Only You (17 page)

Josie could hardly say “yes” through the laughter that bubbled up again.

Cole got serious. “Is he gonna cause trouble for you?”

“He’ll try, but don’t worry. I can handle Mrs. McKay.”

“Are you sure?”

She leaned over and kissed him . . . a soft gentle caress that seemed to buoy her confidence. “Yeah.”

“I know how much you love your job. Our relationship won’t jeopardize your position, will it?”

“You didn’t finish lunch. I have fruit salad.”

She dug in the basket and pulled out a square, plastic container.

“Josie—”

She removed the lid. “It has grapes, strawberries, melon, cherries, and this wonderful cream cheese sauce—”

“Forget the fruit.”

She picked out a fat, juicy strawberry and slowly licked some cream off it. “
Umm
. . .”

Cole’s gaze locked on her tongue and then her mouth as it closed around the tip of the ripe, red berry.

“So, before Martin and Rick interrupted us, you were about to tell me something,” she was saying.

“You’re changing the subject and trying to distract me with fruit.”

She held the strawberry she’d just bitten to his lips. He couldn’t resist.

“Is it working?”

“Maybe.” He bit into it. “I keep losing my train of thought.”

“You’re avoiding my questions, as well.”

He grasped her hand and made a methodical process of licking the sticky, sweet sauce from her fingers.

“I’m sorry about Martin. I shouldn’t have goaded him,” Cole said.

“No, you shouldn’t have.”

He continued to lick her fingers. “What will he tell Mrs. McKay?”

“I really don’t care.”

“I don’t believe that.”

Josie smiled and leaned over to kiss him. “I’m not surprised, because yesterday, even this morning, I couldn’t have said that. But, it’s true. I really don’t care what he tells his mother. Don’t worry.” She leaned forward. “It’ll be fine,” she said against his lips.

Cole pulled away, but kept her close. “I won’t stand for you losin’ your job because of me, Josie Lee.”

“I won’t lose my job. I’m too valuable.”

If only he had her confidence. Knowing Old Lady McKay, she was sure to have a cow when she found out about him and Josie. And that could mean nothing but trouble.

He hadn’t bargained for this. He’d been so bent on pursuing her, he hadn’t considered the price she’d have to pay for being with him. She needed his protection. He didn’t know how he’d manage it, but he’d do whatever it took to make sure she wasn’t humiliated in front of all of Angel Ridge by the McKays.

Chapter Ten

They finished their lunch and spent the rest of the day exploring the encampment. It was a beautiful day, tailor made for just this sort of event. Fort Loudoun was one of the most beautiful places in the area. Pre-Revolutionary, it had been a British Fort placed in this location to deal with the Cherokee Indian settlement that had been nearby. That worked pretty well until the Cherokees decided they’d had enough of these foreigners in their midst and took control of the Fort. After that, the British pretty much just high-tailed it back over the mountains to Charleston.

All that remained were some buildings that had been replicated by the historians who ran the museum. The most spectacular thing about the Fort was its view—it sat on the banks of what had been the Little Tennessee River, and the mountains of North Carolina rose up behind it in spectacular fashion.

Josie looked out across the expanse of Lake Tellassee that had been formed by the dam the Flood Control Board had built some fifty or more years earlier, flooding the valley and its homes, forcing the residents up onto the ridge. Beautiful.

Cole remained unusually quiet. He didn’t even give her tidbits of information about the architecture of the buildings like she’d expected. He always loved talking about the old buildings around town. Instead, he quietly bought them rock candy made by the ladies dressed in colonial dresses. Later, they’d held their ears when, on the hour, the uniformed British Regulars fired the cannons. Josie’s ears still felt a little numb from all the noise.

Not another person recognized her as they mingled with the crowds of people filling the Fort. Not even Minnie Reed, and she’d been her mother’s best friend for as long as Josie could remember. At this point, however, Josie really didn’t care who saw her on Cole’s arm. After their encounter with Martin, something had changed. She realized that she had feelings for Cole. Deep feelings. And she didn’t care who knew it. She removed the straw hat and carried it as they walked from building to building.

