I stared at him for a long moment, my heart softening horribly toward the man who had come into my life like a hurricane and upended it.
“Hey, didn’t you say that pity from friends was the worst? Don’t look at me like that.”
His soft admonishment sent my emotions scattering.
Pulling myself together, I nodded, and then rolled my eyes for full effect. “Please, you think I’m going to be feeling pity for a billionaire who looks like you? Not going to happen.”
“Who looks like me?” Cole repeated, focusing on the over share portion of my statement.
I waved a hand in his general direction. “You know, like this.”
“Like this how?” Cole asked, taking my empty plate in the sink's direction. My cheeks flamed, and I was glad it was pretty dark in the empty kitchen.
“Whatever. Are you seriously going to pretend not to know how hot you are? You must have women telling you constantly.” My annoyed huff was interrupted as I turned from the counter and gasped. He wasn’t at the sink anymore. He was right in front of me.
“Are you calling me hot, Riley?” He advanced toward me, and there was literally nowhere to go, when his hands landed on each side of my body, caging me against the counter.
“You know you are,” I evaded, my pulse shooting through the roof.
“Since I met you, I don’t know anything,” he muttered. “How was it I looked again?”
I blew out an irritated breath. He wasn’t letting this go. “Hot, ok? You look hot, you are hot, you’re a gorgeous, built billionaire and I refuse to believe that single eligible women aren’t lining up to tell you that, or dropping to their knees to worship you.”
My words made Cole grin. There was something wolfish about it as he leaned in, ducking his head down to be level with mine. My face was burning. I was worried the skin might actually crawl right off. The heat from his body was immense, making me feel like I was standing too close to a roaring fire. I was, wasn’t I? Cole Preston wasn’t someone I could handle, was he?
“Why are you putting me on the spot like this?”
“Because I like the way your voice sounds when you call me hot, and I enjoy knowing that I affect you, even just a fraction of the way you affect me.”
“Meaning?” I barely dared to breathe as I asked it.
“Meaning that since the second we met, you’ve crawled inside my head, and I can’t get you out.”
My breath hitched, and I felt dizzy with want. I gripped the counter behind me, and I could swear he was leaning in, closing the space between us.
“That’s impossible.” I muttered. It was, right?
Cole tutted softly and brushed his lips against mine.
“I don’t believe in impossible, remember sweetheart?”
And then he kissed me.
CHAPTER12
Cole
The stolen kisses of earlier had nothing on the devastating effect of really kissing Riley. I’d been picturing the moment since we met in the restaurant, and now, finally, she was pressing her curves into my arms, and moaning my name.
I wasn’t going to go easy on her until she was screaming it. I would not let up until she knew better than to call us impossible.
I pushed her up on the counter, pressing her thighs wide so I could step between. My hand cupped her heart-shaped face, and I kissed her like I was a man starving, and that was about right. I was starving for her.
She opened her lips to me shyly, letting me inside. Her hands fell to my chest as I sucked and nibbled at her bottom lip, my body hard as a stone and ready as hell to be free of the pajama pants chafing against me.
“I need you upstairs now,” I bit out, while pressing kisses along her jaw. She clung to my shoulders and gave the most adorable whelp of surprise when I pulled her into my arms and wound her legs around my waist.
As I turned us out of the kitchen, she leaned back a little and looked around us.