Edible

11

Rachel stood barefoot in front of a glass sliding door that opened out onto a balcony. The night had closed in on downtown Chicago, and lights were twinkling in the distance on the lake.

Cole had told her to make herself at home as he had walked down to his bedroom to put on some clothes. He probably meant a three-piece suit, Rachel thought, feeling a mischievous laugh leave her swollen lips. It’s not that she was complaining about anything because when that suit came off…Wow. Just wow.

The man was a walking contradiction. During the day, he was completely put together, not a single blond hair out of place, but after hours, she was finding that there was a lot more to Cole than she had originally suspected. The tattoos, five in total as far as she was aware, were enough of a shock, but the piercings were what made Rachel’s mind spin.

“I brought something more comfortable for you to change into, only if you would like, of course.”

His persuasive deep voice broke through the silence. He sounded closer to her than she had expected. Rachel steeled herself for what she would find as she looked over her shoulder. In the middle of his living room, he was standing behind her, dressed in a simple white cotton tee and an expensive pair of jeans that fit his long, lean legs perfectly.

Damn it! Even in jeans, the man has me thinking dirty, salacious thoughts.

Her eyes moved to his arm extended out to her, and she saw he was holding a white shirt. Walking toward him, Rachel let her tongue come out to touch her abused top lip. When she was standing directly in front of his raised arm, she fingered the cool material. Bringing her eyes back to his, she questioned, “Just a shirt?”

As she took it from him, he moved to stand behind her. She felt his hand softly graze her back as he swept her hair over her shoulder. Slipping his fingers into the top of her dress, he methodically undid the hook-and-eye clasp and unzipped her zipper.

“It’s not just a shirt. It’s my shirt,” he admitted against the base of her neck with a soft kiss. He lifted the left strap off her shoulder and drew it down over her arm. Running one of his fingers down her spine, he continued, “I want you to wear something that is mine.”

Rachel looked over her now bare shoulder and met his covetous gaze. “Is that so?”

His lips tugged into his version of a grin as he leaned forward and kissed her. “It is.”

Facing forward, Rachel reached up to remove her other strap and slid it down, letting the dress fall over her waist to pool at her feet. She was about to put on the shirt when Cole stepped around in front of her.

He fingered the front clasp of the only remaining scrap of lace on her. Raising his eyes to hers, he deftly unsnapped the bra and parted it. He permitted himself to look down at her as he discarded the bra on the ground.

“Next time, I want you like this—completely naked.”

As she stood naked in his house, she didn’t know where her courage came from, but she couldn’t help herself from pointing out, “Well, if you hadn’t been so impatient—”

“On the contrary, I’ve shown immense patience.” He flicked her silver navel ring. “I’ve been waiting to get you here for months.”

Rachel parted her lips with a sigh. “I can just walk around your place naked if you like.”

“No, I can’t have that, or I’ll never actually learn anything about you. I’ll just end up keeping your mouth busy and my hands full. So, for now, wear my shirt.”

Cole chuckled as he turned and headed over toward the kitchen. Rachel kicked off her shoes and slipped the shirt on her arms. She buttoned it down the center, and as she bent over to pick up her dress, she angled her body to give him a good look at her bare ass beneath the shirt.

“Behave yourself, Rachel,” he told her from behind the counter where he had placed two tumblers.

Straightening, she draped the dress over the black leather couch and made her way around it and over to him. Standing on the opposite side of the kitchen island, she took a moment to really look at him. He seemed so different, standing there in his kitchen. He was almost approachable, almost easygoing.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked, his voice calm but inquisitive. Turning to a cabinet, he pulled out a bottle of liquor.

When he was facing her again, she noticed it was Macallan.

“I was just thinking how different you seem here.”

As he uncorked the bottle, he placed it on the granite counter. “How? How do I seem different?”

Rachel shrugged as she suddenly lost her nerve.

“No, don’t do that,” he admonished, pouring himself a glass. “Would you like one?”

Shaking her head, she declined. She needed all her wits about her when dealing with him. “Don’t do what?”

After putting the bottle away, he leaned up against the far counter, crossing his legs, as he stared her down. “Don’t cop out.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. You made a statement. Now, back it up.”

Rachel pursed her lips at him. “You’re really aggravating sometimes.”

“I know. It’s one of my most endearing qualities.”

Through an indignant snort, Rachel demanded to know, “Who told you that? Your mother?”

