That Summer (Part Two) (4 page)

“What’s
wrong?” He asks, appearing concerned.

“You
know
what’s wrong.” I hiss, sneering at him in contempt.

“I
really don’t, so why don’t you tell me?” He retorts sharply.

“Fuck
you, Cole.” I sneer, striding towards the main stairway.

“I
already told you that’s not a problem.” He whispers, catching me up. “We’ve got
a whole hotel suite to ourselves for as long as we want it.”

“You’re
sick.” I fire back at him, unable to believe that he would say such a thing.

“Is
everything alright?”

We
both turn around to see the receptionist from behind the counter has followed
us. Her eyes are sparkling as she stares at Cole. She’s making it so obvious
that she’s attracted to him, it’s enough to stir up my jealousy once more.

“Everything’s
fine.” Cole assures her, turning on the charm like he did with her before. “Please
excuse my sister, she’s in one of her moods.”

I
inhale sharply as I stare at him in horror. Why would he say that? What on
earth possessed him to tell this complete stranger something which neither one
of us can even say out loud?

“Oh,
I see.” The receptionist chuckles lightly. “I didn’t realise that you two were…
I thought you were… together.”

“No,
of course not. Whatever gave you that idea?” Cole laughs alongside her, closing
the small space between them.

“Well,
the suite you ordered only has one bed in it and it’s a double.” She explains,
clearly confused by the whole situation.

There’s
a momentary silence as Cole tries to figure out what he’s going to say next. I
can tell he hasn’t thought this through and is now struggling to come up with
an explanation as to why the two of us would be sharing a bed.

“I’ll
sleep on the floor. I know it sounds a little strange but I just wanted to
spoil my sister. She’s turning eighteen next week and I thought a deluxe suite
in a posh hotel would be the perfect gift for her. I didn’t even think about
what bed would be included.”

“I
can always put you in the room next door or one along the corridor if you would
like?” She offers, barely glancing in my direction.

She’s
clearly enamoured by him and as much as I hate the fact that she’s interested
in Cole, I can’t blame her. He is breathtakingly handsome but still possessed
that rugged, masculine appearance which you instinctively associate with
someone who is dominant and possessive. His dark brown hair is tussled and his
jawline has now gained some stubble. All of this adds to Cole’s magnetic and
irrefutable sex appeal which exudes from him in an effortless manner.

“No,
it’s fine. Don’t worry about me.” Cole replies indifferently, glowering at me
when the girl looks away.

“Actually,
I’d really appreciate that.” I say confidently, taking them both by surprise.
“If there is any way you could provide my
brother
with a second room,
I’d be so grateful.”

“Of
course I can.” She beams, pleased that we’ve taken her up on her her
suggestion. “I’ll be back in a moment with a new room key for you.”

Trying
to be coy, the twenty-something girl smiles at Cole before leaving us alone. As
soon as she’s out of sight, Cole spins around to face me.

“What
the hell have you done?
Why
would you want us to be in separate rooms?!”
He demands brusquely.

“Why
did
you
tell her that I’m your sister?” I challenge him, still shaken up
and reeling from that cruel outburst

“To
make you jealous.” He answers simply, as though it’s no big deal at all.

“Why
would you want to do that?”

“Because
I was desperate. I wanted you to see how it would be if we decided to be honest
and face the truth. I wanted you to experience how it would be if we were to
acknowledge who we really are to one another. I needed you to hate every single
second of me referring to you as my sister and beg me not to do it ever again.”

“Well,
your plan backfired.” I reply sombrely. “She believes you and neither one of us
can risk staying in the same room together anymore. It’s too late now.”

I
glance behind Cole to see that she’s heading towards us with a new room key.

“I
don’t want to be apart from you.” He whispers, leaning towards me so that no
one else can hear.

“We
have no choice. We’re stuck with this charade for the time being.”

“I’m
such a fucking idiot. Why the hell did I say anything to her?”

“You
wanted to hurt me.” I remind him. “And guess what, Cole? You did.”

“There
you go, here’s your new room key. It’s right next door to your sister’s but
that now means it will be double the price.”

She
hands it over to Cole with an optimistic smile on her face. She truly believes
she has a chance with him and I find myself feeling sorry for her. After all,
she has no idea about our relationship and I expect she’s used to guys falling
over themselves to impress her on a daily basis.

“Brilliant.”
Cole snaps harshly, grabbing the pass key from her before he strides towards
the elevators next to the main stairway.

“I’m
sorry… did I do something wrong?” She asks me, looking helpless and a little
hurt.

“No,
no you didn’t.” I assure her, smiling warmly. “Thanks for all your help.”

I
follow Cole and catch up with him just as he’s about to step into the elevator.

“What
did she say to you?” He asks me as soon as the doors close behind us and we’re
alone.

“She
thought she had done something wrong.” I explain, still sympathetic for the
girl who misunderstood it all.

“She
did
.” Cole growls bitterly, clenching his jaw in anger and frustration.

“Let’s
just forget about it now.” I placate him, sighing deeply.

“You’re
not sleeping in a separate room from me, Serena. There’s not a chance in hell
I’m going to let that happen.”

His
tone is so possessive and controlling, I almost long to defy him on purpose.

“Oh,
really?” I retort sharply.

“Yeah,
really.”

I
gasp when he grabs hold of my shoulders and pushes me back against the elevator
wall behind me. His strong hands hold me still as his smouldering brown eyes
bore right through me. His penetrative glare causes my whole body to start
trembling with anticipation and excitement.

“W-what
are you doing?” I stammer, struggling to conceal my anxiety from him.

