74. Chapter Seventy-Four
After waking the first time, I forced myself back to sleep after a glance at the clock showed it was just past six, and Cole was still sleeping soundly. Why would I want to leave him so soon?
When I wake up next, the bed is empty and for a quick moment, I wonder if I made the whole thing up. A vivid dream or something.
But then his scent hits my nose, lingering on my pillow and the spot he laid on my bed. I bury my face there and inhale, smiling against it like an idiot. That smell… I wish I could bottle it. Have it with me always. Something about it calms me right to my soul.
I roll onto my back and glance toward the door. It’s open about an inch or two and soft clacking floats through the air. I smile to myself, get up to use the bathroom, then head to the kitchen.
Cole is in front of the stove, flipping something in a pan. Th e morning sun floods in through the open window. He’s there in nothing but the pants he put on before we fell asleep, and hell, he’s definitely been working out because the cuts on his arms are deeper than I remember. His abs are more defined. The man somehow got even sexier than he was. It’s insane.
He glances toward me when I move to him, and he flashes me a smile that has me weak. Cole holds his arm out and I move into his side. He squeezes me and kisses my temple.
Is this real?
“You’re making pancakes,” I say.
“Because they’re your favorite.”
“Why do you remember all my favorites?”
He chuckles, letting me go so he can flip the pancake. “Because you’re my favorite.”
My chest warms. I want to say I don’t deserve this man, but I do. I really deserve something good in my life, and he is it.
Cole gestures to the coffee pot. “It’s already made if you want some.”
“You know I do.”
I make myself a cup of coffee, then lean against the counter, sipping it, while I watch him finish up. He has such a sexy back. I mean, how does a human have a sexy back? It’s such a strange thing to find attractive, but it’s the truth.
Though, now that I look closer, it isn’t just his back. It’s his broad shoulders that curve down to a narrow waist. His arms. His firm, round ass. Thick thighs… Okay, everything about Cole Harper is hot as hell.
“I can feel you checking me out.”
I smirk, taking another sip. “Am I not supposed to?”
Cole looks at me over his shoulder. “I like when you do.”
I put my coffee cup down and go to him, grabbing his face and kissing him.
I can do that now. At least, I think I can. He isn’t stopping me, so that’s something.
“Your food will burn,” he mutters against my lips.
“Fuck the food.”
He chuckles, pressing a hand to my chest and pushing me away. I pout. He points at me, giving me a stern look. “You aren’t getting any more dick until you eat breakfast.”
I raise a brow. “Is that so?”
He gives me a look that tells me he dares me to test him. I kind of want to but choose not to. Not today. I pick up my coffee and keep drinking it.
It doesn’t take long for the food to be done. I gather the plates and silverware. Cole plates the food and puts it on the island. I grab glasses and the carton of orange juice along with the syrup and butter.
We eat in silence. Which gives me too much time to think about the conversation we have to have.
When we’re done, we work together to clean up the mess. It’s amazing how flawlessly we get things done, even after all the time we’ve spent apart. When the last dish is dry and put away, Cole leans against the counter, giving me the look that tells me it’s time.
“Damn, can’t even let my food settle first?” I ask.
He huffs out a laugh, shaking his head before glancing at the clock on the stove.
“We’re meeting Chris for brunch in an hour.”
“Brunch?” I blurt, gesturing to the stove. “You just fed me enough pancakes to feed a small country, and you expect me to eat again?”
“No.” He steps to me, putting his hands on my waist. “I knew you’d be too nervous to eat brunch with Chris, so I made sure to feed you now.”
Holy hell, this man is too perfect.
The warmth of his mouth on my neck has me sighing. He kisses up to my jaw until he reaches my lips. His are so perfect, so soft.
“Cole…” I rest my forehead against his, closing my eyes.
His hands slide around to my lower back, and he pulls me closer to him. I wrap mine around his neck. We stand there for a long while. I shift my head to his shoulder, resting my cheek on him.
“This isn’t going to work, is it?” I finally say, a heavy weight settling right in my chest.
Cole steps back and I straighten, missing the warmth of his body and the way his skin feels against mine. “Why would you say that?”
“It’s too perfect.”
He frowns. “It makes me sad you think something perfect can’t work.”
