Page 88 of Enemies, Lovers & A Valentine's Baby

“Ladies,” Cole says. His voice is smooth but carrying a note that makes my chest tighten.

“I was hoping I could steal one dance with Lila, if you don’t mind, Sue,” he adds, his gaze flicking between us. He seems uncharacteristically unsure. It’s almost as if he’s…nervous.

Sue folds her arms tightly, her expression hardening. “I don’t think that’s a good idea—”

“Sue, it’s okay,” I interject softly before she can say any more. My voice is calm, though my pulse races beneath the surface. I don’t know what he wants with me, but I really don’t want to make a scene. We’re right in the middle of the dancefloor. Everyone can see us, and I’d rather they didn’t overhear a conversation like this one.

I force a smile, hoping it looks more convincing than it feels. “Really. It’s okay.”

Sue narrows her eyes at him, her protective streak flaring. “Fine,” she relents, her tone clipped, “but I’m going to be right over there, keeping an eye on you two.” She shoots Cole a glare sharp enough to draw blood, then walks away, her back stiff with irritation. My heart softens, a small smile rising to my face at her mama bear tendencies.

Cole steps closer, taking my hand in his. His other hand settles gently on the small of my back, the warmth of his touch pulsing even through the fabric of my dress. My arms move instinctively, sliding around his shoulders as though they belong there, though every nerve in my body is screaming to pull away.

Or pull closer. I’m not sure which.

His scent wraps around me—clean, woody, and maddeningly seductive. I fight the urge to close my eyes, to let myself sink into the comfort of it, but the distance between us feels too vast to ignore.

We’re so close, yet I’ve never felt further away from him.

“Lila—” Cole starts, his voice low and rough, but I cut him off before he can say more.

“Can we not do this, Cole?” My voice is barely above a whisper, trembling with exhaustion. “You wanted one dance, and we’re doing it. Please, just—” I swallow hard, my gaze pleading with him. “You said everything you needed to say the last time. Let’s leave it at that.”

His hand tightens slightly on my back, the smallest gesture, but it anchors me in place. “One again I’ve been the biggest asshole, Lila,” he says the words slowly, like he’s forcing them out before he loses the nerve. “You’ve always deserved so much better than me. Even now, I know I don’t deserve you. But I want you—no, Ineedyou. You and this baby.” he whispers, still swaying me softly to the music like he didn’t just spin my entire world off its axis with those few words.

The air seems to evaporate from my lungs as my heart hammers against my chest. I stare up at him, my eyes wide, searching his face for any hint that I may have misheard him. But there’s no trace of the guarded man I’ve known for years. Instead, his stormy eyes burn with a raw, unrelenting need.

Could this really be happening?

“I am so sorry for the way I’ve treated you, Lila,” he continues, his voice breaking with emotion. “I know you have no reason to forgive me, but I’m asking you to anyway. No, I’m begging you.” His voice sounds raspy with emotion. “I need you to forgive me because these past weeks without you have made me realize one thing. I can’t live the rest of my life without you. You’ve crawled into every pore, every molecule of me, and I can’t think, I can’t function, I don’t exist when you’re not with me.”

My chest tightens, tears pricking the corners of my eyes as he goes on, his voice shaking with a vulnerability I’ve never heard from him before.

“I was so angry at you,” he admits, his voice dropping to a rasp. “I thought you lied to me, tried to trap me, but even then—even then—my heart still yearned for you. Do you know what that’s like? To try to hate someone only to fall deeper in love with them?” His voice cracks, and for the briefest moment, he looks away, as if the weight of his words is too much.

I freeze, unable to move or breathe, terrified that if I do, I’ll shatter this fragile moment forever. The tears I’d been holdingback spill over, blurring my vision, but I can still see the intensity in his eyes.

Yes, I know exactly what that feels like. It’s how I’ve felt about him all these years.

“I haven’t said these words to any woman in almost a decade,” he says, his voice soft now, almost breaking. “I know I’ve done nothing to earn your trust, but please, Lila, believe me when I say this.” He pauses, his jaw tightening as he swallows hard. “I love you. So much. More than I’ve ever loved anything or anyone, and I will spend the rest of my life proving it to you if you let me.”

It’s only now that I notice that the music has come to an end, everyone retreating back to their seats. Cole and I are the only two left standing right there in the center of the dancefloor. Every pair of eyes in the room is trained on us, yet I can only focus on the stormy ones in front of me.

I stumble back, taking my hands off his shoulders.

“I—I can’t do this. Whatever this is, I can’t do it, Cole,” I stutter, backing away from him slowly.

“Please Lila, I—”

“Please what, Cole? There was a time I needed desperately for you to believe me, for you to trust me, and to know that I would never lie to you. But you didn’t. You didn’t trust me. You said—God!” I stop myself, dragging a hand through my hair. My breath comes in shallow bursts, the emotions clawing at my throat. “I can’t do this here,” I mutter, turning away from him. But he’s faster than me, reaching forward and grabbing my trembling hand in his.

“Please, Lila. I know I screwed up.”

“Cole, there are dozens of people staring at us right now.”

“Good. Let them all see how desperate I am for your forgiveness.”

My heart wavers, the raw intensity of his words holding me in place as he continues, his voice thick with emotion. “I was scared, Lila, because right from the very beginning, I knew that you had the power to hurt me far more than any pain I’ve ever known. Because what I feel for you, what I’ve always felt for you…is scary. I should have trusted you, Lila, but I couldn’t, because I didn’t trust myself.”

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