He held her eyes with his, never once breaking the connection. He pushed into her deeper and deeper as she slowly tilted her hips up to meet his with every thrust.
She slipped her hands underneath his arms and around his back, pulling him closer to her. The need in her core was building, growing faster and faster. She closed her eyes, as the desire washed over her, almost taking her breath away.
“Open your eyes,” he said breathlessly, as he continued to push deep inside her.
She blinked open her eyes and met his beautiful eyes with hers. He leaned down closer to her and softly kissed her lips then pressed his forehead against hers, all the time he rocked in and out of her slowly.
“Oh, Cole...” she cried out as the desire and want inside her became so strong she could no longer hold back. His pace picked up and pushed her over the edge as she cried out. “YES! YES! YES! OH GOD, COLE, YES!”
“That’s it baby!” he cried as he pace became faster and faster. “Oh, Ally, I love you,” he cried out as he came hard inside her.
*******************
They lay together for a long time, wrapped in each other’s arms. Ally felt safe and at peace with Cole.
As they lay there in each other arms, Ally thought about the past seven days.
Exactly one week ago she had asked him to leave her apartment. She was afraid she had just made the biggest mistake of her life sleeping with him. But her fear had quickly turned to regret that she had made a mistake pushing him away instead.
In the back of her mind, there was still a tiny lingering doubt. There was something missing. Something Cole was hiding. But Ally knew that, despite their strong connection, they were still getting to know each another. She knew in time she'd get to know all there was about the man she loved. She pushed her insecurities back down inside her. He loved her and that was enough for her right now.
***************************
After Ally showered, she headed down to the kitchen and found Rosie preparing breakfast for her and Cole.
“Good morning, Ally.” Rosie said brightly as Ally walked into the kitchen. “I was just making Mr. Thomas his favourite. What can I get for you, my dear?"
“Good morning, Rosie.” Ally replied as she stood awkwardly just inside the kitchen door. “Tea and some toast would be great,” she replied stepping further into the room.
“Take a seat, my dear,” Rosie said and turned and smiled at Ally. “I don’t bite.”
Ally walked to the table and slipped onto one of the chairs.
“Where’s Cole?” she asked as Rosie sat a glass of orange juice down in front of her.
“He is in his office,” Rosie smiled. “He said he wouldn’t be long, but if you wanted you could go to him, I am sure he won’t mind.”
“No, it’s fine,” Ally shook her head. “He’s probably busy.”
“Never too busy for you,” Cole said as he walked into the kitchen. He walked straight up to Ally and kissed her softly on the lips and then gave her one of his usual killer smiles. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” Ally replied.
“Something smells good,” Cole said turning to Rosie and kissing her on the cheek. “I am starving.”
“Oh, you are always starving,” Rosie laughed and playfully hit Cole on the arm. “I made your favourite, an omelette with mushrooms and spring onions.”
“And that’s why I love you, Rosie.” Cole said and hugged the old lady. Ally couldn’t help but smile to see the interaction between Cole and Rosie. She wondered what his relationship with his mother was like. She wondered if they as close as he appeared to be to Rosie. She thought of how Cole had agreed to spend Christmas at her grandparents and she wondered if his mother with be upset about this.
“Would you like some Ally?” Rosie asked looking at Ally expectantly. “Much more appetizing than just toast.”
“I would love some, thank you.” Ally smiled. It felt weird to her to have someone else cooking for her. And the fact that Rosie was nearly as old as her Nan made Ally feel very guilty indeed.
Cole sat down on the chair next to Ally and watched her for a moment.
He knew she wasn’t totally comfortable having Rosie looking after her and this made him smile. Most girls he dated acted so spoiled and privileged, like the world owed them something.
The few he had introduce to Rosie, she hated and told him so too. Though he had never let any of them share his bed. The few that had been to his home were only there for parties he was hosting. And he always made sure they were dropped to their homes afterwards.
