Craving Cole Read online

At first, when Cole and I start dating for real, I keep expecting him to get tired of my too-organized ways. After all, whenever we go out on a date, I always check one of the traffic apps on my phone to see if there are any delays; I always insist on making reservations at restaurants; I’m always asking him, “You have your phone with you, right?” and am always pulling out coupons or punch cards wherever we go.

  But Cole takes it all in stride. He even seems to think it’s charming.

  He does, however, also push me a little. One evening he shows up at my apartment unannounced with flowers in hand—“Just because,” he says—and even though it makes me a little flustered, I’m also so touched by his sweetness. Another night, he tells me we’re going out to eat but doesn’t tell me where, and he brings me to this restaurant that I’ve heard gets booked up months in advanced.

  And in the bedroom…well, let’s just say that when it comes to sex, Cole is never, ever predictable.

  And I can’t get enough of his dirty talk.

  Three weeks into our relationship, on a Saturday morning, Cole sends me a text that simply reads: Pack for warm weather.

  Confused, I text back a series of question marks, but his next text doesn’t offer any more of an explanation. Just pack. Trust me.

  And so I do. I pull out my suitcase and throw in some summer clothes and sandals and a hat. I toss in sunscreen, too. I’ve just finished packing when I hear a knock at the door, and when I go to answer it, Cole is standing there with sunglasses on and a huge grin spread across his handsome face.

  “You ready, sugar?” he asks.

  “What’s going on, Cole?” I ask.

  “I’m taking you on a vacation.”

  I gape at him. “Vacation? But…I have work…”

  “Nope. You don’t. I talked to your boss.”

  I don’t know what to say. It’s super romantic of him to do something like this. And I wish I could just go with the flow and enjoy it. But I don’t do things like this. I don’t just drop everything and go on vacation to some mystery place.

  “Where exactly are you planning on taking me?” I ask.

  Cole shakes his head. “That’s part of the surprise.”

  I look at him for a drawn-out moment. I think over the last three weeks, and how amazing it’s been to be with him. And as far as the fear I had about getting distracted from my career goals…yeah, that hasn’t happened at all.

  I know this isn’t originally how I thought my life would go. But if I’m being honest, opening myself up to the unpredictability of life really can bring such beauty into it, can’t it?

  “Okay,” I say to Cole. “Let me grab my bag.”

  Cole isn’t able to keep our destination a complete secret, of course—at the airport, I learn that he’s taking me to Maui. On the flight, I eagerly flip through the in-flight magazine, making mental notes about all the things I can’t wait to do once we land.

  Cole tells me that we can do whatever my heart desires. But then he leans into my ear and, his breath warm on my skin, he whispers, “We’re not leaving the hotel room for the first full day, though.”

  My skin tingles all over at hearing his words. Feeling myself grow wet between my legs, I press my thighs together, but it’s not like that stops my arousal.

  I look over at him and give him a challenging look. “A whole day, huh? That’s all?”

  “Two days, then,” he promises.

  When he kisses me, it takes every ounce of strength in me not to unbuckle myself and straddle him in his airplane seat.

  A few hours later, we touch down in Hawaii. The sweet, warm air envelops us as we step out of the plane. It’s a short cab ride to the resort, which is right on the beach and couldn’t be more picturesque.

  When, at the front desk, I learn that Cole has booked us the honeymoon suite, I look at him with raised eyebrows.

  “Uh, Cole?” I say.

  “It’s all they had left,” he says, shrugging.

  We head up to our room, Cole insisting on carrying my bag for me. I feel like I’m dreaming when I step into our suite and take it all in. It’s a huge suite, way more room than we need. Every surface looks and feels luxurious, and there’s even a bottle of champagne sitting in an ice bucket and a handwritten note that reads, Aloha, Aurora and Cole! Enjoy your stay, lovebirds.

  “Oh, Cole,” I say. I leap into his arms and kiss him. He kisses me back, then slowly pulls his mouth away.

  “Champagne?” he asks, reaching for the bottle.

  “In a minute. Hold on. I want to check out the view.”

