Anything but Love (7 page)

Kendall knew she should pull away from those kisses, but they only melted her resolve that much faster. As much as she knew she shouldn’t indulge in them, she couldn’t resist. After her confession she was weak with desire, and with that she gave in to the one man who had a hold on her heart. Her arms encircled his neck, bringing him closer to her body in total surrender.

Cole pulled her onto his lap.

“Cole, what do you think you’re doing?” Kendall finally came out of her passion-dazed trance and realized she was kissing the one man she vowed she wouldn’t lay her lips on again.

“I’m trying to make you feel good. Is it working?” He kissed her gently before taking her bottom lip between his lips and sucking.

Kendall couldn’t really answer his question and she didn’t want to. She wanted Cole with all her heart. She’d worry about the consequences of this reckless act tomorrow. Besides, what could actually happen?

A lot, she realized. His large hands crept up to her breasts and began massaging them gently in the rhythm of their kiss. She gasped at the delicious sensations he was creating.

“Kendall?”

She heard him call her name, but it sounded distant. His hands traveled all over her body and left a trail of hot fire as they headed straight for the exact spot. Kendall knew she was in trouble when she felt his hands hovering around ground zero. He patted her leg and she opened her eyes.

“Up.”

She was confused.

“Let’s go upstairs. To do that, you’re going to have to get up, so we can both go.” He smiled at her.

She felt as if Cole had sucked out some of her brain cells when he kissed her. She didn’t understand what the gorgeous man was talking about. As she gazed into those hazel eyes, the fog finally cleared. He wanted her to get up. “Oh.”

He kissed her. “Oh.”

The feeling was like an electric jolt to her system. She stood and waited for him to do the same. “I trust you have something for this little event.”

He kissed her again. “Yes, I do.”

She gazed into the eyes of the man she’d once thought hung the moon. “I don’t think you asked me properly.”

He laughed, his hands caressing her behind. “Okay, Kendall. Would you like to continue this conversation upstairs?”

“That will be fine, Cole.” Although she tried to put on her most stern face, a giggle escaped. Giving in to the moment, she extended her hand and helped him up. His erection was very noticeable.

Cole followed her gaze. “Yeah, you know that’s your fault. And now you must pay.” He took her hand and led her up the spiral staircase to his bedroom.

The large room was nothing like what she imagined a multimillionaire writer would have. It was comfortable looking rather than fancy. He had a California king-sized bed with a bright red comforter on it. Everything in the room was large and tasteful. Very Cole.

“Now that I have you in my lair, you’re all mine, Doctor.” He led her to the bed and motioned for her to sit down.

If she had misgivings about the course of the evening, now would be the time for her to speak up. But for the life of her Kendall couldn’t think; she could only feel. And she wanted to feel this man all over her body.

She watched Cole take off his jacket and sit next to her on the bed. “Kendall, I know tonight has been emotionally draining on you and I’m trying not to take advantage of a situation, but if you don’t stop smiling at me like that, I’m going to forget all my Southern manners.”

Was she actually smiling at him? “Maybe I just like what I see.” If she could keep this light, she wouldn’t get hurt. But she knew it was already too late for that.

“Would you like to see more?”

She shook her head. Or at least that was what she thought she did. Her brain wasn’t cooperating. Cole continued to undress. Soon he was standing in front of her in nothing but a pair of black silk boxers and a smile.

Kendall stood to remove her dress, but Cole stopped her. “Baby, let me do that. It will be like unwrapping a Christmas present.”

Excitement coursed through her veins like lightning. She stood before him, waiting for him to undress her. He took his time, unzipping her dress slowly and kissing the area of skin it exposed.

Kendall thought she’d go crazy if he didn’t get a move on. She wiggled her hips as he slid the dress off her body, trying to give him a hint. “Sorry, Kendall, I want to savor this moment forever. By the time we’re done, we’re both going to be crazy.”

She was already there. Her legs refused to hold her upright any longer. Kendall stepped out of her dress, then sat down again on the bed. Cole kneeled between her shaky legs and pushed the stilettos off her feet.

