Collision Force (7 page)

Iain.
His smiling face popped into her head and she was rushed with guilt, just as she had been last night.
Damn Cole.

Her heart stopped at the sight of Ethan on Cole Lucas’ lap. He was tying her son’s shoes. As if it was the most natural thing in the world. She wanted to protest, but her voice abandoned her.

When she’d seen the FBI agent and the little boy shake hands earlier, her heart had skipped a beat she didn’t quite understand—or have the desire to acknowledge.

Cole Lucas couldn’t
possibly
be good with children. As a matter of fact, he couldn’t even
like
kids. Somehow it was just…wrong. He was a first class jerk. She suppressed a growl and stepped into the room.

Two sets of eyes, one deep blue and the other steel grey, met hers at the same time. They both smiled at her, Ethan flashing a brilliant grin, Cole’s a bit tentative. She berated herself because she liked how her son looked in Cole’s arms, just as she had liked being there herself.

Her gaze locked with his. Andi was frozen for a moment until Ethan’s voice broke the spell.

“Cole helped me, Mama.” His statement kicked her into mommy-mode.

Good.
It was what she needed. She couldn’t meet Cole’s eyes again.

“I see that. Did you say thanks?”

Ethan looked at Cole, then back at her. “Thanks, Cole!” he said obediently, and scrambled off the FBI agent’s lap.

“No problem, kiddo.” Cole ruffled her son’s copper curls and Ethan giggled.

Andi’s heart stuttered. “Are you guys hungry?” she forced out.

“Yeah!”

“Famished,” Cole said, speaking at the same time as Ethan’s exclamation.

Andi focused on her son, looking away from Cole’s grey eyes and dimples. “I made scrambled eggs, bacon and toast,” she told Ethan, who beamed and skipped towards the kitchen.

“Thanks, Andi,” Cole said, walking beside her.

She acknowledged him with a nod. “Thank you for helping my son.”

“I didn’t mind in the least. He’s a cute kid.”

“Thanks.” She was polite, handing him a mug for coffee after assisting Ethan into his booster seat. “I would have thought you didn’t like kids.”

“Oh?” Cole asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

A blush rushed her cheeks. She’d insulted him, but she’d not meant her tone to be snide. “Well…”

“I’m not that guy, Andi,” Cole said evenly.

She stared at him, not wanting to admit she knew exactly what he meant. She did think he was
that
guy
.

“I see no need to discuss it,” she said, concentrating to keep her voice normal. She didn’t want Ethan to know anything was wrong, or for Cole to realise how much he’d flustered her.

He didn’t answer, just thanked her for the mug and fixed himself some coffee. Andi quickly made plates for all three of them and sat to Ethan’s right at the square table in her breakfast nook. Cole took a seat across from her son. She resisted the urge to scoot her chair farther away from him.

“I have two nieces,” he said.

“Oh?” Andi asked, looking pointedly at the food on her plate.

“They’re seven and nine. My sister’s kids. I don’t get to see them much, but I adore them.”

“What’s their names?” Ethan asked.

Andi smiled as he was able to follow the conversation. The little boy looked at Cole before taking a huge bite of toast.

“Kelsey is nine, and Lacey is seven.”

“I want to play with them,” Ethan announced.

Cole laughed out loud. “They live far away, buddy. In Seattle.”

Unfortunately, her son would have no idea where that was.

“Oh,” he said, his tone disappointed. “Maybe someday?”

Cole looked at Andi and she gave a slight shrug.

“Maybe,” Andi agreed quickly, wiping the crumbs from her son’s mouth gently.

Ethan made a face, but let her do so. He took a drink of orange juice, and she admonished him to slow down.

“Good. I like kids,” Ethan said.

Cole chuckled. “I like kids, too.” He tweaked the little boy’s nose.

Andi couldn’t look away from him. Cole grinned, dimples flashing, and her face heated. She broke eye contact, cursing herself.
Work.
Focus on work. “What’s today’s agenda?”

“I’d like to talk to your partner.”

She nodded absently, losing her determination again. Cole’s ease with Ethan had her heart needing a cardiologist. Andi reminded herself that she didn’t like Cole Lucas
at all
, but it wasn’t working. She was seeing a different side of him. It only resulted in chaos and confusion.

