Resisting Her (21 page)

Cole remained speechless in the center of the
laundry room as Marissa opened the door and strolled away. He shook
his head and followed her back to the kitchen.

Cole had gotten rid of Marissa and Liam after
breakfast, then he’d carried Savannah back to bed. She had begged
him to let her shower first, and he’d finally released her. “Try
and make it a quick one.”

As she stood in front of the large mirror
waiting for the water to heat, Savannah looked at the nude
reflection before her. Her chest was high and perky, her stomach
soft, but mostly flat, her thighs a bit bigger than she would have
liked, but she couldn’t deny that for the first time — maybe ever —
she felt beautiful.

Whenever Cole looked at her, a certain flush
caused her cheeks to glow, her stomach to flutter, and she felt
completely wanted and desirable. But last night was the first time
he’d acted on the desire she’d sensed burned inside him too. She
was happy and relieved to see that the harsh light of morning, and
Marissa’s pointed stares, hadn’t done anything to dampen his
interest. As soon as the front door had closed on their overnight
guests, Cole had pulled her mouth to his, his hands settling on her
hips. They’d kissed softly, deeply, unlike the frenzied storm of
last night, while he walked her backwards down the hallway towards
his bedroom. Then he’d lifted her as though she weighed nothing at
all and placed her carefully in the center of the bed and just
looked at her.

Savannah tucked away the memory of hunger
burning in his dark gaze and stepped under the stream of water.

The blissfully hot spray cascaded down her
body and, even though she wanted to stand there and enjoy the
warmth, she found herself rushing, if only to get back Cole a
little quicker. She lathered her hair with the pink grapefruit
shampoo and then tipped her head to rinse the suds. After working
the conditioner through her long strands, she stepped out of the
direct spray of the water to soap up her body from head to toe.
Once she was sure she was clean, she rinsed her hair and shut off
the water. It was only then she noticed a large form on the other
side of the glass. Her heart flew into her throat. “Cole!” She
grabbed a towel from the hook and quickly wrapped it around
herself. “You scared me. How long were you watching me?”

He looked down sheepishly. Savannah’s gaze
followed his.
Oh my.
His large erection pressed against the
thin cotton pants. “Long enough,” he muttered, his voice thick.

She smiled and her heart began to slow. She
grabbed a second towel to wrap around her dripping hair.

“I’m just going to jump in quick.” Cole gave
her a kiss and then stepped out of his pajama pants and into the
shower.

The idea of watching Cole shower was more
appealing than going to get dressed, and she stood there
momentarily distracted by the streams of water running down his
lean body, over the lines of his six-pack abs, and she shivered.
Her gaze wandered lower. He was still half-hard and she felt
herself growing warm all over.

Wanting to step under the water with him, she
made herself flee the bathroom and darted to the guest room. She
dressed in panties and a tank top and partially dried her hair so
it didn’t turn into a crazy frizzy mess. Then she waited for him in
his bed.

She pulled the sheets around her body and
snuggled in to his pillow, inhaling his scent with each breath.
Cole emerged a few minutes later, his skin still damp and
glistening with tiny droplets of water, and a white towel fastened
around his hips.

“You better not have gotten dressed under
there,” he whispered, leaning down to plant a kiss on her
mouth.

She swallowed. “You’ll just have to come find
out.” If this is what flirting was like, sign her up. Cole made her
feel alive and deliriously happy, like all her senses were
heightened and she would never stop smiling. But she didn’t have
much time to examine her feelings, because he let the towel drop
from his hips and stood before her, fully hard and insanely hot.
Savannah gave in, throwing back the blankets and crawling across
the bed until she was face to face with his manhood. Kneeling on
all fours, she aligned her mouth with his waiting cock. He looked
down and stroked her jaw. Savannah placed sweet kisses along the
head and shaft, but when her tongue darted out to taste the tip,
his hips jerked forward and he let out a groan. Enjoying having him
completely at her mercy, Savannah wrapped a hand around his base
and slipped her mouth around him, sliding back and forth.

