“It’ll be okay. They’re going down.”
“I wasn’t talking about that. My stomach is tight, and you’re too far away. I want you to stay.”
Cole practically stared holes into me, struggling with the decision. We almost kissed after an argument, so what was going to happen when we were alone in a bedroom?
He wanted it as much as I did, I could tell.
Finally, he replied, “All right. If that’s what you need.”
“I don’t want you to stay because you think it’s what I need.”
Holding his hand out, he said, “You know I don’t want to walk out of this house. Leaving you is still on the bottom of my list.”
I took his hand and held it tight as I nudged his arm. “You’re cute.”
“Can you not call me cute?”
“Can’t help it. You are,” I replied, grinning up at him.
He arched a brow. “Is that right?”
Nodding, I replied, “Yep. You’re just going to have to get over that. Want to grab a couple Cokes and I’ll just make sure it’s cool for you to stay?”
“Sure.”
As I thought, Ali was fine with Cole staying over and didn’t seem at all surprised. Maybe that was why Lizzie stayed away.She drove me insane, but she saw more than I thought, and she was more considerate now.
Cole followed me upstairs. The closer I got to my temporary room, the more nerves ravaged my stomach. I bit my lip, hearing his soft steps on the carpet behind me.
Would he want me to take Lizzie’s bed? Probably not, but I should at least offer.
We took it in turns to get ready for bed, Cole using a toothbrush from the stash of replacements under the bathroom cabinets. My toothpaste. In Lizzie’s room, I changed into shorts and a tank top, while Cole stripped to just his boxers.
The atmosphere in the room was charged, both of us in far less clothes and getting ready to share a bed, knowing how much each other wanted to use that bed for more than sleeping.
Cole sat down on the futon with his back against the wall. He pulled the quilt over his legs. My mouth watered to trace my fingers along each dip on his chest. He was so much more toned. Soft, smooth skin stretched over muscle.
“Do you want me to sleep in Lizzie’s bed?” I asked, silently praying he would say no. God, it was hard to look at his face when he was half naked.
Tilting his head, his eyes slid up from my legs to my face very slowly. My stomach dipped. “No, I don’t.”
I walked across the room with butterflies in my tummy and sat beside him, the futon protesting to two of us on it.
“Areyouokay now?” I asked.
He laughed awkwardly, scratching his chest. “Wired. Confused. Turned on.”
“Tell me how I can help.”
“Oakley.” My name was a strangled groan. “Just lay down with me. I want you in my arms so fucking bad I’m barely holding on here.”
Swoon.
I couldn’t move fast enough as I kicked at the cover. Cole laughed at me as I eagerly got us both lying on the mattress.
“Better?” I asked.
We were lying down like two sacks of potatoes, dead still and heavy with only a small gap between us. A slither of space that I hated.
