Cole groaned a bit.
“Stings?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“Would this be a bad time to make fun of you?”
“Very.”
“Okay, well, then you’re all done.”
Glancing up, I was thrown by the way he looked at me. I suddenly became aware of how close we were. Now that I wasn’t doctoring him anymore, I was intensely aware of the heat of his body. He rested his good hand on the wall right next to my ear, as if he was barely refraining from touching me. I didn’t want him to refrain anymore. I wanted him to kiss me. It didn’t matter that I’d just met him yesterday, that I knew so little about him. Isabelle knew him, and he had a soft spot for his family. It was enough for this.
He tilted even closer, and then his mouth was on mine, hot and relentless. Pleasure shot right through me. The kiss was unexpectedly delicious and dirty. I couldn’t get enough. Every lash of his tongue stoked the fire inside me. My body was vibrating from the heat coursing through me. My fingers tingled, and I went up on my toes, then back on my heels as I tried to get closer, tried to get more. As if knowing my intent, his hands went to my waist, keeping me in place while he deepened his exploration.
This kiss, goodness. I felt lighter, suddenly, as if I was floating, as if he’d set free something deep inside me. I was aware of my body for the first time in years.
He pulled back for a fraction of an inch. Cole wasn’t saying anything, but he didn’t have to. The intensity just rolling off him did all the talking. The way he looked at me...
I smiled, touching his jaw. “I’ve made up my mind about you, Cole Winchester.”
“Told you kissing would tip the balance in my favor.”
“Who says it’s in your favor?”
“I should kiss you again, drive the point home.”
I swatted his shoulder playfully. “I can see now why you call yourself the leader of the bachelor pack.”
“Isabelle told you that?”
“No, heard it from Ian and Dylan.” They were Isabelle’s brothers. “You’re a confirmed bachelor, and my life in New York basically revolves around the hospital, so... what happens in Rome stays in Rome?”
I winced. Did that sound bad? I didn’t have confidence issues normally, but I was terrible at this. I hadn’t even tried flirting after losing my husband, and I was making a fool of myself. I cast my gaze down. Cole slipped two fingers under my chin, tilting it up. He had a huge smile spread on his handsome face.
“I’m more than okay with that.”
I let out a breath of relief, but as soon as I calculated how much time we had left, all I wanted to do was to prolong it.
“Okay, so you said you have to be at the airport at six thirty, right? That means you have to get a cab in about an hour. Doesn’t leave us much time to go to a restaurant. What do you say about buying pizza from the take-out restaurant next to this building? It’s really good. We could eat it here... and chat. Oh shit, did that sound like a booty call? It’s not what I meant.”
Cole stared at me for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. “You think this is a booty call? You don’t have experience with those, do you, doc?”
“Guilty. I mean, I didn’t want you to expect—”
Cole silenced me by kissing the side of my neck. He interlaced his fingers with mine at the sides of my thighs before straightening up. “Laney, relax. I’m not expecting anything. Let’s talk, eat pizza, and see what happens.”
I grinned. “And maybe kiss some more.”
“At your service, doc. And what happens in Rome, stays in Rome. That’s a promise.”
Chapter Five
Cole
Usually, I liked long-distance flights, where I had time to enjoy the service and sleep. This time was different. I was in a bad mood. Instead of sleeping, I pulled out my laptop. The internet connection wasn’t the best, but it was enough for what I needed—drafting the next steps in the Delimano partnership. I liked setting up terms, conditions, and a roadmap plan for new projects. I was officially the Chief Operations Officer in the company, but in reality, I was a jack of all trades, and I liked it that way. This partnership was all about opening doors on this side of the ocean. Delimano was going to oversee our first construction project in Europe. This was a huge step in our overseas expansion. I had all the reasons to be in a festive mood and pat myself on the back.
But my mood didn’t improve even after a few hours of sleep, when we landed in New York.