“Never has before.”
“Maybe you’ve never found anything perfect before.”
I step back, taking a seat on the stool near the island but stay facing Cole.
“Then what is this? What are we doing? Why are you here?”
Rapid-fire questions. Thanks, anxiety.
I should allow myself to get lost in Cole, but I learned once that isn’t safe. At least, not until we figure things out first.
“I’m here because I love you. Because I want us to be together,” he says.
Those words… I’ve wanted to hear those words for so long.
“How is that possible? You have a company on the other side of the country. Your life is there. I’ve made one here.”
“Long distance relationships work.”
“I don’t want a long distance relationship, Cole,” I argue.
He steps to me, cupping my cheeks and looking into my eyes. “Can we take this one step at a time? You’re getting ahead of yourself.”
I grit my teeth, fighting back the urge to argue with him because he’s right. I am getting ahead of myself because that’s what I do.
“Okay.”
He leans forward, pressing his hands to the island and boxing me in. His bright blue eyes meet mine. They look so hopeful. How the hell does he look so hopeful?
“Do you want to be with me, Bryson?”
“You know I do,” I answer quickly.
He shakes his head. “I don’t mean just be with me, I mean actually be with me. In a relationship. Are you willing to figure it out? To fight for it? To make this work?”
“What kind of question is that? Yes, of course.” I lick my lips and take a breath. “That’s what I’ve wanted this whole time.”
He leans in to kiss me. “Then that’s all we need for now.”
His hand moves to my nape, then around my neck and down my chest. His eyes follow his hand as he moves further down, sliding it around my waist.
“I want to be with you, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. If you are too, that’s all we need. The rest we can figure out.” His eyes dart to mine again, and he smiles.
“Isn’t that what we’re supposed to be doing now?” I ask.
Cole raises a brow, dipping his fingers into the waistband of my pajama pants.
“Says who?”
I open my mouth, but I have nothing to say. Especially not when he tugs on my pants, freeing my dick that gets hard the moment he looks at it.
The man shouldn’t have this type of power over me.
Cole drops to his knees and drags his tongue down my shaft before gently sucking on my balls.
“Fuck,” I moan, leaning back. The counter top digs into my back, but I rest my elbows on the counter to hold myself up as Cole wraps his hand around my dick and strokes.
“What’s the fastest you’ve ever come, Bryson?” He runs his tongue along the crown of my dick.
“Christ, I don’t know.”
“Well, we have less than an hour to make us both come, take a shower, get dressed, and be ten blocks away.”
He takes my entire length in his mouth, my dick pulsing when it reaches the back of his throat.
“Won’t be a problem,” I say, resting my hand on the back of his head and guiding him along my dick. I don’t usually take control with Cole, but it feels right. He’s on his knees for me, worshiping my dick like he missed it. He wants me to come fast? I’ll come fast if he allows me to make him do what I want and not tease me like he always does. “You’d have me coming in seconds if you didn’t tease me so damn much.”
He hums a sound of approval and releases me from his mouth to say, “Where’s the fun in that?”
I shove his head back down, warmth flooding my stomach over him allowing me to do so. I’m never in charge, but I like this. With my hands grasping the longer strands of his hair, I move him faster, thrusting into him. The heat of his mouth and the softness of his tongue quickly have me teetering on the edge.
“I’m going to come, Cole,” I say, pushing him all the way down. His throat constricts around my dick, sending me over the edge and I release in his mouth. He swallows every drop and kisses me firmly when he gets to his feet.
“Let me fuck your mouth, baby.”
He doesn’t have to say it twice. I’m off the stool and on my knees for him now. He holds my head in place with both hands and goes to town fucking my mouth. I can hardly breathe. Drool pours down my chin. Cole groans, praising me. Telling me how good my mouth feels. How he missed it. How he wants to fuck my mouth like this every night.
When he’s about to come, he pulls out, still holding my head in place as he strokes himself through his orgasm, watching as he comes on my tongue and lips. He leans down to kiss me before I get it all cleaned up.
I’ve barely caught my breath before he’s tugging me to my feet and ushering me to the bathroom. The full weight of what we’re about to do doesn’t hit me until we’re a block from the restaurant. Chris spots us before I have the chance to change my mind and run away.