CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE Cole
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Cole
“ W hy is your tummy sore, baby? What’s bothering you?” I ask as I lie down beside Mabes and tuck her in. Cowey and her new stuffed dog from Ginger, Goldie, are between us.
I was only home long enough to have a quick shower and see my mom off before Mabel woke up and said she had a stomachache, which usually means something is bothering her.
Tired as I am, and desperate for a few hours to think over everything that happened tonight, she always comes first.
“I think Ginger will be lonely if she has to go to her old home,” she says, twisting her fingers in Cowey’s fur.
“Well, that’s not for a little while,” I say, trying to make it sound like it’s in the way-far-off future even though it’s just a few weeks away now. I don’t want her to leave. But the last thing I want to do is give her an ultimatum. I’d be asking her to commit to a life with me and Mabes, which is huge for someone who has their whole future—and possible future family—before them.
“She lived by herself before she came here for the summer,” I say to Mabel. “And I’m sure she’ll come visit.”
“But that was before she was used to us,” Mabel croaks out. “Can she stay while I go to school?”
I sigh and brush her bangs back.
“You like Ginger, don’t you. It’s nice to have her around, especially when you miss Mommy?” I ask.
Mabel shrugs and looks down at her fingers. “Sometimes I miss Mommy,” she answers honestly. “But I will miss Ginger all the time. She always plays with me, and she smells nice.”
I grin. “She does smell nice, doesn’t she?”
“And she gives me hugs like you do. Plus she cooks yummy food,” Mabel continues sleepily.
“She does do all those things,” I reply.
“Rachel’s daddy got married and now she has a new mommy.” She mentions her little friend from school. “You could get married to Ginger and then she’d be my new mommy?”
She trails off then, before turning her eyes up to mine in the dark.
“I like Ginger on our team all the time,” she whispers, and my heart sinks. “But you’re the best daddy.” She says this with a yawn. She’s already an incredibly caring girl and would never want to hurt my feelings.
“You’re the best daughter, and you want to know a secret, little one? I like Ginger on our team too,” I tell her, taking her hand as she closes her eyes.
I snap out of my memory of last night’s chat with Mabel when my in-office phone buzzes. I pick it up.
“You got some news for me, Bev?” I say into it.
“You have a space at the Town Hall for seven. You want to tell me what’s going on, boss?” she asks. I tap the pads of my fingers on the desk.
“Not just yet, Bev, but soon. And thanks,” I reply.
“Course,” she says, before hanging up.
I stand and start to pace. I’ve been doing this for most of the day. Like the true pussy he is, Brent called in sick this morning, clearly not wanting to face me.
I have spent hours setting everything in motion for later. I have the use of the Town Hall now if I need it, and the local news is on standby for a seven o’clock press conference. I’ve racked my brain and retraced my steps, trying to remember every place Ginger and I were that night in Vegas, but I still can’t figure out how Brent found out about our marriage, unless he did in fact have me followed. He says he has proof. I’d like to believe he’s full of shit but, in my profession, I can tell when someone is lying. And I know he’s not.
If it was only about me, I’d tell Brent to go fuck himself. But it’s not. I have Mabes and Ginger to think about, as well as Ginger’s family. Plus my own. If I step down, Ginger and her father won’t be talked about or dragged through the local news. It’ll be gossip at best. But I feel so protective of her, I would never want anyone saying anything less than noble about her. And as for Mabel, chances are she’s too young and wouldn’t hear about this, but it’s possible. Parents talk in front of their kids sometimes. I would never want her to think her father is just as unreliable as her mother, and maybe, if I step down and give Brent what he wants, I can keep my little family just as it is, give Mabes everything she deserves and keep the scandal at bay for Ginger.
Just when I think I have my mind made up, my phone buzzes again.
“Ginger is here,” Bev says through the speaker. Of course she is. She knows something is going on and, if I know Ginger, she’s about to come in here and read me the riot act for keeping anything from her.
