Momentary Lapse (4 page)

“I'm too much man for just one girl.” He trotted out his usual comeback. “It wouldn't be fair—”

“To all the other women,” Jess finished with a dry laugh. “Yeah, yeah. I've heard it before.” There was a pause. “So, you're in Wellsford tomorrow?”

Cole smiled, sensing she was coming around. “Yeah, I thought I'd take my favorite sister out for dinner. Only she isn't available, so I guess you'll do.”

Jess snorted. “I wish I did have another sister. Maybe then you'd give me some peace.” Her tone lightened, but Cole could read the edge of truth behind her words. He shrugged it off. She was young. And still coming to grips with a life-changing injury.

“Why would I want to leave you in peace?” he drawled. “Your life is filled with young, naked college women hungry for a good time. Maybe looking for a bit o' Cole.”

“Eww.” Jess shrieked, laughing. “Stay away from my friends, you old perv'. God, I'd never live it down. They pant over you already…which is another good reason for me to move off campus and get my own apartment.” She added another not so subtle dig.

And just like that, Cole's good humor faded. “Let's not talk about it now,” he cajoled. Her breath hissed down the line, tickling his eardrums and he closed his eyes as tiredness rolled over him. “We'll talk about it tomorrow. Over dinner.” Her excited gasp depressed him further. She'd expected a flat-out no. Which is what the answer was always going to be while he paid for her expenses. “But first, tell me how you went at physio today?” he inserted smoothly. “Did you do all of your exercises?”

Jessica hesitated, then gave in over the possibility Cole might finally hear her out. “Fine. I walked around the track at lunchtime…”

Cole listened to her litany of physical activities, allowing himself to relax as the list continued in her bored, annoyed tone. He still paid attention. Jess deserved the attention of at least one Langford.

A surge of hatred oozed through Cole like an open wound. He'd fucked up as a teen. He hadn't been true to himself and he'd sullied his name with the Langford family, but Cole still didn't understand how they could've ignored his pleas for help after Jess's accident. They hated him—sure, he could live with that—but sweet, innocent Jess? To see her go through so much pain, hiding those vivid, red scars behind long skirts and manage the limp she'd never be free of…

He gritted his teeth against the raw burn of festering anger, knowing it was too late. All the money in the world couldn't buy Jess the one thing Cole would give up everything for. Complete recovery.

By the time Jess hung up, the scent of self-disgust clung to Cole like a sour note.

That he'd even considered Madison as a potential fuck-partner tonight…

He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his hands through his hair as if trying to erase the memory of those delicate fingers skating over his skin, the coy smile she'd thrown over her shoulder, hinting at innocence, but promising pleasure. He felt a damn sight older than his twenty-eight years.

What the fuck was wrong with him?

Cole pushed off the bed, mentally packing up his cock and sending it on a trip to the Bahamas. He paced the floor of the small hotel room. Back and forth. Back and forth.

Finally he made for the door. He'd never sleep like this. Heading upstairs to tell Madison exactly why he no longer wanted to participate in her Paris Hilton pity-party was just the kind of therapy he needed. He was better than her. He deserved more. He was over banging rich bitches who were only attractive on the outside, and only then because Daddy had bought the total, glittering package.

Cole pulled the half-used box of condoms out of his luggage and slam-dunked them in the trash can by his door.

Chapter Four

Cole's pissed-off mood hadn't improved any by the time he arrived on the top floor. Luxury suites.

Of course
.

He scowled at the plush carpet that deadened the sound of his stomping, his resolve hardening into tempered steel as he knocked at 704. One of only five doors on the exclusive level.

It wasn't like Cole couldn't afford to stay up here himself. These days his construction company took on work faster than he could keep up. He simply chose not to parade his money like a Caribbean tan in winter.

His frown deepened when there was no answer from the suite.
Where the fuck was she?
Cole knocked louder and put his ear to the wood paneling, craning to hear any hints of sound from inside. Nothing. There wasn't even a tiny telltale strip of light beneath the door.

His chest tightened, a slow smolder of anger flaring to life. Seething anger. Had Madison given up waiting and headed downstairs to find someone else? His pride pricked with irrational outrage, that she could disregard him so easily after that kiss.

Like hell.

Cole spun from the door and strode back to the elevator.

If he dared find her with anyone else…

Images sprang to mind of him twining her hair in his fist and dragging her back to his room. Caveman style. The primal urge did nothing to ease the pounding of his heart. Didn't she know there were men out there who could hurt her? Cole had a good idea what those assholes downstairs were capable of. He'd heard the whispers as she'd entered the bar. Blood iced his veins and a cold sweat rolled over him, effectively killing his rage and filling him with unease.

He jabbed his finger at the call button, seconds stretching by with excruciating slowness. Finally the doors opened and he hurried inside…only to come face-to-face with Madison.

On her own.

Looking pleased with herself.

“Where the hell have you been?” Cole lunged forward, wanting to reach out and shake her until her teeth rattled. Then kiss the living fuck out of that mouth.

She took one look at his expression and alarm stripped the smile from her face. Cole pulled up fast, his anger draining at her scared look. Then a flush rose to stain her cheeks. Embarrassment? Guilt? Surprise? He struggled to read her conflicted emotions. So he stuck with the one he did know. Guilt.

