Rae (Captured Hearts Book 1) Read online

  Cole straightens and quickly takes off his black boxer briefs, and his erection springs free. Fuck! He’s hard, thick and perfect. So fucking perfect. I’m panting with anticipation, and my mouth waters at the thought of taking him in it. But I can’t do that right now, because what I want more than giving him a blowjob is having him buried deep inside me.

  Cole looks . . . He looks . . . ready to fuck my brains out. Like he’s barely hanging on to his control and is about to pounce on me. Thank goodness I’m lying on the bed. I’m certain my knees would have buckled. The intense, hungry look in his eyes would have taken care of that.

  He picks up his trousers, takes out a packet of condom and pulls out one foil pack. He rips it open and deftly rolls it on.

  Coming back to the bed, he looks deep into my eyes and murmurs, “I’ll be gentle the second time.”

  Second time? I don’t get a chance to tell him that I don’t want him to be gentle. I don’t get the chance to do anything except take a breath before he plunges into me, going in as deep as possible. I moan loudly at the sweet and welcome penetration.

  “Rae,” he groans. “Fuck.” Another hard thrust. “You’re so tight,” he says as he pumps into me hard and deep. His pace is hard and demanding and so fucking perfect that I never want him to stop. Mindless with pleasure, I’m crying out his name over and over. My third orgasm is just as intense as the first two.

  I fall completely apart when I come the fourth time, and with a loud groan that sounds so damned erotic, his release joins mine.

  We’re both panting, trying to get our breaths back. I didn’t realize my legs were wrapped around him until after he came. He pulls out of me slowly and rolls onto his back, pulling me into his arms. I let him hold me even though I know I should say something to stop him.

  “Are you okay?”

  I want to tell him I’ve never been better but instead I nod against his chest. Cole seems to have robbed me of my ability to speak. For the first time in years, I feel blissfully sated.

  “I’ll be right back,” he says, gently letting me go and getting up from the bed. I hear my bathroom door open and close. He comes out minutes later and joins me on the bed, pulling me into his arms again and pressing his lips to my temple.

  “You can’t stay the night.” Somehow, I manage to get the words past my lips. My breathing is still not quite back to normal.

  “Of course I can,” he says. He sounds way too comfortable and self-assured for my liking.

  “I like to sleep alone,” I tell him, more alert as the haze of satisfaction starts to clear. This is supposed to be a one-time deal with no sleepover. I probably should have informed him before getting into his car but my mind was focused on more carnal matters.

  “Make an exception tonight. I’m not done with you yet.” He starts stroking my clit, and my body instantly and shamelessly responds. “You have no idea the things I want to do to you, Rae,” he murmurs.

  Hours later, I can confidently say that he was right. I really had no idea. I came so many times, and even when I was sure I couldn’t come any more, Cole still brought my body to mind-blowing orgasms.

  The man is insatiable. I don’t even have the energy to protest when he pulls me into his arms as I drift off to sleep.

  THREE

  Cole

  I stroll into the office glad that I made it in time for my meeting, considering I barely got any sleep last night. Luke Charlton, my best friend and business partner, is already here. I parked my BMW next to his black Lexus in the parking lot. I grab my tablet from my desk and make my way to the conference room. Luke is standing in the corner of the room speaking on his phone. I nod at him and exchange pleasantries with some of our staff. It looks like almost everyone is here. A quick glance at my watch reveals that we have less than ten minutes before we start. I probably should be reviewing the slides on my tablet but I can’t get Rae out of my mind.

  I couldn’t get enough of her last night. I’ve never wanted any woman as much as I want her. She’s so fucking sexy with her smooth, soft dark brown skin, and hourglass figure. She has an oval-shaped face, enticingly full lips that are made for kissing, and warm brown eyes that look like they could make you do anything she wanted.

