Chapter 29
29
COLE
“Cole.”
My name on Layla’s lips is like balm to my fucking ears. Her huge brown eyes grow even bigger as she stares up at me like she can’t believe I’m here. I take a second to drink her in before I reach out my hand to help her up.
Her gorgeous face is drawn and pale. It’s lost some of it’s usual vibrance. She looks tired, and she’s clearly lost some weight. She’s still beautiful, but there’s no mistaking she’s been to hell and back—all because of me.
No, because of fucking Christa , I remind myself.
The rage I still feel for that bitch bubbles up. I shove it back down. She got what she deserved. A few strategically placed phone calls, and let’s just say, she’s going to have to work a lot harder to keep her business afloat for the foreseeable future. I’m not a total bastard; I didn’t ruin her—completely.
Layla reaches up and takes my offered hand. Sparks fly as our fingers touch. The same electricity that has been there since the beginning jump-starts my heart, kicking it back to life.
“Cole,” she says my name again. “What are you doing here?”
I stare at her, trying to decide if I should kiss her or paddle her ass for putting us both through this. I yank her hand, pulling her up so her body crashes into mine.
“I needed to talk to you, and you weren’t taking my calls,” I growl into her ear.
She tries to pull away, but I hold her tight. I’m not finished.
“I love you, Layla,” I say as I lean down and crush my lips against hers. I hadn’t planned on saying that just yet. We have a lot of bullshit to sort through, but I couldn’t wait. Seeing her so raw like this. Fuck. I almost lost her. I just needed her to know. We can talk through the rest of it later.
Thankfully, she doesn’t resist. She kisses me back, and I thank every god known to man in that moment. I don’t know if she’s figured it out or if she’s forgiven me or what exactly is going on, but I couldn’t fucking care less right now. She’s in my arms, kissing me back, and that’s the only thing that matters to me.
Her soft lips are gentle but demanding as she melts against my body. My tongue darts out, demanding a taste. She opens and we both moan when her tongue tangles with mine. I kiss her again. It’s a deep and possessive kiss meant to claim her, to show her that she’s mine.
The door to the apartment is still ajar. I start walking her backwards until we are both inside. Then I kick the door shut behind me. My luggage is still in the hall, but I couldn’t give a fuck right now. This is the only apartment up here, and if someone wants to steal it, they can have it. I only have one focus right now and she’s still attached to my lips.
I wrap her long ponytail around my fist and give it a tug. She outright moans when our lips disconnect.
“Bedroom?” I ask.
“This way.” She grabs my hand and bolts down the hall, dragging me behind her. This is not the reception I was expecting, but I’m so fucking happy at the unexpected turn of events.
Layla drops my hand before we are even inside and reaches down to yank her dress over her head. Her breasts are bare. The only other thing she has on besides a pair of white sneakers is a pair of plain white cotton panties which look just as fucking sexy as any of that expensive shit I bought her. She kicks off her sneakers and then turns back to me with a hungry grin as she lowers her panties and kicks them to the side.
“Clothes. Off. Now.”
I smile and bite my lip as I comply with her order. As soon as my briefs hit the ground, she launches herself at me and climbs me like a fucking jungle gym.
“Mine,” she growls as her teeth sink into my lip. It hurts like a motherfucker and I’m pretty sure I taste blood. This isn’t just sex. This is angry—get it the fuck out of your system — makeup sex .
I bite her back. She moans and arches against me when my hand squeezes her breast as we tumble down onto the bed. Her legs are already around my waist and I’m harder than I’ve ever been in my life, so with one hard shove of my hips, my entire length is sheathed in her hot wet pussy. I don’t stop until my balls slap against her ass, and we are both moaning in ecstasy.
There is this raw burn between us that is something new. It takes control as I drive into her, hard and fast, intense. Layla claws at my back like she can’t get enough.
“More,” she cries.
Whatever this is consumes us. I lose myself in every drive, pump, and touch. I don’t know where she begins and I end, and it doesn’t matter, because we are in this shuddering, over-the-edge sweet spot together. She gasps and clenches tighter, ripping a low guttural moan from me as I empty my balls into her.
“Fuuuck.”
We are both panting as I roll to my side, taking her with me.
“I never want to stop doing that with you, ever . Do you understand me?” I murmur near her ear. I kiss her neck. “I love the hell out of you, woman. You know that, right?”
She pulls back and we stare at each other. It’s there between us, I know it is. I can feel it. It swirls in the air, steals my breath and makes me ache for her. But I need to hear the words.
She cups my face in her hands. Her big brown eyes lock onto mine and she smiles a soft, sweet smile. “I love you, Cole Hendrix,” she whispers.
Thank fuck. I get a lump in my throat, and I close my eyes as I savor her words. I let them wash over me as they slowly sink in. She loves me.
