Wrong Side Girl (The Girl Series Book 1)

by Goda, Julia

  I heard a pained groan coming from behind me. Looking over my shoulder in the mirror, I saw Cole standing in the doorway, completely frozen. Only his eyes were moving, taking me in from top to bottom to top, then came to meet mine. At seeing the look in them, I caught my breath and shivered. It was almost animalistic. Pure desire and need stared back at me. Sam had been right. Cole didn’t know what hit him. We were standing frozen like that, staring at each other’s eyes through the mirror for several minutes until Cole broke the silence.

  “I don’t know if I should be happy Sam is your new best friend or if I wished I had never introduced you.” He advanced on me. His hands went around my waist, gliding on the smooth fabric of my dress, resulting in another full body shiver. “You are the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on,” he whispered as he nibbled my ear. “I’m gonna have a hard time keeping my hands off of you tonight.”

  “Who said you had to keep your hands off of me?’ I was starting to pant as his lips caressed the skin behind my ear.

  “If I don’t, the other patrons at the restaurant will get a show with their dinner,” he mumbled. One last kiss before he stepped back, turned me, grabbed my hand in his, and walked us towards the door, down the stairs into the front hall where he helped me into my coat, and then took me out for our celebration dinner.

  I smiled back at the waiter, who had just taken our orders, closed my menu, and returned it to him. Cole did the same without the smile, his eyes on me.

  “I’ve made a decision,” he stated after a few seconds of perusing the parts of my body that weren’t hidden by the table.

  “And what is that?” I asked.

  “It’ll take up all my precious free time if I follow my instincts and rip off every guy’s head that dares stare at your glorious body. That won’t do since I intend to spend every minute of that time with you for the rest of my life, however that comes about. So instead, I’ve decided to show you off and enjoy the envious looks I get, since no other man will ever come close enough to touch you. All they can do is look. You’re mine, so I can kiss you and touch you whenever and wherever I want.”

  “That’s a good plan. Though, I’m not so sure about the wherever part. I’m no exhibitionist.”

  “Neither am I.” I gave him an ‘Oh really?’ look. He knew that I knew he had had sex in public places before. “At least not with you,” he amended. “What we share when we’re together is private and intimate. I wouldn’t risk anyone seeing you like that. But don’t get me wrong. If I see an opportunity to be adventurous but discreet at the same time, I’ll take it. Like at my office. I’m dying to take you on that couch and have the memory of that with me at work.” Thinking about christening his couch made me want to be adventurous. He could tell by the glaze that had covered my eyes.

  “Behave,” he growled.

  “You started it. What do you expect me to do when you talk like that? It’s not just you who has to control himself to not jump me every time I walk into a room. I feel the same way about you.”

  “That’s good to know,” he shot me a wide grin. Our drinks arrived then and we toasted to us and our future. Kind of corny, but I loved it.

  Sam hadn’t exaggerated. This place was fancy. I had thought I might be a tad overdressed, but I wasn’t. Every woman in this room was wearing a dress just as lavish as mine. Where they dripped with diamonds though, I wore simple silver jewelry. I looked around. The restaurant was completely booked to capacity. It was close to Christmas, so there were a few bigger groups, not just couples. I noticed a few people looking my way. No, not looking at me. Glaring at me. They were all women. What? I looked at Cole, confused and a little uncomfortable. It wasn’t the first time in my life women wanted to kill me with just a look, though I suspected this time it was for a completely different reason. He shook his head at me, quietly laughing.

  “You see it, don’t you?” I leaned in closer over the table so he could hear me when I asked in a quiet voice, “Why are those women glaring at me? You know them?” Cole’s shoulders kept shaking.

  “No, I don’t know them. Baby, they’re glaring at you, because you’re a hundred times more beautiful than they are and they know it. They envy you.”

  “That’s stupid.”

  “Maybe so, but it’s true. They’re also probably pissed because the men they are with couldn’t tear their eyes away from you when we walked in.”

  “It’s just the dress. Sam knows her way around clothes.”

  “It’s more than just the dress. It just makes an already unbelievably gorgeous woman even more so. It’s your eyes, your hair, your laugh, everything about you that men want and women are jealous of.”

  “They haven’t heard me laugh.”

  “Not yet. Wanna bet how many heads are gonna turn when you do?” I crossed my arms over my chest, not liking his teasing or the situation at all. It brought up too many unpleasant memories.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t go out to places like this anymore. It makes me uncomfortable when people stare at me,” I looked down at the empty table in front of me and fidgeted with the napkin on my lap.

  “Oh, no. I told you I’ve decided to show you off. This is fun.” My self-consciousness turned into attitude. “You know, crossing your arms like that really accentuates your generous breasts.” I uncrossed my arms quickly and sat up straight, my eyes going wide, not wanting or needing any more attention on my body. Cole burst out laughing. Great. Now it felt like everyone was staring, though at least all the women were now looking at him instead of me.

