“No?”
“I want it to be a surprise. Will you help me?”
“Sure.” So Alan and I come up with a plan.
“I will see you Monday morning, Kate. Can’t wait to meet the girl who finally captured and tamed my grandson’s heart.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting you, Mr. Prescott.”
“It’s Alan, hell, it’s grandpa.”
“Okay, Alan. I’ll see you Monday.” Oh—boy, this should be interesting, adding another family member to our crazy family. I laugh out loud. I can’t wait.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
When I glance at the clock, it’s a quarter after five, so I head to the bathroom to get ready. I’m in the middle of curling my hair when I hear Cole call my name. “I’m in the bathroom,” I shout. He leans against the doorframe of the bathroom, watching me. I smile at him through the mirror.
He comes up, putting his arms around me. “Wow, you went crazy with the clothes.”
This hits a nerve, and my anger bubbles to the surface. I narrow my eyes at him. “It wasn’t me.”
He lets go, turning me to face him. “Are we really going to do this again?”
“We wouldn’t have to if you’d butt out.”
Cole rakes a hand through his hair. “They’re only clothes.”
“I didn’t need them, and I don’t want them. They’re all going back. You need to let me do some things my way, Cole.”
“I’m sorry. This isn’t one of them.”
My eyes get wide, and I jerk away from him. “I need to finish getting ready.” Cole lets me be retreating into the bedroom. A film of tears form over my eyes, blurring my vision, I try to hold them back, but a few streak down my cheeks. I’m not a doll to dress, be paraded around or played with.
Cole comes back into the bathroom. He’s wearing black dress pants and a gray dress shirt without a tie. We stare at each other through the mirror, but neither of us says anything. He finishes getting ready, then leaves.
When I come out of the bathroom into the bedroom, my dress is still laid out on the bed, but my Jimmy Choo’s are gone. Replaced with the glittered sling back Louboutin’s. My anger goes nuclear. I chuck the shoes across the room, each of them hitting the door with a loud thud. A heat rash has crawled up my neck and face. I’m so upset. I want to scream. This dress fits a thousand times better than the one I tried on at the shop. It has built in padding, so I don’t need a bra and it’s still too short, but at least this one covers my ass, and I can’t wear panties with it. With no bra or panties, I’m feeling a little vulnerable.
I notice that the dress has a hidden pocket for cash and credit cards. I don’t need to take anything with me, but I want to try it out. I open my wallet to pull out a credit card and find my billfold chuck full of hundred-dollar bills. He just doesn’t know when to stop. The clothes are one thing, but loading my wallet with money—that’s crossing the line—it’s too much. I take out one of the hundreds and the credit card and shove them in the hidden pocket. I check my face one more time. I pick the sling backs off the floor on my way out of the bedroom. Cole and Luke are standing next to the stairs, waiting for me. I sit down in a side chair and put the shoes on. I’m tempted to go without, if only to prove my point.
Cole holds his hand out for me. When I don’t take it, he simply grabs hold of it.
“You look beautiful.” My anger hasn’t subsided. That he’s ignoring it, only flames it. I turn my head away from him, not saying anything, and he leans in, kissing my cheek.
The ride down to the lobby is a tension filled nightmare. I try to pull my hand out of Cole’s, but he only tightens his hold and frowns at me. “Please stop acting like a child, Kate.”
He did not just say that to me. Maybe if he wants me to stop acting like one, he should stop treating me like one. I check myself; I need to make it through this evening. Arguing with Cole is only going to make things worse, especially for me. I turn my head away, ignoring him.
There’s a stretch hummer limo idling under the driveway. Luke opens the door for me, but I have a hard time getting in. I’m afraid my dress is going to ride up and I’m going to give everyone a show. Finally, Cole puts his hand on my ass, ushering me in. I won’t admit it, but it helped. I sit on my hands, but that doesn’t dissuade him. He slides his hand under my thigh, taking hold of it.
I scoot close to the window, watching the people that line the sidewalks, walking around, seeing the sights, holding odd, shaped bottles full of blue, red, and green drinks. Cole slides over to me, but I refuse to acknowledge him. At first, I think I’m seeing things, but I realize I dressed almost every fifth person up like Elvis. Cole nuzzles his nose in the crook of my neck, kissing it lightly. I continue to ignore him. I can’t believe all the Elvis’ I see, just walking around, like it’s a normal occurrence. I get so excited about it, I nearly forget my anger. Cole nipping at my ear brings me around.
I sit back in my seat, and Cole continues his pleasurable assault along neck and jaw. I turn to face him, and he covers his mouth with mine, kissing me tenderly. He kisses the corner of my mouth, then nibbles my ear. “You’re not wearing any panties,” he whispers. His hand skimming lightly up my leg, until he gets the hem of my dress and he tries to dip his fingers between my thighs but grab his wrist, stopping him.
His kisses ease my anger, but it’s not forgotten. I move my head so it’s next to his ear. “The ones you bought were all too expensive, so I decided to go without, till I can buy my own.”
Cole runs his lips along my neck, stopping at my faded, almost gone hickies. I feel his tongue dart out, and he kisses my neck. His hand drapes around my neck, his fingers massaging the nape of my hairline. He kisses me a few more times, eliciting a shiver from me and suddenly his lips form an O shape, and he’s sucking on my neck.
“COLE!” I push him with enough force that he stops. He doesn’t say anything because we’ve pulled into The Empress to pick up Preston and Olivia. Cole frowns at me but sits back, stopping his childish ways, his hand back in mine.