2 weeks later.
Milan, Italy.
~~~
Skye
"So what do you think?" Marco Rossi stared at me with huge, expectant eyes as he showed me the newly designed hallway in the west wing of his house and asked for my opinion on hanging one of his paintings up on a spot along a wall.
"Er...I...I think it's a great idea and would look absolutely beautiful," I lied smoothly, my lips curving in a sweet smile as I regarded the short, stout man.
He was one of those wealthy clients I mentioned before who paid me to teach them painting, had been a customer for two weeks now and the truth was, I had seen kids in kindergarten paint better.
But I was not about to tell him that. I did not want to hurt his feelings. Or lose my job.
Returning my smile, Marco hollered down the corridor at one of his maids for some watermelon juice, making me flinch because he was annoyingly loud sometimes. Thankfully, he left me to my own devices when his phone rang a moment later and instructed me to join him for a drink later out on the terrace.
It was hot today and my session with Marco Rossi was over. I was dying to get back to my tiny apartment in Via Dei Gerani a couple of miles away, take a long shower and just put up my feet but a huge part of my steady income depended on keeping some of my clients entertained and interested enough to keep booking sessions with me and recommending me to others.
"That was a wise move, by the way," a voice declared from behind me. "I would've just told him his paintings suck and to not torture people with visions of them all over this beautiful house."
I rolled my eyes. "No wonder he keeps grumbling about wanting to hire another architect."
The man behind me chuckled and then moved in my line of vision with a smug expression on his face. "He won't, though. I'm brilliant and he knows that."
I pout playfully as I pretend to consider something. "Well, I wouldn't say brilliant actually...," I drawled and he shook his head at me, humour dancing in his eyes.
"You just hate admitting I'm right," he quipped and then added, "Admit it."
I laughed a little, tucking a few stray strands of my wavy blond hair behind my ears as they stuck to my skin because I was sweating in the heat. This part of the house was still under construction and the air conditioning had not been installed yet.
Cole Sawyer, the twenty-eight-year old architect working on Marco's house aimed his beautiful smile at me. God, he was gorgeous. And perfect. Just a few years older than me with a warm, flirtatious nature. And he wore glasses. Fuck, I thought it was so hot when I first came here to give Marco painting lessons and was introduced to this hunk of a guy. He was lean, dark-haired, the same height as me which was about 5 feet 8 and he loved reading.
Yeah, that was a huge turn-on for me. Boys who loved to read. Not just boring shit but fantasy novels. Brandon Sanderson. Patrick Rothfuss. Terry Goodkind. Even Jay Kristoff.
Damn, my panties almost melted the first time he discussed my favourite fantasy books with me upon discovering me reading a novel during one of my breaks here. He flirted with me every chance he got and if we could not talk to each other due to being busy at work, he would seek me out even if it was for a few seconds and wink or wave, never failing to shoot that charming smile in my direction.
Needless to say, I was crushing on him hard. He never asked me out though. Never asked for my number either. I wondered how long it would take for me to stop waiting for him to make a move and just do it myself. Because I really, really liked him.
"Energy bar?" he asked, offering me one from his never-ending supply. That was another thing I knew about him. He loved those things, a health freak through and through.
"Thanks, Cole. Um...I have to meet Marco for a drink before I head home so...see you tomorrow, I guess," I said quietly, reluctant to leave him just yet.
He nodded once and winked at me. "It's a date, beautiful," he replied smoothly, chewing on his energy bar.
I sucked the insides of my cheeks, my heart thundering inside my chest as I took a leap of faith, taking my cue from his words even as I wondered if this was a bad idea.
"Would be great if it didn't have to be with Marco keeping track of our hours," I ventured carefully, noting his reaction.
He was still chewing but his expression turned serious as he watched me for a while before saying, "Hmm."
Hmm. That was it. He was not getting the hint. I mean, he looked like he did get it but he was clearly not interested in doing anything about it. I tried not to let disappointment creep in but it did, the fucking thing. Argh. Even though I was a fully grown woman, this moment felt like the time when my first crush in school laughed at me in front of his friends when I wrote him a note telling him I liked him.