Ally was the first he had brought home just to spend time with. She was the first he had wanted to just spend time with. He loved having her here. She somehow made the house seem more like a home.
And Rosie loved her too. Cole knew it the minute the minute they met. But when Rosie pulled him aside the next day and told him that Ally was a nice girl and that he better not play around with her heart, Cole knew Ally had Rosie’s seal of approval.
“So what would you like to do today?” Cole asked after Rosie had served them both their breakfast and left them alone.
“I was thinking,” Ally said looking down at her plate. She knew Cole wasn’t going to like what was coming next. “That maybe I should go home.”
Cole froze mid bite of his breakfast and stared at Ally.
He swallowed the food in his mouth before he spoke.
“Why?” was all he said.
“Cole, I love being here with you,” Ally began nervously. She wanted to say the right thing but wasn’t sure how to say what she was feeling. “These past few days, despite everything that has happened with Jason, have been the best time of my life. But you can’t want me to stay here indefinitely. You barely know me. You have your own life and your business. I love that you want to take care of me but I don’t want to be in the way.”
“You could never be in the way.” Cole said, sounding a little hurt she would even think that. “I love having you here. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Cole,” Ally quickly reassured him. “But it’s still early days, I don’t want you to think I am some pathetic, needy girl that needs protecting.”
“I don’t think you are either of those things,” he replied and Ally couldn’t help but giggle at his sulky expression. He looked at her, surprised at her reaction. “I want you here, and not just because I want to keep you safe from your lunatic ex. I want you here because I want to spend time with you, to get to know you better.”
“I want to get to know you, too,” Ally reached over and took Cole by the hand. “But we know each other a week, don’t you think we are moving awfully fast?”
Cole didn’t reply for a moment. Instead he sat quietly, lost in his thoughts.
“Maybe we are,” he finally replied but then reached out and took Ally’s hand. “But I need to know you are safe. This Jason guy makes me nervous. Please let me take care of you. You said yesterday you would.”
Ally looked at Cole for a moment and thought about his request. She knew she should have put her foot down and told him she needed to go home. They knew each other a little over a week yet they had become inseparable. Ally knew this wasn’t necessarily a good thing. True she felt happy and safe with Cole. She had tried to deny that she was afraid of Jason, but the bottom line was that she was terrified of him.
The Jason that confronted her in the toilets the night before was not the Jason she thought she once loved. He was different, unrecognisable almost. The memory of his face and of his words made Ally shiver with fear.
“Look,” Cole’s voice snapped Ally from her thoughts. “Maybe we could spend a couple of nights at your apartment. I mean, I understand it’s weird just expecting to only stay here. I know you don’t feel quiet at home yet. I hope someday you will. But for now one step at a time.”
Ally didn’t reply for a moment. She considered his offer. If she was honest she was thrilled Cole want to spend more time with her. She had become used to him and fe
lt happier when they were together.
“You would stay at my apartment?” Ally asked.
“I would do anything to make you happy, Ally,” he said as he leaned over and kissed her softly.
“I would love you to stay with me for a couple of night.” Ally whispered against his mouth.
“Thank you,” Cole said as he pressed his forehead against Ally’s. “I need to know you are safe. I love you so much. Seeing you hurt last night was the hardest thing in the world for me to see. I won’t let anything happen to you I promise you.”
“Thank you, Cole,” Ally said and she kissed him again. He really was her knight in shining armour.
Chapter 17
“You ready to go?” Cole asked as Ally emerged from Ally’s bedroom the next morning. He looked uneasy and far from happy. The night before they had disagreed about Ally driving herself to work.
Cole was insisting he would drop her to and collect her from work but Ally was having none of it. She stood firm and wouldn’t back down. Telling him she could actually need her car for a call out during the day if the breakdown truck was already in use.
This information nearly sent him into over drive.
