Chapter 13
Cole
Ihaven’t woken up in this good of a mood in a long damn time. Especially considering I only got about half as much sleep as I normally would. But having the most mind-blowing orgasms of your life will do that to a man.
And it’s been far too long since I’ve even had an orgasm at the hands of anyone that wasn’t me, let alone so many in one night I almost passed out from dehydration on the way home.
The snow is coming down light and lazy, the kind that settles on raw beams like powdered sugar.
Normally, I’d be cursing about delays and supply runs.
Today? I can’t seem to care. In fact, I’m enjoying the holiday essence the snow adds to the scene.
I even catch myself humming along to the Christmas song playing on the radio.
“Boss is in a good mood,” Tyler calls from the ladder, grinning up at me. “You win the lottery or something?”
“Yeah.” I grab the nail gun he’s holding out, ignoring the smirk spreading across his face. “Won the lottery of having employees who don’t screw up a simple header install.”
I’m different today, there’s no denying that.
It’s her fault. I can’t get her out my head.
I should feel guilty. Hell, I should feel terrified.
She’s Maddie’s best friend, the one person I’m pretty sure the world all agrees is off-limits.
God knows I would have flipped a lid if Maddie had brought home one of my old friends when she was in college.
But when I woke up this morning, my skin still smelled like her. I had to force myself to take a shower, wondering if that’s the only time I’ll ever experience that with her.
I head toward the trailer, shaking snow from my jacket. My phone’s sitting on the counter next to a stack of invoices. I stare at it, wanting to text her. I don’t know what I’d say, that I miss her? That feels weird and a touch creepy… even if it’s kind of true.
I pick up the blueprints for the new development we’re starting up on the ridge. This first house will be the show house, the one I designed to have all of my favorite things in it. Something about it makes me want to show her.
“Screw it,” I mutter. I grab the phone and send her a quick message.
Cole: Sunset is in an hour. Want to see something cool?
I stare at the screen, pulse in my throat. A few seconds later, the bubbles appear, followed by her response.
Hailey: Define “cool.”
A grin pulls at my mouth. Of course she has to have an opinion about it.
Cole: Just be ready in 30, I’m on my way.
She’s already waiting when I pull up, standing on the curb with her hands jammed into her coat pockets, the giant white puffy earmuffs she had on the other night making her head look small.
The second she spots my truck, that smile hits her face and damn, it does things to me. I throw the truck in park and run around the front just as she yanks open the door.
“Give me a chance to be a gentleman, will ya?” I swat her ass as she climbs in.
“Hey,” she says softly, tugging her seat belt across her chest. “I’m not used to gentlemen, so give me a break.” Then she leans over the center console to kiss me like this is just a normal date night for us.
“Yeah, well,” I murmur, putting the truck in gear, “maybe you need a better example, then.”
We fall into small talk about her job, the weather, Denver traffic. “Denver feels completely different to me now that I live here.”
“How so?”
“Less like a postcard, more like… a real place,” she says, turning her head toward the window, watching snow catch the fading light.
“Yeah?”
She shrugs. “It still feels unreal at times. Like this is my actual view every day,” she says, motioning out the window. “Anyway, how was work for you today?”
“Good.” I hesitate. “I got made fun of.”
“Made fun of? By who?”
“My own damn men.” I glance at her, a small grin tugging at my mouth. “They kept asking me if I won the lottery or something.”
“Ohhh, I see.” She laughs. “And what did you say?” she presses.
I pause just long enough to make her wonder. “Told them no… but it felt like I did.”
She tilts her head. “And why’s that, Mr. Bristol?”
“Because you sucked the fucking soul out of me last night.”
Her mouth parts, surprise flickering before that wicked little grin appears. “And swallowed.”
A deep groan rumbles in my chest before I can stop it. My fingers flex on the wheel. “Fuck.” She’s enjoying this. “Any chance you want to take that snarky little mouth of yours and do it again while I finish the drive?”
She reaches her hand over, sliding it against my half-hard cock and squeezes. “You’d kill us both.”
By the time we reach the ridge, the light is stretching over the mountains like fire in streaks of pink and orange. The site sits quiet, just the skeleton of what will be a luxury home standing tall against the sky.
She looks around, her breath catching. “You brought me to a construction zone?”