  I saw her as soon as she walked into the bar. Beautiful – that was the first word that came to my mind. She looked alluring in a black tight-fitting knee-length skirt and a silk ivory sleeveless top. Her body was curved in all the right places, and she carried herself with confidence which was so damned attractive. My eyes were glued to her.

  When I walked up to her, I was nearly engulfed by her appealing feminine scent, and I couldn’t help but imagine what her lips would feel like on mine. Then I found out that she’s smart and sassy. That’s what reeled me in.

  To say I was stunned when she invited me back to her place is putting it mildly. I didn’t peg her as someone who indulges in one-night stands. Nothing wrong with that if that’s what she likes, but personally, I prefer being in a relationship to having meaningless casual sex. Nothing about last night was meaningless though. Rae might not be expecting to hear from me, but I fully intend to call her tonight. I hope she remembers telling me to take her phone when I was leaving her bed this morning. She was clearly half-asleep, and I felt guilty about saving my number on her phone, though not enough to stop. Hopefully, after last night she won’t need to be convinced to see me again. Maybe I could ask her to dinner or we could –

  “Cole?”

  I snap out of my Rae-filled thoughts and see that the meeting has started, and all eyes are on me.

  “Are we okay to go on?” Luke asks.

  “Please,” I say. I need to focus. This project is my baby.

  Two hours later, I stroll into my office and drop into my chair. Pleased that the meeting went well, I decide to spend some time reading through the first draft of the seller agreement before heading to the gym. I’ve gone through just three pages before Luke interrupts me.

  “What happened to you last night?” he asks, walking into my office.

  “Last night?” What exactly does he want to know?

  “Yes, Cole. Yesterday night. At the bar.”

  “Nothing happened. I took Rae home.”

  “Rae. Nice.” He makes himself comfortable on one of the chairs opposite me. “I was surprised you left with her,” he says. “And you should know that I spent an entire hour listening to Amber bitch about how you went home with some other woman while she’s been patiently waiting for you to wake the fuck up and not miss out on the perfect catch that she is.” I wince. I know what Amber is capable of even though she tries to project a laid-back image. “Next time you intend to ditch me with her, I’d appreciate a heads up.”

  Luke and I planned to have celebratory drinks at the bar. Amber turned up at the office as we were about to leave and wormed her way into going with us. I’ve made it clear to her a number of times that I see her only as a friend. She acts like she’s okay with it until she changes her mind and decides that she’s not. It doesn’t help that her office is in the same building as ours.

  “Sorry, man. I wasn't thinking.”

  “Well, sorry won’t cut it but a steak at Soleil will do the trick,” he says. Soleil is probably the most expensive restaurant in London. There are no prices on their menus. I have to admit, the food there is excellent and the service is five-star.

  “Fine. Pick a day.”

  “That was easy. Tonight?”

  “Sure. Seven o'clock?”

  “Works for me.”

  “Should I pick you up too? Maybe bring some flowers?”

  Luke smirks at me, and flips me his middle finger.

  “You’ll need to do a hell of a lot more than that to get lucky with me,” he says. “Speaking of which, going by the dreamy look you had earlier and your absent-mindedness at the beginning of the meeting, it’s safe to assume you got laid last night.”

  I pick up my pen and idly toy with it, staying silent and keeping my expression
neutral.

  “Seeing as you’re not denying it, and silence meaning consent and all that shit, I’ll take that as a yes.”

  “Since when are you interested in my sex life?” I ask.

  “Since last night. I’ve never seen you do that.”

  “Do what?”

  “Leave with a woman you’ve just met.”

  “Who says I wasn’t just being chivalrous last night?”

  “Come on, Cole. We’ve been friends since we were freshmen at Stanford ten years ago. I’ve never known you to have a fling or a one-night stand. What changed?”

  Luke’s right. I’ve never done either, and I usually don’t rush into relationships. I like to take my time and figure out if a woman and I would be a good fit. Last night at the bar with Rae, I felt something I’d never felt. It’s like I knew on some deep level that we’re supposed to be together. Even though I was stunned by her invitation, everything in me was screaming ‘yes’. And it turned out to be the best night of my life.

