Irresistibly Yours - Lauren Layne Page 0,83
scrunched. “What new boyfriend?”
“Don’t play games with me, Penelope.”
“When have I ever played games with you? I don’t even know how.”
Good point. She was a straight shooter.
“Todd Kolb,” he said. “Aren’t you dating him?”
“Dating him? I don’t even know him.”
Cole frowned. “What?”
“I just met him about ten minutes ago,” Penelope replied. “Cassidy introduced us because he thought I might like going to the game—”
“But Cassidy told me—” Cole broke off as the pieces snapped into place as he straightened.
Oh, hell. He’d been thoroughly played by his boss.
“That bastard,” he muttered.
“Who?” Penelope asked.
“Let’s just say Cassidy knew exactly what buttons to push,” he said, feeling foolish.
She motioned for him to back up. “Move, you’re making me crane my neck.”
“You crane your neck even when we’re both standing, Tiny.”
“True,” she said as she stood. “But at least when I’m standing I don’t feel quite so lamb to your lion.”
Any confidence Cole had felt at the way she’d responded to his neck nuzzling evaporated when she looked up at him with a cool expression.
He couldn’t tell what she was thinking. She looked utterly calm.
She crossed her arms and tilted her head. “Are you all right? You look kind of off.”
He let out a little laugh. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m off. I’ve been off weeks.”
“Well, I don’t know why you’re hollering at me about that. You dumped me—”
“I didn’t dump you.”
“Um, beg to differ. I came to be with you while your brother was in the hospital, bought balloons, and you said, and I quote, See you around, Pope. I actually went home and googled that, because I thought it might be a line from The Godfather, or some guy movie. But nope. Just you being a jerk.”
“I know. I know I did all that, I said all that.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “What are the chances we can pretend that day didn’t happen? That I didn’t act like a foolish ass?”
“Okay.”
Cole’s eyes flew open. “Okay?”
It couldn’t possibly be that easy.
“Okay,” she repeated with a little shrug. “Let’s say I give you a do-over. Let’s pretend we’re back on the sidewalk outside the hospital. What do you say?”
Oh. Fuck.
“Uh.”
She nodded. “Good start.”
He could do this.
“If I got a do-over…” He cleared his throat. “I’d tell you thanks for coming, of course.”
“Of course.”
“And I’d…Shit. Here’s the thing, Tiny. A few months ago, I made you a promise that I wouldn’t fall in love with you.”
She nodded slowly.
He stepped closer. “I’m going to have to break that promise.”
Penelope’s breath caught, and he lifted a hand to her face and pressed forward. “I’ve fallen in love with you, Penelope. Yes, that scares the shit out of me. And yes, it caused me to freak out. But my head’s out of my ass now, and I just, I want…I’m yours, Penelope. If you want me. Irresistibly yours.”
She stared at him, looking stunned, and Cole felt his chest tighten.
He dipped his head for a second, trying to gather his last bit of courage, before he looked up to meet her eyes. Tried again. “I love you. That’s all I’ve got. I love you.”
Penelope stood perfectly still as her eyes searched his face, not saying a word, her features betraying nothing.
Be patient. Be patient. You’ve treated her horribly, and she’ll need time. You can’t go begging—
“Please say something,” he blurted out.
Smooth, Cole. Good job on the no begging thing.
She swallowed and dropped her eyes to his chin. “Just trying to think of the best way to tell you that I broke my promise a long time ago. You’re really an impossible man not to fall in love with.”
Cole had the strangest urge to pump his fist in triumph, but instead he settled for pulling her closer. “Is that so?”
She smiled and went on her toes as she kissed his chin. “It is. And I love you.”
He bent and kissed her cheekbones. “Say it again.”
“No way, you say it again.”
“Not until you—”
“Here’s an idea,” came a male voice from the doorway. “Say it at the same time. Then you both win.”
Cole glanced up to see Lincoln leaning in the doorway drinking a smoothie. The haunted look was gone from Lincoln’s face, and now he wore a shit-eating grin.
“Don’t you knock?” Cole asked.
“I don’t know, Jake, do we knock?” Lincoln said, raising his voice and looking to his left. “I’m pretty sure we don’t.”
Jake Malone came into the doorway, saw Penelope in Cole’s arms, and grinned. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment, Sharpe. All the shit you’ve