Chapter 22
22
LAYLA
I wake slowly. The room is still semi-dark, and I’m instantly aware of the man sleeping beside me. Having him here feels weird, yet comfortable at the same time. This is the first time Cole has stayed over. It’s usually me doing the elevator ride of shame.
I look over at his sleeping form. He’s on his back. His dark hair and tanned skin are a striking contrast to the crisp white linen, and his thick black lashes flutter, as if he’s dreaming. His insanely kissable lips softly part as he inhales.
I’ve never been with such a beautiful-looking man before. Everything about him looks like it belongs on the pages of a magazine. Tall, dark, and handsome. A toned, athletic body… But it’s the brief glimpses he’s given me of what’s inside that have changed my mind about him. The parts of himself others rarely get to see.
Underneath the wealthy playboy and corporate-killer images that he wears as well as his custom-made suits, is a funny, thoughtful, caring man.
That is the man I am falling in love with. I bite my lip and smile as I inhale deeply, with hope.
This is a revelation.
I’ve found a man who I finally feel safe enough with to let my guard down. He is everything I never knew I wanted, but now that I do know, I think I am ready to take that leap Avery and Maddie were talking about. I want to fly, and I want Cole Hendrix to fly with me.
He’s told me he wants to give us a try on more than one occasion, and he’s shown me he’s serious in more than one way. It scares the hell out of me, but I can no longer deny that I want that too. I’m going to do everything within my power to make this—us—work. I have to, because this is it, there’s never going to be anyone else for me. I just know it.
I delicately run my fingers through the smattering of hair on his chest.
The power of touch.
I never knew how much I needed it, craved it. And now that we’ve acknowledged that what’s between us is more, I can hardly keep my needy hands off him.
Mine .
Last night, Cole said I was his—but he needs to know that he’s mine too. A brief moment of jealously rears its ugly head. He needs to know that he’s mine alone. That I won’t share him with another woman.
His eyes slowly open on a deep inhale and I smile over at him.
“Morning.”
He pulls me close and holds me tight. “Why are you awake so early, baby?”
“Just admiring the view.” I smile as I kiss his chest.
His naked skin brushes against mine. It’s warm and hard…perfect.
He pulls out of my arms and gets up and goes into the bathroom. I lie in bed wearing a stupid smile that I can’t seem to wipe off my face.
After a few minutes he comes back and lies on his side, facing me. His eyes are still sleepy, and it’s obvious he wasn’t ready to wake up yet. “What?” he mumbles.
“Nothing…can’t a girl smile because she’s happy?”
He smiles sleepily. His eyes drift closed.
I lean up onto my elbow and stare over at him. I can’t believe what I’m about to ask. I’m not after the number, just the outcome. “How many women have you slept with, Cole?”
“Too many to admit to,” he replies, eyes still closed.
“Right.” I expected that, so I shouldn’t feel the pang of jealously that creeps back in.
“Did you always wear a condom?”
He frowns as his eyes crack open and look at me. “Yes. Why all the questions? It’s too fucking early for an interrogation, Counselor.”
He reaches over, drags my body to his, and kisses my ear. “None of them meant anything to me. I don’t care what you did before me, and you should feel the same,” he murmurs before he nips the tender flesh.
I smile because I do feel the same. There’s a point behind these questions, I just need to get to it.
“I just wanted to make sure.”
“Hmm.” He continues to lick and suck my lobe. “Sure about what?”
“I reach down below the blankets and wrap my fingers around his already hard erection. “Sure that I would be your first.”
He leans away from me. His eyes are fully open now and he’s staring back at me questioningly.
I smile mischievously. “Shh, lay back down, sexy.”
He smirks, realizing that I’m not going to let him go back to sleep. He flips the blankets back, exposing his naked body. “I’m not sure what first you are talking about, but help yourself.” He then flops back and reaches over to the bedside table where a strip of condoms lies.
I snicker and kiss his chest as I work my way down his body towards his eager dick. “We won’t be needing those.”
His hand freezes in midair. Shit, maybe I should have asked. I raise my eyes and peek at him though my lashes. His eyes are laser-focused on mine.
“You want me bare?” he asks. His voice changes to a husky rasp.
“I do, if you want to.” I’m suddenly feeling unsure. “I’m clean and on the shot,” I add.
He lets out a growl, and a wicked smile spreads across his face as he digs his fingers into my hair. I let out a little squeal as he rolls me over and spreads my legs with his big body.
