Page 22 of Under Pressure

“Get in.”

Dressed only in my thigh-high nightgown—sans panties—I slide in without a word, and Cole circles the bed. He tears off his jeans, and with only his boxer shorts on, crawls in next to me. He fixes the blankets around us and pulls me to him, spooning me from behind. His heat reaches out to me, his hands comforting as they hold me. My pulse crashes against my neck as I take comfort in his presence. It’s hard to believe that after the way I treated him, he’s here, holding me, soothing me, taking care of me. I don’t deserve this after the way I pushed him away, physically and emotionally.

“Cole,” I begin, though I have no idea what it is I want to say.

“It’s okay, Reese,” he says, and I wonder if he knows I’m trying to apologize for my behavior. “I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

He strokes my hair, pushing it from my shoulder, and I can feel his breath hot on my neck. Lightning strikes again, and even though I know I’m safe with him, I stiffen and shimmy closer, desperate for a deeper connection, even though I know better. But that’s when I realize he’s stiff, too—between the legs.

Oh, God, this is bad, so bad, but I can’t help it. I want him again. I want to feel him inside me just one more time. I close my eyes and fight an internal war between right and wrong, but that doesn’t stop my body from reacting to his.

Maybe I should go for it. If he’s going back to Colorado, and I might never see him again, might have destroyed our friendship, maybe I should have this one last night with him. Farewell-sex between best friends.

“Cole.”

“Yeah.”

Run away, Reese.

“Remember when we were teens and you used to sneak into my room during storms.”

“Uh huh.”

Heartache be damned.

“You used to play games with me. Get me talking about things to distract me.”

“Do you want to play a game, Reese?” he asks, his voice so deep it curls though me and ignites every nerve in my body.

“Yeah, I thought maybe we could do something to distract me.”

He goes still. Too still, and my heart thunders. After today, he should push me away, tell me to go to hell. I inch away from him, expecting him to do just that, but when I turn to see him, and I catch the fire in his eyes, I take a quick breath. The man I know is funny and playful, and I’m sure I’ve never seen him look so intense before.

Maybe this is a bad idea.

I draw a shaky breath, and I’m about to say so when he pulls me underneath him. His lips come down on mine, and I moan as his tongue slides in. His kisses are slower and softer, a steady deepening that is different from before but every bit as profound. I tremble with the things I feel for him, the love that runs so deep.

He pulls back and touches my hair. “Did that work?” he asks.

“Yes,” I whisper with effort.

His gaze moves over mine. “So, kissing works as a distraction?”

I try to speak but can only nod as my voice catches in my throat.

He runs his fingers along my neck, a soft tickle, and I quiver beneath his intimate touch. “If I kissed you here, do you think that would that work, too?”

“Yes,” I croak. “I’m pretty sure.”

His lips go to my neck, warm, soft, and so achingly tender I could die. He brushes his wet mouth over my flesh and shimmies lower. His hands slide gently down my body and grip the hem of my nightie. His hot breath warms me as he pulls up the slip of material. He doesn’t need to ask me to sit up. I know instinctively what he wants, just like he always knows what I need. I lift, and he pulls the silk over my head, exposing me completely.

His gaze moves over my body, and he briefly pinches his eyes shut like he’s in total freaking agony. My pulse speeds up.

“Cole?” I ask and reach for him. I know I’m being selfish, putting my current needs before Cole’s, but I’m not about to continue with this if it’s something he doesn’t want to do.

“What about here, Reese?” he asks, running his thumb over my nipple. “If I kissed you here would it help?”

My brain shuts down as he caresses me. “Yes, please.”

---