“Not just any zone.” I gesture toward the half-built frame as I kill the engine. “This one’s mine. Designed it myself.”
Her eyes widen. “Seriously?”
I nod, grabbing a thermos and blanket from the back seat. “C’mon. The view’s better from the top.”
We trek up the slight hill. When we reach the framed deck, she stops dead.
“Holy crap,” she whispers.
The mountains stretch wide and endless, the sky bleeding its colors into each other. Denver glitters faintly in the distance like a string of ornaments.
I unscrew the thermos and pour cocoa into the lid, then hand it to her. “Careful, it’s hot.”
She takes a sip and hums. “This is incredible.” She looks over at me with that big smile that reaches her eyes. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“Of course.” I lean in, kissing her. “Thank you for coming.”
We sit on the edge of the framed platform, her shoulder brushing mine, the blanket draped across our legs. The world is completely quiet up here, except for the occasional gust of wind that skitters a few leaves and twigs across the cement.
“This one’s gonna be someone’s dream house,” I say after a while, looking out at the structure. “Put all my favorite things into it. Big windows, cedar beams, wraparound porch, fireplace you can see from the kitchen.”
She glances at me. “Why can’t it be your dream house?”
I shrug. “Don’t need all the space. Some family will enjoy it more.”
She studies me for a second. “Do you ever plan to build your own?”
“Someday,” I say softly. “When it makes sense.”
It’s easier than admitting I don’t know if I believe in that anymore.
But she doesn’t push the topic, just tucks the blanket tighter around her legs.
The sun dips lower, brushing the peaks in gold.
I feel her lean into me, her head finding that spot between my shoulder and chest. She sighs softly, nestling against me.
For a long minute, I just breathe her in. The wind. The cocoa. Her. No one’s seen this side of me in a long time. Not since her. The ex who made me believe showing anyone your heart is just another way to hand them the hammer they’ll use to shatter it.
But looking at Hailey now, snuggled against me and glowing in the last streak of sunlight, I feel it. The quiet pull of wanting again. Of maybe letting go.
I turn my head, watching her face soften as the light fades. “You cold?”
“A little,” she admits.
I tilt her chin, press my mouth to hers, and savor the gentle, unhurried kiss that follows. When she shivers, I whisper against her lips, “Let’s get back to the truck. We need to warm you up.”
She nods, still smiling, cheeks flushed. We make our way down the slope, laughing when she nearly slips, her gloved hand clutching mine. The temperature’s dropped fast, breath fogging between us.
Back in the truck, I crank the heat, but before I can shift into drive, she places her hand over mine on the gear stick.
“Can we just stay here a while?” she asks softly.
I glance out the windshield. The ridge stretches below, the town’s Christmas lights twinkling in the distance like fallen stars.
“Yeah,” I murmur, turning the heat up another notch and flicking on the radio. Elvis’ low, bluesy voice fills the cab with “Blue Christmas.”
She settles closer, eyes fluttering shut, and for a few long, quiet moments, the world feels simple. This feels simple. Instead of a bomb that’s on the verge of detonating.
Her head’s still resting against my arm, her fingers tracing lazy lines across my thigh while Elvis hums low in the background. The truck’s warm now, the windows fogged just enough to make it feel like our own little world.
She shifts, turning toward me, her voice a quiet tease. “So, are you always this romantic, or is this a special occasion?”
“Romantic?” I snort, glancing down at her. “Is this what’s considered romantic these days. Seems like a pretty low bar.”
She grins. “Yeah, you invited me to watch a sunset, brought me cocoa and a blanket. That’s basically foreplay in Colorado from what I’ve heard.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I mumble, distracted by the way her eyes keep falling to my lips. “I guess I’m a big softie after all.”
“Oh, I don’t think anyone’s calling you soft.” Her hand slides higher up my thigh.
“Careful,” I warn, voice dropping low.
“What?” she murmurs, brushing her thumb over the seam of my jeans. “You think I don’t know what I’m doing?”
My breath comes out on a shaky laugh. “I think you like driving me insane.”
“Maybe.” She smiles against my jaw. “You make it easy.”
Then she kisses me. It starts slow, just our lips brushing, the faint taste of chocolate still on her tongue, but it turns hungry fast. One second she’s leaning in, and the next she’s straddling me, her coat half-off, heat radiating between us through too many layers.
