Page 68 of Muddy Messy Love

He gives me a doubtful look. “Ah, yes, you do. Slade Pearson. Tej Patil. Mike Reynolds. Jed Holston. Should I continue?” The names are counted on different fingers and delivered with a hint of venom I quite like.

I perch up on my elbow, resting my head in my palm. “Mike Reynolds—Alex’s dad? But he’s married. And who the hell is Jed Holston?”

Cole’s jaw tightens. “Mike is separated. Jed is Lily’s dad and on the cusp of being fired. And yes, I’ve had to tell them multiple times to shut up about you and Hannah around the coffee machine in the mornings.”

“Seriously?” My shock is real, but I can’t stop a smile from peeling across my face. The revelation is…flattering. “I thought they were just being nice.”

Cole scoffs. “Those two men are anything but nice.”

“Well,” I say, dragging a finger up his chest to bop his nose. “Slade is history. And you have the wrong take on Tej.”

“We’ll have to agree to disagree on that,” he says, and the possessiveness in his voice twirls around my belly. It seems we’re as bad as each other, which is comforting. His crazy might cancel out mine.

“Like I said, you have nothing to worry about.” I drag the backs of my fingers across his stubble. “I’m actually a little obsessed with you.” My admission is gentle and guarded, but all coyness disintegrates when Cole grabs my wrists and pins them to my pillow, mounting me in one swift move.

“I’ll have to fix that,” he says, playfully nibbling down my neck.

I giggle. “Fix what?”

He continues his assault, peppering wet kisses all over my cheeks and chin. “A little obsessed won’t cut it, I’m afraid. I want you consumed.”Kiss. “Owned.”Kiss. “Infatuated.” He comes back up to meet my eyes, severity in his. “Like I am with you.”

His confession sinks into my veins, delivering the bliss I imagine heroin might, and I search his face while a desperate need to keep him close bubbles up inside me. “Stay with me tonight?” My heart batters my ribs. Slade never stayed. He came and went while the night loomed like a nocturnal beast allergic to light.

But Cole’s smile is warm and cosy—his kiss to my temple grateful. “I’d like that.”

Fourteen

When I asked Coleto stay, it didn’t occur to me we’d be going to work together this morning…like a proper couple…out in the open for anyone to see.

I scurry to keep pace with his long strides through the dim car park behind Benedict’s. Petrol tinges the air, and my ankle pinches in protest. “Um…people will see us together,” I point out. “Shouldn’t I wait a few minutes and then follow you in?”

Cole stops, abruptly turns, then settles a hand on my shoulder. “Let them see. I’ve got nothing to hide.”

I stare at him, bewildered. “But it’s hypocritical. No one else can date.”

Cole twists his mouth into a dark smile. “They all screw like college kids on ecstasy.”

My eyes bug. “Youknow?”

“Of course I know. I’m not an idiot.”

But panic still pings through my chest, and I drop my gaze to the sparkling concrete marred with tyre marks and darksplotches of unknown origin. “But think about it, what will people say? You’re the boss—nine years my senior—and I work at…Mini-Bees.”

“What’s wrong with Mini-Bees?” Cole’s knuckles whiten around the handle of his briefcase.

“Nothing,” I quickly say. “It’s just…you’re out of my league. I mean, it’s so obvious you can do better. Aren’t you…embarrassed?” Hell, I’m embarrassedforhim.

Cole’s face pales. “Embarrassed? Byyou?”

“Yes,” I hiss, and it takes strength not to roll my eyes at his deliberate obtuseness. He’s smarter than this and usually more direct.

Cole studies me, his head tilted. Brow sliced by that line. “What league are you referring to? The make-believe one in your head?”

He brushes his thumb over my temple, but I sigh. “Social hierarchies and class systems are a fact of life. Don’t pretend you’re oblivious and haven’t considered my place.”

The muscle in his jaw ticks. “Aves, none of my colleagues could do what you and Hannah do all day. They would go mad by the week’s end. And at your age, I wasn’t a lawyer. I wasn’t a managing partner or even a decent human. I’m here because of my uncle, and everybody knows it.”

His admission jolts me, but he softens his voice as he continues. “I know who you are—what one day you could be—and I’m not, nor will I ever be, embarrassed by you. How could you think that?”

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