We walk into the restaurant hand in hand. It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday night, and we are going out for dinner in trendy downtown Manhattan for the very first time. Most of our time together, so far, has been spent in one of our apartments or one of our offices. Our only outings have been our picnic in Central Park and our night out with my friends, so this feels monumental.
I’ve been thinking about it—us—and how we got to this place a lot lately. I’ve come to the conclusion that we are unique and different, and that makes this even more special. When most people begin to see each other, it’s a date and then a goodnight kiss. Casual at first, and maybe after a while it moves on to more. It’s usually a slow build over time. Cole and I have done it all backward.
Our first meeting was fraught with combustible tension on both our parts, topped by disgust and maybe even a little hatred on my part. That tension—chemistry—heat—whatever you want to call it—continued to grow and spark between us every time we met after that, but unfortunately, we couldn’t get within ten feet of each other without wanting to kill each other. Apparently, there is a fine line between love and hate.
Then we met at that conference, after months of separation, and hooked up like two animals in heat as we each tried to exorcise the other from our system.
It didn’t work. Thank God.
Now, here we are, looking like a respectable couple, out on an official date. Neither of us has made any promises to the other, no declarations of love have been exchanged…but we both know this thing we have going on is different. Unbeknownst to us, we’ve been building toward this since the very beginning.
Cole leads me into the restaurant by the hand. The blonde hostess’s eyes light up when they land on Cole. “Hello, Mr. Hendrix,” she purrs as she devours him with her eyes. “Would you like your usual table?”
Fuck off, blondie. I growl internally as I give her the death stare. I honestly have no idea where this jealousy is coming from. I plaster on a smile as I try to reign it in.
“Hello, Lydia,” he replies. Cole glances over at me, and our eyes lock. He flashes a knowing smile and gives me a sexy wink as he squeezes my hand.
My heart somersaults in my chest and the blonde scowls. That’s right, bitch…he’s mine, so fuck off . I’m not the jealous or even envious type. This is the strangest feeling. I don’t like it, but I can’t seem to stop it from happening.
We follow the waiter as he leads us through the restaurant to a table for two in the back corner. The restaurant is small, and the atmosphere is dark and moody. A single candle flickers in the middle of every table. The waiter reaches for my chair but Cole brushes him off and pulls it out for me.
“Red work for you, Layla?” he asks once we are both seated.
“Red’s perfect.”
Cole peruses the wine list like an expert before handing it back to the waiter and placing our order. “Thank you.”
“You come here often?” I can’t help myself.
He shrugs and smirks. “I used to. Haven’t been here in a while, though. Have you ever been here before?”
“Mmm, I’ve been here a couple of times, but I must admit, I didn’t get quite the same level of attention, though. The staff seem especially friendly this evening for some reason.”
He barks out a laugh just as the waiter returns with our bottle of wine. He pops the cork and pours a little into a glass. He hands it to Cole, who takes a sip and swooshes it around his mouth before he swallows. “Mmm.” He licks his lips. “That’s lovely. Thank you.”
The waiter then fills our glasses as I smirk over at my— boyfriend. I get a warm and fuzzy feeling at the thought. I decide to forget all about blondie and enjoy the evening when we are rudely interrupted.
“Cole.” A high-pitched female voice calls out just as I’m raising my glass to my lips. I turn my head and instantly recognize the woman. She was one of the drunken bimbos who was hanging all over Cole the night we met. Carrie…Christine…
“ Christa.” Cole smiles at her as she approaches our table. His voice is friendly and it’s pissing me off even more than the blonde hostess did.
“Where have you been? God, I’ve missed you,” she practically whines as she leans down and plants a kiss on each of his cheeks. Her huge, probably fake boobs sway far too close to his face.
Cole must sense the impending doom coming from across the table, because he pushes his chair back slightly, putting some distance between himself and Christa’s boobs. “I’ve been busy,” he says as he glances over at me warily.
“Sure,” Christa says as she glances over at me like she just noticed I am here, and smirks. “Well, I won’t keep you. I just wanted to say hi, but we should catch up soon.”
“Absolutely.” He smiles and watches as she turns and starts to walk away.
She looks back over her shoulder and winks. “Don’t be a stranger. You have my number. Use it,” she says as she sways her hips.
Fucking bitch.
Cole doesn’t answer. His eyes are now focused on me. I’m not sure what to make of their interaction, but I decide to tamp it down. The man had a past before me—a very busy past. I can’t hold that against him.
