CHAPTER TEN
Ella
I wandered out of the bedroom the next morning, my body deliciously sore in all the right places. A deep, aching satisfaction hummed through me, a reminder of the night before—the way Cole had touched me, taken me, ruined me in the best possible way.
He was placing plates of food from a serving cart on the small table by the window, shirtless, his jeans, unbuttoned, hanging low enough to make my mouth water. His hair was still damp from the shower, his muscles flexing with every movement. He turned as I joined him, his gaze sweeping over me with a mix of satisfaction and something deeper—something that made my heart clench and my toes curl.
“Morning, little doctor.” His voice was thick with warmth, with something dark and smug hidden beneath it. “How are you feeling?”
I padded toward him, wanting to feel those arms around me. “A little sore.”
His grin was positively sinful. “That’s to be expected after last night.”
I flushed, pressing against his warm, solid chest. “Maybe we should spend the day in bed, continue my… lessons?”
His deep chuckle sent shivers down my spine. “Tempting, baby, but you’re too sore.”
I pouted, and he captured my chin, tilting my face up to his. “Careful with that look,” he murmured, his thumb brushing over my lower lip. “Unless you want me to bend you over the couch and remind you exactly why you’re sore.”
A thrill shot through me, but before I could challenge him, he kissed me—slow and deep, making promises with his lips. When he finally pulled away, I was breathless.
“Eat,” he ordered, pulling out the chair for me. “You’ll need your strength.”
“For what?” I asked eagerly. He’d already shown me that satisfaction didn’t require full-on sex.
“For your first driving lesson.”
I froze mid-bite. “What?”
He placed a glass of orange juice by my plate. “Baby steps. Just around the empty lot behind the building. I’ll be right there.”
Memories of screeching tires and crunching metal made my stomach tighten. My hands clenched around my fork.
Cole’s voice softened. “Tell me about it.”
I stared at my plate, pushing around the pancakes he’d ordered, not wanting to ruin this perfect memory. But I also knew it was time. Time to take back control of that part of my life. “It was just after midnight. The end of a very long shift. It was snowy. I knew the roads were bad. I saw this deer… just standing in the road. I couldn’t hit it.”
Cole knelt down beside me. “So you swerved.”
“Into a guardrail.” My voice shook. “Totaled my car. Broke my hip. Had to delay finishing my residency for a year while I recovered.”
“But you saved the deer.”
I looked down, surprised to find no judgment in his eyes. “Everyone said I was stupid. That I should have just hit it.”
“Hey.” He stood up, taking a seat and tugging me onto his lap. “You saw something vulnerable and tried to protect it. Nothing stupid about that.”
“Even if it cost me a year of my career?”
“Even then.” His kiss was gentle. “That compassion is what makes you a great doctor.”
I buried my face in his neck, breathing in his scent. “The deer lived. Pranced away like nothing happened while I was trapped in my car.”
His laugh rumbled through his chest. “Ungrateful bastard.”
“Right?” I smiled against his skin.
We sat there, in silence, for a few moments until he slid his hands under my borrowed shirt. The warmth of his palms sent a ripple of need through me. “I promise it will be okay. You need to learn to drive again, Ella.”
I nodded, throat tight. “I know. I know the statistics, the probability factors—”
“Hush, baby.” He kissed the corner of my mouth. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. But maybe it’s time to face it? Not for me, not for your career. For you.”
“Is that what you did?” I knew from just the small amount Jake had shared with me about his experiences, that military men came back different. I knew Cole had been through the same.
“I’m scared,” I admitted. It was the first time I’d said it out loud. The first time I’d allowed myself to be this exposed. But with him, it didn’t feel like a weakness—it felt like freedom. I marveled at how safe he made me feel. How protected, yet somehow braver than I’d been in years.
“I know.” He kissed me. Soft and sweet, patient and knowing. “And I’ll be right there. But you’re stronger than you think, little doctor.”
Looking into his eyes—all protective strength and unwavering faith—I found myself nodding. I placed my hands on his chest, the feel of his heart beating beneath my palms, feeling so right. “Okay,” I agreed. Then, before my nerves could get the best of me, I smirked. “But… would you be willing to provide instruction on oral manipulation techniques of the glans and shaft for maximizing pleasure response?”
Cole blinked. I felt his body jerk beneath my hip, knowing he’d understood my awkward medical-speak perfectly. I wanted to suck his cock.
“What did you say?” He looked at me with narrowed eyes. Hungry eyes.
“I, um,” My shyness returned.
He cupped my hand in his face. “Say it, baby It’s just you and me. You can say anything to me.”
I swallowed, then whispered, “I want to suck your cock, Cole.”
“Baby, you’re killing me here.” His fingers tightened on my jaw.
My pulse kicked up. “What’s the matter? Haven’t made it to that lesson plan yet?”
His eyes darkened. “We haven’t even made it through volume one yet.”
“Volume one?”
“Yeah,” he murmured, his hand moving up my thigh. “Of how your body responds to my touch.”