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll burn?” Cole asked.

“Not any more.”

She’d spent too many years weighed down by the expectations of this town. She was tired of trying to be someone she wasn’t, if she even knew what that was. She’d like the time to explore just that notion. She refused to let the expectations of narrow-minded people affect her personal life or what she wanted for the future. That included dating the man of her choice. And she chose Cole.

He was everything a woman could want and more. Tall, handsome, dependable, trustworthy, an upstanding member of the community, fun to be around, intelligent, sexy, a great kisser . . . .

“What’s that look all about?” Cole asked and they stopped to examine a display of quilts.

She had looped her arms around his as they strolled through the displays. She must have been staring up at him with a lovesick look on her face and hadn’t realized it. Ignoring his comment, she asked a question of her own. “I was just wondering why you’ve gone all quiet. You’ve been acting funny since that run-in with Martin.”

He shrugged. “It’s like I said. I don’t want him causing trouble for you.”

“Why don’t you let me worry about the McKays?”

He squeezed her hand where it rested against his arm. “I don’t want you to have to worry about anything.”

“I can handle it.” She wasn’t sure how she’d handle it, but she was determined that she would. She hoped her smile showed more confidence than she felt.

“Has Mrs. McKay already said something to you?”

She didn’t want to tell him the woman had warned her off him only a couple of days ago, so she just said, “Not really. Can we buy some more rock candy? I’ve finished mine already, and it was so good. I haven’t had it in years.”

“Sure.” He pulled out some bills and handed them to a woman wearing a traditional, Revolutionary Era dress.

Josie selected a bag of the candy while Cole chose a sucker that had the candy clustered around its end. He popped it in his mouth. She began salivating. Not for the candy in her bag, but for the taste of it on his tongue.

Pulling him away from the crowd of people, she asked, “Want to share?”

He slowly removed the treat from his mouth and held it out to her. Josie grasped his wrist and slid her tongue from the bottom to the top of the candy attached to the stick. She purposely caught his fingers in the process.

He sucked in a ragged breath. “Keep that up and we’ll be out of here in record time,” he warned.

She trailed a finger down his chest. “We could be back at my house in about five minutes,” she suggested, in a low, husky voice.

Cole grabbed her hand and headed for the exit. Rick barked as Cole jerked his leash. “Sorry, boy.”

Josie had to jog to keep up. Her laughter trailed behind them, causing more than a few heads to turn.

The sun was just setting behind the mountains rising up behind the lake, when Cole unlocked the door to his truck and helped Josie inside. After he’d settled Rick in the back and gotten in, he started the engine and said as Josie slid over close to him on the bench seat, “I hate to bring this up, but you said you needed to go in to work.”

She removed her glasses, then snuggled up against his arm and nibbled his neck. “It can wait an hour or so.”

Gravel flew as Cole threw the truck into gear and roared out of the parking lot. “You sure you don’t want to go back to my place? It might be more private.”

“Too far.”

He got them there in record time. Josie hadn’t stopped kissing and touching him all the way back to her house. He followed the drive around to the rear of house to where a garage had been added on. When they hurried for the back door, Rick whined his displeasure at being left behind.

“Stay, boy,” Cole said.

Josie looked back at the hound. “He can come in.”

The dog would probably jump right in the middle of them if he did. Cole wanted no distractions. “He’ll be fine.” Thankfully, the hound yawned and lay back down.

The door clicked shut behind them after they entered her kitchen. Cole wrapped an arm around Josie’s waist. “Come here.” He smoothed a hand down her back and pressed his lips to hers. She tasted like fresh air, sunshine, strawberries, and true love. He wanted nothing more than to melt so far into her that neither of them would know where she began and he ended.

Josie broke the kiss, but he couldn’t stop tasting her face, her neck, the curve of her shoulder. When her shirt got in the way, he slid it off her shoulders and eased it down her arms until it lay in a puddle on the floor at her feet. Underneath, she wore a pale pink snug fitting shirt with thin little straps that he wanted to watch slide down her arms leaving all that creamy skin bear for him to explore.

