Page 18 of My Return to the Walter Boys
“No,” he grumbled, “so I suppose going to bed isn’t a terrible idea, but how are you getting back to the ranch? Do you need a ride?”
“Alex is taking me.” I glanced around in search of him, but he and Kim must have left at some point because I didn’t see them anywhere.
That jolted Cole awake. “Nope, definitely not.” He untangled himself from me, slammed the rest of his beer, and stood with newfound energy. “Let’s go,” he said, offering me a hand up. “I’m driving you back.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but the gleam in his eyes was steely. He always got like this when it came to his brother, stupidly headstrong and impulsive, so I didn’t bother arguing. We said our goodbyes, all Cole’s friends promising to meet up a final time before leaving for their colleges, and then we made the short walk to the Gas Exchange where the Buick was parked. By the time we reached the ranch, it was almost ten o’clock.
Cole pulled up next to the shed and put the car in park. “Doesn’t look like anyone’s back yet,” he said, glancing over at the house. All the lights were off, which meant Katherine, George, and the younger kids were either still at the block party or already in bed. “You know where the key is, right?”
“Taped to the underside of the porch swing, but I doubt I’ll need it. Knowing your mom, she left the back door unlocked.”
“You’re probably right.” Cole rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “Look, about tonight. I’m sorry if you thought the block party was dumb and that I basically fell asleep at the party, but I’ve spent all my time working this summer. I’m running on empty.”
“You shared some of your childhood memories with me. Why would I think that’s dumb?” I told him in earnest. Cole Walter could be a real asshole sometimes, but he was equally as sweet, especiallywhen he wasn’t getting into pissing contests with Alex. “I’m glad I got to spend time with you.”
He reached across the console and knotted our fingers together. “You mean that?”
“I promise,” I said as he ran his thumb over my knuckles. He’d been incredibly touchy-feely tonight, more so than I remembered him being, and every brush and soft touch made my body feel like a live wire. The air was thick around us, and I knew I needed to get away from him before I did something I’d later regret. “I’m going to head in. See you tomorrow night at dinner?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there,” he replied, but when I tried to pull away, his grip tightened.
“Um, Cole?” I needed my hand back in order to leave. I glanced down at our entwined fingers, then back to him. The way he was gazing at me made my throat tighten. Even in the dark, his eyes were piercing.
“Can we talk then?” he asked. “About your summer and stuff?”
I cleared my throat, but my voice still came out raspy. “Y-yeah. Get some sleep, okay?”
Cole nodded, and this time, he let me go when I withdrew my hand. I offered him a parting smile and thanked him for driving me home, then unbuckled my seat belt and moved to open the door.
“Jackie, wait,” he said, taking hold of my arm.
When I glanced at him over my shoulder, Cole leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.
Three
The truth was, the summer hadn’t been easy. I’d never thought returning to the city I loved would be difficult. When Katherine offered to let me return to New York back in June, I seized the opportunity without consideration.
One of the first things I realized, however, was how many memories I had to face there. Returning to our apartment reminded me I would never again watch the nightly news with Dad or help Mom select a fabric for one of her upcoming designs. I’d never steal one of Lucy’s tops again, hear her laugh, or curl up on the couch with her for anotherTwilightmarathon. I thought I’d dealt with the worst of my grief, that I was well on my way to healing, only to be hit with the pain of it all over again.
The next thing that occurred to me? I was too overwhelmed to think about my feelings for Cole, let alone talk to him. Not when beingback in the apartment felt like living with ghosts every day. By the time I felt less emotional and had my shit together, so much time had passed that doubts crept in. Sure, Cole was gorgeous, and we had good chemistry together. He also knew all the right things to say to make me melt, but he could be cruel and petty when it suited him. Would he want to talk to me after I’d gone radio silent? Was our connection real, or had I fallen for the Cole effect like Riley and Heather warned me I would?
The more I thought about it, the more I second-guessed everything. Because if my feelings weren’t as strong as I originally thought, what about Cole’s? Could I trust that his were genuine, or was I a shiny new toy, just another in a long line of girls whose proximity was convenient?
Kissing him now, I knew our feelings were genuine.
It started out chaste—a simple brush of his lips against mine to test the waters—but that was all it took to destroy the last strands of my self-control. My hand flew up of its own accord and curled around the back of his neck, which was all the encouragement Cole needed to pull me close and mold his mouth to mine. He must have snuck a breath mint on the way home, because he tasted like sugar and cinnamon instead of the beer he drank at the party. I didn’t know whether to be pleased or annoyed by his assumption.
When he drew my bottom lip between his teeth and bit down, electricity zipped through my veins. Desperate for more, I tugged on Cole’s hair. He responded by grasping hold of my waist and squeezing.
“Come here,” he rasped and gently hauled me over the center console. It took a bit of maneuvering, but once I was straddling his lap, he captured my mouth in another fervent kiss that stole the breath from my lungs. His fingers toyed with the bottom of my shirt, occasionally daring to slip underneath, but it wasn’t until Cole’s lips left mine and started trailing down the side of my neck that my addled brain kicked into gear.
Oh my God! What the hell am I doing?
“Cole, stop,” I said, gasping for breath. “I should go.”
He leaned back in his seat, chest heaving, lips swollen and glistening, and chuckled as if I’d said something amusing.
“What’s so funny?”
