Chapter Thirty-Three
Reed
Cole held my hand hostage in his grip. I watched him from the passenger seat as he drove.
He was still as handsome as ever, with those blue eyes, adorned with long, dark lashes, and those sharp cheekbones.
But his jaw was tight, and his eyes stayed narrowed.
I wasn’t sure what had upset him so much, but I hoped it wasn’t me.
I would talk to him about my therapy session when I was ready, but that wouldn’t be today.
“Baby, you okay?” He smiled at me, bringing me back to the moment.
I blinked. “Sure.” I wasn’t. Today had been exhausting, and I just wanted to climb into his arms and have him hold me and tell me he loved me.
“We’re here.” Cole jutted his chin toward the window, and I realized we were in the driveway of his house. “Want to go inside, or do you need a few more minutes?”
I shook my head. “I’m ready.”
Cole smiled, opened his door, jumped out of the SUV, and hurried over to open mine. “Take my hand.” He helped me out of the vehicle and leaned down to press a soft kiss against my mouth. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
My stomach twisted into excited knots as my heart thumped faster. Cole still wanted me. He still loved me. We could still have our happily ever after.
He led me into the townhouse and right up to his bedroom. When he pushed open the door, he stopped and smiled again, his cheeks pink. “No one else has ever been in my bed before.”
“No one?” That surprised me. “Not even Fiona? You dated for a while, Cole. You never...?” My voice trailed off as I waited for his answer.
“Never,” he assured me. “I’m not going to lie and pretend I didn’t have sex with her, but never here.
Not in my bed or this house. I made sure it was her place or a hotel when I was on the road.
I didn’t want her here. I knew I would never make Fiona happy, and part of me knew she was using me.
I let her, though. Because I was lonely, and it was nice to have someone who texted me every morning to ask me how I was. ”
My throat grew tight. “And there was no one else before or after her?” I grimaced. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be asking you any of that. I left you. You had every right to date others. Women, men, whoever you wanted.”
“No other men, baby. Just you.”
“Fuck, I’m so sorry.”
Cole wrapped his arms around me. “That’s over now. No more apologizing. You did what you thought was the right thing. I’m learning to live with that now. And maybe I shouldn’t have dropped that bomb on you when I said I wanted to move to New York.”
“You’re too good to me.”
I clung to his shirt. I wanted to get as close as possible to Cole. Right inside his skin, if he would let me. I had made the biggest mistake of my life when I left him, and I would do everything I possibly could to make up for it.
Cole hummed softly. “Why don’t we take a bath? I think that would help you relax a little bit. Maybe get the tension out of your shoulders.”
“That does sound nice.”
I let Cole lead me into the bathroom off his room and stared at the round silver bathtub.
“Were you planning on having orgies in here?” I teased.
Cole snort. “I wanted to be able to lie down comfortably.”
“You and how many other people?”
He swatted playfully at my chest, and I giggled.
“This tub is obnoxious. Zach and I don’t even have a tub back at school. Just a shower, and it’s the worst. There’s never enough hot water, and the pressure is terrible.”
Cole pushed a piece of hair behind my ear. “You’re here now, baby. You can take a shower every single day without worrying about hot water and all the baths you want.”
“That sounds nice,” I admitted.
Zach came from money, and it wasn’t like my parents didn’t offer to help, so we could have afforded a nicer place, a bigger one, and offered often, but I didn’t want to take advantage of my best friend or my parents.
He already paid all the bills and never took any money from me, no matter how hard I tried to pay my way.
Cole cupped my cheek with his big, calloused palm. “Do you want to take a bath?”
“Yes, please.” I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch. Being near him calmed me. Made me feel almost normal. Almost. “Will you join me?” I peeked at him from under my lashes. “I think it would make it much more enjoyable.”
Cole grinned. “Yeah, baby, I will. Now strip off your clothes.”
THIS HAD TO BE THE nicest bath I had ever taken.
The water was perfect. Not too hot, nor too cold.
It was just right, or whatever Goldilocks said.
Cole had added some bubble bath that smelled suspiciously like cranberries, and I wondered where he had gotten it or who had given it to him.
My first thought was Fiona, but I was too out of it to ask him.
