Edible (42 page)

Married. Wedlock. Matrimony.

A union between two people who love one another
.

No matter which way it was described or how she looked at it, she was—

Oh, holy shit. I, Rachel Langley—

Scratch that. I, Rachel
Madison
, am now a wife! And not just anyone’s wife,
she thought as she looked over her shoulder to the large bed in her cramped bedroom.
I’m Cole’s wife.

Turning back to the mirror in front of her, Rachel examined the woman staring back. She didn’t
look
any different…well, except for the bright purple streaks she had reapplied last night at Cole’s request.

No, the woman staring back at her was exactly the same. Except now, she felt like she had found a missing piece, a piece that had been so well-disguised she had almost overlooked him.

Zipping up the hoodie she had pulled on to pair with her yoga pants, she walked around to the side of the bed where Cole was lying as peaceful as she had ever seen him. With his eyes closed and his dark lashes kissing his cheeks, his face took on a boyish quality that was lost when those serious magnetic eyes were open and focused.

Awake, he was a powerful force that she couldn’t resist. Asleep, he was a peaceful picture she wished she could emulate.

This weekend had been a whirlwind of emotions for both of them, and just like Rachel, he seemed to be exhausted from everything that had taken place.

“This is you and Cole when he was five,” Rachel told Lydia as she pointed to the little boy in the image holding a young woman’s hand. He was peering up at his mother with a smile reserved only for the young and innocent.

It was incredible to look at the man standing on the other side of this virtual stranger and realize that the boy and man was one and the same.

“Cole was my son?” Lydia asked her.

Rachel felt a lump catch in her throat as she raised her eyes to silently offer Cole any comfort he might need. He, however, was focused on his mother, and Rachel could see the pain etched across his features.

“I don’t remember,” Lydia confessed, shaking her head.

Rachel watched Cole sit down beside his mom as she turned to face him. Rachel almost fell apart as Lydia voiced her confusion.

“Where is he? Is he okay? He’s so little.”

Cole reached out and took her hand. When he held it firmly in his own, he placed two white wax paper squares in her hand.

Caramels.

“It’s okay, Lydia. He’s okay. In fact, he is the happiest he has ever been.”

Rachel looked over the older woman’s gray hair, and when her eyes met Cole’s, she could sense the heartache, but she could also see the gratitude and love he had for her.

“You like caramels, right?” he asked his mother as he tore his eyes from Rachel’s.

“Yes. Yes, I do. How did you know?”

That was when the mischief came back into his eyes as he winked at both women.

“Lucky guess. After all, who doesn’t like caramel?”

“Not worrying about tonight, are you?”

Cole’s lazy deep voice jolted Rachel back to reality. Focusing on her—
wow, husband
, who was now sitting up in her bed—
Hang on, is it now our bed?
—Rachel watched him run a hand through his messy blond hair.

“Nope, not at all,” she answered.

“You’re a terrible liar, Mrs. Madison.”

Hearing him say her new name out loud sent a shiver down her spine, and looking at him naked in her bed for the first time made her thighs tighten.

“I’m not lying.”

“Yes, you are. When you lie, you get a frown line here.” He indicated the center of his forehead.

Rachel felt herself doing exactly that.

“It’s okay to be nervous about telling everyone,” he assured her as he moved out of the bed and walked toward her. “These are the people you love and care about.”

Scoffing a little at that, Rachel shook her head while she wrapped her arms around his neck as he encircled her waist.

“These are people who are going to not only give
me
hell, but they’ll also possibly kick
your
ass,” she said as seriously as she could.

Rachel felt Cole’s chest shake as she looked up into his laughing eyes.

“I’m glad you find this so amusing,
husband
.”

“Oh, I like that,” he drawled.

“Yes. I can tell,” Rachel sassed, pushing her clothed hips against his naked ones.

“Say it again.”

“I’m glad you fin—”

Rachel was cut off as he slid his hand into her hair and gripped it tightly, pulling her head back. Her mouth parted slightly on an excited exhale.

