11. Cole
11
COLE
Cole and Ian stood on the steps of the Bexar County Courthouse. Six days had passed since they had drinks with Brock and Ian. Zoey had started her new job on Monday, and she was so excited every day to tell him about work. He didn’t’ understand everything, but he enjoyed listening to her. Cole missed her during the day while he was at work. He liked listening to her hum a different tune while she worked. Everything had been going well until he received a call from Brock on his way to the courthouse.
“You mean those assholes think you will meet with them as long as they go through Brock?”
“Yes,” Cole responded angrily.
“You want me to come with? There is no reason to go to the meeting alone. Tell me when you’re meeting, and I will come.”
“I need to handle this. If, for some reason, Brock thinks it’s a setup, I will call you, but until then, let me deal with this,” Cole told Ian.
“I don’t understand how they got the whole hunt for the Senator shut down, and the video never came out. No one had even mentioned the funeral or a memorial for the man. How deep in the CIA are your brothers, because a lot of strings needed to be pulled to stop the media?”
“Never crossed a CIA agent I trusted,” Cole said. “But I need to take the meeting to make sure Zoey is still safe. I owe my brothers a moment of my time, as I was the one who left them. Don’t get me wrong—I plan to come fully loaded to the meet.”
A smile stretched across Ian’s face. “You’re going to pay them back for their little stunt. Oh, after the meeting, they will never pull a gun on her again. Now are we going to buy a house or keep talking about my situation?”
An auctioneer walked out onto the steps of the courthouse, and everyone gathered around. Bella wasn’t with them. She was at the house inspection for the home they’d just finished. Bella had showed it to a few people before listing it, and the place was under contract before it was even officially on the market. They weren’t expecting any surprise with the home inspection, and the closing was likely to be finished in the next couple of weeks.
“Two hundred,” Ian shouted out above the crowd.
Cole smiled when a few people groaned and glared in their direction. They usually won the houses they wanted. A few people would way overbid because they wanted the home for themselves and weren’t looking to make a profit.
“Sold to Bidder Twenty-Six,” the auctioneer yelled.
There were two other homes on the block today; Cole and Ian wanted to see what they went for. If the price was right, they might pick up the other two. They had hired a few more men and planned to start doing multiple projects at once. They had Bella trying to find them an apartment building to turn into a rental instead of a flip.
“Eighty thousand,” the auctioneer announced.
When no one bid, Ian raised his hand. “Well, that was way less than I thought it would go for.”
“The place needs a total rebuild,” Cole grumbled. He wasn’t entirely excited about the second house, but they could still make a profit.
“You going to tell Zoey about the meeting?” Ian asked. “She’s going to want to come with you.”
“I figured she would. I plan to tell her afterward.”
“Not sure if that is the best idea. You’ve been taking her to the range a lot. She might shoot you this time if she finds out you talked to them and didn’t let her know, especially since the meeting is probably about her.”
Cole ran his hand through his hair and started to walk toward his SUV. “I don’t want her to worry.”
Ian followed, shaking his head. “I always have your back, man, but I think you should tell Zoey because when she finds out, she’s going to be pissed you didn’t tell her.”
Cole snorted. “‘Pissed’ will be an understatement, but I would rather have her pissed and safe.”
Ian shrugged. “No matter what I say, you’re not going to change your mind. So when you have to grovel, make sure you know her favorite color, food, and flower.”
Cole couldn’t help but smile. “Purple, steak, and daisies.”
“Well, at least you know what you’re going to need to make her happy.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m always here for you.”
Cole leaned in and hugged his friend. “The meeting’s on Monday. I will be late coming to the job.”
“Call if you need me.”
On the ride home, Cole put the meeting with his brothers out of his mind. He was excited to go home and get dinner ready for Zoey. He wanted to celebrate her first week of work. The flower store was on his way home so he stopped and picked up a bouquet of daisies.
Zoey
When Zoey pulled up to the house, Cole was waiting by the door. She’d known the auction was in the afternoon, and she hadn’t been sure she would make it back before him. She parked his BMW in the driveway. Earlier in the week, she’d had to talk him out of taking her to the dealership to buy a car. He thought the BMW was too old. It was way better than the vehicle she had pawned to stay in a hotel for a week before the streets, though.
Cole was holding white daisies.
