Chapter Eleven
Bella
Waking up with Cole in bed beside me makes for a hefty dose of reality with my coffee this morning. And a heaping spoonful of emotions.
At dinner last night, we talked about anything and everything, and it just felt right. Feelings came flooding back. Not to mention, he ’ s got the body of a demigod, he ’ s downright gorgeous, and I ’ m dealing with trauma and in desperate need of comfort. All of that combined made for the perfect storm for us to fall into bed together at the end of the night.
I can ’ t even blame it on alcohol since we didn ’ t drink that much. You ’ d have to be super-human to resist the temptation. And I ’ m not.
It started with a simple hug when we returned to the bungalow after dinner. But, as soon as I was wrapped in his arms and felt safe, the emotions swept over me like a wave, and I began to cry. He held me and just let me cry for a while, his hand holding the back of my head and then stroking my hair in a comforting manner. The comfort quickly turned into passion when I unburied my face from his chest and looked up at him. He wiped away my tears and then took my face in his hands.
“ It ’ s going to be okay, Bella. I promise,” he ’ d said. And then his lips met mine.
My hands moved to the sides of his waist, and I deepened the kiss. Our kisses quickly became more intense – desperate almost – and I needed him. I needed him now. He obviously felt the same pull and swept me up in his strong arms, but not knowing which bedroom was mine, he paused and looked both ways. I giggled and pointed toward my room.
There was a full moon that we ’ d both admired on the walk back to the bungalow after dinner. When he put me down next to the bed, we both looked out the sliding door to see the calm seas and mountains in the distance, stunning in the bright moonlight.
“ It ’ s so beautiful out there. Shall I open the slider?” Cole asked, and I nodded.
The sound of the nearby waves was soothing, and the moon cast a soft glow over us that gave me goosebumps. Perhaps the goosebumps were more due to the sexual tension between us. Either way, the ambiance was incredibly arousing.
“ You ’ re just as gorgeous as ever, Bella,” he said as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and pulled me to his lips again.
His tongue explored my mouth, and I could feel myself getting wet with desire for him, his hardness becoming very evident against me.
I ran my hand across his bulge, and he groaned in his throat as I reached for the button of his pants, fumbling like a rookie. I was clearly out of practice.
“ Let me help you with that,” Cole broke the kiss and said with a grin and a wink that made me weak in the knees. “ But first –”
He reached down to the hem of my sundress and pulled it up and over my head, leaving me standing barefoot in just a simple but lacy bra and booty short panties. I wasn ’ t even sure they were a matching set. I definitely didn ’ t plan ahead, but I also didn ’ t expect we’d end up in this situation on the first night. Harley would be proud of my risqué behavior, I thought with a chuckle in my head.
I ’ d fully intended for Cole to sleep in her room. At least it’s not a random hookup with a stranger I justified.
“ Oh wow… Bella Bella,” he whispered — ironically, what he used to say to me years ago — which means “beautiful Bella” in Spanish. Shaking his head, he leaned over and kissed me on the shoulder as he slid my bra strap down, partially revealing my breast and hard nipple.
His mouth went straight to my nipple, first licking a circle around it and then pulling it into his mouth to suck and gently rake his teeth across it. I nearly came apart from that alone as my eyes closed, and I moaned softly. He did the same on the other side, sliding my strap down and giving the other nipple the attention it was craving while his fingers pinched and rolled the other one. He was always such an attentive lover, even in his younger years.
His mouth came up to kiss me, sucking on my lower lip as he reached around to unhook my bra, dropping it to the floor. He turned my back toward the bed and nudged me closer until I felt the back of my legs against the edge. Gently lowering me down onto the bed and laying me back, he stepped out of his pants and pulled his t-shirt over his head. I suppressed a gasp.
His body was breathtaking… and my earlier questions were answered as to how far his tattoos went. His rippling muscles were on full display; his tattoos, beautiful works of art, flowed from his arms to his shoulders and across his chest. He had on boxer briefs that hugged his muscular legs and butt, accentuating his thick, stiff bulge, and I couldn ’ t help but lick my lips.
“ I ’ m disappointed to see that you haven ’ t taken care of yourself, Cole,” I said, smiling, which made him laugh. He knelt down by the side of the bed and pulled me by the hips over to the edge so that my ass was ideally positioned. Draping one of my legs over his shoulder, he gently pushed the other one out to the side to rest on the bed.
My damp panties were still on, and he reached up to stroke my crease through the thin fabric.
