Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Mila was so absorbed in her project and her Mannheim playlist pouring from her phone that she didn’t hear Cole come in until the couch cushion moved and there he was, sitting next to her minus his hat and coat.
She jumped and grabbed her phone. “Sorry. I’ll—”
“Don’t.” Moving closer, he closed his hand over hers. “Leave it on.”
“Okay, but I can turn it down.”
He shook his head as he picked up the Santa hat in her lap and set it aside. Then he stood and drew her to her feet. “Will you make love with me?”
“With the music on?”
“Yes.”
Her heart stuttered. He was trying. “But it’s so loud. Wouldn’t you rather—”
“I want it loud, the way you like it.”
That almost started the waterworks, but she managed to hold them back. Gulping, she nodded. Phone in hand, filling the space with the sounds of Christmas, she walked into the bedroom with him.
She laid it on the bedside table as he closed the doors and came toward her. She started to pull off her sweater.
“Let me.” He undressed her slowly and reverently before scooping her up and laying her on the bed they’d purposely left unmade. His gaze locked with hers, he took off his clothes and rolled on the condom with the same measured pace.
He didn’t speak as he climbed into bed and moved over her. But his ragged breathing and the emotion in his gray eyes spoke volumes as he thrust deep. He was making a new memory. With her.
Wrapping him in her arms, she twined her legs around his, eager for every part of her to touch every part of him. He loved her with long, sure strokes, creating their magic connection again and again, building toward a climax.
They would share this one. Her body knew it. Her heart did, too. Was this the beginning of a change? Did she dare hope?
He pumped faster, increasing the tension as their moist bodies slid ever closer to release. He knew her well now. Shifting slightly, he touched off the first wave and she gasped.
“Yes.” His voice was gruff as he picked up the pace and hurtled them both toward glory. “Yes!”
She let go with a cry and he followed right after, driving deep and shuddering as their world exploded, shattering their boundaries and creating, for a few precious seconds, one body, one heart, one soul.
She lay beneath him panting.
“The music.” He gulped in air. “It just stopped.”
“That’s…the end…of my…playlist.”
“Oh. Not very long.”
She couldn’t help smiling. “Long enough.”
“Guess so.”
“Did you get what you came for?”
He sucked in another breath. “You probably think I’m nuts.”
“I think you’re working on this issue. That makes me very happy.” She slid her hands up his sweaty back. In the process she brushed over the thin line of the scar she’d felt before. Then she found another one.
“I tried to keep at least some of my attention on the music. That’s why I wanted it loud.” His mouth tilted in a half-smile. “Tougher than I thought. You’re potent.”
“Think you made a new Christmas memory?”
“For sure I made a hot new memory. That happens every time we hop into this bed. Whether it’s truly a Christmas memory, I can’t say. Maybe.” Leaning down, he kissed her. “Thanks for indulging me.” He eased away and left the bed.
“Anytime, cowboy.” She got out of bed, too. “I’m thinking I’ll take a shower and put on my jammies.”
He laughed. “You brought some?”
“I did, but now I’m wondering if they’ll cause you a problem.”
“Only if they’re hard to get off.”
“They’re easy to get off, but they’re kind of Christmasy.” She dug them out of her duffle and carried them toward the bathroom.
“Let’s see ’em.”
She held up the long-sleeved top so he could examine the theme of evergreens, wreaths and red trucks with a pine tree in the back.
“That’s not too bad. I just spent almost an hour looking at Adam’s sweatshirt, so this is way easier.”
“The Rudolph one?”
“That’s it.”
“How about Tracy? She has holiday sweaters and sweatshirts, too.”
“Hers was Frosty. I can handle him. When you get right down to it, he has nothing to do with Christmas.”
“True. So you’re okay with these? I don’t have to wear them. I can borrow your sweats again.”
He studied the images. “I think you should wear them. They look like they’re more comfortable than my sweats and it’s good for me to practice desensitizing myself to red and green.”
“It sounds like you’re trying to give yourself color blindness.”
“Believe it or not, I used to envy people who are color blind. Then I realized that comes with a whole new set of problems.”
