Edible (21 page)

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Cole Madison.” Rachel leaned back against her couch and played with her skirt.

She had closed the store at four and made her way home, wondering when she would next hear from him. When his number had flashed on her phone’s screen, she had felt her stomach jump and her thighs squeeze together at the thought of talking to him again.

“So, it would seem,” he confirmed.

His low voice sent a delicious thrill of anticipation through her.

“And what can I do for you this afternoon?” she teased, tongue-in-cheek.

“I’d like to see you again. I thought I should let you know.”

Rachel had to stop the small giggle that threatened to bubble out of her throat.
Is he ever anything other than formal?
The only time she could recall was when he had removed his clothes, and even then, he had exuded an air of formality, or maybe that was just his authoritative manner.

“Oh? Well, you were so unclear about it all last night, and this morning, I wasn’t really sure,” she replied sarcastically.

“Rachel?” he questioned in a cautionary tone.

And didn’t that just push her buttons. “Yes, Cole?”

“Meet me at six thirty, and I will make sure I am very clear with what I want from you.”

Rachel tried not to envision all the scenarios as she quickly asked, “At your place?”

“Yes. And Rachel?”

Swallowing slowly, she managed to respond, “Yes?”

Silence greeted her from the other end, and just when she thought she would scream in frustration, his voice came across the phone with a seductive warning.

“Don’t be late.”

Six thirty in the evening, and I’m right on time,
Rachel thought as she pulled open the door to the lobby of Cole’s condo. As she made her way across the dark marble floor, she took a moment to take in her surroundings.
It really is an impressive space.

A large fireplace and several couches were to the left of her, and in the center of the room was the security desk. Sitting there, a short bald man smiled at her in greeting as she walked toward him.

“You new to the building, miss?”

Rachel shook her head, her hair brushing against her shoulders now that she had removed her coat. “Oh no, I wish. I’m Rachel Langley, and I’m here to see Mr. Madison.”

The little man looked down at a list he had in front of him and then smiled back at her.

“Oh, yes. He called down a little bit earlier and told me to let you up.”

“Thank you. This place is lovely. So cozy.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, looking around. “It’s not too shabby, is it?”

Rachel let out a small laugh. “No, not at all. It’s beautiful. That fireplace is amazing. I could sit by it all day with a good book.”

“Well, you are welcome to come and sit by it anytime you like, miss.”

Rachel grinned back, enjoying the man’s jovial nature. She made her way over to the nearby elevators and reached out to press the button to head up to Cole’s condo. As an elevator arrived, she turned back to the security guard. “Well, that’s my ride. See you later—”

“Ed, miss. The name is Ed.”

Rachel took a step into the elevator and turned around to face him. Pressing number twenty-six, she waved. “Have a good night, Ed,” she called out before the doors swooshed shut.

As the elevator made the climb toward her fate, Rachel smoothed her hands down her black-and-white skirt. Suddenly experiencing an attack of nerves, she took a deep breath as she tightened the black satin bow at the side of her waist
.

When she reached her destination, she stepped out into the hall and made her way down to the left. When she arrived at Cole’s place, she noticed a folded piece of paper taped to the door. Across the front of it, her name was printed.

Ripping the note off the door, she decided that if he’d stood her up, she was going to break into his condo and cut up all his ties. She opened the note and frowned as she read it:
Level 28.

Heading back to the elevators, she refolded the paper. She waited for an elevator to open and then stepped inside. Looking at the panel, she hit the button for the twenty-eighth floor. As it ascended, her nerves slowly crept up again
. Where the hell is he?
And what is on floor twenty-eight?
Trying not to let her imagination get the best of her, she held her breath until the doors opened.

As she stepped out onto the floor, the first thing she was hit with was the smell of chlorine. She spotted a single plastic chair and draped her coat across it before turning to look at the full-length pool in front of her. Taking a hesitant step forward in her silver-buckled black Mary Janes, she looked down to the white concrete floor where she was now standing.

Glancing around, she found the space was completely empty, and then she heard a splash in the water. Moving her eyes back to the pool in front of her, she watched as a man powered with perfect form through the water toward her. His arms sliced through the surface with absolute precision on each stroke, and as he glided closer to her, Rachel could do nothing but stare. She knew she was looking at Cole, but she just didn’t know if her heart could handle what she was seeing.

When he reached the end of the pool, he came to a stop and gripped the edge. Taking a deep breath, he reached up his right hand to remove the black goggles protecting his eyes. After tossing them aside, he ran his hand through his hair, making it stick up in wet spikes all over his head. Blinking a couple of times, he finally looked up to see her standing there.