“Ally, you need to tell your boss he will have to send someone else out on breakdowns,” Cole demanded, much to Ally horror. “You don’t know what this Jason guy is capable of. How do you know he won’t fake a breakdown to get you out somewhere alone? Ally, you need to promise me, you won’t go anywhere alone.”
“Cole, this is my job!” Ally exclaimed, feeling too angry to even think about what he had just said clearly. “I won't let Jason ruin my life. I have worked too hard to make a name for myself as a good mechanic. And it wasn’t easy, believe me. Men don’t want to think of women taking care of their precious cars. But I did it and he is not ruining it now.”
“Look I am not asking you to not work,” Cole sighed. “I just want you to promise me you’ll be careful. I don’t want you going anywhere on your own. Promise me you won’t.”
“I can’t promise that,” Ally replied. “But I promise I will be carefully.”
Although they spent the night wrapped in each other’s arms in Ally’s bed, Cole was quiet and withdrawn and Ally knew he was worried.
It hadn’t helped that there had been more than a dozen messages from Jason on her answering machine when they arrived back at Ally’s apartment from the past few days she had spent at Cole’s house. The final two had been left after the incident in the toilets of the pub. And although they were both apologies, there was an undeniable tension and anger in his voice that unsettled Ally.
No! Ally told herself. She was not going to let Jason continue to control her life. She loved her job. She loved Cole. She was not about to let Jason ruin any of it. But looking at Cole standing in the kitchen drinking coffee, the nervous expression on his face left Ally a bit less than confident. That said, Ally was determined to stand her ground.
“I will be ready in two minutes,” she replied as she swept her hair up into a pony tail. “You don’t have to wait for me.”
“I am making sure you get to your car okay,” Cole replied as he poured the remainder of his coffee into the sink and put his cup into the dishwasher. “We agreed last night.”
Ally sighed; she knew he wasn’t happy. In an attempt to keep him happy she promised she would let him walk her to her car and also she would ring him a half an hour before she left work so he could meet her when she got home.
“I know,” she smiled and walked up to him before she kissed him softly on the lips. “I am grateful you are watching out for me. I really am.”
“If anything happened to you…” Cole pulled Ally to him and wrapped her tightly in his arms. “This Jason guy scares me, Ally. Promise me you won’t take any chances.”
“I promise,” Ally assured him.
Cole walked Ally to her car. He kissed her and made her promise once again she would be careful and that she would call him before she left work. He stood and watched her as she pulled the car out of her parking space and he sighed.
He was worried more than he had admitted to Ally. The stories Nathan had told him were constantly running through his mind. And the memory of Ally’s face on Saturday night when she spun around after he reached out and grabbed her when she came out of the ladies, was stuck firmly in his head. The look of sheer terror that filled her face nearly broke him every time he thought of it.
He quickly glanced around him one more time before he climbed into his own car. He needed to talk to Nathan. He dropped his phone into the hands free docking station in his car before he pulled up Nathan number on his phone and hit call. He reversed his car out of his parking spot while he waited for Nathan to answer.
Nathan’s voice boomed through the speakers in the car. “Cole, I was just going to call you.”
“Have you got news for me?” Cole asked, holding his breath. He wasn’t sure how much more of this Jason asshole he could take.
“It’s not good, buddy,” Nathan replied. “It’s not good at all.”
*******************************
When Ally reached the garage she pulled into her normal spot. She took a deep breath before she climbed out of the car. She knew she was about to face the Spanish inquisition, and leading the charge would be Gus.
As she walked to garage door she felt unsettled. She glanced around her but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Even still she couldn’t shake the feeling she was being watched.
Get a grip, Brody! She scolded herself. You have to stop let Jason get in your head. You are just been paranoid. Still she took one more glance over her should before she walked through the garage door.
“Hey, Ally,” Emma said cheerfully as Ally walked into the reception area. “Are you all better now?”
