Chapter Six
COLE
Spending the past week with Sarah is what dreams are made of. We’ve relived old times and shared our feelings in ways I never would have imagined. Waking up next to her has made me a happier man, and I know in another scenario, she’d be my wife. She’s still the same woman I fell in love with, and knowing she never stopped feeling the same about me has changed things.
Neither of us can deny that.
I can’t believe it’s already New Year’s Eve. It’s crazy how fast the days have passed since Sarah arrived. It’s been magical, and I’m tempted to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming. We’ve picked up where we left off as though no time has passed.
While everything is fantastic between us, I know her being here is only temporary. In a few days, she’ll get on a plane and go back to her life in Chicago. I greedily want to take her home with me and not come up for air until that day comes, but I have to be at work. I’m tempted to use my vacation days, but Sarah has already told me not to.
She’s my everything, always has been, and time and distance have shown me that. It’s been cemented in my heart and was confirmed the moment her lips touched mine at the tree lighting.
Tonight, we planned to hang out at the little pub on the corner of Main Street to ring in the new year. They’re having a party with drink specials and live music. Since it’s snowing, I offered to pick her up even though it’s only a few blocks from her house.
When I walk up the steps and she answers the door, my mouth falls open. She’s wearing a black dress that fits her perfectly with bright red high heels.
“Damn,” I whisper, leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on her crimson lips. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she replies. Putting on her coat, she tells her parents goodbye over her shoulder.
“Hey, Cole!” They yell, and I wave hello before Sarah pushes me from their view.
“Your parents still love me too,” I say, grabbing her hand and leading her to the passenger side.
“You seem to have that effect on people.” She glances over at me with a popped brow, then continues, “I haven’t celebrated this holiday in years. I usually do the news the next morning, so I tend to go to sleep early,” she tells me.
I laugh. “All I know is you deserve to be kissed at midnight. Sets the foundation for the entire year,” I say matter-of-factly as we park on the street.
When we walk inside, music floats through the air from a band playing on the small stage. It’s an intimate setting, the lights are low, but people are packed in the room. We go to the bar, where I pull out a stool for Sarah, then sit next to her.
“Want a drink?” I ask as the bartender sets down napkins in front of us.
“Vodka and tonic with lime,” she says, and I order a beer. Moments later, our drinks are placed in front of us, and I pick mine up and take a sip.
Sarah turns and smiles at me, placing her hand on my thigh. I think about the past week we’ve spent together and grin. “I kinda want to dance,” she admits, biting her bottom lip. “After I finish my drink.”
“Deal.” I finish my beer at the same speed as she does, then pay our check. Sarah stands and reaches out her hand, pulling me toward the crowded dance floor.
We mosey in, and I place my hands on her hips, and she wraps her arms around my neck. Not able to hold it back any longer, I dip down and slip my tongue inside her mouth. Our bodies keep moving to the beat, but all I want to do is leave and be alone with her until the clock strikes midnight.
As if she reads my mind, she whispers, “Let’s get out of here.”
I create some space between us so I can meet her emerald green eyes. “Yeah?”
“I don’t want to waste the remaining time I have with you, Cole.”
She doesn’t have to tell me twice. I interlock my fingers with hers, and we climb inside the truck. Moments later, Sarah’s moving closer to me, and before I realize what’s happening, she’s straddling me with her fingers threaded through my hair.
“Fuck, baby,” I whisper as she grinds hard against me. I feel like ravenous teenagers again.
“I need you right now, Cole,” she demands, and I slip my finger under the fabric of her dress, immediately feeling her pussy.
“No panties?” My eyes widen, and I grin. “You little vixen.”
“Just takes more time to remove them,” she says before she nips and pulls my earlobe into her mouth. Sarah’s hands slide down to my pants to undo the top button, then she unzips them and pulls out my dick. I’m hard as a goddamn rock.
Moments later, I’m inside her and we’re fucking as if our lives depend on it. As she bounces on my cock, I adjust the top of her dress and take her nipple in my mouth. The windows grow foggy, and I grab her hips, slamming my dick inside her.
“Yes, yes, yes,” she moans. Her hair flies in her face as she desperately cries out, begging for relief.
“I love you, Sarah,” I admit as she rides me hard. I grab her ass cheeks, and she pants out her response.
“I love you too,” she says, then groans. I place my thumb on her clit and gently rub circles. It takes no time before she rides her release, and I spill inside her.
“Fuck, baby,” I whisper.
“And just think, we have three more hours until midnight,” she says, pressing her lips against mine. “Now take me to your house, and let’s make the last hours of the year count.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice,” I say.
The mood on the way to the airport is somber, but I try to keep the conversation light because I can tell she’s upset too. It was never easy watching her leave, and this time is no different. We knew it wouldn’t be.
“I’m going to miss the fuck out of you,” I tell her as we make the final turn.
Sarah lets out a calm breath. “I know. Me too. But I’ll be back in two weeks for my interview.”
There’s a weight on my shoulders so heavy that when I pull into the drop-off area, I feel as if I can’t breathe. It brings back too many memories, and while I know it’s different now, there’s still the chance she may not get the job. Though they’d be stupid as hell not to hire her.
I park, and we sit there in silence for a few seconds.
“I love you, Sarah. I love you so damn much,” I admit, and she leans over and presses her soft ruby lips against mine.
“I love you too,” she whispers into my mouth when she pushes away.
I instantly miss her being so close. Threading my fingers through the loose strands of hair that fall in her eyes, I tuck them behind her ear.
“I’m going to get the job. I just know it,” she encourages. “Then we can make up for lost time.”
“I’m taking that as a promise, sweetheart,” I say with a smirk.
“A promise wrapped with a guarantee. And if—for some reason—I don’t, we’ll make it work. I’ve realized that what we have is so damn special that it can’t be replicated. I’m yours, Cole. Always have been and always will be,” she says, then looks down at her phone to check the time. “I should get going, even if I don’t want to.”