Craving Cole Read online

  “I’m not too heavy for you, am I?” I ask.

  “Not at all,” Cole rasps. “You’re perfect, Aurora. Absolutely perfect.”

  His words hug my heart and turn me on even more and I move faster, milking his cock, so lost in how incredible he feels. I almost can’t believe that this is happening right now—never in my wildest dreams did I imagine tonight turning out like this.

  But it’s real. It’s happening.

  And. It’s. So. Incredibly. Good.

  “I’m close,” I gasp. “Oh, God. I’m close.”

  “Come for me,” Cole grunts out. “Come on my cock, sweetheart.”

  I scream out as an orgasm explodes inside me. Cole squeezes my ass and breathes in deep, heavy breaths. As soon as I finish riding out my orgasm, he rolls us over so that I’m on my back and he’s caging me in with his hard, muscled arms.

  “Want me to make you come again, baby?”

  I nod, still catching my breath.

  “How do you want it? Do you want to come on my tongue again? Do you want me to pound that pretty little pussy of yours? Do you want me to—”

  “Cole,” I moan, pushing my hips up toward him. He pins me down and enters me again. He starts pumping into me hard and fast, each thrust a crazy surge of pleasure.

  “Come with me, Aurora,” he demands. As I start losing my breath again, he grunts with approval. “Good girl. That’s it. Jesus, you’re beautiful. You make me so fucking hard.”

  As the sound of people singing Auld Lang Syne drifts through the walls, Cole and I come at the same time, our uncontrolled panting and gasping filling the room.

  I’ve never felt like this before. Not even close. It’s pure bliss. Cole makes me feel so good that I find myself wishing I could have this for the rest of my life.

  But I can’t. That’s what I remind myself as I drift off to sleep that night in his arms. Tonight was incredible, but that’s all it will ever be, just a one-time thing.

  Chapter Four

  Cole

  I wake up to the sight of my beautiful woman searching through the bed sheets for something. I know it’s presumptuous to call Aurora my woman already, but after last night, I don’t see how I can feel any other way. Every time I caressed and kissed and entered her, it felt like I was claiming her bit by bit.

  “Good morning, gorgeous,” I say, my voice still hoarse from sleep.

  Aurora freezes and looks over at me. The white bed sheets are covering up most of her, but I can see her bare shoulders and the sexy curve of her back that leads down to that perfect bubble butt.

  “Morning,” she says, giving me a smile. “Just trying to find my bra.”

  I remember throwing her dress across the room last night, so I’m sure I did the same with her bra. I slide out from beneath the bed sheets and stand up, buck naked, and search around the room. I find her dress in one corner of the room and her bra in the other. As I carry the pieces of clothing over to her, I catch Aurora’s eyes clinging to my body. Hunger glitters in her eyes as she looks at my cock.

  “You sure you want to get dressed already?” I ask.

  “I...um...” she fumbles with her words, but then nods. “Yes. I should go.”

  Disappointment surges through me. If it was up to me, I’d keep her in bed for the rest of the day, giving her more of what we did last night. The mere thought of making love to her in broad daylight and getting to see every inch of her sexy body makes my chest fill with heat.

  But if that’s not what she wants, it’s not what she wants.

  “Can I see you again soon?” I ask as I hand over Aurora’s clothes. I don’t just want to do more of what we did last night—I want to get to know her more, learn everything about this sweet girl.

  She slides out of bed and dresses quickly. After she smooths down her dress, she finally looks at me again.

  “I had a really nice time last night, Cole,” she says. “But I can’t do this. I’m sorry.”

  I frown. “What do you mean, you can’t do this?”

  “I can’t see you again. I’m sorry. I have to go.”

  I don’t understand what’s going on. But it’s obvious that I need to give Aurora space—for the time being, anyway. I’m not giving up on her. No way in hell am I doing that.

  I throw on some boxers and walk her to my door. As she walks away it feels like she’s taking a piece of my heart with her.

  “Aurora,” I say.

  “I have to go,” she says quietly.

  Reluctantly, I open up my apartment door for her. She walks out into the hall. She glances back at me one more time and hope surges through me. But then she just says, “Goodbye, Cole,” and turns away and walks toward the elevator at the end of the hall.

  I stand in my doorway and keep watching her, unable to go back inside yet.

  When the elevator door opens, a guy who lives on my floor gets out—some dude named Brent who I’ve only interacted with a few times. As I watch from a distance, he starts chatting up Aurora, standing in the way of her getting into the elevator.

  When he takes a step closer to Aurora, who takes a step back from him, I leave my spot in the doorway and stride down the hall.

  “Hey,” I say loudly.

  Brent pulls his eyes from Aurora and glares at me.

  “What’s up, man?” he says.

  “Leave her alone.”

  Brent smirks at Aurora. “You want me to leave you alone?”

  Aurora crosses her arms and gives him an exasperated look. “Um, yes? That wasn’t already clear?”

  Brent holds up his hands and finally moves out of the way. “Fine. Jeez.” He steps around me with a sneer and heads up the hall to his apartment. I push the elevator button for Aurora again, since the doors have closed.

