Page 37 of Double Booked

She slowly lifted a hand and placed it on his forearm. His skin sizzled beneath her fingertips.

“Eden.” He said it with a sigh.

“Yeah?”

“I’m not feeling very nice right now.” He was giving her a chance to move away.

Instead, she smiled at him, and he was a goner. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted to kiss someone this badly. He shifted to his side and faced her. “This is your chance to tell me to leave,” he said, his chest heaving.

“Stay,” she said.

He brought his hands up and cupped her face, searching her eyes for any sign of doubt. Finding none, he slowly leaned in and lightly brushed her lips with his. Her breath hitched, and she moved closer so their chests touched. The contact ramped up his desire, and he kissed her again with greater intention.

She moaned and parted her lips. He deepened the kiss, darting his tongue out to taste her. He moved his hands around her back, pressing her body closer, though the sheets were still bunched up between them.

She was warm and pliant and tasted like heaven. She kissed him back with equal fervor, rubbing against him like she couldn’t get close enough. He was about to crawl under the covers with her when a shrill sound pierced the air and they broke apart.

He knew that sound. It was a bull elk bugling somewhere nearby. How fitting, he thought, attempting to catch his breath. Instead of a mating call, it felt like he’d been doused with a bucket of cold water. They moved apart, putting some much-needed distance between them.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“It was my fault,” she said, pulling the covers up to her chest.

“I shouldn’t have stayed.” They might have continued apologizing, but he didn’t want to play the blame game. He scrambled off the bed and stood beside it.

Her gaze drifted down his body, pausing in the middle. He didn’t bother trying to hide his erection, since she’d already seen and felt it. She shifted her gaze to his face.

“Cole—”

He held up a hand. “It’s okay. It was a moment of weakness. Let’s just forget about it and move on.” Even as he said it, he knew there was no way in hell he’d be able to forget about it.

“I’m the one who asked you to stay.”

“You were feeling vulnerable, and I took advantage of you.”

“No.” She shook her head adamantly.

“I need to go.” He started moving toward the door, but when he got there, he glanced back. She was leaning against the headboard with her arms crossed over her chest, but she looked more disappointed than angry. “Will you be okay now?”

“I’ll be fine,” she said.

That made one of them. “Goodnight,” he said. He went out the door and closed it firmly behind him. Once he was back in his own bed, he lay there staring at the ceiling, his heart still pounding out of his chest.

He listened closely for sounds from below, but all was silent. Even the elk had quieted down. His heart rate slowed, but his thoughts still raced. Until now, he’d been proud of the way he’d handled things. She’d been reluctant to share the cabin with him, but he’d won her trust, and now this. He’d let his body override his brain, which was never a good idea. Hopefully, he hadn’t ruined things for the duration of their stay. It was hard to label kissing her a bad thing, though, and every fiber of his being wanted to kiss her again.

He was dying to know what she was thinking right now, but he wouldn’t go back downstairs. The best thing to do was stay away from her for both their sakes. He would pretend this never happened, and hopefully, she wouldn’t hold it against him. She’d tried to take the blame, but it was his fault. After receiving Patrick’s texts, she’d been vulnerable, and he’d taken advantage of that. Angry at himself, he vowed it would never happen again. He assumed Eden would agree.

Thirteen

Eden awakened the next morning with a sick feeling in her gut and it wasn’t from the beer. The memories flooded in—her bad dream, Cole coming in to check on her, them kissing, and him rushing out. It was mortifying on so many levels, but the last part most of all. He couldn’t seem to get away fast enough. Had he regretted kissing her that much?

She stayed in bed and listened to him moving around the kitchen. A few minutes later, she smelled coffee. Though she was dying for a cup, she decided to wait until he left before venturing out. He’d said they should forget about what happened and move on, but she wasn’t ready to face him yet.

She remained quiet, not wanting him to know she was up. Finally, she heard the front door close, and breathed a sigh of relief. She scrambled out of bed, and put on a robe, just in case he came back for something. Then she padded into the kitchen and went straight for the coffeepot.

Soon, she sat down at the counter with a steaming mug and bowl of cereal. She was almost done eating when her phone rang in the pocket of her robe. Her stomach clenched, thinking it might be Patrick. She was relieved when she saw her sister’s name on the screen. “Hey, sis,” she answered.

“I’m so jealous!” Hope gushed. “The pictures you sent me were gorgeous!”