Page 16 of Unbreakable Bonds (The Boston Romance #2)

ALISHA

I lean my head in my hands, elbows resting on Brian's desk. God, what was I even thinking? I can't imagine Brian touching me. He's charming and good-looking, but there it stops. My body doesn't react to him like it does to his friend. I let out a frustrated huff. Why did Cole say no?

My heart constricts as I remember what I said after his rejection. Insensitive doesn't begin to cover it, but... all I want is to feel a man's touch on my bare skin without freaking out. Guess that dream dies here.

Voices from the hallway make me rise. I smooth down my little black dress, moving to the middle of the office.

My breath catches when, instead of Brian, a very broad, furious-looking bulldozer bursts inside.

The door slams shut with enough force to rattle the walls.

Shit. I should have known Brian would call Cole.

Raw energy radiates off him in waves. His colossal frame blocks the exit, and any other man this size, this angry, would send me into panic mode.

But even as his presence fills the room like a gathering storm, my body remains calm.

No racing heart, no cold sweat, no urge to flee.

Just the usual heat that Cole Walker ignites in my blood.

I know I don't stand a chance of slipping past him, but oddly, I don't want to.

A fresh dose of yearning shoots through me as my gaze travels from his legs upward.

His broad chest rises and falls rapidly, muscles straining against his shirt.

God, this man is sex on legs. Even furious, he makes me feel safer than I've felt in months.

But he's not interested in me. Drawing strength from my last shred of dignity, I plant my hands on my hips. "I'm going home. Goodnight." I try to pass him, but his arm shoots out, blocking my path.

"I don't think so... Alisha." The words rumble from his chest like distant thunder, and my traitorous body responds, tingling in places it shouldn't. Where another man's anger would trigger my fight-or-flight response, Cole's only sets my nerve endings on fire.

"Bulldozer, I'm tired, and I want to go home." His frame seems to expand as he stretches to his full height. I have to crane my neck to meet his eyes, marveling at how his towering presence makes me feel protected rather than trapped.

"You should have thought about that before you came here and asked my best mate if he wanted to fuck you. Have you lost your goddamn mind? You can't—"

I shove my finger into his chest. "I can do whatever the hell I want. You have nothing to say about it. You've been loud and clear. You don't want me. So I—"

In a heartbeat, our positions flip. My back hits the wall, and my breath catches as he cages me with his arms, hands planted beside my face.

Any other man pinning me like this would trigger panic, but with Cole, my body melts into his shadow.

The realization stuns me—I trust him completely, instinctively.

"Look at me." His voice drops to that commanding tone that turns my bones to liquid. The raw hunger in his expression steals my breath. "You are the most intractable, stubborn, and maddening woman I've ever met. Keep those red lips sealed for a second," he growls when I open my mouth.

His dominant energy making my skin tingle. "I said no earlier, not because I don't want you. Because help me God, I do."

He traces a feather-light line from my cheek to my neck with his fingertip, stopping at the hollow between my collarbones.

My eyes flutter shut, his touch awakening sensations I haven't felt in ages.

The gentleness in his touch, even through his anger, confirms what my body already knows—I'm safe here, with him.

"Alisha, I'm not a goddamn male prostitute you can use. "

His words hit like a punch to the gut. He's right. What I said tonight was heartless, and he deserves better. "I'm sorry. It's just..."

"What?" The word comes out rough, but his fingers remain gentle as they trace patterns on my skin.

The voice inside my head screams, Be honest! So after a steadying breath, I tell the truth. "It hurt when you said no."

His eyes search mine while he takes a loose strand of hair hanging alongside my jaw and tucks it behind my ear. The tenderness in the gesture makes my chest ache.

"I miss being touched, Cole." The confession spills out like water through broken glass.

"Having this constant panic roaming inside me is exhausting.

I want to feel normal again, to be close to a man without shutting down.

You're the only one that..." I swallow hard.

"For whatever reason, my body and mind trust you completely. "

He cups my cheek in his palm, and when I lean into the warmth of his skin, he bends his head to rest his forehead against mine.

Our breaths mingle, and I can't control—or maybe I just don't want to control—my fingertips as they start to trace his defined pecs through his shirt.

The steady thump of his heart under my palm grounds me in this moment.

"Alisha..." His hoarse voice reverberates through my spine, and when I don't stop my exploration, he lowers his other hand from the wall to grip my waist. My skin melts into his touch like ice cream in a warm bowl. This is what I crave. This is what I need. The ability to feel, to want, to trust.

"Please," I whisper, my voice raw with need, "keep touching me." When his thumb trails the contours of my red-stained lips, my tongue darts out to taste the pad of his finger.

My name leaves his mouth in a throaty moan that sends heat pooling low in my belly. "Alisha." I shake my head softly. "Don't think, Cole. Please—"

Pure delight explodes through me when his warm lips crash onto mine.

