Chapter 23
It’s been two weeks and I have yet to hear from Cole after she kicked me out of her apartment on her birthday. Was it bold to propose when we technically aren’t even dating?
Honestly, I don’t think it was bold enough. My preference would have been to take her to the courthouse right then and there. But it’s probably good to take baby steps.
Though I don’t think Cole would consider buying a ring “baby steps.”
I wonder if she’s wearing it.
Regardless of the fact that I never got a firm yes, I’ve already started planning our first date.
If five is all I get, I want to make sure I leave a lasting impression.
I want her to see how good we are together.
That all of the reasons we were rivals in high school are actually the reasons we could work as a couple.
We could challenge each other, push each other, and like I always have been, I’m perfectly content letting her shine.
I just need to get her to go on a date with me.
Date one should be lowkey. She’s already mad at me, I don’t want to piss her off even more.
Opening my laptop, I do a quick check on inventory at the coffee shop, look through my investment portfolio that I’ve not been paying enough attention to, and then I start googling. Surely there’s a serial killer museum or something that Cole would enjoy. On the other hand, maybe that’s not lowkey.
A spa? A bathhouse? She enjoys her baths, but I can’t imagine she would want to enjoy it in the presence of other people. Maybe I could rent one out for the day, so it’s just the two of us…
Actually, that’s an excellent idea. An hour and several phone calls later, I’ve got a spa secured near Boston next week. If I can get Cole on board.
I have the day off from the coffee shop so I decide to go see Cole in person instead of texting her, hoping she can’t resist me in my glasses and short shorts.
After showering and changing, I run over to Bardot Brothers Coffee Co. so I don’t show up to Cole’s empty handed. Taking a deep breath, I knock on her door, smiling to myself when I hear Ernest’s loud barking.
“Down boy!” Colette calls from the other side of the door. She flings it open, looking frazzled and not entirely pleased to see me.
“Yes, ma’am.” I smirk. When she stands there staring at me, I lift the drink carrier in my hand. “I have a peace offering?”
“It’s going to take way more than a cup of coffee to bring peace to our relationship.” Cole rolls her eyes moving to wave me in, and that’s when I notice it. A big onyx stone framed with diamonds sparkling on Cole’s left hand.
Shifting the drinks, I take Cole’s hand, holding it up in front of my face. Her eyes widen as she desperately tries to pry herself out of my grasp. “Hmm, what an interesting development, Red.”
“Fuck off,” she gasps, squirming as I back her into the wall.
“I don’t think I will.” Her chest heaves, breasts grazing me as she shakes her head. “I like seeing my ring on your finger, Colette.”
Her eyes flash up to mine from under her full lashes.
They flip back and forth between blazing anger and fiery lust. I drag her knuckles slowly across my lips, kissing right under where the ring sits on her finger.
When Cole whimpers, I nip lightly before finally letting her go to walk into the kitchen.
She doesn’t immediately follow me, and a glance back shows her leaning back against the wall, eyes closed. She fiddles with her ring, and my stomach clenches when she starts to pull it off.
“Don’t,” I plead. Cole freezes, her hazel eyes meeting mine again. I can’t decipher the look she gives me—I’m really hoping that’s not regret that flashes there.
She sighs, pushing off the wall and following me into the kitchen. “What are you doing here, Ben?”
I consider her. She’s as beautiful as ever, creamy skin dotted with freckles and auburn hair that has lightened in the summer sun. It frames her face, and I smile when she tucks a piece behind her ear. “You haven’t given me an answer about our deal.”
“Pardon me for being a little weary of entering into another deal with you,” she snarks. “Last time you ghosted me for twelve years before calling it in.”
“I didn’t ghost you.”
She levels me with a stare. “A drunken pact that was never supposed to be serious and then nothing.”
“It was always serious. To me, at least.”
A little crease forms between Cole’s brows. She looks at me like I’m a problem to be solved. “I don’t understand you.”
“Yet,” I amend.
She sips her coffee and, fuck, I can’t help that my eyes keep going back to her ring. It’s ignited something unexpectedly primal in me, and there’s no fucking way I’m letting her give it back to me.
“I’ve planned our first date for next week,” I continue, prying my eyes away from her delicate hands. “I’m assuming you’d like to know what we are doing so you can prepare? I can keep it a surprise, if you want. It’s completely up to you.”
She bites her bottom lip, contemplating my question. “Part of me wants to keep it a surprise. I’m already in way over my head here, maybe I should just fully embrace it?”
“I’m loving this can-do spirit, Red.” I wink. “How about a compromise? I can give you a few of the important bits, yeah?”
“Okay… what are the important bits?” She scrunches her nose, and I can tell she’s holding back from asking me to tell her all about it. “It’s nothing fussy, right? I-I don’t like to be around a lot of people or—”
“I know, Colette.” I interrupt. “There won’t be anyone else there.”
She cocks her hip, one hand holding coffee and the other coming to settle on her waist. “No one else there? That sounds a little creepy.”
“Alright, there will be a few people there,” I correct. “But it won’t be open to the general public.”
“What should I wear?” she asks.
“Doesn’t matter.” I shrug. “We won’t be wearing clothes for very long.”
Cole sets her coffee down on the counter so she can begin massaging her temples. “You are not inspiring much confidence, Benjamin. Where the fuck would we go where we won’t be wearing clothes?”
I walk toward her, gently prying her hands off of her face. Wrapping both of her hands in one of mine, I tip her chin up to look at me. “Do you trust me?” I ask.
“No,” she quips, not missing a beat.
“Liar,” I laugh, the pad of my thumb running across her bottom lip. Her eyes flutter closed and that simply won’t do. “Eyes on me, Colette.”
Popping open, they bore into me. It’s fine with me because I want her attention for the next thing I say.
“I will work my ass off making sure I prove myself to you. Making sure I do everything in my power for you to trust me. I might have waited twelve years until it was time to call in our pact, but I was just waiting twelve years for you. To be a man who deserved your attention. Your devotion. And I would wait another twelve years, if I had to. But I really, really don’t want to.
Please don’t make me wait anymore. Go on a date with me? ”
Her eyes dart back and forth, assessing. Eventually, she pushes away from me, putting space between us again. “Fine. I’ll see you next week.”