Soft lips brush against mine. They linger as she continues to smother me with tiny kisses. I wrap her in my arms, and we hold each other tight. Savoring the moment.
I’m never letting her go. She’s the one.
“I’m so sorry…”
“Stop,” I cut her off. “We can talk about it later.” My lips reach for hers again, coaxing her to continue what she started. “This is about me…”
Kiss.
“And you…”
Kiss.
“And no one else.”
Kiss.
“Got it?”
I smile at the beautiful woman in front of me. She smiles back and nods.
Fuck, I can’t believe how much I love this woman. I’m such a lucky bastard.
I pull her down to me, and our kiss becomes more urgent. My tongue swipes through her open lips with a hunger for more. Sparks ignite and a fire rages to life. I groan when her fingers wrap around my cock. I roll onto my back, taking her with me. I want her on top. I want her to ride me. I want her to show me how much she wants me. And she does. Layla sits on top of me and slowly sinks down. Then she starts to move, slow at first, and then faster, her gorgeous breasts bouncing with every thrust.
“Touch yourself,” I command. My voice is thick with lust.
Her hands glide over her body, her breasts, fingers trailing over her nipples. I pump into her from below, and her head tilts back, pleasure sliding over her face, and it’s official—this woman rocks my world. I roll her back to her side, facing me, kissing her, molding her closer. That’s what I want. Her closer. Her next to me. Her everywhere and every way I can feel her.
My hand on her breast. My mouth on her nipples. My cock driving into her until she cries out so damn loudly it echoes through the entire place. I kiss her, swallowing the sound, and fight the tight knot in my groin that refuses to let go until I shudder into release, spilling myself inside her. When we finally melt into each other and the bed, I don’t let go of her. I hold onto her and keep holding onto her until long after her breathing has slowed and evened out. Until long after I know she has fallen asleep. Only then do I relax my grip slightly and allow sleep to come for me too.
When I wake up, the room is dark and the bed next to me is empty. My heart sinks and panic sets in.
It wasn’t a fucking dream. I know it wasn’t.
My eyes start to focus in the dark and I remember where I am. In France. In Maddie’s penthouse. With Layla. I toss off the blankets and look around for my clothes. I find them neatly folded and lying on the bench at the end of the bed. I don’t bother with underwear. I just shove my legs into my jeans and head for the door.
The apartment is huge. I don’t see or hear Layla anywhere. My heart races. Where the fuck is she? When I get to the front door, I see my luggage sitting next to it. Fuck. She’s gone. I spin around, looking for I’m not sure what, as I try to figure this out. We didn’t talk with words, but I was pretty fucking certain we were back together.
“Fuck!” I yell in frustration.
I hear the snick of the lock behind me. I spin back around, just as the door opens and Layla enters with two paper bags in her hands. When she sees the look on my face her smile drops.
“Oh shit! I’m sorry, Cole, I should have woken you or at least left you a note. I thought I would make it back before you woke up. Or at least, I hoped I would. I went out for food.” I step forward and grab her face with both hands and kiss the living shit out of her. She moans and then yelps when the bags in her hands start to slip. I manage to grab them before they hit the floor and set them on the table next to the door. Then I grab her and pull her into my arms. My forehead rests against hers.
“I thought you left,” I whisper as my thundering heart starts to slow to a more steady rhythm.
“I didn’t,” she whispers back.
“We need to talk.”
“I know.”
I peck her lips before stepping away and grabbing the bags. “You also need to eat. When was the last time you ate anything substantial?”
She shrugs. “It’s been a while. I didn’t really have much of an appetite.”
I smirk as I wrap an arm around her and lead her into the massive kitchen. “Yeah, I get that. I haven’t exactly been eating a lot myself the last week. Let’s see what you brought. Then we can talk while we eat.”
Together we unpack the bags. There are two bottles of wine plus a fresh baguette and an assortment of cheeses, olives and salami. Not exactly a meal, but it works for now. I pour us each a glass of wine and order her to sit while I prepare our food. She protests, but eventually goes out onto the terrace and takes a seat when I don’t let up.
Once I have everything together, I step outside and place the board on the table. I top up her wine and take a seat. We both stare at each other for what feels like an eternity. This is stupid. Someone has to make the first move; it might as well be me.
I raise my glass to my lips and smile over the rim. “You get creativity points for what you did to my car. Thank you for not actually trashing it, by the way.”
Her hands fly up to cover her cheeks that are already turning a lovely shade of pink, which is so much better than the paleness I witnessed on them earlier. “Oh God, I almost forgot about that. I was planning on throwing them into the trash, but then I stepped out of the elevator and saw your car. It was almost like I was having an out-of-body experience. I couldn’t stop myself.” She starts to giggle.
