Bet On Love (6 page)

“Just what are you saying?” He broke out of his trance, his handsome face daring me to say the words.

“Would
somebody
please fill me in?” Abbey looked from her father to me, and then back to Cole. “Dad? Who is this woman?”

“She’s my wife,” he said matter-of-factly. His mustache twitched, and those blue eyes glowed with trouble. Oh, he was going to pay big time for this. If his daughter wasn’t the one asking all the questions, I’d play the game all right. But she was only thirteen and shouldn’t be deceived like this.

“Only temporarily, honey.” The feet of my chair stuttered against the stone when I stood. I ignored Cole’s shocked expression, and moved to the chair on the other side of Abbey. “We acted spontaneously in Vegas. We should
never
have gotten married.” I glanced past Abbey’s face to see Cole’s flash to something I could only interpret as agreement, since he didn’t voice an objection.

“I thought you said you guys go way back?”

“We do.” I nodded, hoping this would be painless for everyone. “We were all caught up in the emotion of a mutual friend’s wedding. Add alcohol to all the fun memories, and voila! We did something stupid.”

“So you don’t love each other?” The sweet girl looked so confused.

“This isn’t about love. It’s about a misunderstanding.” I filled in the missing pieces since Cole continued not to say a word. I knew from the past that love couldn’t be one-sided, and that’s exactly what this was. “Everyone’s gotten the wrong idea, and there’s been no good time to correct it.”

“Dad?” Abbey questioned, putting Cole on the spot.

“It’s true.” He raked a hand through his muddy brown hair and heaved a sigh as if the weight of the world had suddenly fallen on his shoulders. “We thought we could get this taken care of before everyone found out. But once Grandma knew, she’s let the whole town know about it. Everything snowballed before we could fix it.”

“Wow. So now you’re getting divorced twice?” Abbey stared at the table, letting it all sink in.

I felt like a horrible person. We’d basically mocked the sanctity of marriage and set a horrible example for her. How I wished it could all be different, but Cole wasn’t objecting. He just sat next to his daughter like a statue, proving my suspicions right. He didn’t love me, never had, and never would.

“Honestly, it hasn’t been that long. I don’t think it counts.” I tried to make light of the situation, then realized I wasn’t doing any good. “You know what? I’ll leave you two to talk while I go check flights online.”

***

“Where’s Abbey?” I asked when Cole walked alone into the family room.

“She called her mother to pick her up, said she needed some alone time.”

“Oh. Is that a good thing?” In spite of the warmth of the room, with its shades of brown and outdoor sportsman theme, I felt a chill when Cole faced me with an intense stare.

“You know, we didn’t have to tell her now. I can’t believe you brought it up just like that.”

“Cole, she deserves the truth. She’s your daughter. We should have made the announcement to your family right away instead of letting them all assume this is anything more than it is.” I picked up a scented pinecone from a clay bowl next to the arm of the sofa and placed it back at the top of the pile.

He stared at me for a moment, like he wanted to ask me something, but then rubbed his forehead in frustration and said, “Oh, that would have been fun. ‘Hey, thanks for bringing all the food and getting up so early, but false alarm--we’re not really married!’ Yeah, would have gone over real well.”

“You know what I’m saying. It’s better this way.”

“Is it?”

“Of course, unless you want to stay married?” I stared into eyes I could no longer deny I had loved since forever, but for the first time I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Maybe because the connection I’d held onto for all these years was only in
my
head and not real. All the more reason to leave. “Which we can’t stay married because I have a booming career in L.A., you have your research here, and Abbey doesn’t want to move. Besides, we don’t love each other, right?” I paused for a second, but he just stared at me again with that damn unreadable look, so I quickly continued. “Of course we don’t. So see, it’s a pretty simple solution,” I rambled and returned my gaze to the screen of my laptop which continued to scan for available flights.

“If you say so,” he replied, frustrating me even more because he certainly hadn’t said otherwise, then he sat next to me on the brown leather sofa.

“Do you mind?” I tried to inch away, the casual brush of his thigh against mine sending my meter into overdrive. “You’re not helping.”

“With what?” There was that devilish smirk again. There was no doubt he was attracted to me, but I’d learned the hard way, attraction alone wasn’t enough.

“Since when does that require marriage?” I smirked. “It takes more than one night in Vegas,
babe
.” I sat straight and moved the computer off my lap to the table top in front of us. Cole slid down the back of the sofa when I stood.

“You wound me, yet again.” Cole placed his hands over his heart as he lay there, and I rolled my eyes.

“You are so full of it.” I couldn’t help but laugh when he pulled me back on the couch next to him. I hated how he could do this to me with so little effort. It was one of those things that always made our friendship special.

I’d fallen perfectly in the crook of his shoulder, and his arm snuggled me closer. He kissed the top of my head, his voice soft and low when he spoke, “Find any flights?”

“I needed to answer some emails, so I just started checking. Then you came along and distracted me.”

“Mmm...I’d like to say I’m sorry, but I’m not. Distraction can be a good thing. Can I get you a drink? No Jack in the house, but I have wine.”

My brain warned me where this was leading, and my heart wasn’t listening. If I could have one more night with Cole Martin, I made a silent vow I’d be happy for the rest of my life alone. Oh hell, if this would be the last time Cole and I were ever together, I wanted to be sober enough to remember every detail. Tilting my head up, the heat in his gaze looked as hot as the fire inside my body.

