“Oh, yeah…” She ran her hands up and down his flat abs and pecs, feeling his strength as he moved inside of her.
She tightened her pussy around him and that was all it took to send them both careening over the edge, shouting with their release.
Chapter Ten
The next morning, Jill focused on work and the kids, but several times she had to tamp down her excitement to see Cole again. He’d asked her to go for a bike ride with him that evening. For someone who’d never been particularly interested in motorcycles before, she was turning into a certified addict.
At seven o’clock that evening, Cole knocked on the door, and she opened it in a rush, taking in his hotness in jeans, T-shirt, and biker boots. He’d just taken a shower and looked and smelled good enough to eat. “Wow, you look great, Jill.”
She wore denim capris, a white lace T-shirt with a white camisole underneath, and white sneaks. Her long hair had been pulled back and tied with a scarf. “Thank you,” she said.
“I was planning on it just being the two of us tonight, but I was wondering if you were up for meeting some friends of mine for drinks? They called earlier, checking in on me, and…well…” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“They’re worried about you? What good friends. I’d love to meet them.”
Taking her hand, he led her to his bike, which he’d pulled out of the garage and parked at the curb. She smiled when she saw an extra black helmet on the handle bars. It was a bit smaller than his and looked brand new.
“It’s a beautiful night,” she said.
“Not as beautiful as you,” he said. He got on the bike, and Jill slipped on her helmet and climbed on. She loved the way it felt to sit behind him with her hands around his waist. She liked the feeling of the wind rushing in her face. She liked the scent of jasmine in the evening air and the fact that she would never experience the heady scent if she were in a car. There was something freeing about the whole experience.
They drove for almost thirty minutes as he headed into Burbank. Soon, he pulled up to Folsom’s, a quaint little place Jill had heard good things about. Loud music drifted through the walls, spiking in intensity whenever someone opened the door. As they got off Cole’s bike, a tall, extremely handsome man with dark hair and steel gray eyes, dressed in slacks and a crisp button-down shirt, strode up to them.
“About time you showed up.”
Cole grinned and both men slapped each other on the back. “Jill, this is Luke, my friend and business partner in Frontline.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Luke.” She shook his hand and he cupped both of hers in both of his.
“The pleasure’s mine, Jill. Thanks for taking care of Cole here. I appreciate it.”
She smiled and glanced at Cole. Feeling bold, she said, “That’s been
my
pleasure.” She giggled when Cole actually blushed a little.
Luke burst out laughing. “I see what you mean, Cole. Sweet
and
wild. Now come on, Gabe’s waiting inside.
As they started to make their way through the crowd, Jill turned to Cole. “Sweet and wild huh?” She was teasing him, but it was a huge compliment that he’d described her that way to Luke. If there was one thing she was afraid of, it was that she was a little too boring for a guy like Cole. But he obviously recognized that he brought out her wild side, and just as obviously, he liked it.
Cole loosely wrapped his arms around her from behind even as they kept walking. He put his mouth to her ear and growled, “That’s right. That’s how you give it to me, Jill. And that’s how I’ll always want it from you. Day and night. In bed and out.”
She stumbled slightly, both because of the intensely good feeling his words filled her with, but also at the way he’d referred to them having an “always.”
* * *
Cole seriously considered turning around and guiding Jill toward the exit. He loved his friends, and he’d been excited for them to meet Jill, but all of a sudden he wanted it to be just the two of them again, the way it had been last night.
Too late.
Gabe was already headed their way.
While an outside observer might see Cole and Luke as opposites on a spectrum, Gabe would fall somewhere in the middle. Luke almost always wore formal clothes. Cole almost always dressed down. Gabe liked to straddle both styles; he wore a tux like he’d been born in one but looked just as suave wearing dark fitted jeans and a light sweater the way he was now. Few people would guess that Gabe had survived a tough childhood, that he’d virtually grown up on the streets and had to fight for everything he had. It was a testament to his intelligence and strength that he was now a corporate mogul with a powerhouse chain of outdoor recreation stores that was big with extreme sports enthusiasts.
