9
jenna
“Jenna.” Cole’s soft voice whispersacrossmy ear, sending a tingle down the whole right side of my body. “Baby, are you awake?” His lips press against my neck as his muscular arms envelop me.
“No,” I grumble, but I snuggle closer to him—loving the way my body perfectly conforms to his. The chorus of chirps from the open window catches my curiosity, and I crack open an eyelid to see sunlight filling the bedroom.
Cole’s soft laughter tickles my skin. “Do you want to be awake?”
“Maybe,” I say and gasp when his teeth gently nip at my shoulder. A shudder ripples through my stomach muscles as his hand skates down my body and slides between my legs. “Mmm.” I moan at his touch, as his fingers seek and findentranceto my core.
“Are you awake now?” he asks, the roughness of his morning voice makes my skin prickle.
“I’m getting there,” I breathe and release another moan as Cole’s fingers work diligently to bring me pleasure. “Keep going.”
He kisses my jaw, my shoulder, then presses his mouth to the sensitive part of my neck and sucks—hard.
“Oh my gosh.” My hand flies up behind me to hold him in place as a wave of pleasure rises within me. I’m close—so close—just a—little—more. My eyes snap open and I loosen my hold on him as panic quickly replaces the pleasure. “Cole, did you hear that?”
“What?” he asks, stilling his movements and leaning slightly away from me.
“That!” I whisper harshly. There is no mistaking a man’s voice coming from the other room. “Someone’s in the house.”
“Stay here,” Cole tells me, and I know from the tone of his voice that his demand is not up for debate. He climbs out of bed and reaches for my robe, folding it in half and wrapping it around his waist like a towel. He looks ridiculous, especially since it’s a very feminine pink robe, and I almost want to laugh at the sight, but my fear of the unknown almost paralyzes me. What if it’s a burglar? Or a crazy person? Oh gosh, what if something bad happens to Cole?
I climb out of bed as he disappears into the hall andthrowon the first articles of clothing I find. Taking light steps, I make my way across the room to follow him but stop abruptly when I collide with his chest. “Sorry!”
“I thought I told you to stay put?” he says and reaches out to steady me.
“I know, I’m sorry, I’m—” I pause in the midst of my rush of words and glance from him to the other room. “Why are you back here? Who’s out there?”
A smirk plays at his mouth. “Ferris Bueller.”
I’m instantly confused, and I notice him pick up on it.
“The electric finally came back on,” he explains. “Movie picked up where we left off.”
”Oh,” I say and release a small laugh.
“Now.” Cole moves closer to me and circles his hands around my waist. “What do you say you and I pick up where we left offin here? Come join me for a shower?”
I smile and open my mouth to tell him I’d love nothing more, but my stomach decides to answer for me—grumbling loudly. Embarrassment washes over me.
“Want me to make you some breakfast?”
“No, no,” I tell him and work to rid myself of the blush filling my cheeks. “You go take your shower; I’ll whip us up something to eat.” After receiving a sweet kiss from Cole, and an eyeful of his sexy body when he dropped my robe, I head for the kitchen.
It’s hard to believe that this time yesterday we were just two friends occupying the same house, and now … well, now I’m not quite sure what we are. Something more than just friends, but less than dating—lovers, I guess? A goofy grin spreads across my lips as I think of calling Cole my “lover.” Do people really use that terminology? I wouldn’t know because I’ve never had one. I’ve only ever had Mark, and he and I had been boyfriend and girlfriend for quite a while before taking that next step to love making.
Putting a label on whatever is happening between Cole and me doesn’t matter, though. Boyfriend. Girlfriend. Lovers. I don’t need any of it. I just need him. These past few days have been the most unexpected, most spontaneous, and most exciting I’ve had in a really long time.
Grabbing a whisk from the drawer, I beat the eggs I’ve cracked into a bowl while singing “Twist and Shout” along with the movie, and then I pour the mixture into the skillet I’ve warmed up on the stove. I’m dancing around like an idiot, but I don’t care. I’m in a great mood and nothing’s going to change that.
“You seem awfully chipper this morning.”
My heart falls to my stomach.Ohcrap. “Emma,” I say and turn to look at her as she closes the door behind her. “What are you doing here?”
“We had those bad storms roll through last night. I tried calling to see if you’d made out okay, but you didn’t answer.” She glances back to the door and gestures with her thumb. “Who’s truck is that?”