“Oh my god, I love them.”
“They didn’t have purple, so I got white.” Cole congratulated her on her first week of work.
Zoey rushed with her flowers into the kitchen and put them in water. She didn’t even care what kind they were. No one had ever brought her flowers, so Zoey was excited to get any, but he’d remembered from the first day when she mentioned daisies.
“They’re perfect.” Zoey smiled as she put her nose into the bouquet. She knew she would have to move out soon, not because she didn’t want to keep dating him. But she didn’t want him to feel obligated to let her live with him.
Cole held up two bottles of wine. “Red or white?”
“White.” She ran her fingers over her lips and walked across the kitchen. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
“You don’t have to thank me. Sit. I have dinner in the oven. While I get it ready, tell me about your day.”
“I really enjoy working there. I know it’s only the first week, and every job is fun for the first week, but I think I’m going to like it. The CFO and I sat down today and went over the upcoming year’s budget. She was impressed with my knowledge and wants me to think about becoming a CPA. She said the company would pay for it.”
Cole took a sip of his wine. “That is amazing. Is that something you want to do?”
“Yes, but it is a lot of work, and what happens if I don’t pass?”
“I have faith in you. Hell, I will help you study.”
“I’m going to think about it.” She tapped her fingers on the wine glass. “Tell me about the house—did you get it?”
“Yep and another one,” Cole grumbled.
“Oh, the one we drove by the other day?” The house had looked straight out of a horror movie. She’d joked with Cole that it would be better to bulldoze it.
Cole leaned against the kitchen counter. “Yep, nobody bid on the thing.”
“Can you take me by the other one this weekend? I want to see what it looks like before you guys perform your magic. It’s crazy how much a few things can change those houses, and pictures don’t do justice to what you guys do.”
Cole leaned over and brushed a hair out of her face. “You helped with the last one.”
Zoey closed her eyes and leaned in to his touch. “What did you say?”
Cole smirked, “I said you helped.”
“My arms still hurt from all that painting. Who needs a gym membership when you could take up painting?”
Cole rounded the counter, placed his hands on Zoey’s shoulder, and squeezed lightly. It felt so good. “Don’t stop.”
He leaned down and placed a kiss behind her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. Zoey let out a moan.
Cole ran his tongue along her ear. “I miss watching your ass sway at work while you used the roller. I only got half my work done when you were around.”
“I miss working with you, but not the physical labor,” Zoey replied.
“Enough about work. Let’s eat and have a fun weekend.”
Cole put his glass of wine down on the counter and walked back to the stove. He took a lasagna out of the oven, and the smell filled the kitchen.
“The smell alone is making my mouth water.”
“It should be good. I didn’t make it. I picked it up from the Italian restaurant on the corner.”
“Louie’s Lasagna?”
“Yes.”
Zoey jumped off the stool, walked over next to Cole, and wrapped her arms around him. He turned in her direction, and she pressed her lips to his. The kiss was soft.
He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. “I love the attention, but what did I do?”
“Everything.”
Cole’s pupils dilated. She was hungry but not for food. She wanted her man, and him having dinner ready with flowers was a huge turn-on. She had never dated a man who did as much as Cole had for her. Most of them could barely open the door or pay for a meal.
“If you don’t step back, we will never eat.”
“I’m fine with eating later.”
“Zoey,” Cole ground out.
She smiled up at him, and she knew he’d decided to not worry about dinner.
“Well, I guess you will be my appetizer.”
She let out a loud squeal when he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her onto the counter. His hands pushed her dress up her thighs.
“Bedroom,” she breathed out between kisses.
Cole smiled against her lips. “I want my appetizer in the kitchen.”
Zoey blushed. She’d never been with someone in the kitchen. It sounded so dirty and turned her on even more. He deepened the kiss, and his touch on her legs was sending her over the edge. She wouldn’t last very long, and she was completely dressed.
She tried to scoot closer to the edge to rub against Cole, but he held her in place, not letting her move.
“Please,” Zoey murmured against Cole’s lips.
He pulled back. “I will take care of you.” Cole worked her panties down her legs. Her ass was on the cold counter.
Cole wasn’t lying when he said she was going to be his appetizer; he took her over the edge over and over. Dinner was cold by the time they got to it, and neither of them cared. It was the best end to her workweek and the start of their weekend.