by Piper Rayne
I cry out in equal parts pleasure and surprise and it only ignites the fire within him more. He leans over my back and grabs both of my breasts in his hands, using them as an anchoring point as he pounds in and out of me.
And I like it. I love that Cole is so turned on by me that he can’t control himself.
The room is silent except for the sound of our sweat-soaked skin slapping against one another and the moans of pleasure echoing off the walls.
“I want to see your face when I make you come,” Cole grinds out.
His chest leaves my back and one of his hands dives into the hair at the back of my head, pulling so that my neck is arched back and I’m almost looking at him upside down.
“That’s better,” he says.
The sight of his chiselled, sweaty chest and the way he’s looking at me like he could devour each and every piece of me has me working hard to stave off my orgasm.
He continues to drag his thick cock in and out of me and I know I won’t be able to hold off much longer. Cole must recognize this because he shifts what he’s doing with his hips so that he’s driving into me at a different angle and oh, my God. He’s hitting a spot inside me I didn’t know existed and it’s pure bliss.
Every part of my body tightens in anticipation of the coming release until I’m strung so tight I burst. My orgasm washes over me hard and fast and I burst like a confetti bomb, crying out Cole’s name and a whole lot of gibberish that you won’t find in the English dictionary.
“That’s it, sweetheart. Come all over my cock.” He holds himself deep inside me for a minute as I contract around him.
The orgasm rolls on forever and when I finally begin to ride the slow wave down from my high Cole releases my hair and my face drops to the bed.
Never have I ever come without my clit being involved. Ever.
Cole and his unicorn cock are like a gift from the Gods.
He grips my waist with both hands and drives into me a few more times, his efforts less coordinated now until he pulls all the way out. He must rip off the condom because seconds later his cock is riding the space between my ass cheeks and a warm substance hits the crest of my ass.
Cole groans and jerks against my skin a few more times before stilling behind me.
He marked me and it doesn’t feel dirty, it feels right. This whole thing between us is feeling inevitable and destined.
The familiar fear of giving someone that kind of power over me creeps into my chest.
No. I will not go down that road right now.
Not everyone will leave you. Not everyone will disappoint you.
It’s a mantra I’ve repeated many times when shit gets too real for me and I feel myself wanting to pull away.
Thing is, I don’t know if I could pull away at this point even if I tried. I’m in too deep.
24
Cole tosses the washcloth he grabbed to help clean me up into his laundry hamper and joins me on the bed.
“That was even better than I imagined,” he says and lies on his back, pulling me into his side. His hard chest is warm beneath my cheek.
“You’ve been imagining it, have you?” I ask with a chuckle.
“Haven’t you?”
I glance up at him and he has an eyebrow arched, looking down at me.
“I’ll never tell,” I say in a singsong voice.
His arm tightens and he squeezes me closer to him and laughs. “Full disclosure—I’ve been jerking off thinking about what it would feel like to be buried inside you ever since that night you came home with me.”
My cheeks heat and I squirm a little because the vision of him pumping his cock with his hand while thinking about me… damn. It makes me want to jump on his lap right now and ride him until we’re both completely spent.
“Are you blushing?” Cole says with amusement. He cranes his neck back a bit to gain a better look at me.
“What? No.” I tuck my face further into his chest. The inherently male scent of him—dried sweat and sex—makes me inhale deeper.
“You are.” He laughs some more and tries to get me to dislodge my face from him by tickling me under the arms. “The girl who carries a vibrator around in her purse is embarrassed to know that I beat off to thoughts of her?”
Now he’s just goading me for a reaction.
He somehow manages to slip his fingers under my armpit even though I’m squeezing my arms together as tight as I can. I turn over onto my back and he’s above me, tickling me relentlessly while I scream and jerk and beg for mercy.
The sound of my cell phone ringing from my purse in the living room interrupts our fun.
“I have to get”—I squeal and try to get out from under him—“that. It could be one of my grandparents.”
Cole lets his hands drop and tsks me. “Don’t figure on being so lucky next time.” He winks and it’s charming, not cheesy, because it’s Cole.
I slip from the bed and strut across the room to the bedroom door, naked.
“Nice view.”
I smile to myself as I leave the room in search of my purse. I’ve never been an overly confident person. At least not to the point that I’ve been comfortable walking around in the nude in front of my exes. But Cole makes me feel wanted and desired so much that it doesn’t feel like that big of a deal with him.
I spot my purse on the coffee table as another ring lets out. I rush over, grab my phone from inside, and hit the button to answer without taking a second to see who it is.
“Hello?”
“Hey! I’m so sorry it’s taken me this long to get back to you.”
It’s Tahlia and though I’d normally be thrilled to hear from my best friend, her timing couldn’t be worse. Her voice is like a pin to the balloon that holds my happiness and it deflates and I crash back down to earth.
“That’s okay. I know you’re busy.”
“Still, that’s no excuse. You’ve been so wonderful to go and tour all these places for me and run around town with a guy you couldn’t care less for and I can’t even take two seconds to get back to you. How’s it going with Cole anyway? Have you killed each other yet?”
