Page 22 of Come Back to Me
“I do.”
“Oh, stop it.”
“Do you really want me to?” He looks into my eyes as he walks toward me, and I’m jello. Alex squeezes my hand and walks back into the bar, shaking her head in amusement at the two of us. She walks toward her Incredible Hulk and I’m left standing there with Cole closing in.
“Sometimes…” I whisper.
“Sometimes?”
“I am nowhere near ready for you, Cole Parker. You scare the hell out of me.”
“Well, to be honest, you scare the hell out of me too. I’ve never been so drawn to a woman in my life. I want you, Mia. I just wantyou.” He says this in a decidedly serious and deliberate tone, emphasis on the “you”.
I let out a breath I’ve been holding while I literally hang on his words. He takes my hand and I look down, staring at our hands together like that, and then the scenery changes, there’s sand underneath my bare feet, and my hand is sparkly. When I look up into a man’s face he’s smiling, handsome, but everything behind him is bright, making it hard to make out the features of his face. “I love you, Mia,” the man on the beach says to me, and my chest aches, and my face feels slick with tears. “I love you, too.”
Then I snap back to the present. Another memory recovered in shady glimpses, and I know this one is precious. Whoever he is, he loves me. If he’s real, he loves me completely, and I love him back. The feeling washes over me, soaking into every cell of my heart. That man on the beach, he is my soul mate. With him I am the woman I’m supposed to be. I wrap my arms around myself to savor the sensation.
Cole is staring at me, concerned. “What did you say? Are you okay, Mia? You zoned out for a minute.” He tucks his hand under my chin to pull my face up. “Are you crying?”
“No, no! I had a moment, just some Deja vu. I’m fine. Probably a little tired. This is a big night out for me since everything that’s happened. I’m still spooked and pretty messed up from the whole incident, you know, the one where you saved me, Prince Charming.” I end with a wink, hoping to lighten the mood.
Cole smiles down at me and licks his lips. “You know, in the old days, when a prince saved a princess, she would give him a reward… like a kiss.”
“Really, like on the cheek?” I bat my eyelashes in fake innocence.
“Possibly, but I think it should reflect the greatness of the heroism. I mean, sometimes the guy simply handed a lady his handkerchief. Rescue from a violent mugging should be a few steps up from that, don’t you agree?”
“Ahhh, right. Wouldn’t want to seem ungrateful to my Prince.” I start to laugh, but before I finish he puts his hand around the back of my head and closes his mouth over mine. His kiss starts slow, teasing my lips as his other hand comes up to gently hold the other side of my face.
Everything inside of me is on fire!I can feel the heat between us building as we kiss. The embrace deepens and starts to take on a desperate pace, we are going to tear each other apart! I haven’t felt like this maybe ever, but I’m strangely not afraid or worried. No annoying thoughts in my head interrupting the moment. I can’t think of anything other than having his hands all over me. I want his body against mine. I want to give myself to Cole Parker.
“Get a room!” I hear Alex yell as she walks out with Chris.
I pull away and bury my embarrassed face into Cole’s shoulder. “Chris, could you please teach your girl some manners,” Cole says jokingly, wrapping his arms around me like a shield.
“I could, but I think she would kick my ass if I tried,” Chris laughs.
“Shut up, both of you!” Alex yells.
“What’s next for us?” I say, smiling at Alex. She turns to look at Chris, who says, “I’m beat, babe. Let’s go back to my place tonight.”
Wait a minute, back to his place? When did this happen? I remind myself to quiz Alex when we get back to the room. In the meantime I give her a high eyebrow stare, hoping she isn’t about to leave me alone with Cole!
“Totes, babe!” she says back to Chris, crossing over to me and hugging me close to say in my ear, “Don’t stay out too late, and don’t do anything I would do, or maybe do everything I would do.” She pulls away and winks. I try pinch her arm in protest, but she yanks it back, leaving me to fend for myself withhim. “Later, Parker,” she calls over her shoulder. Cole just smiles. I look back and forth between them, again sensing something too familiar for a casual run-in at the club, but decide to stow my irrational crazy chick because I know my friend would never do that to me,andhe isn’t really mine anyway. I’ve been telling Jack for two months that I don’t want anything serious, so how come I can’t stop thinking about being serious with Cole Parker? He is so unexpected in every way.
“Soooo,” I look at Cole, feeling nervous and somewhat ridiculous. I mean, we were just making out ten minutes ago, but now my friend has basically set me up to be his one night stand. So awkward! I am going to kill her. “I’m just gonna take a cab home, but thank you for a great night! It was fun.”
“Mia, I have a car,” he says, rolling his eyes. “I’ll take you back to the hotel, if that’s what you want.” I can feel his question hanging in the air…
“Okay,” my voice sounds disappointed. What did I think he was going to say? Did I expect him to sweep me off my feet and declare his undying love? I mentally check myself and follow hand in hand to his car. His driver opens the door, Cole nods at him and leans in the front passenger window to say something I can’t quite make out, then joins me in the back seat of the car.
“All good?” he asks me as he closes the private window.
“Yep.” My goofy grin won’t go away. I know that window closing means delicious, awesome trouble right now. No sooner does it close than Cole grabs my wrist and pulls me into his lap. I squeal as I land firmly in his lap, facing him. He pushes the hair from my face and licks his lips again.
“You have no idea what you do to me, Mia.” I think I do know, or at least I can feel it growing.
“Tell me,” I say breathlessly.