“I’m so sorry, Cole.” Her smile drops. “I should have trusted you.”
I smirk again. “The evidence was stacked against me. I don’t blame you for jumping to conclusions. Anyone in your position would have done the same.”
“How did you figure it out?”
“It took me a while. I was starting to get worried when it was after nine and I hadn’t heard from you, but then there was a knock on the door, and I thought it was you. Obviously, it wasn’t. When I opened it, Christa was standing there in her underwear, demanding to come in. I told her to get the fuck out and never come back. I was furious. I ripped Trevor a new one for that little mistake.” Her eyes widen in shock, but she giggles.
“Poor Trevor.”
“Fuck that, he should have known better. He knows now.” I chuckle. “Then the poor fucker had to call me about an hour later and face me again. I was just on my way out the door to go look for you. I still hadn’t heard from you, and I knew something must be seriously wrong. He told me that my car had been vandalized. He was practically shitting himself when I stormed down there and demanded to see the security footage.”
Layla drops her head into her hands. “Oh my God, please tell me you didn’t see that.”
“Oh, I saw it alright. So did Trevor. I think he might be a little afraid of both of us going forward.” Layla groans into her hands. I reach out and pull them away from her face. “I made him delete the footage. Then I gave him a hefty tip for being such a dick to him earlier. Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m never going to be able to face him again. He probably thinks I’m deranged.”
“Fuck him, he doesn’t matter.”
She nibbles at a piece of cheese. “So how did you figure out what was going on?”
“I also saw footage of you leaving the elevator with your luggage. The timing of events hit me as I was on my way back to my apartment. I knew Christa had to be involved somehow. My brothers helped me pin her down the next night.” Her eyes widen. “Not literally. We tricked her into going out for drinks with Chris. Then Con and I showed up and pretty much didn’t give her a choice. She confessed to everything.”
“Wow, what did you do? I can’t imagine you calmly accepted her apology, if she even bothered to give one.”
“She did. I honestly think she even meant it. She claimed she didn’t realize how serious we were. It doesn’t matter. She should never have pulled that shit in the first place. We didn’t have that kind of a relationship, but I don’t want to talk about that. Needless to say, Christa will be too busy trying to save her career to cause any more trouble for quite some time.”
She smiles. It’s a little wicked and a lot satisfied. “What did you do to her?”
“I made a few calls. That’s all. I didn’t ruin her. I just gave her something new to focus on. It may take her some time to recover financially, but she’ll be fine.”
“Good. She’s bloody lucky I was so stunned when I ran into her, or she’d be a lot worse off. Tell me about Aria.” Her smiles changes from wicked to warm. “I was surprised when she called and insisted that you weren’t a bad guy, and that you hadn’t done anything wrong, so I shouldn’t be mad at you.”
I bark out at laugh. “I fucking love that kid.”
“That makes two of us. I’m not sure if we’d have been able to resolve this misunderstanding so quickly without her input.”
“She was sleeping on the sofa in the lobby of the building when I got back from dealing with Christa. Apparently Lanie and Bea had a fight and Bea fell, and then some bad shit went down with Lanie at the hospital shortly thereafter. Aria took the fucking subway into the city and landed at our building sometime around midnight on Friday night. The kid is bloody reckless.”
“She’s…her parents…well, let’s just agree that she’s a tough little girl.”
“I got her to sleep, then checked in with Bea. She wanted me to keep her for a couple of days until she could deal with her daughter. Of course, I did. Then as soon as Monday morning rolled around, I strong-armed your assistant into giving me Tori’s number.”
“Yeah, I heard about that too. How did that go? I’m sorry in advance for whatever Tori might have said you.” She cringes and so do I when I recall the things that woman had to say to me before I could explain.
“Uh, yeah, remind me to never piss off any of your friends.” Layla laughs and so do I. “Whatever. It’s all water under the bridge now. Once I got her calmed down enough to listen, she was on board and told me where to find you. She strongly advised me to give you a couple of days alone, and against my better judgment I decided to listen to her. I couldn’t wait any longer, so here I am.”
A tear slips down her cheek and I reach across and swipe it away gently with my thumb as I cup her face. “Hey, no more tears, okay? We’re past it now. I love you and you love me. We’re good—right?” Fuck, I hope we are .
She gets up and crawls onto my lap, wrapping her arms around me. “We’re good. More than good. But I think I’m going to need you to buy me some new lingerie. The stuff I have is—well, you saw it yesterday.” She starts to laugh.
“I’ll buy you the whole fucking store, whatever you want, but it doesn’t matter to me what you wear. I love you just the way you are. Are you ready to go home, sweetheart?”
She leans up and kisses me, a gentle, barely there brush of lips on lips, her breath a warm puff between us as she says, “Yes. Let’s go home.”