I laugh into his neck, kissing his jaw.He turns me around, caressing my hair and placing it over my shoulder. “Damn,there’s like twenty of them.”
“Just making you work for it.” He kissesmy neck, then goes back to the buttons. It takes him a minute, but he gets thehang of it. “There.” He strokes his fingers along my back, undoing the lastone. His touch makes me shiver with delight. His hands also make quick work ofmy bra. He pushes everything over my shoulders and helps me step out of mydress, laying it across a chair. I cover my chest, feeling self-conscious.
“Cookie.” Cole looks me over, standing inmy panties and thigh highs. He walks up to me, kissing my shoulder. I push Cole’ssuit coat down his arms and loosen his tie. He pulls it over his head. I undothe first few buttons of his dress shirt, pulling the shirttails out of hispants, and letting my hands roam along his warm skin. My fingers circle hispecs and I press my thumbs into his nipples. They harden under my touch. Colehisses. He picks me up, laying me across the bed. He kisses the top of my thigh,running his fingers along my garter belt. “Cute.”
“Mmm, thanks.” I wink at him. He gripsthe lacy material between his teeth, dragging it down my legs, and then drawsdown each of my stockings.
“I have a present for you.” I kneel onthe bed.
“For me?”
I bite my lip, giving him a mischievousnod. I get off the bed and push Cole so he’s sitting down.
I turn around, pushing my white lacypanties down my hips, taking them off. I glance over my shoulder at Cole. Hislook is dark, the vein in his neck pulsing wildly. “Kate.” In a swift move, hehas his hands on me, tossing me back on the bed. I gasp with mock horror. Coleclimbs on the bed, straddling me. “You, my beautiful wife, are being a tease.”
“Never.”
Cole skims his lips down my chest betweenmy breasts, flicking his tongue out as he goes, leaving a trail of searing heatand desire.
“Is your naked, beautiful body my gift?”I can’t help the blush that covers my neck and face. In a way, that’s exactlywhat I’m giving him. I bite my lip, nodding again. I push Cole back, kneelingin front of him. I pick at the edge of the flesh covered bandage on my hip,surprised I’ve kept it from him or that his roaming hands haven’t found it.
“Take it off,” I tell him. Cole peelsback the cover, his muscle tenses, and his eyes glaze as he takes in thetattoo. “Cole,” I breathe timidly. Not sure what he’s thinking. “Tell me whatyou’re thinking?”
He traces his fingers over the black ink.“Kate.” His voice cracks with emotion.
“Cole.” I raise my hand, running it alonghis jaw. “I love you, I’m yours.”
“Hell yes, you are.” He leans over,kissing my hip. “Mine.” He covers his body over mine, bringing us face to face.“Kate that is…” He trails off, kissing me. “You…you tattooed my name on yourbody.” And he kisses me again. “Not just my name, my signature.” I run my handsthrough his hair. “How and when did you even get a copy of it?”
“From your office on Tuesday when I waswaiting to sign some papers. What about the other piece?”
“The poker symbols, it’s perfect.”
“I’m truly yours, Cole. Utterly andcompletely.” I cover my lips over his, flicking my tongue in his mouth. Hecaptures it, sucking lightly. He stands up, taking off his socks, pants, andboxer briefs, then gets back on the bed. I sit up on my knees, kissing himagain. I push his shirt over his head, tossing it over the side of the bed. Ilet my fingers trace the lines of his defined torso, while I glide my tongueacross his collarbone. And then float my hands down his sides. I stop when myfingers come into contact with the rubber of a Band-Aid. “What is that?” I ask,picking at the edge.
Cole gives me his mega-watt smile. “Whydon’t you find out?”
My eyes get wide, “No. Way.” I gentlypeel back the bandage to reveal a tattoo of a poker card. In the center is ascripted V with each poker symbol in the corner, and my name in script acrossthe bottom. “V,” I utter. “For Vega.” I run my fingers lightly across the ink.“Don’t tell me…”
Cole sits back on his knees, scratchingthe back of his head. “Yes, we all have one. Cooper got the idea from what yousaid in the limo on the way to the Mayor’s Gala. He’s having a hard time goingback to school and leaving the business. He thought the five of us gettingtattoos would help solidify the friendship between us. Luke’s big intocamaraderie and brotherhood from his days in the Marines. He was the first toagree. Race was just behind him. I owed Coop and well, we do always have eachother’s back. It seemed like the perfect way to establish that. And well, Kit,he’s always up for an adventure. Plus, I was pretty drunk. Coop had madearrangements with the tattoo place in the Upper House. Luke and Kit have to goback and get theirs finished.”
“Vega men.” I kiss his tattooed skin,running my hands back up his sides. Cole scoots back, sitting on the bed.
“Come here.” I sit over his legs, ourtorsos pressed to each other. “Kate, you and I are one. I’d like to say that werode off into the sunset and now we’re going to live happily ever after. And asmuch as we’ve been through, that should be the case. Our story is justbeginning. I know we’ll have fights. I know things will get bumpy. But I alsoknow I will never stop loving you.”
I trace my finger over his lips, he’salways so wise. “I know that sometimes love is effortless. But I’ve alsolearned that it requires work. I don’t care if it feels like I am climbing Mt.Everest, I will never stop loving you, Cole. You are my one and only.”
Cole kisses me. “I love being this closeto you, Kate, skin to skin.” He moves us so his body blankets mine. He trailskisses down my neck and chest. He swirls his tongue along each nipple. Hespreads my thighs, his tongue flicking out against my love bite, then draws thetender skin between his lips. “Mine,” he breathes over the spot when he’s done.
He swirls his tongue between my folds,nipping and sucking my bud until I’m slick, swollen and a frenzied heat ofnerves and pleasure. He drags his fingers in and out of my heat until my bodybucks with a beautiful orgasm. He lifts my left leg, pushing it over hisshoulder, then brings his face up to mine. Our tongues twist and twirl,seeking, exploring, loving each other. With a gentle thrust, Cole fills me.
We move together as one, because we areone. We make each other whole; we make each other better, and together, westrive to be better than we already are. I will never have it all together, nomatter how many lists I put together, no matter how much I plan. My body isn’tperfect, and I don’t always react well to situations, but those are all thingsCole loves about me; he will never ask me to change who I am with him.
“Baby.” Cole takes my hands in his,stretching them above my head.
“I love making love to you. You wereworth the wait. I would have waited forever for you.”
“You’re all I’ve ever wanted, Kate. Ididn’t know you were missing until I found you.” We move in rhythm, each surgeof his hips taking me higher and higher to where I want to be. “Cookie, look atme.” Cole tangles his hands in my hair, bringing us face to face. He nips at mybottom lip, then covers his mouth with mine. My fingers dig into his backside,wanting Cole closer, wanting him to consume me. He makes a low guttural sound.“Kate.” His tempo quickens and our sweat slickened bodies move in a feveredpace. Damp curls cling to Cole’s forehead as his face tenses with a drop-deadgorgeous smile on it.