  “I like her. I’m going to date her,” I tell him. No point in hiding it since I’m hoping that at some point in the future we’ll all be hanging out together.

  “How can you tell? You’ve known her all of – what? – eighteen hours.” Luke sounds surprised.

  “Yeah. About that.”

  “Are you sure it isn’t just your dick talking? It's been almost three months since you and Sara broke up.”

  Sara Henson, my ex-girlfriend. Three months ago, she gave me an ultimatum. Propose or we’re done. First, the ultimatum didn’t go down well with me. We weren’t discussing a business deal, so why use that strategy? We never had a real discussion about our future. One day, she decided she was ready to get married, and I should be too. It doesn’t work that way. Second, if we did get married, would I be subjected to more ultimatums when I don’t do what she wants, when she wants? For the fifteen months we spent together, I cared about her, believing we were building something good together. But after she issued me with the ultimatum, it dawned on me that we wouldn’t have a future together. I just couldn’t see myself with her forever.

  “You seem awfully concerned about my dick, Luke. Something wrong with yours?”

  “Mine works just fine. Want me to show you?”

  “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.”

  “Seriously, man. What’s going on?”

  “Like I said, I like her.”

  He stares at me. He’s known me long enough to know that I’m serious. “Okay. So when do I get to meet her officially?”

  “First, I have to convince her to go on a date with me. Then we’ll see what happens.”

  A look of surprise flashes across his face, quickly followed by amusement. “She turned you down.”

  “Yep,” I say casually. “She’ll come around.”

  Luke is holding back a smile. He knows how persistent I am when I want something. And I really want Rae.

  “Well . . . good luck with that.”

  I think I may need it with her.

  FOUR

  Rae

  I look at down at the ringing phone beside me, and the name on the screen is Sexy Cole. My brows furrow in confusion. Who is Sexy –? No way. I can’t believe Cole Mardsen touched my phone without my permission and then saved his number on it. Sexy Cole. What a ridiculous name.

  I answer the phone.

  “It seems you have a thing for invading women’s privacy,” I say, trying hard – and failing – to muster the anger that I should be feeling.

  “Sorry about that. That was a first for me. In my defense, you did tell me to take your number from your phone.”

  “That’s not possible. Why would I tell you that?” But I have a funny feeling that he’s telling the truth. How else would he know my password?

  “I was getting out of your bed this morning, and you asked me not to leave. So I asked you for your number, and you told me to take your phone and told me your password.”

  I have a vague recollection of being so comfortable and when I felt his warmth being withdrawn, holding on to him. More like clinging to him. Shit. That’s embarrassing.

  “Since I really wanted your number, I figured it was better I take it, and you’d appreciate my not hanging around your apartment until you woke up. And don’t worry, I didn’t look through your nude photos,” he adds. I can hear the humor in his voice.

  “I don’t have any nude photos on my phone.”

  “Damn. None? Well, you could always rectify that.”

  I wouldn’t be caught dead doing that. I have no desire for strangers to be poring over them on the internet if some loser decides to steal my phone or hack my cloud account.

  “You didn’t have to add ‘Sexy’ to your name,” I gripe needlessly.

  “Well, you called me that this morning . . . among other things.” There’s definitely laughter in his voice. What else did I say? I’m not going to ask and I’m not going to think about it because I don’t want to know. I’m embarrassed enough as it is.

  “So, Cole. What can I help you with?” I ask in a firm voice, pushing down my embarrassment.

  “Did you sleep okay?”

  Much more than okay. I’ve never slept better than I did last night. When I woke up, I couldn’t believe it when I checked the time and found out that it was almost noon. I’ve never woken up that late. Thoughts of how he kept me up for hours last night swirl through my mind. I silently clear my throat before I respond.

