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Chapter Eight
Zoe
This feeling of freedom is one I’ve never felt in my entire life. For the first time I can truly breathe and relax. I don’t have to worry about anyone taking Zander from me. I don’t have to worry about working myself to the bone to afford rent. Cole is our lifesaver and I’m so damn happy and proud that I stopped letting Mom’s past relationships dictate how I should navigate my own. I’ll never totally depend on anyone, but having such strong support is invaluable and I can finally admit that I don’t know if I could've done all of this without Cole, and that only makes me fall for him harder.
Not just my body, but my heart.
I’ve tried to separate the two. Tried to look at our dynamic from a logical standpoint. We work well together and have a lot of sexual chemistry, but that didn’t mean Cole was genuinely in love with me. I keep telling myself that I can be okay if we cross that physical line but keep our emotional connection in the friendship category in case Cole ever does find someone special. But telling myself that becomes increasingly harder with each passing day because my heart simply won’t accept it even if my mind has.
When we reach Forester Ranch, Zander barely says goodbye as he rushes off to play with Sunny and Everly again.
We talk with everyone for a while, but soon Cole’s pulling me away to give me a private tour of the ranch.
First Cole points out the spots he and his cousins used to play as kids, including the treehouse where Heath and Dixie met. He tells me I’ll get to meet them when they’re back from their honeymoon. Heath and all the cousins rebuilt Dixie’s grandmother’s house as a surprise wedding present so they’re spending their honeymoon there. Foresters sure know how to treat women.
Then he shows me where everything will be set up for the concert and I can’t help but feel excited. Cole is literally making my dream come true. Arrangement or not, how did I get so lucky?
Cole points out how close the booths will be to the stage so I’ll get a prime view of the concert while I work, as if I needed more incentive to do this. I practically start squealing like a damn pig when he tells me that Ash and Kai were able to get me backstage passes to meet the twins after the concert.
As we figure out more of the logistics, Cole asks for my input about how to build and decorate the vendor booth, and we make plans for what equipment we’ll need for me to be able to cook. We’ll need at least a grill and some portable burners.
My mind’s already going a mile a minute coming up with different menu ideas. I’ll have to serve food that people can easily walk around with. If I prepare shish kabobs before the concert and let them marinade in the fridge with whiskey-infused barbecue sauce overnight, I would only need to grill them for a few minutes before they’re ready. I could have different options—angus beef with grilled potatoes; honeyed Hawaiian-style chicken with pineapple and bell peppers; Thai chicken satay; bacon-wrapped brussel sprouts; a meatless grilled veggie option; and some refreshing fruit skewers.
Oooh—and I could have grilled cheese sandwiches, mac-and-cheese bowls, cheesy fries.
For dessert options I could make cake pops, and churros. With halloween coming up, I could make pumpkin bread, cookies, maybe muffins... We could have seasonal drinks, or would that be too much? Maybe I could give some ideas to the local coffee shop and they could set their booth up next to mine.
Should I be writing all this down? I feel like I should be writing this down. Maybe I can get Cole to make some notes on his phone for me. I’m so lost in thought about the menu that I don’t realize how long we’ve been walking around the ranch. I can tell I’ve been going on about food for a while by the amused look on Cole’s face.
By now the sun is starting to set and the sky’s hazy pink twilight glow only adds to the romantic mood, as does the melody of a nearby creek. I wonder if Cole will touch me again like he did this morning. We haven’t spoken about it, but I feel like the sexual tension is still hanging heavily between us.
Cole must have the same idea because when we get to a secluded area, he lays down the thick picnic blanket he’d been carrying on a soft patch of grass.
The surrounding trees act as our shield from the rest of the world, not that it exists right now. It’s just me and Cole.
He pulls me down onto his lap, one hand cupping my cheek and the other circling my waist. He’s gazing into my eyes so lovingly that I let myself get caught in the moment and believe this is real.
We can just pretend.
Because if this is the only chance I ever get, I want to enjoy every minute of it.
As Cole breathes in against my neck—I think he’s inhaling my scent—I’m reminded of this morning and how good it felt to be snuggled in his arms. To have him hold my body like he owned it because in that moment when he made me come, he did.
My breathing gets heavier too, syncing with his. God, he smells so good. His musky, earthy scent with a hint of citrus wraps around my brain and drives me wild. He’s so big, radiating enough heat to warm us both. I swear I could crawl inside his flannel and live there forever.
I slide my hands under the fabric, desperate to feel his skin on mine. Desperate to trace those tattoos that span the width of his shoulders.
Cole growls in my ear and the gravelly sound triggers something docile inside me as I start kissing his neck and damn near purring. His fingers dig into my waist, pulling me closer and grinding me against his erection. The delicious friction it creates, makes my hips move on their own. Slowly at first.
Encouraged, his cock grows even harder and I squirm, desperate to get it between my folds and pressed against my clit despite all the layers between us.
His voice is raspy, strained when he says, “Tell me you want this Zoe. Tell me you want me as badly as I want you.”
He sounds almost desperate, but he holds me still against him as he waits for me to respond. I whimper and try to grind against him anyway, too shy to say anything. Earlier in bed, we both were clouded with sleep, but out here in nature with the birds chirping above us and the wind gently blowing through my hair, there’s no pretense that this isn’t totally real.
But my attempts at continuing my ride are halted by Cole’s iron-clad grip. I can’t move unless he lets me. Lets me... Why is that so hot?
