Chapter 4
Lauren
I woke up to the glorious smell of coffee.
I opened my eyes, immediately remembering that I was actually sleeping in Cole Remington’s bed.
I was shocked when I glanced at the clock and saw that it was after ten.
I’d slept like the dead.
I hadn’t awakened a single time during the night.
Cole was up; the covers on his side of the bed were flung aside like he’d gotten up in a hurry.
If he’s making coffee, he must be feeling better.
His fever had broken the night before, and he was probably over the worst of the flu.
Still, I wanted to check on him.
I tossed the covers aside regretfully because I’d just had an incredible night’s sleep in the most comfortable bed I’d ever slept in, including my own.
“Good morning,” Cole said in a deep, raspy baritone as he strolled into the bedroom. “Do you like a good latte?”
My entire body tensed, and my jaw dropped as I rudely stared at Cole.
Sweet Jesus!
What else could I do but stare?
He’d obviously showered because his hair still looked damp, but he hadn’t really bothered to dress except for a pair of boxer briefs that clung to his tight rear like a second skin.
I’d always known that Cole Remington was stupidly attractive, but I hadn’t known that he looked like a Greek god when he was nearly naked.
Stop ogling the man, Lauren!
God, I tried. I really did try, but my mouth had gone dry and my eyes couldn’t get enough of his hot body.
Cole was completely ripped, from his shoulders and biceps to his six-pack abs, then down to his muscular legs.
My breath caught, and I swallowed the lump in my throat.
And then, something happened to me that had never happened before.
It took me a few heartbeats to realize that the heat that was flowing over my body and currently eating at my insides was pure, unadulterated…lust.
I’d never felt this kind of raw need to touch a guy like I wanted to touch Cole right now.
The two of us barely knew each other.
I was mortified and intrigued at the same time.
My eyes finally settled on his forearm, where he was sporting a riveting tattoo of a soaring hawk that looked so lifelike that I desperately wanted to stroke my fingers over the work of art.
“Nice…tat,” I finally commented awkwardly.
My eyes snapped up to his face when he sat down on his side of the bed and held a mug out to me.
The last thing I wanted was to get caught staring at Cole like I’d been fasting for weeks and he was a gourmet meal.
I was in his house.
I was in his bed.
The man was still sick with the flu.
If he wanted to walk around half naked, I could hardly complain about that choice.
He lifted a brow. “You didn’t answer my question.”
I reached for the mug. “Question?” I asked breathlessly.
“I asked if you like a good latte.”
I willed my heart to slow down as I reached for the mug. It was pounding so hard that I almost felt like he could hear it.
I took a deep breath and kept my eyes glued to his face as I answered, “I love them, but I try to stay away from the extra calories.”
To me, a good latte included plenty of milk and sugar.
I watched as he took a sip of what looked like black coffee.
“Why?” he asked after he swallowed.
I closed my eyes as I had a sip of my latte.
It was delicious. Sweet, frothy, and smooth, just the way I liked it.
I’d seen the fancy coffee maker in the kitchen the night before.
Cole obviously had a weakness for good coffee.
“Weight has always been an issue for me,” I said with a sigh. “I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
“I haven’t,” he said gruffly. “Your body is perfect.”
I nearly choked on my latte. “I carry more weight than what’s appropriate for a woman of my height.”
“Who gets to decide what’s appropriate and desirable and what isn’t?” he grouched. “You look beautiful and healthy. Drink the damn latte.”
Okay, they weren’t exactly sweet words, but to me, it was one of the nicest things a guy had ever said to me.
I didn’t for one moment think that he meant that he was attracted to me, but it was still a nice thing to say.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, knowing I should have asked that question before now.
“Like I got run over by a Mack truck,” he admitted. “I’m not miserable and my fever is down, but I’m not going to be getting much work done today. I’m going to need to get dressed and check on the horses.”
“They’re fine,” I assured him. “I checked on them last night. They’re blanketed, fed, and cozy. I’ll run out and check on them again later. That’s quite a barn setup you have, and your Arabians are stunning horses. I take it you and Asher are going to start small on your breeding operations.”
There was only a breeding stallion and two mares in the barn so far, plus a very large and handsome quarter horse gelding that I assumed was the horse that Cole used for normal riding.
He nodded. “I’m breeding Arabians, and Asher is going to breed thoroughbreds.
It’s not something either of us are doing for profit.
We always dreamed of breeding horses when we were young.
We decided to make it a reality. It’s better to start small and grow slowly.
We want to turn out champions. I just got my stallion out of quarantine from the Middle East. The mares were selected carefully, closer to home. ”
“So now that you’ve sold the technology company you built into a giant, are you retiring to breed horses?” I asked curiously.
