Page 138 of Shelter
“Mmmm-whaa!” She kissed me noisily before turning to Cole. “Mmmm-whaa!”
She pulled back from us and brushed the heels of her hands against her eyes. “Well…” She sniffled. “…that’s some surprise.” Then she fanned her face before shoeing us toward her sofa.
“Y’all have a seat. I’ll pour us some lemonade while we wait for Ava.” The she gasped. “Does she know?”
I bit my lip and glanced at Cole. He gave Mama a guilty smile. “She knows. She had dinner with us Friday night.”
Again, Cole’s true but diplomatic response had me silently cheering.
Mamatsked.“Lucky girl!” Then she shot me a teasing glare. “I guess you couldn’t invite your old mother.”
I thought about the events of Friday night and nearly choked. “W-we’re here now, Mama,” I cajoled.
Mama rolled her eyes and shook her head at the heavens. “Young people. I swear!” She set off for the kitchen, but not before barking one last order. “Sit!”
Cole pulled me to the couch, his eyes still following Mama. When she was out of sight, he faced me with an arched look. “You weren’t kidding,” he whispered.
Pressing my lips together, I shook my head. “But you handle her better than anyone. Still,” I said, ducking my chin, “you didn’t have to take the blame for me. But thank you.”
Cole reached up and stroked his pinky down my cheek. A delicious shiver trickled along my spine. “I remember a few times when you took the blame for me.” His tone was soft, but his eyes blazed with memory. I remembered, too, and I reached for his hand, interlacing my fingers with his. “And even if you hadn’t, I’d do it anyway. I want to take care of you.”
I squeezed his fingers, my brows drawing together. “I would think you’ve had more than your fair share of taking care of people.”
The left corner of his mouth curled up. “With you, it’s different. It feels good. It feels…” He licked his lips, and his voice lowered. “…intimate.”
The way he said that one word made my pulse pound in my throat and between my breasts. Cole leaned in so that his lips hovered over my neck. “Taking care of you is like foreplay.”
A whimper escaped me before I could clamp it down. I released Cole’s hand with a pat before pushing myself away from him. “We’re in Flora’s living room, for heaven’s sake,” I hissed.
In spite of myself, his wicked chuckle had me grinning. And that’s how Mama found us when she returned with lemonade.
“Well,” she said smirking, “don’t y’all look cute together.”
“Oh, God,” I groaned under my breath. I gladly took one of the glasses from her and hid my stinging blush with a sip of lemonade. I heard Cole’s phone chime as I did.
“Thank you, Flora,” he said, taking a glass with one hand and reaching for his phone with the other. I watched him read the screen and then frown.
Mama ducked back into the kitchen for the third glass.
“Everything okay?” I whispered.
“It’s Ava.” Cole’s thumbs flew over the screen. “She says she pulled a muscle in her back in yoga class, and she’s going home to soak in the tub. She says to eat without her, and she’ll come later if she’s up to it.”
My stomach dipped. Not because of Ava’s message, but because of the look on Cole’s face. “You… don’t believe her?” I asked carefully.
He lifted his eyes to mine, and they suddenly looked ancient. Cole sighed. “I want so much to believe her.” He sounded exhausted. “Tell me I should believe her.”
I held my breath. I hadn’t actually seen Ava since last night when we’d made dinner. But she’d seemed fine then. At least, I thought she’d seemed fine. “She’s going to a lot of classes. It’s possible she overdid it.”
His frown didn’t budge. “A broken bone wouldn’t keep me from lunch at Flora’s, much less a pulled muscle. And Ava loves her just as much as I do.”
I smiled in spite of my growing worry. “I don’t doubt that.” Then I shrugged. “But she’s been doing well. What makes you nervous?”
Weary eyes stared back at me. “History,” he murmured. Then his gaze focused. “And… I haven’t been paying much attention to her the last few days.”
Now, my stomach plummeted. “Because of me,” I whispered, just as Mama returned.
“I just took the roast out. It needs to rest for a minute before I slice it, but then it’ll be ready to serve.” She glanced over her shoulder toward the kitchen as if to make sure the pork roast hadn’t walked away. “I sure hope Ava’s on her way.”
