then, after taking a deep breath and wiping her mouth with her napkin, she grabbed her glass of wine and drank the contents in two gulps.
He was growing more and more intrigued as each second passed.
“I made a list today,” she explained as she pulled her phone from her purse, which was sitting in the chair beside her.
“A list?” Cole repeated.
What could be embarrassing about a list? He wondered if this was like in middle school when girls used to pass him anonymous notes of the top ten things they liked about him. They all had variations of the same title: Reasons I Like Cole. The lists were actually pretty similar as well. His hair, eyes, smile, butt.
“Yes.” She swallowed hard and took in a shaky breath. Straightening her shoulders, she sat up taller. “Last night when we…you know…I liked things that I didn’t know I would like. A lot. So, that got me thinking. There things that I definitely want to do again, and there are also new things that I’d like to explore. I wrote them down since we only have two more nights. I didn’t want to forget anything.”
“You made a sex list?” Cole’s pants instantly grew tighter. That was so much better than a “Reasons I Like Cole” list.
“A to-do list,” she clarified with a prim and proper tone.
“A sex to-do list.” A huge smile spread on Cole’s lips. He couldn’t help it. The sexiest woman in the world had just told him that she’d made a list of sexual things she wanted to experience with him.
“Tomayto, tomahto,” she said dismissively.
“Can I see it?”
“Sure,” she said hesitantly, sounding anything but sure.
As she reached across the table to give him the phone, her eyes were glued to the device and her hand was shaking. When he wrapped his fingers around her wrists, he could feel her pulse racing wildly beneath his touch.
Cole waited for her to look up at him before assuring her, “Just so you know, unless this list includes putting needles in my dick, I am all in. Whatever you want to explore is good with me. I just feel so fucking lucky that you trust me enough to share your body, your time, and your list with me.”
He almost added, Oh and by the way, I am ninety-nine point nine percent sure I’m totally, head-over-heels in love with you, but he really didn’t think she was ready to hear that.
Biting her lip, she nodded and slipped her hand out of his. He held her phone and looked down only after a small smile lifted on her perfect lips.
The first thing he noticed was the titl
e. He asked, “BTD?”
“Bedroom to-do list, not sex to-do list,” she answered, as she started nervously twisting her hair.
“Tomayto, tomahto,” he repeated.
As he scrolled, he saw that the list consisted solely of acronyms, none of which made any sense to him. He looked for BJ, the only one he would know for sure, but unfortunately, it hadn’t made the list. He had no idea how to decipher any of these, so he started asking.
“DT?”
“Dirty talk.”
He could definitely do that.
“BF?” Cole’s eyes shot to hers. That one he wasn’t sure if he could do. “Do you want to have a threesome with your best friend?”
It’s not that he hadn’t had threesomes before—he had. They were great. But there was no way he wanted to share her with anyone. Not even a hot best friend.
Julianna tilted her head to the side and gave him a look that made it clear he had guessed wrong. “Blindfold.”
“That makes more sense.” Glancing down with relief, he read the next set of letters. “HP?”
“Hair pulled.”
“SP?”
“Spanked.”
A low moan rumbled in his chest. This was some of the hottest foreplay he’d ever engaged in. Last night, when he’d given her a light swat, he’d felt her pussy get wet against his leg. He’d tried to ignore it because they’d just had sex, but just like concentrating on the earlier conversation, he hadn’t done that great of a job.
“OS?”
“Oral sex.”
“But I—”
“I meant giving it to you.”
Holy shit. BJ was on the list—it was just incognito.
“IN?”
“Ice on my nipples. I saw it in a movie once and I thought it looked like…it might feel good.”
“Fuck,” he said under his breath as he moved in his chair to adjust his painfully erect length. “You’re killing me here.”
At his obvious discomfort, Julianna’s entire demeanor changed. Instead of looking nervous and anxious, she looked excited. She stopped twisting her hair and leaned her forearms on the table. Instead of biting the inside of her mouth, her perfectly straight, white teeth bit down on her lower lip.
“TU?”
“Tied up,” she answered boldly, her eyes shimmering lustily. “I loved the feeling when you had my hands pinned above my head. I loved being completely at your mercy. I loved you being totally in control of my body.”
That was it. Her admission was the sensual straw that broke his rock-hard camel’s back. There were several other letter combos on the screen, but Cole could not wait another second. Standing up, he stalked around the table in two steps.
Julianna’s eyes widened as she stood. “What are you—?”
But her question was cut off when Cole picked her up by the waist and put her over his shoulder, giving her ass a quick swat.
“Checking things off that list.”
Chapter Twelve
Julianna couldn’t help but giggle as Cole walked with purpose, her body slung over his shoulder, through his house. Being carried in a fireman hold had not been on her list, but she would have put it on there if she had known how it felt. His muscular arms held her in place like she weighed nothing. His strength was quickly ranking as one of her favorite things about him. It made her feel so safe and taken care of.
When he stopped, she lifted up and twisted around, trying to see what was happening. She couldn’t really see anything from her position, but she heard a cabinet door shut and then the distinct sound of ice cubes being dispensed from the refrigerator door. Next thing she knew, they were on the move again. Cole’s steps were long and purposeful as he walked down a long hall that she assumed led to his bedroom.
