Chapter 13
13
LAYLA
The air buzzes and crackles between us like electricity.
This is it; I’ve made the decision. No big deal. I’ve done this before. It’s just sex with no emotional attachment. The problem is it’s with Cole Hendrix. This thing between us has been nothing but emotional from the moment we met.
He reaches around and unlocks the door to his room as he stands behind me. I can feel his warm breath on the back of my neck. My heart races and my panties are already soaked. Jesus, how long has it been? I’m going to embarrass myself; I know it.
He walks me inside and kicks the door shut behind us. Then without a word, he spins me, takes my face in his hands and kisses me as he walks me backward deeper into the room. His tongue dives deep into my mouth as he holds me close, and goosebumps scatter up my spine.
Holy. The man can kiss. We’ve already determined that, Layla, let’s see what else he can do, my inner voice screams…or maybe it’s my vagina. I’m not sure, and I can’t really focus right now.
Our tongues dance together, and I can’t even open my eyes to look at him.
I’m so under his spell, it’s just ridiculous. Now I get why all those women are dropping their panties at his feet. No. It’s just this once, and he’s affected just as much as you are , I remind myself. As if he can hear my inner struggle, his next words reassure me.
“Jesus,” he murmurs against my lips.
I chuckle.
“Clothes. Off. Now. Hurry up. Fuck!” His suit jacket drops to the floor, and he begins to undo the buttons of his shirt. He finally gives up and drags it over his head.
“What’s the rush?” I’m still fully clothed. I haven’t moved. My breath catches as his naked torso comes into view. He’s broad and muscular, with a smattering of dark hair. He has a rippled abdomen and a V of muscles that disappear into his pants.
Holy shit. Why have I been resisting this?
“The rush is I want you naked. I’ve wanted you naked for almost a year. I’ve tried to be patient, but I’m fresh out of patience at the fucking moment.”
I gawk at him. Momentarily stunned by his lack of control.
He unbuttons his pants and then takes my fingers and puts them on his zipper. He smiles, with his eyes fixed on mine. “It’s your move, Layla. What do you want?”
My heart somersaults in my chest. I know what I want. I’m doing this. I slowly slide the zipper of his pants down. The front of his slacks fall open. The tip of his erection sits above the waistband of his briefs. Pre-ejaculate is beading on the end of it, and my pussy clenches hard. It knows what it wants too.
“Keep going,” he says. His voice is husky with need.
I slide his pants down and then his briefs. He hastily kicks them aside. His cock is large and thick, and it hangs heavily between his legs.
Oh… My sex clenches again in anticipation of what is to come.
I inhale deeply as I stare down at him. He’s a beautiful man. Handsome, fit, and well-endowed. He’s everything I thought he would be, but…just wow.
He smiles darkly. “My turn.”
I take a step back, but he catches his hand in the waistband of my skirt and pulls me back toward him. I’m suddenly nervous. “I…”
His lips drop to my neck. “Shhh…don’t talk. It’s my turn now,” he says again. He slowly undoes the buttons of my silk blouse, taking his time before it slips over my shoulders and flutters to the floor. For someone who was so intense about getting here… I lose my train of thought when his lips latch around one of my nipples and he bites down gently through the lacy fabric of my bra.
“Ahh,” I cry out.
His hands keep moving, and the next thing I know, my skirt is dropping to the floor next to my shirt. I’m left standing in front of him in nothing but my lacy bra and panties and a pair of four-inch pumps. He stands back and takes me in.
“For months I’ve been desperate to know how you’d look like this. How you’d feel, how you’d taste on my tongue.”
“Why do you care? You could have anyone.” I know there is no logical answer, because I’ve been wondering the same damn thing.
“I don’t know!” The force of his reply stuns me into silence. This is just sex , I remind myself.
Golden predator eyes focus on mine, but I can see the torment behind them. I know what it feels like because I’ve been feeling it too.
This is just sex.
“I don’t know why.” He says it more softly this time as he reaches behind me and unclips my bra. It’s gone in one swift movement. “I just know I can’t think about anything else, and I hate it. That’s what you do to me, Ms. Bancroft.” Self-loathing coats his voice.
“Layla,” I correct. He smirks, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“I hate the idea of you touching anyone else, or anyone else touching you. I hate that other people can make you laugh when I can’t. I hate how I feel around you, like you’re the only person that can make me lose control when I…Don’t…Lose…Control.”
He forces me to take a step backward with every word, until my back presses against the wall, and the heat of his body envelopes mine.
