Chapter 5
POV: Abby?
Cole and I didn’t speak for the rest of the night. All that was left was just long, lingering, heat filled gazes and his words on a loop inside my head.
“And neither is provoking me into teaching you how to behave.”
A few times I caught him staring at me, while I flirted with some of the male customers. It was my job after all, to flirt, to act like I liked him, but I wasn’t just doing my job with him—with him, it was true.
I looked at myself in the bathroom, reapplied my pink lipstick and then began to mentally spiral.
Hopefully by the time I exited he would be gone. And I could go back to breathing properly, and not have my breath hitch every time I looked his way.
Cole was the type of man I should avoid.
He was 14 years older than me. And I knew he had no clue how to make love—he only knew how to fuck.
Fucking was fun….but there was just something so passionate about a man who knew how to make love and make you feel loved.
Not only that, but he was possessive, beyond the guys I’ve been with by ten fold.
He already acted like I belonged to him by telling me what to do, what to wear, and staring at me as if I was his property.
But I couldn’t lie.
It also turned me on.
As I exited the bathroom and took a turn towards the bar, I ran into solid muscle.
And immediately, as I inhaled the scent, I knew who it belonged to.
Cole.
His arm wrapped around my waist, holding me dangerously close against him as I just stared at him in utter shock.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, trying to break free of his grasp, but he didn’t lose his grip around my waist. “Can you let me go?”
Eventually, he did, slowly, as if it was his own idea, and not mine. Figures.
“Thanks,” I muttered, crossing my arms and glaring at him. “I meant to tell you, I’m headed out, my dad or Kayla will be your server for the rest of the evening. You can settle up with them.”
“Where are you going?” he asked bluntly.
“That really isn’t your business.”
His jaw ticked, as his gaze was steady on mine.
“I’m going home. Is that alright with you?”
There it was.
A smirk. An actual smirk.
“Or maybe I’m going home with some guy, who knows,” I poked the bear.
And I knew I shouldn’t have done that.
His smirk faded and soon it was replaced by his emotionless gaze. “You’ve got a mouth on you.”
“Last time I checked it was 2025 and women can say whatever they want!” I shot back.
“You can say whatever you like, just prepare for my reaction when you do.”
“What does that even mean?” I laughed, nervously, but I knew what it meant. “Goodnight, Cole.”
He grabbed my wrist, twisting me back towards him. “I’m walking you to your car.”
“I’ll be fine,” I insisted.
“It isn’t a request.”
And that made me gulp.
The two of us walked to my car in almost complete silence. It was unnerving.
“Well this is me,” I replied. My hand shook as I tried to open the door of my car with the key. I slid into the front seat, and he didn’t budge an inch, instead he watched me from the outside of my car.
Then my worst nightmare happened.
The engine wouldn’t turn over.
“Shit,” I whispered to myself, trying it again.
Nothing.
“Pop the hood,” Cole rapped his hand on my hood, causing the echo to startle me.
So, I did.
“What’s going on there?” I called out from behind the wheel, watching his muscles constrict as he leaned over the car and inspected it.
Without saying a word, he slammed my hood down, opened the passenger seat then slid into my car. I repeat my car. Then he turned to me and said, “You need a jump. I’ll pull around my truck and grab my battery pack.
Within minutes, he jump started my car with his in-car battery pack. As soon as he put the battery pack away in his truck and parked it, he started walking back towards the bar.
“Wait” I called out, jogging towards him.
He turned to look at me, his gaze dragging down to my lips.
I wanted to kiss him. But I knew where we would end up. Probably in the back of his truck—having sex.
But what’s the stage right before fucking then right before kissing? The stage that has just enough tension to send anyone into emotional overdrive?
Hugging.
So I wrapped my arms around his neck, pushing my body into his muscular chest and hugged him.
To my surprise, and to my satisfaction, Cole wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me further into him. My head was at mid-chest level and his grip was tight. I could smell the musk on him as his hand was dangerously close to the top of my ass.
And I knew this was torturing me just as much as it was torturing him.
Cole’s hands dropped to his side as he took a step back and muttered, “Goodnight, Abby.”
“Goodnight, Cole,” I squeaked out as he walked away and back inside the bar.