For the next hour, Cole watched Jill charm his college buddies just like she’d charmed Smash and the other bikers. It didn’t seem to matter who she was talking to; Jill showed a genuine interest in people no matter their backgrounds. She was open and friendly, asking a lot of questions but also willing to share her own experiences. She even explained how she’d learned to play darts in college, and how that had come in handy when she’d met a sexy biker in a bar recently.
Both Gabe and Luke laughed as if that was the funniest thing they’d ever heard.
“Well, it’s too bad Cole didn’t meet you a week earlier,” Luke said. “You could have joined us in Coronado for the wedding.”
“What wedding?” Jill asked.
In his peripheral vision, Cole saw Gabe stiffen and sighed. Gabe was Eric’s best friend and he’d been assigned the role of Best Man at Eric’s should-have-happened wedding. Eric leaving Brianne at the altar without any warning or explanation was affecting Gabe the hardest.
Luke’s expression grew serious. “I shouldn’t have brought that up.”
“Damn right you shouldn’t have brought it up,” Gabe growled. He looked at Jill. “I like you, Jill, but Luke here should know better than to casually share something so personal. Now if you’ll excuse me for a moment, I have to make a phone call.” With a final pissed off look at Luke, Gabe stood and walked away.
“Shit,” Luke muttered. Then glanced at Jill. “Excuse me, Jill.”
“No problem,” she said softly.
Cole clamped Luke on the shoulder. “You didn’t do anything wrong. The only person who’s in the wrong here is Eric.” Noting how quiet Jill had gotten, Cole explained, “Our friend Eric, Gabe’s
best
friend, was supposed to get married last week, but he ended up leaving his fiancée Brianne, another friend of ours, at the altar with no explanation other than a text that Brianne hasn’t shared with us. The only thing she’ll say is that Eric was obviously having doubts so it’s better they didn’t go through with their vows.”
“He
texted
her right before the wedding to call things off?” Jill’s tone was horrified.
“Yes.” Cole searched the room for Gabe, but couldn’t see him. “Except for an initial email letting us know he’s okay and will be in touch soon, Eric’s been MIA. As Eric’s best friend, Gabe’s taking it the hardest. I mean, we’d just thrown him a bachelor party in Vegas and everything seemed fine. We’re supposed to be friends. Why wouldn’t he have said anything? It doesn’t make sense.”
Jill didn’t respond and Cole frowned at her downcast eyes. “Jill?”
She shot him a smile, though it was obviously strained.
“I’m sorry,” Luke said. “I didn’t mean to bring everyone down.”
Jill shook her head. “No, no. It’s fine. I just…I always try to look at things from everyone’s point of view. And if Eric’s a good friend, I imagine he has to be a pretty good guy. Sometimes people don’t share their secrets with those that mean the most to them because they’re afraid of what they’ll think. Afraid something precious will be lost.”
Jill sounded so sad. As if she had some deep dark secret that
she
was afraid to share. It didn’t sit right with him. But he’d only known her a few days. And she’d been reluctant to talk about her father. Maybe there was a story there. Cole reached out and took Jill’s hand, relieved when she squeezed and her expression cleared.
A minute later, Gabe returned, and though he was still a little tense, he did his best to make Jill comfortable again. While they were talking about Gabe’s chain of outdoor adventure stores, Luke asked if he could talk to Cole about business.
“Sure,” Cole said. “Excuse me for a second, Jill?”
“Of course,” she said, smiling sweetly before turning back to Gabe.
Cole and Luke settled into a table in the corner to talk. “I just wanted to let you know everything’s under control. We’ve taken a couple of new jobs, and I had a meet-and-greet with an actress’s manager. She’s headed out of town for a shoot in a few weeks.”
“Which actress?”
“Katherine Bailey.”
Cole whistled softly. Kat Bailey was currently one of Hollywood’s biggest rom com princesses, with trademark red hair and the unfortunate honor of being part of one of last year’s most talked about scandals. She’d been half of a Hollywood power couple, dating Ray Hamilton, the director from one of her past movies, when a college intern claimed she’d slept with Hamilton. For a week, Bailey stood by her man’s side, insisting the intern was lying. Then the tabloids published photos, not only of Hamilton frolicking on a beach with the intern, but nude ones of Bailey that the intern claimed were leaked by Hamilton himself. Publicly, Bailey had handled the scandal as gracefully as possible, but then she’d gone underground, avoiding reporters and the tabloids like the plague.
