Nice try, Mister Sneakypants.
I gave him a no-nonsense look. "But you never answered my question."
"Which was…?"
"If you didn't find me on your doorstep, would you haveevercalled?"
He was silent for a long moment before saying, "Not if I had to share."
I knew what he meant. Or at least IthoughtI knew. "Share what? Me?"
He smiled. "Yeah, you."
His words sent a rush of heat to places that were best left unmentioned. With a smile of my own, I replied, "I guess I could see that."
I couldfeelit, too – the heat of his gaze and the fluttering of my heart as the confirmation hit home. He wanted me all to himself, which was pretty incredible because I felt the same way.
Did I dare say it?
I was still waffling when Cole continued with only the hint of a smile. "And the phone works both ways, you know."
"Yeah, but I thought you were mad at me."
"And I thoughtyouwere seeing someone else."
"I guess we were both wrong then." I glanced at my aunt's place. "And technically, I didn't have to call. I could've hollered out my bedroom window."
He looked intrigued. "I'd pay good money to seethat, too."
I couldn't resist teasing him. "Don't you meanhearthat?"
"Hell no." His smile returned. "I want to see what you sleep in."
Oh, boy.Suddenly, I was finding it hard to breathe. "That's funny, because I want to see whatyousleep in, too."
"Good to know." As he spoke, he moved closer, and I craned my neck upward, preparing for one heck of a kiss.
But it didn't happen, because just then, the hood of my borrowed coat fell away from my head, and I heard something small and light tumble onto his porch. With a start, I looked down and spotted a small silver packet lying only inches from my left heel.
I stifled a gasp.Was that…?
My face was burning now.Oh, yeah.It was definitely a condom – not a used condom, thank heaven, but a new pristine one, all wrapped up and ready to go.
What the heck?
I looked back to Cole and blurted out, "That's not mine."
His eyebrows lifted. "No?"
"No. Definitely not. I mean, this isn't even my coat." Suddenly, I felt a nearly uncontrollable urge to rip the thing off and fling it into the bushes. "To be honest, I don't even know whose it is."
With a low chuckle, he said, "Well it's not mine."
"Wellthat'sgood, considering that I found it in the living room across the street."
In my rush to make it out the door, I'd grabbed the first coat I could lay my hands on. It had been draped over the back of the sofa, so I'd naturally assumed that it belonged to Harper or Gwen. But now that I gave it some thought, the coat was way too big forthem, too.
Just whose coat was this, anyway?
