“So, Blake, what room are you guys in?” Trevor asks in a hushed provocative tone.
Cole, who is talking to Greg, grabs the hand I had resting on my lap and squeezes it tightly.
“One of the suites,” I respond coyly.
“Oh, it’s like that?” Trevor jokes. “I’m staying here too, I could just follow you up, you know?”
“You need a key to stalk,” I flirt with a wink.
Cole lets go of my hand and squeezes my thigh. Trevor’s eyes travel down and notices.
“So, Cole, are you still dating Erin?” Trevor asks cocking his head to one side.
I feel the blood draining from my face at the mention of her name, and I turn away quickly focusing my attention on Becky. Becky is talking about her and Greg’s new place by the water, but I’m only half listening since my ears are tuned into Cole’s answer.
“We broke up recently,” Cole says, and I unintentionally tilt my head to look at him. He gives me a crooked grin, showcasing his dimple and the mischief in his twinkling green eyes. He draws circles on my thigh where his hand still rests, and I feel like my heart is going to burst out of my chest. I look back toward Becky in an effort to keep the composure that is slowly fading away from me with every touch and look he gives me.
“Oh...sorry to hear that, she’s a great girl, we’ve met a few times,” Trevor responds.
“Yeah, she is a great girl. She’s just not my girl,” Cole responds, and I could feel his gaze heating the side of my face. I bite the inside of my cheek as I feel a blush creep up my body, and I silently thank baby Jesus and Becky for the deep bronzer I have on.
We finish dinner and walk toward the lobby to continue our conversations. Cole excuses himself and goes to the bathroom. Aubry trails behind him since they’re still discussing last night’s Cubs game. I stand with Trevor, Becky, Greg, and their other teammate, Jimmy.
“Are you guys dating?” Trevor asks nodding his head in the direction Cole disappeared to.
I scrunch my eyebrows and look up at him. “No.”
“Doesn’t seem that way,” he says pursing his lips.
“Yeah, he can be a bit overprotective of me,” I explain.
“That’s more than a bit overprotective, Blake. That’s...something else,” he mumbles.
I laugh and playfully slap his chest. “Something else?”
He holds the hand I used to slap him and he watches me intensely. The desire swimming in his deep brown eyes cuts my laughter short.
“You do look beautiful, by the way,” Trevor says before he kisses the top of my hand and lets go. “I’m in room 824, if you want to hang out...or whatever.”
I smile at his invitation, but don’t reply. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say to that. Thank you for inviting me to have sex with you, but I’ll pass?
I feel an arm snake it’s way around my waist. When I look up, I’m met with Cole’s icy green eyes. Trevor says good night with a salute before walking to the elevators.
I wave my hand, but my eyes are still on Cole’s. I smile at him, remembering the last time he did this to me, and I see his eyes soften. He turns my body in his embrace so that I’m facing our friends and nips my earlobe lightly.
“I love you too, baby,” he says in a low voice that makes me shiver. Cole has been saying those words to me for the past nine years. I’ve never said them back. He stopped asking me to years ago. He accepted that I couldn’t and that I was scared to for what I think are good reasons. Every time I’ve said those words to somebody, I lost them. He always assures me that I wouldn’t lose him, Becky, Greg, Aubry, or Maggie, but I can’t take that risk. I love them too much. They are my world.
We crowd the elevator on our journey upstairs. Cole presses me against his solid chest and puts both arms around me, knotting them together in front of me. When we reach our floor, I stop him and hold on to his arm as I step out of my heels. I cannot take one more second of having them on.
“Blake!” Becky squeals. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Ugh. Shut up. My feet are about to commit suicide,” I groan painfully.
The guys laugh and Becky rolls her eyes. “You’re such a baby.”
“Yeah, whatever, diva,” I grumble before I let out a loud screech when Cole lifts me off the floor. “Cole, are you crazy?”
“Only about you, baby,” he murmurs into my hair. I bite down on my lip as my heart hammers relentlessly against my chest. I feel like butterflies are having a Sock Hop in my stomach. When my eyes meet his, I’m expecting them to look amused, but they’re completely serious and a little sad, even.