Combust (The Wellingtons #1) (22 page)

“When inserted into the nucleus, they create an intense chemical reaction so strong it resembles an orgasm,” I spout off before slapping my hand over my mouth. Did I really just say that? I have to stop listening to Reese and her innuendos.

Cohen gapes at me for a few seconds before I see his lips twitching. His shoulders begin to shake as he lets out a loud laugh and is promptly shushed by one of the only other suckers at the tutor center this early on a Saturday morning. Cohen leans forwards and beckons me to him. Placing my elbows on the table, I bring my face closer to his, stopping just a few inches away.

“While your theory on protons is interesting to say the least, that’s not exactly how it works,” he whispers conspiratorially, as if he’s letting me in on some deeply safeguarded secret.

Embarrassment floods through me and I can feel the blush forming on my cheeks. It’s a reaction I’m becoming quite used to whenever I find myself near this man. “Then I guess you have your work cut out for you where I’m concerned,” I warn him.

His green eyes dance with delight and I can see that he’s up for the challenge. “Where you’re concerned, Ruby, I have no freaking clue what I’m doing. But I have a feeling I’m going to have a damn good time figuring it out.” He holds my gaze for a few more seconds before he pulls away from me and sits back in his chair. “Now, about protons…” he begins, but it’s no use.

As I watch him, I’m all too aware that the cute, goofy Cohen Wellington truly is no longer present. At least not on the surface. No. Sitting across from me, he’s all man—chiseled features, stormy, green eyes, lips that are begging to be kissed, and a smile that could melt even the coldest of panties off the most dedicated nun. Whereas I knew him as a fun-loving eighteen-year-old, he now exudes a sexy confidence that borderlines cocky. All I can think about is the fire that sparks within me whenever he’s around. The fire he sparked once upon a time but has lain dormant for far too long. If he doesn’t hurry up and fan the flames, I’m going to combust with need. With want. And since I’ve had years to remember how good he is with his mouth, I have a feeling that he’s the only one who can satisfy me.

Even though I’ve only done casual dating, I’ve always been careful who I let into my bedroom. It was never on the first, second, or even third date. While I wasn’t looking for a relationship, I wanted to at least be able to have a decent conversation with the man in my bed. Other than Teddy and Cohen, I’ve only slept with two other guys, and it took some time before I went that far.

But now that I’m sitting across from him, all I can think about is ditching this place and taking him home, where I can explore all the things that make him the man he is today. I have no doubt that, if I let him, he’d rock my world six ways from Sunday, and if he asks, I don’t think there’s any way I’ll be able to say no. Hell, I wouldn’t want to.

I don’t know why or what it is about him, but I can’t seem to be in his presence without wanting to rip his clothes off. The first time, I blamed the tequila. Today, I have no excuse. It’s official. I’m a total wanton slut for Cohen Wellington and I have no idea what I’m going to do about it.

AS I’M trying to describe the relationship between protons, electrons, and the nucleus, I’m getting one-word answers from Andi. Glancing up from the paper in front of me, I can tell she’s completely checked out. I’m not sure she’s even heard a word I’ve said in the last five minutes. Instead, she’s focused on my lips, staring at them as if she wants to take a bite. I’m not sure if she’s aware of it, but she’s staring at me with a heated expression that causes my jeans to tighten in the crotch area. It takes everything in me not to haul her out of chair and press her up against the wall as I cover her mouth with my own. Something tells me that she wouldn’t protest, and as much as I want to, I resist. Until I figure out what the hell is going on with her and Bennett, I’m keeping my distance. Even if they have an open relationship, I’m not down with that. If I get with her, he has to be out of the picture or I’m not even entering it.

“Andi?” I ask, but either she doesn’t hear me or she’s ignoring me because her eyes don’t meet mine. Sighing, I say her name a little louder and push the papers back towards her. “Look, this obviously isn’t working.” And it’s not. There’s too much unfinished business between us, and until we talk about it, we’re just going to take turns staring as we try to drink each other in, almost as if we’re afraid that, if we don’t get our fill right now, we’ll walk out of each other’s lives again.

That gets her attention, and her eyes race to meet mine, a panicked expression crossing her face. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure you haven’t heard a single word I’ve said. If you can’t focus, you’re never going to learn this stuff.”

She sighs and gives me an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Cohen. It’s early and I haven’t had my coffee and I’m just distracted I guess. Please don’t give up on me just yet.”

It dawns on me that she thinks I meant that the
tutoring
isn’t working. Without responding, I scoot my chair back and stand up. Andi does the same, packing her things away in her book bag. I can’t help but be amused at the dejected look on her face.

I round the table and hold my hand out. “Let’s go,” I tell her.

She looks up at me with a confused expression, but she doesn’t question me. She places her hand in mine, and I revel in the feel of my hand enveloping her smaller one as I lead her through the room and out the doors, where the chilly winter air hits me. When we get to my car, I open the passenger’s side door and gesture for her to get in.

“What are we doing, Cohen?” she asks as she drops my hand.

“Just get in, Andi.” She raises an eyebrow at me and doesn’t move. “Please.”

She begins to get into the car and then stops, standing between the door and the car frame. Placing her hand on the top of the door, she gives me a scrutinizing look. “No crazy Slipknot sex masks?” she asks, her stoic expression quickly fading into a grin as she’s unable to keep a straight face.

