This kiss, goodness. I felt lighter, suddenly, as if I was floating, as if he’d set free something deep inside me. I was aware of my body for the first time in years.
He pulled back for a fraction of an inch. Cole wasn’t saying anything, but he didn’t have to. The intensity just rolling off him did all the talking. The way he looked at me...
I smiled, touching his jaw. “I’ve made up my mind about you, Cole Winchester.”
“Told you kissing would tip the balance in my favor.”
“Who says it’s in your favor?”
“I should kiss you again, drive the point home.”
I swatted his shoulder playfully. “I can see now why you call yourself the leader of the bachelor pack.”
“Isabelle told you that?”
“No, heard it from Ian and Dylan.” They were Isabelle’s brothers. “You’re a confirmed bachelor, and my life in New York basically revolves around the hospital, so... what happens in Rome stays in Rome?”
I winced. Did that sound bad? I didn’t have confidence issues normally, but I was terrible at this. I hadn’t even tried flirting after losing my husband, and I was making a fool of myself. I cast my gaze down. Cole slipped two fingers under my chin, tilting it up. He had a huge smile spread on his handsome face.
“I’m more than okay with that.”
I let out a breath of relief, but as soon as I calculated how much time we had left, all I wanted to do was to prolong it.
“Okay, so you said you have to be at the airport at six thirty, right? That means you have to get a cab in about an hour. Doesn’t leave us much time to go to a restaurant. What do you say about buying pizza from the take-out restaurant next to this building? It’s really good. We could eat it here... and chat. Oh shit, did that sound like a booty call? It’s not what I meant.”
Cole stared at me for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. “You think this is a booty call? You don’t have experience with those, do you, doc?”
“Guilty. I mean, I didn’t want you to expect—”
Cole silenced me by kissing the side of my neck. He interlaced his fingers with mine at the sides of my thighs before straightening up. “Laney, relax. I’m not expecting anything. Let’s talk, eat pizza, and see what happens.”
I grinned. “And maybe kiss some more.”
“At your service, doc. And what happens in Rome, stays in Rome. That’s a promise.”
Chapter Five
Cole
Usually, I liked long-distance flights, where I had time to enjoy the service and sleep. This time was different. I was in a bad mood. Instead of sleeping, I pulled out my laptop. The internet connection wasn’t the best, but it was enough for what I needed—drafting the next steps in the Delimano partnership. I liked setting up terms, conditions, and a roadmap plan for new projects. I was officially the Chief Operations Officer in the company, but in reality, I was a jack of all trades, and I liked it that way. This partnership was all about opening doors on this side of the ocean. Delimano was going to oversee our first construction project in Europe. This was a huge step in our overseas expansion. I had all the reasons to be in a festive mood and pat myself on the back.
But my mood didn’t improve even after a few hours of sleep, when we landed in New York.
I passed customs and collected my luggage in record time. Stepping out into the arrival area, I was just about to order an Uber when I saw three familiar faces waving at me: Tess, Skye, and Ryker.
I couldn’t believe my siblings were here. Was I the luckiest bastard in the world or what?
Tess stood out most. Her light brown hair was piled up into a bun, and she was holding a neon-colored sign that said Welcome Home. Ryker stood behind our oldest sister, pointing with both forefingers at her, mouthing, It was her idea.
Skye was just smiling, holding both hands on her enormous belly. My nephew was growing nicely, and he still had two more months to go.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked when I reached them.
“Surprising you, of course,” Tess answered, batting her eyelashes. “Did we go over the top? Wait, don’t answer that. We just missed you.”
I laughed, pulling my oldest sister in for a hug. Yeah, the sign was a bit over the top, but the Winchesters were like that. It