As a matter of fact, nowhere in sight was the pompous ass from the previous days. Could she actually figure him out, perhaps even get to know him? She shook her head. She didn’t want to like him, didn’t need to figure him out and most definitely
did not
need to get to know him. He wouldn’t be around long enough for it to matter.

It
shouldn’t
matter, so it
didn’t.

“Something wrong?” Cole asked, his voice breaking into her thoughts.

“No…why?” Andi stuttered, her cheeks blazing. There was no way he would miss it.

Cole gave a slight smile that confirmed her suspicion. “You got awfully quiet.”

“Mama, okay?” Ethan asked.

Great.
Her three-year-old was much too smart for his own good. He never failed to surprise and impress her with the extent he was able to follow conversations, and of course the ability was at its height when she was embarrassed. “I’m fine,” she told them. Andi forced a smile.

“I know you like to go in early, but I’d like to shower, if it’s all right with you,” Cole said.

“Oh, of course. I’m sorry I didn’t offer. Didn’t mean to be rude,” Andi rushed her words. She was a complete heel.

Cole smiled again, flashing dimples, and Andi’s heart quickened. “No problem.”

“Towels are in the cupboard behind the door in the guest bathroom. I’m sure you know where that is?” Cole nodded. “Then…we can head out whenever you’re ready.”

He put his dish in the sink before disappearing around the corner. Andi gulped, trying to ignore the picture in her head of him naked in her bathroom. She chastised herself and concentrated on what Ethan was trying to ask her.

* * * *

Cole sighed as the hot water ran down his body. It was relief. What the hell was he going to do about Andi? Breakfast had been delicious, and something he hadn’t expected from her. The scrambled eggs and bacon had been the first home-cooked meal he’d had in longer than he could remember. He certainly didn’t deserve it.

He’d settled on the fact that he owed her another apology, even if he didn’t really regret the kiss he’d stolen. Well, not really stolen. She’d kissed him back, after all.

If he didn’t try to smooth things out, work today would be a nightmare. They
did
have a case to solve. Regardless, Andi wouldn’t make it easy, and that lessened his already weak desire to offer the olive branch in the first place.

He squirted shampoo into his palm then slapped it onto his dark hair, scrubbing vigorously. He suppressed the urge to yawn. No matter how the day went, it would be a long one.

Cole hadn’t fallen asleep until well past midnight. The taste of Andi’s lips had haunted him. The feel of her full breasts flattened against his chest, her rounded hips against his…the endless cycle in his mind while he stared at the ceiling of her living room.

When sleep had finally claimed him, he’d dreamt of her. Vivid and erotic. In his dreams, she’d done things to him he would give anything to experience with her in reality.

He’d awoken after two a.m., painfully uncomfortable, his body so taut he was surprised he hadn’t had a fricking wet dream, as horrible as that would have been. Was he a thirteen-year-old kid?

The rest of the night, his sleep had been fitful. He’d woken every hour or so, and in worse shape than every previous hour. Damn good thing his body was over the condition by the time Ethan had woken him. But Cole wasn’t cured. He wanted Andi.

Rinsing his hair, he ran his fingers through it one last time before reaching for his soap. He tried not to think about her and failed miserably. He rubbed his body down, inhaling the pleasant masculine spice of his body wash.

What would her hands feel like on his chest? Would she touch him all over?

His cock jutted out, the sudden erection throbbing as the hot water sluiced against it. Cole gripped himself, groaning as pleasure and the need for release took him over. He stroked himself from base to tip, squeezing with just the right pressure as he found his rhythm. It wasn’t as good as Andi’s hands would be, but perhaps he could relieve some tension.

What the hell was he doing jacking off in the shower? He hadn’t done that in ages. Cole cursed and released his grip. He needed to grow up, rinse off and get moving. He had a case to solve, and here he was fantasising about someone he could never have.
That
was all there was to it.

Cole dragged his hand down his face. He wasn’t used to the back and forth, even in his own head. When he wanted a woman, he got her. Last night he’d been determined to have her, hadn’t he? Now he was going to back off?

He stared at his erection.
Get off
was more like it. He needed a quick orgasm to clear his mind. Cole took care of business, biting his lip to keep from shouting his release as the warm jets shot up and hit his stomach.

