Page 90 of The Depraved Prince
“Are you going to tell me what happened? Who do I have to hurt?”
I scoff out a short laugh and shake my head.
Another pause goes in between us as he cradles me on the couch.
“Is it your mom?”
My body goes rigid for a second, and then I concede with a nod. I’ve told him little bits and pieces about my troubled relationship with my parents. He knows I’m trying to make amends with my father, but I stopped mentioning my mother and Santiago months ago. Maybe I’m easy to read. I truly despise that about myself. Wearing my heart on my sleeve can be a good thing, but sometimes, it’s a very vulnerable thing that people may take advantage of. I feel too much…which is something I’m working on.
“Parents suck sometimes. I know mine have their moments.” He kisses the top of my head, and I retract from him. I analyze his drenched plaid shirt, and I palm it with my hand. I scoot my bottom until my back hits the back of his couch.
“I’m so sorry about crying all over you. Look at your shirt.” I give him a half-hearted smile because the other half is crushed, feeling insecure about my entire being and my place in this world.
He shrugs and pulls at the ends of his shirt. He analyzes the damp mess I made and then looks at me with warm whiskey eyes.
“You’re right. I should get another one.” He smirks.
“You should,” I tease back, crossing my arms after I swiped my palm over my reddened cheeks.
His smirk widens, and he looks at me with that same look he gives me…desire. It’s no secret Cole wants me more than just friends. Every time we hang out or joke around at the coffee shop, there’s a moment there between us. It’s a moment full of tension, but it always depletes because it’s like we’re both afraid to make the first move. I’m surely not brave enough to, and maybe he hasn’t wanted to pursue that yearning passion that’s been building since we both started working at Nostalgia Coffee Shop because he’s afraid it’ll ruin our friendship.
His smile turns into something primal. His dimples disappear, and then he curls his long fingers underneath the end of his shirt and starts to pick it up, fast. He first exposes the hair under his belly button, and my cheeks light up, and my eyes widen.
What are you doing?
I try to form the words, but they’re too stuck in my stunned throat.
He throws his shirt off, and it lands on the wooden floor. I’m staring at what was once an always cheeky, dorky guy who can take my funny jokes and throw them right back. But right now? He’s transformed into a man who’s done playing this push-and-pull game that’s been going on for the past few years.
His chest moves up and down fast, and he rubs his face, starting from his nose down to his chiseled jaw, like he’s trying to conjure up the courage to do something. He places one hand on either side of me, caging me on the couch, and I’m trying to sink into it to disappear from the emotions that are so volatile that they’re burning into my core, making familiar lustful emotions swirl into an infinite circle. I’m intimidated and inexperienced when it comes to sex, never mind making out…
He licks his lips and cups and tilts my chin to meet his eyes. He senses my unease like he knows I want to say a funny joke to break the ice. But he’s going to break it, and I know he’s going to do it with his lips on mine.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” Cole murmurs softly. His voice is rough and demanding.
I nod fast. “Yes, please.” I blink fast, and he leans in slowly, and suddenly, I lose the ability to breathe. I close my eyes, and as soon as I do, his lips sink onto mine like an anchor in the ocean, finding its new home. They move and move until I feel his tongue lick me, begging for entrance.
My heart flips, and our kissing turns into a tornado of tongues. He pushes me down until I’m lying on my back, and he’s nestled himself in between my legs.
What am I doing?! This is Cole! My close friend I can tell anything to,my supervisor, not someone I do things like this with. My hesitation is evident, and it gets the best of me when I break our overheated kisses, and look up to meet his darkened eyes.
Damn.
This is a side of Cole I’ve never seen before. I should be swooning. I should be in a puddle, ready to finally give up my virginity to someone who cares about me on levels only he and I connect with. But my heart doesn’t reciprocate those emotions.
“Cole…we shouldn’t do this.” My eyes dart from his full, swollen lips to his front door.
He pulls back for a second and stares into my soul and then my mouth like he wants to dive back in and continue to move forward until he’s inside me.
“This will taint our friendship, and I care about you too much to take risks or watch it change,” I confess as my core heats and I open my legs.
“Millie,you know me. You know me, and I know you…” He kisses my lips once more, but it’s a quick peck on the lips. Cole moves down to my jaw, and every single second that goes by feels like an eternity. He kisses my exposed chest right above my breast, and then he lifts my sweater until it reveals my lower belly. He plants a kiss on my raw skin, making goosebumps scatter all over, and I moan. He smiles, satisfied against me, and hovers right above my jeans’ waistband.
He starts to unbutton my jeans quickly, and then he pulls them down until they’re at my ankles.
“This will not ruin our friendship unless we let it, and I don’t want to lose you. I don’t ever want to hurt you. Right now, Iwant to show you how much I care…not with words but with my actions. We can overthink this tomorrow, but right now, I think I need to remind you that you are worthy of love—worthy of everything good in this world.”
My chest tightens, and I feel the weight of all the terrible things that can go wrong, run away. My muscles turn into mush, and I let myself relax, ignoring all the negative intrusive thoughts as Cole begins to kiss and lick my clit.
