Counting On Cole (Wilde Ways #8) - Cynthia Eden Page 0,5
life when she’d been terrified. Soon, too soon, he’d leave her.
She’d forget him. She’d get back to her life and her rich step-brother, and she’d forget all about the black ops guy who’d held her in the dark.
But he…
He wouldn’t be forgetting her anytime soon.
Because he wasn’t falling in love with Evangeline Lake. He was already in love with her. And they were both screwed.
***
“You’re so quiet.” Evie bit her lower lip as the elevator shot higher and higher. “You were quiet on the plane, and you seem…” She swallowed. “Really tense now.”
They were the only people on the elevator. They’d flown to New York that morning. Gone straight to her step-brother’s building. They were on the elevator that would take them up to the top floor, Harrison’s floor.
The knot in her stomach was bad. Mostly because Cole had been wearing his mask all day.
She was also about seventy percent sure that—right before she’d gone to sleep the night before—that she might have—maybe, kinda, perhaps—blurted that she loved him. Oh, God, had she spooked him?
Come on. He’s the action hero. The tough guy. He can’t get spooked by three little words. Right?
“I am tense.” His hands were fisted at his sides.
“Want to tell me why?” It was a super tall building, and the elevator ride seemed to take forever.
“Sure.” Cole nodded. “I want to hit that emergency stop button. Press you up against the glass. And fuck you.”
Her mouth instantly dried up. Desert kind of dry.
“But your step-brother is waiting.”
Let him wait. No, she couldn’t say that. Harrison was probably worried sick. The guy was a serious over worrier, though in this case, he’d been right to worry. She’d been abducted and held for ransom. If Harrison hadn’t hired Cole and his team to save her…Stop, do not go there. You vowed you would not do any “if” scenarios in your head.
“So I’m gonna keep my control in place. I’m gonna stand here. You’ll stand over there. And I won’t try to—”
Evie rushed toward him. Threw her arms around him. Yanked his head down to her. She kissed him with all the passion and fire that she possessed. His mouth was open. His sinful lips parted. He kissed her back with an eagerness that matched hers, and, oh, but she loved the way he kissed. Such focus. Such skill. Such hungry need.
Ding.
The elevator doors opened behind her. Evie lifted her head. Smiled at him. “It’s not like this will be our only elevator ride. I can reassure Harrison, and then we’ll have all the time in the world.”
Time to get to know each other better. Time to see what just might happen next.
Cole’s eyelashes flickered.
She caught his hand in hers. Turned and led him out of the elevator. The rest of his team had remained downstairs. He was the one giving her personal guard service to Harrison’s door. With every step that she took closer to Harrison’s home—to the home she’d lived in since she was sixteen years old—nervous energy fueled her. Harrison had been twenty when her mother had married his father, Quint White. Harrison had been quiet, reserved. A bit arrogant.
And she’d been happy. So happy. Because she’d always wanted a brother. A big family. It had just been her and her mom for Evie’s entire life, then with the new marriage, everything had been poised to change…
Until her mother and Harrison’s father had died on their honeymoon. A traffic accident on a winding mountain road in France. Evie had been devastated. So sure that she was going to be on her own again.
But Harrison had stopped being quiet. Sure, he’d kept on being arrogant because that was just Harrison, but he’d protected her. He’d loved her. He’d been her family.
She was going to tackle hug him as soon as she saw her brother.
“You’ll like my brother,” she said quickly as her steps rushed over the lush carpeting. “Some people think he can be intimidating, but I swear, he has a heart of gold.” The heart was just hidden—very well—from most people. She paused and sent Cole a nervous glance. “But, wait, you’ve met him before, haven’t you? I mean, if he hired you and all, you must have—”
“We’ve never met in person.”
Oh. Okay. She tightened her hold on him. “You’ll like him. He’ll like you.” She hurried forward.
“I highly doubt that,” Cole muttered.
She was almost at the penthouse door.
Cole pulled his hand from hers. “You go in first and talk to him.”