“I told you I’d do that.” Cole smiled up at her. “Now you must pay the price for disobedience.” He pulled her pantyhose down and threw them across the room. He kissed her inner thighs. She reclined on the bed and closed her eyes. Hopefully, she could stay conscious.

She shot up with a start. “Cole, what are you doing?” She knew exactly what he was doing and it felt wonderful. But she had to get some kind of control. She wasn’t used to not being in control.

He curled a finger under the waistband of her lacy pink thong and pulled it down her legs. Kendall held her breath as she watched him. He was watching her intently, asking a silent question. Kendall nodded. Cole dipped his head and tasted the apex of her womanhood. And that was when Kendall lost it.

CHAPTER 7

“Cole!” She tried to wiggle away from his ravenous tongue. He tasted her as no man ever had in her life. Cole held her hips in place and continued his mission to drive her out of her mind. She slammed her eyes shut as stars exploded in her mind as she climaxed.

He moved next to her after her body quieted. He held her in his arms and kissed her neck. She felt him move away from her; then he was back unsnapping her bra. She heard it hit the floor. Kendall forgot to breathe when he started caressing her breasts. He dropped kisses between her shoulder blades, then moved to her lips.

She wanted to say something sharp, but the feeling was too intense for her to do much more than moan. He kissed her hard as he entered her body in one strong push. The only thing Kendall was able to do was hang on for the ride.

Cole was trying to hold back. He wanted to enjoy the woman beneath him, but she held him in a grip that defied description. He didn’t want to let go, even if he could.

Kendall looked beautiful with her dark-chocolate skin stark against his white satin pillows. Her eyes were closed, and she was smiling! That was something he didn’t see her do very often. He was very glad he was the reason.

He felt sensations storming through his body with a vengeance. He increased his tempo as her moans became louder and deeper. She wrapped her legs around him, attempting to get even closer. Then he felt it. Her inner walls were milking him for all he had, and that was when he lost it. They exploded in concert.

Minutes later, Cole, exhausted and spent, separated himself from her and lay beside her. They were both panting. Sweat drenched their bodies and neither could say a word. When he got his bearings, he turned to her, kissed her deeply, wrapped his arms around her, and fell asleep.

A few hours later, a powerful sensation awoke him. Kendall’s hands were traveling in her sleep, the one time she couldn’t hide her feelings. Her slender hands roamed his body, gliding over his flat stomach and heading straight for the great beyond. She wrapped her hands around him and gently began stroking him.

Cole was rock hard in seconds. He removed her hand before she did some real damage to him, like making him climax. Reaching for a condom, he kissed her awake and pulled her on top of him.

Kendall’s eyes snapped open as their lips parted. She noticed their new position and smiled. He’d expected an argument about not asking, but she leaned down and kissed him. “You must have been reading my mind.” She took the condom out of his hand and ripped the package opened with her teeth. “I think it’s my turn to pleasure you.”

Cole watched in amazement as Kendall slid the condom on his very erect manhood. It was torture because she was doing it in slow motion, but it was a turn-on. After she was finished, she stared at him, waiting.

Cole, dazed, pulled her astride his more-than-ready body and impaled her. Kendall gasped and held on for the ride, bestowing kisses all over his face as Cole took over the pleasuring.

* * *

Sunday morning, Kendall’s eyes slowly drifted open. She attempted to turn over on her back, but found her body was too tired to cooperate. After the third try she gave up, realizing she was also tangled in Cole’s satin sheets.

Sleeping with Cole! What was she thinking? She knew exactly what she was thinking, and was glad this time she’d listened to her instincts rather than her head. Cole was an excellent lover, she mused, mentally counting the amount of times he had made her climax during the night and the early-morning hours.

“Hey, I didn’t know if you were ever going to wake up this morning,” Cole said, walking into the bedroom with a tray of food. The antique tray was loaded with an assortment of food. Pancakes and bacon she avoided like the plague, because she couldn’t eat one without the other, but the eggs she could deal with.