  “You okay?” I ask her.

  “Yep. I’m fine,” she says. She gives me a small smile. “Thank you for doing that.”

  I nod.

  The elevator doors slide open again and I watch her step in. Is this really it? After the intensity of last night, this is it?

  “Aurora,” I say, “you’re really not going to tell me why I can’t see you again?”

  She looks at me remorsefully. “There are certain things I want in life. And I can’t get distracted by a man right now. Last night was wonderful, Cole. But it can’t be anything more.”

  Before I can say anything to her in response, the elevator doors close.

  Frustration flaring in my chest, I head back to my apartment. All I can do is pace. I still don’t fully understand why she pulled away from me. And I’m kicking myself that I didn’t get her number. I have no way of getting ahold of her—well, aside from Marisa, that is.

  But I’d rather work this out directly with Aurora.

  Needing to do something besides just pace around my apartment, I throw on some workout clothes, grab my earbuds, and head out of the building to run off my frustration. There are lots of people out jogging right now, thanks to fresh New Year’s resolutions.

  Some of them look like they’re already regretting their resolution.

  I keep up my pace for block after block, running further than I usually go. I push myself until I can’t go another step, until I feel like I’m going to puke on the sidewalk. Chest heaving, I ease myself down, drawing in lungfuls of air as I walk.

  As I walk down the street, I take in my surroundings. Very few businesses are open right now. One of the closed shops I walk past is a fine jewelry shop. As I pause in front of the window display, my eyes immediately focus in on one of the engagement rings. Even though I’ve only known Aurora for a handful of hours, somehow I just know: that ring is exactly what I would get for Aurora if I was buying an engagement ring for her.

  I know it as deeply as I know that her place is by my side, and mine by hers.

  Chapter Five

  Aurora

  For once, Lindsay isn’t the last one to show up—this time, thanks to my little sleepover at Cole’s, it’s me.

  The girls a
nd I have just met up for brunch at our favorite restaurant, which, luckily, is open on New Year’s Day. When I walk in—freshly showered and changed—I spot the girls in our usual corner booth. I wave at them and head across the room.

  “Hey you,” says Marisa as I slide into the booth next to her. “Glad to see you’re not dead. What happened to you last night?”

  My whole body stiffens. Somehow, in my rushed state this morning, I forgot to come up with a plan for what to tell the girls.

  I look at my best friends’ curious faces. They’re all waiting for my answer. Who am I kidding? They’re going to get it out of me one way or another.

  “I hooked up with Cole,” I admit.

  The three of them freak out at once.

  “No way, girl!”

  “You did?!”

  “Nice, Aurora.”

  Then Lindsay, flashing me a wild grin, says, “Well? How was it?”

  I chew on the inside of my lip. “It was mind-blowing.”

  Elle leans in. “How many times did he make you come?”

  “Elle!” I cry out.

  Everyone laughs. But then, my cheeks warming at the memory of the orgasms Cole gave me, I say, “Three times.”

  The girls hoot.

  “When you two get married, you better make me the maid of honor,” says Marisa. “You wouldn’t have met without me, after all.”

  Part of me wants to laugh off her comment. But...shit. I need to be upfront with my friends.

  “I’m not going to see him again,” I say.

  The three of them look at me like I’ve just sprouted a second head.

  “Why the hell not?!” asks Elle.

  “I just can’t. That’s not something I want to focus on right now. In a few years, sure. But not right now.”

  “Um...what are you talking about, Aurora? Since when are you no longer dating?”

  I swallow. There’s no other way to explain it to them without laying it all out there, is there?

  “There’s something different about Cole,” I say. “I think I’m going to fall for him…hard…if I go out with him again.”

  “And that would be bad because...?” asks Marisa.

  “I just told you. I don’t want to get serious with a guy right now. I’m focusing on my career.”

  Marisa rolls her eyes.

  “I thought you were going to be more spontaneous, Aurora,” says Lindsay.

  “What do you call last night?” I snap. But immediately I feel bad for being short with them. “Sorry. Can we please just talk about something else?”

  The girls glance at each other, but then Elle breaks the tension by picking up the menu and saying, “Hmm. Looks like they have some new dishes. The Belgian waffle sure sounds good.”

  After we order, Marisa tells us about the New Year’s sales she’s going to take advantage of and updates us about how her new catering business is going; she just got her website up and running. Then Lindsay talks about the dog-sitting she’s been doing. Elle talks for a while about her work, too—she’s a buyer at a department store—and then pulls out her phone to show us her latest photos of her niece, Ruby.

  But despite having asked them to change the subject, and despite the fact that I love hearing about my friends’ lives, I can’t stop thinking about Cole. Am I making a huge mistake pushing him away? Shit. Why couldn’t I have met him a few years from now, when I was ready to find somebody to get serious with?

  I know it’s crazy to be worried about falling for him so hard; we only just met. But I’ve never felt this way about anybody before. Nobody has ever made me feel that good, or that safe, or that wanted.

  And there’s gotta be a reason I keep catching myself thinking about how nice it would be to spend the rest of my life waking up next to Cole, right?