With his glass halfway to his mouth, he paused and narrowed his eyes at her over the rim. In a voice that seemed removed, he said, “No, not my mother.” He downed the rest of the scotch in one gulp, pushed off the counter, and placed the tumbler down. Stepping over to the island where she was standing, he asked her again, “How do I seem different?”

Rachel crossed her legs at the no-nonsense tone. “Well, I was going to say that you seem more approachable.”

Cole knew he wasn’t doing a good job at hiding his emotions. Her mention of his mother had made him think about how useless he was when it came to that whole situation, and that thought completely pissed him off.

Trying to forget about something in which he had no control over, he instead decided to push for the power where he knew he could find it. “You were going to? But now, you’ve changed your mind. Why?”

Letting out an exasperated breath that shifted her black hair against the side of her face, she gave him a look that should have been captioned, Really?

“Jeez, Cole. What is this? Twenty questions?”

“No, it was three. Are you going to answer them?”

“Are you going to loosen up?”

Raising his right hand to his chin, he rubbed it. “Now, that’s something I have never quite gotten the hang of or saw the need for.”

“What? Loosening up?”

Cole walked around the island and stopped beside her. “Answer me, and I’ll answer you.”

Gritting her teeth, she turned to him and raised her hands in defeat. “Fine. You win. I was just going to say that you appeared more approachable here, more easygoing in your kitchen.

“But not now?”

“No! Now, you’re all up in my face, being your usual overbearing and intimidating self.”

Cole felt his mouth twitch as he held back a full-on laugh. Damn, I like this woman. “You think I’m intimidating? That’s kind of harsh.”

She rolled her eyes as her feet shifted on the hardwood. “I hardly think I’ve hurt your feelings.”

“You’re right. You haven’t. I’m choosing to take it as a compliment.” Reaching forward, he took her hand, bringing her closer to him. “I think you’re intriguing, and I want to know everything about you.”

Her eyes lowered as she seemed to slowly hide and disappear inside herself. “There’s not that much to know.”

Cole wondered about what was really going on in her head. “I disagree. Look at me.”

As she did, he pulled her left hand up to his chest.

“The minute I saw you, I wanted you. I still ache for you, and I had you a little less than fifteen minutes ago. Everything about you makes me want to know more,” he confessed as he stroked her hair with his free hand. “This hair is so sleek yet so fucking eye-catching. Why do you do it? And what about this tattoo you have printed down your spine like some kind of self-religion? Plus, the two shiny secrets, which are hidden away for a certain someone to find.” Lowering his head, he pressed a soft kiss against her ear. “For me to find. Take note, Rachel. I’m officially intrigued, and my attention is usually very hard to acquire.”

Rachel turned her head and moved a fraction closer, unable to stop herself from pressing her lips up against his. He didn’t seem to mind though as he released her hand and wrapped both arms around her waist, pulling her in tight against him. Parting her lips, she shivered as he slid his tongue in against hers, stroking the roof of her mouth.

This man is going to unravel me. She could feel it in her blood, and she knew it somewhere in her brain. Rachel was aware that she should be working out how to build a wall around herself, but as his hands drifted down, sneaking under the shirt to stroke her bare ass, she couldn’t find the fortitude to start.

Pulling his head back, his piercing hazel eyes met hers. “Take the week off,” he suggested.

“What?” She laughed. She couldn’t quite believe what had come from the mouth of the man who never stopped working.

“The week—can you take it off?”

Gripping his arms, Rachel shook her head. “Not really. I have to work at Precious Petals in the morning and Exquisite at night.”

“How late?”

Rachel winced. “Usually, I get home around one.”

“Shit,” he cursed as he released his hold of her. “Well, that doesn’t work at all.”

“I’m sorry, but I need money to pay for bills, like my rent,” Rachel quipped sarcastically.

Pushing a hand up through his hair, Cole nodded absentmindedly. “I know, I know. I’m just trying to work out how we can make this happen. Your schedule is a disaster.”

“Yeah? Well, your ability to try and understand is poorly lacking as well,” she mumbled.

Cole seemingly ignored her as he started to pace back and forth.

Rachel couldn’t help herself as she asked, “Is this your thinking dance?”

He stopped and looked over to her. “Huh?”

She pointed to his bare feet as her fingers followed the trail of his motions. “The pacing? Do you do that whenever you are thinking?”

Almost as though he hadn’t realized he was doing it, he frowned. “Huh. I suppose so. I’ve never really thought about it. Now, you say you start over at Exquisite when?”