Thirty seconds later, my door swings open and Ginger is standing there, a hand on her hip, the sass and determination I love with everything in my fucking soul pulsing through her.
“Cole Weston Ashby. I am not leaving this office until you tell me what the hell is going on,” she announces before slamming the door behind her and stalking over to my desk. She’s wearing a little pair of flimsy linen shorts and an off-the-shoulder shirt. Her hair flows in loose waves down her back. It’s the complete opposite of how she looked last night and exactly how I love her: wild, fresh-faced and free.
“Now, you once told me that we’re closer than best-friends close.” She makes her way over to my side of the desk, leans back against it and presses her palms against the top. A tiny sliver of skin peeks out from under her cropped tee, just in line with my face. My cock twitches at the sight.
“We’re you-and-me close. Remember?” She raises an eyebrow and gestures between us. “And as Mabel reminded me this morning, we’re a team, whether you want to admit it or not.”
I lean back in my chair and take her in. She’s fucking sensational when she goes after something she wants.
She’s in full flow now as she continues her speech.
“I’d say two people that close wouldn’t have secrets, so it’s about time you cut the shit and tell me what’s going on, don’t you think?”
Ginger’s breath is heavy and her eyes are full of fire. But under all of that is the tiniest flicker of uncertainty and I’m not having it. I stand to wrap my arms around her, crushing my lips to hers, leaving her breathless when I drop to my knees in front of her. I yank her loose shorts aside and pull one of her legs up to rest on my shoulder. I push one finger in and her tight pussy clenches around me.
“You won’t shut me out, Cole,” Ginger says as her head tips back.
She didn’t expect me, so she isn’t ready yet, but it won’t take long to get her there. I watch her spread her legs wider, without questioning my actions. That trust is like a spear to my heart. Her eyes flutter closed when my tongue finds her with one slow, languid lick. She squirms and her fingers find my hair. She pulls my face back.
“You won’t shut me out, Cole,” she repeats. “Everything or nothing.”
I smirk. I like bossy Ginger.
“I will tell you anything you want to know, but first, I’m going to bury my face between these thighs, Vixen, because I’m hungry as fuck,” I tell her as I suck her clit into my mouth and she gives in, either satisfied with my answer or wanting my tongue too much to argue.
Whichever one gets her pussy in my mouth faster will do.
“Can’t have you hungry I guess …” She trails off in a moan.
I glance up from between her thighs and see her eyes have fallen closed again. She’s a goner. Instantly for me. Me.
I lift her other leg and plant it firmly on my shoulder so she’s straddling my face. My fingers dig into her flesh, hard, holding her in place while I make a fucking meal of the sweetest pussy I’ve ever tasted. I start slowly, lightly tracing over each side of her before finally reaching her center. By the time I’m there, she’s panting and writhing against my lips. She moves shamelessly against me, fisting my uniform shirt, searching for her undoing.
I don’t give it to her right away. Instead, I take my time, tasting her, sensing the tension that builds within her. I slide a hand down and crook one finger inside her, then two. She’s fucking soaked, no friction now.
She grips my hair tighter and moans softly, her body quivers and begs me for more.
“Cole … please,” she chants. “Please let me come.”
“My polite little vixen,” I murmur, looking up to see her watching me, her eyes glassy and hooded. I smirk against her pussy and offer her some pressure against her clit with my teeth. She jolts around me. “You come in here so bossy and controlling. Filled with fire. Do you know how incredible you are?” I ask her.
“Yes,” she agrees, and I smile into her.
“Good girl,” I whisper, flicking my tongue against her clit to reward her honesty.
“ Fuck ,” she whimpers, fisting my shirt tighter, pulling me closer.
I’m pretty sure she’d agree with anything I say right now if I let her come, but at least she acknowledged that she’s incredible. I’ll take that as a win.
I push back inside her and give her my tongue, taking her all in, giving her what she needs. She cries out, clamping her own hand over her mouth so no deputies hear her as they pass down the hall.