When he realizes I’m going to let it go, he sighs with relief. “What do you think of the wine?”
I bring it to my lips and almost choke when I see my father approaching. Christ, maybe we should have kept to the confines of our apartments. This is turning into a disaster. It’s not that I don’t want Cole to meet my family, but it’s way too soon. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like I have much of a choice at the moment, because Victor has just stopped at our table and is looking very much like a proud father.
“Dad,” I blurt out.
“Layla, honey, what a wonderful surprise seeing you here,” my father says as he reaches for me. I stand to give him a hug. Cole immediately gets to his feet and holds out his hand which my dad happily shakes when he’s done hugging me.
“Cole Hendrix,” he says. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bancroft.”
My father’s eyes narrow as he takes Cole in. His smile falters slightly before he catches himself. He’s still smiling, but the warmth has gone out of it. What the hell is going on? Does he know Cole?
“Cole Hendrix. The same Cole Hendrix that is affiliated with Hendrix Equity?”
“The one and only,” Cole answers. “I run the company along with my brothers, Connor and Chris.”
“Right.”
He looks between the two of us, trying to figure out what this is. “I hope I’m not interrupting a business meeting.”
“Not a problem,” Cole says politely.
It’s a date, Victor , I want to scream. Or at least, it would be if people would stop interrupting us. Before I can say anything, though, he hugs me again. “I’m sorry for intruding, I just wanted to come over and say hello. We need to talk. Call me when you have a free moment.”
“Okay. Sure. It was great to see you, Dad .” The title is new and still feels foreign to me, but I’m starting to get used to it. I still call him Victor from time to time. The two are interchangeable, but dad is starting to take precedence.
I watch him make his way back to his table where a tall, willowy brunette is waiting for him. She’s not young, but she’s clearly not his age either. For a brief moment, I wonder if there still isn’t a little of the player from the past left in him. Lord knows he’s still good-looking enough, and obviously rich enough as well.
Cole and I both take our seats again. “Uh, sorry. That was my father,” I say and then feel kind of foolish because obviously he knows that. “Have you two met before?”
His brow furrows and he frowns as he sips his drink. “No, why would you think that?”
I lift my glass to my lips and take a sip, the taste of chocolate and berries bursts across my tongue. It’s delicious.
“I don’t know, I just got that feeling.” I shake my head and smile. “Never mind. Maybe we should have gone somewhere else.” I chuckle as I push the feeling away. “Everyone seems to be here tonight. The wine is delicious, by the way. Should we order?”
Thankfully, the rest of our dinner is uninterrupted. I have no idea what happened to Christa, but I notice my father glancing our way from time to time, and not in a good way. I’m not sure what his problem is, but I’m sure he’s going to tell me whenever we have that talk.
Cole’s attention has been laser-focused on me. We are holding hands across the table as he feeds me tiny bites of our shared dessert. He’s been the perfect gentleman tonight.
I get a lump in my throat as I smile over at him. “You know, Cole, out of all the people I have met in my life, you have turned out to be the biggest surprise.”
“Oh yeah?” He raises a brow, a devilish smile flashes across his face, popping his dimples. Electricity zings between us.
“I was so wrong about you.”
“Thank God for that.” He scoops up a little more of the decadent chocolate mousse and brings the spoon to my lips. I open and then close my lips around it as he slowly pulls it out before I swallow and lick my lips.
“I…I didn’t think you were somebody I could ever have feelings for.”
The air crackles between us.
“What would those feelings be, Layla?” He leaves the spoon in the mousse and picks up my hand, kissing my fingertips.
Our eyes are locked, and we both know what those feelings I’m talking about are.
It’s too soon.
I need to be sure. I need to know that this is going to work, because once I tell him that I love him, I can’t take it back.
I suddenly feel uncomfortable. Why did I have to think that?
He nods and smiles softly, easing some of my tension. He understands. I know he does. He kisses my fingers again.
“Maybe it’s too soon to say the words, but you should know that you’re everything I never knew I wanted. Feminine, but fiercely strong. Beautiful. Selfless to a fault when it comes to those who can’t help themselves, whether it be people or animals.”
I watch him as my heart somersaults in my chest.
“You put everyone’s needs before yourself, Layla.”
My stomach clenches.
“And for the first time in my life, you make me want to put someone before me.”
I’m overcome with emotion.
It’s official—I love this man…I really do.
I just wish I could tell him.