Page 39 of Wrecked
“Are you making fun of me, Cole Black?”
“Nope. I wouldn’t dare.” He kept up with the smirk. It was the most glorious thing she’d seen in a very long time.
“Glad to hear it. Remember, I know all your embarrassing stories. And the ones I didn’t see for myself, I heard while eavesdropping on you and my brother. I won’t hesitate to use them to defend myself.”
His brows shot up. “You eavesdropped on us?”
She shrugged. “Of course, what else are annoying little sisters supposed to do?”
The grin dropped a little. “You were never annoying, Pipe.” He finished his pizza, then took a sip of his beer. “So what embarrassing stories did you hear while you had your ear glued to the door?”
Piper felt her face get hot. “I think I’ll keep that information to myself.”
He chuckled, reached out, grabbed her around the waist, and hauled her into his lap. “Spill, woman, or I’ll be forced to torture it out of you.”
She blinked up at him, excited, thrilled by his playfulness, and terrified it would end. “How?”
His eyes flashed, full of mischief. “You know how.”
“You wouldn’t.”
His hand slid to her knee, where she was the most ticklish, and he flexed his fingers around her kneecap, making her squeak. “I would.”
“Cole…”
“I’ll start. Maybe that will get you talking?” He held her in his arms, that hand on her knee ready to torture her at any moment, while he pretended to mull over her most humiliating moments. “I know.” He laughed out loud and, right then, hearing that, he could spill every single one of them and she wouldn’t care. “What about the time you tried to dye your hair black and instead it went green?”
She faked outrage, but really she was loving every minute. “It wasn’t that bad!”
“You were the cutest punk on Axle Alley.”
She slapped his shoulder. “Okay fine, you asked for it. Mandy Crane.”
His grin dropped, and he actually went red. “You don’t know about that.”
“Oh, yes I do.”
“Okay, you win,” he said quickly.
Piper started giggling, couldn’t stop herself. “No, it’s your turn.”
He took her plate from her, placed it on the coffee table, and flipped her back on the couch, looming over her. “I’m warning you, if you say it, I will torture you.”
“What? You don’t want me to say how she came to your place to deliver your mom’s Tupperware order and caught you with your....” He covered her mouth with his hand. Piper pulled his fingers down. “…hand on your…”
He grabbed her knee and started tickling her like crazy. She squealed and thrashed around, throwing her head back and laughing like a crazy person.
When he finally stopped, Cole was laughing as well. That light was back in his eyes. She’d put it there. Her chuckles turned husky with emotion. This was her Cole, the one she’d fallen for all those years ago. He was still in there. He’d given her a glimpse, made an appearance, just for her.
God, that felt good.
“Who the hell just walks into someone’s house like that?” Cole said when he stopped laughing.
“Mandy Crane, apparently.”
He stared down at her, his expression suddenly serious. “I was thinking about you,” he rasped.
“Me?” She swallowed hard. Why would he have been thinking about her?
