h

tely ignoring Cole like he

me, old man, sam

n before I could

d his arm lightly. "

honey, Jake doesn't have any family in Chicago, he's a foster kid, and ever since we drafted him at

rying to process everything

oring Cole's hand on my waist compl

h his girlfriend and her name was Chl

second too long. I knew Jake liked me, he'd never been shy abo

ightened around my waist

e room fe

tepped between us and his chest f

e enough that his breath brushed

a warm shiver ran through

away from my girlfriend, Sterlin

her hands together. "O

steps on the stairs caught everyone's attention, and

view, and his gaze swept over me in a

N

sweaty and my

t with two months ago, I'd left the mor

ognized me, and a slow smi

own my spine and I

on't let him be

ke," Cole's mother sai

still see her talking but her words sounde

. I'd slept with

t my ribs and this had t

, pr

he present and he extended his h

and tried to move

's en

l, and he stared at his brothe

rked. "Hey, big b

e any woman forget her own name,

s to rest," Cole said, a

hands in surrender, but his gaze

way everyone in the family looked

room and toward the bedroom we'd be sharing, and of course he wasn'

the bedroom, Cole lock

"Why did y

d and unreadable, the kind of cold that

sounded like," he said as he walked toward me, slow and deliberate,

y back hit the wooden wall with a soft

ed, but my voice di

voice low and tight, like the

s with him, trying to read what was ang

n his bar, in his bed?" The questions came out too fas

Cole, w

gh me, not just loud but raw, and th

se I couldn't understand what could make him act like a

ing the word, letting it sit on his ton

ing me against the wall, his arm braced beside my hea

his name?" he asked quietly, his eyes d

e, s

my waist, firm and possessive, his palm hot through the t

ou like you be

height of it all, the line

e at once, rising from my stomach up to my throat, because who did he

e I don't belong to anyone!" I snapped, my voice

had, and he stumbled back one step, his eyes wide, and I could see the sh

ore your stupid fake contract, before your fucking rule three, you hired me to p

outside the window the frozen lake cra

d shoved him, then back at me, h

s voice low and rough. "It's not my

ving me space for the first time since we entered t

e the problem wasn't

ht have agreed that my

ready told me he wasn't goi