Chapter 8 #2
“All right. I’ll see you soon, honey.” When she was in her vehicle, Cole got in his squad car.
He was just about to turn on the engine when he realized he’d forgotten the box of pastries for Melissa.
Cole hesitated. He looked up through his windshield and the window of The Cozy Crumb.
If he went in, he and Nia would be alone together.
It was a dangerous situation, but his wolf urged his hand away from the ignition.
Cole pulled in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh that was half a growl.
He could come back for the box in the morning, but that meant he’d have to see Nia all over again.
Since he hadn’t left yet, it’d be easy just to go in and grab it.
Then he’d be on his way home. He could manage thirty seconds.
He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The bakery was empty now except for Nia.
She’d left the music on, though, and she hummed to herself as she wiped down the tables and chairs.
Her eyes flicked up as she turned to him, and her lips curled.
“I promise, I was just about to lock the door. I don’t need the chief of police acting as my personal security system. ”
“I just forgot the box of pastries,” he explained. “Melissa would kill me if I showed up tomorrow empty-handed.”
“Even the leftovers are good advertising.” Nia began flipping the chairs up onto the tables. “I’ve had plenty of them, and they’re still pretty damn good the next day.”
His hands wrapped around a chair. Cole hadn’t meant to help her. He was only going to grab the box and head out, but he didn’t want to leave. No place had more appeal than being right there with her. “You just might end up with some uniforms coming in for their coffee breaks.”
“I’m glad you said that, actually.” Nia pulled a notepad out of her apron pocket. “I need to make a post about discounts for veterans and police officers.”
“Don’t leave out the fire department,” he joked.
But she was writing it down. “You’re right. Emergency services of all kinds, really.” Nia pocketed the notebook. She headed back toward the counter. “I’ve got to get the broom.”
As she brushed through the narrow space between the counter and the wall, her hip bumped into the cup and saucer that the man with the laptop had left there. It crashed to the floor behind the counter.
“Shit. Now I really do need the broom.” She ducked into the back to grab it.
Cole came around and grabbed a nearby trash can. He began picking up the larger pieces that would be more difficult to sweep up.
She crouched on the floor next to him and swept the remains into the dustpan. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I’m a public servant,” he explained, straightening.
They now stood in the ninety-degree angle where the counter bent toward the wall.
Their bodies were close, only inches apart.
He could see the sheen of sweat on her forehead from a busy day of work.
The dark chestnut of her eyes was so deep he could lean forward a little and fall into it. “I just…can’t help myself.”
Nia’s lips parted. Her chest swelled as she pulled in a breath. Her eyes flicked to his lips. “I know that feeling.”
Their bodies came together, their inner beasts finally winning the battle that’d been raging on for the past week.
Cole’s hands wrapped around her hips and pulled her close, relishing the feeling of her curves against his body as her lips rose to meet his.
Her mouth was soft, tasting of coffee and sugar.
All of Cole’s reservations disappeared as his wolf’s desires finally took over.
This was what he wanted, what he needed.
There was no more time for talking about it.
He wanted Nia, her heartbeat thudding against his, her breasts surging with every intake of breath.
He parted his lips, a suggestion that Nia responded to.
She let him in, their tongues tangling and sliding.
The broom clattered to the floor when she let go of it, and she slid her arms up his shoulders and around his neck.
Her smooth fingers glided along his skin and into his hair, pressing in a little before running back down his neck again.
The ecstasy of her touch overwhelmed him.
Heat flooded through his system and set his soul on fire.
Cole tightened his grip on her, and his pants had become a lot more restrictive than they’d been a few minutes ago.
He worried for a brief moment that she’d notice, but then she bumped her hips against him, rubbing her body along his length, letting him know that she definitely did.
Cole was riding a swift spiral of pleasure as the world around him disappeared.
He could hear only the rush of his heartbeat instead of the soft music that filled the bakery.
The scent of coffee and pastries gave way to the heated vanilla and musk of Nia’s skin as he traced his lips down her chin, along her jawline, and into the warm spot just below her ear.
Cole had no thoughts of broken teacups or strange eggs, or of all the cases the department was handling, as he buried his face in her soft hair and wrapped his arms tightly around her.
Nia moaned as Cole's lips nibbled her earlobe, sending a new shiver of rapture down his spine.
She moved her hands, leaving the back of his neck and exploring the ridges of his collarbones before spreading her hands over the width of his chest. They slipped further down, gliding along his stomach.
A vibrant tingle of electricity radiated through him when she reached his belt, but she lingered above his fly for only a moment before slipping her hands around his waist to his back.
She crushed herself against him once again as she pressed two long lines on either side of his spine.
Cole’s mouth returned to hers, already craving the velvet of her tongue against his once again.
He dipped in her mouth, surprised when she captured him between her lips for a moment, claiming him with gentle pressure.
She surprised him yet again when her hands roved back down his spine, past his belt, and pressed into the top of his buttocks.
His wolf howled in pleasure, thrilled that it was finally getting its way.
Cole could feel every cell in his body coming alive with the rush of being with her.
He could sense her lynx reaching out from inside her, their two spirits colliding as they were always meant to.
Never in his life had he felt the comfort and excitement of this, of being with the woman he was fated to.
My mate, his wolf growled inside him.
Cole traced the strings of her half apron, finding the bow at the small of her back.
He yanked on the end and pulled the apron away, setting it on the counter.
That was one less layer between them. He curled his hands around her backside, squeezing her curves.
When Nia moaned into his mouth, he could hardly contain himself.
Not daring to break their liplock for even a second, Cole grabbed her by the hips and lifted her onto the counter.
Her legs immediately wrapped around him, her thighs firm against his hips. Nia pressed her calves into his backside, yanking him into the embrace of her legs. She was breathing heavily now, panting when she came up for air, her breath warm against his neck.
He could feel her heat, so close against him.
There would be no going back from this moment, but his wolf reminded him that it didn’t matter.
Nia was his mate, the one he’d been waiting for.
She was there in his arms, her curves, her warmth, her sounds, her scent.
He wanted all of it, and now he had it. Cole pressed himself hard against her and was rewarded with a cry of pleasure from Nia’s lips as she clenched her legs even more tightly around him.
Cole found a gap between her jeans and her shirt.
He slipped his fingers inside, exploring the soft skin of her back.
He wanted to feel every part of her, to know her better than he knew himself.
His wolf already did. Every rise and fall of her vertebrae thrilled him as he slowly made his way upward.
A new bolt of lightning shot through him when he reached her bra, and Cole fingered the clasp.
A door slammed somewhere behind them.
“It’s just me! I wanted to grab my recipes so I could decide what to make tomorrow.”
The world crashed back down around Cole when he heard Brianna’s voice.
The lights, the music, the physical reality of the counter, the floor, and the broken glass.
It was like waking up from a dream, only the dream was still in his arms. His gaze was stuck on Nia’s eyes, and in that brief moment, he saw the same horror that he felt within himself.
“What the fuck?” Brianna screeched.