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“Do you like what you do?”
“I’m good at it, and I like to make money.”
Her throat visibly worked. “So after Great Escape, you’ll move back to L.A.?”
“L.A. is my home base, so of course. But it depends on where my next project will take me.”
She looked away, and he admired her profile. Was she sad? Had she become attached to him more than she should have? Would her grandmother honor her threat and kill him in the end? His blood chilled like a shot of ice had been injected into his veins. His fingers itched to touch her, to have her turn her face and see if he found real sadness in her eyes. Maybe she even blinked away tears.
No. Barriers around his heart solidified against his own will. He couldn’t see her cry, because if such a thing happened, there was no telling what he’d do next. Damn it, he hadn’t come this far to give up. He swallowed the knot in his throat. “I need to use the restroom. Be right back,” he said and left before she replied, marching away from her like a fucking coward.
* * *
Nikki removed her shoes and dipped her feet in the pool. Her feet hurt from the high heels, and the warm water offered immediate respite. She relaxed her shoulders, exhaling. She’d escaped to Cole’s terrace when he went to fix them a couple of drinks in his bar.
She glanced around, admiring the lights strategically placed to enhance the beautiful flowers on his terrace. Strings of light softly illuminated the path leading to the beach, and she wondered how many times he’d used it. Did he despise the ocean as much as his pool? Her gaze returned to her feet, and she played with the water, making waves around her.
“Want to take a dip?” he said, his voice behind her. He held two glasses of wine, and handed one to her. She accepted it, but sat it next to her without tasting.
“Do you?” she asked, eyes searching his.
He ran his fingers through his hair and stared at the pool silently for a moment that stretched longer than the breath she held. Wasn’t it time he overcame his father’s power over him and faced reality? She gritted her teeth. God, she hated the man—a word she didn’t use often. She’d made an effort to be slightly polite, but she surely wouldn’t make it in his family if she had to.
She cleared her throat, shoving down the lump of frustration. None of this was her business or mattered. She wouldn’t need to worry because she’d never be part of his family. He’d made it clear when he told her about his business plans. After Tulip, he’d move on somewhere else and return to this gorgeous mansion for breaks. “I didn’t mean to push you,” she said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
“It’s okay. Doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the pool.”
“The boys would love it. They wouldn’t think twice before jumping in.”
“Maybe they can come for a visit sometime.”
She chewed the inside of her cheek. Why did he dangle that type of dream in front of her like a juicy carrot when he had no intention of following through? Or worse, he’d follow through and the boys would get heartbroken when he left her for good.
She removed her feet from the pool, swung them to the side and propped herself up. Standing, she erased the gap between them. A different type of ache burned at her feet, spreading upward and weakening her knees.
He lifted his hand, outlining her jawline with his strong, manly fingers. She sucked in a breath as the fire continued to shoot within her system, scorching her pussy and knotting her stomach. Desire and pain. Not pain yet, but the idea of doom. “I don’t think they should visit. Given how much of a wanderer you are.”
“You always know what to do, Nikki Brady. Why did you come with me? Why are you here?”
“Because I can’t walk away from you.” Not yet. When the time came, she hoped she’d be strong enough to do it—perhaps to anticipate the doom and Band-Aid him out of her life. The thought brought bile to her throat. One day. Not tonight. She stared at the depths of his gorgeous eyes, and something inside her shifted, melted and tingled all at the same time.
11
Cole glanced at the woman who set fire in his stomach. She didn’t need to elaborate again on why bringing her sons to his L.A. residence was a bad idea. He had no business bringing David and Henry to his city, his home, and expect them to be okay when he disappeared from their lives. That would be selfish.
He stared into her eyes, and the world stilled. Besides her heavy breathing, he couldn’t hear anything else around them. Not the gentle waves of the ocean, nor the chirping of crickets. His gaze lowered to her mouth, and he outlined her lips, coaxing them open. A sexy moan sliced the air, encouraging him to pull her against him and lower his head.
She circled her arms around him and stretched to her full height, plastering her lips to his. He lifted her from the ground, and when she wrapped her legs around him, he felt the dampness of her feet. She hadn’t been scared to dip her feet in the pool, and never would be. Nikki was brave and smart and wonderful. A wave of pride washed over him, expanding his heart in a way he didn’t understand and couldn’t explain.
Aroused, he walked up to the stone wall, and held her against it. She massaged his scalp, her fingers lazily sliding down his neck and shoulders. A shiver trickled down his body, and he groaned, loving how close they were.
Before he had the chance, she lowered one of her hands until she touched his pants. She unbuttoned them, and he shifted on his feet to help her, dropping his pants and boxers just enough so his cock sprung out, unrestrained.
“Cole,” she hissed, the sexiness in her voice sending little thrills of excitement to his already maddening heartbeat. “I need you,” she said, her voice sultry and filled with want.
He parted her thighs further, the instant his fingers slipped inside her drenching-wet heat, Cole and Nikki moaned in unison. He parted her folds, stretching her pussy, teasing her swollen clit. She bucked into his hand, grinding, silently asking for more.
Unable to wait one more second, he thrust inside her all the way to the hilt. She bit his lower lip, the sting elevating his arousal a notch. He withdrew midway then drove into her again, continuing the motion until their moans became raw, pained, and urgent.