  “Maybe they were glaring at me because they’re jealous I’m with you,” I snapped. That made way more sense.

  “It doesn’t matter. None of them matter. Baby, as much as I like you riled up we are not going to argue tonight. Come here,” he leaned over the table, stopping about mid-way toward me, waiting for me to do the same. He was right. It didn’t matter if or why other people were jealous. What mattered was that we had each other. Again, corny. But it had always been our truth. And I didn’t want to argue either. So I complied and leaned in, going in for a quick kiss on the lips. Cole had a different idea, though. When I started pulling back he held me by the side of my neck, keeping me in place, kissing the hell out of me. I was breathless by the time he was done.

  “Now, tell me about your day. And how are Jesse and Chloe? They still happy in their new home?” My heart melted. That was only one reason why I loved this man so much. He genuinely cared.

  “They’re as comfortable and happy as they can be right now,” I said in a quiet but proud voice. “Chloe is coming more and more out of her shell, and Jesse is starting to let his guard down not just with me but with the other workers and kids more and more as well. He’s very funny actually, and quite the charmer. All the girls at the shelter are head over heels in love with him. They follow him around and hang on every word he says whenever the both of them stop by. They stopped by after school yesterday and I’m really happy at how settled they seem.”

  Cole was grinning at me proudly. “That’s good to hear. I’m glad.”

  “Me too.” I grinned back at him, but then scrunched up my eyebrows in worry. “It’s just that I’m a little concerned about their father. He hasn’t confessed to anything, says he doesn’t know why his children hate him so much that they would make up stories about him, says they must be doing it out of grief for their mother, whom he couldn’t save.”

  “That’s bullshit. He’s just trying to save his own ass. Everyone knows what happens to child molesters in prison. There’s no way anyone believes him, right? No way they could send them back to him?”

  The vehemence in his voice made me smile again. I really did love this man with everything in me. “No, honey, there’s no way they could be sent back. He assaulted and beat his son unconscious in public. Both their x-rays show old fractures, Jesse more so than Chloe, but he’s beaten them both. And he’s touched his own son, threatened to do the same to his daughter if Jesse ever so much as hinted a
t what was going on at their house to anyone. That’s why Jesse took his sister and ran, because he knew that sooner or later his father wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off of her. Yes, it might be a case of their word against his, but the judges aren’t stupid. And I’ve put Bobby on the case. We had lunch together today and discussed everything. Bobby will make sure Jesse and Chloe will stay safe, has ensured me that there’s nothing to worry about, that there is no chance that their filth of a father will breathe free air any time soon.”

  “Who’s Bobby?” Cole asked.

  “Oh, only the most feared lawyer and child advocate in the field, graduated from Yale a few years ago and works pro bono most of the time; has no mercy when it comes to kids who have been abused or sexually assaulted. You should see it, the vengeance that lights in Bobby’s eyes at a case like this. Unstoppable. We don’t work together often, but I reach out when I have a case like this where the children have no family left to be united with, no one to stand up for them and defend them. I want the best for them and Bobby is the best. You could say we have developed somewhat of a friendship over the years.”

  “I’m glad you could find them the help they needed. It sounds like this Bobby guy really knows what he’s doing. How come you’ve never talked to me about him before?” My lips twitched. He was trying really hard to hide it, but I could see the jealousy in his eyes, jealousy at the idea that I had struck up a friendship with a man he didn’t know, had never ever heard about before now.

  I shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. “You know, I didn’t think you’d be interested in hearing about everyone I work with. It’s not like I see or talk to Bobby every day, not even every week or month. But we’ve got a lot in common. We always have fun when we go out for lunch. Turns heads like no one else I’ve ever met. Apart from you that is. Definitely hot, and you can tell with just one look that there is a lot of passion underneath that hard and shark-like exterior that everyone in our circles knows about. Probably breaking hearts left, right, and center.”

  Cole didn’t say anything, just looked at me with his mouth in a straight line. I could tell it cost him a lot to not give in to his jealousy and do something stupid like forbid me to ever have lunch with Bobby again. My shoulders started shaking with mirth. His eyes narrowed. I burst out laughing.

  “What exactly is it that you think is so funny?” he asked through clenched teeth.

  “You! You’re hilarious,” I said through my laughter.

  “Is that so?” More teeth clenching.

  “Oh, yeah.” I took a deep breath to calm myself down then let him off the hook. “Bobby is short for Roberta.”

  His eyes widened in shock and relief right before they narrowed on me once more. “You’re gonna pay for that,” he promised in a low and very sexy voice.

  I leaned over the table and answered in a voice just as low, “I’m counting on it,” then leaned back at his answering growl with a big and satisfied smile on my face.

