Page 59 of Double Booked

“Thank God. I was worried you two would come to blows.” She placed her hand over her chest, her heart still pounding wildly from the encounter.

“I held myself back,” he said.

She noticed a vein pulsing at the side of his neck. “I’m sorry you had to deal with him. I never expected him to show up here.”

“I did.”

“He’s a fool for thinking it would make a difference.”

“Is he?”

Her brow furrowed. “Of course.”

“I thought women liked grand gestures—him showing up here to rescue you from the big, bad stranger. All that was missing was a white horse.”

She frowned at him. “What are you saying?”

“He might have left, but I don’t believe it’s over between you.”

She stared at him like he really was a stranger, even after everything they’d shared. She stalked over to the kitchen counter and picked up her phone. Then she went and stood next to him, close enough that he could see the phone screen. She pulled up her contact list, selected Patrick’s name, and deleted it while Cole watched. Then she slipped the phone into the pocket of her robe and met his gaze.

“There are other means of getting to you, like he just proved,” he said.

“He’s not going to follow me around the world.”

“Maybe not, but he can keep tabs on you through your friends and family.”

“Marissa is not my friend, and when our boss finds out what she did, she’ll be reprimanded.”

He removed his hands from his pockets and shoved them in his hair. The same hair she’d buried her hands in a short time ago.

“Cole…”

“Listen, I’m glad you kicked him out, but he was right about one thing.”

She stiffened. “What is that?”

“We barely know each other, Eden. What we’ve been doing… What just happened… It’s like we’re playing house. We’re living in a dream or fantasy… Inevitably, it’s going to end.”

Her mouth gaped open, and she felt light-headed. She refused to pass out, though.

“I think Patrick is right. You’re going to end up regretting this,” Cole said. Then, before she had a chance to refute it, he rushed past her and jogged upstairs. The next thing she heard was his bedroom door closing and the lock being engaged.

She stood in the center of the room, staring up at his closed door in disbelief. Earlier, she’d been burning up from the throes of passion and then anger at Patrick. Now, she felt chilled to the bone, and it wasn’t because she was only wearing a robe. How had Patrick’s appearance managed to ruin things to this extent? Hadn’t she just proven that she didn’t want anything more to do with him? How could she make it any clearer? It was like a switch had been flipped, and Cole was acting like the stranger Patrick accused him of being. Yet less than an hour ago, they’d been making love. How could he so easily dismiss what had happened between them? Did he truly believe they were just playing house?

Soon, she grew tired of standing there. She debated marching upstairs and confronting him, but her pride prevented her from doing so. Besides, she’d already expended enough emotional energy for one night. If he wasn’t willing to stay and talk to her, then she wasn’t going to chase after him.

Resigned, she went into her bedroom, swapped her robe for pajamas, and climbed into bed. She attempted to read, but it was no use. Her mind was whirling and her ears were alert to every sound. She kept glancing at the ceiling, thinking of Cole in bed too, and wishing she were lying beside him. She’d even left her bedroom door ajar in case he changed his mind about talking. After a while, his silence felt like a slap in the face. Finally, she gave up reading, and switched off the lamp. The darkness descended over her like a blanket, but it wasn’t the least bit comforting.

Things will be better in the morning, she decided. It sounded exactly like something Cole would say.

Twenty

Cole knocked on the door and waited. He heard footsteps, and then the door swung open.

“C’mon in.” His dad, Robert, was wearing plaid pajamas and slippers.

Cole had left the cabin before daylight, and since Denver wasn’t far away, it was still early. Cole followed him into the kitchen, immediately spotting the fresh pot of coffee.