Page 17 of Unbreakable Bonds (The Boston Romance #2)

COLE

As I wait for the traffic light to hit green, I glance over at the woman sitting next to me and shake my head. I direct my attention back to the road in front of me, but when my mind drifts back to what happened in Brian's office, my grip on the steering wheel becomes a vise.

Thinking of how she wrapped her long, well-shaped legs around me and how she melted into my touch makes a certain body part react, again. Sliding my fingers inside of her warmth and watching how she exploded in my arms was the most erotic experience I've ever encountered. Not to mention our kiss.

Goddamn, every time we kiss, it's steamy, sensual, and carnal, to say the least. The way our bodies react to each other is goddamn addictive.

Everything about her intrigues me. Her sassy, stubborn side drives me wild in more than one way, and then there is also this soft, caring, and vulnerable side about her that pulls on strings inside of me that I thought were unavailable after Jessica broke up with me.

Damn, alarm bells go off inside me, telling me to walk away... but I can't. Why does she have such a powerful effect on me?

After stopping my car in my private parking space, I shift in

my seat and face the blonde, whose hands are resting in her lap, her red lips slightly parted. "Alisha?" The only reaction I get is a whispery sigh.

I get out, walk around, and after opening her door, I bend forward and whisper, "Alisha?

" Nothing. I remove her seatbelt and place my jacket over her lap as I remember she isn't wearing any underwear.

Her head tumbles sideways and comes to rest against my chest when I lift her out, and I ignore the fact that her body fits perfectly in my arms.

As soon as I walk into the lobby, Daniel, who is standing at the desk, sees me and rushes over to hold his keycard in front of the elevator reader.

"Thanks."

The concierge grins. "She's a special woman. Don't you think so?"

"She's a handful, that's for sure." He chuckles.

"Could you do me a favor?" I ask. "Sure, what is it?"

"I need to get this sleeping beauty into her apartment, but since I'm fully occupied, I can't get the keys to her apartment without waking her up."

He searches into the inside pocket of his suit and holds up a key chain. "No problem. Let's go."

After the trip to her apartment, Daniel opens the door. "Thank you, Daniel."

"No problem, have a good night."

I make my way through the hallway and enter the first half-open bedroom door, hoping it is hers.

Yeah, this is it. I swallow as my gaze falls on the truckload of different high heels lying scattered on the ground.

Quickly I peel my gaze away from them only to find myself staring at the antique-looking full body mirror, decorated with a black lace bra. Jesus .

With care, I lay Sleeping Beauty on her bed. Not able to resist, I find myself picking up and tracing my fingers over one of the

thin pieces of see-through lace lying on her cabinet next to her closet. My cock twitches as I remember how I tore one of these from her body. Okay, focus, Walker. I slip the fabric into my pocket and stroll back. Careful not to wake her, I remove her heels and tug her under the red silky covers.

"What am I going to do with you? I can’t ignore you.

Don’t want to. But how..." I go through the fresh ideas and solutions my brain brings forth while touching her cheek with the tip of my finger.

Out of the blue, the perfect idea surfaces.

"Goodnight, Miss McQueen. Sleep tight. You’ll need it. " I grin and walk out.

Inside my penthouse, I remove the note from the table and place the blanket that has fallen on the ground back over my sleeping daughter. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

Once I’m in my home office, I open my laptop, and I get to work. No time to waste.

* * *

Alisha

Beep, beep! Beep, beep!

Oh god shut up! Annoyed, I reach for my phone, but when it isn't in its usual place, I peek through my lashes as the wailing noise continues.

When I trace it, I kick off the sheets, swing my legs from the bed, and rush over to the cabinet to press the button and enjoy the instant silence.

Much better. The satisfied smile dies on my lips a second later.

Why am I still wearing my black dress? I let out a shriek when particular memories of last night flash through my brain and answer my question.

Oh, god. I fell asleep in his car. Did he carry me all the way from the garage to my bed?

I glance at the screen of my device when it beeps from an incoming text, and when I read the message, an extra burst of heat assaults my skin.

Good morning. 7:00 in the gym.

I gaze at myself in the full body mirror and groan at my panda bear eyes. "Okay, let's fix this."

