All the dizzy swirling pleasure Cole’s finger was stroking into a maelstrom dies immediately, leaving me with a sharp ache where a tingly orgasm should be.
Embarrassment burns my cheeks, and anger makes my chest feel tight and hot. Cole made me forget where we were. Anyone could have seen us. Seenmelike that. Any of the men who have made fun of me. They could have seen me on the verge of an orgasm, begging Cole to fuck me.
Right here, in a fucking alley. The intense wave of shame has me pushing at his chest trying to restore some semblance of decency to this entirely inappropriate and indecent situation.
He takes one step back. One. Just enough to give me enough space to collect myself before I face Gloria and her husband, Shawn.
I take a deep breath, hoping like hell the chilly mountain air will restore my common sense.
“That was unfortunate timing,” Cole mutters in a gruff tone.
Glaring up at the man, I barely squish the urge to smack his chest. How dare he be so flippant. I’m never going to be able to face Gloria again, and I’ve known her for years. She’s a regular at the bookstore along with her sister, Lily, who is a local author.
“Unfortunate,” I repeat. “Like the bakery running out of blueberry muffins before I get there. Or finding out my favorite lipstick is being discontinued.”
Cole’s dark eyes light with understanding, but it’s already too late. I’m fired up and ready to go three rounds with the lumberjack andunfortunatelyfor him, I’m a heavyweight.
“Getting caught with a man’s fingers in my cunt isn’t unfortunate. It’s a fucking disaster, Cole!” I shout.
To his credit, he doesn’t puff up his chest or try to argue.
“It wasn’t a tourist who saw us. It was the Langley’s! The entire firehouse is going to know about this by the end of the day and everyone in town will know about it tomorrow!”
My breathing turns ragged, my chest heaving as I try not to hyperventilate.
“They won’t,” Cole says calmly.
He doesn’t get it. How could he? His buddies will pat him on the back and tease him once or twice and that’ll be the end of it. But for me it’ll be a black smear across my reputation and in a small town like Crescent Ridge, I can’t pretend it won’t hurt. The locals will gossip about me behind my back and avoid me in public. Without local support, my bookstore will close in the winter months and by spring I’ll be out of business. Everything I’ve worked so hard for will be gone in a blink thanks to a hormone fueled moment of passion.
“Yes, they will,” I growl, tears making my vision blurry. “They’ll know you were fucking a fat girl behind the coffee shop.”
“Shawn is a good man,” Cole replies, his warm baritone cutting through the ringing in my ears like a low rumble of thunder. “He won’t tell anyone.”
I want to believe him, but I’ve trusted the wrong person before. I said yes to a date and the next day I found out the only reason he asked was because of a bet he made with his friends.
“And even if he did,” Cole says stepping into my space again until I can’t look away from him. “Why would you give a fuck?”
I gasp, my sob catching in my throat, and I hiccup. He doesn’t wait for me to answer. He moves closer until I can’t take a breath without my stomach pressing into his.
“They might run their mouths for a bit, but they’ll run out of steam. Someone else will make the small-town headlines next week and we’ll be forgotten by Halloween.”
He leans down, the intensity in his dark brown eyes holding me prisoner, as he brushes a soft kiss against my lips. I almost miss his hands sliding underneath my skirt to grab my butt.
“Whoever called you fat like it was an insult, was a fucking idiot. Jealous you wouldn’t fuck them, or jealous of this juicy ass you got.”
His hands squeeze me, and I can’t help but let out a tiny squeal.
“Cole!” I say trying to chastise him.
“No,” he whispers against my lips. “You’re going to listen to me Sabrina.”
He makes it hard for me to think with how close he is. With how he keeps squeezing me. With how he doesn’t give me space to panic or yell. One of his hands abandons my ass to slip around my throat. The display of dominance has me melting on the spot.
“Yes, Daddy.” The words slip out unintentionally. Too late to bite them back, I’m left looking directly into Cole’s eyes as he hears them. My confession. My submission.
His fingers tighten on my throat, not cutting off my circulation, just letting me know that he could. I would let him and now he knows it.
“You’re gorgeous. Absolutely fucking gorgeous. You make me lose my mind with every kiss. Make me dizzy with every swing of your hips. I could stare at you all day and consider it time well spent. You’ve got a fat ass, and perky tits that make me drool. So don’t you ever talk about your body like it’s a bad thing, cause I fucking love it.”
