Chapter 19
Cole
Next morning, I woke up to the sound of hummed music. I walked through the apartment, finding Laney in the guest bathroom. She was wearing one of my T-shirts and no panties, EarPods plugged in. Her iPhone was propped on the counter next to the sink, and a dance routine was playing on it.
Laney was mimicking the moves—some more successfully than others—and humming.
She didn’t notice me immediately, even though I was visible in the mirror, but when she did, she shrieked.
Turning around, her right leg glided on the tiles; one EarPod flew to the floor.
I caught her by the arms, steadying her. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes wide.
“Don’t break your neck, doc.”
She blew out a breath, straightening up. Her smile was sassy as she took out the other device.
“I was doing perfectly fine until you scared me. It’s the only workout I can stick to.”
“Why were you doing it in the bathroom?”
“I didn’t want to wake you up.” She blinked. “But I did anyway, right? Crap.”
“I heard you humming. But it’s all good. You just have to do one thing, and you’re forgiven.”
“Oh?”
“Shower with me.”
Laney threw her head back, laughing. I tugged at the hem of her shirt, and she wiggled her eyebrows.
“Are you offering to take off my clothes?”
“Yes,” I said seriously. “Whenever you need that job done, call me. I’m up for it.”
She raised both arms, holding them in the air. I yanked the shirt up over her head, kissing her shoulder and collarbone.
“I see. This is a double mission. I get bonus kisses.”
I kissed from one collarbone to the other, teasing her skin with my tongue.
“Cole,” she muttered. “Shower.”
I straightened, holding my hands in the air, by my head.
“Lead the way, doc.”
I didn’t have condoms in the guest bathroom, so I quickly discarded any plans of fooling around with the sexy doc.
At least… that had been my intention. Under the spray of the water, I couldn’t keep my hands off her.
Pushing her against the tiles, I explored her mouth in a deep kiss until she moaned.
“Good morning.”
She grinned, curling her arms around my neck. “Oh, yeah. Very good morning.”
After the shower, Laney put on my shirt again. I could resist her naked, perfect ass only for so long. My self-control was dwindling by the second.
“I think I need pants,” Laney said, correctly interpreting my gaze.
“I agree.”
Nothing fit her, so in the end she wore swimming trunks.
“I look ridiculous.” She twirled in the mirror with a cute frown.
“No, you look like you’re mine.”
I liked that so fucking much. Wrapping an arm around her waist, I looked at her in the mirror.
“I’m happy you have today off.”
“You seemed pretty upset yesterday, so I thought you might need some of my relaxation techniques today too.”
That caught me off guard. She’d done this for me? I kissed one of her hands, squeezing it lightly. “Hell, yes, I do.”
“I promised I’d share everything, and now I feel ready. What do you want to know?”
“Whatever you feel comfortable telling me. Seriously.”
“So, I met Ryan in college. We weren’t compatible in too many areas.
He liked Star Wars , I didn’t. He outgeeked me too.
But we worked somehow, you know? We had a super small wedding in my last year of med school, just signed papers at the courthouse.
I wanted a big wedding, but neither of us was making money, so we let that one slide.
We were focusing on other things, like saving for a house.
That was the first thing we wanted to do after I graduated, but six months after the wedding, he…
” Her voice wavered. She shook her head, as if steeling herself.
I squeezed her hands. “He had a fatal heart attack. No one knew he had a heart problem. I think I just went through the motions until I moved to New York. And then I sort of just lost myself in my patients and the hospital.”
“I’m sorry, baby.” I wrapped my arms around her, keeping her tight against me. She sighed, melting against me.
“There were just so many things that didn’t matter anymore, that I didn’t see myself doing.”
“And now?” My heart was beating insanely fast.
She pulled back a few inches, smiling up at me. “Now, I want to break out of this cocoon I’ve been hiding in, and it’s all your doing.”
“I’ll gladly take the credit.”
“But I’m also scared of imagining the future,” she whispered. “Of dreaming and then maybe losing that dream again.”
“We’re just living in the present, baby. Don’t worry about anything else, okay?”
“Okay.”
I kissed her slowly, savoring her and savoring this moment. I was about to move my mouth to her neck when her stomach rumbled loudly. Laney winced.
“My stomach really has dreadful timing.”
Laughing, I led her to the kitchen.
“Are we having delicious leftovers again?” she asked.
“I can make us something. Grilled cheese sandwiches are my specialty.”
“They sound delicious. I’ll get started on the coffee.”
I hadn’t actually done this in a while, but it couldn’t be that complicated. No need to search for instructions on YouTube, especially after bragging to Laney.
Ten minutes later, Laney and I hurried to open all windows. Black smoke rose from the pan. At least the fire alarm hadn’t started. I hadn’t been the only one damaging the kitchen either. Laney had tried to clean a piece of plastic from the coffee machine with boiling water, instantly deforming it.
Laney was fighting laughter. If she tried any harder, she might crack a rib.
“Go on, laugh. I deserve it,” I said.
“Thought they were your specialty?”
“Were being the operative word. Haven’t made any in about a year.”
“I see. And you thought you’d experiment on me.”
She was walking toward me, swinging her hips. I wanted to keep her like this, in my shirt and swim trunks for the rest of the day, or even longer.
“I’m sorry about the coffee maker. I’ll look online for the part, and if I don’t find it, I’ll just buy you a new one.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll just buy a new one and be done with it.”
