She lifts her arms up as I lift the hem of her tank top and pull it over her head. My fingertips are light when they skim down the middle of her body, trace her belly button, then pull her sleep shorts down and off. She watches me, our eyes meet in a knowing glance right before my mouth closes over her hardened nipple.
Brooke gasps, then arches her back to press further into me.
I spend a few minutes licking and teasing her before I trail my lips upward, kissing her neck, her jaw, her lips. Our mouths meet with a soft kiss that takes my breath away. Our kiss is hungry, but in a different way than I’ve felt before. Brooke’s mouth opens to mine, letting me be in control. It feels like she’s giving me a gift. She’s letting go, trusting me to give her what she needs.
My palms move over her body, fingertips lightly trailing over her skin. Touching, caressing, loving every inch of her before I reach my destination and slide a finger into her slick heat. I spend a few minutes rubbing her clit and pleasuring her with my fingers.
“Cole, please.” I pump two fingers into her. “I need more.”
She’s ready for me. I reach into the nightstand for a condom. Once it’s on, I lower myself over her, my forearms bracketing her head.
“This okay?”
Brooke nods, her green eyes locked on mine. In one slow thrust I’m inside her. Fuck, it’s been a long ten days without her beneath me. She bends her knees to wrap her legs around my waist. Our rhythm is slow. One thrust in, one long drag out. Her hips rock up to meet me on each thrust. Her arms are around my neck, our chests pressed together. I’m surprised when I feel my orgasm approaching. The heat of it crawling up my spine. Normally slowing down would be the solution, but I don’t think I can go any slower than we already are.
Brooke’s breath is heavy now, her little sounds telling me she’s close. I snake a hand between us and apply pressure to her clit. Then I take in one of my favorite sights, Brooke’s expressive face as her orgasm hits full force.
Her chin lifts as her eyes widen, a small O forming at her lips. She’s fucking amazing to watch. I wait for her eyes to close, but she keeps them open, fixed on mine. I stop moving when her muscles squeeze me tight, and just enjoy the feeling of her milking my cock deep inside her. It’s enough to send me over the edge. Seconds later, my release follows.
39
Brooke
Icouldn’t sleep, so I left Cole’s place and walked to the diner. It’s early, six-thirty on a Sunday, so the diner crowd is mostly white-haired octogenarians here for the breakfast special. Carla isn’t here, according to the waitress behind the counter, whom I don’t recognize because I’ve never been to the diner at this hour on any day, but she did inform me there are a few slices of pie left from yesterday. I’m posted up at the counter, and I’ve already reserved a slice of peach pie for here and a slice of French Silk to go, for later.
The waitress sets the plate of scrambled eggs down in front of me, then slides a roll of silverware across the counter. I want pie for breakfast, but from what I’ve read, a baby needs protein so we’re compromising. Eggs, then pie.
When the waitress looks behind me to address another customer approaching the counter, I turn to find Cole standing there, his blue eyes locked on me. He’s in a t-shirt and shorts, his hair still a little rumpled from sleep.
“Coffee, please,” Cole responds to the waitress, then turns to me and smiles, “I got your note.”
He’s referring to the takeout napkin I wrote on with a Sharpie. It wasn’t the most romantic gesture but it’s what I had to work with.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
Cole nods, his hands gripping the back of the stool next to mine. “Thank you for telling me about your family last night. I know that was hard for you.”
The waitress brings a cup and pours the piping hot coffee from the pot. Cole thanks her then trains his eyes back to me. “There’s still a lot we have to talk about.”
I can still see the hurt in his eyes. I know last night didn’t erase our fight about me keeping the surrogacy from him. I swivel on my stool to face him.
Cole slides into the stool beside mine.
“Brooke, I’m sorry for the way I reacted last week. I was completely caught off guard, and that’s what bothered me the most about it. I think it’s great what you’re doing for Ellie and Josh, I just thought we were at a place where you would share something like that with me.” He pauses, running his hand through his hair. “After I thought about it, I could see why you didn’t tell me immediately, but after we had been together, shared intimate moments, I thought that we were more than just fucking around.”
“We were.” I study his handsome face, his brows drawn down in concern. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the surrogacy. I should have, I just didn’t see the point at first, then when I knew things were getting more serious,” I take a breath, “when I started falling for you, I was afraid to tell you. Because I don’t love people easily. And when I realized I loved you,” I swallow thickly, my nerves making it difficult to speak, “I wanted to hold onto that as long as I could. Not knowing if you would still want to be with me. But then I was freaking out about my feelings for you and trying to pull away so even when you said the surrogacy didn’t matter, I just couldn’t get past the idea that you might walk away, and how badly that would hurt.”
I lift my eyes from where they’ve been glued to Cole’s collarbone to find him grinning ear to ear.
“What?” I ask.
“You love me?”
“Yeah.” I smile, too, the words feeling less foreign now. “I love you.”
“Do you have any idea how happy that makes me?” Cole reaches a hand to palm my cheek. “I want you to know that I completely support you. You having your sister’s baby was never a deal breaker for me. I do want to have a family of our own someday, but there’s plenty of time for that. Brooke, I love you, too.”
Those three words, and the mention ofourown family someday make my eyes fill with tears.
