Fighting Fate (28 page)

“Sarah,” he finally murmured as he nuzzled her hair.

“Hmmm?”

“I could stand here holding you all night, but the slow song is over,” he said.

She blinked her eyes open and lifted her face to his. He lowered his forehead, resting it against hers. She was so tempted to kiss him right then. She had to remind herself that they were not the only people at the square. Far from it. With both of them starting their new careers soon, the last thing she wanted to do was make a spectacle of herself. She wasn’t going to act like a hormonal teenager in front of half the town.

That realization didn’t dampen her feelings.

She wanted Cole so badly she ached with it. While being wrapped in his arms, her body held tightly to his, her heart swelled with the longing she felt for him. Her hand flitted across his cheek and he grinned wickedly at her, as if guessing what she was feeling. Or perhaps he was feeling the same thing.

That smile was nearly her undoing.

She gently pushed away from him before she got too caught up in the moment.

“Do you want to get out of here?”

“Would you mind?” she asked with a nervous laugh. “We haven’t been here very long.”

“I’d actually prefer it,” he said. “Is there anywhere in particular you want to go?”

She hesitated only a moment. “Will you show me your apartment? You’ve been to my house almost every day and I still have no idea where you live.”

Walking back to the parking lot of Bianca’s took longer than it normally would have. They were walking against the flow of people heading toward the center of town. Cole’s apartment was on the edge of town. As they pulled up in front of it, Sarah smiled. It was a well kempt brick building. There were flowerbeds lining the front. Large, decorative outdoor lights lit up the sidewalk.

She was sure that Karen must love it here. As for Cole, as nice as the place was, she had a hard time imagining him in something as confining as an apartment building. While the lawn that sprawled out before it was neatly trimmed, it wasn’t very big.

As if reading her thoughts he said, “I figured I’d get myself established this year and then figure out something after I’ve worked for a while.” He shrugged. le hhru/p> I lived on base when I was in Alabama. My apartment is bigger than what I had when I lived there.”

The elevator lifted them to the third floor. Cole led her down a well lit hallway that was lined with gray carpet and stark white walls. He stopped in front of a door marked
319
. He held his keys in his hand and he quickly unlocked the door.

Sarah stepped inside as Cole turned the light on.

“It’s not much,” he said. “I’m not much of a decorator.”

“No, it’s really nice,” she assured him as she made her way inside. The plush carpeting was gray and the walls were white, just as they had been in the hallway. Immediately to her right was a kitchen. It held simple white appliances. The dining set was new and looked like it was solid oak. As they moved further into the space, she glanced around his living room. The sofa and matching chair were dark gray leather. A large flat screen TV hung from the wall adjacent. Other than that, the walls were bare, except for a single picture.

Sarah edged toward it.

“Oh,” Cole said, “Mom hung that up for me.”

She stopped in front of the photo, placed inside of an expensive frame. Cole, at eighteen, looked stoic in his Air Force uniform. She stood in front of the picture for a few moments, until he walked up behind her and slid his arms around her waist.

“You look very handsome in that photo,” she said with a smile. He also looked very young.

Was it really possible that so many years had gone by? It was impossible not to wonder what life would’ve been like if Cole would’ve stayed in Laurel. She wondered if they would’ve stayed together. The stubborn side of her wanted to believe that they would have made it, that they would’ve been high school sweethearts that beat the odds. The more logical side of her realized that they had been
so
young, with so much of their lives ahead of them.

Maybe going their separate ways had been best. She had a hunch that life followed the path it was meant to take. That path had led them away from each other. It had also led them back again. Was it possible that Gretchen was right? Was it fate that she was with Cole again? Here, now and hopefully forever?

Thinking of a forever with Cole felt as natural as breathing.

She twisted around in his arms so she was facing him. Her hand curled into a fist, clutching at the hem of his shirt.

“I will deny it if you tell her,” Sarah began, “but for once, I’m glad my sister has been so pushy.”

“Why is that?” he asked.

The way he was looking at her made her stomach flip over.

“I missed you,">“I m yo she whispered.

“I’m glad,” he said, keeping his voice low as well.

Sarah inched up on her toes, willing Cole’s mouth down to hers. His grip on her waist tightened, lifting her just a bit. The kiss started slowly, gently, like so many of the other kisses they’d shared the past week.

In moments it turned into something else entirely. When she felt Cole’s hand slide up the back of her shirt, just the smallest amount of skin on skin, the sensation wasn’t nearly enough. She wanted more. Not just more kissing but more of Cole’s hands on her. More of his skin touching hers. She wanted more of him…until she couldn’t think or breathe or feel anything other than him.

Cole started walking backward slowly, kissing her still as he firmly pulled Sarah with him toward the couch.

She stopped him.

“I think you should show me the rest of your apartment,” she finally said.

He laughed lightly against her ear. “There’s not much left to see. Just the bedroom.”

“Uh-huh,” she said. “I know.”

Without removing his arms from her waist, he walked her to his bedroom and flipped on the lamp.

A burgundy comforter and matching curtains added a splash of color to the otherwise monochromatic room. His bed was neatly made. As with the rest of his apartment, there was no clutter in sight. Sarah smiled to herself, wondering if being in her messy house made him a little crazy. She had so many projects going on that she had stacks of supplies scattered everywhere.

“Everything is so neat and tidy. Your whole apartment is,” she said.

He shrugged. “I’ve moved around a lot. I haven’t really acquired much stuff.” His lips quirked up. “Unlike you, inheriting an entire house full of stuff.”

She nodded absently. “I don’t really want to talk about that,” she murmured as she went up on her tiptoes again. Her lips skimmed across his neck and his arms went around her waist again.

