Unexpected Fate (12 page)

“Daddy, I wasn’t trying to hurt him. We were just joking around.”

“Joking around? You aren’t supposed to
joke around
with boys. I need to look into that island. Ship your ass off,” he grumbles under his breath.

It’s going to be a long night.

Four long-as-hell hours later, the parents have all left. Which was a relief. Not that it isn’t fun to have everyone around, but I know we’re all ready to let loose and enjoy the night. They wanted to keep the beginning of the evening just the close families. More intimate so that way we could all spend some time with Cohen. Through the hours, more of our friends came—some of Cohen’s from school and some from Basic Training. Everyone is ready to make sure he enjoys his last night home for the next year. This is his second deployment, and I don’t think it will ever get easy.

Cohen joined the Marines after he finished his football career at University of Georgia. He probably could have gone pro, but he’s always wanted to follow his father’s footsteps and join the Marines. Then again, for a boy who wore a cape for the majority of his childhood, it makes sense that the hero inside him would win.

The first time he went overseas, I was depressed for months. Worried, sad, and heartbroken. It was hard to watch his parents struggle with their worry and his siblings deal with the fear, and everyone in general just had a hard time knowing he was fighting in the middle of a war zone.

Like his father, mine, and the rest of the father figures in our close-knit family, Cohen was special ops, and when he was deployed, it was lights out for communication. It was months until we finally heard an update from him. In the thirteen months that he was gone, he was able to call home twice.

This time, he already warned his family that this would most likely be a longer tour. A longer tour and even less of a chance that he would be able to get in contact with us often.

I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t terrified for him. Not because I have doubts in his abilities, but because of the very real fear that, no matter how trained he is, something terrible could happen to him over there.

“What’s got that frown on your face, Dani-girl?”

God, that voice.

I suck in a deep breath when I feel Cohen sit down next to me. His smell instantly surrounds the dark haven I’ve escaped to. I thought I was doing a good job hiding back here. The party had gotten pretty rowdy when the parents left. Usually, I would be right there with them, but with Liam’s words still floating around in my head, I just needed a moment to myself. To collect my thoughts and figure out a way to get him alone so I could force another talk.

When no one was looking, I walked behind the stage curtains, plopped my ass down in the middle of the floor, lay back, and let the vibrations of the DJ’s music lull me and the darkness wrap around me like a comforting hug.

“Nothing, Cohen. Just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?” he pushes.

“Are you scared?” I ask, sitting up on my elbows to look at him.

He turns his head but doesn’t speak.

Given this opportunity to take him in, I don’t waste a second. His dark eyes are looking directly into mine. Searching for what, I’m not sure, but one thing I’m certain of is that he isn’t looking at me like a man who has a girlfriend should. Or whatever she is. His hair is freshly buzzed along the sides and slightly longer on the top, which makes me wonder who cut it for him since I know I didn’t. He usually keeps it a little longer, perfect for all the times I’ve imagined running my fingers through it when I’m not in the middle of cutting it. The light beard he was sporting all year is gone, which allows his strong jaw to show. I love it when he shaves, but I also love the look of his beard. Every time he swallows, his jaw flexes in this sexy way I’ve never been able to control lusting over. Jaw porn. With Cohen, it’s a very real thing.

I am staring at his lush, full lips when I realize I have been basically lusting over his face since he sat down. Shit.

When my eyes meet his, I expect to see humor at busting me, but all I see is the mirrored hunger I know is dancing behind my green eyes. His are heated, a deep fire blazing behind them. He isn’t even attempting to hide his desire for me.

I hold my breath, waiting while the world stops spinning around me, and I go for it. Clearly, he’s taken off guard when I all but leap off the stage flooring and into his lap. My legs fall on either side of his hips, my hands dive into that freshly cut hair—enjoying the prickle of the buzz against my palms—and my lips are on him before he has a second to figure out what my intentions are. He’s solid and unmoving. If it weren’t for his strong hands holding my hips in place, I probably would have gotten up and run away.

Pulling my lips off his motionless ones, I look into his shocked eyes and feel a heated blush of embarrassment wash over me.

“Oh my God. I’m . . . I . . . I shouldn’t have done that.”

He doesn’t say anything, but he also doesn’t let go of my hips when I try to move off him. It takes me a second for the reality to hit me—I’m sitting in the shadows, straddling a very shocked Cohen Cage.

Holy crap. Okay, so maybe I really was reading too much into the last couple of weeks.

“I . . . I don’t even know what to say. I’m sor—”

My apology never leaves my lips, because in a split second, his hands tighten, pulling me harder against his body, and his thick lips crash down on mine. The feel of him, the reality of a kiss I’ve dreamt of since I was old enough to crave it, is so overwhelmingly perfect that I feel it all the way to my soul.

“We shouldn’t be doing this here,” I gasp against his lips, knowing that I don’t mean a word of it. If he stops, I just might die.

