Page 36 of The Accidental Wife

I sniffle, “I can’t lose my family; they’re all I have.” Cole brushes his fingers through my hair and pulls back to look at me.

“You’re not going to. Trust me.” He whispers, gazing into my eyes.

I nod, “I do.” I look at his lip and notice it’s still bleeding, and I reach up and brush my thumb over it gently, and he closes his eyes. “Your lip, it's swollen.”

“I’ll live.” He says and smiles a little. “Maybe you can kiss it better later?” He suggests wagging his brows suggestively at me. This boy is something else.

I decide to tease him a little. I look at his lips, then back up at his eyes. “Maybe I will,” I whisper and see the surprise on his face at my response. He stares at my lips for a drawn-out moment before they flicker to my eyes. “Really?”

I nod, “Really.” Before the word even left my mouth, Cole took my hand and pulled me to the front door. “Cole, where are you taking me?”

“Home.”

“Home?” I intone, and he nods, opening the door and pulling me out with him toward his car.

“Yes, home. My lip really hurts. I need some lip therapy.” I chuckle when he opens the door and all but stuffs me into the passenger seat and closes the door. I watch him as he walks around the car to the driver’s side and gets in. I felt so bad teasing him like that. He’s as excited as a child in a toy store. Would it be so bad if I did kiss him a little? It’s not like we haven’t kissed before. Oh God, now I’m all nervous and tingly all over. Maybe this is a bad idea. What if it doesn’t stop at a kiss? After what happened in my bedroom a few days ago, it’s clear I can’t control myself around this boy. I mean, just last night, I fell asleep on the other end of the bed, and I somehow woke up in his arms this morning. I remember opening my eyes, and the first thing I saw was his handsome face peacefully asleep. He had his arm thrown over my waist, securing me against him, and our legs were tangled together like a pretzel, making it almost impossible to tell where he ended and I began.

* * *

I hadn’t realisedI was lost in a daze until we pull up outside our apartment building. We make our way up to the apartment, a comfortable silence between us. We walk in, and I go over to the sofa in the living room and set my handbag down before turning to watch Cole, placing his keys and wallet on the counter in the kitchen.

I stroll over to him and take his hand in mine. He looks back at me questioningly when I pull him toward his bedroom. We walk into his bedroom, and I lead him to the bathroom. “Sit,” I say, pointing to the toilet seat. He obeys and sits down, watching me closely as I move around the bathroom, gathering supplies to clean the wound on his lip. I step between his legs and tilt his head up so I could see a little better. I tear open a sterile wipe and clean the dried blood from the corner of his lip. I wipe his gash gently, and he winces a little when it stings. I lean in close and blow on it just like he did for my foot the night before.

His eyes close, and I see his Adam's apple jump up in his throat. I admire his face for a second, and my heart flutters. Cole opens his eyes, and our eyes meet. There’s something in the way this boy looks at me that makes me forget to breathe. I brush my fingers down his neck, and he tilts his head back, closing his eyes again as I unbutton his white dress shirt, which had blood stains on it. I slide his shirt off his muscular shoulders, and he looks up at me with hooded eyes as he takes the rest off and drops it on the floor.

“Thank you for being there for me today,” I whisper letting my hands fall to my sides from his shoulders. Cole smiles kindly and places his large hands at my waist, and licks his lips.

“Don’t mention it.” He whispers back and smiles. “Do I get my kiss now?” He asks with a cheeky grin.

I laugh, “You’re unbelievable, your lip is busted and bleeding, and you’re thinking about kissing?”

He nods, his green eyes glittering mischievously. “But it hurts, and you promised.” He says with a playful pout.

“Okay, I’ll give you a kiss,” I say and tilt his head up. I lean in close, and just as his eyes slid shut, I kiss him gently on his jaw and pull back. “There you go.”

Cole opens his eyes and blinks up at me. “Wha— that’s it? That’s not what we agreed. You said you’d kiss my lips better.”

I shrug and try to pull away, but he draws me back again. “I held my end of the deal.”

“No, no, you most definitely did not.” He groans and presses his forehead to my stomach.

“Cole, your lip is swollen and seeping blood. Be reasonable. How am I supposed to kiss you without hurting you?” I ask, placing my hands at the back of his head.

“It's worth the pain,” He mumbles against my stomach and then pulls his head back and looks up at me again. “Fine, but you owe me a kiss.”

I smile and nod as I pull away, “Mhm.” I turn and walk out of the bathroom.

“I’ll be coming for that kiss, Shayla Hart.” He calls out after me, and I grin as I walk to my bedroom.

“Keep dreaming, Cole Hoult.”

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