Second Chance Family - Cindy Kirk Page 0,36
Though Janae had obviously kept Cole up-to-date on his former classmates—including her—she hadn’t mentioned anything about him to Meg. She couldn’t imagine that Cole had made it to thirty-two without making a trip down the aisle. “Were you ever married?”
He shook his head.
“Ever come close?”
“Not really.” He shrugged. “Relationships take time. Since I got out of college, building up my business has been my priority.”
“That’s too bad,” she murmured, thinking it wasn’t bad at all. Just the thought of Cole with another woman made her stomach hurt. “Having a purpose and working hard is good. But there’s more to life.”
Uncorking the bottle of wine sitting on the counter, she poured them each a splash. When Cole lifted the glass, she clinked hers against his. “To a balanced life.”
“Cheers.” Cole’s lips curved upward. He leaned close just as she began to speak.
“You know what they say…” Meg stopped when the intoxicating scent of his cologne hit her nostrils. She inhaled deeply.
Cole placed his glass on the granite countertop and stared, an odd look in his eyes. “Tell me,” he said, his finger tracing the rim of his glass, though his gaze remained focused on her. “What do they say?”
Meg licked her suddenly dry lips. Don’t do it, she told herself. Take a step back.
Instead, she leaned close and whispered in his ear, “All work and no play makes Cole a dull boy.”
Instead of playful, her voice came out husky and sexy, which wasn’t her intent. Not at all.
His eyes darkened. “Are you suggesting we have a fling?”
A fling? Meg resisted the urge to laugh hysterically, wondering if it had been her breast brushing against his arm or her sexy tone that had given him such a crazy idea. All she could say was the thought of sleeping with him was…intriguing.
Intriguing? No. Crazy was a much better word for what he proposed.
“Because if you are…” Cole trailed a finger up the side of her neck, his mouth so close she could feel his breath against her cheek. “I’d be interested.”
Her head jerked back. “You would?”
“You have to admit,” he said in a low seductive tone that both thrilled and scared her to death, “the spark is still there.”
The shivers coursing up and down her spine seemed to indicate that was a true statement.
“What about Charlie?” Meg asked, then cursed herself for acting as if she was considering his suggestion. Which she wasn’t. Not at all.
“We’d be discreet.” Cole brushed his lips against hers. “He wouldn’t suspect a thing.”
Meg focused on breathing in and out. Her whole body quivered. “What happens when I move to my own place?”
The words seemed to come from away, from someone else’s lips, certainly not from her own.
“We’d reevaluate,” he said. “For now, living together under the same roof makes it easy to…connect.”
“It’s a big decision…” Meg gave herself a mental shake. Just say no. She pulled her gaze from those brilliant blue eyes and decided forming a coherent thought might be easier if she put a little distance between them. She took a step back, stumbling over her feet.
Cole reached out a steadying hand, making no mention of her attempted hasty retreat. His lips lifted in an easy smile. “No rush. We don’t have to decide anything now.”
“Hey,” a small voice called from the other room. “Are we playing this game or not?”
Cole grabbed his wineglass and took a quick sip. “Duty calls.”
He made it all the way to the doorway before he stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “Aren’t you coming?”
“Right behind you.” Finally her voice came through for her. It held a cool confidence that made her want to cheer.
When he disappeared from sight, instead of rushing after him, Meg picked up her glass and stared down into the dark burgundy liquid, her mind buzzing with the possibilities. The words from a country song from several years ago played in her head, “I’m not talkin’ about forever. I’m talkin’ about tonight.”
Could she do it? Could she enter into a purely sexual relationship with a man she’d once loved?
No, she told herself firmly, no, she couldn’t.
He’d broken her heart once. There was no way she was letting him get close enough to do it again.
Cole moved his playing piece forward and wondered how best to retract his offer.
He couldn’t believe he’d suggested to Meg that they sleep together....
Who was he kidding? He could easily believe it. The moment he’d lifted that soft mound of flesh in his hand and teased the nipple to a hard point,