  For the rest of dinner we only had eyes for each other. We didn’t talk much at first, just enjoyed the highly sexual tension between is. When we did after several long minutes, we talked about our dreams and wishes for our future. We had had conversations like this numerous times over the years, but this time it was different. This time, we talked about our future. Things we wished and hoped for as a couple. Where we wanted to travel, how many children we wanted, what our hopes were for our children. It was fun and perfect.

  When we got home, Cole made true on his promise of retaliation, and I couldn’t have been happier as he showed me how much he loved and adored me, how much I was his and he was mine. Exactly what I needed before I had to face our mothers on the weekend.

  Chapter 21

  Cole

  We were on our way to my parents’ house, about fifteen minutes out. Lizzy had insisted that we deal with my mother first before we went to see hers the next morning.

  “I don’t think I’ll be able to handle anything else after I’ve talked to my mother. It’s not gonna be pretty. I’d rather face your parents’ wrath when I still have my wits about me.”

  I had agreed wholeheartedly. I knew she was nervous and anxious about coming face-to-face with her mother after such a long time and after what she’d learned from Max and Derrick. She hadn’t seen or talked to her in years, had never intended to do so again once she left for college. I could only imagine what she must be feeling.

  I had booked us a room in a nice bed and breakfast, a place we could go to— after I knew what would certainly be drama with my parents—to recharge for the next day and more drama. I wanted Lizzy to be able to relax, to not worry. But I knew that was a little too much to hope for. She was tense as she was sitting beside me, staring out the window and wringing her hands in her lap.

  I had called my mother yesterday to let her know we were coming. She had ignored the fact that I’d said ‘we’, that it wasn’t just me who was visiting. I hadn’t expected any less. I knew she would never accept Lizzy the way she deserved, no matter what I did, no matter whose daughter she was. Hell, she probably thought being the bastard child of a cheater made Lizzy an even lesser person. My hands gripped the steering wheel tighter at that thought.

  My father wasn’t as vindictive as my mother. He just didn’t care enough about anything I did to comment. Their marriage was loveless, had been for as long as I could remember. He put up with her whenever he was home—which wasn’t very often—and as an extension, me. The very little consideration he had for me died when I hadn’t gotten a business degree and joined him at the company he had worked at for over twenty years. I had gone for architecture instead, following in my grandfather’s, his father’s, footsteps.

  I took one of my hands off the steering wheel and placed it on top of her fidgeting ones, giving them a light squeeze. “It’ll be okay. Stop worrying.”

  She let out a long breath. “We both know that’s not true, Cole. Your mother hates me. She will never accept me as part of your family, you know that just as well as I do.”

  I sighed. “I know, baby. She isn’t too fond of me, either. But she doesn’t get to decide anything about us. She has no say in what we do. All I want to do tonight is put her in her place, tell her that it has always been and always will be you, whether she likes it or not. None of her antics will ever change that fact. And she needs to know that if she ever tries to break us up again, if she ever so much as says another word against you, that that’s it. I will no longer be part of a family that does nothing but spread malice and bitterness. I’m not like her, never was. And she has to understand that she has no power over me.”

  “I know this is important to you, and I understand, but why do I have to come?”

  I gave her hands another squeeze, firmer this time. “What happened to my feisty little firecracker?”

  “She’s feeling more and more worthless the closer we get to Ashford.” Her small and defeated voice ripped my heart in two. I wish I could just turn around and drive back home, but this was just as important for her as it was for me. Lizzy needed this, even if she didn’t know it. She needed to stand up for herself, needed to face the hatred that had been thrown in her face and rise above it. My Lizzy didn’t realize how strong she was, and until she did, I would be that strength for her, even if it meant pushing her to do something she was scared of doing. I would love for her to face Courtney’s mother at some point, would love for her to see that she was stronger than her, better than her, so she could be confident in herself, could believe in her own goodness. It would happen eventually, but first they had to deal with their mothers.

  “It won’t be as bad as you make it out to be. I won’t let her treat you like the outcast daughter of the town whore’s mother.” Her whole body flinched at my words, breaking my heart yet again. “Because that is not who you are. It never has been, Lizzy. Keep that in mind when she throws shit at you. You are not who she says you are. You are my Lizzy, the love of my life, my fiancée. The sweet girl whom I fell in love
with the second I laid eyes on her when I was twelve years old, the only girl I have ever loved, the one person I would do anything for. Think about that when it gets too much.” Those words awarded me a return squeeze.

  “I’m not sweet,” she said still in that quiet voice, but I could hear a hint of steel in it now, too.

  Thank God.

  “You can be when you want to. It usually happens when we’re both naked,” I teased.

  “Cole,” she snapped, “don’t you dare make me horny right before I’m about to face your witch of a mother.”

  “There she is, my feisty little firecracker. Don’t let go of her again. And baby, you know I love making you horny. I will enjoy doing it for the rest of our lives, I don’t care where we are or whom we are about to meet.” That earned me a slap onto my thigh. I chuckled and grabbed that hand and held it where it was until I pulled into my parents’ driveway.