“Hardly,” he replied drily. “Offloading our tech company took some of the pressure off Asher and me, but we have a shitload of other interests and investments all over the world.”
“Will you miss being involved in that company? You spent most of your adult life building it into the most successful tech company in existence.”
Cole leaned back against the headboard and stretched his legs out on the bed.
“No,” he said succinctly. “We thought about just putting a CEO in to run the company instead of selling, but I think Asher and I were just done. The company had been built to be the best. There was nothing else for us to do there. There was no real challenge left. I think we were both ready to move on.”
“I saw what looks like a really nice home office here,” I commented.
“I work mostly from home now,” he confirmed.
“I have to travel occasionally for my business interests, but I’m set up to do what I need to do here now.
Actually, I was thinking about getting your number to call you before I got sick.
I could use your professional help on a few possible investments.
I know you’re probably pretty busy, but I could use some research and reports. ”
“You don’t have other companies that can do those for you?” I asked, surprised.
Yes, I was well-known in my field, but Cole was a billionaire with tons of contacts.
“None that are as good and as accurate as you are,” he stated. “Even if I wasn’t acquainted with you personally, I’d know you by name and your business reputation. Your analysis and predictions have never been wrong.”
I shrugged. “I put my heart and soul into all of my research and my reports. I pore through tons of data, but I also try to look at all the different angles.”
“Which puts your reports in high demand,” he reasoned. “If you have some time, I could use a few detailed reports.”
“I’m busy,” I admitted. “But I’ll have some time to take a new client in a week or two. Will that work?”
“Sounds good,” he agreed as he looked out the window. “I think you’re going to be stuck with me for a little while longer. This storm isn’t letting up, and we got dumped on. You’re not getting out until they clear the roads.”
“The storm is supposed to let up this afternoon,” I mused. “Hopefully, they’ll get the roads cleared by morning. I wish I had my laptop, but I’ll find things to keep me busy here. I’ll get your sheets changed and heat up some of Millie’s chicken noodle soup for you.”
“I already had some for breakfast. I woke up hungry,” Cole told me. “I’m not feeling like running any races, but I can cook us some dinner later.”
I shot him a surprised look. “You cook?”
He shrugged. “The basic stuff. I learned to be self-sufficient pretty early in my childhood. I had to take care of myself. I think Asher is going to hire a housekeeper, but I just have someone who cleans for me. I don’t mind taking care of the daily stuff myself.”
My heart melted. Sadly, with an alcoholic father and no mother, he and Asher had probably had to fend for themselves at a really early age.
“I’ll cook,” I said softly. “I think you should rest. You’re not over this virus yet.”
He needed to rest, hydrate, eat, and do what he needed to do to completely kick this virus.
He smirked. “Coffee helps. I think I was having caffeine withdrawals this morning. I was also smelling pretty ripe. I really needed a shower.”
I drained the rest of my latte before I said, “Speaking of showers, I’d better grab my clothes out of the dryer and get a shower myself. I’m sorry that I had to raid your drawers for something to wear to sleep in, but I hate not having my clothes clean every day.”
I really needed to get out of this bedroom. It was getting difficult to keep my eyes pinned to Cole’s face instead of gawking at his gorgeous body.
“Not a problem,” he said offhandedly. “Use whatever you need. I know it sucks that you’re stuck here and that you ended up taking care of me. We don’t even really know each other. I can’t get your laptop for you, but what else can I do to help?”
Okay, it felt really weird to be having a pleasant conversation with Cole, but I had to admit that it was…nice.
He was obviously capable of being a decent person when he chose to be.
He probably felt like he had to be nice because I’d taken care of him while he was sick, but I’d take his more pleasant attitude over his defensiveness any day of the week.
I thought for a moment. “I don’t suppose you have a gym here,” I said hopefully. “I haven’t gotten much exercise this winter. I used to use Devon’s gym and pool when he was single and almost never at home, but I’d never intrude on him and Reese every day now just to get some exercise.”
“I have a full workout center, a steam room, a sauna, and a hot tub on the lower level. Feel free to use them. What else?”
That sounded pretty amazing to me. I could get some exercise before I showered, dressed, and threw the shorts and T-shirt I was wearing into the wash.
“There’s nothing else,” I said as I rose from the bed and headed toward the bedroom door.
“I owe you, Lauren,” he said in a gravelly voice. “There must be something else I can do.”
He did not owe me.
I did what anyone else would do in my circumstances. I helped him out because he was sick. Not a big deal.
“I’d like to find a guy who would actually show some interest in me,” I said jokingly. “If you can find me a boyfriend, let me know.”
I chuckled as I walked out of the bedroom to find the gym.