Page 66 of (Un)Expected

So, instead, I turned back to the stove, resuming stirring. “This smells amazing.”

Cole came up behind me, and I let out a contented little sigh when his large hand retook my hip. “It’s my grandmother’s recipe. She spent years trying to get the spices right. When she moved to Texas from Mexico, she complained that nothing had enough flavor, especially with my grandfather. I swear, the man thought black pepper was too spicy. When she’d make him this, though, his whole damn face would light up. It’s always been my favorite meal to make. When my sister and I were younger, we used to get whatever we could from my grandmother’s garden, and she’d show us how to make it a meal.” He laughed. “This time, I stuck with stuff from the market, so it still should be good.”

As I continued stirring, his warmth crawled into my back. For a moment, I imagine what it would be like to sink into it, to let his hands linger on more than my hip.

Like he could sense the turn my thoughts had taken, Cole’s hand tightened on my hip, making my lips part in excitement. “What’s going through that head of yours, sweetheart?”

“Nothing,” I lied, hoping like hell he wouldn’t let go.

Cole lowered his nose to the curve of my neck, dragging it along the column before reaching my ear. “Are you imagining what would happen if I moved a little lower?”

I gulped, not trusting my words.

With a slow chuckle, he lightly kissed the sensitive spot behind my ear. “C’mon. We should eat.”

What the ever-loving fuck?

I was about three point five seconds from stripping this man naked in my kitchen with one fleeting touch, and he wasn’t affectedat all?Looking down at my attire, I picked apart every single item of clothing. I knew Cole was attracted to me, but I couldn’t help the negative thoughts taking over my mind. Maybe he wasn’t asinterested as I thought. Now that he had my attention, perhaps he’d figured out I wasn’t worth the effort.

The thought stung more than I’d like.

When he realized I wasn’t following him to the dining room, Cole stopped, taking in my sullen expression. “What’s wrong?”

I pasted on my fakest smile, pretending I was back behind the desk at work, “Nothing. All good. We should eat before this amazing food goes cold.”

When I tried to push past Cole, he stopped me, placing the plates on the counter. “Tell me the truth, Alex.”

I shook my head, unable to meet his eyes. “Are you…are you attracted to me? It seemed like you were, and then?—”

My words died as Cole lifted me onto the counter, pressing himself between my legs. Suddenly, I could feel all of him, every long,hardinch aching with desire for more.

“Don’t ever question how much I want you, Alex. I’m half a second away from ripping these pants off your gorgeous legs and eating you for dinner instead.” He paused, forcing a breath past his lips. “But if I’m going to earn your trust, I gotta take things slower than that.”

“Slow,” I repeated, as if it was the first time I'd heard the word.

“Yes, sweetheart,slow. Because if I ever get the chance to fuck you, I want to know it’s because you choose me. That you trust me.” He stepped back, adjusting the front of his pants. “Until then, it’s a PG rating for us.”

“Can we make it PG-13 at least?”

“No can do,” Cole chuckled. “Because if I get a taste of that mouth again, I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop.”

TWENTY-EIGHT

The night flew by much quicker than I would have liked. The entire time, Alex transfixed me, and I was like a damn fool, hanging on her every word.

She opened up more than ever, telling me about her first few years here, about how she had found the town by accident and knew almost instantly that it was her new home. She even talked a little bit about her time in the city, but I could tell she was still holding back. She’d only give broad details, talking about her experiences in college and some of her work experience. There was a large piece of the puzzle that I was missing, but I wasn’t about to push. She’d tell me in her own time—hopefully, once she started to trust me more,

The food went cold again, but neither of us tried to leave the table. I was pleasantly surprised; there’d barely been a beat of silence between us as the conversation flowed easily.

The way it only did with Alex.

When a clock chimed twelve times in the background, Alex hopped out of her chair, grabbing our plates before heading toward the kitchen, bumping me with her hip when I tried to take them backfrom her. “Not a chance, slick. You cooked. There’s no way I’m gonna let you clean. You’re already spoiling me with all this food.”

Gladly.The word echoes in my brain, making me grin with pride. I’d spoil her every day if she’d let me. Besides cooking, Alex was fiercely independent, and I knew she’d cut my balls off if I interfered too much.

And I was pretty attached to those.

As she placed the now-clean dishes on the rack, she turned and leaned against the sink. She stared at me, her eyes drifting down to my lips briefly before she inhaled slowly and shook her head. “We should probably call it a night.”

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