  But I can’t yield to my desire. I can’t deviate from my plan. If I do…well, I don’t know what will happen, but I’m scared to find out.

  No, the safe thing is to stick to my plan. Even if doing so sucks.

  The waiter comes over with our brunch dishes. The food he sets down in front of us is truly stunning—a perfect swirl of whipped cream and edible flowers top Elle’s Belgian waffle, thick slices of french toast and sliced fruit are arranged on Marisa’s plate, and a huge fluffy omelette is set down in front of Lindsay. The Eggs Benedict I ordered almost looks too perfect to eat. And on any other day, it would be utterly mouthwatering.

  But right now, all I can concentrate on are the thoughts of Cole swirling in my mind and my heart beating sorrowfully in my chest.

  Chapter Six

  Cole

  I get a second wind and end up extending my run by another forty minutes. By the time I get back to my apartment, my legs feel like they can barely make it up the steps. It’s good to exhaust myself like this, though. It helps take the edge off the feelings that are still surging through me about Aurora.

  I’m walking into the building when I see Marisa. She’s checking her mail in the lobby and she looks like she’s either just about to leave or is coming back from somewhere.

  “Hey, Marisa,” I say. “Happy New Year.”

  She turns and smiles when she sees me. “Oh, hey, Cole. Happy New Year to you, too.”

  “Thanks again for the invite last night. It was good to meet your friends.”

  “Yeah. They were glad to meet you, too.” Marisa closes her mailbox and her smile grows bigger. “Especially Aurora.”

  My chest inflates. “Speaking of which, could I get her number from you?”

  Marisa hesitates. “I’m not sure she wants to hear from you, Cole.”

  Shit.

  “But…” Marisa continues. “Yeah, I’ll give it to you. Aurora told us about last night, and how she doesn’t think she can see you again, but, well…I think you deserve a second chance. Don’t make me regret doing this, though, okay?”

  “I won’t,” I assure her. “I give you my word.”

  I call Aurora the second I get upstairs. The sweet sound of her voice floods my chest with warmth.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Aurora,” I say. “It’s Cole. I got your number from Marisa.”

  “Oh,” she says. “Hi…”

  “Listen, if you really don’t want to have anything to do with me, I’ll let you go. But I need you to know that I can’t get you out of my head. I know you said you don’t want to get distracted by dating someone right now, but…Aurora, I can’t just walk away from you. And something tells me you don’t want me to walk away. Am I right?”

  A second of silence passes. “Yes. You’re right.”

  “So give me a chance. I won’t be a distraction. I’ll prove it to you. What are you doing today?”

  “Um…errands.”

  “I’ll go on them with you. I just want to spend time with you, Aurora. I don’t care what we do.”

  She laughs lightly. “You’d really go on my errands with me?”

  “I really would. Can I pick you up?”

  She hesitates a second, then says, “Okay. Sure.”

  First we go to a store so she can return a sweater. Then we go to another store so she can buy a new shower liner. Afterward, we go grocery shopping, and I grab a box of cereal off the top of a shelf for her and help her pick out the best apples from the mountain of them on display. All the while, we talk, getting to know each other more. It’s easy, talking to Aurora. Our conversation feels natural.

  “Thanks,” she says when I carry the bags of groceries out to the car. “You really didn’t have to do that.”

  “I want to,” I say. I know she’s capable of doing things like carrying her own groceries, but I want to spoil her, want to treat her like a queen.

  When we get back into the car, I look over at her and say, “Well? What’s next?”

  “That’s everything,” she says.

  I nod, suppressing my disappointment that our time together is already coming to an end. “So I’ll bring you home, then?”

  “Well…” she says,
and studies me. “The thing is, I feel bad about dragging you around on my errands. Will you let me buy you a coffee or something?”

  “I’ll let you pick a coffee place. But it’ll be my treat, not yours.”

  She laughs. “How is that fair?”

  “It’s not about fairness, Aurora. It’s about treating you how you deserve to be treated.”

  Five minutes later, Aurora and I are walking into one of her favorite cafés together. I ask her what she wants and tell her to go grab us a table while I get the coffee. While I’m ordering our drinks, I get us a couple pastries from the display case, too. Aurora grins when I walk over to the table with them in hand.

  “How did you know that’s my favorite kind?” she asks.

  “I didn’t. Lucky guess.”

  “Lucky indeed.”

  I try to keep my expectations low for this little coffee date of ours. But we end up staying there long after we’ve finished our coffees. Our conversation just flows. And every new thing I learn about Aurora makes me fall for her even more.

  I can still feel her hesitation about all of this, though. So I don’t push it. Later, when I bring her back to her apartment, I don’t even try to kiss her, even though I want to more than anything.

  Instead, I just say, “Can we do this again?”

  “I’d like that,” says Aurora. “But…I think we should make it a real date.”

  A grin spreads across my face. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. Look, Cole. I’m still concerned about getting swept up in all of this. But I really like you. I’d be crazy to keep pushing you away.”

  “You don’t know how happy I am to hear that, Aurora,” I say.

  Chapter Seven

  Aurora