With a contented sigh, I nuzzled my face into his chest, letting myself revel in the feeling of being held—safe, and protected from men like the one who tried to attack me last night.
For a few moments, I felt completely at peace—until an alarm blared in the distance, and with another whirring sound, the windows untinted, filling the room up with light.
Cole came awake with a jerk.
But he didn't immediately let me go. "You're awake."
A statement. Not a question.
"Yeah, um...good morning?"
A long, silent beat. Then he abruptly let me out of his full-body hold without another word. "You should use the guest bathroom to get ready."
"Yeah, of course."
I awkwardly took myself and my pillow out of Cole's bedroom as quickly as I could and emptied my bladder, as instructed, in the guest bathroom, which, just like the rest of the penthouse, had a black-and-white chessboard theme.
It was beginning to feel like a reflection of how the ruthless CEO of Benton Worldwide saw the world. A black-and-white game of strategy and intent.
Anyway, the door to Cole's bedroom was closed when I emerged from the guest bathroom.
As if to say,Exception Over.
I'm definitely going to need coffee to get through this.
I padded downstairs, in desperate need of a morning cup—only to end up staring down the GoNoTo Barista robot taking up most of the kitchen counter. Wondering how I could get the chrome monster to just pour out a simple stream of coffee into the white cup I'd place underneath its main spigot.
Maybe I should pray to it?Forswear my grandmother's religion and pledge my fealty to my new coffee machine overlord?
"Turn the knob on the right, then press the button on your left and hold it down."
It took me a moment to realize it was Cole—not my new coffee machine overlord—telling me what to do.
"Oh, hey!" I spun around.
And immediately wished I hadn't. My throat went completely dry, and all thoughts of coffee disappeared. I was awake. I was definitely awake.
Also, wondering out loud, before my coffee-less brain could catch up with my mouth, "How is it not against the law for you to appear anywhere in nothing but a pair of running tights?"
Cole looked down. "You're aware I'm also wearing shoes and socks."
"You're aware, the only thing anybody can see is all of that?" I circled a splayed hand in the general direction of his insanely well-defined torso. "Does The House enjoy shining his abs directly into my eyes before I've even had a chance to figure out how to make a coffee?"
Cole smirked. "Now you know how I felt when you wore that pink leotard."
"Touché," I admitted with a little bit of an inner preen."Revenge is a dish best served Cole."
Cole arched an eyebrow. "Did you just come up with that?"
"Yes!" I confessed, clasping my hands together. "And I'm so proud of myself!"
Cole's lips twitched with something that looked an awful lot like amusement. "Do you want me tobe niceand make you a cup of coffee before I go downstairs for my run?"
I scrunched my brow. "You know you don't have to signal you're being nice every time you do it, right?"
Instead of answering, Cole clasped my shoulders and moved me out of his way before he made me an admittedly delicious cup of morning cappuccino with the barista almond milk I'd pulled out of his black refrigerator.
"You're not going to make yourself one?" I asked when he did a series of maneuvers to turn off the machine. Like an astronaut.