“Cole—”
“Really, forget about it.”
“Okay. So your specialty is burned cheese sandwiches and mine is ruining your coffee machine.”
“Clearly, we’re meant for each other.”
She burst out laughing, and I maintained eye contact, watching for any signs of unease or sadness but couldn’t detect any. Relief slammed into me.
“Okay, so since we’ve established that I’ve forgotten how to cook the only dish I was good at, and you’re hungry, how about I take you out for breakfast.”
“Sounds good. I’m just going to look a bit ridiculous with my black top. It’s so revealing.”
“You’re gonna look sexy as hell.” Leaning closer, I drew the back of my fingers up and down her cheeks. “I love that outfit. Just like this one. Anything that shows so much skin gets a hell, yes from me.”
“This doesn’t show anything.”
“Not at first glance, but if you look closely, and I do that a lot, I can see the contour of your breasts, especially when your nipples are puckered… like now.”
She drew in a sharp breath.
“Besides, I like the easy access.” To demonstrate, I dipped my hands in the waistband of the trunks, squeezing her ass. She shuddered, her knees giving in a fraction of an inch. I turned rock hard the next second. Her eyes widened a bit as I drew my thumb on her lower lip.
“There’s a gala coming up in five weeks. Come with me. Friends and business partners will be there, and I want them to meet you.”
Damn, I hadn’t planned on just blurting this out. It was the first time I was going with a date. I was fully aware that I’d just assured her that we were living in the present, but I wanted her there, part of my world.
My shoulders went rigid as I watched her intently. What if she said no?
“Those are fancy, right?” she asked slowly.
I nodded. When she smiled, the tension between my shoulder blades slowly dulled.
“I’d be honored. And I’m gonna have to shop, because nothing in my closet is good enough for a gala.”
“I vote for something sexy as hell. Wait, no, I take that back. I only want you wearing sexy stuff when it’s the two of us.”
She laughed, clasping my hands, drawing them down her body.
“Is it just my impression, or are you getting more territorial by the day?”
“By the minute.” My words were almost a growl, because she was now pressing herself right against my erection.
“I see. I don’t like these terms, Mr. Winchester.”
Rising on her toes, she wrapped her arms around my neck.
“You make me feel sexy.” She gave me a quick peck on the lips.
“You fucking are.”
“And happy and appreciated… and safe.”
She pressed her lips against mine, but I wasn’t letting her go away with a quick peck this time.
I deepened the kiss, my way of saying fucking yes to all that too.
Her eyes were soft and vulnerable when we pulled apart, and I just kissed her again, until she was pliant against me.
She had this cute, drunk-looking smile on her face when I looked at her again.
She rubbed her stomach, flashing me a sheepish grin.
“That’s right. Haven’t fed you yet. Let’s get dressed. There’s a delicious breakfast place a block away.”
“Can we get in without reservations? Isabelle and I tried to go to a few places spontaneously, and it didn’t work out.”
“I’ll make a call. They’ll find a spot for us. Any time you need something, tell me and I’ll pull some strings.”
She chuckled, taking a step back. “Really? Thanks. You’re useful to keep around, Winchester.”
“Out of all my skills, pulling strings is the one that makes me worthy of keeping around?” I teased.
“Well, your seduction skills too. And general charming ability.” She was counting on her fingers with an exaggerated frown. “Clearly not for your cooking skills.”
“Come here, you little vixen.”
“Catch me.”
She darted away from me before I even reached out. I chased after her, catching up with her just as she was about to open the bedroom door. She was panting, smiling from ear to ear. I loved that look of pure joy on her face. I pressed my hands against the door, keeping her captive between my arms.
“Caught you.”
“You did. What are you gonna do now, do me against it? You’re really good at that.” She said the last words in a whisper.
“Another check on my skill list?”
“Definitely. A huge one. Pun intended.”
“First, I’ll feed you. Then… we’ll explore all the doors in here. Some of the walls too. The couch.” She licked her lips, drawing in a deep breath. Taking a step back, I pointed to the bedroom. “Now come on, let’s get dressed.”
“I like your priorities, Cole.” She opened the bedroom door, walking inside with a sexy-as-fuck shimmy in her hips.
“What do you do on weekends?” she asked while we changed.
“Depends. I play tennis or head out to meet friends in the Hamptons. Sometimes I’m on family duty, checking if anyone needs anything.
I started that when my sisters first opened the brick and mortar store.
They practically lived there, and I checked on them constantly.
Mostly I dropped by with food and doing some minor repairs or helped with back-office tasks.
Now they’re delegating a lot more and don’t actually need me anymore, but the habit is already there. ”
“Did you check in this week?”
“No need. Got a picture from Tess. Half the family is camping out at Skye’s house. Isabelle’s there too. I think sis is going a bit crazy because of the bed rest.”
“Poor thing. It’s not easy. Hey, if you want to go to Skye’s as well, I’m up for it.”
“You mean that?”
“Sure. I’d love to see her again. Tess too.”
“I’ll text to let them know we’re coming. But we’re eating breakfast on the go because we’ll need forty minutes to get to Skye’s. We’ll grab ice cream too. She loves it.”
Laney chuckled, wrapping her arms around my neck. “You think of everything.”
“Anything to keep the ladies in my life happy.”
“Let’s go, Winchester. I’m on family duty with you.”