“Can’t stop, Dani-girl. Now that I finally know what you taste like . . . I can’t stop,” he moans when I shift my weight against his lap.

I can feel the truth in his words against my core, and I can’t stop myself from rotating my hips against his hardened length.

“Jesus. I knew you would make me come undone.”

His lips are back on mine. Caressing, lightly nipping between his teeth, before his tongue slides along the seam and demands access to my mouth. Our tongues dance together, almost as if they were made for each other. My breaths dance with his in a heated tango.

It.

Is.

Glorious.

“Your girlfriend,” I pant, trying to pull back but knowing it will be impossible to let this go.

“Not my girlfriend.”

I pull back and look into his hooded eyes, “She came with you, Cohen.”

“
She
isn’t with me. She came because she is the widow of one of the men from my unit, Dani-girl. She is here because she has no one else and she’s had a hard time recently. But
she
isn’t who I want in my arms. Good lord, woman. Shut up and kiss me.”

Well, alrighty, then.

When I still don’t move, his hands slide up my sides. His thumbs brush over the sides of my breasts, causing my nipples to harden painfully, before his hands cup my face. His fingers go into my hair, his thumbs lightly caressing my cheeks, while he studies my face. I have no idea what he sees there, but it must be enough, because seconds later, he pulls my face to his and devours my lips.

There is no other word for it. He takes my lips in a kiss so brutally perfect. His tongue duels with mine with effortless control.

It takes my sluggish mind only seconds to get with the program. Seconds, minutes, hours—I have no idea. It isn’t long before I’m working his shirt over his head and his hand is working its way into my shorts.

“Dani, we need to stop,” he groans as his fingers roll against my core, lightly pressing against my swollen clit before he pushes two thick digits deep within my wet core.

“Can’t,” I gasp against his mouth and dig my fingers into his shoulders. “Don’t want to.”

“Not here. Anyone could find us.” He’s right. I hate it, but he’s right.

“Cohen Cage . . . I swear to God that I’m going to go insane if you’re going to leave me like this.”

He doesn’t say anything. His eyes are back to searching my own.

“I’ve waited forever for this,” I whisper.

His eyes close, and he drops his forehead against mine.

“Forever,” I repeat.

“Shit,” he groans. Then he pulls his fingers from my shorts, helps me right my clothing, and helps me stand with his hands against my hips.

I watch in confusion as he grabs his shirt and pulls it back over his head before he starts to pace around in the darkness.

Good job, Dani. Way to scare him off with your freakish admission that you’ve always waited for him to shove his hands down your pants.
I bet he’s trying to figure out the best way to run as fast as he can without hurting my feelings.

Well, too late for that.

“Listen, I’m just going to go . . .”

His head snaps over to mine, and within seconds, I’m back in his arms. He just holds me tight against his body. When his body starts to sway with the music coming through the stage’s thick curtain, I struggle to keep up with his mood changes.

Until I hear the song the DJ is playing.

Brett Young’s “Kiss by Kiss.”

The same song I had my first dance to with him four years ago. The same song that has always reminded me of him day after day and year after year.

His lips go to my temple and he places a lingering kiss there before sliding his jaw down to rest it there. His breath against my ear is coming in deep pants as I hear him singing the song lyrics. Lyrics that will forever have a new meaning to me.

“And every time you look at me I just want to hold you.
All my life I’ve been waiting for you. Little by little falling for you.”

Oh. My.

I pull back and look up into his handsome face. His lips curl slightly in a smile that seems to say,
Well, I guess the cat’s out of the bag now.
His eyes hold mine as he waits to see what I’ll do with his admission, and he pulls me deeper in toward his body. As if he’s afraid I’m going to run.

As freaking if!

“I fell for you a long time ago, Cohen Cage. I’ve loved you my whole life.”

His face relaxes, and he lets out his breath. When his forehead drops against mine, I brace myself for his rejection.

“Dani-girl,” he groans like a prayer for strength.

Which is when it happens. When he realizes just who he has in his arms. And he starts to pull back. This is going to change everything between us. This final rejection. If the families find out—my brother, his siblings . . . Oh, God, Liam was right. This is going to be terrible.

“I have to go check on Megan. Make sure Chance can take her home.”

And just like that, he’s walking away from me, pulling the curtain to the side, and jumping down off the stage.

I didn’t think it would hurt this bad. But having something I’ve wanted, desired,
craved,
in my arms for just moments only to have it ripped away is more painful than never having him.

Because no matter the obstacles we would have had to face, having him there, realizing that we really are just as perfect as I’d always imagined and knowing I’ll never have it again feels like someone just died.

To top it all off, I was so close to what promised to be the most powerful orgasm I’ve ever experienced.

“Shit.”

After dropping my ass back down to the floor, I curl my legs up and wrap my arms around them before laying my head against my knees.

Well, doesn’t this just take the cake for shit outcomes?