Crazy in Love (Blue Lake #3)(26)

“You knew that already,” Cole said, peeling his mouth from her neck.

“Yeah, but hearing someone else say it really drove it home.”


“If you want to listen to your boyfriend, that’s fine, but what we’re about to do has nothing to do with forever, remember?”

She looked shocked, her skin paling. “Joey’s not my boyfriend.”

“Maybe he should be.”

Truer words had never left his lips.

“One part of me knows you’re leaving and screams that I shouldn’t get involved…” She rose up on tiptoe and brushed her lips against his. “…but the other part of me wants you so bad. I can’t stop myself from kissing you, from wanting you to do naughty things to me.”

His jaw clenched so tight, he thought he heard it crack. For some reason he couldn’t explain, he didn’t want her to regret tonight…to regret inviting him into her bed.

“Listen,” he said, his voice nearly a growl. “I’ve got no qualms sleeping with you and leaving it at that. But if this is going to be the big mistake of your life, the oh-shit moment when you slept with the rock star when you knew better, I’m not sure I want any part of it.”

There. He mentally patted himself on the back. Way to take the high road.

“You don’t want to be a regret,” she said softly. She paused, hesitating, scissoring her bottom lip between her teeth. “Then I think I’m going to go upstairs and take a bath.”

He curled his fingers around her hip. “Am I invited?”

“Not this time.”

As she walked away, Cole’s insides wrenched. He wanted to ask her to wait, to reconsider, but he’d never begged someone to sleep with him, and he certainly wasn’t going to start now. He clenched his back teeth so hard they hurt, and watched her disappear as she turned at the top of the stairs.





Chapter Nine



Rachael awoke to the soft strums of a guitar. It was raspy. Warm and soothing like a lullaby. At first she thought she’d misheard it. She rolled over, pulled the comforter over her ears and tried to go back to sleep. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she didn’t want the day to start just yet.

She wasn’t ready to see him.

The tempo slowed until she strained to hear one slow pluck after another. It was beautiful, lulling her into a state of peace. Her eyelids fluttered close and her heart danced.

Had she left the radio on downstairs? It was quite possible she’d turned it on last night and forgotten about it. She wished there were other things she could forget…starting from the second she’d thrown herself at Cole, ending with the moment when she realized what they’d been about to do.

Shoving her feet into her flip-flops, Rachael draped her robe around her shoulders and cinched the tie at the waist. She crept out the door and followed the angelic sound, down the stairs, and into the living room.

Cole sat near the fire, his legs resting on the coffee table, a guitar in his lap. He didn’t see her at first, but when his eyes met hers, his hand flattened against the guitar’s strings and he jerked his feet to the floor.

He’d been playing that song the whole time?

Wow.

She’d heard he was a talented performer, but she’d also heard that his songs lacked emotion and a personal touch. If he gave his fans a hint of that, she’d bet they’d change their minds.

“Good morning,” she said, trying not to sound moved by what she’d just heard.

His eyes were guarded, shadowed to a thick molasses shade of brown. “Morning.”