mention there’s no telling how many girls Cole has slept with since we broke up. If the rumors are true, he probably doesn’t even know the number.
My stomach gets queasy at the thought, and I push it away.
“No,” I answer timidly.
“Jesus,” he grits. “What were you thinking? That’s incredibly irresponsible.”
The temper in his voice sparks my own. I twist my body and glare at him. “Hey, I didn’t see you stopping to put a condom on. What is it with men? It’s like you expect women to walk around with bulletproof vests so you can shoot your loaded weapons freely.”
Cole tilts his head, that wickedly sexy grin lighting his face. “Woah. Climb down off your horse, Princess.” He cups my face, kissing me on the forehead. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
My lashes flutter, confusion wrinkling my brow. “You are?”
He tucks my hair behind my ears and turns me back around, pulling me to his chest again. “That came out all wrong. I’m mad at myself, not you.”
“Because having a baby with me would be the worst thing in the world?” I question, sounding both whiney and insane.
He chuckles. “Princess, nothing would thrill me more than for you to have all my babies. They would be achingly beautiful and immensely loved. But now might not be the best timing.”
The quick shift of his mood gives me whiplash. Still, my heart flutters at his words. Images of babies with golden hair and bright green eyes float through my thoughts.
“Well, I’m not sure if this makes things better or worse, but I did buy condoms,” I admit. “They’re on the nightstand.”
His chest quakes under me as he laughs. “You bought me a box of condoms?”
“Umm, no.” I eye him over my shoulder. “I bought us a box of condoms. You don’t get to use them with anyone else.”
“That goes both ways, Princess.”
“I don’t want to be with anyone else,” I confess.
“Good.” He kisses the back of my head, his arms circling around me in a tight hug. “Because you’re mine.”
My heart flutters again. Agreeing not to sleep with anyone else while we’re sleeping together might not be a declaration of love, but it’s a start.
Chapter Seventeen
Present
COLE
Gwen walks out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, her gaze cast down and bottom lip tucked between her teeth. She’s cloaked in vulnerability, and it’s absolutely stunning.
There’s an ache in my chest as she makes her way over to me; the feeling of my heart beating again inside the hollow cage, foreign.
Don’t get used to it.
The rules of this game keep changing. I’m not sure who’s winning anymore. It’s starting to feel like we both lost once before. The only way for me to prevent history from repeating itself is to figure out what happened. If Gwen refuses to tell me the truth, I’ll simply have to dig for the answers myself.
Gwen stops a foot away from me, her eyes unsure as they meet mine. “I, uh…I don’t have any clothes in here.”
I grin, inching forward. “You don’t need any.”
My hands grip her hips, tugging her body toward mine. She lets out a shaky breath, shyly placing her hands on my bare chest. Her maple syrup eyes glaze with moisture, and then they fall.
“Look at me, Princess.” Her hooded eyes meet mine, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “What’s going on in that gorgeous head of yours?”
“This is all just so…surreal.”
She stretches to meet my lips as I lean in, our mouths meeting in the middle. The kiss is tender and sensual. Much like the ones we used to share. It isn’t lust and hatred fueling me this time. For the first time in two years, I allow my love for her to burn.
If this is all a lie, if I’m doomed to have my heart ripped from my chest a second time, I’m going to make damn sure it scorches her too.
Her lashes flutter with confusion as I break the kiss, her glossy stare studying me. “Is this real?”
It’s the same question she asked the night I went to her room, and the answer is still the same. Yes and no. Only I’m even less sure which parts of this are authentic and which aren’t.
“If this was all a dream, would you choose to wake up?” I ask her.
Sadness clouds her face, but she shakes her head. “No.”
“Then just enjoy it.” I deliver a chaste kiss on her lips then steer her to the edge of the bed. “Sit down.”
She follows my command without hesitation,