Sighing, he rinsed himself off. He’d hoped to feel relieved. Satisfied even. He was sorely disappointed. He still wanted Andi and the confusion because of it swirled in his thoughts.

How the hell was he supposed to make this work?

Chapter Six

The car ride to the hospital was quiet—too quiet. There was no way Andi would bring up the kiss, and, at the moment, Cole didn’t have the balls to say a word. If she found out what he’d done in her shower, she would flip.

He shifted in the driver’s seat, then shot her a glance. She was looking at him. He bit back a cringe.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

“No.” Damn, that had sounded clipped even to his own ears.

Andi raised an eyebrow and looked away, staring out the window. Awkwardness settled over them. Cole preferred her pissed off. At least then she had some spunk and he didn’t feel like he’d done something wrong.

“So…” Since when could he not handle a woman? He shook himself just as he noticed she was looking in his direction again.

“What?”

Oh, right. He’d spoken. Cole cleared his throat. “Tell me about your partner.”

She smiled and it took his breath away. Jealousy hit him in the gut. Would she ever smile for him like that?

“He’s great. A damn good cop, and a good friend.” Her expression was wistful. “He’s always been there for me.”

“That’s what partners are for.”

“Oh? I wouldn’t think you’ve ever been bothered to have a partner. You’re not very good at it.”

Cole let her jibe slide. He pulled into the hospital parking lot.

The introductions went all right, Cole giving the blond man’s hand a strong shake. Despite his wounds, Detective Crane stood by his bed to greet them, ignoring Andi’s immediate enquiry about how he was feeling. Cole had to admire him for that. He wasn’t as tall as Cole, probably six-one, and made of lean muscle. The hospital gown didn’t take away his dignity, and a sling around his neck lay unused.

He told Cole to call him Pete and eased back into his bed. Cole didn’t miss the slight wince as he resettled himself, but neither he nor Andi mentioned it.

She was rigid, looking around the room, her conversation even to her partner stiff and unnatural, from what he’d known of her so far. Pete studied her and Cole shifted on his feet when his green-eyed stare rested on him. It was like the guy could see through him.

The small talk stopped when Andi’s cell phone rang and she glanced at the screen. “I’ve gotta take this.”

Pete nodded and before Cole could acknowledge her, she slipped out of the room into the corridor.

“What did you do to my partner? I haven’t seen her like that in ages. It’s like you kissed her or something.” Pete shook his head, but his gaze was keen.

Cole said nothing, concentrating hard on giving a blank expression.

Unfortunately, understanding dawned on Andi’s partner’s face. “You
did
kiss her, huh?”

He wanted to be sarcastic and shrug it off. He didn’t even know this guy, but he was going to admit it. Why the hell was he going to tell him? “Last night.”

Pete’s eyes widened, then he cocked his head to the side. “How’d that go for you?”

“It didn’t,” Cole said.

“Well, you don’t have any fresh bullet holes, so I’d say it didn’t go as badly as it could have,” the detective said, his tone serious.

Cole said nothing for a moment then squared his shoulders. “I don’t get involved with women I work with, so don’t worry about it. It won’t happen again.” He was still trying his best to convince himself. Especially after his shower incident.

“Oh, I’m not worried. Andi can hold her own,” Pete said, then gave him a long look. “But FBI agent or not, if you hurt her—or that little boy—I will personally hunt you down. They mean the world to me.”

Once again, Cole’s instinct to lighten the comment with sarcasm or humour fizzled out when he met Pete’s eyes. Andi’s partner was completely serious. What exactly did the other man feel for Andi? Cole was hit with a wave of possessiveness he had no right to.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” he repeated. “I’ve never gotten romantically involved…or otherwise”—Pete gave him a wry grin—“with any woman I’ve worked with. I’m not about to break that record.” Though he’d already kissed her, so did his record still stand? He ignored that train of thought.

Andi’s partner studied him, then gave a curt nod. Pete was going to drop it.

They talked for a few moments more, an instant ease between them. Cole genuinely liked the guy. Detective Peter Crane was tall, blond and good-looking. He wasn’t married—did that have something to do with Andi?