Two is a Lie(29)

“Thank you.” I reach out and grip his hand.

Twenty minutes later, we arrive at the shelter. Father Rick welcomes the family with open arms and gives them a tour. Cole and I tag along, so he can see the scope of the renovations that have been ongoing for the last six months.

“Danni and her fiancé funded all of the expansion.” Rick beams as he guides us through one of the new shower rooms.

He shifts his eyes to Cole, and his smile slips. Cole stands behind me, his jealousy blatant in the glower lining his face. I elbow him in the ribs, and he grunts. Then he wipes a hand over his mouth and grins down at me.

Rick regards us suspiciously. What must he be thinking? He attended my engagement party with Trace, and now I’m here without a ring, flirting with another man. I need to clear things up before we leave.

Continuing the walk-through, Rick shows off the remodeled kitchen, massive pantry, private rooms for families, and finally the dining area, where everyone congregates.

No one hangs out during the day, since they’re expected to be out and about looking for jobs.

“The doors will open in…” Rick glances at his watch. “About thirty minutes, and it’ll be a mad rush to feed everyone and get them settled in for the night.” He turns to me. “Are you sticking around for a while?”

“Yep.” I walk toward the little girl and her dog and bend down. “Do you like to dance?”

A smile struggles on her lips and flickers in her green eyes. “Yes.”

“Wonderful.” Rick claps his hands together and motions at her parents. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to Susie. She’s our job consultant. Then we’ll get you set up in one of the private rooms.”

They exit the dining hall, leaving Cole and I alone, grinning at each other.

“Did Trace give you hell when you asked for his car?”

“Nope. He was absolutely relieved to hear the sound of my voice.”

My eyes bulge. “Really?”

“No.” He grimaces.

“I hate that you two had a falling out because of me.”

“You’re worth it. He and I at least agree on that.” He looks around the large room. “When did you start volunteering here?”

“When you died.” My tone sounds more acidic than I intended.

I play it off and move to the table at the far wall where I had a stereo system set up.

“Danni.” He touches my lower back, his expression broken.

“It’s okay, Cole.” I power on the speakers and brace my hands on the table. “I was depressed and didn’t know what to do with all that negative energy. This place gave me purpose. I started volunteering in the kitchen. Then I got a wild hair up my ass to shake things up.”

“You dance here.” He takes in the small dance floor and music equipment.

“Line dancing.” I lift a shoulder. “I like giving sad people a reason to smile.”

“You’re pretty fucking amazing, you know that?” He brings my hand to his lips, kissing my fingers. “Whenever I’m with you, I feel like I’m flying. But you also scare the crap out of me.”

“What? Why?”

“You’re the best of everything. Your soul is so pure I don’t want to darken it.”

“Cole—”

“Beauty and love and freedom… That’s you, all wrapped up in a tiny seductive package. Christ, I want to indulge in every inch, inside and out.” He turns my hand over and presses his mouth against the inside of my wrist. “You taste like life.”

I step into him, hugging his waist and resting my cheek on his chest. “I missed you, Cole. So much.”

“I feel you, baby.” He embraces me tightly, pressing his lips to the top of my head.

A throat clears near the entrance of the dining hall.

Rick crosses his arms and cocks his bald head, probably wondering why I’m all up against a man who isn’t Trace.

“I never told him about you,” I whisper. “It was just too…hard. But I should—”

“I’ll talk to him.” Cole untangles from me and strides toward Rick.

I don’t mean to stare, but that predatory swagger, those low-rise jeans, the hard flex of his backside… Sweet sassy molassy, I can’t peel my eyes away. My legs twitch to chase him. My fingers itch to do things to him. Naughty things that shouldn’t be done in public, with a priest watching, or anywhere at all. Because we’re just dating. Without sex.

A groan sticks in my throat, but my gaze remains stuck to Cole’s ass. It doesn’t hurt to imagine him naked, to fantasize about the hard swollen length of him springing free as I unzip those jeans. I ache to feel him between my legs again, pounding, stretching, throbbing—