Freight Trained (10 page)

It only took a minute to drive to Cole's house.  Not nearly enough time for her to get her jitters under control.  However, this time, she didn't sit in the car and contemplate whether she would get out.  No, she put the car in park, turned off the ignition, and swung open her car door all in one fluid motion, hopping out and walking briskly up to the front door.  She was a woman on a mission. 

And then her mission fell apart thwarted by her own uncertainty.  

The house was dark, no lights shone through any downstairs windows.  She wondered whether he was home or worse, home but not alone and already "in bed" for the night.   Arm raised ready to knock, that thought made her hesitate.  And once the first doubt crept into her mind, others soon followed.

She wasn't sure how long she stood paralyzed in front of Cole's front door but knew the jig was up when the door opened.  Cole stood before her, shirtless, in only a pair of jeans, barefoot, his hair in disarray, eyes heavily lidded.  He looked as if he'd just woken.  It was a good look.  Flickering lights from the big-screen TV pulsed in the background of the otherwise darkened living room. 

One look at his sleep-sexy, disheveled state was all it took for her doubts to disappear, and her name, uttered in his gruff voice on a relieved sigh, sealed her fate.  He was right, she was his.

* * * * *

He'd known the moment a car had pulled up his drive.  The headlights had flashed through the front window.  When a few minutes passed and no doorbell or knock was forthcoming, he'd gotten up from his reclined position on the couch to investigate.  Opening the door, he hadn't expected to see Abby at such a late hour.  He also hadn't expected the rush of relief he felt upon seeing her, knowing that she'd come to him, again, even if standing immobile on his stoop for five minutes proved she was still hesitant about her decision. 

"Abby."  Her name fell from his lips, and he took the few steps that separated them, capturing her face in his hands before claiming her lips in a kiss.

He was like a man starved and Abby, his first meal.  He bit, licked, sucked, and devoured her lips.  He turned, maneuvering her through the door, closing it with his heel before turning once more, pressing her against the hard surface.  His hands raked into her hair, encountering some kind of hair thing that he ripped at with his fingers until the offending object was gone, leaving her hair free to cascade over his hands.  He gripped handfuls, tilting her head, deepening the kiss. 

His devil, in full control now, took over the show, pressing his hips into her soft, pliant stomach, grinding against her while his tongue ravaged her mouth, branding it, leaving his mark.

He was consumed by her
—
her taste, her scent, the feel of her surrounding him.

So lost in a sexually haze, he almost didn't hear her small, distressed whimper.  It played through his ears, firing tiny synapses that transmitted fright loud and clear to the small section of his brain that still held a shred of morality.  Pulling away, slightly loosening his hold on her, he looked into her fear-widened eyes and felt like a complete ass. 

Still breathing heavy, he placed his forehead to hers, lightly skimming his fingers along her scalp in a soothing gesture.  "Just give me a minute," he rasped, willing his heart rate to slow. 

His hands trailed down to her neck, caressing the soft skin.  He felt her heartbeat thumping a strong rhythm on the pads of his fingers.  He'd scared her, he'd frightened his little mouse, and the realization caused something unfamiliar to squeezed at his heart.  He backed away from her and looked down at the floor.  He raked a hand through his hair, his hand coming to rest on the back of his neck where he gave a firm squeeze.

In another minute, he had himself under control and dared to glance over at her.  She still leaned against the door, but the fright had left her eyes.  He felt the restricting noose around his heart loosen and was able to take a complete breath.

She stared right at him, not looking away while she quickly licked her lips, her pink, little tongue darting out, capturing his full attention.  "I um... I came over so we could talk." 

She gave him a weak smile, but it lit her eyes, and his own lips tugged into a smirk in response.  He held out his hand, and she hesitated only a second before taking it.  He pulled her to the couch, and they sat semi-facing each other.  Picking up the remote, he muted the sound but left the TV on for the ambient light. 

He reached over, taking her hand because for some reason, he couldn't be near her and not touch her in some way.  Her fingers were small and slim, such a contrast to his larger hands.  He traced his thumb over the delicate bone of her knuckle while he thought about the best way to apologize for something he wasn't really sorry about.  Yes, he was sorry he came on so strong, too fast, and scared her but not sorry he'd kissed her in the first place, so that left him a bit challenged by what direction he wanted to take. 

They were both quiet, the silence becoming a tangible entity in the room.  He took a deep breath finally prepared to speak, but she surprised him with the words she spoke first.  

Chapter Nine

"I'm..." Abby looked down at their joined hands suddenly unable to look at Cole
and
speak a coherent sentence at the same time.  "I'm sorry I freaked out on you back there.  I'm um... not used to that."

Cole let out a deep breath.  She heard it as well as saw the deflation of his chest as if he were releasing a weight of tension.  "You don't need to apologize."  His words came out harsh and from his slight wince, she didn't think he meant for them to.  She watched his chest as he took another deep breath.  "It was my fault.  I shouldn't have attacked you like that."

He thought she objected to his treatment of her?  "No, I liked it."  She felt a blush cover her face.  "I mean, it was just sudden.  I wasn't expecting it, and I thought we should talk first.  It wasn't your um..."  she felt her cheeks grow warmer, "forcefulness." 

She watched his eyes grow dark, and a small smirk played upon his lips.  "Well, that's good."

His short sentence was benign but felt as if it held more meaning than she actually understood, reminding her there was something important she needed to tell him.  Something that might have him changing his mind about her, again, and she wanted to get it out of the way now, rather than later.

