Chapter 3 Cole
Three
Cole
Luca watches us with a knowing gaze that should unnerve me, but it doesn’t.
“This isn’t just infatuation,” he says, his tone almost intimate.
“Nor is it just attraction. This is the real kind of love. The patient kind. The loyal kind. The kind that trusts.” He taps his chest, right over his heart.
“I can feel it because I’m made of it. It’s part of me. ”
Anabel’s thumb brushes over my knuckles, making my skin tingle. I can feel the heat of her thigh pressed against mine, the way her body leans into me, like she’s trying to get closer without even realizing it.
Luca’s lips curve, just slightly. “You’re destined for each other. Fated.”
Anabel’s breath shudders out, her fingers trembling in mine. “I just… I never thought—”
I squeeze her hand, cutting her off. “Me neither.”
Luca’s gaze lingers on us, heavy and warm, like he’s memorizing this moment. Like he’s savoring it.
He leans in closer, his eyes glittering.
“Your bond is pure,” he says, his voice quiet but confident.
“It’s strong. The love in your hearts isn’t the problem here.
” His gaze flicks between us, lingering on the way Anabel’s thigh presses against mine, the way my fingers tremble in hers.
“It’s the physical manifestation of love that’s really holding you back. ”
My breath catches. I can feel Anabel’s eyes on me, waiting, but I can’t look at her. Not yet. Not when Luca’s words are unraveling me, thread by thread.
“That’s where I come in,” he says softly.
Anabel lets out a shaky exhale. My cock jumps in response, desperate, needy. I shift again, my jeans too tight, too restrictive. I want to be naked. I want my cock out.
Luca’s lips curve into that gorgeous smirk.
“I can help you let go,” he says. “I can help you move past fear and shame and hesitation.” His intense gaze locks onto mine.
“You’ve already started opening. You just need someone to guide you through the rest.” He pauses, letting the words sink in. “I’m that someone.”
Anabel makes a soft, needy sound beside me, her fingers tightening around mine. She shifts restlessly in her seat. God, I want to make her come. So, so badly.
Luca’s eyes never leave mine. “You don’t need me to help you fall in love with each other,” he says, his voice rough with something that sounds almost like hunger. “You’re already there.” His smirk deepens, wicked and teasing. “No, you need me to help you fuck each other.”
The word hangs in the air between us, filthy and perfect. My cock throbs, my balls tighten, and I have to bite back a groan. Anabel’s fingers are still tangled with mine, her grip tight enough to ground me, but not enough to stop the heat flooding my face.
Fuck each other.
The words echo through my skull, raw and filthy and exactly what I’ve been too afraid to admit I want. Because I want to do filthy, unspeakable things to Anabel. My best friend.
Anabel swallows hard beside me, her throat working. Her cheeks are flushed, her lips parted, nipples hard little points that I want to pinch and lick. She’s just as turned on as I am, just as enthralled by Luca’s bluntness. But she doesn’t pull away. Doesn’t let go of my hand.
Luca leans back just enough to give us space, but not enough to let us off the hook. “So,” he says, all warm and flirty. “Do you want my help?”
My pulse hammers in my throat, and I’m hyperaware of where my fingers are laced with Anabel’s. The sounds of the hotel bar—the clink of glasses, the murmur of conversation, the distant hum of music—fade into the background, drowned out by the roaring in my ears.
Anabel’s gaze lifts to mine, wide and searching. She doesn’t say anything, but she doesn’t have to. The question is there, hanging between us, fragile and hopeful. Do you want this? Do you want me? Are we really going to let this virtual stranger into our intimate lives?
I nod, once, my throat too tight to speak, and I can see the relief in her eyes when I do. She wants this, just as much as I do. My heart slams against my ribs, but I don’t look away. I can’t.
She turns to Luca. “Yes. We want your help.”
I swallow hard, my gaze flicking between them. I’m inexplicably drawn to this man, this stranger, and I can tell Anabel is, too. I don’t understand it, but does that matter? Something about him feels weirdly familiar. Strangely right.
I nod, too. “We do.”
Luca leans back in the booth, his broad shoulders pressing against the leather, his gaze never leaving us. He gestures between us with one hand, his fingers long and expressive. “Then kiss her, Cole. Soft and slow.”
My stomach flips, my pulse spiking. My hands are shaking, but I don’t hesitate. I turn to Anabel, my heart in my throat, and lower my face to hers. Her breath stutters, her lips parting just slightly, and then my lips brush against hers for the first time.
It’s soft, hesitant at first, but then she makes a low, needy sound, her free hand curling into the hair at the nape of my neck, and I melt into her. Her mouth is warm, her lips impossibly soft, and she tastes like wine and something sweet, something uniquely Anabel that makes my cock weep.
I groan against her mouth, and she whimpers, leaning into me. I deepen the kiss just a little, my tongue brushing against her lower lip. She opens for me with a soft gasp, her fingers tangling in my hair, and my cock throbs in my pants.
Kissing Anabel is the best thing I’ve ever done. I’ve imagined it so many times, but all of my fantasies fell short of this moment. Of the feeling of her lips against mine, her tongue sliding sweetly into my mouth.
