Autumn: Didn’t want to be a distraction.
Cole: You’re always a distraction. That’s the point. Can I come over?
I stared at the text. My apartment was a disaster. I hadn’t vacuumed for a week. Dishes filled the sink. My bra was hanging on the bathroom doorknob.
Autumn: It’s almost 11.
Cole: So?
Autumn: Don’t you have to be somewhere?
Cole: Yeah. With you. I’ll be a perfect gentleman.
My heart did something stupid. I didn’t think I wanted him to be a gentleman. Eli’s words ran through my mind.You deserve good things. Even if they scare you.
Autumn: Okay.
Cole: Okay? Send me your address. I’ll be there soon.
I did. Then I flew around the apartment like a tornado, shoving dishes into the dishwasher, throwing the bra into a hamper, lighting a candle that smelled like “autumn leaves” and hoping it lived up to its name.
Twenty minutes later, a knock.
I opened the door.
Cole stood there in jeans and a t-shirt that said “STONE” across the chest, his hair damp like he’d just showered.
“Hi.” He flashed a coy smile.
“Hi.”
“You look beautiful.”
I was wearing yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt that said, “I WORK SO MY DOG CAN HAVE A BETTER LIFE.” But the way he looked at me made me believe him.
“Come in.”
He stepped inside and pulled me into his arms.
The kiss differed from the one last night. Hungrier. More certain. He walked me backward until my back hit the wall. Apparently, walls were becoming our theme. He kissed me as if he’d been thinking about it all day.
I had been thinking about it all day.
“Missed you,” he murmured against my mouth.
“You saw me last night.”
“Felt like forever.”
His hands slid under my sweatshirt, warm against my skin, and I gasped. He took a step back. “I should stop.”
“Please, don’t stop?” I grabbed his face, making him look at me. “I’ll tell you if I want to stop, but right now… I want you to touch me.”
Something blazed in his eyes. “Where?”
“Everywhere.”
He groaned, his head dropping onto my shoulder. “You’re going to kill me.”
