Tangled Up Hearts (28 page)

Cole muttered and shifted in his chair and Alyssa opened her eyes with a sigh. She needed to finish his dinner and get the heck out of there. So with that in mind, she completed her task and prepared a tray. When it was finally ready, she drew in a fortifying breath and carried it to her sleeping patient.

After setting the tray down on the coffee table, she moved towards him, intending to shake him awake
but her hand paused in mid-air. He looked so drawn, the plains of his face more pronounced. Was he not eating well? Funny how she hadn’t noticed that last night. Maybe it was just because his face was shadowed with whiskers. Even so, he still projected a charming appeal. She felt a curious tug at her heart, its rhythm jumping into an erratic beat. Without thinking, she let her hand drop to that lock of hair resting across his forehead and gently brushed it back. He had the softest hair. She let her fingers sift through it, her mind in a daze.

When it finally registered what she was doing, she snatched her hand away. But then her wayward eyes refused to listen to her head and dropped to look at his chest. My oh my but he was gorgeous. How could she not admire his fit, muscular frame? Sprawled as he was, even passed out drunk, he still managed to look sexy as sin.

Giving an inward groan of self-disgust, Alyssa frowned with annoyance at her thoughts. Since when had she ever thought Cole was sexy? Years ago when she was very young and impressionable. Always. Annoyed by that last admission, she backed away. For cripe sake, now was not the time to start admiring Cole. Okay, so he was handsome, virile, a perfect specimen of a man, what did it really matter? He didn’t like her. Perhaps it was best that way. “Cole, wake up.” She nudged his bare foot with her sneaker. “Cole, wake up.”

Muttering unintelligibly, Cole moved his foot away from hers. Alyssa gently nudged him again. He cracked open his eyes and looked at her through his long lashes. She wished he'd stop doing that.

“What's your problem now?”

She took another step back and picked his coffee cup up from the tray. “You need to eat something. It will help soak up some of that alcohol.”

Cole shut his eyes. “I’m not hungry.”

Glad to have annoyance replace her feminine appreciation for his body, Alyssa stepped closer to him and shook his shoulder, this time more forcibly. “Cole, wake up.“

"Damn.” Irritation flitted across his face. “Why must you always make such a pest of yourself?” He pushed himself up and leaned forward. Elbows resting on knees, he buried his head into his hands.

Alyssa didn't let his words bother her. If she'd been Trisha, he would have probably said the same thing. “You need to sober up, Cole. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day and you are not going to be very helpful if you’re suffering from a hang-over.” She offered him the cup of coffee. “Here, take this.”

Cole lifted his head and eyed the cup with some distrust then when he realized what it was, he took it from her and downed half the contents. Heaving a weary sigh of submission, he straightened in his chair and gave her a grim nod. “Okay. I’ll eat.”

Alyssa brought the tray to him and set it down on his lap. Cole gave it a wary look, his face a slight shade of green. "I hope to hell I can keep that down." He jabbed his fork into it and took a bite, then another. “Mmm. Not bad.”

Ridiculously pleased with the half-baked compliment, Alyssa did her best not to show it. She sat down on his black leather sofa and watched him put the omelet away in record time. Her brow arched when he sat the tray on the coffee table and sprawled back against his chair. “Did you even taste it?”

“Look, I ate it. I drank your coffee. What more do you want?”

“Well, I guess there is nothing left to do but sleep. You should be better in the morning.”

Cole snickered at that. “I doubt it. My head feels as if it’s ready to implode at any moment. Maybe you should take cover.”

“Wait right there.” Alyssa went back to the bathroom and rummaged around in his medicine cabinet. Cole suffered from migraines from time to time and she knew that alcohol often brought on an attack. It was probably why he didn't drink much. So what caused this bout with the bottle?

She found his migraine medication, read to see how many pills to give him and filled a glass with cold water. He looked like he was asleep when she rejoined him but he stirred and opened
his eyes when she knelt next to him. Her eyes holding his, she lifted his good hand and placed the pill in his palm. “Take this, Cole. It will help with the headache.” It would also put him to sleep for the bottle indicated that the medication caused drowsiness. Hopefully, he’d wake up tomorrow without any ill effects from his night of drinking.

