Tangled Up Hearts (29 page)

His hand finally found the spot in desperate need of attention and she forgot to breath. But then her head got dizzy and she sucked in a deep breath, only to let it out on a long, low moan. His fingers teased her with sensual precision and Alyssa squirmed against him, her legs parting as far as her jeans would allow. It wasn’t enough and the frustration that caused made her want to tear off her clothes.

Cole groaned and shifted his body until he was settled more intimately against her, leaving no room for his hand. Not that it mattered, she was now being tortured by another part of his anatomy. And his hand, now free to roam elsewhere, was slipping beneath her blouse. While his mouth once again plundered hers, his fingers drew light caresses across her stomach and stopped just below her breast. Alyssa went very still, except that is for the rapid rise and fall of her chest and the frantic beating of her heart. She wanted him to touch her. She wanted to feel his hands all over her body. She wanted it more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life.

Cole lifted his mouth just enough to lightly tease her lips but Alyssa needed him to deepen the contact. So she lifted her head and tightened her hold around his neck. He resisted the urging of her arms, however, and raised his head enough to look her in the eyes. His gaze burned with sexual heat as his hand moved to cup her breast.

Alyssa closed her eyes and focused on all the sensations bombarding her body. Then he tweaked her rigid nipple and she cried out, twisting her trembling body, encouraging his touch, needing more and more of it.

Cole’s ragged breathing was loud in the quiet of the room and it wasn't long before his head dropped next to hers on the pillow, his parted lips just touching her nape. His hips surged against hers and moved in an erotic age old dance her body immediately responded to, returning the pressure, meeting each thrust with ever growing enthusiasm. Feeling the rigid swell of his erection straining to penetrate her heat, increased her passion to near desperate proportions. This shouldn’t be happening. It was so surreal it felt like a dream. And God help her, she didn’t want it to end.

“Alyssa. Oh my God, Alyssa, I want to make love to you.” Cole's mouth moved against her skin as he spoke, his voice husky, gravelly and low. The sound alone was a turn on and she was already on fire for him. He buried his head into her hair and breathed deeply, his fingers gently stroking the side of her breast as his thumb tweaked the hard nub of her nipple, making it ache for more.

“Oh, Cole.” Her voice warbled. As much as she wanted them to tear their clothes off and dive into each other, she couldn’t do it knowing he was still quite drunk and drugged with medication. She couldn’t take advantage of him like that no matter how much he pleaded and her body begged. If they were ever to complete this, she wanted him in full charge of his faculties.

Tears of disappointment stung her eyes and she closed them tightly. If she looked at him she wouldn’t be able to stop. It took everything she had to push him away. Cole resisted but only for a moment. His body was drugged with passion, alcohol and medication. It was too much even for him to handle and he fell back on the mattress, going limp.

Alyssa rolled swiftly off the bed and stood looking down at him, her breathing coming in rapid gulps. He looked so incredibly sexy sprawled across his bed that she wanted nothing more than to rejoin him. But she resisted that urge and closed her eyes. Once she felt calmer and under control, she opened them and saw that he was fast asleep. Sighing with relief, Alyssa backed away from the bed, then turned and fled his room.

Zeus was sprawled across the hall floor but scrambled to his feet and began barking with excitement when he saw her. Frantically she waved her hands to shush him up. He was probably hungry. Hoping to lure him away from Cole's bedroom door, she patted her leg and headed down the hall to the kitchen.

“Come on, Zeus. You hungry? Huh?”

The dog followed her with sudden, understanding enthusiasm and when they entered the kitchen he headed straight for one of the closet doors. She opened it and found a huge bag of dried dog food taking up most of the floor space. As she located his bowl and filled it, Zeus sat and watched with eager anticipation. Doing this thing for him helped her heated body calm down and for that she was grateful. Determined to stay focused on her task, she refused to let her mind dwell on what had just happened.

After setting the bowl in front of Zeus, she stood and watched him wolf it down for a few seconds then figured she ought to leave before he was finished. The last thing she wanted him to do was bolt out the door when she opened it. Since Cole was in no condition to let him back in, she didn't want to risk him having to stay outside all night.

