Chapter 17

Haley

It’s only three o’clock, which means I’ve got probably four more hours before Cole comes home. Just enough time for a nap. This laggy, icky feeling has been creeping in all day. I’ve been working nonstop lately, so this might be my body telling me to slow down.

Dragging my ass to bed, I climb in and crash.

An hour later, I’m stiff and groggy. My nose is a little stuffy, too. Damnit. Pulling the covers over my head, sleep takes me again.

When I wake up a second time, it’s to the sound of someone knocking on my door.

Cole. I need to get him a key to my place.

Climbing out of bed, I don’t bother fixing my hair or putting on pants. Shuffling to the door, I open it and smile. “Hi.”

His face falls. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I yawn. “I just woke up.”

He presses the back of his hand to my forehead. “You feel warm.”

“Probably because I was under three heavy blankets.” I gently knock his arm down. “I’m good. I feel a lot better now that I slept.”

He doesn’t buy my lie. “You’re sick.” Coming inside, he looks around and sees that I’ve been busy all day. “You’ve run yourself into the ground, Hales.”

No, I haven’t. It’s nothing for me to pull a seventy-hour work week.

“Come on.” He scoops me up. “You’re getting back into bed.”

“I’m fine. Seriously, I feel way better now that I’ve caught up on my sleep.”

Cole looks guilty, as if it’s all his fault I haven’t rested much lately.

“Chill.” I wrap my arms around his neck. “And put me down.”

He growls even as he obeys.

“Now,” I say, craning my neck to look up at him. “What are you doing home so early?”

A low, heavy sigh leaves him. “I’ll feel like a shithead for saying.”

“Say it anyway.”

Cole runs a hand through his hair. “I had a great day today. One of the best days ever. And I was gonna cash in on my free-use reward.” He holds his hand out. “But I’m not doing that if you’re feeling sick. I want you rested and healthy.”

“Back up.” I cross my arms. “What made this the best day ever?”

He looks like he’s not comfortable telling me.

What the hell?

“It can wait. I’d rather you—”

“I’m fine.” Time to switch tactics. Walking my fingers up his chest, I unbutton his shirt and run my hands all over him. “Tell me about your day, Daddy.” Leaning in, I lick one of his nipples and bite it just enough to make him hiss.

“Fuuuck,” he whispers. When he looks down at me, his gaze is darker. “I’m trying to be a good guy here and take care of you.”

“So, take care of me.” I unbuckle his belt.

Cole snags my hands before I can free his cock. “I’m putting you to bed.”

Oh goodie.

When he picks me up again, I imagine how good he’s going to rail me tonight. “Tell me your good news.”

“Later.” Placing me gently on the bed, Cole frowns when he touches my head again. “Shit, Hales. You’re burning up.”

“It’s because I’ve been hot and bothered all day, waiting for your reply.”

His chuckle is half-hearted. “Stay,” he says, before leaving my bedroom. He comes back a few minutes later with a mug of tea and a plate of sliced onions.

Eww.

“Uhhh.” I give him the side-eye. “What’s that for?”

“Your feet.” He sets the dish on the side table. “Where do you keep your socks?”

“I’m not putting onions on my feet. That’s gross.”

“You will do what you’re told, Angel.” He finds my sock drawer and pulls out a pair. “Drink your tea.”

Pouting, I cross my arms, ignoring how crappy I feel. “Tell me your good news first.”

Cole’s expression warms. Sitting on the side of the bed, he rests my feet on his lap and massages them. “I worked on a design concept for a new building. It’s a Marine Life conservation center. They’ll save turtles, coral, and other sea life around Banner Bay.”

“That’s amazing.”

He shakes his head, ducking to hide his pride. Cole never brags about his accomplishments. Not even when he had the highest points scored senior year. His humbleness is adorable. “All my concepts are unconventional. It’s held me back.” His gaze lifts and deadlocks on mine. “Until today.”

My heart stumbles to a stop. “You got it?”

The smile on his face is so huge, it blows me over. “They took one look at my concept and chose me without even looking at the others.”

“That’s amazing!” Excitement surges through me, and I bolt forward to wrap my arms around him. “I’m so proud of you.”

He squeezes me back. “Thanks.”

“This is huge. We have to celebrate.” I’ve definitely gotten a second wind. To hell with this cold trying to whoop me. “Let’s go somewhere.”

“Whoa, whoa, not tonight, Angel.” He presses my chest, forcing me to lie back down. “We’ll go out once you’re feeling better.”

“I feel great.”