“I didn’t, but I start at six.”

“Right. Well, I’ll be there at six thirty.”

Rachel laughed incredulously. “What? Why?”

When she realized he wasn’t laughing with her, she noticed he was instead looking at her very calmly as though he had come to some master plan.

Rachel shook her head. “No.”

As he walked back toward her, she started to shake her head more furiously.

“No, Cole. You are not going to come and eat at the restaurant every night. That’s insane!”

Stopping before her, he did something she had never seen him do before. He shrugged, and she thought it was completely out of character for him.

“I don’t care. It’s the best plan there is,” he said.

“No, it’s not,” Rachel stressed. “It’s the worst plan there is.”

“Why?”

“Why?” she repeated back to him.

“Am I talking in another language?” he questioned, crossing his arms.

Rachel glared up at him. “Ugh, you are so frustrating! Why? Because Mason will be there, which means Lena is there, and that’s usually followed by Shelly and Josh being there, too.”

“Ahh, yes, the two ladies from the club. That’ll be fun to explain.”

“There will be no explaining. This has only been something for two nights. Why are you determined to tell everyone about this? First, Josh, and now, you want to just turn up at the restaurant.”

“Why are you trying so hard to keep it a secret?” he countered.

“I’m not!”

“Yes, you are. What’s wrong, Rachel? Do you think I’ll embarrass you?”

“No!” she denied as she thought, I’m more concerned with how I will react to you than anything you will do.

“Then, what is the problem?”

“Nothing!” Rachel fumed as she stalked past him over to the couch.

Grabbing her dress, she was about to storm into the bathroom and change when his voice cut through the air, halting her as effectively as his hand.

“Where do you think you are going?”

Looking at him over her shoulder, she hated the fact that he looked so damn good standing there.

“I’m leaving. You’re nuts.”

“No, I’m not,” he told her calmly as he undid the button on his jeans. “And you’re not going anywhere. What are you so afraid of?”

Rachel clutched her dress to her chest as he unzipped his jeans. While moving toward her, he reached over his shoulder and pulled the T-shirt up and over his head, baring his upper half to her greedy eyes.

Dumping the white cotton on the floor, he tilted his head to the side and ran his eyes over her, examining every inch of her. For one crazy moment, she thought that it was quite possible he was seeing right through her.

“It’s not me you’re running from. We’ve established that. Your past maybe? But that doesn’t explain why you don’t want everyone to know about us. Or maybe you’re just running from yourself?”

When he stopped directly in front of her, he bent down, so they were eye-to-eye. “It’s a little bit late to worry about all that, don’t you think? By now, I’m sure that Josh and your brother know all about this. Put down the dress, Rachel, and come with me.”

Cole held out his hand to her and waited. Her wary eyes met his as she finally relented and placed her palm in his hand. Without another word, he tugged her along behind him as he walked down the hallway to his room.

When they reached the cream rug in the center of his room, he let go of her hand and moved around to the right side of the bed. After turning back the covers, he looked over to the rigid spine of the complicated woman in his room.

He hadn’t been lying. She intrigued him, and he wanted to know all of her. That’s only part of it though, Cole thought. As he moved back over to her, he now found himself fighting another need that was clawing at him. I need to look after her. I need to protect her.

When he stopped before her, he started to undo the buttons of her shirt. He kept his eyes fixed on hers until he reached the top. Sliding both his hands along her collarbone, he removed the material from her and let it fall to her feet.

In the moonlight that was shining through the window, Cole thought Rachel had never looked more desirable. Completely naked and one hundred percent vulnerable, she left him speechless.

Reaching out to the script that was written along her ribs, he finally read the passage: At any given moment, you have the power to say this is not how the story is going to end.

That was when everything started to make sense. This woman—with the loud hair and the even livelier clothes—was sad.

Removing his finger from her skin, he pushed his jeans off his body, baring himself to her in the same fashion, as he held out his hand. “Let go, Rachel. Let go, and lie down with me. Close your eyes, and forget everything. Tomorrow will be here soon enough, and you can argue with me then.”

When she placed her fingers in his, he squeezed them and led her to his bed where they both got in quietly. Moving in close behind her, he wrapped an arm around her, placing it under her breasts, as he formed his body against hers. We fit like two pieces of a puzzle finally coming together, he thought.

As her body gave in and relaxed into sleep, Cole closed his eyes and wondered how to go about making Rachel his.