I don’t let up and curve my fingers further, offering her the pressure with my tongue she needs to fall apart. And fall apart she does; her hand twists in my hair as she gives in and pants my name, probably louder than she should but I don’t give a fuck. My door is self-locking and something about anyone knowing she’s mine gets me off. After years of pretending I didn’t want her with every fiber of my being, the idea of not giving a fuck is very enticing.
“Not fair,” she whispers as her legs shake. “How am I supposed to be quiet through that?”
When she turns boneless, I stand, hiking her even closer with one arm and unbuckling my pants just enough to free my rock-solid cock with the other.
I sheath myself in the only pussy I’ll ever want as her legs wrap around me.
“Christ Ginger … you look like a dream on my office desk with my cock buried in your tight little cunt,” I groan. My core tightens as I buck my hips, driving into her again.
It’s so effortless. She’s so wet, so fucking tight .
“Fuck, Cole,” she whines. Her eyes open; her pupils are dilated and they shine at me as she takes her bottom lip between her teeth. She’s ready to come again, and her eyes start to roll back.
“Uh-uh, I want those eyes,” I tell her. My hand palms her throat and gives it a squeeze, pulling her back to me.
Ginger’s eyes meet mine. There’s fire in them.
“Harder, Cole. More,” she whimpers.
Her gaze burns into my soul and I lose it. I’m uncontrollable.
The deep and unrelenting sound of our skin slapping together fills the room. There’s nothing soft or sweet about this but it’s what we both need. Those loving, soft moments come when her eyes meet mine across a full room. They come with the feel of her skin in the night when I turn over to touch her, or the brush of her feet against mine as we lounge on the couch. They come in the years of just being there for each other.
But this? This is cathartic and raw. It’s perfectly us.
“Ginger. I love you. I have loved you for so goddamn long,” I tell her without thought as I fuck into her perfect pussy on my desk. My perfect pussy. Her nails digging into my skin and her silent cries of pleasure tell me that the tight wrap of my hand around the slender column of her throat is what she craves. Just as it is for me, this moment is exactly what she needs.
My lips come down on hers and everything turns hazy around us as I fuck her.
“I love you, Cole. You’re the only man I’ve ever loved,” she says between kisses, and I’m free-falling, spilling into her hard and fast. I growl her name into her lips as my cock empties, fighting to stay in the moment as I come, because we’re so in sync, so perfect and, right now, I know there isn’t a hurdle I can’t overcome with her by my side. My movements become sloppy and uncoordinated as my cock jerks inside her. Her breathing slows as she pulls my face down to kiss me once more.
When we’re spent, I lean back, collapsing in my chair. She falls with me, right into my lap.
“Everything or nothing equals you taking me like a caveman on your desk?” she asks with a giggle.
“Yes, because I fucking can’t resist you,” I say as I stroke her hair. She nuzzles her head in the space between my collarbone and my jaw.
“You love me,” she says, and I feel her smug smirk against my bare skin.
“I do.” Goddamn, it feels good to say it out loud. Did I picture myself balls deep inside of her when I envisioned the moment I told her I loved her? Definitely not.
I’ll give her as many soft, romantic moments she needs. I’ll spend the rest of my life giving her those, but that was something more. Something animalistic I had no hope of controlling.
I kiss her head.
“I’ve wanted to tell you this for weeks,” I say. “I don’t want you to leave at the end of the summer, Ginger. I want you to stay, but I can’t ask you to stay. Us together … with Mabes. This is a lot for you …”
She tilts her head up to me, her eyes questioning.
So I continue. “Taking on the role of being a wife and partner is one thing. But a stepmother? A role model for a child that isn’t yours? That’s a totally different—”
She silences me with a kiss.