We break apart after a moment, breathless, our foreheads pressed together. Her cheeks are flushed, her lips swollen, and I can’t stop staring at her. She’s so fucking beautiful like this, all flushed and trembling, and I want to kiss her again.
I want to kiss her forever.
I feel…changed. New. And also like a bit of an idiot, because apparently I could’ve been kissing Anabel like this for a while now.
Luca’s voice cuts through the haze of my thoughts. “How was that?”
Anabel’s fingers twitch in mine, her breath still unsteady. “Good,” she whispers. “Really good.”
I nod, struggling to form words. “Yeah. Good.”
Sheer poetry. God.
Luca’s smirk deepens, his eyes dark with hunger. The way he looks at us makes me feel…I don’t know, exactly. I can’t explain how it makes me feel. All I know is that I like it. I want more of it.
“Then do it again,” he says. “Longer this time. Deeper.”
Anabel moans softly, her gaze flicking to mine.
I don’t need to be told twice, although I do have to admit that I like being told what to do by this gorgeous older man.
I lean in, my hand sliding up to cup her jaw, my thumb brushing against her cheek.
She whimpers, her eyes fluttering shut, and then I’m kissing her again.
This time, there’s no hesitation. No softness, just need.
My tongue slides against hers, tasting her, claiming her, and she moans into my mouth.
Her fingers tighten in my hair, her body pressing against mine, and I can feel the heat of her through our clothes.
My cock aches, my balls are tight, and I want nothing more than to push her back against the booth and grind against her until we’re both coming.
Honestly, I don’t think it would take much to get us there.
But I don’t. I keep the kiss slow, deep, my tongue sliding against hers in a rhythm that makes me dizzy. Anabel whimpers, her hips shifting restlessly, and I can feel the way she’s trembling. She’s just as turned on as I am, just as desperate, and that knowledge makes my cock drip for her.
I break the kiss just enough to nip at her lower lip, my breath coming in ragged gasps.
Luca’s voice is a low, sexy rumble. “Fuck, look at you two.” His smile is wickedly sexy and decidedly approving as his gaze bounces back and forth between me and Anabel.
“I can help you revel in all of your desires,” he says.
“Every single one. If you’re willing to trust me,” Luca says, his gaze never leaving us, “I can make all of your wishes come true.”
The air between us thickens, charged with something electric. Anabel’s gaze flicks to mine, and I can see the unspoken questions shining out at me. Do we trust him? Do we take this leap?
I nod, once, my heart hammering in my chest. For reasons I can’t explain, I trust him. I trust Anabel. I trust this. This is crazy, but we both want this.
Anabel’s lips lift into a soft, trembling smile, and she nods, too. “We do trust you.”
Luca’s grin morphs into something darkly sexy, and he stands from the booth in one fluid motion, then offers each of us a hand. “Good,” he says, his voice rough with promise. “Then I think it’s time we go somewhere more private.”
Anabel takes his hand first, her fingers sliding into his like it’s the most natural thing in the world. I follow suit, my hand dwarfed by his, my skin tingling where we touch. His grip is firm, reassuring, and I let him pull me to my feet.
My hand in his feels…right. Good. So good that my cock aches and my balls throb. I can’t stop staring at the way his fingers curl around mine. I’ve never held hands with a man before, but holding hands with Luca feels like the most natural thing in the world.
Like I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life.
Guilt and shame crash through me. I’m supposed to be focused on Anabel, on making her mine, on showing her I can be the man she deserves, and here I am getting swept up in thoughts of…Luca.
I’ve always been sexually attracted to men, but I’ve never acted on it. I always assumed it was because I was too hung up on Anabel to really pursue it, but if I’m honest, there’s also an element of…uncertainty there.
I glance at Anabel, at the way Luca’s other hand holds hers, and my cock throbs even more. I’m leaking into my underwear now, a steady stream of pre-cum flowing from my swollen tip. I should be jealous. I should feel possessive, territorial. But I don’t.
I like it. I like the way Luca’s fingers look wrapped around hers, the way his thumb brushes against her knuckles. I like the way he looks at her, like she’s something wondrous, something he wants to devour.
I more than like it.
A few people glance our way as we walk with Luca, taking in the attractive older man leading a couple at least ten years younger than him out of the bar.
I like that people are looking at us. Wondering about us.
The hotel lobby is a blur of light and sound, the hum of conversation and the clink of glasses fading into the background. My mind is spinning, my thoughts a tangled mess of want and need and lust and love.
All I know is that I want Anabel. I want to fuck her, to make her come, to hear her scream my name. And I want Luca to watch. I want him to tell me what to do, how to touch her, how to make her feel good.
I want him to look at me while I fuck Anabel. I want his eyes on my mouth. My hands. My cock.
What would it feel like to kiss him? To feel his big hand wrapped around my cock? Would Anabel like to watch that? God, Anabel’s kiss is still tingling on my lips and I’m having all these thoughts…thoughts that probably make me a greedy asshole.
But…would I like to watch him kiss Anabel? Do more than kiss?
Yes. Yes, I think I would.