Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
L ooking at Cole with his sinister eyes, disheveled hair from my handiwork, and an expression of cavalier certainty, I decided he needed a lesson in patience and humility.
Cole was used to getting what he wanted. He wouldn’t expect me to say no, an infuriating fact that made me feel caged into a corner, and the only way out was to barrel through him. Not an easy feat when the obstacle had a foot on you and probably close to a hundred pounds.
I clenched my jaw. “I don’t like making rash decisions.”
A flash went through his eyes, but he banked it a moment later. “Take a few days. Think it over.” The hands at my hips fell away as he took a step back.
Wait, what? That was it? He wasn’t going to insist I give him an answer now? Why wasn’t he frustrated? Or pissed?
A chilly draft hit me where his warmth had been, followed by this empty feeling inside me I couldn’t fathom. It made no sense that my body missed him when I’d only met the guy a few days ago.
Maybe it wasn’t Cole per se that my body missed but the idea of being connected with someone on an intimate level. It had been too long since I’d had anything substantial with a guy .
“We should go to bed,” he said roughly, shoving his hands into his pockets like he was preventing himself from reaching for me.
Was he? Or was my mind stretching?
“Which room should I take?” I asked, my feet dangling over the edge of the table. I tried not to think about what we’d been doing on the table or how far things could have gone. Frankly, I was shocked my clothes were still on.
I couldn’t get a read on his mood. He seemed to have slipped on an invisible mask, leaving me to guess what he was thinking. “Doesn’t matter, just not the one across from mine.” Cole reached for the bottle of forgotten wine on the table.
I glanced at my empty glass and silently cursed, wishing I’d snatched the bottle before he had. If I had any hope of sleeping tonight after that fucking mind-blowing kiss, I needed booze or a cold shower. Preferably both.
“Here.” Cole offered me the bottle after taking a drink, noticing where my gaze had gone. “I’ll open another unless you want to share this in bed.”
My eyes locked on his. He was asking if I wanted to take what we started on the table upstairs. Did I?
I sucked in my lower lip, contemplating.
Fuck yes , my body screamed, the familiar ache between my legs reminding me of what Cole could offer. Sleeping with him would only complicate our agreement, and although I hadn’t told him I accepted his proposal, I needed this money.
But I didn’t need Cole.
At least not in the same way.
Sex wasn’t a necessity. But food, a house, an education? Those were things I required.
Scooting off the table, I took the wine. “Goodnight, Cole.”
He didn’t follow or stop me, and I left him in the kitchen to either clean up or get wasted. I should have offered to help with the mess, but I needed space from him, or my wine-fuzzy brain would strip his clothes off and devour every inch of him with my mouth.
That was the current state of my thoughts.
Dangerous and naughty .
Flicking on my flashlight, I meandered toward the stairs, taking them to the second floor. Each step, it grew harder to ignore my need, the persuasive voice within me coaxing me to run back into the kitchen. I forcibly picked up my feet, moving one in front of the other as I climbed the stairs. My fingers trailed over the polished wooden banister, griping the wood harder until I reached the top.
A bit unsteady, I wavered down the hallway, passing the doorways until I got to Cole’s room. Temptation enticed me, the little devil inside me whispering. Stumble inside . Don’t you deserve a night of blissful pleasure? She lured me with thoughts of what might be. My head swung to the other door—the forbidden one.
What made it off-limits?
Pesky curiosity had me moseying to the doorway and glancing inside. I flashed my light into the room. Unlike Cole’s dark walls and messy, slept-in sheets, this one had light-gray walls and freshly pressed linens, a much more inviting sight. So much so that I couldn’t risk walking past.
It had to be one of his brother’s rooms. Which one? Crew or Brody? And why did he have such a bug up his ass about this particular bed?
With the bottle of wine in hand, I walked in and shut the door behind me.
Cole banning me from this bedroom was like an invitation. Of course, I wouldn’t listen and choose one of the others. Perhaps he hoped I would pick his bed if he forbade me his brother’s, but it didn’t make sense. He had two brothers. Why not just tell me to take the guest room?
My mind was too muddled with liquor to dig deeper into the inner workings of Cole Riley.
Setting the flashlight on the nightstand, I took a swig of wine before placing it beside my only light source. I tested the mattress with my hands and sighed. After a night on the couch, a fluffy bed with luxury bedding was an indulgence I couldn’t ignore. The shower could wait until morning.
I stripped off the sweatpants and climbed in with just the borrowed oversized tee on. My moan was nearly orgasmic as the silky sheets touched my skin. Reaching to the nightstand, I flicked off the flashlight, submerging the room in total darkness.
Outside, the wind had died down considerably, the storm from yester day moving on to another part of the state to wreak havoc. A light drizzle tapped on the roof, and my lips curved as I thought about the scowl on Cole’s face when he realized where I’d slept.
I curled onto my side, snuggling deeper into the bed, and a familiar woodsy scent clung to the creamy soft bedding. It smelled like Cole and yet varied slightly. I second-guessed whether it was smart of me to sleep here. I didn’t need Cole clouding my thoughts and making it difficult for my body to rest. The last thing I wanted was my dreams to be of him, but that was exactly what happened when I dropped off into sleep, and I cursed the devil back to hell for taunting me.
A soft white haze blurred my vision, and a pleasant warmth touched my face, reminding me of lying out in the sun. Flashes of Cole rolled through my mind, but I couldn’t tell if they were dreams or memories.
The downy pillow supported my head as my fingers glided into his hair, guiding his lips to mine. They were softer and gentler than I recalled. The heat burning between us last night was more of a simmer now. It didn’t punch me in the gut and leave me breathless. Not to say the kiss wasn’t still made of dreams, just a different fantasy.
