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It’s downright beautiful.
It’s…everything.
Chapter8
Amber
Walking away isn’t easy. I can't shake off the emptiness clinging to my chest as the distance between Cole and me grows. He was still asleep when I slipped away. Each step outside the apartment intensified the feeling of emptiness, the cobblestones outside the complex building counting my footsteps, rapping out the growing distance.
My cheeks burn with the memory of last night as I sit in the cab. What Cole and I shared went beyond mere sex; it felt more intimate than that. It still does. The conflicting emotions swirl within me as I wonder if I’m doing the right thing.
Of course I am.
He kidnapped me. Held me captive.
Then touched me, and I forgot everything…
I shake my head. These feelings are nothing but a product of the whole weird-ass situation.
A sigh escapes my lips as I slip into my apartment, wondering if Ginger’s home. My phone died right after I booked and paid for a cab outside Cole's building, leaving me unable to let her know I was on my way home.
I step into the kitchen, and there stands my best friend, about to take a sip of coffee from a travel cup.
She breaks into a relieved smile, quickly putting down her cup and engulfing me in a hug. “Amber!” She radiates warmth, one I’m just aware I missed.
"I'm back, but I am in desperate need to clean up," I tell her, and she releases her hold on me.
Taking my hand, she gently leads me inside and closes the door behind us. “Go on, I'll wait here,” she urges, a small smile playing on her lips.
Her eyes are filled with questions, but she quickly shoos me away. Under the cascading water, I let the turmoil of the past days wash away. I try to forget Cole’s eyes, the way he touched me, the way my body craved to touch his…
Shaking my head, I step out of the shower, opting for a comfy set of pink fluffy pajamas, enveloping myself in their softness.
Telling myself I’m a new woman, a woman who wouldn’t do something as foolish as fall for a man who wanted nothing but to use her, I step out of the bathroom. I clearly didn’t learn my lesson with Ryan.
I find Ginger in the living room, seated on the same gray couch I’d lounged on before the party.
The night my world was turned upside down.
Ginger watches me closely as I settle on the other of the sofa. “What happened?“ she asks, those green eyes of hers shrewd.
She knows I’m hurting.
What she doesn’t know is that I shouldn’t be.
I contemplate telling Ginger all the details about Cole, but knowing her protective nature, I picture her seeking him out and having her father, who serves in the police force, arrest him on the spot. That's the last thing I want.
Yes, what Cole did was wrong. But he’s not a bad man. A desperate one, yes. One driven by revenge. But not bad.
A bad man wouldn’t be capable of the fierce protectiveness he feels toward his sister. Of taking me to the heights of pleasure that he did.
Of making me come apart in his arms while staring into my eyes with such intensity, I’m not sure I’ll ever be put back together quite the same.
Conscious Ginger’s waiting, I sigh. "Well, it turns out that charming men sometimes have hidden motives when they take care of you," I confess to her, although it's not entirely a lie.
Picking up a cushion and clutching it to my chest, I explain I stayed with Cole because being around him felt good and the intimacy we shared was incredible. But then, I found out he’d been using me to get back at Ryan for stealing his girlfriend.
It almost sounds like the truth.
