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He stands up and comes toward me. I flinch as he pulls the robe open slightly to see his handiwork. His jaw clenches. “Fuck, Dove, I—“
“Don’t. It happened, it’s done.” I bat his hand away and pull the robe tighter.
Awkward silence descends over us. Cole looks gutted, his skin pale and eyes glittering with shame.
I press my hand against his cheek. “You have to trust me, Cole. This can’t work if you don’t.”
“I know, fuck, I know. But I knew something was wrong. All day, I watched you act skittish every time your cell vibrated.”
“I was only protecting you, protecting us.”
He covers my hand with his and brings it to his lips, brushing my knuckles gently. “I see that now.”
“This is new, for both of us. I promise to try harder, but you have—“
“I will, Hadley, I swear. The second you flew into the bathroom, I knew I’d fucked up. I wanted to hurt you, but not like that. Never like that.”
“Where’d you go?” I’d heard him leave and return.
“To the store. I needed something to take the edge off.”
“Did you find what you were looking for?” I eye him carefully. He doesn’t smell of liquor or weed, but Cole has gotten good at covering his tracks since being on the team.
“I bought some cigarettes, but they didn’t help.”
“You don’t smell like smoke.”
“I ate a packet of gum and drank a bottle of water before coming back here.”
“So what’s all that?” My eyes dart to the mess on the bed.
“I thought it might cheer you up. I got your favorites… Swedish Fish, Twizzlers… there’s even a cookie sandwich.”
A faint smile tugs at my lips. “And the fact that you’re half-naked?”
Cole looks at me with heat in his eyes. “I thought we could finish what I started.” He smirks, and I want to be angry with him, but all the ice around my heart has slowly melted away.
Cole might be messed up, but so I am.
“You did, huh?” I arch a brow, fighting a smile. “And if I wanted to eat my bodyweight in candy and watch a movie instead?”
Surprise registers on his face, and I love that I can still affect him. “You really want to do that?”
I nod. “I’m a little sore... from before,” I admit, dropping my gaze. Cole’s finger slips under my jaw and tilts my face to his.
“I’m sorry.”
“I know.” Lacing my arms around his waist, I lean in and let my lips glide over his. Cole is as still as a statue, his apprehension swirling around us.
“Cole,” I whisper, “this would be the time to kiss me back.”
“Yeah?” The uncertainty in his voice makes my heart clench.
Cole is such a paradox.
“Yeah.” I grin, touching my head to his. “Kiss me, Cole Jagger. Kiss me like you love me.”
I wake cocooned in Cole’s arms. After he’d kissed me, his apology seeping into every stroke of his tongue, every slide of his lips, we’d rented a movie off the pay-per-view channel and gorged ourselves on candy.
