Page 59 of Stolen Summer

I lost my sanity. I forgot where we were.

His hands slipped around my waist, keeping me close in case I had any designs of running. I didn’t. Not with his mouth moving over mine.

The kiss didn’t last as long as I wanted but not because I pulled away. It was Cole who broke off, staring down at me with fire in his eyes.

“How was that?” I whispered, curling my lips to hide my disappointment.

A hint of humor broke through his fierce expression. “You’re killing it.”

I made a face. “Eww. No more dad puns. I don’t think I can handle it.”

His lips twitched. I preferred the hint of humor over the stone-cold, impervious Cole.

The room grew crowded with more and more people arriving as the night evolved, pushing me closer to Cole. I inhaled and with it took in his hypnotic scent. “You would?—”

“I wondered if I would see you tonight,” an older man said.

With every person we met, I wondered if the face behind the mask belonged to his mother or father. Cole stiffened at my side, his reaction telling. I tilted my gaze to the tall man with a wolf mask eyeing Cole. Something about his presence made the mask fit as if he were the hunter in a room of prey just waiting for him to take his pick.

In a black pressed suit, the wolf had a commanding aura. During the day, I could easily picture him at the head of a large boardroom full of investors, executives, and shareholders. Nothing about his posture or the firm line of his unsmiling lips came across as loving. All business, especially when it came to raising his sons.

Even with the mask, I could see similarities between the wolf and Cole, and there were enough I was fairly confident he was Cole’s father. They had similar forms and heights. Their jawlines were sharp and had the same deep scowl, but it was the eyes that sealed it for me.

In a strained voice, Cole replied, “I’m surprised you thought about me at all.”

“You always were the dramatic of the three,” the wolf said in an attempt to thaw the icy exterior suddenly erected around Cole.

It didn’t work.

I glanced back at Cole, not liking the darkness in his eyes. A spear of protectiveness that had no business being inside me sparked to life. I was either going to offer Cole a comforting hand or say something utterly hurtful to the wolf. Before I could open my mouth, I slid my fingers into Cole’s hand and squeezed. His fingers didn’t immediately twine with mine. They stayed stiff and full of tension, glaring at the wolf like the skull wanted to claim his life.

Keeping my fingers attached to his, I touched his forearm with my other hand, and Cole blinked, his fingers finally curling tight around mine.

His father didn’t miss a beat. He noticed what I’d done since those predatory eyes, much like his son’s, were on me. “And what rising star do you have on your arm tonight?”

Fuck, I needed a drink. As if I summoned a server with my thoughts alone, one walked by as the wolf asked Cole about me. I politely took a bubbling flute.

“She’s my fiancée,” Cole stated flatly.

Chapter Nineteen

Ichoked on the champagne, nearly spraying the wolf in the face. Did he just tell his father I was his fiancée? I wanted to imagine I heard him wrong.

The wolf’s cynical gaze flew to me, suddenly no longer dismissing me as the flavor of the month. I didn’t know what Cole was after, but I figured it was best to smile and keep my mouth shut, which was exactly what I did.

Cole scowled, his fingers pressing against mine.

“Now is not the time to toy with me. You and I know this young lady isn’t your fiancée,” Mr. Riley sneered.

All emotion winked out of Cole’s eyes. “You might control a large aspect of my life, but this is one part I refuse to let you govern. As I stated before, there isn’t anything between Gianna and me. There never will be no matter what negotiations you make behind closed doors.”

Who the fuck is Gianna?

“Do you have any idea the repercussions this little childish, rebellious stunt could cause?” his father hissed, lowering his harsh tone. “The risks? If there is one thing I’ve taught you, it is you don’t fuck with business.”

A chill stole down my back that had nothing to do with my lack of clothing. The atmosphere between father and son froze the air around us.

The fingers weaved with mine tightened. “But screwing with my life is still on the table. Marriage isn’t a business deal for me.”