“I am fine now,” Ally replied, feeling guilty she was lying to her friend. “Thanks for asking, Emma.” Ally smiled at the young girl and headed for the staff room.
“Oh by the way, Ally,” Emma called after her. “Gus wants to see you in his office as soon you got here.”
Ally’s heart sank. She knew she would have to answer questions but for him to leave a message for her to see him straight away, she knew he was upset with her.
“Thanks, Emma,” Ally replied and turned and walked towards Gus’s office. She was just about to knock on the door when her phone began to ring. Cole’s name flashed up on the screen. She quickly hit the answer button.
“Hey,” Ally chirped into the phone, trying to sound happier than she truly felt.
“Hey, yourself.” Cole replied and Ally could immediately hear the tension in his voice and her uneasy feeling grew instantly.
“Is everything okay?” she asked him and closed her eyes waiting for his response.
“I just wanted to make sure you got to work safely,” Cole replied, trying to sound causal and failing miserably.
“Yeah, got here fine,” Ally sighed.
“What’s wrong?” Cole asked suddenly sounding even more concerned the he already was.
“Gus wants to see me,” Ally explained. “I know he is pissed; he left a message for me to go straight to his office once I got here. That is never a good thing,”
“I am sure he just wants to make sure you are okay,” Cole tried to reassure her. “Promise me you will be careful today.”
“I promise,” Ally sighed once again. “Cole, has something happen?”
“No,” he replied blankly. “I just wanted to call and make sure you were okay and to tell you I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Ally smiled at his words. How had this man become the centre of her universe?
“I will call you during the day,” Cole said. “Please answer your phone. And be careful.”
“I promise you I will,” Ally reassured him again. “Bye Cole.”
“Bye, gorgeous girl,” Cole said and he was gone.
Ally took a deep breath before she knocked softly on Gus’s office door.
“Come
in,” Gus’s familiar voice called out from the far side of the door. Ally took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Gus looked up from his paper work and he smiled when he saw Ally and she instantly felt happier.
“Ally, sweetheart, come in,” he bellowed in his usual friendly voice.
“Morning, Gus,” Ally said as she stepped into his office and closed the door behind her. “You wanted to see me?”
“Yes, take a seat,” he said as he stood up and walk to the front of his desk as Ally took the chair in front of him. “So what‘s going on Ally?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” she lied as her heart began to race and she tugged her long sleeve making sure it was covering her bandaged wrist. She loved Gus so much. She had known him all her life. How could she tell him just how messed up her life was without him being disappointed in her.
“I think you know exactly what I mean,” he replied, sitting on the edge of the desk and crossing his arms. “You haven’t been yourself since you broke up with Jason, which I am still surprised about. He turns up here last week and scares the crap out of you. Then next thing I know you have gone home sick and some guy is calling to say you are still unwell and won’t be in. And then Jason rang here again and again demanding to speak to you, wanting to know if you were off sick why you weren’t at home.”
“I’m sorry,” Ally sighed as she buried her face in her hands in shame. She could feel the tears pool in her eyes but she was determined she would not cry again. She had wasted enough tears over Jason. She was not going to let him get to her anymore.
“Ally,” Gus said softly, crouching down in front of her and lifting her hand away from her face. “I am not mad at you. And I am not asking you this as your boss. You know how special you are to me. You are like one of my own daughters. I am worried about you.”
“I spent the weekend at Cole’s house,” Ally said not really sure why she chose to start there. “Cole, he is the guy that called into the garage the week before last looking to speak to me.”
“Mr Thomas?” Gus replied as recognition filtered across his face.
“I broke up with Jason because I caught him screwing his assistant.” Ally cringed as she said the words out loud. She hadn’t wanted to admit this to anyone because she felt stupid to have believed Jason was “the one” and she trusted him completely. “But he can’t accept it’s over. He has been calling and texting relentlessly. Last week when he showed up outside, he was angry and he scared me. But Sid interrupted him and he left.”
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