The aroma of gourmet coffee filled the room. If her nose was working correctly, it was hazelnut créme. Coffee would help her tired body wake up. Kendall moaned and tried to turn herself over again but failed. She heard the clatter of the silver tray as he set it on the nightstand beside the bed. “Here, I’ll help you.”

Before she could object and refuse his help, Cole simply picked her up, sheet and all, and turned her over on her back, then helped her to a sitting position. She hated being needy.

“Thank you.”

He sat on the bed facing her. “I bet that hurt, having to say thank you.”

Kendall felt his stare at her cleavage as the sheet slid down her body. She tugged the sheet up to conceal her nakedness. “Thank you, Cole. I’m not used to being on the other end, that’s all.”

He was dressed in a T-shirt and shorts and looked very refreshed, if not energized. He shrugged his broad shoulders and reached for the tray. “I know. I probably should be thanking you, anyway. Last night was beyond description.” He placed the tray on her lap. “Come on, eat up and we can talk about an instant replay later.”

Kendall gasped. Her body wouldn’t be ready for an instant replay for many, many weeks. “Cole, there’s no way you’re getting a replay. It was a slip in judgment.” Against her vegetarian lifestyle choice, she reached for the plate of pancakes and bacon.

Cole reached for a plate as well. “The first time, I could see,” he chuckled. “But care to explain the other time?”

“I did not have sex with you twice in one night.” She’d lost track of how many times she actually climaxed. “How I could have climaxed that many times and still want…” She let the sentence taper off into nothing.

“More,” Cole finished. He popped a piece of bacon in his mouth. “I don’t know why you’re trying to fight it.”

She cut up her pancakes, ignoring Cole’s comments. Initially she’d had such a good plan to ignore him and show him what he’d missed. Now somehow that plan had gotten shot straight to hell. She took a bite of the pancakes and moaned. They were so light and airy that they melted on her tongue.

“I take it you like my cooking,” Cole said.

She opened her mouth to object, but Cole was much too fast for her. He popped a slice of bacon in her mouth. She had no choice but to eat it. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings; not after such great sex, anyway.

* * *

A few hours later, Cole thought he had indeed lost his mind. Having sex with Kendall had opened up a whole new can of worms he wasn’t quite ready to confront. There was his best friend Charlie to consider, who just happened to be Kendall’s older brother. There was Kendall to consider: She definitely didn’t want a relationship with him, not that he’d ask. And finally there was himself to consider. At that moment in time, he had too many items on his plate to have anything more than an occasional bed partner.

But as he looked at her sleeping form lying next to him, he decided none of those items really mattered anymore. After breakfast, the two people most likely not to engage in sexual intercourse had done so for round two. It was as if they hadn’t had sex the night before. Was he crazy?

She shifted against him, her naked form waking up his body in the most insane way possible. Cole groaned as he looked at the clock. It was almost two in the afternoon and they were still in bed. He snuggled closer to Kendall and kissed her neck. He ran his hand under the sheet and caressed her flat stomach. She turned to him, her beautiful eyes closed, and whispered, “I love you.”

Cole knew she was just lost in the moment. Surely she couldn’t have uttered the three words he wanted to hear so desperately. “Right back at you,” is what he should have said, but he let those words die on his tongue as he kissed her neck.

* * *

Later that evening in the privacy of her own home, Kendall could reflect on the last twenty-four hours of her life. First she and Cole had had sex. Second, in a moment of sexual euphoria, she had told the one person she loved that she actually loved him! Thank goodness he had been asleep and hadn’t heard her.

She’d just pretend that it hadn’t happened. Hopefully, it would be a few days before she’d have to face him again. It would definitely take her body that long to recuperate from their little sexual marathon.

But “little” in no way described Coltrane Highpoint. He was definitely all man and built to scale. She was just about to order her dinner when the doorbell rang. “It’s probably just Charlie returning Jordan,” she told herself as she walked to the front door.

