Page 105 of Mr. Picture Perfect
“You’re the only support I need,” he says.
I peer into his eyes, turning instantly into sugary goo.
Then he traps me in a surprise kiss.
I melt against his body, unable to resist Cole, both literally and figuratively, held against him as I am.
“Okay, okay,” I murmur against Cole’s lips, “I’d … I’d better go before theyreallysend someone to the bathroom looking for me.”
“Can’t we just stay in this room for the rest of the evening?”
“No, we can’t,” I answer, taking him too literally.
“I sure wish we could … but then we’d probably make Tamika mad at us. As well as Nadine. And everyone else who is out there waiting on me to put on a shirt.”
“And on Anthony to stop complaining about the color of his swimsuit,” I add.
Cole gives me another surprise peck on the lips, then holds me close. “You should stay at the house with us tonight.”
“Oh. You mean the McPhersons’ guest wing?”
“They were generous enough to let us bachelors stay here, what with all the stuff they’ll need from us over the next couple of days leading up to the big thing … though, if I’m being honest, I think it’s more for our protection. Spruce is getting crazy.”
“Crazy,” I absently agree, thinking of the trip here, how loud and crowded Main Street was, as if the crafts festival is still going on. Not to mention the overrun parking lots and the Spur Inn with its new unfinished wing that the town could’ve desperately used to house these unplanned-for visitors.
“So what do you say?” he asks, prodding me with a wiggle of his hips—or rather, his crotch against my crotch, still holding me tightly against him. “It’ll be like a big sleepover. Your family won’t mind. They love how much time we spend together.”
I shake my head. “I can’t. It would be rude. I wasn’t one of the ones invited to stay.”
“They’d understand. Aren’t you also friends with TJ? Don’t be so worried about it.”
“But where will I sleep?” I protest. “In your room with you? Don’t you worry about what that’ll look like? Are youtryingto get us caught?”
“I thought we weren’t caring about that as much. Dean’s been giving us looks all week. Anthony isn’t as thick as he seems. He even just half-cuddled with us and Porridge in my backyard the other night. No one cares.” He puts a quick kiss on my forehead, which I am sure is just his strategic endeavor to keep me from overthinking. It works, by the way, in interrupting my thoughts. He knows me too well. “Let’s just have a little bit of fun and be reckless. Stay in the house with me.”
I press my lips together to keep from making any expression. “Cole …”
“Please?”
I close my eyes. It’s easier to say no to him when I can’t see him. “Cole, I think I should—”
“I’ll lose my mind if I have to spend all night in a guest wing with Anthony and Dean going at each other.”
I was wrong. Even with my eyes closed, I can still see his face, his pleading eyes, his pouty lips. It’s possible that my imagination makes it even worse.
I take a breath. “I’ll think about it.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.”
He dives in for a kiss so fast, my eyes flap open, then he pulls away with a smile. “I knew you’d come around, Noah.”
“I hope you realize ‘I’ll think about it’ isn’t a yes.”
“Good enough for me.” He lets out a happy sigh. “Thanks for giving me my confidence back. I think I might need you by my side the whole time until this madness is over with.”
The look on his face can melt an iceberg. I don’t know why I insist on resisting his suggestions all the time. Doesn’t he always have my best interest at heart? If there’s anyone who’s going to save me from my stubborn, imprisoning mind, it’s Cole.
