“No.” He smirked, gave Aida his practiced smile, his gaze slicing to me once again before he said, “I’m a lover.”
Cringeworthy? Oh, God, yes.
But Holden wasn’t finished. He continued, “Isn’t that right, Nats?”
Aida, bless her soul, didn’t give me time to react. Dropping her hands to her sides, she shook her head. “That’s not what I hear, big guy.” She threw a wink at me over her shoulder.
Tuuli moved into the far corner of the kitchen, giving me a reassuring smile. Her eyes held wisdom far beyond her twenty-something years.
Aida stepped closer to Holden. “I hear you’ve been harassing my girl over there. Sending her vile messages.”
Face a fiery shade, Holden ran a hand through his hair, shot me a glare. “Babe. Time for us to go.”
“She isn’t going anywhere, you big, ridiculous waste of space.” Eye level with Holden’s chest, Aida raised her chin.
Fists clenched, Holden stared down at the feisty warrior, the vein in his temple bulging, a warning.
My stomach lurched. What a fool I’d been, bringing Holden and his volatile temper into a stranger’s home. I needed to get him far away from these women.
Lifting the child to my shoulder, I tried to stand on my one good leg. The baby squirmed and then pulled at my hair, giggling, and I fell back into the cushion at the same time Holden shouted, “Babe, let’s—”.
The floor shook with a loud boom. I looked up to find Holden on his knees. Aida moved fast, her arms a blur, striking Holden somewhere on his neck, once, twice. He fell face first on the hard, black tile.
Tuuli tossed Aida a rope. She bound Holden’s hands, then his feet.
The child continued to squeal and yank on my hair.
As if she hadn’t just taken down a man three times her size, Aida sauntered my way, untangled her daughter’s fingers, then lifted her off my lap. “That was fun.” She clicked her tongue. “Thought he’d put up more of a fight, though.”
“Want coffee?” Tuuli asked from the kitchen.
“Ummmm.” My head spun. Stomach protested.
“I’m Aida,” the deadly bombshell said. “We needed to do this inside. No witnesses.” She winked. Kissed her daughter on the head. “You look familiar. Have we met?”
Tuuli shouted, “You’ve seen her in the diner.”
“Ah.” Aida nodded. “That’s it.”
“I’m so confused.”
“And you’re trembling.” Tuuli came my way and shoved a mug into my hand before pulling a soft knit blanket around my shoulders and said, “Aida’s been studying martial arts since before she could walk.” As if that explained everything.
The giant door slid open and a large, brooding man barreled through followed by Tango, and then, thank you Jesus, Cole.
Four long strides, and he knelt at my feet, inspecting, eyes frantic with worry. “Jesus. Fuck. Did he hurt you?”
I shook my head.
“Fuckin’ hell, Aida. You left nothin’ for us to do.” That came from the man with the scar, Tuuli’s husband.
“Really, Tits?” Aida smirked. “You would’ve made a mess. Lots of blood and broken dishes. I saved you the trouble.”
Tango stood over Holden, phone in his hand, shit-eating grin on his face. “Natalie, how you wanna handle this? I can call the cops or we can make him disappear.”
Hands trembling, I grabbed Cole’s collar and pulled him closer. “He’s kidding, right?”
Forehead to mine, he released a harsh breath and laughed. “He’s kidding, sunshine. Cops are on their way.”
I was reading the last twisted line of The Wives, half cringing, half cheering for Thursday when my front door opened then closed.
Cole toed off his shoes, then came my way, his gait heavy, face grim.
“So?”
“Holden’s going away for a long time. His prints were all over Caleb’s car and in his home. Long list of charges.”
The past few days had worn Cole down, his burdens heavy judging by the slope of his shoulders and the dark circles around his eyes.
“What about Caleb?”
He stalked forward and sighed. “Beat to hell, but he’ll survive.”
“I need to talk to him. Explain.” I fought a lip quiver. “Apologize.”
“He knows it wasn’t your fault.” Cole dusted a finger over my forehead, then tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, eliciting a full body shiver.
He was so close, his breaths warming my cheeks. Whatever he’d eaten for lunch must’ve been loaded with garlic, but I didn’t care. Cole was in my home, towering over me, and I was safe, warm, and wanted.
He pinched my glasses at the bridge, slid them off my face, and laid them on the coffee table. His dimples popped before he brushed soft kisses on the left corner of my mouth, then the right.
“How’re you feeling?”
“My head hurts.”
Weary eyes studied mine. “What can I do? How can I help?”
“Kiss me again?”
Cole pressed his forehead to mine. Sighed. Kissed my nose. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“My tongue doesn’t hurt so much anymore.”
“That’s good.”
I urged him to sit next to me, then stood and made a show of shimmying out of my jeans.
“Sunshine, I don’t think we should push it,” he grumbled but made no move to stop me. He wore a scowl, his mood dark.
“I don’t think I can wait another second.” My shirt was next, then my bra. Then my panties.
Cole didn’t move.
I pinched a nipple, rolling the hard flesh between my fingers. “Lose the shirt, Adams.”
In one smooth motion, he removed his T-shirt and tossed it aside. I stepped between his knees, raked my nails down his stomach, then grabbed the hem of his pants. Still, he didn’t move. I quirked a brow, waiting. With a huff, he lifted his hips and jerked his sweats down to his knees.
Commando. Jeez, what a turn on.
His swollen cock fell against his six pack, the sight so erotic my head buzzed. This man was mine. Mine. Mine.
Skin tingling, insides warm and aching, I gripped his shoulders, planted my knees in the cushions at his hips, and nestled my ass in his lap.
He hit me with a heated gaze full of unspoken promises, unnecessary apologies.
Lips
