Craving Cole

  Craving Cole

  Dirty Sweet Alphas Book 1

  Kate Hunt

  Copyright © 2019 by Kate Hunt

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  All rights reserved.

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  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  Contents

  1. Aurora

  2. Cole

  3. Aurora

  4. Cole

  5. Aurora

  6. Cole

  7. Aurora

  8. Cole

  A note from Kate

  Chapter One

  Aurora

  The first thing I hear when the door opens is laughter.

  The second thing I hear is Marisa saying, “Holy shit, girl. I’m surprised you didn’t float away.”

  She’s referring to the huge cloud of balloons hovering above me, a medley of silver, gold, and pearl white. With hips like mine—which I’m proud of, mind you—it would take a hell of a lot more balloons than this to lift me up into the sky. But I get it. I went a bit overboard with the balloons…as well as the rest of the decorations for this New Year’s Eve party.

  But when a friend asks me to help her out with something, I don’t take the request lightly.

  “Can I give this box to one of you?” I ask. In addition to the balloon strings tied around my wrists, I’m holding a huge cardboard box packed with party supplies. It’s so big that I can barely see over it.

  “I’ve got it,” says another voice—which belongs to Elle. I feel her hands grip the box from the other side. After she pulls the box away from me and sets it down inside the apartment, I’m finally able to see again. I grin at my best friends. These girls mean the world to me. The only person missing is Lindsay, but she’s always running late.

  “Here, I’ll take some of the balloons,” says Marisa, tucking a strand of her purple-dyed hair behind her ear and stepping forward to untie the strings from one of my wrists. As she does, one balloon escapes from the bunch, but she grabs the loose string before it gets away.

  “Not so fast, you little bastard,” says Marisa, and a laugh bubbles out of my throat.

  Marisa and I get all of the balloons into her apartment and temporarily tie them to the back of her dining room chairs. I set down my bag, too, which has my dress for tonight carefully rolled up inside it, as well as my heels and a small makeup bag. I don’t normally wear much makeup, but if there was ever a night for shimmery eyeshadow, it’s tonight.

  With my arms now freed, I start unloading supplies from the big cardboard box. Inside the box are a bunch of tassel garlands, confetti poppers, party hats and glasses for whoever wants to wear them, and glittery silver star headpieces for us four girls.

  “Oh my God, these are adorable,” says Marisa, picking up one of the headpieces. “Thanks for getting all of this. I’ll pay you back.”

  “No need,” I say. “Besides, I used coupons and got good deals on everything.”

  “Of course you did,” says Marisa. It’s a running joke among us girls that I have a coupon for everything.

  I reach into my back pocket and pull out a piece of folded-up paper. “I’ve got a couple different ideas for how we could decorate,” I say. On the sheet of paper, I’ve sketched out my ideas, doing my best to render Marisa’s place with my limited artistic skills. “Option A is to put the balloons in groupings around the apartment. Option B is to scatter them more haphazardly.”

  My friends exchange a glance, then start laughing.

  “Sorry, Aurora,” says Elle, gathering herself. “It’s just...you really do plan everything, don’t you?”

  I open my mouth to protest. But the thing is, Elle’s right. I do plan everything, from the ideal timing of big life events down to small everyday things. I even spent a bunch of time comparison shopping when I was looking into New Year’s Eve decorations.

  “I can be spontaneous,” I insist.

  Marisa, who still looks amused, says, “You can?”

  “Of course I can,” I say, even though, to be honest, I’m not entirely confident about that statement. Being prepared and having a plan is simply in my nature. I’ve always been this way.

  “I’ll believe it when I see it,” says Elle.

  “Me too,” says Marisa.

  I know my friends are just teasing me, but still, it hits a nerve. I don’t like that they think of me this way—and I suddenly want nothing more than to prove the opposite to them. And what better time than New Year’s Eve to do it?

  “You know what?” I say. “I’m going to make that my New Year’s resolution. I’m going to show you guys that I can go with the flow.”

  “We were just giving you a hard time, babe,” says Marisa, nudging my foot with her toe.

  “I know, but I’m still going to do it,” I say, conviction bolstering my voice.

  And to show them I really mean it, I crumple up the piece of paper with my sketches and toss it across the room.

  Marisa, Elle, and I are putting the final touches on the party decorations when Lindsay finally shows up. She apologizes for being late, and as always, we tell her not to worry about it.

  “Did I miss anything?” Lindsay asks as she sets her stuff down.

  “Just a bunch of hot naked guys who stopped by,” says Marisa.

  “Very funny,” says Lindsay, rolling her eyes. “Speaking of which, you invited guys to the party, right?”

  “Of course,” says Marisa, scoffing like it’s a ridiculous question. “But I think you’ve met them all before. Oh, except for Cole. He’s my neighbor. I’ve told you guys about him, right?”

  I try to remember what Marisa has said about her neighbor, but all I can remember is her saying something about him being tall.

  “Is he hot?” asks Lindsay.

  “I’ll let you guys make that judgment for yourselves,” says Marisa. “Oh! Actually, Lindsay, you did miss something. Aurora made a New Year's resolution to be more spontaneous.”