“But I do”—his voice drops, turning ragged—“with you.”
My blood thunders in my ears, muffling his words. I feel like I’m underwater, drowning in a sea of emotions.
Shock, hope, fear, elation, uncertainty…they all mingle until they are indistinguishable from each other.
“ I don’t know isn’t good enough,” I whisper. “We can’t keep doing this to each other.”
Cole’s jaw tightens. This close, I can see the fire crackling behind the gold of his eyes, until they reach a full-blown inferno. “This is just sex.” He says the words I’ve been thinking. “We’re merely scratching a mutual itch, remember.”
“None of this means anything,” I breathe, my throat unbearably tight.
The fire disappears completely, leaving only the focused gold of the predator in its wake.
A sardonic smile. “Yes. You’re right.” Warmth brushes my lips. “This doesn’t mean anything.”
My heartbeat slows.
Time is suspended for a brief, agonizing moment, just long enough for our breaths to intermingle.
Then a groan shatters the spell, followed by a low curse.
That is the only warning I get before Cole yanks me to him and crashes his mouth down on mine.
I should push him off.
Despite our words, whatever this is it’s still undetermined. Kissing—or more—will only complicate things further. It won’t douse the inferno growing between us. I know that like I know my own name.
I should push him off. I should leave.
But I don’t.
Instead, I thread my fingers through his hair and succumb to the skillful assault on my senses.
The firm grip on the back of my neck. The expert pressure of his lips. The way Cole’s body molds to mine, all hard muscle and heat.
His mouth moves over mine, hot and demanding. Pleasure fogs my senses as the rich, bold taste of him invades my mouth.
Our kiss in that elevator had been mind-blowing but impulsive. This? This is hard—primal—a ddicting.
I’ve kissed my fair share of men over the years, but none have ever kissed me the way this man does.
Like he is a conqueror hell-bent on breaching my defenses.
A soft gasp escapes when Cole reaches down and lifts me, hooking my legs around his waist. He carries me to his bedroom without breaking our kiss.
Blurry glimpses of wall sconces pass through my peripheral vision as he navigates us down the hallway.
When we reach what I presume is the bedroom, he kicks the door shut behind us and sets me down, his breath as ragged as my own.
I should leave, my mind screams. But I don’t want to. Instead, I slowly slide my panties down my long legs and kick them to the side. Now I’m only in my heels. I step out of them. A sense of vulnerability washes over me. He watches but his eyes never leave mine. Finally, we are left with only our bare skin and burning heat between us.
Cole smiles and slowly opens his hand. Inside is a familiar foil wrapper. His pants are back in the other room, so I have no idea where the condom came from. He could have pulled it out of his ass for all I know. He’s had a lot more practice at this than I have. Doesn’t matter right now because my mouth goes dry at the sight before me. He’s standing a few feet away, so I get the full picture this time. He smiles, slow and sexy as he rips the wrapper open lets it flutter to the floor. His body is sculpted with such perfection, I half expect to find Michelangelo’s signature lurking on one of his chiseled abs that taper down to…
Oh God.
I watch as he sheaths himself and stokes his hand up and down a couple of times before letting go. His cock juts out, huge and hard, and the mere idea of it inside me sends frissons of apprehension and anticipation spiraling through my stomach.
It’s been a while, but still…he’s a lot to take. I’m not even sure he’ll fit, at least not easily.
When I finally drag my gaze back up to his, those golden eyes are still focused on me, dark and smoldering with banked heat.
A molten flame drips down my spine when he approaches and spins me around so his erection digs into my lower back.
A full-length mirror hangs on the wall opposite us, reflecting my dark eyes and flushed cheeks as Cole palms my breasts, gently squeezing them and rolling my hard nipples between his fingers until I can’t take it anymore and cry out.
Lust, anticipation, and a hint of embarrassment pool in my stomach. Watching him explore my body, his touch almost arrogant in its lazy assuredness, is somehow more intimate than actual sex.
“You drive me crazy. I’ve wanted to do this for so long.” Cole’s soft voice sends shivers over my skin a second before he pinches the sensitive peaks, hard.
I instinctively jerk at the jolt of pain and pleasure. A growl leaves my lips, but melts into a breathy sigh when he dips a hand between my legs.
“And this,” he continues.
My teeth dig into my bottom lip. I shake my head, my hips bucking as he presses his thumb against my clit.
“You denied me what I’ve been dying to have.” His teeth score my neck. “You live in my head all the fucking time, even if I don’t want you to…” His palm slides to my hip, where his fingers dig grooves into my skin. “And God, I want to punish you for driving me so damn crazy. Every. Single. Day.”
