Page 121 of Love Unforgettable
Chapter 39
Lexie
The girls and I decide to head down to the hotel bar until the reception begins. And while none of us are in the market for a man, we know we look good, and it never hurts to prove it to yourself every once in a while.
I send Cole a text to let him know where we will be, then slip my phone back in my purse. I feel dangerously sexy in this dress. That man is not going to know what hit him when I get through with him. We strut down the hallway toward the elevator bay. And when I say strut, that’s exactly what I mean. This is our runway and we are Heidi Klum. All of us, at the same time.
“Is anyone else singing the theme fromStaying Alivein their head right now?” Kat asks.
I laugh at that. “Ohmigod, no, but I was just thinking we are all Heidi Klum and this is our catwalk.”
“’Cause I’m a model, you know what I mean. And I do my little turn on the catwalk,” Remi sings and does a little spin in the hall.
We ride the elevator down to the second floor, it lets us out in a hall with the bar to the left, and the conference and ball rooms to the right. We head left into the dimly lit room and take seats at the bar. I see a lot of people in here already from the various panels that I’ve attended over the last two days. But no Cole. I check my phone, he hasn’t texted me back yet either.
I switch to drinking wine at the bar, even though I really want a Jack and Coke. I don’t want to mix alcohols and I want to keep my wits about me. Wine I can sip slower and take longer with. We take a selfie and then have the bartender take one of us as well. When I look at myself in the picture, I don’t even recognize me.
Remi is right. I’m kind of a badass.
“We’ll be right back,” Remi says and she and Kat leave.
“We just got here,” I say to myself. But then I see Cole at the entrance to the bar. His head just taller than everyone else’s, his broad shoulders parting the crowd as he moves through the room. I hold my hand up and wave it to get his attention. His eyes soften when they see me from afar, then heat when he gets closer. I hop down from the bar stool and walk toward him, giving a little twirl as I go.
“My God, woman. It should be illegal to look that good.” Cole’s deep baritone voice rumbles toward me, sending shivers down my spine.
I blush slightly. “It’s the dress.”
“No.” He shakes his head. “No, sweetness, the dress has little . . . nothing . . . to do with it. You take my breath away.” He takes my hand and steps back, looking me up and down once again. His perusal is a turn-on. He pulls me in close. “I really want to kiss you right now.”
“What’s stopping you?” I walk my fingers up his chest to play with the bowtie at his neck and look up into his eyes. Raw hunger shines back at me. It makes me wet. I squeeze my thighs together.
“Sweetness, if I start to kiss you right now, the way that I want to, things are gonna get real indecent, real quick.”
“How about a quick kiss?” I ask, leaning up toward him. He meets me halfway, his lips ghost across mine, a soft, light touchthat has my mind spinning and my heart racing. He leans his forehead against mine and I open my eyes.
“Hi,” I say softly.
“Hi.” He rasps, then clears his throat.
“Hot,” Kat says.
“Super hot,” Remi adds.
“Where’d you guys go?” I laugh.
“Right over there,” Kat says, pointing in the opposite direction. “So, you could have a hello moment. That was a good one, too. Nicely done, cowboy.”
Cole tips his imaginary hat at her. I like it when he does that. I think it’s cute.
He orders himself a Jack and Coke, then gets situated behind my stool so that if I lean back, it’s against his chest.
“Is he here?” Kat asks, looking around in all directions. “Which one is he? I need to plan my attack.”
“Why might we be planning an attack, and on whom?” Cole asks.
“Ietquay aboutway ethay Awyersay ingthay, easeplay.” I run my fingers across my lips in a zipping motion.
“Huh?” Kat asks.
