Page 43 of Bedding the Biker Next Door

“No, sir,” Cole said.

“Not even a girl?” The senator paused and shook his head. “I guess that’s a little personal for the first day, but the look on your face says it all.”

What look? Cole frowned, not about to discuss Jill with a stranger no matter how much Cole liked him.

“Forgive me. I’m just feeling nostalgic today. I had an amazing woman in my life at one time, two of them actually. One, I lost to divorce. The other to…circumstance. And my own cowardice. I don’t know why I’m telling you that,” he added with a bittersweet laugh. “The experience taught me a lesson, albeit a little late. Follow your heart. To hell with fear or worry or pride.”

The tangent the man had taken seemed a little unusual to Cole. As did the way he stared expectantly at Cole. As if he really wanted Cole to hear his message and apply it. If Cole didn’t know better, he’d think the senator was talking to him about Jill specifically. But that was impossible. Besides, following one’s heart had to be tempered by logic. And careful weighing of the risks and benefits to all persons involved, not just himself. “Right. Smart words, sir.” Cole stood. “Well, it’s been a pleasure talking to you. If you decide Frontline is right for the job—”

“Already have.” The senator smiled. “I’d love to work with you, Cole.”

Cole smiled, and though he should’ve felt a lot happier than he did, he couldn’t bring himself to completely feel it. In the lobby, Cole’s phone buzzed. He took a quick glance at the screen and recoiled when he saw Jill’s number. He immediately answered. “Jill?”

“This is Liz,” said a woman—Jill’s partner, he remembered. “Jill’s in the hospital. Someone broke into the daycare, into her house…”

It took him a moment to calm the blinding rage filling his mind and body. After getting as much information from Liz as he could, he took off faster than the cruiser was meant for—more like a crotch rocket speeding through the streets.

Chapter Sixteen

“You did what?” Jill croaked, aghast. “Why did you call Cole?”

Her body hurt all over, but now a different kind of pain jabbed into her heart.

“Jill, he cares about you,” Liz said. “He wanted to come.”

What?

“He’s coming here to the hospital?” Jill cried. She felt bad. She most likely looked bad. She hadn’t seen herself in the mirror yet, but her body and head throbbed even with the pain meds they’d given her.

It’d been a very long night. She’d already gone through a scan for her head and x-rays on her arm. Her arm was badly bruised but not broken. She’d had a mild concussion, however, so they’d had her stay overnight for observation.

“Were you able to call all the kids’ parents?” Jill asked Liz.

“Yes. I didn’t tell them what happened, just that we were going to have to close today due to an emergency.”

Jill sighed and closed her eyes, wanting to run from everything. Normally, she dealt with issues head on. But this? She felt violated. Invaded. And as much as she didn’t want to admit it, scared. She didn’t feel safe in her own home anymore. That was too bad. She’d built a happy life in that house, baked cookies, taught the kids, played with them, even made love with Cole…

She started to drift off.

“Jill?” Liz’s voice sounded strange, a little different.

“Hmm?” She turned toward Liz’s voice, and in the low light of the room, she saw a very tall, broad figure dressed in a suit. At first she thought she was dreaming, but Cole really was standing at the end of the bed, staring at her in disbelief.

Liz quietly left the room.

“You didn’t have to come,” Jill whispered.

Shaking his head, he moved closer and pulled in a chair to sit by her bed. “Of course I did,” he said. “I wanted to come.”

“But what about your meeting?”

“I was done by the time I got Liz’s call.” Gently, he touched the unhurt side of her face while looking over her other side.

“It looks worse than it is.”

“I want to kill whoever did this,” he mumbled, the hand on his lap balling into a fist.

“Cole, it’s just a few bruises.”

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