Counting On Cole (Wilde Ways #8) - Cynthia Eden Page 0,62

to love me. I get that I screwed the pooch on that one the first time around. But when this is over, can you give me a second chance?” His hands were tight fists at his sides. “Can we start over? Let the past go and just see what might happen? You know, when I’m not being an asshole and you’re not in danger, and we’re just two normal people?” His lips twisted. “Though I’m sure Chase would say it’s impossible for me to not be an asshole, but he doesn’t know me like you do.”

She was just staring at him.

“Evie?”

She should speak. She should say something. It was just hard. Shock was rather hard to deal with when it came and slapped you across the face. You didn’t expect the blow, so you kind of stood there, all stunned.

“I see.” A nod. “I…I’m glad I got to tell you how I felt. I promise, I wasn’t trying to force you to take me back. That’s not what this was about.” He turned away. “I—”

“Stop.” The word burst from her. Angry. Because she was still angry. Angry at him. Angry at Harrison. Angry at herself.

Gia was missing. The nightmare was wrapping tighter and tighter around them. And Cole—Cole was telling Evie that he loved her.

“You spoke. Now it’s my turn.” She had the damn metaphorical talking stick.

He squared his shoulders and slowly angled toward her. “Fair enough.” He waited. His expression told her that he didn’t expect to hear any good news from her.

“Your timing is horrible.”

He nodded. “Yes, I, uh, get that.”

“A woman was kidnapped. Bad guys are lurking everywhere I turn, and you decide—now—to tell me that you love me.”

Another nod. “I can see where this might not be the optimum moment.”

Her eyebrows lifted. “You can? Not optimum?”

He tensed.

“You know what else isn’t optimum?” Evie pushed. “You dying for me. That’s not optimum.” She took one hard step forward.

“I—”

“You standing there, telling me that some crazy psycho cut you over and over again—tortured you—and I didn’t know. That’s not optimum.” Another hard step.

“There was no point in telling you. You would have only felt sorry for me. Pitied—”

“I feel many things for you, Cole. Be certain of that. But I have never pitied you.” Is that what he thought? That she would stare at him in pity? “I can hurt for you, I can want to hurt the bastard who injured you, but I don’t pity you.” I hate that you were in pain and that I wasn’t there.

He looked down at the floor. “You weren’t the only one to wake up yelling from nightmares. When I did, I called your name.”

She stiffened. “Not optimum.”

His head snapped up.

“It’s not optimum that I hear about this now.” A third step. She’d almost closed all the distance between them. “Now, when everything is still crazy. When we have to catch the bad guys. When my brother is about to risk his life. It’s not optimum that I hear all of this now.”

“Sorry.” Cole cleared his throat. “If we catch the perps tonight, I thought you might want me out of your life. Seemed like I needed to tell you all of this while I had the chance.”

Her eyes narrowed to slits. “You put my name on your heart.”

A shrug. “Seemed to make sense. Considering you own it.”

Her lower lip was trembling—a stupid quiver—so she pressed her lips together. She counted to five. Then ten. The counting trick didn’t work. She still wasn’t calm. “What did you think I would do?”

His head tilted. “What do you want to do?”

She wasn’t going to tell him. But she’d show him. What did she want?

Simple.

Evie bounded forward and closed the last bit of distance between them. She grabbed Cole’s head and yanked him toward her. Her mouth crashed into his as she kissed him with a wild, insane fury of need because that was exactly how she felt—crazy. Wild. Desperate. A million things.

Her right hand slid down to his chest. She put her fingers over his heart and felt that frantic beat. So powerful and strong. And hers.

He belonged to her. He had, all this time.

Only fair, really, considering that she belonged to him, too. “I want you,” she said against his lips. “I want you right now. I don’t give a damn if this is optimum or not. I want you.”

He kissed her, driving his tongue deep and making her whole body ache. She loved the way he kissed her. The intensity. The