  “Yeah, I slept okay.”

  “I’m sure you did,” he says knowingly. I think it’s time to end this call.

  “What do you want, Cole?”

  “When can I take you out to dinner?”

  “I told you last night that I don’t date.”

  “It doesn’t have to be a date. It’s just two people going out to eat.”

  “No, thanks,” I say firmly. If there’s one thing I’m certain of is that I’ll never go on a date with him. The last time I went on a date was with my ex-husband, Jaden, and that’s before I found out that he’s a lying, cheating scumbag. An unbidden thought crosses my mind that Jaden is also the last man I slept beside before last night.

  He’s silent for a few long seconds. I’m sure he knows I meant what I said. No matter how great the sex was, I will not go out with him. I’m wondering if I should say something or maybe find a way to politely end the call when he finally speaks.

  “When can I see you again?”

  “I’m not sure. I’m going to be pretty busy with work.”

  “I’ll come over tomorrow night.”

  “Cole, I don’t think –”

  “Tomorrow night, Rae. Don’t worry. I won’t spend the night.”

  Cole is a god in bed. Should I really deny myself what he’s offering? Even though I have a rule to never sleep with the same man twice, it won’t hurt to make an exception just this once. This is purely about sex, nothing more. I’ll make it clear to him.

  “Just sex, right?”

  “Sure,” he responds casually.

  I like to be in control in the bedroom – and out of it, of course – but last night, Cole didn’t let me. He was in complete control. And my body loved it. I’m still trying to get over all the things he did to me. I wish I could say that my reaction to him last night was because I hadn’t had sex in months, but I can’t. It’s all him.

  “Seven o’clock?” I’m already looking forward to seeing him. No man has ever given me mind-blowing orgasms except him. Call me greedy but I want more.

  “Sounds good. See you tomorrow,” he says, and then hangs up.

  I’m already looking forward to it.

  ***

  Two nights ago, I had the best sex of my life and I thought it couldn’t get any better. I was wrong, so wrong. Tonight was . . . I don’t know the words to use to describe the immense pleasure Cole brought to my body. He had me moaning louder than I ever have. Honestly, I didn’t know I had it in me.

  Any hope I had that the way he made me feel on
our first night together was a one-off has fast dissipated.

  He is lying quietly beside me, and he hasn’t made a move to touch me, unlike two nights ago. The only sounds in the room are the sounds of us breathing. His silence doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is that I’m still aware of him. And I still want him.

  Memories of his lips on mine and between my thighs and on every inch of my body are still on my mind. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forget the way his perfect dick was thrusting so hard and sweet inside me. He had me on all fours, begging. Can you believe it? I was begging for more.

  “I should go,” he says quietly.

  My first instinct is to ask him to stay a bit longer. What the hell is wrong with me? Two nights of amazing sex and I’m no longer thinking straight. I have to get a grip. Fast.

  “Yeah,” I respond, trying to sound nonchalant.

  Cole turns to me. His gray eyes are studying me. Although I’m lying naked on my bed, I don’t feel self-conscious. I half-expect him to ask me when he’s going to see me again and I mentally prepare myself to turn him down firmly. I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep having sex with him no matter how amazing it is.

  I can’t explain the deep sense of disappointment I feel when he gets up and gets dressed, and then says so damned casually, “See you around, Rae.” Seconds later, I hear the front door open and close.

  He didn’t ask to see me again. I guess this is it. I hate the disappointment that’s clawing at me. I have to remind myself that this is what I want. I don’t want to get emotionally attached to anyone. It’s for the best, really.

  So why the fuck am I suddenly feeling empty?

  FIVE

  Rae

  The next morning, I see an unfamiliar tablet on my coffee table. It’s definitely not mine. How did it get here? Then my mind goes back to last night. Cole was holding a tablet when he walked in, but he didn’t make use of it since he was busy getting well acquainted with my body.