“Clearly, I worked up an appetite,” he says with a shameless smile. “How do you feel about Italian?”
“Works for me. I’m easy.”
With an arched brow, he nuzzles into my neck. His body molds against mine like this is a practiced dance between the two of us. “Oh, are you? Good to know.”
I roll my eyes, but there’s no hiding my smile. “For the record, I don’t usually put out on the first date.”
“This wasn’t our first date.” Cole lifts his head, smirking. “It was about our thirtieth.”
With that, he’s on his feet, disposing of the condom and washing his hands, then placing an order for delivery.
“Should be here in an hour.” He looms over me, capturing my mouth, nipping lightly at my bottom lip before leaning back and releasing it. “Wonder what we should do to fill the time…”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
cole
As I look downat my watch again, I curse myself. Maya’s not late; I’m just early and eager to see her. Having been on the road for the past five nights, I’ve had to survive on sporadic calls and texts. I’ll take what I can get, but I’ve missed the feel of her hand in mine when she tells me about class and how her fingers lightly brush over the bruises I come home with pretty regularly. And Ireallymiss the breathy moans she makes when I’m slowly moving inside her. The sharp intake of breath when I first enter her. The soft brush of her lips against mine when she comes undone around my cock.
Right on time, she steps out of the ivy-covered building where her class is held. She looks like an adorable marshmallow in her puffy white jacket. Not that I’d ever tell her that, since I value my life. Only as she takes the stairs do I notice the man next to her. He looks like a doctor onGrey’s Anatomywith his cocoa-colored complexion, trendy wire glasses, and warm smile.
I immediately dislike him. And that feeling only doubles when he leans in close and makes Maya laugh.
Spotting my car, she waves goodbye to the fake doctor and hurries my way. She clambers into the car and leans over the console, capturing my lips in a deep kiss. “Welcome back, Captain. Congrats on your back-to-back-to-back wins.”
I chuckle and bask in the satisfaction her compliment brings. “Hey, baby. Thank you.”
“How was the flight?”
“Good. Read a few chapters ofAlien Lovers of Planet Dexxar. How was class?”
“Amazing,” she says dreamily. “We focused on plot today, and in our workshop, we wrote short stories and had to include a plot twist at the beginning of each paragraph. It’s supposed to help us really focus on why we choose each plot point and how it affects the story moving forward. Brian’s feedback was super helpful. I feel like I’m finally hitting my stride.”
“That’s great.” I keep my tone even, though the sound of another man’s name on her lips has my hackles rising. “Who’s Brian? Is he the guy you walked outside with?”
With a nod, she buckles her seat belt. “Mm-hmm. He was my critique partner for the exercise.”
“Your partner?” Screw it, there’s no way I can hide the potent jealousy consuming me.
“Mm-hmm. We offer critique and feedback during workshops. Why are you being weird?” In my periphery, she assesses me, brows furrowed.
Once I’ve come to a stop at a red light, I turn to face her. She’s still watching me, her head tilted expectantly. The fact that she can’t put two and two together speaks volumes about how her exes have treated her.
“Because I’m jealous.”
“OfBrian?” She throws her head back and laughs. The notion that a man could be jealous over her is so foreign that she doesn’t even recognize it. “Cole, Brian’s so focused on becoming the next James Patterson that I could show up to class in my birthday suit and he wouldn’t notice. There’s no need to be jealous, babe.”
The pet name soothes the sharp edges of my insecurity, but I still frown as I ease off the brake and glide through the intersection. “But he knows about writing and books and all that shit. I don’t.”
“Does it bother you that I don’t know that much about hockey?”
I scoff. “No, of course not.”
“Same goes for me.” She presses a brief kiss on my cheek. “I don’t care that you don’t love reading like I do. Opposites attract and all that.”
I don’t bother fighting the grin that creeps up on my lips. “Do you mind if we swing by Goldblatt’s on the way to my place?”
“Oh! Goldblatt’s is thebest.” She grins. “I’ll pick up a babka to send to Ava. They’re her favorite.”