Oh, no. I’m not ready to tell her. I don’t even have any idea what Cole and I are. We’ve slept together, yeah, but I imagine Cole sleeps with a lot of people. Do I mean something to him or am I a one-off and it’s never going to happen again?
Taking the chicken route, I give her a routine answer that doesn’t say much. “We’re making it work. I don’t want you to worry about us. Anyway, how was your trip?”
Tahlia rambles on about what a shit show it was when she arrived at the out-of-state plant and how she had to stay longer than expected to sort it all out. I guess she knows how to handle her meat.
I should explain. Tahlia’s family owns the largest sausage company.
Yep. Sausages.
And before you make the obvious jokes, believe me when I say that Lennon has probably beat you to the joke at some point throughout the years. No surprise there, right?
After Tahl’s done bitching about her job—one she’s never really loved, but has always felt obligated to do—we move on to discuss all the venues.
“We were supposed to visit the last place on the list today,” I say, my eyes lingering down the hallway, “but something came up.”
Cole’s cock.
“No worries. I appreciate you helping me this much as it is. And I think you’re right, from what you’ve said it sounds like the Bentley Reserve is the place. I’ll book an appointment to get in there and check it out for myself.”
“I think you’ll really like it there.”
“Okay, I have to run. Chase didn’t answer my calls when I got off the plane and I need to track him down so we can make some decisions on the list of stuff the wedding planner sent over.”
“Sounds fun.”
“This woman, I swear, Whit. I could run circles around her and do such a better job, but I barely have time for my manicures these days. Anyway, thanks for al
l your help. The three of us need to do drinks soon, all right?”
It takes me a second to realize that she means Lennon as the third party and not Cole.
“Um… yeah. Of course.”
“Okay, I’ll figure out when I’m free and we’ll make it happen. Ciao for now.”
The dial tone sounds in my ear and I drop my phone back into my purse. I stand there for a second chewing on the inside of my cheek, feeling like a terrible friend. I should have just told her when she called, but how can I do that when Cole is a room away and can probably hear every word I say?
Tahlia would bring up all my reasons for hating him from years ago. Beyond him ditching our blind date, he doesn’t know what else happened that night. And I’m not ready to bring us down from the high we’re both on. Either he’ll think I’m insane for pinning any of the blame on him, or he’ll feel bad about the repercussions.
Nope. I can’t tell Tahlia until I know for sure what we are. And the same goes for Cole.
After the mental pep talk, I head back into the bedroom.
Cole is on his back with both arms behind his head. The sheet is drawn up over him, but it’s resting a few inches lower than his navel, covering all the best parts from my viewing pleasure.
“Is this the part where reality intrudes on our happy bubble?” he asks.
I exhale and join him under the covers. “That was Tahlia.”
“I made that much out from what I was able to eavesdrop.”
I smile then arrange myself beside him and prop myself up on my elbow. “She just arrived back in town.”
He nods but doesn’t speak. I get the feeling that he’s letting me take the lead.
“I don’t think we should say anything about what happened between us.” I glance down to where I’m fiddling with his crisp, white sheets, unsure whether he’s going to be offended or not.
“What’s happening.”
I raise my head and give him a questioning look.
“You said ‘what happened’ as if it was a one-time thing. Past tense. You should have said ‘what’s happening’ because there’s no way we aren’t doing that again.”
His words send a thrill through me—both physical and emotional. “Oh, really?” I tease.
“Count on it.” He lifts his far hand out from under his head and trails a fingertip down the column of my neck and across to my shoulder blade. My nipples tighten in response underneath the sheet, something he doesn’t miss.
“So you’re in agreement? We won’t tell them? This is probably something we should’ve talked about before, but…”
“You are too damn edible.” He waggles his eyebrows and I laugh. “Anyway, sure. If you want to keep this between us I’m game.”
“Thanks.” And I mean it. Both for myself, because I’m a chickenshit and don’t want to tell my friend that I’m sleeping with her almost-brother-in-law, and for Tahlia, who doesn’t need any more stress in her life right now.
“Was she happy with our efforts?” He shifts to face me, mimicking my position with his head propped up on his hand.
“She seemed to be. Sounds as if she’s liking the look of the Bentley Reserve.”
“That place was pretty cool.” He pauses for a moment like he’s remembering something and smiles to himself. The twelve-year-old girl inside me is hoping it’s when I walked down the stairs and we shared a moment. “How come Tahlia was gone so long? Hard time pulling the sausage out?”
I laugh. “She didn’t say exactly. Just mentioned that it took longer than she thought to figure it all out.”
“I’m disappointed in Chase. You’d think he’d teach his woman how to massage meat.” He smirks and I giggle like a schoolgirl that hasn’t heard every sausage joke. “Speaking of sausages”—here comes another cheesy joke—“there’s one in particular I’d like to show you.” Cole wraps his arm around me and rolls over so his weight is pressed along my entire body while he hovers above me. And what delicious weight it is. The thin sheet is doing nothing to hide his own large… sausage.
Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.
I laugh as he purposely digs his erection into my thigh.
“Chase must have been lonely with Tahlia out of town this long. Have you seen him much?” I ask in an effort to keep this conversation from devolving into double entendres.
“No, he’s been hard to get a hold of.” Something dark passes over his face, but it’s gone before I can question it.
“That’s what Tahl said. She had to let me go because she was trying to track him down.” I chuckle but Cole’s lips remain tightly closed.
“Enough about those two. I’m much more interested in reacquainting you to my own grade-A sausage.”
Without another word he leans in and kisses me, leaving all those warning signs that I should have paid attention to in my rearview mirror. All I see ahead of me is me, Cole and our hot naked skin grinding against each other.
You see, folks, denial isn’t just a river in Egypt. It also has an outpost right here in San Francisco.
25
A couple of weeks pass and autumn takes a firmer grip on the Bay area. I pull the zipper of my coat all the way up to my chin to stay warm as I stroll with Cole through Golden Gate Park.
Sparky’s here, too. It’s hard to forget him what with the constant pulling on the leash and yipping at every bird that dares to get within one hundred yards of us.
“Good news,” Cole says and squeezes the hand I have interlocked with his. “I was finally able to secure an appointment with that distributor.”
“No way!” Sparky picks up on my excitement and turns to face us on the path and barks. “That’s awesome. When is it?”
“Not for a couple of weeks, but I’m excited. I think this could be my big break.”
Pride fills my chest. Cole has been working so hard to make this happen. He’s kept me apprised of all his efforts while I’ve been over at his place almost every night.
“Soon Rock Hard Whiskey will be in every bar from here to New York.” I grin, unable to contain my excitement.
“Here’s hoping.” He exhales a big breath and I notice his nervousness for the first time. I’ve never seen his usual confidence wane, but it’s a cute look for him.
I squeeze his hand and we begin walking again. “It will all work out.”
We walk in contented silence for another minute when Sparky veers off the path to the grass and assumes the position. You know the one—the one that tells you to get your little plastic baggy ready.
“This is the worst part of having a dog by far. Even more annoying than the fact that he ruined another pair of my shoes last week.”
Cole chuckles and we both stop and wait for the little fur ball to do his business.
My phone rings from inside my cross-body bag. I drop Cole’s hand and pass him the leash. “Do you mind?”
He takes it while I search for my phone. I come upon the plastic baggy first so I pass it to Cole with a pleading expression. He takes it, reluctantly.
“You’re going to owe me one,” he teases.
I blink my eyelids fast in a girly fashion and he shakes his head. Finally, I find my phone and hit the green button and bring it up to my ear.
“Hello?” I say.
“Hi, is this Whitney Knight?” I’m not sure who it is but the woman has a professional tone that tells me this isn’t a telemarketer call.
“This is she.”
“Hi, Whitney, this is Marla from Human Resources at WHFI.”
I turn away from Cole and Sparky and begin pacing in a small circle on the path. “Hi, Marla.”
“Unfortunately, I’m calling to let you know that the producers and Mr. Jeffries have made a decision about the job you applied for and have decided to offer the position to a different candidate.”
Disappointment, heavy and swift, finds a home inside me and I stop pacing. “Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Rest assured we’ll keep your résumé on file should anything
else come up.” It’s clear from her tone that she’s made a thousand of these calls in her lifetime. Everyone knows that ‘keeping your résumé on file’ means that it goes to die in some forgotten box in an office no one uses anymore.
“Thank you for calling,” I say, not really meaning it.
“My pleasure. You have a good day.”
“You, too.”
She hangs up on her end and I let my hand drop from my ear.
My back is to Cole and I don’t want to turn around. I know there’s no way I’ll ever be able to hide the disappointment and desperation I feel.
“Is everything okay?” he asks with genuine concern in his voice.
I suck in a deep breath through my nose and turn to face him, blinking back the tears in my eyes. “That was the lady from the TV station. I didn’t get the job.”
He steps forward and pulls me into his chest. We wrap our arms around each other and he squeezes me tight. “I’m so sorry, Whit. Something will come along. You’re beautiful and intelligent. It’s going to happen.”
I bury my face in his chest and allow myself to enjoy the feel of his strong body, the scent of his cologne, and his words of comfort.
I’m not accustomed to letting anyone support me and I realize that as much as I don’t want to, as much as I want to be the girl who doesn’t need anyone, this feels nice and safe and… right.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. It’ll all work out.” He runs his hand up and down my back.
“Thanks,” I say in a quiet voice, not sure I believe him.
After another minute of shellacking myself to his chest, I pull away. Cole frames my face with his hands. “I want to take you out on a proper date.”
As much as I love the sound of that, I have my concerns. Since we became whatever we are, we’ve mostly just hung out at Cole’s place because I don’t want to chance running into anyone we know. The only reason we’re able to hang out here in the park is because neither Cole’s brother or my best friend are exactly the outdoorsy types.