Page 23 of Cole's Command
It was more an observation than a question, but she was relieved as he nodded in confirmation.
“Right. I actually have more than one home, but the mountain one is my favorite.”
“It sounds lovely,” she told him, amazed by the information. Cole’s comment was almost boastful, but his tone was soft and sincere. She didn’t sense that he was showing off, merely trying to explain why she had found him alone on the private road.
“It is,” he confirmed with a grin.
“Isn’t it a little late to be hiking up a mountain now?” she probed, unsure why she was pressing the point.
Her client’s whereabouts and pastimes were none of her concern. If he wanted to go trekking in the wilderness without his shirt, then who was she to judge? Her role was to listen to his experiences and guide him to the ‘lightbulb’ moments that helped facilitate positive change, not evaluate his behavior. She should just bid him a good night and keep on driving, but there was something about the tempting twinkle in his eyes that compelled her to ask. She wanted to know.
“Busted.” His eyebrow arched as the palm not clutching his shirt flew into the air in an act of conciliation. “Is this a good time to reveal that I’m secretly a serial killer who travels lonely roads waiting for women in cars to pull over and talk to me, or should I wait for our appointment?”
What? Her heart sped up at his question, and despite his sarcastic tone, for a moment she wondered if he was calling her bluff. I don’t know him, she reminded herself. He could be a killer. He could have any sort of nefarious intent on his mind.
“Wait for the appointment,” she advised, forcing her voice to remain even and not convey her racing pulse, although whether it was apprehension about his witticism that had caused its sprint or the view from her driver’s seat, she didn’t like to say. “That way we get your confession on the record.”
“Good thinking.” Cole’s chuckle reverberated past her, the resonance sending an abrupt shiver along her spine.
Who is this guy?
Eden was usually a great judge of character. It was one of the reasons she was so good at her job. She couldn’t believe that she could have sat through an entire session with Cole and not noticed anything sinister about him if he’d truly been a predator, but she had to be realistic. She was a woman on her own. She hardly knew him. It was safer to drive on, stay wary and avoid a prolonged chat at the roadside. Better to resist the sudden impulse to invite him into her car and back to her place and meet him in the client’s chair as planned.
‘Better to be safe than sorry.’
Her father’s voice echoed in her head, conveying the same message she’d heard so many times before. Ray had been nothing but supportive of his daughter’s career choices, becoming her chief cheerleader, but he’d repeatedly reinforced the notion that the only way she could have a successful education and vocation was to focus on work alone. To work hard and stay in her lane.
‘There’s no room for romance,’ he used to say. ‘Boys will only get in the way. Ignore them.’
Whether Eden had consciously chosen to heed her father’s advice or had only been inadvertently conditioned by his warnings, she couldn’t be sure, but staring into Cole’s green eyes, it was suddenly clear that she had avoided romantic relationships. Well into her thirties, she’d accomplished everything her career had to offer so far, but had managed to skirt the possibility of any real emotional attachments along the way. The thought was almost as perturbing as finding her newest client wandering along the dark path on his own.
“I agree, it’s better to be safe than sorry.” Shoving his hand into his pocket, Cole pierced her with his smile.
“W-what?” she stammered, startled that the next words from his lips had been the ones she’d just been thinking—the same words her father had sworn by.
“I said, it’s better for you to be safe than sorry.” He swallowed, although she wasn’t sure what the gesture signified.
Was he sorry to have made the quip, or did the gesture signal another feeling Cole was experiencing, such as anxiety at her response? Or his lust. She shook her head at the unhelpful analysis. He wasn’t attracted to her. She might have found an appeal in his youthful looks, but he was too young to find her an interesting prospect. In her albeit limited experience, younger men rarely wanted older women, preferring perter, more malleable ones.
Even in the unlikely event that he did secretly long for Eden, it didn’t mean anything. So what if he was attracted to her? Young men were always horny, weren’t they? She absolutely didn’t reciprocate the sentiment beyond his superficial allure. Cole might be young and charming, but he was first and foremost her client.
And attractive, the snide voice in her head clarified. Don’t forget how good-looking he is.
“I totally understand your answer,” he went on.
“Right.” Tightening her hand on the wheel, she willed herself to get a grip. What was she doing thinking about him that way? She’d had numerous male clients before and never even considered anything sexual about them, but then there had never been anyone like Cole. It wasn’t only his youth and his body that mesmerized her, there was something more about him. Something that, if she hadn’t been so well-qualified, might make her think he could actually hear what she was thinking. Even though the idea was completely preposterous, the beginning of a hot blush crawled along her neck toward her cheeks. Oh, God, this isn’t happening. I am not having this thought process. Except that she was. “Thanks.”
A strained silence filled the cool air between them, where Eden—usually so in control—struggled to think of anything intelligent to say. Instead, her head was filled with blue images of what Cole might look like without the black pants that fitted him so snugly, of how he might feel inside of her. As though he had continued to read her mind, Cole’s smile grew as he leaned closer to her window.
“I should let you get going.” His voice exemplified all of the calm she didn’t feel. “I’m sure I’m not your only appointment tomorrow.”
“No,” she confirmed, ordering her eyes away from his body and back to the road. “You’re right. I should go.”
The unexpected encounter with Cole had altered her mood considerably, and as she sat in the car she realized she was no longer consumed with the thought of her father’s apparition. Logic dictated she was tired. That was sure to be the cause of the things she’d seen and heard. She knew it as well as the next therapist. Ghosts did not exist. It was as improbable as the man beside her open window really being able to read her mind.
“Drive safely,” he told her, straightening so that his face was no longer visible from where she sat.
“Are you going to be okay?’ she asked, rueful not to be able to see his incredible green gaze anymore. Stop it, she warned herself. Don’t start that again. “I mean, it’s hardly safe to be walking out here.”