“You’re going to have to let me know what you do want. Because the last thing I’m going to do is start making assumptions,” he murmured back.

Her hands curled into the hem of his shirt once more, this time tugging it upward. With his help, it was off in seconds. His hands skimmed her waist and then began working their way up her sides, pulling her top along with them. She took a small step back, her eyes coasting up and down his chest. Gretchen had been right. He was a whole lot more defined than he used to be. She felt her cheeks heat when she realized his eyes were making a similar journey.

She reached for the button on his jeans, quickly working it and then she was tugging them off. Hers immediately followed. And then Cole was gently pushing her down onto his bed. His mouth came down on hers again. This time, the kiss didn’t start out slow. Tongues touched, hand toly pushs explored, sensations spiraled into something that neither of them could put off any longer.

Sarah peeled off the last item of Cole’s clothing, helping him with hers when she decided she couldn’t wait for him a second more.

Chapter Twenty

He rarely slept in but as he awoke and was rewarded with the sight of Sarah, her hair fanned out over his pillow, he knew he’d be staying in bed awhile longer. One of her legs was hooked around his. Her body was pressed against his arm.

It wasn’t as though he’d been hopelessly pining over her for all of these years. He’d dated. He’d gotten serious. He’d thought he’d moved on. He’d thought he’d pushed her out of his head because reoper he was sure that her life had gone on without him. He’d been sure he needed to do the same. But from the moment he saw her sitting at the table, margarita in her hand, he realized something. He may have moved on from her momentarily, but he’d never moved on from her completely.

He hadn’t thought it was possible, but with each passing day, he was falling even more deeply in love with her than before. All of his old feelings had bubbled to the surface, melding with all of his new feelings. The synergistic effect of this, the intense feeling it created, it was almost unbearable. The thought of ever having to live without her again was almost crushing.

So he was going to make sure that never happened. If she felt even a fraction of what he felt, he would be happy with that.

She stretched and in one fluid movement wrapped her arm around his bare chest.

“
Mmmm
,” she hummed. She had a smile on her face as she opened her eyes.

“Hi,” he said,

“Hi.”

He readjusted himself so that his arm was around her. Then he placed a kiss on the side of her head.

“I feel like I’ve been waiting for this my whole life,” he admitted.

“Waiting for what?” she asked.

“To wake up with you, in my arms,” he murmured.

“There’s something I forgot to do last night.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“I forgot to tell you, I remembered how much I love you,” Sarah said with a sigh.

Cole pulled her into an even tighter hug. Happiness coursed through him. He’d hoped she’d say the words again. He hadn’t dared hope she’d say them again so soon.

*
*
*
*
*

Sarah stayed for a late breakfast but was insistent they leave shortly after that. She didn’t want Karen to find her in the apartment. While she was anxious to see Cole’s mom again, she didn’t want their first meeting to take place while she was wearing clothes that were hopelessly wrinkled from the night before.

“So what are your plans for today?” Cole asked as he turned into Sarah’s driveway.

“I don’t know. There are some supplies I need to pick up at the hardware store. I still need to paint the downstairs bathroom.” She stopped there but the list of things she could keep herself busy with went on and on.

He turned to her, an exaggerated frown on his face. “It’s Saturday. You shouldnnt. u s and on.

He looked at her hopefully and she felt her lips tilt up in a huge smile.

“Really? That sounds so much more fun than painting.”

“Yeah, that’s because it is. And it’s such a nice day today. It’s the perfect day for riding.”

“It shouldn’t take me too long to get ready. If you’re sure you don’t mind waiting.”

“Not at all,” Cole said.

Sarah reached for the truck’s door handle. She jumped when Cole roughly grabbed her bicep, holding her in place. She turned back to him in curious surprise.

“Wait,” he said, his voice low.

He wasn’t looking at her and Sarah followed his line of vision.

“Stay here,” he said.

It was then that she noticed that the window pane in the middle of the kitchen door was shattered. Jagged edges gleamed in the sunshine.

“
What
…?” she began to sputter. “What happened?”

“Looks to me like someone broke in,” he said. It looked as if someone had broken the glass in the window pane, and then reached inside to unlock the doorknob. He handed her his phone. “Here, you call this in. I’ll be right back.”

She took the phone but made no effort to use it. “Cole, just wait with me,
please
? Don’t go in there alone.”

He glanced toward the house again. “I’m sure they’re gone by now.”

“Then why can’t I go in with you?”

He was silent but the answer was clear.
Because they might not be.

She put her hand out to stop him. It rested on his elbow. “Please, just wait?”

His jaw was clenched as his eyes darted toward the house again. Sarah could tell that just sitting there was making him a little crazy. He’d always preferred acting to waiting.

“Tell you what,” he said. “Let me just go up and look around. I won’t go inside. In fact,” he said as he took the phone again, “I’ll make the call. That way I can answer any questions they might have. Okay?”

She hesitated, glancing at the house again. He was right. The likelihood of anyone still being inside was small. She wanted to press him on letting her go with him. But she knew for certain her request would only lead to an argument. And it was ridiculous to sit here, wasting time arguing.

“Fine,="+ld o” she said. “But you come right back!”

He nodded and slid out of the truck. Sarah watched as he dialed, keeping one eye on the house. He hesitated at the bottom step, likely waiting for someone to answer. Then he carefully climbed up. He pushed open the door with his foot and Sarah realized it must’ve been left ajar.

He stood on the threshold, as he said he would. His back was to her and after a few moments, he glanced over his shoulder. Then he took a step inside, disappearing from her sight. Frustration zinged through her. That was not part of the plan! She reached for her door handle yet again, flinging the door open. Before she had a chance to exit the vehicle, Cole had reappeared. He had Penelope cradled in the crook of his arm.