“Well, your cheeks are flushed, and your eyes are a little glassy.”

“It’s my love for you shining out of my face.”

He cracks a loud laugh. “I appreciate that, but you’re not going anywhere tonight.”

“It’s a cold, Cole. Not the plague.”

“Well, let’s ensure it doesn’t turn into something worse.” He grabs my foot and starts massaging again. “You’re going to listen and do what you’re told, or those nine free-use days I got? I’ll never use them.”

My mouth drops. “You’re a cruel, cruel man.”

“Cold-hearted to the core,” he confirms, rubbing my feet harder. “You should trade me in for someone nicer.”

“I’m considering it.” Leaning back on my pillows, I sigh. His hands are so big and warm. This foot massage feels incredible. “I’m really proud of you, Cole. You deserve all the good things in life.”

He keeps his head down. “So do you.”

That hits a little harder than it should. Cole means what he says. And maybe my parents did too, but my man says it from a place of love, while my mom and dad said those same words from a place of jealousy. I stuff the ugly memories back in their box where they belong. I’m never letting the shadows of my past darken any part of my bright future with Cole.

“You’ve been working too hard, Angel. I know you want to build your business, but you better slow down.”

He’s right. I’m being impatient, as usual, and busting my ass double time to advertise and network as much as I can. Between hustling at work and spending every spare second I can with Cole, I’m exhausted.

Wouldn’t change it for the world, though.

“Everything’s set for your party. You’re going to love it.”

“I know I will.” He gestures at the mug on the table. “Drink that.”

Grabbing the steamy mug, I try to smell what kind of tea it is. Fumes hit my sinuses and I cough. “What is this?”

“Hot toddy.” He takes a disk of sliced onion and… is that plastic wrap? “Hold still.” Cole gently places the onion against the sole of my foot and wraps it in saran wrap.

I don’t think this onion thing is going to do much more than make my feet smell terrible, but this hot toddy is amazing.

And strong.

“Drink, Angel.” He grabs the other onion disk and places it on my other foot. After wrapping it slowly, he slips on a pair of thick socks.

Warmth spreads through my body as I drain the mug. “Happy?”

“Getting there,” he says, kicking off his shoes and crawling into bed with me. When I curl up in his arms and sigh, he kisses my head. “Now I’m happy.”

My eyelids grow heavy fast. Between the drink, Cole’s body heat, and just having him here with me, I can’t keep my eyes open. I crash immediately.

···

Okay, hear me out. I don’t know if it was the onions, the whiskey in that hot toddy, or the extra sleep I got, but I feel amazing. It’s eight o’clock in the morning. Holy crap, I slept a long time. Cole’s still out like a light next to me.

How can a guy look hot even when he sleeps?

It’s just unfair.

I look like a deranged goblin in the morning while he’s sex on a stick.

Creeping out of the bed, I dash to the bathroom to unwrap my feet. Forget looking like a goblin. I fucking smell like one. These onions are so stinky. I can’t believe I let him do this. It also might have worked. My nose isn’t even stuffy anymore.

While brushing my teeth, I peek out at Cole. He’s still conked out with his arms folded under the pillow, his ass barely covered with my sheets. I’m glad he stayed the night. I’m also sad he had a great day yesterday, and even left work early to come to me, and I crapped out on him.

He rolls over with a moan.

Sweet jeebus, I need to look away before I pounce on him.

Hurrying into the shower, I exfoliate, shave, shampoo, condition and rinse, and by the time I step out, I’m a new woman. Whatever cold I might have been getting is definitely gone. Shit, maybe I wasn’t getting sick at all, and it was just exhaustion getting the better of me.

I’m not working longer days than normal, but the time I spend getting projects done has been intense. It feels like my successful career hinges on how well I can execute this party for Cole’s company. I did my homework on the client list he gave me for invitations. There are some big names on there. It would be nice to diversify my portfolio and really make a name for myself.

Speaking of which…

I’m so proud of Cole for getting that Marine Life building job. It”s about time Cole’s inspiring concepts got recognition. I have a feeling, based on what he said yesterday, that Cole didn’t think he was going to get it, which makes me wonder if he gets rejected a lot.

My heart sinks.

Cole and I are opposites with tackling a project. He goes all in with his heart and soul. I keep those two things in a box, so if I fail, the pain is barely noticeable. I imagine Cole has faced rejection with his designs many times, and knowing him, he felt each one like a stab in the heart.

As creatives, it’s easy to take someone else’s vision and translate it to reality for them. It’s quite another experience to fashion something from scratch and present it to another, waiting for them to judge it. Accept or reject it.

