Page 79 of Love Me Again

“No! I want him to find it, not lose it more!” I quip, and the girls laugh. I pull my black stilettos on while they refresh their makeup. Aimee was wearing a red jumpsuit with her hair pulled up into a high ponytail with a pair of nude open-toe heels. Jo was in a black mini dress with a plunging neckline, her shoulder-length mousy brown hair straightened. My girls were hot.

“Shall we, ladies?” Aimee smiles, holding up her phone. We pose for a couple of photos before we head down to the boys.

“Jo, grab Alaia. I need to find my bag.” I call out, and Jo shouts, ‘Got her’ while I reach up and pull out my black clutch. I can already hear my mother-in-law’s voice talking to Alaia. I walk out of the bedroom and make my way downstairs. The girls were already by their men, and my mother-in-law was the first to see me, then Cole, who had his back to me, turns his head and does a double-take when he sees me coming down the stairs. His Adam's apple jumps up in his throat. I felt giddy under his gaze, his eyes skim over me slowly, and he walks to me, taking my hand as I come down the final three steps.

“You look...” I gaze up at him, waiting for him to finish his sentence, but he shakes his head. I didn’t need any more words. The look in his eyes was enough for me.

“Thank you.” I hold his gaze for a few seconds and avert my gaze to the girls who were grinning excitedly. I remind my mother-in-law about Alaia’s feeding times, and she waves us off. I kiss her head, and Cole does the same before he practically drags me out of the house.

“Do you think we should stay?” I ask, looking back at the house, and Cole shakes his head. “It’s Christmas Eve. I don’t want to leave her.” I pout.

“Shay, she’s fine, and my parents are thrilled to have some time with her. Staying home with her is great, but we need some adult time.” Cole places his hand at the small of my back. “Besides, you look too damn good to be sitting around the house.” He murmurs in my ear, making me flush.

“Right back at you,” I purr, looking up at him through my lashes, and he smiles handsomely. Cole guides me to the limo the boys had arranged. As soon as we got in, the champagne was flowing. Thank god I pumped enough milk for Alaia for the next two days because I'm going to be dumping quite a bit over the next twenty-four hours.

I sip my champagne and glance at Cole, who was looking at me. “You look like the night we first met. Your dress was different, but everything else is the same.” He speaks quietly to me, and I smile into my glass.

“You remember what I look like the night we met?” I question, and he nods, smiling a little.

“I do. I had a flash as you were coming down the stairs. I don’t know how it’s possible, but you’re even more beautiful than the night we met.” Cole whispers in my ear, making me blush profusely. I smile and turn my head so that I could look into his eyes. “What do you say we relive that night all over again?” He murmurs, holding my gaze, and I frown.

“Cole, I'm not going to Vegas and marrying you again.” Cole chuckles, shaking his head.

“Maybe not all of it then.” I smile. “How about we forget all our problems for one night and meet all over again.” He redresses, and I watch him warily.

“You want to role play and pretend like we just met? Haven’t we done this before?” I question, and he nods, licking his lips. “Is this a ploy to get laid?” I ask, and he grins handsomely, displaying those dimples that make me swoon.

“Not unless you want it to be.” I laugh before I sip my champagne.

“You better bring your best game then Hoult. My standards have gone up since that night.” I tease, and he laughs this time.

“A couple of porn star martinis will fix that little problem.” Cole jests and groans when I elbow his ribs, and we snicker. I glance over at the girls—Jo was whispering and making eyes at my brother, who was stroking her leg, completely enthralled with her. Aimee and Josh weren’t much better. Josh was for sure talking dirty to her because she’s giving him the ‘fuck me’ eyes I've seen many, many times before. It was nice seeing everyone so happy and secure in their relationships. I crave that more than anything. A couple more flutes of champagne, some heavy flirting, and we had arrived at the rooftop bar. I was surprised to see how crowded it was on Christmas Eve.

We pile out of the limo and walk straight through. Josh and Cole clearly knew the bouncers because he greets them as we go through to the elevator. “This place is nice,” I voice as soon as we walk out of the elevator. It was a 360 view of London. Hence the name ‘Club 360’. The view was gorgeous, reminded me of Coles old place.

We make our way over to the VIP lounge. The atmosphere was lit— people were dancing, drinking, and having a great time. A waiter comes over and takes our drinks order. Cole orders himself a brandy and me a Porn star martini. I smile when he winks at me. The girls order the same as me, and after a couple more, I was dragged onto the dance floor. Jo, Aimee, and I were dancing, and I pull them closer. “Girls, Cole wants us to pretend like we’re meeting for the first time. He wants us to relieve the night we first met.” I say, and they look at me wide-eyed.

“What like get married again?!” Aimee shrieks, and I laugh, shaking my head.

“Are we going Vegas again?!” Jo chirps excitedly, and I roll my eyes.

“No, Jesus! Minus the marriage part.” I explain and glance over and see him watching me as he sips his drink, nodding while Josh speaks to him. My stomach does a nervous flip-flop.

“But with all the hot sex part!” Aimee cheers, and I flush and hit her. “Do it! Fuck it. I might do it with Josh too. Let’s all act like we’re meeting them for the first time. How exciting.”

“You don’t think it’s weird?” I ask them, and they shake their heads.

“No bish, it’s just innocent fun,” Jo assures, smiling. “Let go, Shay, have some fun, babe.”

“I second that.” Aimee agrees, and we all clink our glasses. All right, it looks like we’re doing this. I do as the girls suggest and let go. After a couple more drinks, I had a nice buzz going. I still when I feel a solid chest pressed up against my back. I feel that familiar warmth spread through me when I feel Cole's breath against my ear.

“Hi.” he drawls, placing his large hands at my waist. I lift my eyes to look back at him and smile.

“Hi back,” I reply as we start swaying to the upbeat music that was playing. Cole spins me around, so I was facing him. He dips his head, and his lips brush against the shell of my ear as he speaks in that deep tone that makes my nether regions ache.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” He asks, and I feel butterflies take flight in my stomach.

“Shayla. Yours?” I answer, lifting my gaze to look into his endless green eyes. Cole wraps his arms around my waist and draws me closer until I’m pressed up against him.

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