He cursed and buried his hands in her hair.
She began losing herself in his pleasure, rocking her hips and
adding little moans of her own.

Cole’s hand moved from her hair, trailing
down her back and cupped her ass. His fingers found their way
inside her panties to her damp center. He massaged that spot he
seemed to instinctually know brought her pleasure. She gasped and
rocked against his hand, while continuing to pleasure him with her
mouth.

Savannah was soon soaking wet and ready, and
Cole’s firm hand on her jaw brought her back to reality, if only
for a second. She lifted her eyes to his, her mouth still full of
him. “Fuck, that’s a pretty sight.” He stroked her cheek with his
thumb, and watched in reverence as she continued her slow, steady
movements. The desire etched into his features was about to undo
her.

Cole suddenly lifted her, situating her so
she was on her back so fast she wasn’t even sure what had happened.
He peeled off her panties and then he was on top of her, pushing
her tank top up to kiss her breasts.

“Are you sure you’re not too sore?” His eyes
flicked up to hers while he planted damp kisses all along her chest
and in between her breasts.

She knew what she wanted, and it wasn’t to
discuss
that
. She wrapped a leg around his hip, pulling him
in closer. “Cole. Condom. Now.”

He chuckled against her throat and released
her only long enough to fumble at the nightstand. She heard the
sound of a package crinkling and then he was back to kissing her.
Their mouths moved together in a frantic collision of gliding
tongues and subtle moans.

Cole lifted himself off of her just enough to
reach between them. His eyes stayed locked on hers as he positioned
himself at her entrance and gently pushed forward. She wrapped both
legs around his back, locking her ankles and angled up to meet his
careful thrusts.

He planted a soft kiss on her mouth and
pushed forward again, slipping inside her in a blinding sensation
of heat and fullness. Her back arched from the bed and he tucked
his face in against her throat, kissing and murmuring sweet things
… how good she felt … how beautiful she was.

Savannah squeezed her eyes closed and matched
his pace, forcing her hips up off the bed to angle towards his.

His mouth was everywhere—near her ear so she
could hear his throaty gasps, on her neck, kissing and nibbling
against her tender flesh, covering hers in a scorching hot kiss.
She writhed underneath him, heading closer and closer to ecstasy
with every brutal thrust, each sweet kiss. “Cole,” she moaned,
lifting her hips to his one final time as wave after wave of
pleasure rocketed through her core.

He slowed his pace, seeming to understand her
need to ride out the intense burst of pleasure for as long as she
possibly could. She released a final groan and scraped her nails
down his back as she grasped at something to hold onto, something
to ground her.

Cole took her hands, pinning them above her
head and increased his rhythm, pounding into her at a steady pace
until she felt his entire body stiffen and jerk, and she knew he
had found his release, too.

He collapsed next to her in a heap, pulling
her body to his so that her back was pressed to his front. He
draped a heavy arm around her waist, anchoring her to his chest.
Savannah closed her eyes and released a soft sigh, feeling safe and
happier than she ever remembered.

Cole’s phone chimed with a new message. He
untangled his arm from around Savannah and punched in his security
code to unlock it. Shit. It was a text from Sali.

Up for hanging out later?

Savannah lifted her head from his chest and
he dropped the phone onto the coffee table in front of them. When
he dared a glance down at Savannah, he could have sworn he saw
tears swimming in her eyes, but she blinked and the effect was
gone, making him wonder if he’d only imagined the tears. They’d
been in a state of bliss for weeks—having regular sex and sleeping
together in Cole’s bed every night. Damned if he’d let Sali ruin
it.

He cupped her cheek in his palm. “Hey, I’m
staying in tonight. Just you and me.”

She managed a smile and he leaned in to kiss
her. “Okay,” she breathed.

He guided her head back to its spot in the
crook between his shoulder and neck. Sali had texted him a few
times over the past couple of weeks, and he’d tried to let her down
gently, but apparently it was time for brutal honesty. He wasn’t
interested. But he didn’t want to respond right now. Seeing the
hurt in Savannah’s eyes was too much.