Cole getting this account isn’t just a big break for him. It’s validation.

I know how important that is.

After drying off, I quietly crawl back into bed and pull the blankets away from him. Straddling his legs, I bend down and take his length into my mouth. Hooray for morning wood.

Cole inhales through his nose. “Mmm.” He cracks open his eyes while I lick the pre-cum off his dick. “Morning.” He grunts when I try to deep throat him. “Fuck, girl.” He presses his hand on my head. “You must be… fuck. You must be feeling better.”

“Mmm hmm.” I pump him with my free hand and suck harder.

“Shhhit.” Cole’s hips drive upwards so he can fuck my face. “I’m not gonna last long if you…” His breaths turn ragged. “That’s it, Angel.”

I swear his dick gets bigger in my mouth.

“Don’t stop.”

I double-down on my efforts.

“You’re such a slut for my cock.”

I am.

I know he’s getting close to a release when a sheen of sweat coats his body. I pop off and jerk him faster. “Give me your cum, Daddy.”

“Put your mouth back where it belongs.” Cole grabs my hair and holds my head down. I put all my energy into giving him the best, sloppiest, nosiest blowjob ever. “Swallow it,” he grits out. “Take it all, Angel.”

Cum floods my mouth.

“When I’m done, don’t stop sucking.”

No problem.

I keep sucking even as his dick softens. Shit, even when he’s got a chub, I can’t fit the whole thing in my mouth. Cole’s huge.

“That’s my good girl.” He threads his fingers in my wet hair and pulls me off him. “I want to fuck you now.”

Cole’s got great rebound time.

I straddle his groin, angling his dick against my pussy, when he holds my hips to stop me from sinking down on him. “Condom, Angel.”

Right. Wow. How did I let such an important thing slip my mind? Easy.

“I’m on birth control.” I got on it after graduation, even though I never slept with another person since Cole.

His jaw ticks. “You want to…” His voice dies out before he finishes that sentence.

“No barriers between us.” I lower down on his dick. It takes a hot minute to get him fully seated. “You’re fucking huge.”

Cole remains quiet, staring at me with hawk eyes while I ride him.

He’s so deep, his cock knocks against my cervix every time I bounce. It hurts and feels good at the same time. Flattening my feet on either side of his hips, I lift and rotate my waist until his eyes roll back.

“Holy shit.” Cole’s hands fly up to the headboard so he can hold on tight. “Ride me, Angel. Take what you need from me.”

I shift from a circulating motion to a grinding back and forth one. There’s constant friction against my clit this way. My pussy is full. He’s hitting some deep pleasure point I can’t ever reach on my own. It doesn’t take long for my orgasm to build.

Cole tips his head back. “Fuck your Daddy, Angel. Scream for me.”

I falter. My thighs shake.

Without warning, he lets go of the headboard, grips my hips, and slams into me until I’m the one holding on for dear life. Our bodies slap together. Sweat beads on my brow and runs down my back. Cole flips us over and thrusts long and hard into me while I lay on my back. “Put your feet on my shoulders, slut.”

I can barely breathe when he pounds into me at this angle. It’s too much. Too deep. Too—

“Cream on my cock.”

He wraps a hand necklace around my throat, and I see stars when I orgasm.

“That’s my greedy little cock whore.” He slows his pace once I’m done coming. “Squeeze my dick again.”

I can’t control my body with how languid I’ve become. “I don’t have the strength.”

He bites my shoulder. “Do it.”

I squeeze, my Kegels barely gripping him because I’m too spent.

“Again.”

I obey, but it takes work and concentration.

He grinds against me, rubbing against my clit. “Again.”

“I can’t.” I’m dizzy. I came too hard for this.

Cole pinches my nipple, and my body reacts immediately—my cunt clamping down on his dick. “God damn, your body responds so well to me, Angel.”

“Only for you,” I gasp. I think I’m going to come again. “Only ever for you, Daddy.” I hold his arms, my nails digging into him while I hold on. “I’m close.”

He pulls out and attacks my clit with his tongue. He makes me come one more time and then jerks himself until he unloads all over my swollen pussy. Then he shoves inside me again and keeps us locked together until he’s flaccid.

“That was…” His heart pounds against my chest. When he lifts off me, he frowns. “Dangerous.”

“No.” I pull him closer so I can kiss him. “That was perfect.” With a smile, I wrap my legs around his middle and keep him against me. Inside me. “Want this to be day one of your free use?”