Jade put the key in her door knob, turned and opened it. When she walked inside it was exactly the way she’d left it. There wasn’t much furniture in the two-bedroom unit to begin with and even less once Katrina took her things and left.
“I seem to keep pissing you off. I don’t mean to.”
She sighed. “Forget about it.” Jade wasn’t usually this emotional, but being around Cole opened up too many raw emotions she thought were buried a long time ago. If she was going to be living with him for a month or two, Jade had to figure out how to put the past behind her.
“How long have you lived here?” Cole’s baritone voice snapped her back to reality.
“Not long just about nine months.” She looked up into his eyes. They hadn’t changed much over the years. They might have been a little sadder. Which was weird considering, he seemed to have achieved everything he’d always wanted. Jade was exhausted, so it had to be her imagination playing tricks on her. At this point, all she wanted to do was get on with the task of gathering her things. “You don’t have to stay you know? I don’t have much to pack, but it’s enough to keep me really busy over the next day or so. I also need to find a place to store my things. I have a lot to figure out and not a lot of time to do it.”
Cole ignored her and moved to place his jacket on an empty chair in the kitchen, or was it the living room? It didn’t matter. “I’m good. You look tired.” He unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt then started rolling up his sleeves. “What do you need me to do?”
Her eyes followed his hands from his neck to his arms. I need you to go home is what she thought. Cole was always strong and athletically built, but the years had been good to him. His broad chest and the corded muscles in his arms were no longer that of a teen but of a strong adult man. Quickly, Jade turned to focus on the clock on the wall. “You really don’t have to help me. I can handle it alone.”
Alone. The weight of that word was so heavy. He pushed the feelings it evoked down. “I’m sure you can. But, since you’re not alone anymore you don’t have to.” Cole had that determined look on his face that said he was not going anywhere. It was the same one he wore when they were kids, and he was focused on something.
Jade couldn’t help but think maybe it would be easier to let him help. Plus, the faster she packed the sooner he would leave. “Fine. We can get started with breaking down my bookcase.”
An hour later, Jade was sitting down on one of only two chairs in the apartment watching Cole stack her bookcase and bedroom furniture into a corner. He’d forced her to sit down. “I can have someone come over and pick up your things in the morning and store it for you.”
“Thanks but that’s okay. You’ve already done enough.”
“It’s really no problem.” He used his thumb to scratch above his eyebrow. “Do you have anything to drink? I’m a little thirsty.”
Jade was embarrassed. He had been working hard, and she hadn’t offered him anything. “Sorry. Um…yes. Well, I haven’t been home, so there’s probably not much in the refrigerator, maybe some water?”
“Water would be fine.”
Jade must have stood up too fast because she almost fell back down into her seat. Cole was by her side in seconds. He wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her from falling, and Jade held on tightly to his shoulders. “I’ve got you.”
Her breath was caught in her throat as she looked up into his eyes. A little breathless she spoke. “Whoa. That was scary.”
Cole continued to hold Jade. It wasn’t like he’d never touched her before but that had been years ago. If he remembered correctly, Jade hadn’t felt like this. She was soft, and her womanly curves were throwing him off. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it.
Jade spoke in a near whisper as she continued to hold his gaze. “I think I’m okay now.”
He’d held her a moment or two longer than necessary. “Oh. Sorry.” Gently, Cole lowered Jade back down into her chair as if she were the most precious thing on earth. He wasn’t sure how long she’d been in his arms. He thought his mind was definitely playing tricks on him though, because he could have sworn he saw something in Jade’s eyes that didn’t look very sisterly. He shook his head and laughed to himself. Jade barely wanted to be in the same room with him, let alone feel something other than a sisterly type of love for him. Cole still needed to remind her that she cared about him no matter how angry she was. Putting that aside, he felt she was in no condition to stay alone. “Jade, I would feel better if you packed a bag and moved in with me tonight. They released you from the hospital, but you’re still not a hundred percent. I can have my assistant come back tomorrow and finish up all of this.”
As much as Jade hated to admit it, Cole was right. She was so exhausted that all she wanted to do was curl up in bed and go to sleep. “That might not be such a bad idea if you really don’t mind.”
It didn’t take her very long to pack. They locked up the apartment and got on the road. The drive to Cole’s was, at least, an hour or more.
Initially, the car was quiet with both of them lost in their own thoughts. “Are you hungry?” Cole asked.
Jade’s mind was