“Stop right there, Mr. Ashby,” she says. “We can talk about the semantics later. But if you think for one second I went into this casually, not realizing that you and Mabel are a package deal? You’re dead wrong. I love everything about that little girl. And besides, we’re a team. Remember?” She grins. “You don’t have to ask me. I volunteer. I know exactly what it means to love you, Cole. I think on some level I’ve always loved you. And I want it all . Every last piece. Especially Mabel.”
I kiss her lips, not wanting to come up for air, because I’ve never felt happiness like this before. I never thought it was possible. It’s overwhelming. This isn’t just my happiness; it’s Mabel’s too. Because she deserves someone like Ginger in her life.
I let my mouth stake its claim on my wife, reveling in my newfound wholeness, until a cold shiver runs the length of my spine as I remember why she’s here today.
I sigh as I plant a kiss on her forehead.
“You were right to come here today. We do need to talk about something,” I say to her.
“I gathered,” she replies, rising, seemingly unconcerned as she pulls her shirt back over her head while I disappear into my private bathroom for a cloth to clean her up.
“Brent Wilson found me last night at your father’s reception,” I tell her as I wipe her down. Her eyes meet mine as if to ask me why that matters.
“He knows about us. He called you my wife,” I say.
Just that word has more meaning now that I’ve told her how I really feel about her. Our marriage no longer feels temporary. She’s my wife and, as crazy as it seems after only a couple of months, that’s how it’s going to stay. Even if she doesn’t know it yet.
Her mouth falls slack for all of ten seconds, and then her mind is working.
“How?” she asks.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “But he’s demanding I step down as sheriff or he’ll tell the public. And I’m racking my brain trying to come up with an option three where I don’t have to do either.”
I tell her all the details I can and, by the time she’s dressed and we’re sitting across from each other at the desk, my beautiful spitfire of a wife is wearing an emotion I rarely see: anger.
“I think he had me followed,” I tell her. “There’s no other way. There’s no documentation of this marriage.”
A thought occurs to me. “Other than the certificate, which should be here anytime. I remember they said it would take eight to ten weeks, but I haven’t seen it yet—”
Ginger’s eyes move to mine and she holds her finger up to stop me from speaking.
“This marriage certificate, Cole. Did you have it sent here, to your office?” she asks.
I think for a moment as a memory flashes through my mind of doing just that. Because I remember thinking in my half-drunken stupor it would be better to have it come to the office instead of home.
“Yes, I didn’t want to risk Mabes seeing it,” I tell her. She looks thoughtful. “What is it, Ginger?” I ask.
“It may be nothing,” she says, chewing her bottom lip. “But what mailbox is yours?”
“Second one in. Abbott’s is before mine,” I answer her, mentioning a deputy.
“Goddammit,” Ginger mutters under her breath. “He took it.”
“What?” I ask.
Her eyes flit to mine. “I saw him. When I brought Mabes here for lunch. I don’t know why but I remember thinking he looked … suspicious.” She keeps talking as she stands and starts to pace. “He pulled mail out of that slot and I couldn’t see if he took anything. But it was odd because, after just a few moments, he put the stack of envelopes back and left.”
“Motherfucker,” I breathe out.
Ginger stops pacing and looks at me. “He’s been stealing your mail, Cole. He has our marriage certificate, maybe the photos you said we had coming?”
I scrub my jaw and lean back in my chair. She puts her hands on her hips.
“Teamwork, baby.” She smirks. “If you can prove it, there’s your option three.”
I stand and look out the window, gathering my thoughts.
“You’re a genius,” I tell her. “And, in case I haven’t made it clear to you, you’re my genius.”
She giggles as I grab my ID badge off my desk.
“Where are you going?” she asks.
“To get my proof,” I say.
I turn to leave but, instead, I stop and walk back to kiss her.
“I love you. Thank you for being in my corner,” I say.
“I love you too, Cole, and I’ll always be in your corner,” she whispers, filling me with every bit of encouragement I need to nail this fucker to the wall.
As I blast through my office door and down the hall, I make sure to tell Bev to put a hold on that press conference.