The Bad Boy's Girl (Now Available as a Paperback and ebook)

Chapter Forty: What Do I Need to Know About Baby Dolls and Teddies?

HA!

Alex has taken Cole out to blow off some steam and by now it's pretty dark outside. We haven't really gotten an opportunity to talk since our last conversation and I don't know if he's ready to tell me what happened. A part of me is scared to think that someone Mom purposefully placed in my life could be so vile but the other part wants to know so if I ever run into the woman again I can tell her to keep her flings and their spawns far away from me. 

We've decided to leave New York in a day or two, no one's not really in the mood to do the tourist thing and we've done the bar crawling. We haven't planned the next destination, it's all supposed to be spontaneous but I'm majorly stressed that this isn't what Cole and I need right now. It's been a tumultuous couple of days, we've gone from not having a relationship to going full throttle. This fight today, the meeting with my mom have put unneeded doubts into our head and now Cole feels like he's got something to hide...

"He said I was dragging you down." 

Startled at the sudden sound of his voice, I sit up. I'd been lying on my back on the bed waiting for him to come back. Cole looks deliciously rumpled, hot even in his tiredness. His t-shirt is creased, his hair a mess, circles under his eyes but he's still the kind of beautiful that breaks your heart. 

And now he's going to tell me what's been eating at him.

"What?" 

He sighs and flops down next to me on the bed, taking my hand in his. His thumb traces circles over the back of my hand. 

"Dickhead kept flirting with you which was enough to make me want tear his head off but I didn't want to ruin this thing with your mom before it really got a chance right? But he was pushing my buttons, he wanted me to fight him. Even when I punched him the first time, he had this smug look on his face like I was doing exactly what he wanted me to do."

"That asshole." I mutter, wishing now that Drew had been serially injured. 

"He made sure to let me know that I was the scum of the earth and that my being would only end up with you spiralling into this pit of doom. I made sure to acquaint him with my fist, simple."

"You're editing and omitting a lot right now aren't you?"

"I can basically see the steam coming out of your ears babe, I'll spare the man whatever it is you're planning to do to him."

He's right, I'm furious. If I ever did see the guy again, I would do horrible unspeakable things to him, it would be so bad that ripping his balls off would seem like a lesser punishment. 

Nobody messes with Cole. 

"He wanted to get a rise out of you, my mom needed that ammunition. She'll probably paint you as this violent thug who needs anger management classes." 

He chuckles, "That sounds like an accurate description. I'm glad your mom knows me so well."

I hit his arm playfully, "Shut up. it doesn't matter to me. I know who you are, I know you Cole. What my mom thinks, what anyone thinks it doesn't matter." 

He cups my cheek and leans in, his lips ghosting over mine. "I love how you're so defensive when it comes to me. It's a huge turn on." He grins and presses his lips softly to mine. My breath hitches and I kiss him back, softly at first, almost revering but frantically as it progress. Until my hands are grasping fistfuls of his shirt, pulling him to me. He's cups the nape of my neck with one hand, the other still at my cheek tilting my face to give the right angle. The stress of the day fades away as we attempt to lose ourselves in each other. We kiss until my lips start to ache, until it becomes difficult to breathe and even then we pull away only to find each other's lips again. It's magical, that's what it is.