“Do traffic lights bother you?”
“No, ma’am. I’ve worked through that.”
“On your own?”
“If you mean did I have counseling, I tried it once. Didn’t care for it.”
She wasn’t surprised. Counseling wouldn’t do much good if he refused to talk about what he’d been through.
He was the exact opposite of her ex, who’d played on her sympathies by detailing all the mistreatment he’d endured. Cole, who’d likely experienced far worse, kept it locked down.
She laid her jammies on the counter. “Then I guess I’ll wear these. If they start bugging you, let me know.”
“I won’t let that happen.”
Yep, he was Iron Man. She picked up a scrunchie to hold back her hair. “Mind if I take a shower?”
“Go right ahead. I’d join you, but I’m not starving this time. So we might end up in bed again and I don’t want to wear out my welcome.”
She laughed. “You think five times in ten hours might be pushing it?”
“I’m just sayin’. I’ve heard tales of newlywed sex that left them in sad shape.”
“Then how about this? Let’s see if we can shower together without ending up in bed.”
“Could be a challenge.”
“Are you up to it?”
“What the fudge. Sure. I’ll turn on the water.” He stepped over to the spacious shower. Instead of a curtain, a glass block partition and a sunken tiled floor kept the water in. He twisted the handle and held his hand under the spray.
“I mean, you did build a suspiciously large shower. I didn’t mention that the first time, but—”
“I confess I’ve pictured you in it with me.” He moved back and gestured toward the opening. “After you. Adjust it if the temp’s not right.”
She grabbed a washcloth and stepped under the warm spray. Determined to tend to business, she picked up the bar of soap from its holder and lathered up her washcloth. “Come on in. The water’s fine.”
“Glad you approve.”
The minute he ducked inside, she reached out, unable to stop herself from running her hand over his broad chest.
Laughing, he caught her wrist. “This is how we’ll end up in bed. You should probably keep your hands to yourself.”
“You, too. And your mouth.”
He pulled her close and took the sudsy washcloth. “I can’t. You’re too delicious.” He nuzzled the side of her damp neck as he ran the washcloth over her back. “I intend to do a better job washing this time though. This morning I wouldn’t say we were exactly washed.”
“Good enough.”
“But not thorough. I intend to be thorough this go round. Also, I just realized something.”
She wrapped her arms around his slick body as the warm water sluicing over her, arousing every inch of her skin. “There’s no such thing as a quick shower when we’re in here together?”
“That, too, but as long as we don’t go back to bed and make love afterward, there’s nothing wrong with me giving you a little treat while we’re in here. I’ll barely have to touch you.”
She quivered at the mere suggestion. “That’s embarrassingly true. But then you get worked up and—”
“Never mind me.” Turning her around so her back was to him, he massaged her breasts with the soapy washcloth before stroking it over each of her arms. “I’m saving myself. Tonight we’re going to do it on the couch by the fire.”
“No fair talking sexy in the shower.”
“You’re right. Let’s get down to business. Spread your legs, please.”
She did, and he washed between them, front and back, nearly making her come with that warm washcloth. Crouching down, he ran it over her legs and instructed her to grab his shoulder while he scrubbed each foot.
Tossing the washcloth on a nearby rack, he grasped her upper arms and turned her slowly under the spray until all the soap was gone.
“Thank you. Excellent job.” And she was on fire, as if he didn’t know it.
“Not done.” Dropping to his knees in front of her, he cupped her tush and began licking the drops away from a very sensitive spot.
She didn’t last long under that assault. When she started to come, she grabbed his shoulders.
“I’ve got you.” His grip tightened, holding her fast as he sucked gently, driving her right out of her mind. Her moans ricocheted against the tiled walls, making it sound like an orgy in progress.
In a way it was. She’d never been loved this much in one day, never felt like her body was a temple where her lover worshipped her.
Her words came back to her. If it doesn’t work out for us, you’ll still be here. We’ll still be friends. It won’t be the end of the world.
Who was she kidding? Maybe he’d hold it together, but her world would shatter into a million pieces.