“ You ’ re so wet, Bella,” he breathed. “ Don ’ t tell me you aren ’ t feeling the same thing I ’ m feeling.”
“ Mmmm… is it that obvious?” I said with a smile.
He slid his finger under the edge of my panties and dipped it inside me just barely, then spread my warm juices up to my nub, massaging it in slow circles. Almost painfully slow. He always knew how to tease me in the best possible way.
“ I think these need to be out of the way, don ’ t you?” He asked as I nodded, and he reached up to slide my panties down, dropping them to the floor.
His hands went to my ass cheeks and pulled me even closer to the edge of the bed so that he could reach me with his mouth. Leaning in, he ran his tongue the length of my slit, eliciting a gasp and moan from me as I arched my back in pleasure.
He paused to flick at my hotspot with his tongue and then circled it in a deliciously slow tempo before finally plunging his tongue inside me, causing me to whimper with want. He kissed and licked me like we had never missed a beat in twelve years, yet I detected just a hint of more experience in his skills. He always had the skills; maybe I just appreciate them more now.
I felt the warm tension rising in me as my hips writhed against him, his mouth giving me pleasure I ’ d not felt in ages. It didn ’ t take long for him to get me to that place where all my problems disappeared for a moment, and waves of ecstasy cascaded over me from my head down to my toes.
“ Oh God… yes, Cole!” I cried out as he gradually slowed his pace and licked me one last time before gently kissing me all around my inner thighs and lips.
“ Mmmm, Bella, you taste just as sweet as I remember.”
He rose to his feet as I caught my breath and took in the sight of his gorgeous body, with his hard cock now visibly twitching with arousal from beneath his boxer briefs.
“ I think it ’ s time for you to lose those,” I said with a smile, already feeling drunk on pleasure.
“ Yes, ma’am, happy to oblige,” he said as he pulled his boxers down over his length, freeing his cock so that it was raised against his lower abs, fully hard and larger than I remembered. A single drop of liquid beaded at his tip, which turned me on even more, if that was even possible.
I backed up toward the head of the bed to give him room to join me on the queen-size bed. His six-foot-four muscular frame needed space to move freely.
In our younger years, he had always been very thoughtful and cautious about taking responsibility and now was no different.
“ Do you need me to –” he started to ask as he moved to kneel between my legs.
“ We ’ re good… I ’ m on the pill,” I shook my head as I took in the view.
The sight of him above me, bathed in the moonlight, was a picture I ’ ll never forget. I couldn ’ t stop myself from reaching out to touch him on my absolute favorite body part of a very fit man… that v-shaped muscle that runs diagonally from the hips to the pelvic region.
The words came out of my mouth when I actually just meant to think them, “ Good God, the Adonis belt on this man,” I said in barely a whisper. His raised eyebrow made me realize I actually said aloud what I meant to just think. Strike two.
I really need to work on that , I thought to myself, this time, accomplishing the feat.
“ Sorry, the physical therapist in me… I ’ ll explain later. You just have a beautiful physique, Cole,” I said as he smiled, and I ran my hands along his V-cut from his lower abs to his hips, to his rock-hard cock that was begging to be inside me.
I wrapped my hand around his thickness, reacquainting myself with his manhood, as he groaned and leaned down, supporting himself with his hands on either side of my shoulders and kissing me fully and deeply; his tongue was not shy about exploring my mouth. He kissed my neck and worked his way down to my breasts, clearly recalling how sensitive my nipples were as he nibbled and licked me, which felt incredible.
But I needed more, and I said so.
“ Cole, I want you inside me… Please,” I breathed.
He took himself in one hand, rubbing the tip of his thick cock against me, teasing me for just a moment longer before sliding into me slowly, inch by inch, and taking it all the way to the hilt as my insides stretched to accommodate his girth. Fully sheathed in me, he paused for a moment for both of us to enjoy the feeling of his deep penetration, saying, “ God, Bella, you ’ re so tight… you feel so good.”
He gripped my hips, lifting them slightly, and then began to move in and out of me as my hips met his thrusts with vigor, the pleasure pulsing through both of us, taking us to another level.
As his pace picked up, he leaned forward to kiss me… my lips, my neck, my breasts… and I gripped his ass tightly, pulling him into me and arching my back, willing our bodies to get even closer.
I felt his hot breath on my neck, whispering things that made me hotter with each pump into me, our bodies both glistening with sweat as we moved together.
It wasn ’ t long before I felt myself reaching the peak. All I had to say was, “Cole, I’m going to—" which totally triggered him.
