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“Complicated means it takes work. I don’t want something easy.”
I chuckle and shake my head, causing a strand of hair to fall over my cheek. “Like Connor said, you probably think I’m easy after last week.”
“No. No, I don’t. I think I was lucky and that somehow, I finally did something right and got your attention.”
“Damn it. You’re as good at this as you are at certain other things I’m not going to mention here.” I frown as a pang of jealousy pierces my heart. “But that’s clearly from lots of practice. Is this what you do to all the girls you hook up with?”
“No. I wasn’t a jerk to the other girls I’ve been with, but I’ve never tried this hard to impress anyone. I wanted…” He shakes his head. “No, I needed to be better than anyone else you’ve ever been with. Which is crazy considering you live in San Francisco, and when Hadley and I split, I swore I’d never go through that again.”
I rub my hands together. “Go through what?”
He’s giving me everything I’ve dreamed of, but yet, it’s killing me. If we see each other, it’ll only be on weekends, and sometimes I’m at parties with Mr. Burke on Friday or Saturday night. How do we make this work? Would he come to visit me if I couldn’t make it back?
“Date someone with one or both feet out the door.” He rakes a hand through his hair. “But I can’t pretend I don’t want to be with you, and I don’t want to give up the opportunity to find out how good we could be together. It feels wrong if we don’t try. Even if you walk away at the end.”
“I need to go inside for a second.”
“Okay.” He nods as his eyelids shield his actual response. “Forget I said anything.”
“No. I won’t. I’m going inside. In five minutes, I expect you to be inside also.” I don’t bother to wait for his response. I turn on my heel and glance at him over my shoulder. “You’ve got five minutes to get to the library.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
As I weave through the crowd, I chat with people and do the customary ‘How’s the weather?’ or ‘How’s the family?’ or whatever idle chit chat is relevant to not draw attention to where I’m going. By the time I get to the deck, Cole is holding the kitchen door open and talking to my mother as she carefully holds Connor’s birthday cake, which he grabs from her and deposits it on the table.
I’m ten minutes late when I open the door to the library. It’s a small space, cozy, with shelves filled with books and a couple of recliners situated in front of a fireplace. Not that the fireplace gets used a lot in Southern California. But it’s perfect for what I have planned.
Cole leans against the wall. “What took you so long? You’re late.”
“Yes, I am.” I stalk toward him. How did he manage to get in here before I did? “I’m years too late. I thought you considered me a pest.”
“Not since you were 12.” He laughs and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. The instant I’m pressed into his body, everything feels right. I want him, but it’s not just physical. I want to spend time with him. Snuggle on the sofa. Have long talks on the phone. Watch TV in bed.
But what if it doesn’t work out? What if we can’t decide what to do to make things work? “That’s good.” I slide my hands up his chest and latch my hands around his neck. “I’ve had a crush on you since I was 14.”
“Have you?” His chest puffs out.
“Yes, I have, and the reason I didn’t come back after college is because I didn’t want to see your serial dating. It hurt too much.”
“Baby….” He cups my cheeks. “I haven’t been with anyone since Hadley and I broke up, and if I’m being honest, she broke up with me because she knew how I felt about you. Or suspected how I felt about you. I never missed an opportunity to come here if you were in town.”
I gnaw on my bottom lip as worry settles around me. I love my job, and Cole loves it here. How do we make that work? Meadow Bay is too far for me to commute daily. And I can’t be Mr. Burke’s PA and live here. That doesn’t work.
“Sweetheart, don’t worry about the future. Let’s get to know each other better and see what happens. If it’s right, we’ll figure it out.”
“You’re right.”
“Just promise me you won’t phone it in and not try.”
“I promise.” I stretch onto my tiptoes and pull his face toward mine.
Without hesitation, his mouth meets mine, and fireworks go off in my head. His tongue brushes the seam of my lips, and I gladly give in. I want this. I want the opportunity to live my fantasies and see what happens.
Cole’s hands caress along my back and dive into my hair, ripping the band out that held my hair in its ponytail. I gasp as he lightly tugs on the strands and intensifies the kiss. To hell with winning Connor’s money. I want to go back to Cole’s place and keep going.
He places his hands on either side of my face, holding me gently, and pulls back. “Do we keep this quiet for now?”
Adrenaline courses through my veins. “That somehow seems to make it hotter, and it was already feeling mercurial in here.” I rub my hands along his sides. “And it would save your gorgeous face from getting pummeled.” I relish the feel of his smooth muscles under his shirt, and I don’t want to stop touching him. But keeping things a secret will require me to keep my hands to myself, which kind of pisses me off.