I don’t get a chance to fully register his last sentence before he slams into me and tears a cry from my throat.
I am so wet he slides in without much resistance, but the sensation is so sudden and intense I clench without thinking.
He hisses out a breath, but he doesn’t move until my body acclimatizes to his size and my whimpers of discomfort fade. Only then does he pull out and push back in.
Slowly at first, then faster and deeper until he sets a rhythm that makes my knees buckle.
All thoughts of leaving vanish from my mind as he hammers into me so deep he hits spots I didn’t even know existed.
My eyes flutter closed, only to fly open again when a hand closes around my throat.
“Open your eyes,” Cole growls. “Look in the mirror when I’m fucking you.”
I do. The sight that greets me is almost enough to tip me over the edge. My breasts sway with each thrust, and my eyes are glassy with lust and unshed tears as he wrings every ounce of pleasure from me. An endless stream of moans and whimpers pouring from my half-open mouth.
I look wanton and needy and ravished beyond comprehension.
My gaze locks with Cole’s in the mirror.
“You like this?” he taunts. “Is this what you’ve been waiting for, dreaming of? Has this taken over your life like it has mine?”
My lungs can’t get enough oxygen for me to respond with anything other than a strangled noise.
The fucking is too intense, and all I want is for him to keep going. To push me further and further until I crash over the cliff looming ahead.
“You want this.” His voice turns harsh. “You”—thrust—“are”—thrust—“mine.”
The force of his fucking increases with each word until the last plunge pitches me forward. If not for his hold, I would’ve collapsed on the floor.
“I’m not yours. I don’t belong to anyone,” I manage over the thundering of my heart. This is just sex , my mind screams.
Cole’s grip tightens around my throat. “Maybe you aren’t yet,” he says darkly. “But you will be…” He drags his cock out slowly, letting me feel every inch of him, before slamming it back in. Electric sensations shoot through me, turning my body into a live wire. “Does this feel like nothing to you?”
No, it doesn’t.
It feels like nothing I’ve ever felt before.
It feels like desire.
It also feels like ruin and salvation all in one.
Cole’s pace slows, but the power in each thrust remains vicious. Still, his next words contain a shadow of vulnerability that takes what is left of my breath away.
“You don’t know what you do to me.” The rawness of his voice matches the desire in his eyes—dark and fathomless and so visceral I feel it in my bones.
It is that look and those words, spoken in that voice, that finally tip me over the edge.
I come with a sharp cry, my body shuddering around his. He follows soon after, his cock pulsing inside me until we’re both spent and gasping for air.
We hold on to each other, our breaths gradually evening in unison as we come down from our highs.
“Look at us, Layla.” Cole’s soft command brushes against my skin.
I do.
Our reflections stare back at us, dazed and slick with sweat. His arms wrapped around me from behind, and his cheek pressed against mine as our eyes connect in the mirror.
Something that is both ache and fullness tugs at my heart.
What we’ve just had wasn’t soft, emotional sex, at least not on the surface. But beneath the rough hands and filthy words, a storm of emotions have blown through and upended our entire relationship.
Months of pent-up frustration, lust, anger, and everything in between, all unleashed in one night.
I won’t know the aftermath until morning.
But one thing I know for sure is that there will be no going back to the way things used to be.
The early morning light casts soft shadows on the wall across from me. Stillness weighs heavily in the air, and every movement sounds too loud as I inch my way off the mattress.
The clock on the bedside table says it’s ten after five. I need to leave before Cole wakes up. I’ve already decided I’m skipping the rest of the conference. Today is the last day anyway. If I’m lucky, I can catch an earlier flight back to New York and avoid the inevitable. It’s a cowardly thing to do, but I need time to process things. That’s how I am. I’m not a spur-of-the-moment girl.
My feet graze the rug and I start to rise.
“Where are you going?” The rough sleepy rumble of Cole’s voice touches my back.
I freeze, my toes curling into the plush thick carpet while my heart gallops in my chest.
Stay calm. Stay cool. You’re just going back to your room.
Heat crawls over my cheeks at the lie I’m about to tell, but I attempt a neutral expression as I turn.
Cole sits up against the headboard, white sheets rumpled around his waist. A smooth expanse of tanned skin stretches over the sculpted planes of his chest, tapering down to the V arrowed beneath the sheets like an invitation to pick up where we left off only hours ago.