Fifteen minutes later, I'm standing in my kitchen. After finishing my morning coffee, I seize my water bottle and workout bag and leave.

Once arriving at the end of the gym room, I halt at the sight of Cole hitting the punching bag with full force. I swallow as the memory of me wrapped around that large body turns my nipples into hard marbles.

"Hey," I yell after moments of enthralled staring.

He stops and walks over to the bench and picks up two red gloves that are lying there.

"Good morning. These are for you," he says while stopping before me.

I gaze up. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going for a round of boxing. It's a great way to get rid of excess energy while learning to protect yourself."

I place my bag on the ground and slide my hand inside the glove he's holding up. A boost of adrenaline shoots through me as he fastens the Velcro and holds up the other. When both hands are in, my breath halts when I read the word Alisha on both the Velcro fasteners.

"Thanks."

He nods while inspecting me with his penetrating stare. "Did you sleep well?"

Fuck. A flash of warmth rushes to my face. He chuckles, and his eyes get a sparkle I haven't seen before.

"Yeah, I did."

"Has anyone ever told you that you snore? Quite loudly, I might add. I had to turn up the volume of the radio." His grin widens when I let out a noisy breath. "I do not snore."

When he chuckles, I stomp my gloves against his upper arm. "Take it back, Cole Walker. I do not snore," I say, punching

him in the chest.

His eyes get an intense but playful expression, and his lips curl into a wide grin. "Is that all you’ve got?" He takes a stand behind the boxing bag and taps it. "Do you remember the basics Tommy taught you at the gym?"

I nod.

"Great, then come here, explain, and show me the right boxing stance."

I roll my eyes.

"Watch your attitude. I’m dead serious when it comes to boxing," he says in a steady, lower-pitched voice. "The basics are the foundation. If you don’t apply them right during practice, you’re bound to get injured and hurt."

I chuckle while taking a stand in front of the punching bag. "Okay, easy, Grumpy. I heard you."

His razor-sharp gaze meets mine. I quickly disconnect and explain what I’ve learned.

"I begin by placing my left foot in front of my right, the right angled out a bit, pointing toward my opponent," I say while showing him.

"Then I put my hands up to protect my chin, tuck my elbows in, hold my chin down, and make sure my hips are above my feet.

" I cock a brow. "Is that correct, Grumpy? "

He grins. "Not bad, but…" He stops next to me and touches my back and arm. "It's important that you keep your body and hands relaxed." His right hand touches my knee. "Have a slight bend at your knees."

I follow his suggestions, but it's hard to concentrate when he touches me.

"Okay, bounce around, get comfortable in the stance," he says, taking a step back. "Make sure your feet are around shoulder-width apart. And remember the most important rule. Always keep your hands up. Now, show me a good jab and cross."

I transfer my weight forward and jab my left hand into the bag. He steps to my right side and punches hard against my right glove.

"Keep that hand up, Alisha. This is sloppy. You need to protect your face all the time. If I wanted, I could hurt you easily."

I grind my teeth hearing him say this, but continue punching. "Okay, keep your chin tucked in behind your shoulder and throw the jab straight out as if you're punching into a pipe. And make sure you keep your elbows in and aligned with your fist and

the rest of your body. No part of you should needlessly stick out."

After a few times practicing, Cole gets the boxing paddles and makes me hit them instead of the punching bag.

"Okay, show me the best you've got. But from now on, I'll correct you by punching you if you don't protect yourself."

I nod, and as I throw my left fist into the paddle, he hits hard against my right glove.

"Keep it up. The next one will be against your face."

Shit. I glare at him while lifting my right hand back up. Okay, focus. I hit again, and as I punch, he taps my cheek. Not hard, but noticeable.

"Fuck."

"I told you to protect yourself. Keep your guard up, Alisha."

We keep going, and my frustration builds at a staggering pace when every few punches, I get hit in the face while he growls, "Guard up."

"Oh, goddammit," I yell after being hit for the gazillionth time.

Cole chuckles and lowers the paddles. "Calm down. You did well for the first time."

"Oh, fuck off!" I take a few steps back and hold up my gloves. "This was a goddamn disaster. I suck at this." With panting breath, I lower my arms to my side and gaze at the floor. "I'm so fucking weak."

