Chapter 16

Cole

The next two weeks pass in a blur of fucking, working, and catching some Zzzs whenever possible. I’m not sure how Haley and I bounced back into our old ways so seamlessly, but it’s been incredible. I think we’re straddling the line of making up for lost time and picking up where we left off.

Part of me has always kicked myself for not chasing her down sooner. Hell, I should have ran after her when she drove off after graduation. I should have told her I loved her from the moment I first knew. I should have done lots of things, but I don’t think I was ready for any of it back then.

I’m more than ready now.

Pulling up our text thread, I shoot her a message.

Cole: I want you again.

We fucked twice this morning before I left for work. Walking out her door was crazy hard to do—especially with how adorable she was tangled in her bedsheets with her hair a knotty mess and bare ass red with my handprints.

Haley: You’re obsessed.

She’s not wrong. This woman’s a drug, and I’m completely addicted.

Cole: Show me what I’m coming home to tonight.

Another text comes through while I wait for Haley’s reply.

Trey: You coming to Thanksgiving?

Cole: Yes.

Trey: Good. Reid’s skipping.

Damn. Our baby brother works way too much, and for him to miss a family tradition makes it so much worse. He needs to simmer down and touch grass once in a while.

Cole: Should we kidnap him?

Trey: Thinking about it.

My cell vibrates again with a series of photos coming through from Haley. Holy shhhhiiiit. First one is her sucking her middle finger, those plump pink lips of hers wrapping around the digit just like they do my cock. Blood rushes to my dick immediately. The second is of her in my hoodie, her hand up around her neck, the other tugging the hem of the hoodie down between her legs. The third is the showstopper. She’s standing above her phone, giving me the best view of her pert ass and delicious pussy.

I can barely breathe.

Haley: Your turn, Daddy.

Fuuuuuck.

Looking around to make sure no one can see into my fishbowl office, I quickly unbuckle my pants and whip out my hard-on. Angling the camera just right, I snap a photo and—

“Noah wants us in his off—shit, sorry.” Jaedyn ducks out so fast, I’m left with my dick in one hand, cell in the other, and humiliation skating up my spine. I drop my cell on the floor, yank up my pants, and try to put myself back together behind my desk. Shit, shit, shit. That was so stupid of me.

Grabbing my cell again, I quickly smash a few buttons, shove it in my pocket, and hurry the hell out of my office. I catch up with Jaedyn quickly. “It’s not what you think.”

“If you were just sending a dick pic to your girl, then it”s exactly what I think.” He looks straight ahead.

Let’s change the subject. “What do you think Noah wants to talk about?”

My cell vibrates in my pocket, and I ignore it. The last thing I need is to see what kind of sexy reply Haley sent me because my dick can’t be hard during a meeting with my fucking boss.

“Maybe it’s Christmas bonus time?”

“Yeah, maybe.” But my gut says it’s something else. “Do you think they’ve made a decision on the Marine Life building?”

“Bro, way too soon for that. I wouldn’t plan on hearing from them for a few months. I’m sure architects all over the tri-state area have submitted for consideration.”

True. And it’s not like I’m holding out to get the contract either, it’s just that I’m…

Okay, fine. I’m hopeful this will be my big break. A guy can dream, right?

My cell buzzes again.

“You gonna answer her?” Jaedyn asks, not bothering to hide his smile.

“I will after this meeting. She can wait.” My cell buzzes again.

Jaedyn side-eyes me. “She sounds like she can’t wait at all.”

I push open Noah’s door and head in first. Three others are already waiting with notepads and files in front of them. Shit, it’s a staff meeting. How the hell did I forget something like that?

And how did Jaedyn?

Noah shuffles papers on his desk, gracing us with a flick of his gaze before grabbing his coffee mug. “Have a seat, gentlemen.”

Jaedyn and I drop down in the remaining two chairs at the large table, empty-handed.

Noah strides over. “Let’s get started. Brent, where are we with the McDowells?”

“Contract’s signed and construction has started.”

“Good. Avery, what’s on your end?”

“I’m just waiting on a few approvals, but don’t expect anything until after the New Year. I also made adjustments for each of the Clyde-Smith projects. They’ve signed off on them already.”

Avery is the favorite in the company. He seems annoyed all the time, but he’s a really good goddamn architect who I think just hates people. He also reminds me of my baby brother with how he’s always working.

We take turns going around the table, reporting to Noah about shit that could have all been done through email.

My cell buzzes again. Damnit.

“Cole?”

I look across the table and lean back in my chair. “All good on my end. Just waiting on some approvals.”

“And the party plans? How are those coming along?”

“Good.” I perk up, suddenly eager to throw my girl some well-earned credit. “Haley’s secured a venue and has already taken care of everything.”

Noah’s brow arches. “It’s two weeks away, so I would hope she has, for fuck’s sake.”

I want to punch my boss in the mouth. What an arrogant piece of shit. He threw that event at me last minute, and for Haley to get it all together so fast was no small feat. The asshole should be more appreciative.

“Did she sign off on her office design?” Noah asks.

Wait. Woah. Shit. I forgot Noah knew Haley came here asking for a design. I’m not about to tell him I’ve done it for free. “She’s run into a minor hiccup with her landlord. The project’s on hold for the time being.”

If I say more, I’ll get us both in trouble.

Jaedyn shoots me a quick glare and clears his throat. “Did you happen to hear anything about that Marine Life project yet?”

Noah leans back and swivels in his chair. “As a matter of fact, I have.”

I swear, all the blood drains from my body and pools in my shoes. A visceral reaction like this speaks volumes about how much hope I’ve put into this opportunity.