She opened the door expecting to see her older brother and her dog, but Cole stood in her doorway with a dozen roses in his hand. He was dressed in Bermuda shorts, a polo shirt, and sandals. As a rule, she wasn’t crazy about a man in sandals, but Cole had nice feet to go with the rest of his nice body. She was in so much trouble.

“C-cole, what brings you by?” She ushered him inside, hugging the door so that their bodies didn’t have the chance to brush in the hot Texas evening air.

But Cole had other ideas. “I thought we’d have dinner.” He kissed her soundly on the mouth and entered the house.

Kendall’s knees buckled at the emotions this man stirred in her exhausted body. Somehow she got strength enough to stand up straight and close the door.

Cole walked to the living room and sat on her couch.

Kendall stared at him. Didn’t this man just come to her house unannounced, not even apologizing for interrupting her evening? “Cole, what are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about going to dinner. You know, a meal out, in a restaurant.”

Kendall shook her head. “No, Charlie is bringing Jordan home later. So I guess you’ll be eating alone.”

He stood and walked to her. “You might as well get used to seeing me here, Kendall. We can have something delivered.”

Having this man in her house was going to be trouble. But memories from the night before and earlier that morning marred her sense of judgment. “What do you mean exactly?” She tried to stall, but knew it was useless.

He led her by the hand to the sofa. In a move she wasn’t quite expecting, he sat down and pulled her onto his lap and kissed her soundly on the mouth. “What I mean, Kendall, is that we’re going to have dinner and talk about what’s happening between us.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it when she glanced at those piercing eyes that dared her not to. Why was she fighting him? She might as well go with the flow. “Okay, Cole. You can order dinner.”

He smiled in triumph and kissed her. “I’ll order it later. Right now I think we have other pressing issues to discuss.” He kissed her again.

She wanted to say they had already had this particular discussion enough times in the last twelve hours and didn’t need to have another one. That was what she wanted to say, but the sensation of being savored robbed her of thought. The only thing she was really concerned about was that Cole never stopped kissing her.

“Well, I guess this is the reason your front door was unlocked,” a very amused male voice said.

Kendall knew that voice. And that voice meant trouble with a capital T.

* * *

Cole knew that voice. He moved Kendall out of his lap, his first mistake. She was at least hiding his erection for the moment. But the sight of his best friend catching him with Kendall ended that problem for him.

Cole couldn’t read Charlie’s expression. He stood looming over them as they struggled to get themselves in order. Jordan ran to Kendall and she picked him up, hugging him fiercely. Cole knew it was time to face the music.

“Charlie, I can explain,” Cole said as he rose.

Charlie crossed his arms across his chest. “Oh, I’m sure about that. Kendall, that picky mutt of yours didn’t like the food I bought, so I know he’s probably starving. You might want to feed him.”

Kendall looked from Cole to Charlie, seeing the charade for what it was. Charlie wanted to talk to Cole alone. “Sure, I’ll be in the kitchen.” She whistled for Jordan and they both scurried out of the line of fire.

Charlie sat down on the couch, clasped his hands together in his lap, and then looked at Cole with a ridiculous smile on his dark brown face. “Sit down, man. It’s not that serious.” Charlie chuckled. “I’m just surprised. I mean, I didn’t know you guys even remembered each other until Mom told me about the donation. Then I knew. Even with all your cheese I know a person just doesn’t donate a million dollars without an ulterior motive. But whatever the reason, Kendall’s hospital benefits, so it’s all good.”

Cole relaxed, plopped down on the couch, and laughed. “You had me, Charlie. I thought you were going to kick my ass.” Maybe this would be easier than he thought.

“Not yet. Not until I hear the whole story. Kendall’s on my bad list, too, since she didn’t enlighten anyone, either. So how long have you two been involved?”

“Why would you think we’re involved?” Cole hedged. “I mean, we were just kissing.”

“I also know my sister. For you to get that far, I know that you’re involved, and most likely against her wishes.”

He definitely knew his sister. “Yep, on all counts. You could have warned me, you know.” Cole didn’t mean that. Getting there had been half the fun.