I force my gaze up only to find his eyes waiting for mine. A knowing smirk tugs at his lips as he leans back, oozing casual arrogance and pure male satisfaction.
It was only sex. It meant nothing.
Still, I can’t stop the butterflies from erupting in my stomach.
“I’m going back to my room,” I say breathlessly, remembering his question. I slip into my panties and pick up my shoes. Where the hell did I leave the rest of my clothes?
I feel my cheeks heat as his eyes flick down and darken.
The heat spreads from my cheeks to somewhere south of my stomach in an instant.
“The conference doesn’t start until nine. Why are you sneaking out of my bed at ten after five, Layla?” Some of the sleep has evaporated from his voice, leaving smooth darkness behind.
“I’m not,” I squeak in protest.
“No?” His gaze meets mine again. Challenge glints in its depths.
He knows I’m about to run.
“This started out as a coffee date so we could talk,” he says. “We’ve never done things the conventional way, but perhaps we can do that now. Let’s talk. I can order up the coffee.”
Talk? I’m not sure what his angle is. There has to be one. Doesn’t there?
I cross my arms over my chest, trying to contain my vulnerability as I try to figure out how to deal with this. He watches me but doesn’t make a move or say another word. Finally, I decide to just say it.
“This was just sex, you said so yourself. It meant nothing. Scratching a mutual itch, right?”
A shadow crosses Cole’s face, but he doesn’t interrupt.
I can’t do this naked. I look around and spot one of his dress shirts draped over a chair. I snatch it up and throw it on, doing up a couple buttons. It’s not perfect, but at least all my bits are covered, and I can focus.
“Do you really feel that way?” Cole’s face is unreadable.
“Does it matter?” I throw my hand up and storm from the room. I need the rest of my clothes if we are really going to get into this. I snatch up my bra but don’t bother to put it on. I replace his shirt with mine and I’m stepping into my skirt when he walks into the room in a pair of jeans that aren’t done up.
His mouth is tight. I can feel the tension rippling off him. “I wouldn’t ask if it didn’t, and you didn’t answer my first question. Why don’t we start there.”
I flash him an angry look. Why am I so angry all of a sudden? “Well, you didn’t answer mine either.”
“Yes. It matters,” he says. And I freeze. I was not expecting that.
“I said as much last night, but maybe you were too busy enjoying the orgasms I was giving you to hear what I had to say.”
Cole had said a lot of things last night. I was listening, but I take anything anyone says during sex with a grain of salt.
His lips part in a sardonic smile. “How many time are you going to make me say it.”
“Just once more,” I say softly. I need to hear it in the light of day when we are fully clothed.
He regards me with dark, hooded eyes.
The clock ticks with deafening precision, and my clothes suddenly feel too tight.
“Players fuck and move on. They don’t pursue a woman who would rather starve than have dinner with them. They don’t try to get close to a woman who would rather spend her evenings washing her hair than spend time with them.” He throws all my words back at me. “I’ve never done this before, Layla. If it were anyone else, I would have been gone after the first time you cut me down. I’m still here because of you.” He takes a step towards me and pauses. “Last night was… I have no words to describe it. I want more.”
Butterflies take flight in my stomach. I grapple for an appropriate response. I say the only word that comes to mind.
“Oh.”
Amusement ghosts through his gaze. “Oh, indeed,” he says dryly. He steps past me and opens the door.
“Now I’ve said it, you know where I stand.”
My pulse drums in my ears.
I smooth a clammy hand over the fabric of my skirt, unsure what to do or say.
“As long as you agree. As long as you feel the same way. We can work on the rest of it later. All we need to figure out right now is if you feel the same way.” Cole notches a dark brow. “Do you?”
My pulse trips into overdrive. “What are you suggesting?”
Cole shakes his head. “Answer the question and then we’ll talk about the logistics.” We’re moving into negotiation mode. This I’m familiar with. This I can handle.
My teeth tug on my bottom lip to hide my smile. “I might not be opposed to going on a date with you. In fact, if you actually do want more, I insist on a proper date. We’ve kind of skipped that step.”
“Is that your only condition? This is your chance to speak up and get what you want.” He smiles and it lights up the room.
My cheeks warm. “That’s my only condition. A proper date and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
He nods. If we are really going to do this, we need to start over and do it right. I hold out my hand.
“Hi, I’m Layla. It’s nice to meet you, Cole.
A boyish smile flickers across Cole’s face, accentuating those sexy dimple as he steps forward and takes my hand in his.
“Nice to meet you, Layla. Would you like to go on a date with me?”