Cole tossed the pill into his mouth and drank the entire glass of water before handing the empty tumbler back to her. Giving her a wink to show his thanks, he once again slunk back against his chair and closed his eyes.

Figuring it best to leave him be and let the medicine take effect before she tried moving him to the bedroom, she left him in peace and went to clean up the kitchen. Once that task was done, she made herself a cup of coffee then idly walked around his living room. His drafting table was covered in plans for what looked like an outside shopping mall. She was still studying it when Cole made a sound and she hurried over to him.

“You think you can make it to the bedroom, Cole? You need to sleep this off.”

Cole opened his eyes just enough to look at her. “You coming with me?”

Her cheeks stinging with heat, Alyssa shook her head. “No, but I will help you get there.”

Cole heaved a long sigh and staggered to his feet. "Good God but my head hurts like fricken hell." He put a hand to his forehead and went still for a moment. "Whoa." His other hand grasped at the chair. "The room is not so steady right now is it?"

"It's you who is unsteady, Cole." She couldn't help but laugh but she kept it soft, knowing loud noises were going to hurt.

Cole stayed right where he was and waited until he got his equilibrium stabilized before he took another step. Determined to manage on his own, he did his best to focus
but it wasn't easy. In the meantime he was well aware that his beautiful nemesis was watching him with much amusement. Christ, just how much did he drink anyway? His memory was fuzzy but he vaguely recalled starting last night and then doing some more when he woke up late this afternoon. Whoever said the best way to combat a hang-over was to have another drink had to be stark, raving mad. He took another tentative step and hit his shin on an end table. “Damn it.” Sucking in his breath, Cole leaned down to rub away the pain and lost his balance. Luckily he hadn't made it far from his chair and was able to grab it for support.

Amused yet concerned, Alyssa watched him for a moment then let out a sigh as she put an arm around his lean waist. “Come on, let me help you.”

Cole draped an arm across her shoulders. “I don’t need any help.” But he leaned on her quite a bit, staggering her under his weight.

They made slow progress to his bedroom and she was breathing heavily by the time they made it to Cole’s rumpled bed. From the looks of it, he must have had a very restless night.

“Here you go.” Alyssa moved out from under his arm then gasped when he fell back on the bed and pulled her down along with him. Stunned to be splayed across his chest, she immediately tried to scramble off him when his arms folded around her and tightened.

“Let go, Cole.” Drunk or not, his strength was not diminished in the least. She lifted her head a few inches from his and looked into his drowsy gaze. “Cole, you need to sleep this off. Now let me go.” She tried to inject firmness into her voice but the words came out in a breathless whisper. It was hard to breathe when her heart was pounding at such a frantic pace.

“What’s your hurry, sweetheart?” He lifted a hand and tangled it in the thickness of her hair. “You have beautiful hair.” His fingers spread wide and massaged her scalp. “I love long hair and yours is just so soft, like strands of silk.”

Alyssa caught her breath. He must be drunker than she thought. Cole hated her long hair. Didn't he? “Let me go, Cole.” Once again she tried to struggle loose but her squirming was having an effect on him that sent an answering desire spiraling through her own body. Once realization set in that she was only exciting him more, she stilled at once and closed her eyes. Oh God but she was in trouble.

Cole let out a low gravelly groan and in one surprisingly fluid movement he rolled over and pressed her down onto the mattress. Once he settled himself comfortably against her, he buried his face in her hair, his breath tickling her scalp and sending shivers down her spine. He stayed there for several seconds then raised himself up onto his elbows so he could look into her eyes. Then, while holding her gaze, he adjusted their bodies until one leg rested between hers, pinning her intimately beneath him. “You are so beautiful, Alyssa.” He lowered his head and nuzzled her hair, his warm breath tickling the sensitive skin at her temple.

Unable to contain her growing excitement, Alyssa let out a gasp of sensual pleasure and arched into him, making him groan low and soft.

“You smell so damn good.”

Responding to him with encouraging moves like that was not what she should be doing, no matter how good he felt. So Alyssa forced herself to lie still and quiet. Not an easy thing to do when her body was in a tizzy of heated excitement. Try as she did to fight against the sensations Cole’s body was invoking, it was a useless endeavor. She felt pretty close to heaven right now and who in their right mind would deny paradise?