He still didn’t know what this thing was with
Savannah, but he knew these past few weeks with her had changed
him. She’d given herself up so willingly; she was so vulnerable and
giving, it tore him open. He was just waiting for her to see
through him. There were times when she looked at him, really looked
at him, and he wondered if she saw his need to keep everyone at
arm’s length, unable to love after so much loss. They had yet to
have any sort of relationship discussion, but Cole had no
intentions of dating anyone else right now. And though his head
continued to be at war with his heart, he justified his
relationship with Abbie. It wasn’t really cheating since he wasn’t
sleeping with her. Was it? Fuck.

He knew Savannah was too young for him, that
she’d need to spread her wings and explore, but for now, he was
happy that he was part of the growth. And more than that, when he
got too close, he hurt people. Abbie was the perfect example of
that. He couldn’t live with himself if he did to Savannah what he
did to Abbie. He would do everything in his power to shield
Savannah from his past, even if it meant concealing the truth from
her. For now. He also didn’t know how Abbie would react to him
having someone else in his life, and he wasn’t looking forward to
having that particular conversation. When had his life gotten so
complicated?

He pulled Savannah closer and tried to push
everything else from his mind. Lingering fears over that weirdo
Dillon kept him on edge, but Savannah’s sweet presence in his life
eased some of his tension. He didn’t want to worry just now. He
smoothed a hand over Savannah’s arms, caressing her lightly. He
would handle it and keep her safe one way or another. He had
to.

“Cole?” She lifted her head.

“Hmm.” He absently trailed his fingers along
her arm.

“Can I ask you something?”

The hair on the back of his neck rose.
Crap.
He knew that this conversation was going to be about
more than which movie to watch next. “Of course.”

“What’s going to happen to us?”

He hadn’t been prepared for question. Though
any other topic was fair game between them, they’d refused to talk
about the future, sticking to topics no further ahead than what to
do for dinner, next weekend’s plans, or at the furthest—when
Cuddles’ next set of puppy shots were due. They’d existed in their
own little bubble, taking pleasure from each other’s bodies and
living comfortably together. But Savannah’s whispered conversations
on the phone with Marissa about apartment décor were not lost on
him. He wondered if she was still planning on moving out, despite
the intimacy of their new relationship. Which was for the best, he
told himself. He had no delusions of true love, soul mates,
marriage or kids. It was easier, and a hell of a lot safer, to be
on his own. He couldn’t accept just yet that Savannah might be the
one to change his mind.

“What do you mean?” he asked, stalling for
more time.

“I just wonder sometimes what you…want.” Her
expression was so open, so honest, he could read her like a
book

He turned to face her, holding her jaw in his
hand. “I’m not going anywhere, Savannah.” He pressed a soft kiss to
her mouth. He knew it wasn’t exactly the declaration of love and
commitment she probably wanted, but it was as close as he could
get. There was still too much she didn’t know about him, too much
she wouldn’t understand. This is what he had to offer — protection,
devotion and mind-blowing sex. He hoped it was enough. Because,
damn it, he couldn’t offer her more. Not with his spectacular track
record for botching the shit out of relationships.

She nodded, seeming to accept his non answer,
and leaned in for another kiss. If the physical was all they would
share, neither of them seemed willing to squander it. Their kisses
turned heated, and he pulled her into his lap, his mouth moving
down her throat as her hands worked their way under his shirt,
tenderly massaging the muscles in his back and reaching around him
to run along his tense abs. He yanked his shirt off over his head
and her shirt and bra soon followed, landing on the floor between
the couch and coffee table. She rocked her hips against his,
discovering he was already hard. Watching her confidence grow,
seeing the look of desire reflected in her eyes, sparked his own
need. He gripped her arms, pinning them to her sides. He’d
discovered that just as much as he liked taking charge, Savannah
enjoyed being man-handled. She folded her arms behind her back,
interlaced her fingers and thrust her chest out. He held her hands
with one of his and worked his other into the front of her jeans.
He feasted on the warm tip of each breast until Savannah was crying
out and had worked her hands free to tug on his hair.