Page 33 of Wasted

He shook his head. "I told you that you were stuck with me for tonight." He slid to the right side of the swing and nodded to the left. That was his invitation to join him.

"Thanks." I smiled, sinking onto the swing beside him.

We swung in silence through three songs that were older than both of us, but we knew every word because this was Cole's favorite thing to do every Saturday night. Sit on the front porch swing listening to old country.

Cole's fingers drummed against his thigh. He cleared his throat, his voice coming out low. "I've been thinking about what you asked me earlier." I bit down on my bottom lip as I searched my memories for what I'd said earlier. He dropped his gaze for a brief moment before turning to meet mine. "I would have done exactly the same thing you did, but that still doesn't take away the pain." I dropped my gaze to my fidgeting hands as his flicked forward. "I don't know how I feel about any of this, and I can't say that we'll ever even be half of what we were back then, but I'm ready to put the past behind us and move forward."

"So?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Friends, I guess."

I smiled. Friends was more than I ever thought we'd be again. "I can live with that."

"Friends who keep their clothes on." Cole's eyebrow quirked up, a hint of amusement in his eyes. I couldn't help but laugh out loud. The corner of his mouth twitched upward. "Is that funny?"

"No, I mean, yes, kind of..." Cole and I had never been the kind of friends who kept their clothes on, but that was then, and this was now, and we were two completely different people. If that was the kind of friend he wanted to be, I was happy that I'd at least have some type of relationship with him. "Are you hungry? I can make something."

"No, actually, I'm exhausted."

"Oh, right, of course." I pushed off the swing. "Let me go get your bed together." Cole's long fingers curled around my arm, stopping me. The warmth of his touch sent a shiver down my spine.

"Make the bed for two," he said. "We'll share tonight."

"Oh no," my brows pulled together as I shook my head, "that's okay. I don't mind sleeping on the floor tonight."

"Taylor." His voice was low, almost husky. Cole's gaze locked with mine, intense and unreadable. "Make the bed for two..." He swallowed hard. "Please."

My heart raced as I nodded, unable to find my voice.

Chapter Eighteen

Cole

Silence surrounded us as we stood at our side of the bed—the very small bed—staring down. I lifted my gaze up her bare, tanned legs, tiny tight black shorts, up to her tight pink tank top with no bra because I could see the outline of her perky nipple, meeting her pretty blue eyes. The awkwardness between us was nearly unbearable. We'd shared a bed more times than I could count, but this time was different, and we both knew it.

Her gaze shifted back to the mattress. She shoved a fist on her hip and frowned. "I'm not sure we are both going to fit." She bit her lip, hesitating. "Maybe I should just…"

I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. "It's fine." My hand dropped, and I fixed her with a pointed stare. "Just get in the damn bed." I wasn't sure if she didn't want to sleep in the same bed as me or was just trying to be polite and give me my space; regardless, it was getting on my nerves. I would sleep on the floor before I let her sleep there.

She shot me a questioning glance before finally turning and sinking onto the bed, prompting me to do the same.

We both shifted around, trying to find a comfortable position. The bare skin of our arms and legs brushed against each other, sending a wave of heat straight to my cock that I had to mentally talk down several times, but when she rolled away, and her ass brushed against me, I groaned in sexual frustration. My hands twitched with the urge to grab her and pull her against me, curl around her, and make her mine again. I wasn't sure if it was the fact that I'd missed her or that I hadn't had sex in way too long.

She shifted her weight, causing the bed to creak. "Sorry. This bed is so much smaller with two people."

I cleared my throat, trying to hide the sound of desire in my voice as I shifted to my back, shoved my hands under my head, and stared at the ceiling so I didn't have to look at her. "It's fine."

She rolled to her side, facing me. A soft chuckle escaped her lips. "You keep saying that." Her eyes searched my face, a mix of amusement and concern. "But it really doesn't seem fine when you groan like you're in physical pain."

I was in physical pain. My hands ached with a need to touch her, my dick throbbed with a painful urge to fuck her, and my heart broke that I couldn't have what I used to with her anymore. "I am fine," I reassured her. "I just haven't shared a bed with anyone in a long time." Too long, actually.

Her voice dropped to a whisper, barely audible in a quiet room. "Me either." She tugged at a loose thread on the pillowcases, avoiding my gaze.

I needed a subject change because I was too exhausted to revisit my feelings. "So, are you really going to sell this place?"

Her lips vibrated as she exhaled heavily. "Yeah, I don't have much of a choice, but I think it's time to move on and figure out the next part of my life."

I narrowed my eyes, studying her expression. "Is that really what you want to do?" My fingers drummed against the mattress, betraying my skepticism.

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