“I’ll pass for now, thanks.”

In an instant our mouths came together as our passion fed off each other. His hands cupped my face, and I combed my fingertips through his hair. He tasted like sweet tea and spicy brown mustard from his turkey sandwich.

With gentle ease, he maneuvered our bodies so I was lying flat underneath him. He propped himself on an elbow as not to crush me with his weight, and I wrapped one leg over his to hold him there. My body ached with his touch, and I longed to be skin-on-skin against him. I started to sit up, pulling at his shirt until I yanked it over his head. Wrapping my arms around his back, I kissed his chest and I rubbed my face against the soft brown hairs.

Cole didn’t leave me wanting for long, removing my blouse and kissing the valley between my breasts until I breathlessly begged for him to kiss my lips. His kiss was full of heat and longing. We each fumbled to unbutton the other’s jeans. There was no way we’d make it to the bedroom.

Ravage was never a word I’d use to describe my love making with Grant, or any of my other relationships for that matter. With Cole I became consumed and I couldn’t get enough. I kissed him everywhere. My hands roamed freely across his body while my hips arched to meet his. I thought I would explode if he didn’t enter me soon.

“Easy, GT, let’s enjoy this,” he whispered against my ear. His hand cupped the heat between my legs, stopping my movements and my breathing. “I want to touch you.” He gazed at me with hungry eyes while he caressed me. My hips succumbed to his gentle rhythm and I closed my eyes, falling prey to the feather-light feel of his kiss and the building passion between us.

This is what making love was supposed to be like, the union between a man and a woman going far beyond the physical attraction. Cole was the connection I had always been missing. With him I felt complete.

“Look at me,” he commanded on a husky whisper. “I want you to look at me.”

I did as he said, losing myself to the heat of his stare. He leaned down to kiss me, his tongue flirting with mine while he used his hand to adjust my position underneath him. My head spun from the onslaught of desire and I could feel myself slipping into some kind of orgasmic bliss. His kiss deepened and I could feel him settle between my legs.

My breathing was ragged in the silence of the room. Cole rocked against me, teasing me, and I heard a moan escape from somewhere in my throat. He pulled away long enough to kiss my breasts once more.

“Yes,” my voice sounded like a whimper as he started to enter me and pulled out. He teased me longer until my nails dug into his shoulders and his movements became faster. “Yes, yes, I want you,” I panted, until he thrust himself hard inside me. “Cole!” I cried out as a thousand fireworks exploded throughout my being.

My body pulsed from deep within as we lay spent in each other’s arms. If this was any indication what our lovemaking had been like in Vegas, then I would certainly die one happy woman. I couldn’t imagine another man ever making me feel this way.

“Really.” Cole’s fingers caressed my cheek, and I thought I saw a love in his eyes like I always hoped he’d give me. My head screamed this can’t be real. He was just caught up in the moment. Relationships never last, and I couldn’t afford to get hurt. Yes, we cared about each other, but it wasn’t love. If it had been, then he never would have married Heather.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Are you all right?” Cole wiped at a stray tear as it tumbled down my cheek.

Feeling foolish for letting my emotions get the better of me, I fumbled for something to say. The truth would only complicate things more, and the reality of my eminent departure loomed over my head. I couldn’t let him see through me, not this time.

“Ugh, typical bachelor pad,” I said as I pushed against his chest to sit up. “There’s dust everywhere. I must have gotten something in my eye.” I rubbed at both of my eyes, hoping to hide anything else from his view.

“If you say so.” He shrugged, watching me closely, yet giving me some space. “Are you ready for that drink now?”

“Hell, yes.” I said, thankful for the distraction, and watched his naked form cross the room. I could never tire of watching him. Too bad this brief encounter was all I would ever have. Moments later, he returned with two glasses and a bottle of pinot.

“C’mere, I want to show you something.” He motioned toward the patio. I quickly donned my bra and panties and grabbed his boxers. “From right here, we can watch the sunset.”

Cole set the wine on a metal table next to the chaise lounge. After pulling on his boxers, he sat in the chair and guided me to sit between his legs. The sun wouldn’t be setting for quite a while, but I didn’t care. Doing nothing but just being with Cole was enough right now. I leaned back against his chest, feeling more content than I had in years.

“I’d rather be full of you,” he whispered next to my ear. At the thought of another steamy love session, my body turned to liquid heat.

I literally melted back against him, tilted my head up and replied, “No, I’d rather be full of you.” My voice sounded sultry even to my own ears, and Cole groaned low against the nape of my neck as he lifted my hair to place a kiss there.

“Do you have any idea what you do to me? I want to take you again, right here on the patio.”

“Oh my!” I looked around, trying to play the part of a damsel in distress. “What would your neighbors say?” I placed a hand to my heaving chest.

“They would say I was one lucky man, if they ever found out. You see, they can only see the front of the house. Back here, we have our own private paradise. Now sit back and watch the sunset with me, or I
will
have my way with you.” His arms wrapped around me once more, and I smiled a sad but satisfied smile, knowing I was taking with me the memories of a lifetime.

Chapter Six

I was on my second cup of coffee when Cole came in from the patio, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He studied my open laptop, and I caught the hint of a frown.