At the door, though, she paused and stared down the hall toward Cole's room. Though her brain was clanging with urgency that she return to him and finish what they started, she shook her head in denial of the demand
and fled his house before she changed her mind.
 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
 

Saturday morning dawned bright and crisp. Though there was a chill in the air, all was serene calm, the clear sky promising to produce a beautiful day. Perfect for a wedding. Alyssa stretched, yawned and crawled reluctantly out of bed. She spent most of the night tossing and turning, unable to erase the sensual memories of Cole’s body entwined intimately with hers or the feel of his hot mouth driving her crazy. His smell surrounded her, a constant reminder of those moments in his arms and making her wish she had stayed right there. But then she'd congratulate herself for leaving. Just to regret that she didn't stay. And so it went. Around midnight she took a cold shower. It helped to dispel the heat of unfulfilled desire but did nothing to wash the erotic images from her mind.

It mortified her to think Cole had the excuse of being drunk whereas she had nothing to blame but her own self. How to explain her actions? She scrubbed a hand over her face.

Stop it, Alyssa. Get your mind on something else
.

She continued the self-talk as she headed for the bathroom and turned on the shower. It was a perfectly natural response she’d experienced last night. After all, Cole knew what he was doing. He was an experienced lover. She was a normal human being with normal needs just like everyone else. It didn’t mean anything.

She didn’t believe it for a moment.

The phone was ringing when she stepped out of the shower. Wrapping a towel hastily around herself, she ran into the bedroom to answer it. “Hello?”

“This is it, Al. The big day.” Trisha’s bubbly voice was filled with so much excitement, Alyssa smiled and relaxed. This was her best friend's special day. She'd just focus on that.

“It’s going to be perfect, Trisha.” She sat on the bed and pushed her wet hair back behind her. “I’ll be over in a few. Right after I get dressed and stop by the flower shop to pick up the bouquets.”

“Oh, Al, I’m so happy. By the way, how was Cole last night? I called a few moments ago and his answering machine picked up.”

Alyssa’s hand tightened on the phone. She spoke slowly, desperate to keep any hint of her confusion about yesterday from her voice. “He’s fine, Trisha. Cole is a big boy.”

“I know. But I’ll feel better when I see him in his tux and our rings in his pocket.” She paused briefly then said, “He hasn’t been himself lately.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh I don’t know. He’s been brooding about something. It’s probably nothing, I just worry too much.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it, Trisha. He’s concerned about you. That’s all it is.”

“You’re probably right. Look, I gotta go, I’ve got a million things to do. Just think, Al, by six tonight, I’ll be married! See ya later.”

Alyssa disconnected from the call and sat staring into space. If Trisha was right and something was bothering Cole, what possibly could it be? Maybe things weren’t going too well with Serena. Maybe that would explain his irrational behavior last night. Alyssa quickly dispelled the thought but only because she couldn’t believe Cole would get serious with someone like that girl. The man had his faults, plenty of them, but certainly he had enough sense to steer clear of serious involvement with vain, empty-headed, clinging-vine females? Besides, he seemed quite content with his single status and in no hurry to change it. For him, women were necessary only for the purpose of taking care of his needs and nothing more.

Perhaps she was being unfair in her assessment of Cole’s love life but it gave her some measure of satisfaction to be critical of it. Even so, the last thing she needed to be thinking about was Cole and his love life. Just because they shared some hot kisses and bone-melting make-out sessions didn't mean she was the next notch on his bed post. If he thought so, she'd just set him straight as soon as she had the opportunity to do so.

Determined to maintain that attitude, she stood and headed for the bathroom. What she needed to do was concentrate on getting ready for Trisha’s wedding. Everything else could wait.

A few hours later she pulled into the Delaney's driveway and ignored the little jolt of excitement that shot through her when she saw Cole's truck. Pretending it didn't matter, she loaded up with the boxes of flowers in one arm and her garment bag in the other then struggled carefully up the walkway to the front door. Since her hands were not free to ring the doorbell, she leaned against it with her shoulder and waited for someone to open the door. She wasn’t prepared for that someone to be Cole.