Her butterfly friends once again took flight, only this time, they fluttered with nervous energy.  Her throat tightened as her anxiety rose, making it difficult to speak, and she coughed, trying to clear away some of the pressure.  "When I told you I wasn't used to that, I didn't mean the way you kissed me, but rather being kissed at all."  At his look of confusion, she continued, "This morning, when you kissed me," she dropped her eyes staring sightlessly at their joined hands, "that was my first real kiss.  So as you can guess, you'd be my first," she raised her head, wanting to see his reaction, "everything."

She wasn't shocked by his surprised expression.  His brows practically disappeared into his hairline.  "I suppose this changes things again," she said, in a small voice.

"The only thing it changes is my dick is even harder for you now than it was a moment ago." 

She gasped when he pulled her hand to his lap, showing her proof of his statement.

"Does that scare you, Little Mouse?"

"No," she whispered, and it was true, she wasn't scared.  Fascinated maybe, definitely intrigued by what she felt under the butter-soft denim.  Of course, she'd seen pictures of a penis, but she'd never seen one in real life nor actually touched one before.  She gave it a light squeeze, testing its size and shape, her fingers stilling when Cole expelled a hiss of breath.  "Did I hurt you?"

He squeezed her fingers more firmly against his length, guiding her hand up and then down.  "No."  His eyes were closed, and she wondered what he felt.  His expression was hard to read.  The slight wincing of his eyes denoted pain, yet the barest uplift of his lips displayed pleasure.

Encircling her wrist, he brought her hand up and lightly kissed her open palm.  Sluggishly opening his eyes, he said, "As much as I was enjoying that, you wanted to talk, and if we continue, not a whole lot of talking will get done."

He still held her hand to his lips as he spoke, and she was fascinated by the tingles that zinged up her arm from the soft brush of his lips along her sensitive skin.  She even felt the warm tip of his tongue touch the center of her palm before he released her wrist.

She folded her fingers into a fist wanting to capture and hold on to the sensation.  He leaned back on the couch, placing his feet on the coffee table, seeming to get comfortable.  He leaned his head back but turned it in her direction so he could look at her.

She took a deep breath.  Trying to make herself more comfortable as well, she slipped her feet from her flip-flops and settled at the far end of the couch, leaning her back against its arm.  Placing her feet flat in front of her, she hugged her legs while resting her chin on her knees.  She realized she'd placed herself in a defensive position, but didn't have much time to ponder her reasoning before Cole's arm whipped out, snagging her about the ankles, bringing her feet to his lap. 

The swift move vanished the shelf her chin rested on, and her spine straightened in indignation.  "Hey!"

All she received was a sly smile in return.  She gave him an eye glare that she hoped trumped his smile, but by the sound of his amused chuckle, she had a feeling she'd failed. 

"Talk, Abby.  I know you've got a million things to say, let's hear them so we can move on to the more enjoyable part."

Abby crossed her arms over her chest with a huff.  She was seriously thinking about not liking him again.  "Is that all you think about, sex?"

His eyes did a slow sweep from her head to the tips of her coral-pink tipped toes, then back up meeting her eyes.  "When you're near... yes." 

Those words, in his lazy drawl, sent tingles in pretty specific places, making her squirm.  Okay, maybe she didn't hate him.

He either didn't notice or ignored the squirm, which she was grateful for and decided it was best to get down to business.  "Okay, so please explain exactly what's going on here in detail."

He raised one brow.  Abby was always in awe and dare she say, slightly envious of people who could lift a single brow.  She remembered when she was about nine or ten, spending hours in front of the mirror, trying to teach herself how to raise one eyebrow.  She'd tried several techniques, but nothing worked and in the end, however hard she'd tried, when she lifted one brow, the other one followed.   Over time, she'd given up hope of ever learning but still, even now, when she saw someone able to do it, she couldn't help but feel cheated that she'd never mastered such a cool trick.

"What are you thinking about?"

She shook her head.  "It's silly."

He gave her foot a squeeze.  "Nothing you say is silly."

She rolled her eyes, letting him know she didn't believe that for a second but still shared her thoughts.  "I'm impressed you can raise one eyebrow.  I've always wanted to do that but never could."  He gave a bark of laughter, and she gave him a knowing smile.  "See, silly."

"Not silly, cute."

She wrinkled her nose.  Cute was reserved for puppies and kittens.  She didn't want him to see her as cute. 

His eyes were still laughing as she stared him down, waiting for him to answer her previous question.  The laughter faded from his eyes, and he faced forward, dropping his head back against the couch with a sigh.  "To be honest, I don't know what's going on.  I've never done this before, spent time with a woman other than a quick fuck." 

She sucked in a breath, and he turned his head to look at her.  "Does that shock you?"

"It's more surprising than shocking.  I can't believe you've never been in a serious relationship in all your..." she paused, not knowing his age.  "I don't know how old you are."

"Thirty.  Probably too old for you."

Abby snorted.  "You're only eight years older.  Besides, I'm used to being too young.  I started college at sixteen."

He did the one eyebrow thing again.  "I knew you were smart, being a teacher and all, but I didn't know you were a brainiac."

Wonderful, not only did he think she was cute, but now thought she was a brain, as well.  She was sorely failing at the enticing image she so desperately wanted to portray.

Wanting to change the subject from
her
back to
them
, she said, "So are you saying you want more than just sex from me?"

He faced forward again and sighed.  He was silent so long, Abby thought he wouldn't answer, but then he started talking, and she hung on his every word.

"I lived the rodeo life a long time, joined up straight out of high school.  It's not a glamorous life.  It's filled with sweat, blood, cheap booze, cheaper women.  You're on the road 24/7 never in one place for very long.  You learn not to become too attached to anything especially women and honestly, the followers or groupies or whatever you want to call them, they weren't the type you wanted attached to you.  They like to play hard, get dirty, and I would oblige them but only for a night.