Chapter Sixteen
Cole frowned down at the top of her head. What had happened between this morning and now, for her to want to pull away from him and put up those damn walls he’d just broken down?
“Okay. We could go bac—”
Emily shook her head. “No. You have people that need you, and I have a lot to do.”
Cole stepped forward, which made her step back until her back hit the fence, only stopping when his chest pressed against her breasts. His arms shot out, and he growled when she tried to sidestep away from him.
“Not so fast. Look at me.”
Emily took a deep breath, unable to raise her head.
“Look at me, Em.” He waited for several seconds before cupping his hand under her chin and raising it for her.
His breath caught in his chest at the hollow pain reflected in her eyes.
“What the hell happened? Why are you so sad?” He tightened his hold on her when she tried to pull away from his grip.
She flinched at the harsh tone of his voice. She blurted out the first reason that leaped into her brain. “I’m homesick, I guess.”
His gaze scanned hers, wanting to catch every emotion that crossed her beautiful face. Something was going on, and it had nothing to do with homesickness.
“Why all of a sudden?”
Emily wrapped her small hands around his wrist to pull his hand away from her face in an attempt to escape. “I think it best if we stay away from each oth—”
Cole pressed harder against her and growled against her ear. “Bullshit. Don’t you dare lie to me.”
Emily swallowed back a whimper of desperation. “I’m not—”
Cole growled low in his throat and pulled her tightly against him, banding his arms around her to keep her steady.
“Don’t! We have something good going, and I don’t want anything, especially lies, to come between us.”
Emily gasped and stared open-mouthed at him. How could he possibly say that when he was just wrapped around another woman?
“Please tell me what the hell is going on?” he asked.
Emily struggled but was unable to budge the large man surrounding her. A spark of temper ignited in her.
“I finally figured it out. I now know you don’t really want to be with me. I’m a fun distraction and a way to have a woman close to ... you know, get sex. I’m tired of playing whatever game this is.”
Cole growled in frustration. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I saw you in the barn. I can’t fault you—she is much better suited to you than I’ll ever be. So, let me go. I need to get back to my cabin, and you need to go...”
Confusion suddenly turned to livid disbelief. “You saw Beth and me hugging?”
“And kissing. But listen, I don’t want you to fee—”
His body tightened in anger. “Shut up.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “W-what?”
“You need to shut the hell up for a second because I’m using all my strength to hold me back from blistering your ass.” He ignored her outraged gasp. He took a few deep breaths. “Beth is my neighbor. We grew up together and she...”
Emily shook her head and tried to pull away again. “Listen, it doesn’t matter. I don’t want you to feel—”
Cole ignored her and continued. “...is married to my best friend. Very married and very much in love with Brant. They have been together since the third grade, for God's sake. They have six children.”
Realization hit. Emily bowed her head in shame and held up one hand. “Stop. Please just stop.”
Her words came out softly, but he still heard them.
There were several seconds of silence between them. Cole let out a sigh and let go of any anger he felt. He bent to nuzzle the top of her head.
“I want you to meet them. Beth is a total spaz. She’s also over the top affectionate.”
“That seemed more than a friend. What does Beth’s husband think about her kissing other men?” Emily tried to sound amused, but she could still hear a hint of nervousness.
Cole laughed. “She’s been like this her whole life. If it bothered him, he would have curtailed her years ago. Besides, he trusts me. And one day soon you’ll trust me, too.”
Emily wiped a stray tear off her cheek. “I’m sorry.”
Cole hugged her to his chest, bent, and kissed her forehead. “Oh, baby, don’t be. This is very new to us, and we still have a lot to learn about each other.”
Emily relaxed against him, letting him take some of her weight. “I’m going to go back to the cabin.”
Cole cupped her shoulders and held her away from him. “No, you’re not. I promised them they would get to meet you tonight.”
Emily grasped his forearms and shook her head. “What? No. How do they even know about me? I’m so embarr—”
He interrupted her. “Listen, no one besides the two of us knows what just happened, and no one ever will. Come on. I really want them to meet you. I’ve told them all about you. You’ll like them. And you need to eat after being sick. Please, Em.”
A sigh slid out before she nodded.
He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her tightly against his side. He guided her out of the darkness and into the barn and toward a table in the back.
He could still feel the nerves that tightened his gut into a knot. He tried to sound as lighthearted and calm as possible, but it was next to impossible because of the fear still rushing through him.
Cole knew from what little Emily had told him that her ex-husband was a real prick, but he hadn’t realized how abusive the bastard had been.
He was determined to get through the wall she’d built around herself, but he had to get her to realize and see herself the way he saw her, and he wasn’t sure how to do that and was afraid he’d screw up.
He just knew he couldn’t lose her and would do whatever it took to keep her with him.