Page 49 of Fall at Once

“Dry those eyes, Madi. Please don’t give him the satisfaction. Don’t let any of them know you’re hurting.”

“I’m not sure I can do that.” I heard the tremble in my voice, and I hated it. I liked it better when I was pissed off, even if I had yelled at Ross, and even if everyone in this bar knew what happened because of it.

“No one can see you now. I’ll take care of you. Take a deep breath. I’m here.” He pulled me close again, and I rested my cheek against the broad wall of his chest as he stroked my hair and kept us swaying side to side, giving the illusion we were dancing rather than him holding me together while I tried to stop losing my mind.

“Okay.” I took a deep breath like he said. “But how, Cole?”

He pulled back and wiped beneath my eyes with his thumbs. “I’m going to kiss you, that’s how. Nobody will rememberanything else if we kiss.”

“Kiss?” God, I wanted that.

The thought of everyone in this bar knowing my business flew out of my mind when I thought about how it would feel to be kissed by Cole. I’d been imagining it since I first arrived in Cozy Creek.

“Say yes or no. Yes, means we’ll put on a show, so nobody in this bar will ever think you’re hung up on that asshole. No, means we’ll just dance. But either choice you make will say that you are moving on. That he doesn’t matter to you. You don’t care.”

“Kiss me, Cole.” I had never felt like this. Not ever. “Please.”

Asking him to kiss me had nothing to do with putting on a show for anyone.

It was for me.

I needed to feel his lips on mine like I needed my next breath.

Not only did I ache for him to kiss me, but the anger and misplaced heartache left over from my conversation with Ross was gone.

I had better things to think about. I had been done with him when I got to Cozy Creek, and I wouldn’t let him ruin any more of my time here.

The fact that he had cheated was moot when I had been the one who had decided to move on. If anything, it rid me of the guilt I had felt when I left him.

“Are you sure?” His voice was a whispered groan as he gently tugged my hair to tilt my head back, unwrapped his arm around my waist to cup my cheek, and raised my face to his as his eyessearched mine.

“Yes. I’m sure.” I wanted to keep this feeling. Cole made me feel safe. Like, if I decided to trust him, it wouldn’t come back to bite me someday.

I knew this was supposed to be fake. But it didn’t feel that way as he dipped his face low and gazed into my eyes.

“Forget about him. Forget anything he said that made you feel like you were anything less than beautiful, Madi. You are sexy as hell right now in that black dress. I noticed you the second you walked through the door, and I had to force myself not to stare. It’s not your problem that he didn’t know what to do with you when he was lucky enough to have you.”

I felt the whisper of his breath on my lips before he pressed his mouth against mine.

His lips were soft, but he kissed me hard like he’d been thinking about it for a long time like he couldn’t hold himself back anymore. My knees went weak, but he held me tight and kept me out of sight, blocking me from the room with his tall, muscular body, just like he’d promised me he would.

“More,” I breathed out, and he gave it to me, backing me into the corner to push his leg between mine with a deep, growly groan. His hand slammed into the wall above my head right before his tongue slid into my mouth, and I matched his sexy groan with one of my own.

We were as close as two people could be, upright and fully dressed. I threw my arms around his neck and held on. I didn’t want him to stop kissing me.

It felt real.

It felt right, and I didn’t want it to end.

“Damn, Madi. What are we doing?” His whispered voice tickled my lips, and I clutched at his big shoulders for support while wondering the same thing until he kissed me again, and I lost all ability to form a coherent thought.

His mouth opened on mine, and he ground himself against me, hard as steel. This was real. It had to be.

Slowly, I came to my senses and pulled back, trying to catch my breath. “I could ask you the same question.”

He traced a fingertip down my nose, letting it drift across my lips as a soft smile slid over his mouth. “God, I love your freckles.” Then his eyes darted from mine as he ran a hand over his chin in frustration, steadied me on my feet, and stepped back. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to take it this far.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” I soothed. “I was a willing participant. And you were right. No one will be talking about poor, pathetic, cheated-on Madi. They’ll be discussing the hot kiss at Bookers and debating how serious this thing is with Gigi’s granddaughter and the Cozy Creek Fire Brigade’s chief. And I’d much prefer that.”

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