“That’s fast,” Avery says, looking at me. Going by the smile on his face, he probably already knows he’s gotten the deal. He always fucking gets it. I mean, hey, good for him, but damn, I’d like a shot for once too.

Noah stands up and clasps his hands behind his back. Slowly walking around the conference table, he says, “There were fifty-two designs submitted.”

My heart drops. Well, there went my last hope. I can’t compete with that much talent. I can hardly compete with the people in my office.

“Getting this deal was a long shot,” Noah says solemnly. “And I’m really proud of each of you for submitting. You made NGC look damn good.”

Just fucking say it. Say we didn’t get it. Or say we did, and it’s all thanks to Avery.

“Apparently, it came down to three options. One from Lumineer Architects in San Diego, one from London, and the other,” he says, his gaze sailing to Avery, “from our humble office.”

My stomach drops. Avery got it. I knew he would, and I’m happy for him, but man, I put my soul into that design, and it still got me nowhere. Swallowing past the tightness in my throat, I do my best to not let this news affect me. So what if I didn’t get it? I’m used to rejection. I’ll just try harder next time.

“Congratulations,” I say, meaning it. My hands are clammy. I can’t believe this news is hitting me so hard. “You deserve it, man. You bust your ass more than anyone else here.”

“Who said it was Avery?” Noah glowers at me for a heartbeat. Two heartbeats. Five heartbeats. Then he starts to slow clap.

What the hell?

Everyone else starts clapping, too.

They’re all staring at me.

Avery’s the first to get up and hold his hand out for me to shake. “You deserve this, man. Well. Fucking. Done.”

What’s happening?

I look over at Jaedyn. He beams me a huge smile and grips my shoulder, shaking it. “You did it, man.”

My hearing gets wonky. I think I’m hallucinating.

Noah walks over and shakes my hand like he’s trying to rip it out of the socket. “Great job, Cole. This is huge for us.”

No. Huge for me.

“They didn’t even hesitate,” Noah says proudly. “From what I was told, the board took one look at your design and didn’t even bother looking at the rest. They said it was innovative, inspiring, and has a boldness that reflects the spirit of their conservation efforts.” He grins. “That’s a direct quote.”

I can’t wrap my head around it. It’s surreal.

Standing up to shake everyone’s hands, I’m floating on a cloud.

“Alright, alright, everyone. Get back to work.” Noah dismisses us so fast, my brain’s still catching up with my feet.

Jaedyn steers me out of there and to the front of the office where Tamara waits with this huge, bright smile. “Congrats, Cole!” She hugs me tight and I’m still so dumbfounded, I just hold her.

“Did everyone know about this but me?”

“Oh yeah. We got an email about it this morning saying to keep it a secret until the staff meeting. I ordered you a cake. It’s in the fridge.” Tamara presses her finger to her lips. “Shhh. I did not tell anyone else about that. It’s all for you. Coconut with white icing.”

“I love you, girl.” Giving her another hug, I notice Jaedyn eyeing me like he wants to chew my arms off for some reason.

No way. Pulling back, I narrow my gaze at Tamara, then at Jaedyn, then back to Tamara. “IWYTCAOMF?” I want you to come all over my face.

Her cheeks redden and she smacks Jaedyn’s arm. “You told him?”

His eyes grow big. “I didn’t tell him anything.”

“You’re the worst liar.” Tamara jabs her finger at me. “Don’t tell the boss.”

“I would never.” I can’t believe they’re together. Noah will have an aneurism if he finds out. Office romances are not allowed. “And Jaedyn didn’t tell me. I just helped him figure out a few of your, uhhhh, puzzles. That possessive look he just had on his face gave him away.”

“Awww.” Tamara looks up at him. “IWTSYD.”

I go ahead and decode it for him. “I want to suck your d—”

“Got it,” Jaedyn says loudly. “Thanks.”

“Happy to help.” My cell goes off in my pocket. Speaking of sucking dick, what did Haley send me?

Holy shit. Forty-seven messages. What the fuck?

Julian: I’m forever changed. Not cool bro.

Reid: I threw up in my mouth.

Michael: I’m telling mom.

Trey: Hey, if I had to see it, so did all of you. Merry early Christmas, fuckers.

Julian: I’m scarred for life.

Heart racing, I scroll through the texts in the brother group chat. Then I open the one that’s just from Trey.

Trey: WHAT THE FUCK! I need to bleach my eyes out now. Thx.

I’m so fucking confused. I have to read it twice and slow down to figure out what’s just happened.

Oh. Shit.

I sent the fucking dick pic to Trey, not Haley. And that asshole sent it to the group chat for all my brothers.

I hate him.

Cole: *middle finger emoji*

To the group chat I text: Hey, don’t be jealous mine’s the biggest.

Trey: It’s not. Trust me.

Michael: Ur so precious, bro.

Julian: Aww wittle baby.

Reid: Mine will make a woman skip her next life.

Trey: Yeah, but you gotta break away from your work to find a woman first, bro.

Julian: Amen. And why the fuck aren’t you coming to Thanksgiving, Reid?

The chat blows up, the new target being Reid, and I close out of it.

Haley’s is the only one left, and it’s a picture of her pouting at me.

Haley: You’re no fun. I wanted a dick pic, and you left me on read. That’s gonna cost you.

I close out of it and tuck my cell back in my pocket. She can make me pay however she wants to. This day is just getting better and better.

“Are you taking off for the rest of the day?” Tamara asks.

“Hell yeah.” Hooking my arms around her and Jaedyn, I steer them towards the kitchen. “But first, let’s go eat cake.”