Her heart was racing, her mind was spinning, and her stomach was turning. She wasn’t sure if it was from nervousness or excitement. Probably both. When he had started reading the list, she had felt embarrassment bubble up inside her like the time she’d accidentally put dishwashing soap instead of dishwasher detergent in the dishwasher, creating a never-ending sea of bubbles. But when she’d seen how her list and her explanations were affecting him—how turned on he was getting—it had caused her to be bolder than she ever could have imagined she could be.
She felt herself being lowered to the ground, and before she had a chance to take in her surroundings, her dress was being pulled over her head. Cole had amazing reflexes and dexterity. And while she was sure that both of those things made him the amazing quarterback he was, they also didn’t hurt in the bedroom.
Once her dress was off, Julianna was left standing in just her bra and panties. When Cole stepped back¸ his gaze roamed hungrily up and down her body as it heated up under his intense scrutiny. She felt his stare like a physical caress.
“So sexy,”’ he whispered reverently as his finger traced the scalloped outline of her lace bra.
Taking his time, he slowly ran his finger back and forth over both breasts. The featherlight touch of his callused fingers set her body on fire. Her chest rose and fell heavily as her breathing came in short pants. After the second pass of his exploration, her knees buckled and she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to stand. Her weak-kneed response was not just from the amazing sensations rippling through her. It was also because of the way he looked at her like she was the only thing he could see.
When he looked at her, it was as if the rest of the world disappeared for him and she was all that existed. When he looked at her, it felt like the sun was shining, just on her, on a cloudy day. When he looked at her, it chased away every insecurity and fear. After her freak pass expired and this ended, that would be what she would miss the most—the look in Cole’s eyes when he stared at her.
“Stay here,” he commanded roughly before he left her standing in the middle of his large bedroom.
As he moved to the closet, Julianna took the opportunity to glance around. His room was masculine, but warm. She was standing at the end of a large, dark-oak, four-poster bed with a deep-green comforter. There was a matching oak dresser and desk against one wall and a large picture window on the other. Art of jazz players and the Miami skyline hung on the wall. It was warm and cozy, not at all like the sterile bachelor bedroom she’d imagined.
When Cole emerged from the closet, Julianna could see that he had several things in his hands, but in the dim lighting, she couldn’t make out what they were. What she could see was that he’d removed his shirt, and at the sight, her mouth went dry. The soft light filtering in through the hallway highlighted the lines and dips of his muscular frame.
His body was a masterpiece. A work of art. His overwhelming silhouette looked so large, dominating, and incredibly male, reminding her of a powerful animal.
She watched as Cole began lighting candles around his room, entranced by the way his back and arms moved. Stepping over to his bedside table, he turned on a small device that looked like a speaker and pressed something on his phone and “Unchained Melody” began playing softly.
When he turned back around to face her, she noticed that he was holding a tie in his hand. A rush of arousal shot to her core at the thought of whether he was going to use it to tie her up or blindfold her. And as he walked towards her like a lion stalking his prey, Julianna found herself holding her breath in anticipation.
He reached her in just a few long strides. Then he tilted her chin so that she was looking up at him.
“Breathe,” he smiled down at her affectionately.
She let out a breath.
“Better?” he asked.
“Yes,” she answered honestly as she realized that this exchange was the perfect example of why she implicitly trusted Cole with her body. He put her and her needs first.
Just like with the dance party, he made her comfort—not just physically but emotionally as well—his priority.
“Good.”
When he tossed the tie on the bed, she noticed that there were actually two of them. Before she h
ad a chance to consider why that was, Cole’s warm lips were covering hers. His mouth captured hers as his hands framed her face and he kissed her with a tenderness that broke Julianna’s heart. It was heartbreaking because none of this was real. This was temporary. As much as she kept reminding herself of that fact, her freak pass partner was making it harder and harder to remember.
She opened her lips to him, and his talented tongue slid into her mouth. As he masterfully explored the recesses of her mouth, he sent spirals of ecstasy flowing through her. His lips were both strong and gentle, his tongue moist and firm. The sensual massage of his passionate kiss launched currents of desire that raced down her spine. Her body molded against his strength as she let herself get lost in the velvety warmth of his mouth.
When he pulled away from her, he left her panting with need. Slowly, he unclasped her bra and slid the straps off her shoulders before pulling her panties down. Then, after picking her up as if she weighed nothing, he gently eased her onto the bed. Starting at her neck, he began peppering kisses down her body—over her shoulder, her arms, her belly, her legs—pausing to whisper his love for each of her body parts he was showering attention on.
His mouth never touched her neediest places. Instead, they trailed around her breasts, down her ribs, over her hipbones, across her lower belly, and on her inner thighs. Hoping he was saving the best for last, Julianna tried to lie back patiently and wait for Cole to circle back. The problem was that patience was not what his talented mouth was inspiring. Desperate need—that was what Cole’s relentless seduction was inducing her to feel.
She was about to reach her breaking point—to beg him to touch her, kiss her where she needed it most—when Cole rose up, sitting back on his heels, and picked up one of the ties that were lying beside them. A sensual glint gleamed in his emerald-green eyes as he stared down at her, running the silk material through his hands. The candlelight danced off his muscular chest and arms, as she lay beneath him, naked. It was an erotically heady sensation.
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