It sucked. That rejection. And I had not been with anybody since graduating college a couple of years ago but men have always told me I was gorgeous with my honey-gold hair, curvy figure and blue eyes. Maybe I just wasn't Cole's type.
"Okay, then," I said, forcing a smile on my face which was tight with the effort from trying not to cry in front of this guy. "I better go. Bye."
I walked away from him as quickly as I could before I embarrassed myself any further, focusing on my next task. It kept my mind off the pain. The loneliness. The goddamned loneliness which followed me everywhere.
For once in my life I wished I could just find someone to connect with. A bond unlike any other. My parents had given me up for adoption and the couple I grew up with had started to neglect me soon after they had two of their own kids after years of unsuccessful pregnancy attempts. I had friends here and back in London but they all had their own busy lives.
There was nobody in this world I could call mine, though. My person. Mine to hold and own. Just mine.
Cole had seemed like he was made for me but I could not force myself on him. Besides, now I knew he had no intention of ever asking me out so I had to start keeping my distance before I lost my head completely to this guy. Along with my heart.
~~~
Cole
I was in a bad mood. This rarely happened because usually, I was a pretty easygoing guy and hardly gave two shits about what many others would consider stressful situations.
But tonight was different. I had worked extra long hours at Marco's today intending to take the day off tomorrow. The man had grumbled some shit or another under his breath but since my work was exemplary, he agreed to the last minute schedule change.
I needed to take a break from her.
Two weeks. Two weeks of looking at her gorgeous body, her angelic face, observing the warmth of her laughter and the vulnerability of her lost-in-thought expression.
Did she think I did not notice? That I was not aware? I worked in different areas of the unfinished house, drawing up plans according to what Marco wanted and making adjustments which required all of my energy since this was a huge project but...the minute Skye Madison set foot on the premises, I felt the uncontrollable urge to just see her. What she was wearing, if she was in a bright, sunny mood or plagued by one of her demons which made her go all quiet.
Usually, I could judge her emotional state from what she taught Marco to paint that particular day. Colourful, bright pieces meant she was happy. It was the grey, morbid ones that worried me.
Which was unsettling because she was not mine to worry about. She was nothing to me. Just some girl at work.
Whom I spent hours thinking about.
I wanted us to be closer but I was scared to go there. I was scared to drag her into my life and ruin someone else's in the process. Every day, I resisted the temptation that was Skye Madison. But every day, a part of me also kept asking the question, 'How bad could it be?' She wants me and I want her. It should work. I could make it work.
I clutched the steering wheel of my Ford Escape hard while navigating through the road leading to my house, banishing those dangerous thoughts like I usually do. But tonight, it became especially hard. The hurt on her face when she tried to ask me out and I could hardly get a word out still haunted me. I made her feel that way and I hated myself for it.
An incoming call started to come through the Bluetooth system of my car and guilt weighed down my heart when I saw the caller's name. Pressing the answer button, I schooled my voice to sound cheerful and normal.
"Hey, baby. What's up?"
I heard the TV blaring in the background and a door clicking shut muting the sound. "Just wondering what's taking you so long. All okay?"
I rubbed a free hand over my face. "Yeah. Sorry, I didn't text. I got caught up with work."
There was a pause where words were not necessary. We both knew that I always remembered to text even if I was caught up with work. First lie I had told to my partner of six years. I wondered if this was me starting to travel down the path of treachery. But that was ridiculous. I had not done anything.
Skye's face hovered in my vision again. Was she okay? Now I was regretting taking the day off. How will I make sure she was okay after the way I turned her down without even saying anything? She probably hates me.
"Cole."
Jerking out of my thoughts, I cleared my throat and realised I had missed part of the conversation. "I'm almost home. See you in a couple of minutes okay."
Silence again. Then I heard the call end tone instead of hearing some kind of verbal response.
Shit. I was in trouble.