Laughing, I lean in and give her a kiss on the nose, surprising both her and myself. “No, Andi. No crazy sex masks.” Pulling back, I move around the car and get in beside her, giving her a look. “At least not yet.”

She simply grins at me and settles into the seat as a comfortable silence fills the air. I’m probably being presumptuous, but it’s not long before I’m pulling up to my apartment.

“Your place, I’m assuming?” she asks, and I nod before exiting the car.

When we get inside, I go into the kitchen, and Andi follows me. I take her bag from her and gesture towards the dining table. Then I pull out a chair for her before I cross the kitchen to make coffee. Once I finish, I turn around and lean back against the counter.

“When I said this wasn’t working, I meant just jumping into the whole tutoring thing. Sitting there, it dawned on me that, if we’re going to be spending all this time together, I want to get to know you first. Really get to know you, beyond your musical tastes or how your brother used to torture you in high school. Hell, Andi, I don’t even know your last name.”

Her eyes soften as she rises from the chair and moves towards me. She stops right in front of me and has to look up. “Kane,” she whispers. “My last name is Kane.”

As I’m looking down at her, I bring my hand up to cup her cheek. “I guess that’s a start,” I respond. “It’s nice to officially meet you, Andi Kane. Just for the record, in case you forgot, I’m Cohen Wellington.”

She looks at me with the sweetest expression on her face. “Just for the record, Cohen Wellington, I never forgot.”

Her words cause my heartbeat to quicken, and all thoughts of that asshole Bennett fly out the window. He challenged me and it’s time I accept it. Unable to help myself, I close the distance between us and bend my head until my lips are on hers. I kiss her softly, and while the contact is light, I still can feel it deep down in my soul. This feels right. This feels like perfection. This feels unlike any kiss I’ve ever experienced. This feels like the beginning. Exactly what I’ve been waiting for.

“Cohen,” she breathes as she pulls away slightly.

I place my forehead against hers and smile softly. “I don’t know what it is about you, Andi Kane, but I can’t think straight when you’re around.”

“I feel like I’ve been waiting on that kiss all my life, but I could probably use some more convincing,” she says as she lifts her lips up towards mine. Instead of letting her kiss me, I place my hands on her hips and turn us around so she’s pressed up against the kitchen counter.

“As much as I want to throw you over my shoulder, carry you down the hall, toss you on my bed, and give you what I’ve been dreaming about ever since the first time I got a taste of you, I meant what I said, Ruby. I went about everything the wrong way last time, and I’m not going to mess things up again. I want to know you. I want to know everything I’ve missed out on since the day you walked out of my life, and I want to know I can do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen again. I don’t know what it is about you, but from the moment I laid eyes on you, I wanted you. Hell, I still want you, and I hope you feel the same. And on the off chance you do, you have to know something.”

She swallows hard and her eyes flick back and forth nervously. “What?” she asks softly.

“I don’t share. I don’t know what the hell you have going on with Bennett, but if I get my shot with you, and I know like hell I’m going to try, I don’t do open relationships. If you’re in this with me, if you’re in my arms and eventually in my bed, you’re in no one else’s.”

I know I probably sound like a cocky asshole, but her kiss turned on some switch inside me and I can’t shut the hell up. I have no reason—hell, no right—to claim any type of ownership over her. It’s just that she needs to know that she’s more than enough for me. I don’t need or want anyone else, and I want to be that for her, too.

She gazes up at me, one eyebrow cocked. I can’t read her expression, and she drives me crazy as she makes me wait for her response. “You’re awfully presumptuous, Cohen. I mean, that was one little kiss and now you’re talking about my being in your bed? What kind of girl do you think I am?”

Shaking my head, I protest. “I didn’t mean it like that. I didn’t mean that it’d happen today, tomorrow, or even next week. I guess I’m just hopeful that eventually it will happen, and if and when it does, I don’t want to share. You’re not even mine and it’s already been killing me to think of you with him. I don’t know that I could handle sharing you with him if we decide to explore this.”

The coffee maker beeps to signal that it’s ready, and she pushes me away. “I know, Cohen. I’m just messing with you. It’s obvious there’s still something between us, and unlike last time, I’m not letting you get away without exploring it. However, you’re right. There are things we need to talk about, and getting to know each other would probably be a good way to start whatever this is going to be.”

She moves to the table and sits down, patiently waiting as I pour two cups of coffee. I sit across from her when I join her at the table, knowing that, if I sit next to her, I’m going to have a hard time keeping my hands to myself.

“Okay, Andi. I’m all in. I don’t care how long this takes or how many cups of coffee I have to pour you. Let’s get to know each other.”

Silence fills the room as Andi fingers the rim of her coffee mug, and I begin to wonder if this was a bad idea. She’s not saying anything, she’s not looking at me, and I’m not sure what’s on her mind.

“Andi?” I ask.

Her eyes look up at me, and they’re filled with amusement. “Sorry. It’s just a lot of fun watching you squirm. You don’t like silence, do you?”

I shift in my chair, not surprised that she picked up on it. “Not really. That’s why I almost always have music on. But thank you, Ruby. I really appreciate you making fun of my vulnerabilities,” I tell her, causing her grin to widen.

“Okay. I’ll let you off the hook this time.” Her expression changes. “Look, Teddy told me what happened last night, and I want to tell you I really appreciate you looking out for me. You didn’t have to do that, and it was a really sweet gesture—even if Teddy didn’t exactly think so. You did kind of ruin his date.”