Combust (The Wellingtons #1) (28 page)

“It’s fine, Cohen. In fact, I kind of look forward to meeting Charlie and your brothers. I told you last night I was all in, and I am. Sure, it’s a little sooner than expected, but when have things ever been on a normal timeline for us?”

He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into a warm hug. “Thank you, Ruby,” he whispers as he presses his lips to my head, giving me a soft kiss.

I enjoy his warmth and swear I could stay here all day wrapped up in his arms. The moment’s short-lived when I hear his stomach rumble, and I reluctantly step back.

“Sounds like I need to feed you, and after already agreeing to meet the family, I need some coffee to get my head back on straight before I make any more rash decisions where you’re concerned,” I tease.

He jabs my side playfully before following me down to the kitchen, where I sigh in relief when I see that the coffee pot is nearly full. I gesture for Cohen to take a seat at the island before I pour us each a cup. As I begin to make us omelets, he tells me about his brother’s girlfriend. I start to feel more at ease at the thought of meeting her because she sounds like someone I’d definitely get along with.

Just as I set his plate in front of him and take the stool to his right, Cy and Reese walk into the kitchen, arms wrapped around each other, still as sickeningly in love as they were four years ago. He presses her up against the doorjamb, clearly not noticing us as his hand slides down to grab her ass. They don’t get much time together because of their work schedules, and I’m used to them being like this.

Glancing at Cohen, I notice that his fork has stopped in midair as he tries to avert his eyes. The sight of it causes me to laugh, and Cy and Reese spring apart at the sound, finally aware that they’re not alone in the kitchen. Truth be told, I’m used to this, but the last thing I want is for Cohen to witness my roommates’ foreplay at nine a.m. on a Sunday morning.

Then again, maybe it’d get him to get rid of his ‘let’s go slow’ mantra—at least in the physical sense. It’s not that I expected us to hop right into bed again, but a night of just his slow kisses and no touching was as torturous as it was pleasurable, and I wonder how long he’s going to make me wait.

A knowing smile crosses Reese’s lips when they both turn to us, and Cy gives Cohen a once-over. She pulls away from him and walks across the kitchen until she’s directly across from us. Her elbows rest on the counter and she places her head in her hands.

“Well, good morning, you two. I didn’t think I’d see you again so early,” she says, looking back and forth between the both of us with a smirk on her face. Her hand comes up and she pushes Cohen’s arm until the fork meets his lips. As if he’s a robot, he opens his mouth and takes a bite, causing her to beam at him.

When I glance over at Cy, he’s shaking his head as he reaches into the refrigerator. He pulls out a carton of orange juice and then sets it on the island. “Okay, Peanut. Let them eat unless you want Andi to bite your head off. You know how she is until she gets at least three cups of coffee.”

Normally, I’d scoff at Cy for his rebuke, but this morning, I’m grateful and I throw him an appreciative smile. My appreciation is short-lived when I hear the front door open and a sleepy, hung over looking Teddy walks into the kitchen. His eyes gleam as he takes in the scene before him, and he heads to the fruit basket, swiping up an apple before he rests a hip against the counter.

“Good morning, crew,” he says a little too chipper for my taste, which can only indicate one thing. He totally got laid last night and no amount of hangover will mess with his post-coital bliss.

Cy nods his head and comes to stand next to Reese, directly across from us. He looks at me and then at Cohen, who I’ve noticed still hasn’t resumed eating even after the bite Reese force-fed him. My nosy roommates are staring at us expectantly, and the kitchen is silent for a few beats before Cy goes to introduce himself.

“Hey, man. I’m Cy,” he says, holding out a hand to Cohen, who accepts it and gives him a firm shake. “And you are?” His tone is clipped and he’s eyeing Cohen in such a way that I imagine Riley would do if he were here.

So much for being thankful for Cy being cool.

I could punch him for his question, but Cohen doesn’t skip a beat. He slips an arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. “Cohen Wellington. I’m Andi’s boyfriend,” he declares.

My fork drops from my hands, clattering loudly against the ceramic plate.

Teddy snorts and moves to stand beside Cy as he looks back and forth between us in disbelief. “Boyfriend? Holy shit, Wellington. When I said the ball was in your court, I didn’t mean you had to go for the game-winning shot on the first night. Jesus Christ, you move fast.”

I’m silently wishing the floor would open up and swallow me whole, and when I look to Reese for sympathy, she has a gleam in her eye, apparently happy at Cohen’s putting a label on our relationship. All of a sudden, I’m forgetting Teddy’s words and all I can hear is ‘boyfriend’ echoing in my brain. I’m scrambling around the conductor room, frantically searching for the emergency brake on this train, but it’s nowhere to be found. I’m overwhelmed at the thought, and I turn to him, tuning everyone else out.

“Boyfriend?” I stammer, sounding like a complete idiot, blinking at him several times, probably making him think I have something in my eye.

I have no idea how Cohen can act like no one else is in the room, but he’s a damn expert at it. Without a single moment’s hesitation, he presses his forehead against mine, a move I’ve come to love over the last twenty-four hours. “Okay, so maybe I was a bit presumptuous, but you said all in, right?” he asks, his hopeful eyes boring into mine. I nod, remembering that I did, indeed, say those words. A smile breaks out on his face. “I’m all in, too, Ruby. That means no more wasting time. I want you in my life. I want you to be my girl. I don’t want some silly pretense of dating and getting to know each other. All I know is that I want you to be mine. The rest will come as we spend more time together. But when I leave this house, when I walk out that door, I’m going to do it knowing that you’re with me and no one else.” His gaze flicks to Teddy, and I have to suppress a smile. “I’ve waited far too long for this—for a chance with you—and I need to hear the words from your lips. Andi Kane, the most beautiful girl in the world, will you please be my girlfriend?”

