I flip her off, shielding my hand from my mom with my body.
“Great! Have fun celebrating you two!” My mom waves goodbye.
“Good game, son!” My dad lifts his hand in recognition to Cole who’s slid both hands around my hips.
“Thanks, sir,” Cole says, nodding in his direction before I feel his eyes on me.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper. “I can sleep in their car or something. It’s totally fine. You’ve had more than enough of me tonight.”
“I’m not letting you sleep in a car, D’Amore,” he laughs at me, again. Apparently I’m hysterical, maybe I should consider doing stand-up. “It’s fine. You can take my bed and I’ll sleep on the couch.”
Internally, I cringe remembering how dirty Cole’s side of the room always was when Caden and him shared a dorm. True, I haven’t been in his room, but I bet it’s still a mess. I also don’t want to offend him while he is flirting with me and being sweet. “I can sleep in Caden’s bed since he’s back home.”
Cole grimaces. “I would not trust those sheets,” he says.
“No offense, but I remember your side of the room when we first met. I can’t imagine it’s much cleaner now.”
Cole quirks his head to the side, then a slow wicked smile takes residence on his face. “Come home with me, Natalie. I want to show you something.”
“Well, that’s awfully ominous,” I say. “But it doesn’t seem like I have much of a choice.” With a shrug, I turn toward the exit.
Cole bends to pick up his duffel bag.
When he’s not looking, I run a finger over my lips where a soft buzz of electricity still hums.
He slides his arm around my waist. “Act like I’ve kissed you senseless before,” he says, with the same arrogant look he wore on the ice.
I elbow him in the ribs. He winces in pain and grabs them.
“Sorry!” I squeak. “I didn’t know those were sore.”
“They’re fine.” He shakes his head. “I just wanted confirmation of your concern. It’s kind of nice, D’Amore. We should do this dating thing more often.”
“I don’t think my heart could take it,” I say. Too much guilt. Too much lying. I honestly don’t know if I’ll make it through this week.
“I’d take care of it,” he says, giving my hand a gentle squeeze and causing my fragile organ to go into hyperdrive.
What the hell is this man doing to me?
And maybe more importantly, why?
CHAPTER
EIGHT
“So, this is my place.”Cole says opening his apartment door with a flourish. His key rattles in the lock as his door swings wide.
“Oh my gosh. You live here?” I ask with mock wonder. “This is Caden’s apartment. How have I never noticed you here?”
Something I can’t decipher flickers briefly over Cole’s face like a crack in his usual arrogant facade. In a blink, though, the vulnerability vanishes, his usual half-lidded swagger remains. “I’d say make yourself at home, but you’ve practically moved in already.” He swirls the key dangling from his finger around before tossing it onto the counter.
It’ll kill me to have her around all the time.
Cole’s words to his brother when we first met echo in the back of my mind. Back then, they’d stung. Today? I don’t know what to make of them. Especially not after Cole kissed me, a kiss that felt like he had yearned for my lips for centuries.
That’s Signature Sinclair, though, isn’t it? He flashes that smile, makes you feel like there’s no one else in the world, and then when the morning comes, he doesn’t even look at you.
I’ve seen the hopeful faces and good mornings that quickly turn into sagging shoulders and silent exits. I should know better.
