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He
watched her for a moment, his eyes reflecting all the pain
she felt. When he reached for her, his fingertips brushed
over her hair.
She
looked at him, surprise fluttering past the sadness. His
eyes were so tender, so sympathetic. She wanted to dive
right in and wallow in them.
She
turned away and moved out of his reach. She couldn’t be
weak. She refused to be. She’d mourned enough for what she’d
lost all those years ago. It wasn’t about to happen again.
Not when everything was at stake. “I thought you were going
out with Adrian tonight.”
He
dropped his hand. “She couldn’t find anyone to watch Kyle.”
She
nodded shortly, staring at the horizon behind the western
shore. “She’s been mistreated before. It ate at her for a
long, long time but she came through in the end.” She turned
her gaze back on him. “If you hurt her like he did, if
Olivia doesn’t cut out your heart, I will. But pray she does
it because I’ll use a spoon.”
Shocked, he stared at her for a long moment. Then he let out
a breath. “We’re just friends.”
“You
don’t have to lie—”
“I’m
serious. She knows it and I know it. We were friends before
and we are again now.”
“But
you’ve been on two dates….”
“They
weren’t dates. When we’re not talking about old times, all I
ever talk about is…”
She
waited as he hesitated then looked away. “What?” she asked
curiously.
He
slowly brought his eyes back to hers. Dragging in a bracing
breath, he brushed a nervous hand through his hair. “All I
ever talk about when I’m with her is you, Briar.”
Her
eyes widened. “Me?”
“Yeah. You.” He looked away again. “I’m not interested in
Adrian. The only one who intrigues me around here, who pulls
me in, is you.”
Now
she was really having trouble breathing. “Are you sure?”
He
laughed at her stunned expression and took a step forward.
“Pretty sure. I can’t get you out of my head. When I’m not
with you, I’m thinking about you. When I’m sleeping, I’m
dreaming about you. You’re always there. I can’t get you
out.” He closed the distance between them, lifting a hand to
her hair again. This time he brushed it through. “I don’t
want to get you out.”
She
gulped hard. “I-I can’t get a breath.”
“Me,
either,” he admitted, laughing at both of them. “This has
never happened to me before. I’ve never felt this drawn to
anyone. There’s something about you, Briar, and every time
I’m with you I try harder and harder to find out what. I’ll
be damned if I don’t find out.”
He so
perfectly described what happened to her when she was with
him, it froze her. She gripped his shirt when he rubbed his
lips over hers, softly, so softly. Just enough to make her
pulse scramble. Her breath shuddered out. “Cole…”
“Don’t,” he whispered against her lips. Her heart thundered
in her ears as he brushed his fingertips over her shoulders,
down her back until he was holding her in his arms. “I just
want a taste of you. Just one taste…”
When
his lips covered hers fully, she felt her world tip off axis
and fall right off the edge of the universe. Stunned, she
swayed back against the rail. His hands rose to her face,
fingers spreading over her cheeks.
Her
lips parted under their own will. Something exploded inside
her, a rocket of flame that shot from the tips of her toes
to the top of her head. His tongue stroked hers ever so
slightly and she quivered, breath whooshing out in surprise.
It terrified her.
When
he backed away slightly, she used her grip on his shirt to
pull him back to her. “Oh, Cole, don’t stop.” Mindlessly,
she dragged his mouth back to hers, praying the fluttering,
weakening, heating sensation in her joints would never fade,
praying she would always feel just like this. Weak.
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