I never knew I'd love facial hair this much, but the scratch of his beard against my sensitive skin adds an extra dimension of sensation that makes me whimper.

His tongue brushes against mine, demanding a response, and I gladly surrender.

With exquisite care, his right hand descends along my waist and stops at the hem of my black dress, where it caresses the naked flesh of my upper thigh.

This simple touch makes my core throb with want, and when I moan my approval, he presses me harder against the wall. The solid weight of him should frighten me, but instead, it makes me feel anchored, safe, desired.

Needing him closer, I lift my leg. He grabs my ass with both hands and lifts me off the ground in one fluid motion.

My limbs wrap around his waist like a hungry snake, and my fingers slide into his hair—tugging at his blond locks.

Fuck, I need him so much. My dress rides up to my hips, and I can't focus on anything but his mouth on mine and the growing hardness pressed against my aching center.

When he molds my buttocks firmly, my head falls back, and his lips trail fire down my neck, licking and sucking as if he's starved.

My heart rate speeds up, but not from fear, but from pure, molten need. When his right hand releases my ass to brush across my soaking wet thong, a sound between a gasp and a moan escapes me.

"Fuck, you're so..." He lifts his head and captures my gaze. There's no smile on his lips—only the hot intensity of his stare promising the inferno to come. His hand travels back, and I cry out like a cat in heat when he cups my pussy through the thin fabric.

"Is this what you need?" His voice is gravel and silk.

Desperation colors my answer. "Yes!"

One hard yank and my thong is gone, dropped carelessly to the floor. Without warning, he pushes two fingers into my warm depth.

"Oh, god, yes!" I close my eyes, lost in sensation, but as I do, he halts his movements.

"Open them."

I obey instantly, meeting his gaze. His blue eyes have darkened to stormy seas, pupils blown wide with desire.

"I will make you come so fucking hard that no other man will ever be enough. Do you understand me?"

My heart ignites like a struck match. I love this raw, alpha male side of him—how he can be so commanding yet so careful with me. It's turning me on like nothing else ever has. Without hesitation, I nod.

We crash into the most passionate kiss I've ever experienced.

Fuck! I grab his shoulders and dig my nails into his flesh when I feel my core muscles tensing as he keeps thrusting in and out.

This man knows what I need before I know it myself.

His digits fill and stretch me better than any cock I've had before.

"You want to come?" he growls against my lips.

"Yes."

The moment that three-letter word leaves my mouth, his thumb finds my clit.

He rubs it with perfect pressure, sending me straight into sensory overload.

As the body-shaking orgasm takes over, he covers my mouth with his, swallowing my scream of pleasure.

His movements shift from fast to slow, drawing out my climax until the last aftershock fades.

Only then does he remove his fingers from my satisfied warmth.

He holds me patiently in his arms as I float back to earth, and I realize I could stay here forever.

My breath catches. What the hell am I thinking?

Overwhelmed by these thoughts and the tsunami of emotions flooding my system, I open my eyes and unwrap my legs from his waist. As he carefully slides me down his body, his hard length presses against my abdomen.

God... I swallow hard, desire warring with panic.

"Let's go home." The raw tenderness in his voice touches something deep inside me, and it terrifies me more than any panic attack ever has. This is too much. I need space, air, distance from these feelings I'm not ready to face.

I smooth my dress with trembling hands and shrug, aiming for casual. "Don't bother. I'm taking a cab."

The second these words leave my lips, his body goes rigid. I force myself to meet his gaze and find his eyes blazing with emotions that make my knees weak. Even his mad face is sexy. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Tongue-tied, I bite my lip. Way to go, girl. This man just gave you the best orgasm of your life, and you react like this? I try to move away, but he's not having it. Before I can blink, my feet leave the floor, and I'm staring at his backside.

When my brain catches up to what he did, my fiery side comes rushing back. "What the hell, Cole Walker? Put me down, you neanderthal!"

"Call me whatever you want, but you're coming home with me."

He turns, opens the door, and strides out. With my hands balled into fists, I pound against his back, trying to stop him. "Cole!" I yelp again.

Loud laughter makes me halt my assault. When I crane my head as far as possible, I find Brian roaring with amusement.

"Have fun, guys," he shouts after us.

The big man ignores his friend and keeps walking through the hallway toward the exit. When we near the doors, I try a different approach.

"Cole, I'm sorry for what I said. Can you please put me down?" My voice aims for sweet reason.

"Nope."

Fine. Time for plan B. "If you walk through the bar, everyone will be able to peek under my dress. Is that what you want?"

I yelp in surprise when he smacks his palm hard onto my ass before repositioning it to shield me from view.

"Problem solved."

My core muscles clench at his dominance. Fuck. How am I going to handle this bossy, protective man who's ticking all my boxes? And more importantly, how do I keep my heart from getting involved when my body's already surrendered?

Because one thing's becoming crystal clear—Cole Walker is dangerous in ways that have nothing to do with fear and everything to do with falling.