I leaned forward, pressing my lips against his. I shivered at the thought. Of him teaching me more about my body, learning about his… and the fact that his words indicated a longer, lasting relationship. “Don’t worry, I can multi-task.”
I let my hand travel down his chest, my fingers finding the waistband of his jeans.
He caught my wrist. Firm. Controlled. “No, baby girl. Driving first,” he murmured. “Then your reward. Both of us need to stay focused.”
“How can I stay focused when all I can think about is,” I leaned in, nipping his earlobe before whispering, “oral manipulation techniques of the glans—”
That was as far as I got before he scooped me up, tossed me over his shoulder, and carried me back to the bedroom.
“What about driving?” I managed between breathless giggles as he quickly stripped us of our clothing.
“Screw it,” he growled. “Consider this a practical lesson in handling a stick shift.”
For the next half-hour I learned just how skilled he was at multitasking.
It was another wintery day in Hope Peak and the parking lot was covered in snow. I eyed his SUV uncertainly. It was a monstrosity of a vehicle and there were no obstacles in sight. Still. The thought of getting behind the wheel was a daunting one.
His arms wrapped around me from behind. “Just sitting in the driver’s seat. Engine off. No pressure.”
“You’ll stay with me?”
“Always.” The word held weight. It held promise.
His hand at my back guided me to the driver’s side. When I hesitated, he pressed a kiss to my temple.
“Trust me?”
I did. That was the crazy part. I trusted this man I’d known for such a short time more than I’d trusted anyone since the accident.
“Okay.” I slid into the driver’s seat, my heart racing for entirely different reasons when he leaned across me to adjust the seatbelt.
“Better?” His voice was low, intimate.
“The proximity to your... muscles... is somewhat distracting from a medical perspective.”
His laugh eased some of my tension. “After, I’ll let you examine my muscles all you want.”
“Any muscle?” I couldn’t help but tease.
He gave that growly groan I loved. “Fuck, Ella. Yes, damn it. Any muscle you want. Now, focus, little doctor. Hands at ten and two.”
I gripped the wheel. It didn’t feel strange. Or wrong. Cole’s presence beside me, solid and steady, made everything less scary.
“Good girl.” His praise sent heat through me. “How does it feel?”
“Like...” I swallowed hard. “Like maybe I could do this. With you.”
“Want to try starting it?”
I nodded, surprising myself. The engine purred to life under my hands.
“Just around the lot,” he promised. “I’m right here.”
I managed two careful circuits, his quiet encouragement making me braver with each turn. When I finally parked, my hands were shaking but my smile was real. He helped me out of the SUV and straight into his arms.
“You did it.” He kissed me so thoroughly I wanted to jump back in just to get another reward. “I’m so proud of you, Ella.”
“I did it, didn’t I?” I beamed at him. “Though I might need lots more... hands-on instruction.”
“Careful.” His voice dropped lower. “Or this driving lesson is going to turn into something else entirely.”
“Promise?”
The look on his face was answer enough. But before he could show me exactly what kind of lesson he had in mind, a familiar voice cut through the moment.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”
We both froze. Jake stood a few feet away, grinning like the cat that had gotten into the cream.
“Jake?” I squeaked and took off running toward my brother. He caught me in his arms, giving me a big bear hug. “What are you... how did you...”
“Please.” My brother rolled his eyes and placed me back on my feet. “Why do you think I hired Cole as your driver and to give you driving lessons? Though I’m guessing there’s been some... extracurricular instruction happening too.”
Of course, my cheeks turned a bright red.
The grin never left Jake’s face. “Though I gotta say, Cole, when I asked you to teach her to drive, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
“Plans change,” Cole said, pulling me closer. “Best change of my life.”
The way he looked at me made my heart flutter. No clinical terms needed to describe this feeling. This was pure, simple love.
“I love you,” I blurted out, then blushed. “From a completely non-medical perspective.”
His laugh rumbled through his chest before he turned serious. “I love you too, little doctor. I have since you started quoting medical terminology to cover how nervous I made you.”
“You two are disgusting.” Jake made gagging noises, but his eyes were soft. “Though I guess this means you’re staying in Hope Peak?”
I looked up at Cole. “I want to. I think this is just what I want to do. Be a doctor in a small town.”
Cole’s arms tightened around me. “Stay with me. Let me teach you everything—driving, love, life. All of it.”
“Even when I talk medical during sex?”
“Especially then.” His kiss made me forget my brother was watching. “Though I’ll still have to punish you for it.”
“Oh God,” Jake groaned. “I’m leaving before I hear things I can’t unhear. I’m staying at the lodge. Come find me… later.”
We barely noticed him go, too lost in each other.
“So...” Cole’s smile was wicked. “Ready for your next lesson?”
“Depends.” I tried for innocence. “Will it involve detailed anatomical exploration? Reaction time to certain—”
I yelped as he opened the door to the SUV and put me inside without seeming to move. “I’ll teach you everything about recovery time and then some, baby.” He positioned me over his lap. “What did I say about medical terms?”
“That it makes you want to corrupt me thoroughly?” His kiss cut off my medical lecture, but I didn’t mind.
Some lessons, it turns out, are better taught without words at all.