  “Reeeeally,” says Lindsay, looking over at me. “Good for you, Aurora. How spontaneous are we talking about, though? Elope-to-Vegas spontaneous?”

  I feel an urge to laugh at the ridiculousness of Lindsay’s suggestion. I’m only twenty-two right now. I'm going to focus on my career for the next several years, then hopefully get married around age thirty and have a couple kids by the time I’m thirty-five.

  But in the spirit of my resolution, I just give my friends a shrug and a coy smile.

  “Maybe,” I say. “Who knows.”

  Chapter Two

  Cole

  I wait until I hear the party going full force next door before I head over. Don’t get me wrong, I think it was sweet of Marisa to invite me to her New Year’s Eve bash, but I’m sure she just did it because we’re neighbors and it’s what you do when you throw a party. Besides, I’m not a huge party guy anymore. At thirty-four, I’d rather just have a chill evening. I figure I’ll go over, put in an appearance, then quietly slip out and come back to my own place.

  Marisa answers the door within seconds of my knock. She’s looking cheerfully festive tonight—she’s got on a sparkly dress, an equally sparkly headpiece, and earrings that swing back and forth from her earlobes.

  “Cole!” she says. “You made it!”

  “I did,” I say.

  “Well, get your butt in here,” she says, stepping back and gesturing for me to enter. “I’ll introduce you to my friends.”

  Her apartment is filled with people, and upbeat music is blasting from a couple speakers. Marisa offers to get me something to drin
k, but I tell her I’ll get one in a minute. The next thing I know, she’s introducing me to two of her best friends—Lindsay and Elle, both of whom seem like nice girls.

  “Our other BFF is Aurora,” Marisa continues, almost having to shout over the music. “She’s…let’s see…oh! She’s over there. In the silver dress.”

  I follow Marisa’s gaze. When my eyes land on Aurora for the first time, it’s like time slows way, way down. I watch in a trance as Aurora dances to the music, swinging her curvy hips from side to side. Damn, Aurora’s gorgeous. No. Not just gorgeous. She’s an absolute goddess.

  “Come on, I’ll introduce you,” Marisa says.

  The crowd seems to part for us as we cross the room. As the last few people move out of the way, Aurora looks over and sees us walking toward her. I’m still experiencing everything in movie-like slow motion, and as Aurora and I lock eyes for the first time, time stretches out even slower.

  I see her pupils dilate, her chest rise as she draws in a breath, and her perfectly plump lips ever-so-slightly part.

  Then, suddenly, time snaps back to normal.

  “Cole, Aurora,” says Marisa. “Aurora, Cole.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Cole,” says Aurora, those crazy beautiful eyes of hers glimmering at me. This girl’s beautiful from head to toe—her curves, they’re endless—but those eyes, man. Those eyes.

  “Likewise,” I say.

  I’m vaguely aware of Marisa saying something and then walking away.

  “So you’re Marisa's neighbor, huh?” Aurora says, quickly looking me up and down.

  “I am,” I say. “And you’re her best friend.”

  “One of them,” she corrects me.

  The corner of my mouth turns up. “Right. One of them. What else do you do besides being one of Marisa’s best friends?”

  She shrugs and smiles. “I work. Sleep. Eat. The usual.”

  “What kind of work do you do?”

  “I’m a marketing assistant. And you?”

  “I teach literature. At the university.”

  “Ah. Now you’re making me regret not going to school there,” she says, her voice low, practically a purr. As soon as she speaks the words, her cheeks turn pink and she blinks at me, embarrassed. “Oh, gosh. I can’t believe I just said that.”

  But her little flirtatious comment has gotten me thinking all kinds of dirty thoughts—like me tearing off that sexy little dress of hers and making her scream out in ecstasy as we ring in the new year.

  Shit. I’m not usually like this, thinking filthy thoughts about a woman I’ve just met. But there’s something about Aurora that brings it out in me.

  “Don’t apologize,” I say.

  She looks up at me again with those incredibly vibrant blue eyes and I see her embarrassment fade. She bites her lower lip and my cock twitches in my pants.

  The moment is interrupted by someone shoving a plate of jello shots between the two of us.

  Aurora helps herself to one and so do I, even though it’s not the kind of thing I’d normally go for—the wiggling shot is topped with edible glitter. But fuck it. It’s New Year’s.

  “Cheers,” I say, holding out the little plastic cup. Aurora laughs and taps hers against mine, and then we down them. I taste champagne. It’s not half bad.

  “So, Aurora,” I say, taking her little plastic cup, sliding it into mine, and setting them aside. “Tell me more about yourself.”

  The eyeshadow on her lids shimmers. “What do you want to know?”

  Would it be too much to tell her I want to know every last thing about her? Probably.

  “Tell me more about your work,” I say.

  So she does. She tells me about what an average day for her is like; she tells me about the company she works for; she tells me about her aspirations to eventually lead one of the teams. I soak up every work she says. I could listen to this beauty talk for hours on end, I love listening to her that much.

