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Chapter Sixteen
Sophie
Waking up, the first thing I noticed was the fireplace made of stone and the warmth it was radiating. My body felt warm and energetic. Trying to lift my arm to check my watch, I noticed I was wrapped in a large gray blanket, almost like a burrito. Sliding my hand up to get my body untucked, I stopped. I was completely naked under it. I looked around, to see the tall ceilings with beams and open living room area, and discreetly made my way out of the blanket.
My head throbbed in pain, so I grabbed it, trying to navigate if I was hit over my head with something. Did he take me prisoner? The thought sent a shiver down my spine. I slowly went to get up from the leather couch I was on and noticed both of my feet had been wrapped in gauze. Placing one on the ground, I was immediately startled by his voice. “That might hurt a bit. It looks like your pain tolerance was more than expected. I picked out 12 thorns and two pieces of glass.” Cole came to light wearing gray sweatpants and a black v neck t-shirt.
“Are you taking me prisoner? Who lives here?”
His laughter filled the open space of the cabin. “How much ID Channel do you watch?” He hovered over noting that I didn’t appreciate his sarcastic tone. He sat on the wood coffee table and leaned on his arms. “This is my cabin, and you passed out from what I’m guessing is exhaustion.”
Feeling uncomfortable in some strange house wearing nothing but a blanket I went into survival mode. “Do you have my phone?” Without moving an inch he just stared at my face. I broke the silence after a few seconds. “I’m just wondering the time.”
The fire beamed off his face and I was able to see his soft, tan skin that looked like milk.
“It’s 2 a.m., my truck is at the pub, and our phones are both gone.” His response told me that he read right into my thoughts. I went to stand up, wrapping the large blanket around my body, and he turned away.
“Not sure why you turned, you have already seen me naked.” I grumbled.
He stood facing me with a quick snap, and pulled the blanket off me. I gasped out of embarrassment and his utter shamelessness. My eyes met his, his lips transitioned into a smirk but he didn’t look down. “If you’re going to accuse me of things, I’m going to do them.” His voice was low and controlled.
Grabbing the blanket back from him quickly and wrapping myself again I seethed, “Is that the line you gave my old CEO before fucking her on my table?” His eyes deepened. Before he could defend himself with any more lies, I finished for him, “I’m guessing by that look I shouldn’t talk about your girlfriend like that?”
“She was not my girlfriend. A woman throws herself on me. I’m allowed to react.”
I scoffed, “That’s funny. When I kissed you at the camp throwing myself at you, I got the cold Cole.”
His lips tightened before he turned away. He sat down on the chair facing me. His legs spread, as he leaned back looking at me deeply. “You’re different.”
I twisted around towards the photos on his wall, snarling, “You mean, I’m not your typical type of woman.”
“Exactly,” he retorted back.
Ouch! That cut a little deeper than expected.How was it that that whore CEO was his type and not me? Trying to hide the hurt, I started exploring the photos. He was in the middle with three other men around his age.
Each photo was of the four of them, at the beach, dressed up in formal wear. The next photo was a family portrait with the four men and a beautiful woman holding up flowers. “Who’s this?” I asked, pointing to the photo. Cole stood up and stood next to me.
He pointed to a dark hair, dark-eyed man that looked nothing like everyone else in the photo. “That’s my brother Dalton. He is in the SAS.” Placing his finger on the man standing adjacent to it, he smiled, “this is my brother Brody. He is on the pro surfing circuit.” Next, his finger travelled to the other end in the picture, pointing to a blonde-haired male that looked almost identical to him. “This is Asa. He is a pilot.” He had dirty blonde hair and a wide jawline. The entire family had the gift of ‘good-looking-men’ genes in them.
“So, whose wife is this?”
“Jeez, don’t ever repeat that.” He chuckled, “My mother would be over the moon.”
“This is your mother?” I gasped, looking at the young, attractive blonde. “When did she start having kids, age 12?”
We giggled before he started to explain, “her name is Elizabeth, but everyone calls her Meg. You will meet all of them in two days. Might want to have your will in order, my family is crazy, and only a few survive.”
“Two days?” I repeated, our agreement completely slipping my mind.
“Yes, going back home was a part of the deal.”
“I’m so sorry Cole. I’m currently in the middle of a crisis.” Emotions filled me as I thought about someone firing me. It was the company I worked so hard for. Cole turned and made his way over to the couch. “Crisis? What kind of crisis?”
Turning in his direction, I sat next to him. We both faced sideways, and looking into his eyes, I could see that he was truly interested. I sighed, “it’s a bunch of corporate stuff, you wouldn’t understand.”
“don’t patronize me.” He warned.
Rethinking what I said, I turned to him. “Okay, I hired one CEO that fucks my employees only to turn around and hire another CEO who is trying to get me fired. He sold his fitness business and convinced me he didn’t need the money but wanted to help because he had a…” I paused before thinking if this was the right time to tell him about Miles and me.