The gold chain he’d given her sparkled against her skin. The class ring was hidden between her breasts beneath the fabric. He trailed the backs of his fingers across the exposed skin above the shirt’s low neckline. She shuddered and grabbed handfuls of his shirt.

“Cole . . .” she breathed.

“Tell me what you want,” he encouraged.

She leaned into him so that he couldn’t read her eyes. “Give me a second,” she said against his neck. After a brief pause that seemed like an eternity to his overcharged hormones, she continued. “Could we go into the sitting room?”

He nodded, and she led him into a small room off the back hallway that had a couch with deep cushions, a chair and a fireplace. She stopped at the couch and sat. Cole followed.

Josie crossed her legs and faced him. She took his hands in hers and laced their fingers. She acted like she was working through something in her mind. He wanted to take her in his arms and finish what they’d started in the kitchen, but he just waited for her to make a move. Give him an indication of where her head was.

After a few moments had passed, she said, “Cole?”

He couldn’t stand it any longer. He reached around behind her head and laid her braid across her shoulder. He removed the band securing it and began to run his fingers through the braid to loosen it. “
Hmm?
”

“Remember yesterday when I told you I didn’t know how this worked, and you told me that nothing would happen that I didn’t want to?”

He almost groaned. Had he been stupid enough to say that? Sheez. He’d meant it at the time, but now with her sitting so close, knowing they were all alone in her house with a bedroom somewhere nearby . . . .

“Yeah.”

“Would you believe me if I said you’re the first man I’ve really enjoyed kissing?” She closed her eyes and leaned forward to lay her head on his shoulder. “Oh, and I feel so much when you kiss me.”

Even though he was surprised, her pronouncement made him insanely happy. He wanted to be the first and last man she’d ever kiss. He tipped her chin up. “Then why are we talking when we could be—”

He captured her lips and plunged his tongue into her mouth. God, he wanted so much. He wanted to show her how much he needed her, show her everything he felt for her, make her his forever. He pressed her back against the pillows, loving the way her hair spilled out behind her.

“Cole?” she said before he could kiss her again.

“
Hmm?
” he said as he trailed a hand down her thigh to her knee.

“I missed so much growing up. I never had time for the things other girls did, because there was school, and I was always studying.”

“It’s all right. I promise to catch you up on everything you missed out on.”

She smiled. “Really?”

He nodded. “Tell me what you want to do.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he couldn’t resist further exploring hers with kisses.

“Well . . . I missed the prom. Don’t guess we can make up for that.”

“There’s the Snow Ball in December, right before Christmas. I’d love to take you to that.”

Her smile was pure happiness. “Okay.”

“What else?” he asked as he traced the line of her jaw with his fingertip. God, the thought of being with her at Christmas made him insanely happy. December was more than six months away. This confirmed she was thinking of them being together that far down the road. He wasn’t just a fling for her.

“I want to date someone. Have a boyfriend and all that entails.”

“I’m all yours. What does having a boyfriend entail?”

“Going to movies and stealing kisses.” For good measure, she leaned up and touched her lips to his, then continued. “Going parking up in the tall pines.”

“Well, we’ve done the tall pines, but we can go again and neck in the truck if you want. How ’bout tomorrow? We could catch a movie, too.”

“
Mmm
, tomorrow’s going to be really busy for me. How about Tuesday?”

“It’s a date.” He brushed the hair back from her face and asked, “Anything else?”

“I just want this feeling to last. Want to see if it will grow. Want to take things slow. Don’t want to miss a second of anything that’s happening between us.”

Cole smiled. “God, you’re so sexy when you talk in the present tense.”

Josie’s pure laughter danced around them in the quiet house. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tight. “What do you want to do right now, Josie Lee Allen?”

She ran a hand up his neck, and then smoothed it down his hair. As long as he lived, he’d never tire of the feel of her hands on him.

“You’ll think it’s silly. I’m sure you’ve done it a dozen or more times with other girls.”

He leaned back and looked into her eyes. “There’s no one but you. There won’t be anyone but you.” There had been others, but he’d never wanted anyone like he wanted her.