dropping from her eyes to her lips, and then he did exactly what she’d hoped he would.
He lowered his head and stole her breath, his tongue swiping against her lower lip as he gripped her ass, having no concern at all for who might be watching. And, in that moment, Sadie didn’t either. She couldn’t remember why being with him wasn’t the smartest thing, especially when he made her feel like this. As if a bottle of champagne had opened inside her chest, all bubbly and warm, and coated every inch of her.
“Y’all have a great night,” Fred called, snapping the reins as he rode off.
“C’mon, let’s get you inside,” Cole murmured against her lips before pulling back. He linked their fingers together, pulling her behind him as he climbed the front porch steps, entered the code on the door, and held it open for her.
“Thanks,” she murmured, ignoring how her nipples peaked as she slid past him. Ignoring, too, all the questions this evening had brought up. Like what the hell they were doing now. She’d had an answer for that before tonight—they’d been bed partners. Fantastic bed partners, but that was where it ended. Tonight, though… Tonight changed things, didn’t it?
As soon as they stepped over the threshold, they nearly ran into Elise, who had very obviously been waiting for Sadie to arrive. “I’m out,” she said, barely sparing Cole—or his and Sadie’s linked hands—a glance as she slipped into her coat.
“Wait,” Sadie said. “How’d it go tonight?”
Elise shrugged, one hand on the doorknob. “Fine. Busy. We ran out of your muffins around 8:30, but I plied the rest of the freeloaders with wine.”
“Really? That’s great!” Sadie said as Cole squeezed her hand. She’d prepared as many muffins as last year, plus about twenty-five percent extra, which meant they’d seen quite a bit more traffic. “And how about—”
Elise held up a hand before Sadie could finish. “Everyone’s already in for the night, so we’re both free.” She blew through the front door and lifted a hand in a wave. “See you tomorrow.”
“Bye,” Sadie said, although her sister was already gone. She couldn’t blame her for her hasty retreat—working the Sip and Shop was extremely demanding, and Sadie was always exhausted at the end of the evening.
“Well…” She turned to face Cole, their fingers still linked between them. “It looks like I’m free for the rest of the night.”
“Looks like.”
“Thanks for tonight.” She glanced down at their hands and took a deep breath before lifting her gaze to his. “I can’t believe I’m sayin’ this, but I had fun.”
Cole cocked a brow. “Quite the compliment comin’ from you.”
She pressed a hand into his stomach and shoved lightly. “You know what I mean…”
“Yeah. Who’d have thought we could be in the same proximity without either bitin’ each other’s heads off or rippin’ each other’s clothes off?” His gaze dropped briefly to Sadie’s lips, then her breasts, which were very interested in the attention, before tipping his head toward the back door. “C’mon, I’ll walk you to the cottage.”
Every night this week, they’d retreated to his suite at the end of her day and proceeded to spend hours wrapped up in each other. But maybe this sort-of date had been enough to scare him off.
She breathed out a laugh, even as disappointment swept over her. “It’s twenty feet away, in our fenced backyard,” she said. “And I make this trek nearly every night.”
“And I watch you from the door every night, so this isn’t much different. Just humor me.” He held open the back door for her, gesturing her to walk through first.
“You don’t need to worry about me. I’ve taken self-defense. My cousin Mac taught me. I can handle myself.”
“Of that, I have no doubt.” But he still didn’t let go of her hand. Still didn’t stop his gaze from tracking their surroundings, no doubt looking for any threat, which was utterly laughable.
They stepped onto her tiny front porch, and she used the keypad to unlock her front door before pushing it open. He still hadn’t let go of her hand. Hadn’t stepped back. Hadn’t made an excuse to leave.
Turning around to face him, she asked, “Why’d you feel the need to walk me back here?”
He brushed his thumb against the back of her hand. “You remember what I said durin’ the carriage ride?”
“You said a lot of things. What item, in particular, are you referrin’ to?”
“I said I’m not subtle. If I want something, I come out and say