She shook her head. Seeing Serena had made her fanciful. She was still far too young to worry about having babies. She hadn’t even managed to land in a stable relationship yet. But one day…
“I hope you’re thinking of me.”
Cole’s soft murmur caressed her ear and she started guiltily. When she realized only he had noticed her inattention to the current conversation she relaxed and leaned into his side.
“I was,” she admitted. “I was thinking of later tonight. When I’m yours to command. I was imagining what you would want.”
His gaze smoldered and the blue in his eyes burned like a flame. And then he simply stood, helped her gracefully to her feet and said in Damon’s direction, “Thank you for dinner, Damon.” He nodded at Serena. “And you, Serena. It was lovely. I’ll be taking Ren home now. I’m afraid the evening has been tiring for her.”
Amusement gleamed in Micah’s eyes as his gaze drifted from Cole to Ren. It took all of Ren’s control not to blush.
“See you later, man,” Micah called.
“It was nice to meet you both,” Ren said to Serena and Angelina. “I hope to see you again sometime.”
“Oh, I think you can count on it,” Angelina said with a grin.
Cole’s hand tightened around her arm and she found herself being propelled toward the doorway where Sam waited.
“Good night,” Sam said politely as he showed them out.
Cole muttered a good night and then hurriedly pushed Ren into the car. When he slid into the driver’s seat a moment later, his hands shook as he put the keys into the ignition.
He turned to look at her as he accelerated down the drive. “I hope you’re up for what I have in mind, darling. It was sheer hell sitting next to you all night when you were looking so damn sexy in that dress. And then to know you were thinking of me and what I would do to you later …”
She smiled, well satisfied with the promise in his eyes. “I’m up for it.”
She sensed it in him tonight. How close to the edge he skated. As if to now he’d leashed that part of himself he most wanted to let loose.
She couldn’t wait.
How magnificent would it be to feel the full force of all that power. To know that she was safe and protected by his strength.
She shivered as they pulled into his drive. It was hard to breathe. Each respiration was short, rapid and so light that at times she thought maybe she held them in.
“Get out,” he said in a terse voice.
Her hand shaking, she fumbled with the handle before finally pushing the door open. She stepped out and he was there instantly, so close she could smell him, could feel the warmth emanating from his tense body.
“Go inside, undress. Wear only the pink heels I just purchased for you. Wait for me in the bedroom, on your knees, ready to receive me. You have five minutes.”
She didn’t hesitate. Turning, she hurried inside, her pulse thumping with enough force as to unsettle her. She had to force herself to go slow up the stairs or risk falling.
Once in his bedroom, she stripped down to nothing and then ducked into her closet for the pink shoes. She slid her feet into them and caught a glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror on the back of the closet door.
She looked deliciously wanton. Her hair was tousled and spilled over her shoulders and down her back. Her nipples were dark and taut to the point of aching. And the fuck-me shoes made her purr with approval.
She smiled because she wasn’t one for false modesty. She looked good. She was in shape. And she liked her body.
She slid her hands over her hips and then up her waist to cup her breasts. Cole thought her beautiful and he said it in a way that made her believe she absolutely was. He liked her confidence but she’d realized quickly that her confidence was at its highest with him and Lucas.
She fully believed that one of the reasons some of her past relationships hadn’t worked and that one man in particular had worked so hard to break her down was because he and others like him had been threatened by her confidence. Some men didn’t deal well with a capable, confident woman and their instinct was to do everything in their power to destroy them.
Conversely, there were men like Lucas and Cole who reveled in a strong, self-assured woman. Yes, they were dominant, but they celebrated strength in their women. Even as they controlled, protected and cherished them.
It was a contradiction not understood by many. How could a man bent on completely dominating a woman possibly appreciate strength and self-sufficiency?
