Edible (29 page)

After a warm shower, Rachel was naked and lying in bed beside Cole as she ran her hand down over his chest to the tattoo of the wolf.

This man, who she was currently pressed up against, continually threw her off balance. Tonight, she had expected that she would be on the giving end of the equation, but unlike Ben, she was finding that Cole had the ability to change and adapt.

He was capable of letting go of his rules and demands if something felt better. He also gave her the opportunity to explore her own desires without the pressure of punishment if she didn’t
obey
.

This whole relationship they had entered into felt different, yet it still evoked the same side of her that Ben once had. While Ben had been cruel with the power he wielded, Cole used his to persuade, arouse, and ultimately, bring her the most pleasure she had ever felt.

Cole was a man who exuded confidence. He projected strength and determination in every aspect of his life, and it only made sense that he would carry it over to the bedroom. This wasn’t a man who was playing at anything; this was a man who lived the only way he knew how. Yes, it just happened to roll over into the sexual aspect of his life.
And aren’t I the lucky one?

She rolled over to her side, so she was looking down at him. “Do these all have some specific meaning?”

Cole looked down at her finger tracing over his skin. With a question of his own, he answered, “What do you think?”

Lifting her eyes from her finger’s path, Rachel stated plainly, “I don’t think you do anything without some kind of motive or meaning.”

“Well then, you have your answer, don’t you?”

Frustrated with him, Rachel lifted her hand and pinched the nipple near the wolf.

Almost immediately, one of his large hands came down on top of hers. “Careful,” he cautioned.

“Well, answer me. Why do you always deflect?”

“Why aren’t you more specific?” he countered, still pressing her palm to his piercing.

“Fine. What does the wolf mean? Even though I can probably guess.”

Cole lifted his hand and placed it back under his head. “Well, that sounds interesting. I want to hear your thoughts on it.”

Rachel pouted as she stared down into his twinkling eyes. “So, you can laugh at me?”

He reached out one of his hands and twisted a piece of her hair around his finger. “No, I want to see what you think you know about me.”

Rachel went back to her imaginary finger painting over the dark ink. The tat was of a wolf facing forward. With his tail in the air, his snout and two front paws stalked toward her.

“I think this has something to do with your personality and how you see yourself—possibly as a lone wolf. For me, I see it as stealth and power.” She stopped and stared up into burning eyes. “An alpha male.”

She knew she hit the nail on the head because Cole made a show of smiling at her while baring his teeth.

“All the better to eat me with?” she questioned with a small giggle.

He hugged her in close. Instead of answering, he asked, “Aren’t you tired, Rachel? I don’t know how you do all that you do.”

Rachel rubbed her cheek against his side as she ran her fingers down the center of his chest and then over to where the silhouette was intricately inked down his ribs. Shifting in the bed, Rachel scooted away from him to really look at the side profile of the lady. She was so delicate yet strong, etched forever into this complex man’s skin.

“Don’t deflect. What about this one?”

“No theories?” he pushed.

Rachel didn’t really want to voice the one thing that came to mind, so she remained silent.

“Really? Nothing comes to mind?” he pushed as he stroked a finger down her scrunched up nose. “I think you’re thinking of something. Tell me. Nothing you say will annoy me, and nothing you say will make me mad.”

Rachel took his finger in her hand and looked up at him with cautious eyes. “A girlfriend?”

Shaking his head, Cole swore solemnly, “Nothing on my body is a souvenir of long-lost love, Rachel. I don’t believe in making something permanent unless I am one hundred percent sure I won’t regret it.” Reaching up to the back of her head, he stroked a palm down her hair. “That being said, this is for my mother, whom I love very much.”

Rachel felt her heart swell at Cole’s intimate confession.

“Is she…” Rachel paused, not quite sure how to ask the looming question.

“Alive? Yes, but she’s no longer with me.”

Frowning, Rachel was confused by his answer. She pulled herself up, so she was hovering over him. Daring to cup his cheek, she turned his face, forcing his eyes to fixate on her instead of the ceiling.

“What do you mean? Did she leave you?”

Cole’s eyes took on a haunted look, fracturing a part of her that she hadn’t realized she had taken him into, as he whispered, “Yes, and she’s never coming back.”

Before Rachel could ask more, Cole wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. “No more questions tonight. Sleep, Rachel. Sleep, and have peaceful dreams for the both of us.”

Closing her eyes, she rested her cheek on the wolf and placed her hand on his chest, trying to soothe the beast. As she drifted off to sleep, she found herself wondering if Cole Madison knew that he had somehow managed to infiltrate her body, mind, and soul.

As Rachel waved good-bye to Katie, a potential new employee for Precious Petals, she felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Rachel liked Katie, and if no one else bothered to show up for interviews, she would be more than happy to hire her.