His lips twitch at the question, and I have to wonder if Cohen has ever posed that question to a woman before. My brain is screaming yes, my heart is screaming yes, so I have no idea what the problem is. Things are going so fast, and it feels like our relationship is light-years ahead of most conventional ones. Then again, nothing between us has ever been conventional.

I can feel eyes watching us, and when I look up at Cohen, he has a cocky expression on his face as if he’s almost daring me to say no. Clearly, he can still read me, because I lean up and press my lips to his hard, fast, and when I wrap my arms around him, I let my tongue slide in his mouth, surprising him with the forcefulness of my kiss. A moment later, I pull away and plaster a huge grin on my face.

“It feels too soon, yet it also feels like I’ve been waiting for this for a long damn time. Yes, Cohen, you introduced yourself correctly. I’m yours,” I tell him. “I mean, it is only fitting that I have a label since you’re dragging me along to meet your family next week.”

He grins down at me, his lips finding my ear. “You won’t regret this, Ruby. And you may not know it now, but you’ve just made me the happiest man.”

“Wait! You’re meeting the family already?! Holy shit! How serious are you two?!” Reese’s squeals interrupt our moment, and I reluctantly pull away from him.

He presses one final kiss to my lips and then turns, giving Reese an award-winning smile that has my panties melting. “I can’t speak for Ruby, but I’ve never been more serious about anyone in my life. From the moment I met her, I knew she was special, and I only hope I’m around long enough to make her feel that way, too.”

As I allow his words to soak in, I almost miss Reese’s squeal. “Ruby?! Oh my god! That is the cutest nickname ever! Cy, isn’t that the cutest?!” She slaps Cy’s arm, and he gives Teddy an eye roll before turning back to Reese.

“Adorable, baby. All right, we’ve been in here long enough. Let’s let these two finish their breakfast in peace and quiet, okay?”

I’m more than thankful for Cy—ever the voice of reason—at the moment. He ushers Reese and Teddy out of the room, even though they both grumble about it.

As soon as the room is clear, I hesitate to look at Cohen. I can feel his eyes on me, and a blush creeps on my face. I feel like I’m fifteen years old and have been left alone with my first boyfriend. I’m giddy at the fact that he’s sitting at my kitchen counter, having declared himself my boyfriend. Normally, I’d be appalled at the declaration before we’ve talked about it, but with Cohen, it just feels right.

Turning towards him, I raise an eyebrow at him. “So much for going slow, huh?” I ask, causing him to chuckle.

He swivels in his stool as his eyes meet mine. “I think slow just went out of our vocabulary, Ruby. And I don’t mind one fucking bit.”

“IF YOU make me go through those questions one more time, my eyes are going to cross,” Andi groans as she watches me shuffling the notecards before setting them down on the cushion between us.

We’re sitting in my living room, our newly dedicated study place after having been kicked out of the tutoring center due to my reward system for whenever Andi answers correctly. As much as Mrs. Marsh loves me, she didn’t love the kisses I gave Andi, who I was beginning to suspect was studying on her own at home, because all of a sudden, she started having the right answer more often than not.

“Babe, your first quiz is next week, and your first exam isn’t long after. I know it’s tedious and boring, but I told you I’d make sure you pass and I’m not going back on that.” I hold up a card to her, four answers on one side, and I ask the question. “Which of the following is a physical property?”

“Grapes turned into wine,” she says quickly before she falls back against the couch and giggles. “Wait. Dammit, Cohen, you know I’m going to choose that one every time. Why would they even make that one of the choices? Ummm, it’s the iodine one.”

“See? That’s why we’re still going through these. The repetition will help when you get to the quiz. You’ll be thanking me when you ace it.”

“That’s why taking courses like this is stupid. I memorize it, answer the questions on the test, then do a massive brain dump after finals. Such a freaking waste of time,” she laments, and even though I live and breathe chemistry, I have to admit that she has a point. “Seriously, Cohen. We’ve gone through these questions every single day this week, and four times already today. If we do it any more, my brain is going to turn to mush. I’m already freaking out about meeting your family tomorrow. I need a distraction, and this isn’t helping.” She takes the stack of cards, places them on the coffee table, and then crawls across the couch towards me. “According to my tally, you owe me at least twenty kisses from all my correct answers and I think it’s time you pay up.”

I turn so I’m resting against the back of the couch just as she straddles my lap. We’ve been studying like this every day this week, and every time, we end up in this position. When I told her that I wanted to go slow, I meant what I said. Even though it hasn’t been easy, I’ve held firm on that stance since the first morning in her kitchen.

I’ve also cooled it on the whole feelings talk. After having declared her my girlfriend, we spent the day together, hanging out with her roommates, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Since then, we’ve been practically inseparable—something that would normally be giving me anxiety. But on the contrary, I’ve found myself missing her when she’s not around. I chalk it up to having lost time to make up for, and I think Andi feels the same.

Even though we’ve been studying at my place, we always end up at her house by the end of the night, where I have the safety net of having her roommates around. I’m afraid that, if I end up alone with her in my apartment, in my bed, I’m not going to be able to contain myself. Like that first night, we’ve still only gone as far as making out like teenagers, and I haven’t even made a move to go to second base. Each night, I sleep with my shirt on, much to Andi’s disapproval, but I’m determined to do things the right way this time. My mind’s already so clouded with the intensity of my feelings for her, and the last thing I want is for sex to complicate things all over again.