“What have you done?” His eyes narrowed and he looked further into the elevator, almost expecting to see one of the dickwads from downstairs hiding behind her.

“Nothing.” She'd gotten over her fright quickly enough to glare back at him.

Ironically, that made Cole feel better. He hadn't liked seeing her afraid—not of him. His attention dropped to the unmarked shopping bag clutched in her fist. Madison followed his gaze and grimaced, thrusting the bag behind her back.

Her chin lifted. “Just getting a few things.” Her cheeks grew redder with each tersely uttered word.

Cole threw up his hands. “What things?” She'd gone shopping for shoes and tiaras at a time like this? He stretched forward and snatched the bag from her hands, ignoring her sharp intake of breath. And the fact she flinched again.

Air whooshed from his lungs in one long breath when he opened it and discovered the mega box of condoms. Extra-large. His gaze rose, taking in the defiant stance, the proud little smile that flitted across her mouth. It lit her face for a moment and changed Madison from the gorgeous woman she already was, to something…more. Mischievous. Sexy.
Vulnerable.

The cleverly hidden fragility caught at Cole's chest. He stood, transfixed, unable to look at anything but her, watching as the scowl crawled back over her face, her eyes narrowing, a mix of anger and hurt. Yeah. He'd seen that look. And the longer his eyes drank in her confused emotions, the less Cole could recall the reason he'd come up here.

Hadn't he wanted to tell her something?

Warmth filled his groin, his pulse quickening as his mouth curved into a smile.

“You're an optimist?” He couldn't help but smirk and shake his head.

And as if he'd just whispered a magic-filled spell, Madison transformed in front of him. Doubt melted away to be replaced by the sultry kitten who'd unsheathed her claws earlier. She stepped closer, her eyes flicking to his crotch. His breath caught as her gaze met his.

“Realist,” she mouthed.

Caught in her sexy, brown stare, Cole couldn't look away. He felt rather than saw her fingers interlock with his and the gentle tug on his hand. Drawing a shuddering breath, he allowed Madison to lead him back to her room.

Madison took a moment to remove her coat and hang it inside the closet. She smoothed out the soft woolen material, steadying her breath.

Her insides were trembling with anticipation. Something had happened to Cole after she'd left him downstairs. He been angry when he'd seen her, but more than that, Madison had caught his concern for her too. He'd been worried. While his initial reaction had given her a fright, she loved seeing the raw emotion he allowed to roam freely over his face. He threw every inch of his body into it, so there was no mistaking his feelings.

That is what had stolen the air from her lungs when she'd seen him. He'd set her pulse tripping, blood pounding through her veins with her need to experience something visceral and real. No pretenses.

He inspired Madison to let go of everything. Keep nothing of herself. She would be willful and strong, like her mother. Have no scruples, just like Logan. There was no one to hold her back, except herself. And Madison refused to let that happen.

She took her time turning around. Cole leaned against the jamb, tension evident in every muscled contour. A raw sense of danger peppered the air and her stomach clenched as a ripple of heat caught her.

She'd heard other women in her mother's circle talk about indulging in a bit of rough. Until now, Madison had little idea of what they'd meant. But oh, she looked forward to finding out. Warmth blossomed in her belly, trepidation shot through with delicious quivers of desire.

Despite his relaxed position, Cole's gaze never wavered and Madison hesitated, unsure for a moment what to do next. She'd never been the one to initiate sexual contact, had never been sure enough of herself. But now the thought excited her.

She drifted toward him, following the tug of Cole's magnetism, letting instinct guide her. A sheen of moisture prickled a heated path over her skin. Madison wanted to maintain an air of sophistication. Not to act as desperate as she felt.

Oh, to hell with that
.

She launched herself at Cole, mashing her lips into his. A ragged sigh of satisfaction left her mouth as she pressed against him, digging furrows in his shirt with fingers that craved to touch.

Scrabbling for purchase, Madison sought relief from the sweet burn of need torching her from the inside out. Her nipples were a tight temptation she rubbed against the hard planes of his chest. A small part of her was shocked by her actions. This wasn't her,
but it felt so right.
She couldn't get enough. The caress of his lips rasping over hers, the sweep of his tongue as it commanded her to follow.

Madison shuddered against the sharp hit of sensations, opening up to him as his tongue traced along the seam of her mouth, nibbling at the corner of her lips. His soft plunder tipped her further off balance, pushing away any rational thought. She groaned. Or was that him? It became impossible to tell as their mouths fused together, savoring each other, taking their fill.

Madison could have spent a lifetime in that one, intoxicating kiss. But all too soon, Cole eased back, his eyes pale slivers of icy heat. Focused solely on her. Simmering desire churned low in her belly, dampness seeping through her panties like liquid fire. She quivered with pleasure under Cole's stare, following his every move.

He sat on the bed.

“Undress for me.” His voice was pure seduction and it took a moment for Madison to unravel his words.

He wanted to see her.
All of her.
And she would bare everything to him. Madison wanted this—
no, needed this
—to be real. And that included peeling back every layer, inside and out.