Moving around her shop, Rachel stopped in front of a bouquet of colorful tulips and took a moment to picture her mother tending to her garden back at the little yellow house that currently sat empty. The house had once been so full of life, and it still held all her most important memories, so it always amazed Rachel that it was now lifeless and sitting for sale.

Shaking her head, she turned away from the tulips and reminded herself that this week was all about finding a way to move forward and to decide what she wanted in life, not to let herself be overwhelmed by the loss she had been feeling for quite some time now.

Naturally, the thought of moving forward automatically made her think of Cole.

Now, there is definitely a welcome distraction. Who knew?

He had marched into her life and demanded she let him in, and with that, he had reintroduced her to a side she had tried to deny.

When Cole had dropped her home this morning, he appeared like the professional businessman he was. It was hard to imagine him as the lover who had taken her on his kitchen floor. Then, he’d leaned over, kissed her, and pressed his card into her hand with the suggestion to come and find him for lunch.

Looking up at the clock, she saw it was two forty-five. She had told him she could just close the shop a little early and be there at three thirty. If she wanted to make it into the city and on time, just the way he liked it, she needed to leave now.

Grabbing her purse, she glanced in the mirror and blew her reflection a kiss, making herself a promise to just go with it, follow her instincts, and let it take her where it would.

And, right now, that was to Cole.

Cole was across town and seated behind his desk in the middle of a much longer than expected conference call. As he glanced up at the clock, he clenched his teeth as the big hand shifted to three forty-five.
Shit
. He was late for lunch with Rachel.

As Mr. Fogerty, one of their top clients, continued on about how he was not responsible for the fact that one of his employees was suing him for wrongful termination, Cole looked over to Logan. Logan was sitting on Cole’s couch, examining his nails and looking exceedingly bored. He finally raised his eyes and rolled them behind his glasses.

Cole gestured him over and continued taking notes, giving Mr. Fogerty noncommittal answers. Logan stood, smoothed his jacket, and walked over to Cole’s desk. Switching to a separate page, Cole scrawled:
Woman in lobby. Name is Rachel. Go get her.

Logan picked up the paper and read its instructions. As he glanced down at Cole, he tapped the note with his opposite hand. “What does she look like?” he asked in a hushed tone.

Looking him dead in the eye, Cole whispered, “Like a woman you will only ever dream about but will never have the balls to take.”

Logan chuckled as he made his way to the door. “That good, huh?”

“Yes, that good. And Logan?” Cole hissed quietly as he covered the mic to the speakerphone. “Hands and eyes off.”

Opening the office door, Logan turned back at the last moment just to irritate Cole. “How am I going find her if I can’t get a good look at her?”

“Mr. Fogerty?” Cole interrupted his client.

“Yes, Mr. Madison?”

“Can you hold for one minute?”

“Sure, Madison, but don’t keep me waiting too long.”

Cole pressed the mute button and glared over at his partner, who was currently giving him a what-did-I-say look.

“Keep your charm to yourself, Logan. There are plenty left in the world for you to choose from. Just go get her, and don’t ogle her.”

Logan laughed as he held his hands up in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. It’s refreshing to realize you still acknowledge that I have more charm in my little finger than you do in your whole body.”

“Just get her, would you? And don’t try anything.”

“Okay, message received. No need to be so possessive.”

“Logan,” Cole warned in a voice that was low and slightly more annoyed than even he expected. “I mean it. Don’t try anything. She’s with me.”

As Logan moved through the open door, he turned back to Cole for one last jab. “Does she know that?”

Logan left, and Cole hit the speaker button and let Mr. Fogerty know he had returned. Distracted, Cole thought back to last night. He was certain of one thing: Without a doubt in his mind, Rachel knew exactly who she was with
.

Rachel was seated, along with several other people, in the very impressive lobby of Mitchell & Madison’s Law Firm. As she let her eyes move around her plush surroundings, she reminded herself that there was no need to feel intimidated. It was one thing to tell herself that, but in reality, the marble floors, leather couches, and expensive paintings on the walls were all
very
damn intimidating.

Pulling out her phone, she glanced down at time: 3:46 p.m. He was late, which was very unlike him.

Maybe he changed his mind?
No, the perfectly put-together Shelly look-alike behind the mahogany desk had buzzed through and told Cole she was here.
So, he must just be busy.

Rachel pushed her loosely curled streaked hair behind her shoulders as she crossed one leg over the other. Leaning back into the soft leather couch, she glanced down at her black cheetah leggings with a grimace. She had paired them with knee-high leather boots and a black dress that stopped near her upper thigh and molded to her body like a second skin. Lastly, she had coupled the outfit with a long cream cardigan.
Yep, I definitely do not fit in here.

Just as she was starting to have serious doubts about being there, one of the large glass doors to the left opened, and a man dressed in a gray pinstripe suit came out into the lobby. The receptionist immediately perked up and smiled at him as she nodded in Rachel’s direction.