Liability (Suncoast Society #33)(62)

“Let it out,” she whispered. “It’s okay.”

“I love him,” he said.

“I know. I love him, too. He’s ours, and we’ll fight for him. We’ll fight as hard as we need to and get him home and healed up.”

She stroked his hair as she stared into his eyes. “I think this is for the best.”

He frowned. “What?”

“Not…this. I meant us. You and me. We already love each other. We already trust each other. We can do this for him. I’m going to fall apart. You’re going to fall apart. It’s okay.”

“We need to try to contact his parents today.”

“I think he has an address book on his desk.”

“If we can’t find one, I can try getting into his laptop and get his contacts from there.”

Her fingers stroked his forehead, caressed his lips. “I’m not just his pet,” she said. “I’m your pet, too.”

A sad smile curved his lips as he pressed a kiss to her fingers. “I’m sorry I’m not better at all of that for you.”

“It’s okay. Master told me I’m very well-trained. I’ll help you.”

“You smell like him.”

“I took a shower.”

“Guess you need another one now.”

She smiled. “That’s okay. I don’t mind smelling like you, too.”

“I want you to be able to lean on me. I should be strong enough to do this for you.”

She pulled both hands free and cupped his face in her hands, staring into his eyes. “You’re not just his boyfriend. You’re more than that to him, and he’s more than that to you. He said he wanted to talk a lot this weekend about the future with us. So I know we’re more than just boyfriend and girlfriend to him, too. And—”

His phone rang. She was closer and reached for it, not recognizing the number as she passed it to him.

Cole sat up. “Hello? Yes, this is Cole Singleton…”

She sat up, untangling from him, watching his face.

He frowned, then a hard, angry set to his jaw turned his expression murderous. “Good. Thank you for calling me… No, I just woke up. We’ll be heading there soon… Okay, thank you.”

He hit end and stared at the phone.

“Yeah?”

He didn’t meet her gaze. “They caught the little f*cker at one of those crappy old motels up on 301, just north of Sarasota, near the airport. About two hours ago. He was packing to leave.”

“So he’s in jail?”

“Yeah.”

“Call Tilly and them and tell them. They can call Ed. Have him handle this. I don’t want him to bond out. Have Ed fight for bail so high they won’t let him out.”

“Good point.” He sat up and made the call while she sat there, her arm around him, her head against his shoulder. He draped an arm around her while he talked to Tilly and assured her he could drive them to the hospital, but would appreciate her coordinating the legal end of things for now.

Once he ended the call with Tilly, he plugged his phone back into the charger and looked down at her. “Shower?”

She smiled. “I had one.”

He cupped his hand around the back of her neck and kissed her. “Funny, that wasn’t a request, pet.”

“Then I guess I’m taking a shower with you, sir.”

He smiled. “Good girl.”





With a few swallows of coffee in him and standing under the spray, Cole was feeling a little more awake. He didn’t want to process whatever it was that swept through him earlier.

It didn’t matter.

His own little version of an emotional breakdown.

Kim pulled her damp hair back into a messy bun and got into the shower with him, scrubbing his back for him, falling into a familiar pattern that was a small comfort to him as well.

It was like he was with them, in a way. Helping them keep it together for each other.

When they got dressed, he picked up her collar from the bathroom counter and carried it out into the bedroom, where he snapped his fingers and pointed to the floor.

Without hesitation, she sank to her knees, waiting.

He smiled. “You’re right, you are well-trained.”

“I try, sir.”

He buckled it around her neck and held out a hand for her, helping her up and pulling her into his arms.

“Bagels. For both of us,” he added. “I know you’re not hungry, and neither am I, but we need food in us.”

“Yes, sir.” When she turned to go do it, he delivered a swat to her ass. Not a playful one, but a hard one, the kind Mason would deliver.

She cast a smile over her shoulder. “Looks like I’m not the only one well-trained, sir.”

“He’s a good teacher and I pick things up. Food. Let’s get moving.”

He went in search of an address book and found one on Mason’s desk in the spare bedroom he also used as a home office.

It was close to eight o’clock by that time, so he called Corbin Lange first.

It wasn’t until the other man’s phone was ringing that Cole realized he had no idea how to approach this conversation except directly. Mason had told them he’d told his dad he was dating.