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I stop walking. I know I shouldn't eavesdrop. But I can’t make myself walk into Kiera’s room before I hear Cole’s answer.
At last Cole answers in a low, soft tone. I can hear the smile in his voice. “I don’t need to ever get married again, Bug. I’ve got all the family I need right here.” And then Kiera’s giggling and shrieking, like Cole’s tickling her.
I stand in the hallway and make myself take deep breaths until I’m sure my face looks normal.
Rationally, I know that’s the right answer for Cole to give. Kiera and Cole are a unit, a perfect little family in their own right.
I’m glad Cole has that.
But a tiny part of me feels disappointed. I know it’s ridiculous to feel that way. Casual sex isn’t going to magically turn a fake relationship real.
But the way he looked at me tonight...
No, I tell myself sternly. I need to stop seeing things that aren’t there. Cole’s helping me reach my business goals, and providing me with some amazing orgasms along the way. That’s more than enough.
It has to be.
I paste a smile on my face and step into the doorway, holding up the stuffed animal. “Did someone forget this?”
“Dot!” Kiera exclaims.
I step into the room and hand the dinosaur to Kiera. “There you go, hon. Sleep well.”
Kiera hugs the dinosaur to her chest and snuggles down into the blankets.
Cole mouthsThank youto me, his eyes warm.
My stomach flutters. I smile, nod, and beat a hasty retreat.
It would be a lot easier to stay satisfied with the present if he’d just stop looking at me like that.
“I knewI’d find you here,” Cole says.
I’m standing in Cole’s formal sitting room on the second floor, wrapped in a blanket as I watch the snow fall in front of a skyline that includes the Empire State Building.
“Can you blame me?” I say. “How often do you think I’m going to stand in an apartment like this, with a view this amazing?” I mean for the words to come out like a teasing joke, but instead there’s an edge of wistfulness to it.
“Well, at bare minimum, about six more months,” Cole says. He comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. He drops a kiss at the base of my neck. I wait for him to make a move, because the man has a truly insatiable sexual appetite.
But instead, he just engulfs me in his arms, content to watch the snow and cuddle.
“What are you thinking?” I ask, on impulse.
“That my mother’s going to say, ‘I told you so,’” Cole says.
I laugh. “What?”
“There’s this gala in a few weeks. She wants me to bring a date. I figured we’d go together, since it’s another way to sell the fake engagement.”
“And she’ll say I told you so because...?” I prompt.
“She wants me to find someone. And she’ll like you.”
My chest feels messy and tight. I can’t tell if he’s talking about our fake relationship or hinting at our real one.
I force myself to smile. “That’s good right? It means we’ll make a convincing engaged couple.”
“Very convincing.” There’s something broody in his voice that I can’t read.
