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“I’ll tell Zoe you’ll be out in a minute.” His laugh echoed through the living room.
Before I could close the door, Cole blocked it with his body. Had he changed his mind?
“Don’t touch yourself, Shae.” His eyes danced with mischief. “I’ll know if you do.”
My gaze narrowed at him. “I doubt that.”
His smirk told me otherwise. “Have fun with Zoe, and I’ll see you tonight. Call or text if you need anything.” He leaned in for one more kiss, then hurried down the hall to answer the knock at the door.
Sexually frustrated, I made my way to the bathroom, where I cleaned up and put on a pair of black workout shorts and a T-shirt before spending the afternoon with my best friend. The thought of Cole ordering me not to get myself off sent my hormones into full throttle again. I rubbed my neck, my throat slightly sore from his cock blocking off my airway. I’d never been with a guy that called the shots, and I secretly loved it. Demanding and possessive was a new high for me, and I craved Cole’s touch already.
Running a brush through my hair, I pulled it into a ponytail. I peered into the mirror, convinced that I looked somewhat presentable for Zoe. For the first time in weeks, I was excited to spend the day with her. With anyone. I wasn’t sure if I was going to tell her that Cole and I had fucked on the countertop …
“Shit.” Wide-eyed, I realized I needed to clean the granite surface. I hoped like hell she wasn’t sitting on the barstool, her hands where Cole’s ass print was probably visible.
Hurrying out of the bedroom, the lemon scent of cleaner reached me. I muffled a sneeze, then laughed.
“Damn cleaners,” I said, spotting Zoe on the couch in the living room.
I breathed out a soft sigh of relief that she wasn’t at the kitchen island. Zoe shot out of her seat and ran to me, embracing me with a huge hug. “Bitch, you’re in big trouble for leaving me in the cold like you have.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so glad to see you.”
We released each other, and she grinned. “And how fucking hot is it to have a guy that cleans his house?”
“What do you mean?”
“When I knocked on the door, I saw Cole cleaning the kitchen island. The only request I would have during the repeat performance is that he not wear a stitch of clothing.” Zoe laughed, then her smile faltered as her big brown eyes searched mine.
“Holy. Fucking. Shit. I didn’t catch it at first. You’re glowing. Like, just got your brains fucked out glowing. You and Cole?” Her dark brows shot up to her hairline, then she slapped her palms over her mouth, giggling.
I couldn’t stop from laughing. This was the happiest I’d felt since before the kidnapping. “You can’t tell anyone. We haven’t had the conversation about how this relationship is going to work yet.” I removed her hands from her face, then took one and led her to the couch again. “Did you bring some food over? Cole mentioned you were going to.”
“He put the ice cream in the freezer. The chips and dip are on the counter next to the plate of homemade chocolate peanut butter cookies I brought over. Two are missing because Cole stole a few before he left.” She offered me a sweet smile.
I strolled into the kitchen. “Is it Chubby Hubby?”
Zoe and I had a love-hate relationship with Ben and Jerry’s ice cream—especially Chubby Hubby.
“Of course.” She grinned at me, sank onto the couch, and tucked her foot beneath her. “I might need extra, though. I have a feeling you’ve got a lot to tell me.”
“I do.” Cole must have put the hamburgers away because the pan was empty and soaking in the sink. I opened the drawer, removed two teaspoons, then collected the ice cream. We wouldn’t need bowls. Zoe and I always shared the container. The memories of Ibrahim hurting me stabbed me in the chest. I swallowed over the pain and sucked in a big breath as I joined her on the couch again. Part of this afternoon was going to suck ass because I wanted to tell Zoe what had happened with Ibrahim. I suspected that my solitude over the last five weeks would make more sense to her once I did.
“I’m sorry I’ve been AWOL. It had nothing to do with you, just everything with Cole and …” I plopped onto the leather seat next to her, then opened the ice cream. I set it on the coffee table to thaw for a few minutes.
“What happened? You weren’t answering my texts, so I started bugging him. Cole wouldn’t tell me shit, though. I mean, he told me that you were safe and staying with him.”
“You probably had a million questions about me hanging out here. In some ways, it has felt like jail.” I glanced at my fingers, picking at the corner of my thumbnail.
“Well, fill me in.” Eagerness flickered across Zoe’s pretty face. She was waiting for the juicy stuff, but I would have to back up for her to understand it all.
Over the next half hour, I updated Zoe about Ibrahim, being kidnapped, and Cole blowing Ibrahim's brains all over me. She was speechless and spent most of the time wide-eyed with her mouth gaping.
“Shae, I’m so sorry.” Zoe leaned over and hugged me, tears streaming down both our cheeks.
“I didn’t know how to tell you, and I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. I’m sorry I shut you out.”
“Bitch, please. I get it. No apologies are necessary. I’ve been worried sick about you, but at least you’re safe and that sleazy-ass bastard is gone. I’ll be sure to congratulate Cole for taking the shot. Not many people would have. Hell, I would have shot Ibrahim in both his knees, crippling him for the rest of his life.” A thoughtful expression coasted over her face. “That wouldn’t have been enough, though. I suspect I would have cut off his fingers, one by one, then cut out his tongue, too.” She beamed at me, obviously excited about her plan to hurt a dead man.