Oh yeah, there it is—that undeniable sex factor. God, the man has it in spades.

“Not. That,” he said with a feral smile, enunciating each word.

Swiping her tongue across her parted lips, Rachel smoothed her palms down his back, and as the arm around her waist pulled her closer, she let out a soft squeak.

“Husband,” she said on a sigh.

Lowering his mouth to her ear, he lasciviously demanded, “Again.”

“
Husband
.” She panted as the hand at her waist moved between her thighs.

“Again.”

Rachel closed her eyes as Cole stroked back and forth against the flimsy yoga material while his fingers in her hair flexed and tightened. She thrust her hips forward, brushing against his naked cock.

As a familiar piece of knowledge asserted itself in her mind, she took the opportunity to have a little
fun
with him. “My
husband
is detaining me, thus making me late for work, which is something he once told me shows such a lack of dedication to my final destination.”

Rachel felt sharp teeth nip her earlobe.

He explained, “I only care about your dedication if
I’m
your final destination.”

Just as she was about to retort, she felt a low moan bubble from her throat as his fingertips began to circle her piercing.

“Cole, I need to go to work, and so do you.”

“I don’t care,” he mumbled against her hair before he took a deep breath in.

“Yes, you do. You told me last night you had to wrap up a few things.”

As Cole’s lips found hers, he kissed her fiercely, sinking his tongue deep inside her mouth. Rachel tried to hold on to her emotions as they swirled and her desire heightened. She did need to go to work, but right now, she didn’t want to go anywhere, except back to bed with her husband.

As he pulled his mouth from hers, he looked down at her with such intensity and love that Rachel found herself tumbling back as she remembered the way he had looked at her this past Saturday morning.

“I, Cole James Madison, ask you, Rachel Catherine Langley, to stand beside me through the toughest battles and harshest critics, namely your brother, and to lie beside me through the calmest of nights. I ask you to continue being the exact person you are today and to never be anyone but the woman who turned me into this impulsive man who stands before you here today.”

Cole squeezed her fingers in his, and his gaze stayed locked onto hers. He was intent on only one thing, and that was the woman in front of him.

“I was not expecting you, and that’s what makes me so sure. Nothing this perfect could be anything other than right. So, Rachel Catherine Langley, will you be my wife?”

Cole could feel his chest rise and fall against the most beautiful breasts he had ever seen, and Rachel—
ahh, yes, my wife
—was staring up at him, her eyes shining with all the desire and love he craved from her.

“Look, I don’t want you to worry about your brother, okay? I don’t think it’s funny that Mason and Joshua will be upset tonight because I know how that will hurt you. I do find it amusing that you are concerned for my safety.”

Her eyes narrowed quickly, and he was surprised to see the annoyance that flashed into them. The look made him instantly stop what he was doing with his active hand as he released his hold of her hair.

“What’s wrong?”

“You think it’s amusing that I’m worried about you?” she ruminated.

“No, I suppose amusing is the wrong word. I find it endearing but unnecessary. No offense, Rachel, but Mason doesn’t really strike me as the type who fights with his fists. As for Joshua, he pays me, and we have a working contract. I’m far too valuable to him alive, and he needs me on his side, so he wouldn’t beat me up and risk losing my business.”

She remained silent as she stared at him. She was still unconvinced by the looks of it.

“Plus, Joshua knows I am quite adept in martial arts. I could put him down in three seconds flat.”

That’s it.
That was obviously what she had either wanted or needed to hear because a huge grin slid across her face.

“Does that mean you’ll come and spar with me at the gym later?” she prompted.

Deciding things were all back on course, Cole made his way to the tiny bathroom connected to her bedroom. When he got to the door, he looked over his shoulder.

“I’d love to spar with you, anytime and anyplace, you choose. Just promise not to damage my pretty face.”

As he continued into the bathroom to take a shower, he was happy to hear Rachel’s carefree laugh.

“Arrogant jerk,” she called out loud enough to ensure he heard her.