Three more thrusts and I cried out as he grunted with his final plunge, embedding himself fully as I felt him pulsing inside me.
“ Oh God, Bella … oh yeah, baby.”
Both of us were bathed in sweat, riding the wave for a moment.
His body then relaxed down onto mine, but he quickly said, “Ooh, sorry,” and rolled to my side with a chuckle, knowing my small frame could not sustain his large frame for long if I wanted to get oxygen in.
As I lay on my back with a smile and he lay on his side, facing me, he began to trace his fingers lightly from between my breasts down my abdomen to my belly button, and then his fingers moved over to my rib cage, and I hear him say in a husky, but cute voice, “ Ohhh, and what do we have here, Miss Mermaid?”
I laughed and said, “ Oh, you ’ re just now noticing that? I guess you were too busy noticing other body parts, huh?”
“ I ’ m just a caveman; what can I say,” he laughed. “ Do tell me about your ink , Bella B ella. It ’ s beautiful. What ’ s the story behind it?”
“ Well, as you know, the water was my first love… before you,” I say with a wink. “ My tattoos are an homage to my love for the water, swimming, and surfing. Hence the mermaid, the waves, and the heartbeat rhythm.”
“ Makes perfect sense,” he said. “ It suits you, and the way you merged them is beautiful. I like it.”
“ Thanks. Glad you approve,” I said sleepily with a yawn.
“ Ok, but before you fall asleep on me, what ’ s the ‘ Adonis belt ’ thing you apparently didn ’ t mean to say aloud?”
“ Yeah, I seem to have a problem with speaking when I think I ’ m just thinking, ” I laughed. “ The Adonis belt is the name that ’ s been given to that V-shaped muscle – (and I traced my fingers across his) – that runs diagonally from your hip bones to the pelvic region. It's made up of the inguinal ligament and the transverse abdominis, and –”
He busted out laughing and cut off my anatomy lesson, “ Okay, you ’ re speaking above my pay grade now! We can pick up the anatomy lesson later.”
“ Good idea. For some reason, I ’ m pooped,” I winked and smiled as he leaned over and gave me a kiss. “ But just to be clear, you have a kick-ass Adonis belt.”
“ Why, thank you. Means a lot coming from the best physical therapist I know.”
“ You ’ re welcome. Now spoon me and let me get some sleep,” I ’ d said as I smiled and closed my eyes.
Yet, I couldn ’ t ignore the thoughts and feelings of worry that tried to crowd their way back into my mind as I tried to go to sleep.
I worry not just about Harley but about Cole, as well.
And now, as I wake up with this gorgeous Greek god wearing the Adonis belt and sleeping next to me, I think to myself, what have I done?
Sleeping together won’t magically fix everything that I had issues with twelve years ago. I don ’ t feel any better about the idea of being a military wife. Or girlfriend, for that matter. But I ’ m willing to admit when I might have made a mistake, and by the sound of it, Cole at least seems to be smart and safe about things when he ’ s been in dangerous situations over the years.
Of course, he ’ s still putting his life on the line just by being a SEAL, and I don ’ t know how I would deal with that being my everyday reality, but I don’t need to think about that right now, so I push it out of my mind for now.
I got up and dressed before heading to the kitchen to make some coffee.
He must have heard me because he appeared in the doorway a short time later. He ’ s half-dressed, and I swallow hard at the sight of this man in his gym shorts and no shirt. Muscles rippling and tattoos blazing.
I ’ m taken with his rugged good looks, the shadow of beard scruff along his rigid jawline, and his endearing bed-head.
“ Morning,” I tell him with a smile. “ Coffee?”
“ Please,” he says. “ And good morning.”
“ How do you like yours?”
“ Black as my heart.”
I laugh. “ Says the man who dropped everything to come to the aid of an ex-girlfriend.”
“ Why wouldn ’ t I? ” he asks, and I ’ m shocked when I don ’ t have an answer for him. All the flippant or sarcastic responses that come to mind dissipate when I recall some of the things he told me last night.
The fact that he ’ s never had a serious relationship other than the one he had with me says a lot. And I think the fact that I ’ ve never been willing to pull the trigger and commit to anyone else as more than a girlfriend means a lot to him as well.
With that in mind – which neither of us knew about the other until last night – I guess it does make more sense that he would come to my rescue at the sudden hint of danger.
But then, there ’ s the twelve-year gap, and I ’ m not sure how to reconcile that in my mind. I know we ’ ve both done a lot of growing and changing in that time, but to move forward as if it never happened seems odd.
