“I’m not sure yet,” I answer. “We’re still trying to get a line on Cole. He’s gone quiet.”
She frowns, and fear flashes through her eyes. I fucking hate that. I never want her to be scared of anything. And when I find Cole, I’m going to tear him to pieces for making her feel anything but safe and happy.
“We’ll find him,” I tell her. “I give you my word.”
“I know,” she says, a weak smile flickers across her lips.
We sit at the dining room table having breakfast, the French doors open to admit the morning sun and the scent of the ocean. The sound of waves crashing and gulls crying fills the silence between us. She raises her gaze to me, and those silver-blue eyes set my heart on fire all over again.
“Thank you for taking me in like this,” she says.
“You don’t have to thank me for anything.”
“I do, though. If not for you…”
She doesn’t finish her sentence. But then, she doesn’t have to.
“On the plus side, though, it’s been really nice getting to know you,” she says. “To see that you’re much more nuanced than just black coffee.”
I chuckle. “So, I’m not steady and reliable?”
“No, you are those things,” she says. “It’s just nice to know there’s a lot more below the surface than just that.”
“So, what am I? A latte?”
She screws up her face in thought. “I’d say more like a caramel macchiato. You’re very layered with a layer of sweetness you do your best to hide.”
A laugh bursts from my mouth, and I shake my head. “A caramel macchiato. Nice. I suppose I’ve been called worse things.”
I get to my feet and start to clear the plates, but Brynn jumps up quickly. “Let me help.”
“It’s all right. I got it,” I tell her.
“You’ve been cooking and cleaning up after me for days now. The least I can do is a few dishes. Seriously, let me help.”
“All right. Thank you,” I respond. “But if I’m being honest, it’s been kind of nice having somebody to cook for.”
“And I appreciate that, but you don’t have to do all the cleaning too.”
I laugh softly. “Then clean away. I won’t stop you.”
We carry everything into the kitchen, and I set the dishes in the sink, then turn to clear away the food from the counter. Brynn grabs me by the hands, though, and when she does, it feels like raw electricity is shooting through my veins. She must feel it too because she raises her eyes to mine, and I see the same hunger that’s rampaging through me reflected in her eyes.
Despite knowing better, despite that little voice in my head screaming, “NO!” I lean down and pull her to me, engulfing her in my embrace and press my mouth to hers. I slide mytongue past Brynn’s teeth, sliding it against hers. She kisses me back, though tentatively at first. But a moment later, she melts into me, kissing me with a fiery passion that fills me with an overwhelming heat, leaving me seeing stars.
Pushing her back against the counter, I grip her ponytail and pull her head back, planting a line of kisses on her neck. Brynn’s gasp turns into a slow moan as she writhes beneath my touch. I slide my hands up her belly to her breasts, cupping and pinching them as our tongues swirl. I feel the heat of her body through her thin t-shirt and her soft, supple curves as she grinds against me.
My cock is impossibly rigid, and the way she’s moving against my body stokes the flames inside me even higher. If she keeps it up, I might just come right here and now. Brynn reaches down and takes hold of my cock through my jeans. It was so unexpected, I flinch, so she lets go immediately and looks up at me, her eyes wide and worried.
“I’m sorry,” she says.
“Don’t be, baby girl,” I growl.
Grabbing her hand, I guide it back to my stiff cock. She grips my rod firmly and strokes me up and down. My entire body sings, and my every nerve ending feels like it’s on fire. My lust for Brynn drowns out that voice in the back of my mind that’s still screaming for me to stop. But I can’t. I’m not paying attention. All I can do right now is feel. All I want to do is feel.
I slide my hands into Brynn’s shorts and push them down. She wiggles her hips, and they fall to the floor. Pressing my mouth to hers, I slip my hand between her legs and groan, feeling how warm and wet she is already. She moans and throws her head back as I slip a pair of fingers into her, sliding them deep. Shebites her bottom lip and squeezes her eyes shut; a pinch of pain flashes across her face.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