“So tell me about her,” Cole said.
“I haven’t met her yet, but I don’t think we should take the job. She got a few threats from fans unhappy with how she handled the breakup with Hamilton, but she’s not sold on protection. Guarding a body that’s resisting being guarded, especially an uppity actress? No thanks.”
Cole frowned. “I agree. Playing games means unnecessary risk.”
“Right. And it’s not like we’re hurting for business. Still, I’m going to research the threats. Maybe talk to her manager again before making up my mind. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Great.” Cole ran a hand through his hair as his gaze found Jill. She was laughing at something Gabe was saying. When Gabe reached out and touched her arm in a friendly gesture, Cole was shocked to feel himself stiffen with jealousy. What the hell was that about? They were just talking and it wasn’t like Cole had any claim on Jill. Still…
He turned back to Luke. “If that’s all, I’d like to have Jill to myself for a while.”
“I’m surprised you lasted this long,” his friend said. “I’ve never seen you like this with anyone.”
“She’s amazing, Luke. I want to spend as much time as I can with her before I get back to work and things get crazy.”
“Right,” Luke said, though it was obvious he was holding something back.
“What is it?”
“It’s just…what we talked about before, Cole. It still applies. You’re unentitled to some time off. To figure out what you really want in life.” Luke’s gaze deliberately found Jill before returning to Cole.
“It’s not like that, Luke. I just met her.”
“But it
could
be like that. Are you staying open to that possibility, or are you so busy planning the move to San Francisco that you can’t see anything else?”
“You told me to take time for myself. To travel. To see the world. Jill’s a daycare teacher who loves her job and her life here. Those aren’t things that go together.”
“No they don’t. Unless you’re willing to find a way to make them.”
Ten minutes later, Jill was saying goodbye to Luke, and Cole took Gabe aside. “Look, I know with Eric MIA, things aren’t good. I’m here for you. You want to talk, don’t hesitate. I’ve already told Brianne the same thing. I don’t know what’s going on with Eric, but we’re going to get through this. Together.”
Something flickered across Gabe’s face when Cole said Brianne’s name but it was quickly gone. “Thanks, Cole.” They returned to the table. “It was wonderful to meet you, Jill. I hope we’ll see each other again.”
“Likewise, Gabe.”
Gabe turned to Luke. “You want to stay a bit longer?”
Luke raised his mug. “Sounds good to me. Take care, you two.”
With a final wave, Jill and Cole headed out and got settled on his bike. Cole thought about what Luke had said about opening himself up to the possibility of a future with Jill. He didn’t come up with any solutions, nothing that seemed realistic anyway. But because his mind was focused on work and Jill and responsibility and passion and whether it was possible to balance all of them, he suddenly thought of another place he wanted to take her.
* * *
When they’d left the bar, Cole hadn’t told Jill where they were going, saying only that he wanted to surprise her. Soon, they were in front of a large, three-story glass building with a sign that read: Frontline Security.
It was his office, she realized.
They got off the bike, and Jill slipped off her helmet, shaking out her hair. “So, this is your building, huh? It’s very nice. Did you and Luke discuss something about work that you need to attend to?”
“Something like that.” He pulled her in close, and they stood on the side of the busy street and kissed. When Cole pulled away, she was completely breathless. “I’ve always had this fantasy about making love to a beautiful woman in my private office. I was wondering if you’d be interested in helping me out with that?”
“Sounds like that would be yet another pleasure of mine.”
“I’ll do my best.” He winked at her, then unlocked the front door, resetting the security system as soon as they were inside. He locked the door behind them, and then in one swift movement, backed her against it. Taking both her hands in one of his, he pinned then over her head. Involuntary tremors shivered through her at the dominance of his touch. He kissed first her mouth then the side of her face then her neck. The velvety touch of his lips sent a burning, electric feeling to her heart.
“Is this part of your fantasy?” she asked, panting a little.