She hadn’t moved an inch as she remained frozen, staring at him as he caught his breath. She was about to question her own sanity for not going toward…
well, all of that
. Then, he placed both palms on the edge of the pool and hauled himself up and over the edge.

Oh, thank you God for giving me this moment,
Rachel thought, sending up the quick prayer. Her eyes went crazy as she tried to take in every inch of wet skin Cole had just put on display, and there was a whole lot of damn skin.

While his body came into view, the water slid over his strong muscular arms, ran down his powerful chest and rippling abs, and finally, dripped from his tight black swim shorts, sitting extremely low on his hips. As if that sight alone wasn’t hard enough to comprehend, throw in his hard nipples that were adorned with silver bars and tattoos that were screaming for her to trace with her tongue, and she was surprised she hadn’t started to drool.

When his eyes locked with hers, he took a step toward her, and Rachel decided there was no way she was going anywhere. She wanted a piece of that, and she wanted it now.

As Cole walked over to Rachel, his eyes took her in. She looked like a sexy pinup girl who had strolled directly out of the 1950s. Her hairstyle was parted off to the right and swept softly to the side where curls framed her face perfectly. Her red highlights interspersed throughout kept the style modern. Her dress was black with white musical notes all over it, and a black silk bow wrapped around her waist where the skirt kicked out. She was the very image of the women who had been plastered all over the magazines back in that era.

Cole felt his cock stiffen, and he didn’t care one bit that he was pretty much
all
on display. He raised a hand and ran it through his hair again, trying to get himself under control. He really wanted under her skirt.

When he stopped in front of her, he looked down into guileless eyes as she stared up at him.

“Hello, Rachel. I see you got my note.”

Her lips parted but nothing came out.

That’s just fine with me
, Cole thought. He wrapped a wet arm around her waist and pulled her in tight against him. Pressing his body flush against hers, he lowered his head. “You don’t mind if I get you a little…wet, do you?”

She gripped his biceps hard as she shook her head without saying a word.

“Good because I
need
you wet for what I have in mind.”

Lowering his head, he pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, and when she parted her lips, he ran his tongue along her bottom one, teasing her. As her nails bit into his arms, he sucked on her lip and then released it. Finally, he slid his tongue deep inside to rub against hers. As she sighed against his mouth, her eyes closed, and he felt her right palm slide down his arm until it gently landed on his waist.

Angling his head to the side, he closed his eyes and deepened the kiss. He groaned when he felt her tongue chase his back into his mouth. He loved this aggressive side of her that simmered under the surface. As she pushed closer against him, he felt that sneaky right hand of hers smooth around his back to the top of his black swim shorts.

Lifting his mouth from hers, he opened his eyes. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Silently, she curled her nails into the top of the elastic and dragged it down until his left ass cheek was bare. She scraped her nails up and over his cool flesh before grabbing him tightly, pulling him as close as she could against herself.

Clenching his jaw, Cole brought up his left palm to her covered breast where he cupped her and squeezed, pushing it up, as he pressed his cock in closer to her. He could feel her breathing coming quicker as she remained completely focused on him. One set of her nails dug into his arm while the other set gripped his ass.

“I want to see,” she finally said.

Cole rubbed her breast through the material again as his other arm held her immobile. “You want to see what?”

Blue eyes zeroed in on his mouth as Rachel told him fearlessly, “I want to see your
other
piercing. I want to see what is mine for the week.”

Rachel was losing her mind if she thought she was the one making demands.
But damn, his ass is hard as a rock
, she thought as she gave it another squeeze while she waited for his answer.

His expression right now could only be described as ravenous. He released her and took a step back, watching her intently. Rachel was just about to give up, thinking she would be denied.

Then, he sensuously instructed, “Take off my swim shorts.”

Caught up in the sexual energy swirling around them, she took a step forward, and without thinking, she reached out to slip her fingers into the elastic. That was when his hands came out and gripped her wrists. Looking up at him with questioning eyes, she was about to ask what the problem was.

“On your knees,” he added.

Feeling thrilled at the order, she lowered herself in front of him, and when she was eye-level with his impressive hard-on, she stroked her finger over the wet material. Making sure she was allowed to do that, she raised her eyes to his, and she almost lost her train of thought from the view above her.

Cole had placed his palms behind his head, and she now had a completely unobstructed view of the tattoo covering his right ribs. It looked like the side profile of a silhouette. Inching upward, her gaze drifted over to the tufts of hair under his arm, which were slightly darker than the hair on his head, and then the writing on each of his arms drew her attention again.

The man is so fucking hot I’m surprised steam isn’t coming off him.