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Probably. Because when he kisses me, sipping at my lips like he’s claiming them all over again, I feel like no one else exists. There’s no need to worry or feel jealous because there’s only us.
“Let’s go home,” Cole rumbles against my mouth. “I want to show you that you’re the only one who matters.”
I can feel what he’s talking about—in the heat from this morning that’s sprung back to life between us with only a kiss, in the thick, hard ridge pressed against my stomach, and in the achiness deep in my own core that only he can fix.
But I’m not the only person who matters. He has a whole family on the other side of this door that wants and needs him. They want him to be a part of this special event, and though he’d probably deny it, he wants that too.
It’s hard, but I shake my head, knowing it’s the right thing to do. “Tonight,” I remind us both. “First, let’s celebrate Chance and Samantha.”
He groans like he knows I’m right but is no more eager than I am to admit it. “Hate that fucker.”
But there’s no hatred in the statement. In fact, he sounds pretty fond of his brother.
Cole adjusts himself in his slacks while I straighten my dress, and hand-in-hand, we rejoin the party.
* * *
The reception is gorgeous!
The round tables are set with gold chargers, gold-rimmed plates, and gold silverware, all centered around a grouping of flowers, greenery, and brass candlesticks holding burgundy candles. There’s a wall of greenery with a neon light that saysHarringtonand a dance floor with black and white checkerboard flooring. The lighting is soft and romantic, especially with the lit candles on every table.
Cole leads me through the tables until we find one with some of the other wedding party members. He pulls a chair out for me next to Kayla, and after I sit, he pushes me in before sitting down on my other side. Around the table are Carter, Luna, Kyle, Kayla, and Cameron. It looks like Grace has claimed the last chair, but she’s nowhere in sight right now.
“Thought you left already,” Carter says, a brow raised like he’s truly surprised to see Cole.
“Thought about it, but Janey likes you fuckers, so...” He trails off, making it sound like I’m the only reason he’s still here.
Carter nods, not looking like he believes that for a second. “What happened to your face?” He touches his cheek, right below his eye. “It’s red after one of your usual disappearing acts, but it wasn’t this morning.”
Cole squeezes my hand beneath the table, and I press my lips together so I don’t ramble out the whole parking lot story in one breath. “Must be the lighting,” Cole says dismissively as he turns his head to the dance floor, purposefully giving Carter the good side without a bruise.
“We already saw the video, asshole.” Carter rolls his eyes when Cole’s head whips back around. “You think Kyle didn’t tell us at the first possible opportunity?”
Cole doesn’t say anything. Nobody says anything for a long minute.
Finally, gritting his teeth, Cole asks, “Chance? Samantha?”
Kyle shakes his head, pointing across the room to the smiling bride and groom who are in the middle of the dance floor. “Chance, yeah. That’s how we saw the video. But he’s not telling Samantha today. He said thanks and that he’d take care of it from here.”
“Then why the fuck are we talking about it?” Cole bites out.
Kyle chuckles, completely unbothered by Cole’s gruff response. “Because you went all Liam Neeson with a special set of skills on his ass and it was cool as fuck. Do me next. What do you know?” He makes it sound like Cole did a psychic medium reading trick on Glenn and seems genuinely excited to hear what secrets Cole knows about him.
“Nothing.”
Cole’s trying to shut down the conversation, but Cameron’s not having any of that. “Do we need to be worried about you? I know we joke around, but is what you do legal? I don’t care about the family name or any shit like that, but you know Mom would bankrupt herself to save you. Don’t make that necessary.”
He sounds like a true older brother—bossy, worried, loyal, caring, arrogant.
Cole turns a full-force glare on Cameron. “No need to worry about me, man. You never have in the past, so why start now?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Cameron demands, his eyes narrowed.
“It means you don’t know me at all. You never have.” Cole says it to Cameron, but I can feel all his brothers and Kayla recoil at the accusation.
Kayla’s the first to recover, replying, “And whose fault is that?” When Cole turns angry eyes on her, she doesn’t flinch in the slightest. In fact, she leans into it, her blue eyes shooting daggers too. They really are two sides of the same coin. “We don’t actually think you’re some assassin criminal, Cole. But a complete and total asshole? Yeah, you’re definitely that. You don’t share the most basic of information, you disappear for days at a time without telling anyone, missing dinners and events, which makes us all worry where the hell you are and what the fuck you’re doing. And now you’re sitting here, acting like we’re supposed to be chasing you down, begging for your attention and any morsel of information you deem us worthy of. I fucking cried when you told me your assistant’s name and number!” she reveals, bitter anger woven through every word. “Do you know how ridiculous that is?”
She doesn’t wait for him to answer, barreling on, “Newsflash, we’ve all got our own shit to deal with, so if you want to be a hermit and distance yourself, we’re gonna respect that. Not because we don’t care but because wedo. So if that’s what you want, we give it to you because for some asinine reason, we love you. And it’s not only because I shared a womb with you.”