“Hailey,” I mutter, hands gripping her hips.
“Hmm?”
“You have no idea what you’re doing to me.”
“Oh, I think I do.” She rocks against me, breath catching. “I can feel it.” She groans, grinding down against me. “But do you have any idea what you’re doing to me, Cole? You’re rugged and manly and sexy and driven and—”
“Christ,” I groan, cutting her off with a kiss. “Keep talking like that and I’m gonna forget we’re in a damn truck.”
She laughs, breathless. “All the guys I’ve been with before… honestly, I wouldn’t even call them men. More like boys. You make them all seem incredibly boring and forgettable.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Her voice softens, her nose brushing mine, and my ego is in overdrive. “You make me want to be reckless.”
That pulls a low sound from me. “How so?”
“You make me want to toss away every inhibition I’ve ever had. To stop overthinking and just… want. Be wild and open.”
My jaw tightens, something uneasy flaring in my chest before I shove it down. She’s not mine. She doesn’t owe me anything. If this is her way of telling me that’s what this is, just a fun time to explore and fuck around, I need to respect that.
I swallow. “What’s on your mind right now, Hailey? What is it you want?” Her cheeks flush deeper. “Hey, look at me. You can tell me what you want.”
She hesitates, eyes flicking to my mouth. “When you… when you choked me last night, I—” She bites her lip, whispering, “It made me curious.”
A sharp breath leaves me. “Oh yeah?”
She nods slowly.
I slide one hand up, curling my fingers around her throat, applying just enough pressure to make her gasp. “Like that?” I murmur, lips brushing her ear.
Her breath stutters. “Yes,” she whispers.
I kiss her again, deeper this time, my other hand slipping under her sweater. Her skin’s warm, smooth, soft. She arches into me, a quiet whimper caught in her throat.
“You’re gonna kill me, you know that?” I growl against her mouth.
And then my phone rings, the loud, piercing sound shattering the moment. We both freeze.
I glance at the glowing screen on the dash. Maddie’s name is in big bold letters. Hailey stiffens, the color draining from her face.
“Shit,” I mutter, silencing it. I toss the phone aside and kiss her again, desperate to drown out the reality creeping in. She responds instantly, lips hungry, hands clutching my shirt.
But then it rings again, flashing Maddie’s name again.
She pulls back, chest heaving. “You should answer.”
I stare at her, torn, before sighing and snatching the phone. “Yeah?”
“Hey!” Maddie’s voice is cheerful but a little worried. “Did Hailey make it home okay? She hasn’t answered my texts and she was supposed to call me.”
Hailey’s eyes widen. She fumbles for her phone, sees the screen, and panics. She turns it around so I can see there’s three missed texts, two missed calls.
I force my voice steady. “Uh… yeah, I’m sure she’s good. Probably just roped into volunteering at the Christmas Market downtown. I saw her there the other night; her company has a booth too.”
“Oh!” Maddie laughs. “Okay, that makes sense. I’ll call her tomorrow. Tell her I said hi if you see her and to stop ignoring me.”
“Will do.”
The second I hang up, the silence in the truck is thick enough to choke on.
Hailey’s the first to speak. “You didn’t have to lie.”
I let out a dry laugh, running a hand down my face. “I didn’t? Should I have told her you’re in my lap with my hand around your throat?”
She snorts, but it’s uneasy. “Well, that sounds like you’re murdering me, so maybe not.”
I don’t laugh this time. The tension’s snapped, the air gone sharp. I gently lift her off me and settle back behind the wheel. “I should get you home.”
She crosses her arms, staring out the fogged window. “Sure.”
The rest of the drive is silent. No music. No jokes. Just the unbearable tension that hangs thickly between us.
When I pull up in front of her building, she unbuckles, murmurs, “Thanks,” and slips out before I can even attempt to get out and walk her up. It’s probably for the best anyway.
I watch her walk inside, that damn ache spreading in my chest. By the time the door closes behind her, I’m gripping the steering wheel hard enough my knuckles ache.
“Fuck!” I punch the steering wheel, pissed at myself. At the timing. At the universe for handing me something that feels this good, just to remind me it can’t actually be mine.