  I peel myself away from him and hurry out to the balcony. The view literally takes my breath away. The fluttering palm trees, the peaceful beach, the sparkling blue water that goes on and on and on…

  “God, it’s gorgeous here,” says Cole, stepping out onto the balcony behind me. He wraps his arms around me and holds me tight.

  “It really, really is,” I say. I sigh and look up at him. He’s so damn handsome. So damn hot. I can’t believe how lucky I am.

  He looks down and me and smiles. There’s something different in his eyes, though.

  “I love you, Aurora,” he says.

  My heart swells. “I love you, too.”

  He bends down and presses his lips to mine. Desire for him blooms all over my body. I push my ass against him and Cole groans and hugs my curves tighter in his arms. When I keep rubbing against him, he slides his hands to my zipper and feverishly undoes my pants. He pulls my pants and panties down at the same time and gives my bare ass cheek a naughty slap.

  “Someone might see us,” I warn him.

  “Good,” he grunts. “I want the whole world to know you’re mine.”

  His words flutter in my chest. I love when he talks like that. I love how it feels to be his. I turn to face him and undo his pants. He hoists me up onto the balcony railing and pushes open my thighs.

  “Fuck, you’re so wet,” he says.

  “Only for you, Cole.”

  He fists his cock and drags it over my folds, teasing me. “Want me to fill you up with my cum, sweetheart?”

  “Yes,” I moan. “Please.”

  He enters me raw, his hard, bare cock throbbing as he slides into me. Every other time we’ve had sex, it’s felt meant to be—but this, with nothing between us, this is truly perfect.

  He grips onto my ass cheeks and slides in and out of me in powerful, deep thrusts. I hold tightly onto him and gasp out breaths as he takes me, ramming hard into me over and over again. When we come together—when I feel his powerful release inside of me—I’m overcome with so much love for him.

  Chapter Eight

  Cole

  1 Week Later

  I want to propose to Aurora the second we tell each other that we love each other. But I decide to wait. I want to make the moment perfect. And the perfect moment comes on our second-to-last day on the island. We’ve just hiked up one of the mountains, and we’re both out of breath and blown away by the gorgeous view sprawled out before us. There’s no one else around, and I know this is exactly the right time.

  “Aurora…” I say, dropping to one knee.

  When she looks over at me, her eyes go wide.

  I take her hand into mine. “I love you more than I can even express. We may have only met a few weeks ago, but it feels like I’ve known you my whole life. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

  Aurora nods vigorously. “Oh my God. Yes. Of course I will, Cole. I feel exactly the same way.”

  I stand up and kiss her. I feel breathless all over again.

  “Hold on,” I say. “You need a ring.” I pluck a small wildflower from the ground, twist the stem into a band, and slide it onto her finger.

  “I’ll get you a real ring when we get home,” I promise, kissing her forehead.

  “It’s perfect, Cole.” Aurora rises up on her toes to kiss me, and our love for each other deepens even more.

  When we pull apart, Aurora smiles at me sheep
ishly. “Do you mind if I text my girlfriends?”

  “Of course not,” I say and laugh. “Come on. Let’s take a photo to send them.”

  We take a photo of ourselves, the two of us kissing while she holds up her flower-ring-finger in front of the camera. We laugh at how ridiculously happy we look and she sends it off to her besties.

  Seconds later, a series of chimes ring out from Aurora’s phone.

  She holds her screen up so we can read the texts together.

  Marisa: OMG! Congrats you guys!!

  Elle: I’m crying over here. Seriously. I’m sobbing.

  Lindsay: AURORA! I’m so happy for you both xxx

  I kiss Aurora on the temple. “You four really are going to be best friends forever, aren’t you?”

  “Of course we are. I love those girls,” says Aurora. She puts away her phone and looks up at me. “But not the same way I love you.”

  God, is she beautiful—both inside and out. My love for Aurora is infinite. And I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure she knows it.

  Thank you for reading!

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  Want to read Marisa’s story and find out what Aurora and Cole are up to now?

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  Grab your copy of GETTING GABE, Dirty Sweet Alphas Book 2!

  A note from Kate

  Thank you so much for reading Craving Cole!

  If you have a moment, I would love to get an honest review from you on Amazon. Feedback from readers is so important to me.

  Thank you again for reading one of my little romances!

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  xo,

  Kate