his fingers. They kept moving up my arm. When our gazes crossed, I bit my lower lip. This tension between us was escalating with every passing moment, and I had no idea what to do about it.
“I wonder what other skills go into being a charmer.” My voice was light as I counted on my fingers. “I’ve already experienced a few: flirting, complimenting, kissing. Making me laugh. What else?”
“You’ll see. Can’t lay all my cards on the table at once.”
I leaned back on the armrest, crossing my fingers over my stomach. “That’s right.”
“I promise I’m a charmer in all the ways.”
“Your mind is in the gutter.”
“It is.”
My breath stuttered. My belly clenched. Holy shit, his admission only made the tension between us even thicker, somehow. I cleared my throat, breaking eye contact.
“So, which sister was the one who cornered you in your office?” I asked, not just to change topics. I wanted to know.
“Tess. I’m seeing her and Skye tomorrow for breakfast. It’ll give her a chance to ask me if I put her advice into action.”
“Oh?”
“She insisted I call you.”
I chuckled. “Cole Winchester. You’re telling me that if it weren’t for Tess, you wouldn’t have called?”
He closed the distance between us in a fraction of a second, caressing my lower lip with his thumb.
“Tess or no Tess, I would’ve called. You’re so branded in my mind that I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Oh.” I looked him straight in the eyes, gathering my courage. It was fair to warn him. “Cole... I have some serious baggage.”
He smiled, still touching my lower lip. “I thought you might.”
I swallowed, pulling back a little. “How?”
“I can’t say. Just got that feeling in Rome.”
“And you still called.”
“Like I said... I missed you. And you don’t have to tell me anything more right now. When you’re ready... if you want to.”
I nodded, almost melting from relief. I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. I wasn’t even sure how to do it. I was afraid that I might be overwhelmed by the memories and the sadness, but I knew I would have to open up soon enough.
He leaned back, winking at me. “Tess just gave me a push. And I know she’ll check on me tomorrow.”
“Where are you meeting?”
“Their store. They have a lingerie shop in Soho.”
“What’s the name?”
“Soho Lingerie.”
“That’s easy to remember. I’ll check it out.”
“It’s doing very well. They’ve worked hard for it. Skye’s taking it much easier now, only coming into the city once a week. She’s working from home on their online shop the rest of the time.”
“And Tess goes to the store every day?”
“No, she’s cutting back on that. They used to be there seven days a week. Tess says that she likes to observe clients. I just don’t want them to overwork themselves.”
I could listen to him talk about his family all night long. There was so much pride and affection in his tone. I slid a little lower on the couch, flexing my feet. Cole gripped my ankles, pulling them in his lap before pressing his thumbs in all my sore spots.
“Oh, no, no. Not a good idea,” I mumbled.
“Why not?”
“Because I might not let you back out the door.”
I was only half joking. And when he actually started massaging my feet? Bliss. Pure bliss. I was in heaven. I didn’t want to overthink any of it. How amazing this felt, how much adrenaline thrummed through my veins just because I was in the same room with Cole. And I definitely didn’t want to think about how many times my heart somersaulted since I’d first seen him tonight.
At the back of my mind, I knew that Cole would want more. Not right away, but eventually. It was there in his kisses, the way he touched me. I didn’t know if I was ready for it, for anything really. But this felt so good, and this evening had been so amazing, that I couldn’t help wanting just a little bit more of whatever Cole wanted to give me.
I slid lower, making myself comfortable, closing my eyes and just feeling his hands move expertly on my feet... right until I fell asleep.
Chapter Nine
Laney
Beep. Beep. Beep.
I reached out blindly, grabbing my phone and snoozing the alarm. I opened one eye, and then the other one. The room was semidark since it was only five o’clock in the morning. And I’d slept on the couch. Rolling from one side on my back, I smacked into Cole! He was still here! I vaguely