  Those lips, though. They’re damn distracting. Has a woman ever had more kissable-looking lips? With every minute that passes, my urge to kiss her becomes more and more unbearable.

  Eventually, I can’t take it anymore.

  “Aurora,” I choke out. Her name is hot on my tongue. She looks at me with those gorgeous blue eyes.

  “Yes?” she says.

  “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

  “I…um…” A huge smile brightens her face.

  I smooth a hand around her waist and pull her toward me. Her soft, feminine scent envelops me. When I capture her mouth with mine, she moans softly into our kiss.

  Our first kiss is long, sensual, feverish. We only break apart when we need to come up for air. Both of our chests heaving, we stare into each other’s eyes. The air sparks between us.

  “You’re supposed to wait until midnight to kiss someone, you know,” Aurora teases me.

  I slide my hand down over her perfect bubble butt. My cock strains against my fly. I move my mouth to her ear and speak softly. “Let me pleasure you, Aurora. Let me make you come so hard you forget your own name.”

  A high little moan escapes Aurora’s throat.

  The moment she nods, I take her by the hand and we start to make our way through the crowd to the door.

  Chapter Three

  Aurora

  My heart is racing. I don’t think it’s ever beaten this fast.

  Oh, God. Am I really going to do this?

  Earlier today, when I made that resolution to be more spontaneous, hooking up with a guy I just met wasn’t what I had in mind. I meant…oh, I don’t know, going to a movie on a whim. Trying out a new hobby. That sort of stuff.

  Instead, here I am, about to hook up with a stranger.

  Cole isn’t just any stranger, though. Actually, it’s weird, but he doesn’t feel like a stranger at all. And I don’t think it’s just because he’s one of my best friend’s neighbors. No. It’s more than that.

  Because when I met him? When I first looked into his eyes?

  I felt like I was home.

  And right now, as Cole leads me through Marisa’s crowded apartment with his fingers threaded firmly through mine, I feel so…well, safe.

  Not that I usually feel in danger or anything. But I have absolute confidence that if I ever was, Cole would do everything to protect me.

  We’ve finally made it through the crowd. Cole opens up Marisa’s front door and we slip out of the apartment together. As the door shuts behind us, the sound of the party becomes muted, and the cooler air of the hallway hits my cheeks. But Cole’s hand is warm in mine, and in another few seconds, we’re inside his apartment, and he’s pushing me up against his closed door, picking up right where he left off.

  Cole’s last words to me pound in my ears as we kiss. Let me make you come so hard you forget your own name. The instant he said those words to me, I got so wet. Even just thinking about them again now makes me weak in the knees, like I might crumple to the floor.

  I’m not going anywhere, though. He’s got me pinned up against his door, his strong, massive body keeping me right where he wants me.

  Cole’s hands run over my hips, caressing me through the clingy fabric of my dress. I ache so badly to undress myself for him. But when my hands drift toward the zipper that runs up the back of my dress, he grabs my wrists and pulls them up above my head.

  “Keep them there,” Cole growls.

  I whimper but comply. Then relief washes through me as Cole reaches down and pushes up the hem of my dress. He pushes it up over my hips, then locks his fingers around the sides of my panties and yanks them down. I watch with burning lust as Cole lowers himself to his knees and spreads me open for him.

  The first time his tongue slides over me, I let out a sharp, high gasp. Then all I can do is moan. He savors me with his tongue, drawing it in long, luscious strokes over my swollen clit, and keeps doing it over and over again.

  It doesn’t take long for an orgasm to swell up inside of me. I don’t want
this to be over so soon. But there’s no way in hell I’m going to make him stop, either.

  So I give into it, letting the wave of bliss crash over me. He keeps licking me ravenously as I cry out and shake against his mouth.

  I’m still trembling when Cole rises to his feet. When he kisses me, I can taste myself on his tongue. I clutch the back of his head and he pins me up against the door again, his rock-hard erection straining inside his pants. He grinds himself against me, and my whole body yearns for him.

  “Cole,” I murmur between kisses.

  He grinds against me so slowly that it feels simultaneously incredible and torturous.

  “Yes, Aurora?” he murmurs.

  “I need you.”

  “Be more specific.”

  “I need you inside of me.”

  “You mean you need my cock inside of you?”

  I whimper. “Yes. I need your cock inside of me.”

  “You want me to fuck you.”

  “Yes.” He’s still grinding against me, and I can barely get the words out. “I need you to fuck me.”

  The next thing I know, Cole has lifted me up into his arms and is carrying me to his bedroom. I’m amazed at how effortless it seems to be for him to carry a bigger girl like me. He sets me down on his bed and takes off my sparkly silver headpiece. Then he pulls off his clothes, unveiling a sculpted body that would instantly make me wet if I wasn’t already soaked. His arms…his abs…his cock. Oh my God. He’s so thick.

  I watch in a daze as Cole grabs a foil packet from his bedside table, quickly sheaths himself, and joins me on the bed. He pulls my dress up over my head and throws it across the room, then does the same with my bra. Then he pulls me onto him, and I straddle his lap and groan as I take him deep inside of me. As I slide up and down on his length, we breathe hard in tandem.