Cleanly shaven, dressed in worn blue jeans and a black t-shirt, his hair combed as neat as his thick wavy locks would allow, he looked his usual gorgeous self. They stared at each other for an awkward moment then his eyes dropped to the load in her arms.

“Here let me help you with that.” He took the boxes from her hands and stepped back out of her way.

The air suddenly absent from her lungs, Alyssa managed to walk by him without her bones turning to mush and plopping her into a heap at his feet. For the life of her she didn’t know what to do or say. Did he remember last night? Did he regret it as much as she did? Did she really regret it?

“Trisha is upstairs taking a long bubble bath.” Cole sat the boxes down on a table and peered inside one of them. “Those are nice.”

Alyssa stood behind him feeling uncertain and awkward. If Trisha was taking a bath then she couldn’t very well make her escape up there. And she couldn't stand here with him either. “So, where’s your parents?”

Cole turned to face her, a deep frown creasing the area between his brows. “Out. Alyssa, about last night.” He stopped, uncertain how to go on. The events of last night were foggy in his mind. He remembered Alyssa bandaging his hand and feeding him. He remembered her helping him to his room. The rest had to be a dream. Surely his fantasies of late had taken over at that point. No way in hell would she lay with him that way, respond to him as his dream Alyssa had responded. He had to be losing his mind. Though why on earth he was having vivid sexual fantasies about Al he couldn't say. So what did happen? He looked at her closely hoping to extract something from her expression that might give him a clue. Her features, however, were schooled into a blank mask. In fact, she was being her usual evasive self. Her eyes went everywhere but towards him. Apparently, as she took great pleasure in telling him once, she couldn’t stand the sight of him. “Thanks for your help.”

Alyssa let out a slow breath and relaxed. He didn’t remember. He couldn’t possibly remember or he would have said something. “It was no problem, Cole. Trisha asked me to stop by. She was worried about you.”

Though he couldn’t explain it, Cole experienced a plummeting feeling of disappointment at her response. Of course she didn't stop by for her own reasons. She didn't come near his place unless Trisha instigated it and only then with some emotional arm-twisting. One thing for sure, those images of Alyssa in his arms were nothing more than the result of alcohol induced delusions. Real or not, though, his body was responding to them anyway. He turned away from her, not wanting her to see the embarrassing evidence. “I need some coffee. Can I get you some?” He knew his voice was tight but could do nothing about it. Under the circumstances, he was lucky to speak at all.

“No thank you.” Alyssa watched him disappear through the kitchen door and bit her lip to keep it from trembling. Of course nothing had changed. He could no more stand her company today than any other time. Except when he was drunk, of course. Or furiously angry.

But what of those other times? Like up in the attic or the day they had that fight then went at it in her hallway?
That small voice inside her head taunted with those questions and her heart stuttered at the possibilities they suggested. Was it really possible that he was attracted to her? Well if he was then it was pretty obvious he didn't want to be. She wasn't worth it to him to give it a try.

“Al? I thought I heard your voice," Trisha leaned over the upstairs banister. "Come on up here.”

Alyssa looked up to see her friend wrapped in a white robe, her short wet hair plastered to her head. Glad for the distraction, Alyssa took the stairs two at a time.

An hour later Alyssa was getting all the distraction she needed keeping her friend on track.

“Al, this is so exciting.” Trisha whirled in her seat and stared at her with a wide, happy grin splitting her cute face and her hand resting on her thickening tummy. “I got morning sickness this morning.”

“And that pleases you? You are a lug head.”

Trisha laughed gaily. “It just makes it seem more real somehow. I can’t believe that a tiny little life is forming inside me.” She gently caressed her stomach, giving it a gentle pat. “It’s a miracle going on right inside me." She looked up at Alyssa, her eyes bright with tears. "We are going to be a great family.”

“Yes you are. You and Jack are very fortunate.” Alyssa grabbed Trisha’s shoulders and forced her to turn back around. She was trying to style her hair. A task that was proving to be quite the challenge. “I wish you would sit still for a moment. You are making this impossible.”