Chapter 20 #2
She popped the button and dragged down the zipper, freeing his cock.
The thick head rested against his abs, engorged and glistening.
She held his gaze as she wrapped her fingers around his thick shaft and slowly dropped to her knees in front of him.
Leaning in, she slid her tongue across the tip, tasting him.
His nostrils flared as he watched her, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.
She started working him slowly with her hand. “I love the way you taste.”
He groaned. “Yeah?”
“Hm hmm.”
“Show me.” He cupped the side of her face and ran his thumb over her lower lip. “Show me how much you like it. Wrap those sweet lips around my cock and suck me.”
Seeing him so turned on sent her own already heated blood skyrocketing, but nothing was more important than pleasing him in that moment.
This was all about him. She ran her tongue around the ridge, kissing and sucking the smooth skin.
His hand went to the back of her head, and he pulled her hair tie free, wrapping the strands around his fist. He didn’t force her down on him, just held her firmly as she worked him with her lips and tongue.
She gave the head a hard suck and opened her lips over him, taking him to the back of her throat. The deep, raw sound he made lifted goose bumps across her skin.
“Jesus Christ.” His fingers tightened in her hair, but not painfully so. “That’s it, sweetheart, take it, take all of me.”
His hips bucked when she hollowed her cheeks and sucked harder, taking him deeper. She dragged her mouth up and down his length, loving the way his thighs trembled and his abs tightened the closer he got.
He gave her hair a light tug. “Gonna come, baby.”
She ignored the warning and upped the pace, sucking harder. He bucked and cursed, then came with a shout, saying her name repeatedly until he had nothing left to give. His grip on her hair loosened, and he began to caress the side of her face and jaw as she licked and sucked him clean.
When he started to soften, she rose to her feet and wrapped her arms around his neck. “So, how was that?”
The grin came back, and her stomach did a little flip.
“Do you really need me to answer that question?” He rested his hands on her hips and tugged her forward so their bodies were flush.
“Shit, Piper.” He cupped the back of her head and drew her closer, gently kissing her, taking his time, until her toes were curling in her work boots and her pulse was racing so fast she was gasping for breath by the time he released her.
He’d kissed her so thoroughly, with so much warmth, she wished she didn’t have to ruin the moment and tell him what she’d done that afternoon. “Cole?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“I need to tell you something.”
He frowned at her serious tone. “Okay, let’s go to the cottage first.”
“Sure.”
He tucked himself back in and did up his pants, then took her hand and led her from the workshop, locking up before they left. When they walked into her house, he disarmed the alarm system and flicked on the lights.
Taking a seat on the couch, he tugged her down onto his lap. “I, ah, I need to talk to you, too.”
Had Kate already told him that she’d called? That she knew everything? “What about?”
He looked a little unsure, but the smile was still there. “You go first.” He gave her ass a squeeze. “And when we’re done, I’m going to bury my face between your thighs and stay there until you don’t know which way is up.”
She squirmed. Nope. He didn’t know. He wouldn’t be smiling and offering her mind-blowing orgasms if he did.
Oh dear God. She couldn’t keep what she’d done from him, no matter how much she wished otherwise. The guilt would eat her up, and it would be a whole lot worse if he found out from Kate the next time they spoke. She sucked in a shaky breath and twisted to face him. “Please don’t be angry at me.”
His smile dropped a little. “Why would I be angry at you?”
She winced.
“Piper?” His fingers resting on her hips flexed then loosened.
She clung to him tighter. “I shouldn’t have done it, but you wouldn’t open up to me, you wouldn’t tell me anything…so I…” She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I…”
He stilled. “You what?”
“I…I called Kate Connors,” she blurted. His hands dropped away from her completely, and the warmth bled from his gaze. “She told me how you blame yourself for Adam’s death. How you think it’s—”
One minute she was on his lap, the next she was sitting at the other end of the couch and he was on his feet. “Don’t say his name,” he bit out. “Don’t you dare say his name. You have no fucking right.”
She flinched, pressed back into the cushions. “I want to help you. I want to—”
“Fix me?” he said in a cold voice.
She shook her head. “No. I care about you… I did it for you, for us.”
He stared at her, anger radiating from him, all warmth gone from his eyes now. “No you didn’t. You did it for you. You invaded my privacy, Kate’s privacy, because fixing everyone else’s problems makes you feel good about yourself.”
His gaze was arctic, slicing right through her. How could he believe that?
“Well, you can’t fix me. I don’t want to be fixed. If I move on…if I forget even for a second…” He stopped himself abruptly and shook his head.
She stood and took a step toward him. “What, Cole? What happens if you move on?”
There was a knock on the front door, then Deacon walked right on in. He looked at them both and frowned. “What’s going on?”
She shook her head. “Can you give us a minute, Deke?”
Her brother crossed his arms, gaze going to Cole. “What’s this all about? Why did you ask me to meet you here?”
Cole’s shoulders stiffened, jaw going tight—and she knew, knew why he’d called her brother and asked him to meet with them. Knew what he wanted to tell him.
“Cole?” He’d planned to tell Deke about their relationship. He was going to come clean. Show her that she meant something to him.
And she’d screwed everything up.
“Cole? Please, listen to me. We can work through this.”
He wouldn’t look at her, and ignoring her and Deacon, he walked out of the cottage without a backward glance. The door shook in its frame as he slammed it shut behind him.
Deacon looked down at her, his expression sympathetic. “I take it this is more than just a lovers’ tiff?”
She slumped back onto the couch. Deke knew. Of course he did. Deacon knew every damn thing.
A sob broke free, and she nodded. “I’ve ruined everything.”
He sat down beside her and pulled her into his arms. “It’ll be okay.”
What he didn’t do was make any promises, because he knew as well as she did, Cole wasn’t coming back.
She’d lost him.