The Princess and The Jester - A.D. McCammon Page 0,64

mother.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” he muses, his hand working to undo the button on my jeans. “It might be fun watching you squirm every time I touch you.”

His hand flattens on my stomach, his fingertips dipping into my jeans and then the hem of my panties.

“Cole…” His name comes out like more of a plea for mercy than a warning.

His chuckled breath dances on my neck, causing goosebumps to explode on my skin. “Yes, Princess. What do you want?”

“You’re so cruel,” I whine.

“And you’re so wet for me right now.”

I don’t even try to stop him as his hand glides further, but just before he reaches my center, we hear the sound of a door closing.

“Cole?” his mother calls.

“Oops.” He laughs, quickly removing his hands from my body. “Looks like we’ll have to continue this later.”

“Oh my god,” I whimper, hurriedly buttoning my jeans.

As soon as I’m done, he grabs my hand and drags me out of his room. His mom is standing at the end of the hall, an amused expression on her face. One that says she knows exactly what we were up to in Cole’s room.

Lydia Masterson is a tiny thing, in both her height and weight. Cole didn’t inherit his mother’s short stature or red hair, but his bright green eyes are all her.

“Oh my gosh, look at you.” She places a hand over her chest, a loving expression on her face as she studies me. “You’re absolutely stunning.”

“She’s definitely not hard to look at,” Cole teases, giving my hand a squeeze before releasing it.

“Thank you for inviting me over for dinner, Mrs. Masterson.”

She pulls me into her arms and gives me a tight hug, stirring up emotions I’ve attempted to bury for years. I felt closer to Cole’s mom growing up than I did my own. When they moved out, I was devastated. Cole hated me, so it wasn’t like I could simply visit her. Overnight, I lost two of the most important people in my life.

“Oh, sweetheart, you’re welcome here anytime.” She loosens her hold on me, placing her hands on my arms as she locks her gaze onto mine. “And I know it’s been a while, but please call me Lydia.”

My head nods in agreement, a rogue tear rolling down my face. She dries my cheek with a brush of her hand. “Don’t you go crying on me, or I’ll end up being a blubbering mess,” she playfully scolds.

I hiccup a laugh. “I’m sorry. I’ve just missed you so much.”

Her eyes gloss over, her lips trembling as they press. “I know, baby girl. I’ve missed you too.” She looks over at Cole, who’s watching us with the brightest smile on his face. “I’m so glad you finally got my stubborn son to see reason.”

“Whoa, now,” Cole says, hooking an arm around my shoulder. “I wasn’t the only stubborn one in the equation.”

Feigning offense, I huff as my mouth drops open. Only to shrug with indifference a second later. “Yeah, all right. That’s fair.”

I’ve gone over everything in my mind a hundred times, wondering what I could’ve or should’ve done differently to prevent things from playing out the way they did two years ago. If I’d told him the truth about what was going on, I’m not entirely sure things would’ve ended up any differently. Maybe I’m wrong. Shane hasn’t so much as looked at me at school. Whatever Cole said or did to him that day seems to have had an impact. I just can’t shake the feeling that it isn’t over yet.

“That’s gracious of you, Gwen,” Lydia mocks.

Cole kisses my temple as a timer dings in the kitchen. “That’s my cue, Princess.”

My muscles tighten with anxious energy as he jogs off to the kitchen, leaving me alone with Lydia. I was nervous enough seeing her again after all this time. Add in the fact that I’m dating her son and she knows we’re sleeping together. Then mix that up with the elephant-sized secret I’ve been carrying around.

Her secret.

She waves her hand, gesturing for me to follow her. “Why don’t you come sit out on the porch and talk to me while Cole finishes up dinner. Patrick and Arwen won’t be here for at least another half hour.”

Lydia and Patrick told Arwen and Cole about their relationship shortly after returning from South Carolina. They’ve been seeing each other for a while but didn’t want to involve the kids until the two of them were sure they had a real shot. They both became