Cole turned his head and slid his lips along her neck then across her shoulder. Alyssa shivered in response and once again arched against him. She couldn't help it, she craved him. Cole lifted his head and looked at her, his eyes searing right through to her soul. Confused by the emotions rioting through her, she could do nothing but stare back at him. Was this real to him or was he under the effects of medication and alcohol?

Cole's eyelids lowered until he was peering at her through his lashes. “Alyssa.”

The hoarse emotion in his voice made her melt inside. She was liquefying to hot mush and she needed to get out of there. Now. But the desire racing through her veins made it impossible for her to move.

Then her logic kicked in and along with it her sense of honor. As much as they both seemed to want it, to take this any further would be a monumental mistake. Once Cole was sober and his head clear, he would regret it and so would she. There would be no going back from it.

So gritting her teeth and steeling herself against the protest her body was going to launch into once they separated, Alyssa renewed her struggle to break free. “Let me up, Cole.” She pushed against his chest but when she felt the firm skin and toned muscles, she couldn't stop herself from exploring just a little more. Excitement raced from her fingertips to her heart to her feminine core. As her body squirmed beneath him, she began to focus on his arousal and found herself pressing against it, her legs spreading wider to accommodate him. Her breathing roughened as Cole too struggled to breathe.

“Damn it. Stop moving. You're killing me.” He lifted his mouth from its exploration of her neck and lowered his head for a kiss, his lips parting on an intake of breath before brushing hers ever so lightly.

Alyssa could no more stop her chin from rising than she could control her ragged breathing. She pressed her lips to his and felt his groan, the rumble in his chest vibrate against her breasts. His mouth moved in slow, thorough caresses, his tongue seeking entrance then tangling with hers. Alyssa moaned in sensual appreciation, loving the way he plundered her mouth, the feel of his lips against hers. She gave up trying to resist and encircled his neck with her arms but it wasn't enough. Until they were naked and joined, it wasn't going to be enough.

Cole’s hard body pressed into her softness as his leg began to move in erotic intimacy against her. He lifted his head to let out a groan then reclaimed her mouth with growing impatience.

Now it was Alyssa who had to pull her head away and draw in a deep breath. She needed air. She needed so much more.

Cole groaned as a shudder wracked his body and bent to kiss her ear, her hair, her brow, his lips moving in sensual exploration, heating her skin, leaving her highly sensitized to his every touch. Desire curled and spread, intensifying to the point that she felt languid, unable to think. It heightened into an ache she was almost desperate to assuage.

“Cole. Cole, please.” Her hands caught his face and pulled his head down to her parted lips. Groaning deep in his throat, Cole’s tongue twisted with hers then retreated, only to come back for more. He turned his mouth this way and that, increasing the pressure then letting up to feathery touches. Their passion grew in desperation and, oh God, she wanted him. She wanted him in a fierce way. Her skin trembled everywhere, warm sweat coating them both. Her breasts grew heavy and ached for his touch. Needing more contact, she pressed against his naked chest and delighted in the feel of his skin as her hands fluttered from his firm shoulders to his chest then down across his taut stomach.

Cole’s muscles tightened and twitched and he lifted his head to drag in a breath then let out a long, low groan. “God, Alyssa. Do you have any idea how much I want you?” Before she could answer, his mouth plundered hers for another earth-shattering kiss, his silken tongue teasing her into a frenzy of longing. A moan rose from within her soul and Alyssa yanked her mouth away, needing to free the sound and pull in some oxygen. She was seriously beginning to pant like a feline in heat. Good God, how to put a stop to ecstasy?

Cole’s hand moved down her leg then slowly up her inner thigh and Alyssa squirmed with expectations of untold pleasure. Her head turned from side to side as her entire focus zeroed in on his roaming hand. Waiting. Wanting. It was with agonizing slowness that he moved higher and the intense ache it provoked made her moan with increased expectation. Little spirals of desire coiled again and again until she was nearly losing her mind with need. It was so intense she thought she would go insane if Cole didn’t do something to alleviate it.