The unhurried languidness of his kiss nearly undid me. I’d expected greed and hunger, but this…was like kissing a completely different person. How many facets of Cole Riley were there?
And would I get the chance to uncover them all?
It was a mystery I wanted to solve, but then again, this was a dream. Was this the Cole I wanted him to be? Sweet? Gentle? Caring?
I nearly snorted into the kiss at the idea.
His lips slowly pulled from mine to stare down into my face, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Morning, Quinn,” he murmured in a rough, raspy voice.
Dear God, he has a sexy morning voice.
Why?
Can’t he have at least one damn flaw other than being a righteous prick? And ri ch?
Okay, a physical flaw then?
No one should be this blessed in the gene pool.
I blinked, the white haze clearing from my eyes. “Cole,” I murmured groggily, and the realization I hadn’t been dreaming and that kiss had been very real hit me. My eyes closed and I groaned. Why couldn’t I have waited until after I brushed my teeth to make stupid mistakes?
The bastard had the nerve to smile at me.
He could disarm a criminal with that damn smile. It was like his personal arsenal.
As I suppressed a yawn, color bloomed in my cheeks. “What are you doing here?”
Leaning on his hand, he lay on his side, his body turned toward me. “I could ask you the same thing.”
A vague memory of Cole’s warning when he told me this room was off-limits came back, and being the rebel I was, I slept exactly where I wasn’t supposed to. And slept pretty damn good too.
The memory triggered another and another as they slowly trickled back to me. Had we nearly christened the kitchen table? What made it worse was I’d been the one to initiate the kiss. I’d kissed him! What the hell was wrong with me?
Glancing at Cole, I didn’t recall going to bed with him. I was pretty sure things had stopped downstairs before going too far. Then why was I waking up next to him?
I wiggled under the sheets, checking to see if I still had my clothes on. A sigh of relief escaped when I felt the T-shirt brush against the tops of my thighs. I didn’t have on any pants, but my underwear was in place.
Relief should be coursing through my veins, not a ribbon of disappointment. Could I actually be upset I hadn’t had drunk sex with Cole?
I pressed a hand to my temples, massaging the dull throb that made itself known.
Fucking wine.
Never again. I was swearing off any form of alcohol in Cole’s presence. Nothing good happened.
Or more like the only good things that happened were the kind of good that was distracting and dangerous for my future .
I didn’t want Cole in my life. I didn’t want to be swayed from my path.
My goal was clear, and I intended to reach it.
Refusing to spend the rest of my life stuck in Fallen Oaks, Cole would not sink my ship before it got the chance to sail, metaphorically, of course. I couldn’t afford a boat, not even a rowboat.
The deal!
Shit.
I hadn’t agreed to anything. There was still time to cut my losses and run. To never see Cole Riley again.
Then I locked eyes with him, and my heart cartwheeled. I let my gaze roam over his face. “You took out your lip ring.” I distinctly remembered what it was like to have the cool steel against my mouth.
“Uh.” His brows knitted together in a confused line only to break a moment later. “Oh, yeah.” He rubbed at his lower lip with his thumb. “Does it bother you?”
“No, just an observation. I don’t mind.” Fuck that. Who am I kidding? I loved it.
“I bet,” he mumbled, and I sensed his tension.
Fumbling with the blanket, I tugged it up closer to my chin. “Why are you here? Did something happen?”
His gaze shifted past me to the wall of windows. “The power is back on.”
And for the first time, I became aware of the sunlight dancing in the room. My head whipped around, taking in the missing shutters and the electrifying view of the ocean extending past the balcony.
He touched me, taking a piece of my hair and twirling it around his finger.
Oh, my God. I went to sit up and jump out of bed, but a slice of pain pierced my skull and I fell back onto the mattress. I glared at Cole. “Did you just pull my hair?”
Those full-ass lips curled. “Before you disappear on me, I want to remind you of our agreement.”
“In case you aren’t familiar with the phrase go fuck yourself…” I flipped up my middle finger.
His chuckle caressed my skin like velvet. “I’ll take that as a yes. ”
My stomach did some sort of weird flippy thing I wasn’t thrilled with. “I need to go, Cole. You should have woken me,” I scolded, side-eyeing the hand still attached to my hair.
“I only just got up myself,” he said, unwinding his fingers.
I scrambled out of bed, not caring if I flashed Cole or that he watched me as I scoured the floor in search of the discarded sweatpants. “I’d say it’s been a pleasure, but it hasn’t,” I said, hopping on one foot as I put my other into the leg hole.
While he lay on his back, his eyes stayed on me with a magnitude I refused to acknowledge. “Well, it’s a good thing we have the rest of summer to change your mind.”
I slipped my left leg into the sweats, tugging them to my waist. “And if I still despise you by the end of the season?”
He slipped a hand under his head and smirked. “Not possible. Or are you forgetting last night?”
Heat flowered in my cheeks. “I’m trying. Let’s agree it was a momentary lapse in judgment I’ll never repeat.
“Harsh, Quinn. I missed your chaotic nature.” Nothing about his expression indicated his feelings or ego suffered.
I glanced over the room, checking to see if I’d forgotten anything, but I had brought nothing with me. “Funny. It’s only been a few hours.”
“I know,” he replied stonily.
Dressed, I pulled my gaze from Cole spread out on the bed like a damn centerfold. I had to leave now, or God help me, I’d crawl back under the sheets and forget why sleeping with him was a bad idea.
“Quinn.”
I halted in the doorway at the sharp sound of my name, grabbing the frame as I twisted my head, steeling myself for another glimpse of my devilish neighbor.
His damn smirk turned into a grin. “I’m going to need those clothes back.”
I felt my lips twitch, but I restrained the amusement from slipping free and gave him the finger. Again.