~~~
Jasper
My laptop lay open in front of me as I tried to work on editing the latest photos I had taken during an exclusive, high-class party in Finale Ligure. These needed to be ready by early tomorrow afternoon although Cole's latest antics had blown my concentration for most of the day.
My eyes kept drifting to the time shown at the bottom of the laptop screen. 11 p.m. Where the fuck was he?
That was when I heard footsteps outside the door, the sound of keys jingling and despite my irritation, my heart softened at the sight of Cole entering the living room. He threw his keys on the kitchen counter carelessly which acted as a divider between the living room and where all the cooking took place. Then he shrugged off his jacket and headed to the fridge for a drink. I pretended to get back to focusing on the laptop again, waiting a few seconds.
As expected, Cole shut the refrigerator door with a sigh. "Did we run out of lemons?" he called out.
I leaned back against the couch and watched him through narrowed eyes. "No. Why?"
He frowned slightly then shrugged. "Nothing," he muttered, his lips thinning before he stalked off into the bedroom.
I ran both hands through my hair then, my head falling back against the couch and I closed my eyes feeling like my world was slowly slipping through my fingers. Why was he acting like this? I had been noticing it for about two weeks now. He seemed absent-minded and came home later than usual. He never rose to the bait and fought with me when I tried to get under his skin. I was losing him. I was fucking losing him and the thought made me sick to my stomach. Why wouldn't he just tell me what was wrong?
I heard the volume of the TV being lowered and then felt a hand clamp on my shoulder. Opening my eyes, I saw Cole glancing down at me with a tender look in his eyes, now having changed into sweats and a t-shirt.
"You coming to bed?" he asked me gently.
I let out a heavy sigh. "In a minute."
Nodding slightly, he disappeared into our bedroom again and I snapped my laptop shut before walking into the kitchen, my determination to stay mad at him fading at the mellowed way he had chosen to deal with my anger. Cole was in bed reading a book when I placed a glass next to his bedside table before starting to undress. He glanced at the chilled lemon juice which he loved so much, especially when I made them from fresh lemons and then grinned at me. I threw him a frown just to show him this did not change anything before getting in bed.
Putting the book away, Cole took a sip from his glass and smacked his lips at the tangy, citrusy flavour. "Thanks, wifey."
"Shut up. I'm not in the mood," I grumbled. He always liked to tease me about being the feminine part of our duo since I worked from home and liked to cook for us which was just so sexist and ridiculous because we both knew I was the very definition of alpha male.
I heard the thud of the glass on the table and then the mattress dipped some more as Cole lowered himself next to me.
"There's pizza in the fridge," I could not help but say even though I knew he usually ate something on the way whenever he was late coming home.
"I'm not interested in the pizza," he told me in a low voice before pressing his chest into my back.
He had taken off his shirt and the feel of his hot skin against mine after hours of being apart was too much. I turned abruptly, grabbed the back of his head and clamped my mouth on his in a rough, absolutely brutal and completely desperate kiss, my tongue meshing with his furiously.
When I finished, I drew back and pinned him with an intense look as he breathed heavily from my assault.
"What the fuck are you hiding from me?" I growled and for a second, he looked guilty. Then he laughed a little and grabbed my hair so that he could kiss me this time.
"I've had a really long day, Wells. You can either put me to sleep by questioning me about something that's just you being paranoid or you can fuck my brains out so that we can both go to bed satisfied," he said, not really giving me a choice as he started grinding his lower body slowly but deliberately against mine, his green eyes flooding with lust. We were both hard and panting with need by now.
I found it hard to think then. He was all that mattered. Him and this moment where he only wanted to be consumed by me. Maybe I was just being paranoid and reading too much into his exhaustion from work. Maybe we just needed a change of scenery to get things back on track.
Yeah, that was probably it. Cole would always belong to me. He has from the moment we met six years ago and nothing was going to change that.
~~~
Jasper Wells (Except with darker eyes and blond hair.)
***
Cole Sawyer ( With green eyes and mostly glasses)