I sat between his legs, my back to his front, while Cole casually carded his fingers through my hair.
I could feel myself slipping into sleep.
“You feeling better?” he murmured. He dragged a finger down my cheek to tilt my head up.
I gave a lazy nod. “Much, thank you.” My lids were too heavy to open. This bubble bath could be crack, and I wouldn’t have cared. My body felt loose, my brain calm, and my heart full. I felt content for the first time in a long time.
“Good, baby. I only want to make you happy.”
“You do. You always have, Casanova.”
Cole hummed softly. “Are you really going to move back home?” His voice trembled slightly. “Because I really want that. I want to make a life with you. One that we should have started five years ago.”
“Cole.” My eyes flew open. “Hey, what’s this?” I twisted my torso so that I could touch the wetness on his face. “Why are you crying?”
He shook his head. “I’m happy. I promise.” His blue eyes shimmered with fresh tears. “I fucking missed you so much, Reed. I begged for you to come back to me. I cried and pleaded with whoever would listen. And now you’re here. Just like I wanted.”
“I’m sorry.” I slid up onto his lap to straddle his thick thighs, thankful for his crazy-huge ass tub. “I shouldn’t have left you like that. I should have stayed and talked to you. We could have figured something else out. One that gave you everything.”
“I only wanted you,” Cole whispered.
My vision blurred. “I only wanted you, too.”
Cole leaned forward to brush his lips over mine. “I’m not going to let you go again. I hope you know that. If you run, I’m going to follow you and drag you back to my bed. And tie you up so you can’t leave.”
“Promises, promises.” I squealed with laughter when he tickled my sides, his big fingers dragging over my skin. “These are nice.” I touched one of the brightly colored tattoos on his chest.
Cole pulled me closer. “You like them?”
“I do. I think they’re sexy as fuck. My big hockey player.” I chased his mouth as he pulled back. “What, no kiss?”
Cole’s eyes darkened. “I want to do more than kiss you. I want to touch you, kiss you all over, make you come screaming my name. I dreamed about being able to be inside you again. You’re the only one who’s ever made me feel like sex was that good. It wasn’t like that with—”
“Don’t say her name.” I pressed a finger to his lips. “We’re not going to go there anymore. That’s your past, and we’re the future. You and me, Cole Whitaker.”
A smile spread across his face. It lit up his eyes and filled them with sunshine. “Someday I’m going to make you a Whitaker, too, baby.”
“What?” I gasped.
And suddenly I could see it. Our wedding. Both of us dressed in white tuxedos, our friends and family watching as we joined our lives together. Maybe we’d have some kids, a dog, and a barn full of chickens. I’d always wanted chickens.
“You want chickens? I can get you chickens. I’ll buy you a whole damn farm if you want that.” Cole grasped the back of my head. “Whatever you want, baby, it’s yours.”
Whoops. Guess I had said that aloud. “I want you. Nothing else matters.”
“Fuck.”
Cole crashed our lips together, his hands digging into my hair.
He tilted my head just as he shoved his tongue into my mouth.
I whimpered as our tongues tangled, and his hands gripped my short strands.
It was wild as our teeth clashed together.
One hand dropped down to cup my ass, and I moaned into his mouth as I rutted against him.
When Cole pulled back, his pupils were blown wide with lust, his lips swollen and spit covered.
“Take me to your bed, Casanova.”
Without a word, he scooped me into his arms and climbed from the tub, water streaming down his chest and my body.
Cole didn’t bother to dry either of us off.
He carried me into the bedroom and spread me out on his massive bed, then blanketed me with his thick, heavy body.
Goosebumps broke out over my skin from the cool air conditioning in the room, but I didn’t care.
All that mattered was the man above me. He looked at me like he wanted to devour me whole.
“I love you. So much.” Cole kissed his way down my neck and over my shoulders. “I knew someday you would come back to me. This bed was made for us. No one else will ever share it with me but you.”
Tears pricked my eyes. “Cole.” I couldn’t believe he had waited for me. He wanted me all this time, even after everything.
“Say the words, baby. I need to hear them. Tell me you feel the same.” Cole peered up at me between my legs.
My cock ached as it begged for attention, and my heart felt like it was going to burst.
I met his heated gaze. “I love you, too.”