Page 39 of Forbidden Flame

I didn’t say anything else, but I wondered if he felt left out. If he wanted to be a part of the family in the same way the brothers were. I couldn’t relate to him because I had so many brothers and an older sister. For me, finding peace and quiet was my goal most of the time. Especially with a talkative seven-year-old at home.

“Will you take me home?” I asked, hoping to distract him from his ruminations.

“I thought you’d never ask. I’ll grab the pies.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket and handed them to me. “Why don’t you get in the truck? I’ll be right there.” I laughed at how eager he was to get home.

I got inside and waited for him to join me. When he climbed in, he grinned at me and handed the pies to me. “I got the goods.”

“You know I can bake you more.”

He stilled and looked over at me. “Don’t tease me.”

My heart expanded. I wanted to promise him that I’d bake for him one day, but I wasn’t sure we’d have another opportunity.

“I don’t have any of the ingredients you’d need to bake. I don’t keep much food at Heath’s, and I certainly don’t bake.”

“I could teach you. I mean, I’d like to.” I sighed, knowing our situation was impossible.

He reached over and took my hand in his, my heart doing a long, slow flip. He interlaced his fingers with mine and rested our joined hands on my lap. “I’d love that.”

I felt a little overwhelmed. I wanted to make promises. I wanted to spend more time with him, even though we couldn’t.

Cole parked in front of Heath’s cabin. “Maybe we can meet up in secret.”

I unhooked my seatbelt. “Are you serious?”

“It’s just an idea.”

“I kind of like it.” I wanted to see him again, and if no one found out, then it wouldn’t cause any problems. I also wouldn’t have to involve Izzy. A pang pierced my heart that this was a temporary solution to a bigger problem, but I’d think about that later.

I just wanted a sliver of hope for a future, and seeing him again was a possibility.

He leaned over the console, taking my face in the palms of his hands. “I’ll take you any way I can get you.”

Tears stung my eyes because I wanted the same.

Then he kissed me. It was full of promise and passion. But he pulled away just as quickly. “Let’s go inside. I want you in a bed this time.”

I wanted that too, so I grabbed my clutch and slid out of the truck. He met me at the door with the boxes of pies in his hand. He hauled me to his side and kissed me hard. Then he groaned. “I don’t seem to have any patience when it comes to you.”

“That’s because we don’t see each other often, and when we do, we have to pretend nothing is going on.”

“Not anymore. We have the whole night to ourselves.”

He grabbed my hand and led me onto the porch. I held the boxes of pie while he unlocked the door. Cole placed the keys and the boxes on a table next to the door before he turned his attention to me. He cupped my face, kissing me, his thigh between my legs. It was hot.

“Upstairs,” he finally said after my lips were swollen.

He lifted me as I wrapped my legs around his waist. I didn’t stop kissing him, the underside of his jaw, his neck. Before I knew it, I was falling through the air and bouncing on a bed.

I sighed as Cole slowly unbuttoned his shirt. I’d never seen anything sexier. One button at a time, he revealed his chest to me.

I sat up, needing more. I unhooked his belt and unbuttoned his pants.

Finally, his shirt was off, and there was nothing but bare skin filling my vision. He helped me push down his pants and briefs until he stood in front of me naked.

“You’re wearing too many clothes.” He growled as he moved, pushing me onto my back as he hovered over me. His hand ghosted up my thigh, and I opened my legs wider to accommodate him.

There was nowhere else I wanted to be. Being here with Cole in his room felt right. There was even the promise of seeing him again hovering on the edge of my consciousness.

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