A shiver trembled its way across her skin as she came to a halt just outside of Cole's reach. She hooked into the smolder of his eyes and did exactly what he'd asked. Slipping off her clothes, one by one. No frills. No strutting around the bedroom wiggling her ass in his face, like Logan sometimes had her do. This was different. Powerful. Not so much a show…as revealing herself to him.

Her fingers drifted down her body. She curved her thumbs into the waistband of her panties, pushing them past her hips to let them fall at her feet. She undid her bra, the cups easing away from her breasts, straps slithering past her fingertips to join the other clothing on the floor.

His gaze burned over each inch of skin uncovered, drinking her in. Until she stood naked in front of him. Cole held out his hand and Madison took it, allowing him to draw her into the vee of his thighs. He traced a finger across her collarbone, a trail of heat following its path.

“Perfection,” he breathed.

Madison stilled. “Not perfection.” She blushed, her fingers busy with the buttons of his shirt. “There are always flaws if you look hard enough.”

Cole opened his mouth to argue but she swallowed his words with a kiss, her hands roving over his chest, curling around his shoulders. Tangling her fingers in his hair, her blood red nails were a shock of color against the sandy tones. Her grip tightened on his silky strands as she tugged him forward to eat at his lips.

She groaned, her hips circling as he returned her caress, shaping his hands along the curve of her spine. His fingers tapped out a delicious dance and she longed for them to be at her breasts, imagining their coarseness against the tips of her aching nipples. Madison arched forward, inviting.

“Relax.” His hands settled at her hips, holding her still.

“I can't.” She wanted this bad. Wanted it now. She slid the shirt from his shoulders, revealing tanned skin that dipped and curved into secret shadows.

He dropped to his knees, a warm chuckle rumbling against her thigh. “Let me see if I can't help you loosen up a little.”

Hands crept up her belly, sweeping under the swell of her breasts. Her body was one long delicious quiver as she anticipated his touch. She was rewarded when his thumbs brushed her nipples.

“More.” Madison rocked forward, breath hissing through her teeth.

Cole gave her what she wanted, palming her breasts at the same time he pressed his mouth to her belly. The soft brush of his tongue, the scrape of his teeth and Madison bit down on her lip as he licked a trail across to her hip, down her thigh… He pushed her legs apart.

A muscle jumped in her calf as she pressed herself up on her toes, tempting him closer. Cole rolled his eyes up, looking at her through black lashes. His mouth parted, reverence a mask illuminating his face.

Ensuring she watched, he clamped one arm tight around the back of her buttocks, tilting his face to her sex. His tongue flicked into her wetness, tasting. A hoarse sound of satisfaction reverberated through him, followed by Madison's own throaty moan. He lapped upward, hitting her clitoris, pinching lightly at her nipples. She let out a cry, her knees threatening to buckle as pleasure seized her.

Another soft, sexy chuckle. “Don't give out on me now, darlin'. We've got a ways to go.”

Madison's answer was gasped back down her throat as his fingers abandoned her breasts and found their way to the creamy slickness of her pussy. Wet. So wet. One, two fingers slid into her, causing her head to fall back, her breath seemingly impossible to catch. His tongue pressed against her clit, sensations cycling as his fingers pushed in and out.

“Ah, God.” Madison widened her stance, gripping Cole's hair as she rode his hand and his tongue with abandon. Her body was strung tight, everything so much…more. Pressure built quickly, sensations surging to crash over her.

He pumped his fingers faster, his arm an iron band around her ass, holding her in place. He sucked her clit into his mouth, pulling hard. That was all it took. Madison's body collapsed on itself and she was yanked over the edge, swallowed by wave after wave of exquisite ecstasy.

His mouth gentled to soft kisses, his hands soothing and petting her back, her stomach, her hips.

“Perfect.” The word was saturated in satisfaction.

It took a moment for Madison to surface through the stupor of bliss. She found herself looking down at Cole as he stared up at her. Aftershocks still pulsed at her clit and every muscle felt like it had been stretched to its fullest, then stuffed back in her body. Nothing worked as it should.

She stood there, gathering the strength to move. Cole pushed to his feet, sliding up against her body. His pants rubbed over her hips.

“You've still got clothes on,” she protested softly, reaching for his waistband. He went commando style and his erection sprang free as she lowered the zip. His cock was hard and full. Perfect. Madison's mouth watered.

“I got waylaid when I stopped for a snack.” Cole snapped his teeth and flashed a smile.

Then sucked in a lungful of air as she wrapped her hand around his hardness and squeezed. Madison explored his length, the curl of velvety skin around the head, cupping his balls with a soft, downward pull. Cole tugged her forward to catch her mouth.

Madison could taste herself mingled with the sweetness of his breath, a heady scent of cinnamon, salt and desire. She let herself be captured, her fingers suddenly clumsy on his cock. She slid her fist back up its length. Yes. That was her moaning. Writhing restlessly against him. Wanting more.

They were both breathing hard by the time Cole eased back and uncurled her fingers. Madison was about to protest, but he reached for the condoms.
Oh. Yes.
Her body trembled, her skin sensitive to even the smallest change in the air.