He steps closer and lifts my chin.

"You're not weak. First times are always hard. I got punched hundreds of times in the first month, and it frustrated the hell out of me. Keeping your protection up during boxing needs to become a habit, and by practicing it over and over, you'll learn

it." He holds out his hands. "Enough for today. Let's remove those."

I let out a sigh and stretch my arms. As he helps to remove my gloves, I can't help but stare at his robust hands and remember how well they molded my ass cheeks last night.

My attention floats up, and my breath hitches when they lock with his cloudless, blazing storms. The fierceness inside them is in contrast with his relaxed body language.

"It's time to refuel our energy."

I walk to my bag, pull out the small box I’ve put in there this morning. After opening the lid, I hold it out to him. "Here, I brought one for you too."

Cole stares at two Boston cream pie donuts, before sending me a slight smirk.

"They're my favorite," he says while grabbing one. "But you know a protein shake—"

"Cole, the proteins can wait till later. Now it's time to enjoy these babies." I sit on the floor cross-legged. A second later he does the same, and we moan simultaneously as we take our first bite. I can't help but stare at him as lets out a satisfied sigh while enjoying another bite.

"These are incredible," he mumbles with a full mouth.

In these moments, the more relaxed side of his personality shows itself, and I like it. He shrugs when he sees me staring. "What?"

"You look different." "In what way?"

"More relaxed. You always seem to be so serious about everything you do."

He stops chewing, and his forehead shows a frown. "What is wrong with being serious?"

"Hey, easy," I reply when his posture becomes rigid. "I'm not saying there's anything wrong with being serious. But I wonder if you forget to relax and have fun."

"You think I don't do that?"

"Honestly? No. Or better said, not enough. Tell me. What do you do to release excess stress, Cole?"

His lips turn into a stripe as he thinks. "I work out or hang out with Brian and Nick."

"Oh, come on. Even in your workouts, you're focusing on perfecting your performances. That doesn't count."

"It does." A stubborn expression set on his face as he devours the last bit of his donut.

"No, it doesn't," I counter.

"Okay then, Miss Perfect. What do you do when you're stressed out?"

"I dance. After a night of shaking my ass, I always fall into a deep sleep."

"Oh, really? That's interesting." He taps a finger to his lips. "Which of the following two options causes you to sleep the deepest, dancing or an orgasm?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I stand up and stick the last bite of donut in my mouth. Cole jumps to his feet and takes a step towards me.

"You don't have to answer, don't worry. I already know, because I've witnessed from up close how deep you sleep after an orgasm."

I push my finger into his chest. "Don't flatter yourself, Walker. Last night was fine, I give you that, but if that was all you’ve got, I guess you're not making it onto my top three ranking list of the greatest orgasms I've had."

I give him a wink, and as I want to turn around, he stops me by pulling me against his chest. With one powerful arm wrapped around my waist, he holds me in place.

"Look at me."

As always, my eyes dart up hearing that authoritative tone of his, and as I meet his gaze, they keep mine hostage.

"I've thought long and hard about our conversation yesterday.

And I've concluded that I might have said no too early."

"What?" I whisper. "Is that your way of telling me you changed your mind?"

"Yes, but..." "But what?"

He lets go of me, and after walking to the bench and pulling something out of his workout bag, he returns out and hands me an envelope.

"If you sign the papers inside this envelope, my answer is yes." "What is this?" I ask while taking the envelope from him.

"It's a contract that I put together last night." "Are you joking?"

"No. But if you want to have this dick"—he grabs my hand and plants it on his crotch— "it will be on the terms I've drawn up."

My gaze drops to my hand. "Why a contract?" "Because it will keep things clear for both of us."

He looks at his watch and lets go. "Sorry, but I have to go." He moves away, and after grabbing his water bottle, he strolls towards the door.

"Oh, one more thing. The offer stands until ten tonight. If you haven't signed and returned it by then. The deal is off."

I gaze at the envelope in my hand, and the second he leaves the room, I open it and pull out two papers. “H-he wasn't joking,” I stammer as my eyes wander over the document. "He wrote a fucking sex contract."