Chapter Eleven
Atremor raced along Sienna’s skin at the press of Cole’s mouth to hers. Within seconds, he deepened the kiss, his tongue lacing with hers and their breath mingling until she wasn’t sure where he ended and she began.
The emotions that assailed her from tonight still held on, but being with Cole had loosened their grip on her. They were distant now, brushing against her legs like tall grass in a summer field instead of making her feel like she was being sucked down into suffocating quicksand.
The longer they kissed, the more she lost herself in the moment—in the feel of Cole’s strong body against hers, the way he held her face so tenderly.
It was as if he saw her for something more than she knew herself to be. Someone who could handle whatever life threw at her, even though she had so many doubts about herself. He’d trusted her with his own painful memories, and she had a suspicion that wasn’t something he did lightly.
“Let’s go...” She paused because what she wanted to say was “home” but she didn’t have a home at the moment. Yes, her condo was waiting for her back in Chicago but the idea of returning there now felt foreign to her. She no longer belonged in her own life, but she didn’t quite have a place in Crimson either. The Bumblebee was lovely, but only a temporary situation. Everything felt fleeting at the moment, and she desperately wanted to hold on to something sure.
“To my place?” Cole whispered against her mouth, and she nodded.
Not her home, but it would do for now.
He took her hand and they returned down the path toward the parking lot. Shadows fell over the trail and the air had already cooled several degrees.
A shiver passed through her as she climbed into the truck, and she wished she’d worn more to dinner than a thin T-shirt with her jeans. As if reading her mind, Cole reached into the back seat, then handed her a fleece pullover.
“This should help,” he said as he turned the key in the ignition.
“I’m fine,” she lied. It was obvious she was nowhere near fine. She slipped the soft fabric over her head, inhaling the scent of laundry soap and spice she would forever associate with her sexy sheriff.
Hersheriff.
Heart stuttering at that thought, she zipped up the fleece. Cole might not be hers forever, but she wasn’t going to waste this chance with him.
“Do you want seat heat?” he asked.
She shook her head. “The jacket is plenty. Do you mind if I roll down my window?”
He gave her a confused glance out of the corner of his eye. “I saw you shiver.”
“I’m warm now, and I love the smell of the forest.” She paused, then added, “I love the scent of pine. I didn’t remember it until tonight, but there were woods at the edge of the trailer park where we lived. I used to build forts and secret hideaways in the trees. Sometimes when my mom and dad fought, I’d escape and pretend I lived in the woods by myself.”
He depressed both of the window buttons, and a moment later cool air and the crisp scent of pine filled the truck. Sienna leaned back against the headrest and let her eyes drift closed. She was used to the hot, humid air of Midwestern summers and appreciated the freshness of the mountains in a way she couldn’t have guessed before returning to Crimson.
“Actually,” she said softly, glancing over at Cole, “an escape still sounds like a pretty good idea.”
He chuckled and took her hand, enfolding it in his larger one. They didn’t speak the rest of the drive back into town. Now that she was calmer, Sienna had a chance to process everything that had happened tonight and what she was about to do with Cole.
What going to his house with him meant. Nerves skittered along her skin, but she didn’t consider changing her mind. She wanted him and for once she wasn’t going to waste time second-guessing herself.
He parked the car in the driveway and came around to open her door. “I’m happy you’re here,” he said and leaned in to kiss her.
“Your neighbors might see,” she said against his mouth, then pulled back.
“I don’t want to hide anything.”
She gave his arm a playful nudge as they walked toward the house. “Is the beloved town sheriff really allowed to bring a woman home for the night?”
They entered the house, cool and quiet in the evening light. “This is nobody’s business but ours,” he said, dumping his keys onto a table next to the door.
She liked the sound of that—of having something here in Crimson that belonged only to her. It was doubtful Cole truly meant the words, but she still appreciated them.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, letting everything else melt away in the heat of her desire. The kiss was slow and deep but quickly turned molten. Suddenly she couldn’t wait any longer. There was nothing Sienna needed more than Cole—all of him with every part of her.
As if sensing the change in her, the consuming need pulsing through her, he lifted her into his arms. She held on tight, her legs encircling his hips as he moved from the family room down the hall.