However, I don’t have much time to worry about it as he jumps into what our day will entail.
“ We ’ re set to check into the decoy hotel around two this afternoon,” he tells me. “ And I ’ m going to excuse myself with a business meeting that will turn into dinner. For your part, you will be the bored, rich, but neglected wife who enjoys the high life that money brings. Emphasis on the neglected. ”
“ Which means what, exactly?” I ask as I give him his coffee.
“ It means that you ’ ll be sweet as pie and eager to eat up any attention you can get. In short, your goal is to be the perfect, easy target for a groomer so we can manage to get a hit.
“ So basically, I’m so eager for any attention whatsoever that whoever comes up to me just has to tell me I’m pretty and I’m putty in their hands ? ”
“ Bingo,” he says.
“ But surely it can ’ t be that easy.”
“ It might be,” he replies with a shrug. “ There are all types of people who come here to vacation, and these thugs are basically ‘ fishers of women ’ for lack of a better term. The fact that Harley is so free-spirited worked against her in this case. She fell right into their trap, and they were able to get the upper hand. As the neglected wife, all you have to do is act like you ’ d be willing to run off with some good-looking guy for the afternoon, and you ’ ll see just how quickly they jump all over it.”
“ I ’ m not an actress, but I ’ ll do my best,” I admit. “ It ’ s for Harley, after all.”
“ What you ’ re doing is very brave, Bella. I ’ ll ensure you’re always safe during this honey trap operation,” he reassures me.
“ Honey trap?”
“ Oh…Yeah, sorry. It ’ s a term that originated in the espionage world, and it ’ s exactly what we ’ re doing here; setting a trap by using a covert agent (you — the honey) to lure in a target using your natural assets,” Cole explains. “ And you happen to have very desirable natural assets, I might add,” he says with a wink and that sexy smile.
I laugh, “ Clearly, you’re partial. Let's just hope the other bears like the honey,” I say coyly. “ I must admit, your ass ets are quite attractive as well,” I say as I breeze by him on my way to the couch and playfully slap him on the ass. “Good game!” I say, and he busts out laughing.
“ But on a serious note,” I continue as I cross my legs under me. “ The only issue I have with this whole thing is how I ’ m supposed to get out of him where Harley might be. It ’ s not like if I ask what he does for work, he ’ s just going to tell me.”
“ Yep, we ’ re working on that,” Cole replies. “ I spoke with Mason after you fell asleep last night, and I couldn’t get to sleep, so I know who the local agents are that we ’ re going to be working with and what to expect from them.”
“ With the newer facial recognition technology that the OIJ has, I ’ m hoping all we ’ ll need is a face. We’ll have an undercover friendly posing as a tourist, and he should be able to get some face shots. So you don’t need to worry yourself with that part.”
I nod, though admittedly, I feel like an amateur needing to have every little bit explained to me. I don ’ t fully understand how it all works. But I remind myself that I don ’ t have to understand it… that ’ s their job. I just have to play my role and hope it works.
“ Under no circumstances will you leave that resort,” Cole says. “ Doesn ’ t matter how convincing he is. The moment you walk out of there, you ’ d be entering an un-level playing field in their world.”
“ Don ’ t worry,” I say with a nervous laugh. “ He’d be lucky to get me out of the pool area, let alone leave the resort. But what do you want me to say if he tries?”
“ Tell him you can ’ t because you ’ re expecting your husband to return,” he says. “ Just say you ’ ll meet him again later and make plans to do so. Men like this don ’ t wait around long. It ’ s how they fly under the radar and keep from getting caught.”
“ So if he wants to go out on some excursion, I ’ ll tell him to come back tomorrow. Got it,” I say. “ That feels fast to me.”
“ These guys work fast,” he tells me with a nod. “ Just remember, no matter what, I ’ m going to be in the background, and you ’ re safe.”
“ I don ’ t know if you could call it safe, considering who I ’ m supposed to be drawing in,” I joke, but Cole gives me a look that takes the humor out of what I said.
“ Bella, as long as I ’ m around, you ’ re safe. I don ’ t care what you ’ re doing. I won’t let anything happen to you as long as I ’ m around.”
He doesn ’ t wait for my response, turning and walking back into the bedroom with his coffee in hand. I ’ m glad he left the room because his words brought goosebumps to my flesh and tears to my eyes.
How I ’ ve missed him.
And I didn ’ t even know it.