“Like what?”
He straightened and waved it off, stuffing his hands into his back pockets. “It’s crazy.”
“Just tell me.” She topped off her glass and his, as well. Judging by the tone of Cole’s voice, they both might need it.
“So I’m running a sting to catch the sheriff. I got myself a spot at a cocktail party he’s hosting to court investors in a pipeline project up in the mountains. I’ll be posing as a hotshot money guy from Houston. But one of the FBI agents helping us on the case is convinced I won’t be able to get him to confess anything. She says I need a woman with me.”
Dani put two and two together so fast her head was spinning. This was perfect. She could finally help Megan in some real way. And all she had to do was go to a cocktail party and talk to an overly flirtatious scumbag? She’d done that so many times in her life, she could practically do it in her sleep.
But she also had to think about the boys. “Are we talking a dangerous situation? I mean, it’s a cocktail party. How dangerous could it possibly be?”
“The FBI will be on-site that night. So not super dangerous. But still.” He pressed his lips together and looked right at her, shaking his head. “I know what you’re thinking, Dani. What about the boys?”
“Precisely why I asked if it was going to be dangerous. I know the house. That’s got to count for something, doesn’t it?”
“It does. Still doesn’t mean I think it’s our best shot. I need a woman who can persuade him to talk.”
“Like a woman who’s been around law enforcement her whole life? A woman who is smart and, most important, knows how this guy operates? I am not afraid of him. If he was standing in front of me right now, I know I could get him to talk.”
Cole drew a breath through his nose. “I’ll think about it. And I’ll talk to Agent Stanton about it. See what she says.”
Dani had to admit she was a bit disappointed. “Okay. I understand if I might not be the right person to do it.”
A quiet laugh left Cole’s lips. She loved that sound. She loved hearing it in the middle of the night, his mouth near her ear, his body warm against her. “You’re perfect for this. You’re beautiful and smart and sexy. What more could I possibly want?”
“I don’t know, Cole. What more could you want?” She hated the way her voice cracked, but this was clawing at the essence of what had hurt most about their breakup. She hadn’t been enough for him. And she still didn’t understand why.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
She wasn’t sure if they were talking about the investigation or their past, but she had to make her case one more time. “Then let me go to this party with you. Let me help you get some justice for a little girl who doesn’t have her daddy anymore.”
That idea really hit home with her. Her dad had protected her so fiercely when she was growing up, buffering her from her troubled mother. It nearly killed Dani when that was all taken away from her. She hated the thought that Savannah was having to go through the same thing.
“I promise I will think about it.” He reached out for her shoulder. His touch brought up every conflicted feeling, her heart and her body at war with each other. “You’re so amazing for even offering to do it. Thank you.” He squeezed her bare shoulder then trailed his fingers down the back of her arm. His touch was impossibly light, but there was no mistaking what it was saying. It left a white-hot path in its wake, warming Dani’s face and chest. “I’m only considering it because I would die before I let anyone so much as lay a hand on you. I would never let anything bad happen to you. Never.”
“That’s good to know.” Cole did not throw those words around lightly, but the reality of their past was that he had not only let something bad happen to her, he’d done it. “It’s getting late.”
“It’s been a long day. We’re both tired.” He nestled his fingers in the palm of her hand, then began to journey back up the length of her arm. He stepped closer to her, until they were toe-to-toe. He dropped his head. At that scant distance, it made his shoulders that much more deliciously imposing. She watched as his chest rose and fell with every breath, hypnotizing her with its steady rhythm.
She couldn’t help the way she was drawn to him. When his hand reached the tender underside of her upper arm and his fingertips grazed the side of her breast, she sucked in a sharp breath. She dared to look up into his face, just as a self-satisfied smile crossed his lips.
“I’d forgotten how much I love it when you make that noise.”
Before Dani knew what was happening, she was kissing him, if only to get him to not talk about her weakness for him. She flattened a hand against his solid chest, curling her fingers to feel the flex of his muscles, while her other hand grabbed his neck and tugged him in closer. Taking what she wanted was so liberating, she didn’t know which way was up. His arms snaked around her waist, his hands smoothing over the small of her back and trailing down until he squeezed her bottom. Dani bowed into him. Memories of the other night swirled in her consciousness. Had it really felt that good to take off his clothes, or was she making too much of it because she wanted to end the longest drought of her adult life? Maybe this required further investigation.
Cole angled his head and took the kiss even deeper. He’d always known how to make her feel desired. “I want you, Dani,” Cole muttered between kisses. As if his words weren’t quite enough, he grabbed her thigh and hitched her leg up on his hip.
“I want you, too.” She couldn’t lie. She pressed her center against his hipbone, creating heat and friction that left her dizzy.
They kissed again, Cole’s lips so firm and insistent, his tongue quickly seeking hers. He cupped her breast with his hand, brushing against her nipple with his thumb. Through the thin cotton of her dress and her silky bra, it was almost as good as if he’d touched her skin. But she wanted more. She wanted the real thing.
She pulled the strap of her dress off her shoulder, and tugged down the front of her dress. “Touch me, Cole. Please.” She was breathless, her chest heaving.
Cole looked at her, slack-jawed and his eyes heavy with lust. She could see his internal struggle, the way his eyes stormed. She would’ve been mad at his hesitancy if she hadn’t endured so much of it herself the other night at his house.
“I want to Dani. I do. But maybe you were right the other night. Maybe it’s a mistake if you and I give in to this.”
The reality of her situation slammed into her. Where would she be after a casual tryst with Cole? It would be that much harder to stay away from him. Once she had a real taste of him, she knew she’d only want more. And she had other people to worry about—Cameron and Colin, to be exact. She sighed heavily. “I understand. It was a great day, but you should probably go.”