“You
want it, don’t you?” He taunts me, lowering his voice to a seductive whisper.
“You want my lips on you, you want me deep inside you and you want my tongue to
taste you. You want it all, just like I do and you no longer have the strength
to fight it.”

“I’ll
always fight it. I’ll never let it win.” I say, trying to remain focused and
resolute.

“But
you will. Your defences are already slipping and if I were to kiss you right
now, you wouldn’t stop me.” He speaks with such certainty, it angers me even
more.

“I-I
would.” I stutter, quivering underneath his scorching touch.

“Prove
it.” He growls, crashing his lips against my own.

The
force behind his kiss takes my breath away, reminding me just how strong Cole
is and how erotic our intimate moments have been in the past… before we knew.

“No!
Stop it!” I cry, struggling to push him backwards.

“Quit
fighting it!” He snarls, trailing his lips across the sensitive skin on my
neck. “I
know
you want this just as much as I do and I’m damn sure I’m
going to get it.”

“Why
are you being like this?! This isn’t you.” I whimper, turning my face away from
him so I no longer have to witness his rage.

“Why
are
you
denying me, Serena? Why do you push me away when you need this,
you need me just like I need you. We belong together and I have to make you see
that… if this is the only way I can do that then so be it.”

“Now
you’re going to force me?! You’re going to pin me against the wall of this
elevator and give me what you think I deserve and what
you
say
I
need? Do you know how messed up that is, Cole? It’s sick and more than anything
else it’s
wrong
.”

I
implore him to listen, practically begging him with everything that I have to
understand what I’m saying and see reason. I know this isn’t Cole right now,
this is someone else… someone I don’t recognise. I caught a glimpse of this
stranger in the past and I have no wish to experience that again.

Cole
freezes before deciding to relinquish his hold on me, putting some much needed
space between us by taking a step back.

“Serena,
I’m so sorry.” He whispers, covering his face with hands. “I’m so, so sorry. I
don’t know why I did that or why I said what I did. I-I lost control for a
moment but it won’t happen again, I swear to God it won’t.” He stammers
uncontrollably, breathless and dismayed.

He’s
pacing back and forth inside the huge elevator, raking his fingers through his
hair in a frantic state of panic and fear.

“I-it’s
ok.” I respond quickly, needing to assure him.

 I
realise that I need to find a way of calming him down before anyone else sees
him like this. Our hotel suite must be on the top floor because it feels like
we’ve been soaring for hours, trapped and contained inside this claustrophobic
space. The doors will open any second and the last thing we need is a group of
onlookers observing Cole’s mental breakdown.

“How
can you say it’s ok?! Do you know how close I came to actually… to actually…
fuck
,
I can’t even say it!” He groans, cradling his head in his hands.

“You
would never hurt me.” I say, speaking softly as I approach him with caution.

“Serena…”
He sighs wearily, gazing at me sadly. “I just did.”

The
doors open and I turn quickly, glancing to see if there’s anyone else waiting
to come inside.

There’s
no one.

I
exhale slowly and smile weakly, offering my hand out for Cole to take.

“Come
on, let’s find out how grand these rooms really are.”

He
pauses for a moment before accepting, interlacing our fingers as we make our
exit.

Our
suite is perfect. The décor is breath-taking and the view is even more
spectacular. The hotel is based in the centre of the city and overlooks the entire
skyline. The afternoon sun has sprinkled a golden glittering of light across
the tall landscapes, creating an ethereal glow before us.

“Wow,
this is pretty nice.” Cole comments, joining me at the window.

“Pretty
nice?!” I exclaim incredulously. “It’s gorgeous.”

“You
really like it?” He asks, sounding somewhat nervous.

“Cole,
it’s beautiful.”

I
make my way towards the bed which is in the centre of the room and take a seat,
still struggling to comprehend the fact that we’re really here. Together.

“How
about we check out your room?”

“Wait,
this isn’t even mine?”

“Yours
is next door.” He states, reaching for the other room key. “Here’s the first one
the receptionist gave me.”

He
hands it to me with a great deal of reluctance, clearly upset by the idea that
we must sleep apart.

“The
same receptionist which couldn’t take her eyes off you.” I remark bitterly,
narrowing my eyes at him as I remember how attractive she was and her
flirtatious manner.

“I
didn’t notice.” He lies, placing his hand on my lower back as he guides me out
of the hotel room.

“Of
course you noticed.” I snap, folding my arms across my chest. “That’s why you
decided to use her and make me jealous.”

“I
do have a habit of doing that, don’t I?” He teases me, placing a soft kiss
against the side of my forehead.

“Don’t
think I’ve forgotten about everything, Cole. I remember what you told me before
we left and don’t think I’ve erased the memory of you kissing someone else
right in front of me for one moment since I saw it.”

“Please
don’t remind me of that.” He begs me. “I felt sick doing it.”

“I’m
sure you did.”

“Serena,
I mean it. I don’t want anyone else. Ever.”

“You
could have fooled me.”

“I
swear to you, I will not lay a finger on another woman for as long as I live.
Only you.”

“You
shouldn’t say things like that.”

“I
can’t stop it and I don’t want to. I’ll keep on saying it until you start to
believe in me again.”

“I…
I think I do believe you, Cole” I admit, lowering my voice to a whisper. “And that’s
what scares me.”

My
room is just as picturesque as Cole’s but slightly bigger. It takes me a few
moments to come to terms with the reality that we’ll actually be staying here.
I’ve never been anywhere like this before and haven’t ever experienced what a
true vacation is really like. My mum had so little time for me when I was
younger, I counted myself lucky to receive a “hello” from her, let alone a
holiday.