Chapter 8
Cole
I didn’t know what the hell had gotten into me. The second I saw Nora laughing with Don, whatever good sense I had left disappeared.
She wasn’t my woman. She was still the privileged city girl I had no business wanting, and I had no say in who she talked to.
I knew all of that. None of it stopped the anger.
She smiled, tucked her hair behind her ear, and Don stared at her chest like her face was optional.
I wanted to drag him off that stool anyway.
Don looked about her age. Of course he did.
I couldn’t stand another second of it. Watching her blush for another man made me jealous in a way I’d never felt before. I never got jealous, but here I was doing exactly that over a woman I had no business getting jealous over.
Sure, her curves had kept me up half the night, and she could cut me down with three words when she felt like it. I wanted her. About time I stopped pretending otherwise.
It didn’t matter who she was. My cock still throbbed for her. It was nothing more than raw, unbridled lust, and I couldn’t seem to do a fucking thing about it.
I stormed out of the bar because I needed to get myself together. People watched and whispered. Since moving here, I’d kept my life quiet and stayed out of fights. I’d just screwed that up in under a minute. I knew this would be news for a week. I didn’t give a damn. Not then.
I walked toward my truck and was about to open the door when my gaze drifted toward the entrance of the bar and Nora stepped out. She looked around, and when she saw me, she walked toward me with a frown on her face.
I mentally prepared myself, but in doing so, I couldn’t help admiring the way her jeans hugged her broad hips. What I wouldn’t give to run my hands over every single curv—
“What the hell is your problem? You almost started a fight in there!” she exclaimed.
I clenched my teeth, pulling my door open.
“Go back inside. Don’s waiting.”
She scoffed. “If being around me is so horrible, then stay away from me!”
I paused. “What?”
She swallowed visibly. “It’s obvious you don’t like me, and that’s fine. I get it. But please don’t try to make my life a living hell—I’m not doing this every time some guy talks to me. I’ve had enough of that!”
Her voice trembled before she sighed, her eyes glistening with tears.
Seeing tears in her eyes killed the anger. Regret hit instead. I clenched my teeth. “I wasn’t—”
“You know what? Forget it.” With that, she walked toward her car.
I let her get a few steps before I followed. I’d started this.
“I’m sorry. I started that,” I said, and she paused to look at me.
Her pretty blue eyes met mine.
“And I don’t hate you, Nora. I’ve been an asshole.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
Her gaze fell to the ground. “I came here for a fresh start. I’m tired of fighting with you. Whatever happened with my dad, I didn’t do it.”
I nodded. “Fair. Truce, then. Just the job.”
She looked at me. “You think you can manage that?”
I extended my hand. “Can you?”
I wasn’t expecting her to take my hand, but when she did, I wished I hadn’t offered it. The handshake wasn’t supposed to mean anything. Her palm was small, warm, and soft against mine, and suddenly it didn’t feel formal at all.
For a good second, neither of us moved.
The tension didn’t disappear. It got worse. Heat ran under my skin as my thumb grazed her hand and I felt the slightest tug. Her eyes lifted to mine, lips parting.
Her cheeks reddened. I had no idea what she was feeling, but I knew exactly what the handshake was doing to me. Another second and I’d have an erection after agreeing to ‘just the job.’
I pulled back, taking a step away.
“Good night, Nora.”
“Good night, Cole.”
She offered a weak smile and then went to her car. In seconds, she was driving away. I stood there and watched until her car disappeared.
I rubbed the nape of my neck and sighed heavily before deciding to head home.
God help me.
* * *
As soon as I got home, the house was exactly how I usually liked it: quiet, mine, nobody in my space. That night the quiet just gave Nora more room in my head.
I showered and lay in my empty bed, wishing she was somehow beside me.
Fuck, Nora again. She seemed to be the only thing I thought about these days. All I could think about was her pretty face, her full lips, and every one of those curves.
To me, she was fucking perfect, and I wanted her more than anything. I wanted to sink deep between her thick thighs, burying myself over and over until I had my fill.
The thought sent desire surging through me as my cock slowly hardened. I muttered a curse and reached beneath my shorts to grab hold of my erection.
I ran my hand up and down my eager length before massaging the sensitive head. Precum oozed from the tip, and I used it to lubricate my fingers.
I let myself picture Nora as she’d been outside Jen’s: blue eyes heated, cheeks red, mouth slightly open when our hands touched. Then my mind stripped away the clothes and filled in everything I hadn’t seen. Her thighs around me. Her breasts in my hands. My mouth on her skin.
I wanted to know what she sounded like when she wanted me as badly as I wanted her. I wanted to feel her wrapped around me, wanted to make her come hard enough that she forgot every reason we shouldn’t be doing it.
The picture alone had me working my hand faster.
Hell, I wanted her!
I bucked into my palm, hissing through my teeth as my orgasm hit me. My grip tightened slightly before my load shot over my hand. I grunted loudly, my body going rigid.
“Fuck,” I muttered, breathing heavily, knowing that wasn’t enough.
I wanted the real thing.