“Don’t let me keep you.” Cole looks fromme to the elevator, trying to decide what he should do. The sooner he gets donewith his business, the better, maybe it’s better for the moment to stay mad ateach other. I close the door, flipping the lock. But when I do, my bodyconvulses. I slap my hands over my mouth to hold the sobs inside. I hear theelevator ding but wait a good ten minutes before I head downstairs. In ourbedroom, I strip my clothes off and rummage through Cole’s side of the closet,pulling out the t-shirt he wore the last time we went to Nightlifer. I stretchit over my head, inhaling. “Cole,” I mutter. The cedar and mint and well, justCole smell tingling my nose and helping me relax. I crawl into bed, but I can’tsleep knowing Cole and I are at odds. I pick my phone up texting:I’m sorry.
And then send another text:I loveyou.Feeling a little better, I pull the covers up around my chin and driftoff to sleep.
I hear a click and sit up, disoriented.The lamp at the end of the room is on, giving it an eerie feeling. Cole issitting on the edge of the bed next to me, still dressed. His hair’sdisheveled. He’s pulled his tie loose and the top button of his shirt isundone. There are dark circles under his eyes. I scrub my hands over my face,trying to get rid of the haze I’m in. “Cole, you scared me.”
“Now you know a fraction of what I feltwhen I saw you in the elevator this afternoon.”
I narrow my eyes, annoyance bubbling up.“That’s not fair.”
“Kate, I thought something bad washappening to you.”
“Because I got in the elevator?” My voicecracks, my annoyance turning to anger.
He grabs my arms, his own anger flaring.“Because I didn’t think you were stupid enough to try to go somewhere byyourself.”
I suck in a breath. “How dare you call mestupid. You’re the one who left me by myself to start with. I waited for overan hour. Besides, I wasn’t going anywhere. I was just going downstairs to seeif Keaton or one of the other bodyguards was down there.”
“Why didn’t you knock on the conferencedoor or text for Christ’s sake.” Cole doesn’t yell. His anger makes his voicelow, with an icy edge to it.
“I went up to the door, but Alan wasshouting and someone else yelled. I didn’t think it was a good time tointerrupt. Things seemed—heated.”
Cole lets go of me, standing up, tearinghis tie the rest of the way off and discarding his suit coat.
I’ve messed up here and I don’t know howto fix it. “I said I was sorry. I don’t know what else you want.”
“What I want, Kathrine, is for you to doas I ask. After what happened at the nightclub, I thought you understood howimportant it is to take security with you.”
I sit up on my knees. “It’s not that Idon’t understand. It’s that I feel like I’m being slowly suffocated.”
“You think I like it? I hate it too. Butit keeps us safe. It keeps you safe. If I ever lost you…” His voice cracks, andhe trails off. “It doesn’t matter. It will all be over tomorrow.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m selling Lawton tomorrow.”
“No! You can’t do that.” I don’t want himto compromise his business. He would never do this if I wasn’t in the picture.
“We can’t risk it anymore. Your theatricsreinforced that point. It’s as good as done.” Cole finishes undressing, lettinghis clothes fall to the floor, not picking them up. He moves over to his sideof the bed, and crawls in, pulling the covers over him. I turn my back on him,I don’t want to sleep next to him with the way things are. I get up and walk tothe door. I’m the one to blame for this. I’ll sleep somewhere else and hopeCole doesn’t take too long to forgive me.
“Where are you going?” Cole’s hand wrapsaround my arm, turning me to face him.
“I don’t want to be around you whenyou’re angry with me.” I don’t feel like sugar coating my thoughts.
“Get in bed.”
I scrunch my eyebrows at him. “No.”
“Get in bed, Kate. I won’t ask again.”
“No.” I yank my arm out of his grasp,turning to the door. In a swift motion, Cole has his arm around my waist,hoisting me up. I’m so shocked by the action that I don’t fight or scream. Hedumps me unceremoniously on the bed, crawling up so he’s straddling me.
“I told you I wouldn’t ask again.” Hegives me a cocky smile.
“That smile will not work tonight,Coulter Holt.” I’d like to slap it off his face for the stunt he just pulled.
He ignores my jeer, twisting my nightshirt, his shirt in his hands. “Nice shirt.” Before I can react, he yanks thething off me. “It’s mine.” I cross my arms defiantly over my bare chest. “Tsk,tsk.” He looks down at my silk underwear.
“Cole.” I warn. But he doesn’t care. Heslowly wraps the silky fabric around his hand, fisting it. I loosen my arms tostop him, and his eyes go immediately to my bare chest, and I cross my armsagain. With a rough tug, the panties rip from my body.
