But being perverse by nature, her sister didn’t answer.

Heaven forbid she ever do anything helpful. “Call me,” Olivia said to Jolyn’s voice mail. “Call me back as soon as you get this and tell me you are not here in Lucky Harbor asking about me.”

Then, to distract herself, she went through new stock. She had two boxes that had come in the day before, and was deep in them when she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of a low, unbearably familiar voice.

“Hey, Supergirl.”

Cole stood on her office doorstep, one shoulder propping up the jamb, arms casually crossed over his chest, baseball hat low on his face.

It was so cold out that she was still shivering in her boots from her walk over here, but Cole wore nothing but a long-sleeved T-shirt tight over his broad shoulders, loose over his flat abs, half tucked into his low-riding cargoes. Also, it must have started to rain, because he was dotted with raindrops.

And she ached at the sight of him.

Chapter 27

Cole took one look at Olivia’s face and straightened in concern. She looked absolutely stunned to see him, so much so that she nearly fell on her face.

He reached out to grab her arm. She was trembling. “Hey,” he said. “Hey, come here.”

As he pulled her in, she gripped him like she’d never expected to see him again. “I’m so sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have butted in with my opinion and then walked out, I—”

He shook his head and cuddled her into him. “Don’t ever be sorry for your opinions,” he said.

“But I walked out—”

“Honey, that’s called a regular night at my house. Tempers ebb and flow, it’s okay.”

She stared up at him like he was speaking Greek. Had no one ever had a fight with her and then forgiven her before? “Olivia,” he said quietly. “I’m the sorry one. I got my world rocked last night, and you took the brunt of it.” Then he lowered his head and kissed her.

He’d meant to keep it short and sweet, comforting. But it was one hell of a hot, hard kiss.

“So…” She blinked up at him when he lifted his mouth from hers. “Does that mean we’re okay?”

She slayed him. “So okay.” Dropping his forehead to hers, he cupped her face and kissed her again.

“And that?” she asked. “What was that for?”

“For being the real deal,” he said. “For the utter lack of pretense, always.” He slid his thumb over her still wet lower lip, watching the movement before meeting her gaze. “I could fall for you, Olivia.” He let that sink in before letting out a low laugh.

“That’s funny?” she asked, looking confused.

“No. What’s funny is that it’s a lie.” He dipped down a little to look right into her eyes. “I am falling for you.”

Olivia stared at him, heart in her throat. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t do anything but gape at him like a fish out of water.

Yay! the devil on her left shoulder said. Oh yay! He’s falling for us!

The angel on her right shoulder wasn’t nearly so happy and warm. In fact, she was terrified. No. No, no, no, this isn’t good. What will we do when he finds out the truth about us and he changes his mind?

So many things were hitting her at once. Happiness. Warmth.

Terror. “You mean that?”

“I’m not in the habit of saying things I don’t mean.” Cole checked the lock on the front door and picked her up. “Wrap your legs around me,” he said. “Yeah, like that.” And then he turned and headed for her desk.

“What are we doing?”

He set her down on the wood surface. “Lose the clothes, Olivia.” And when she didn’t move fast enough, he lent his hands to the cause and had her down to skin in three seconds. He dropped to his knees between hers.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said quietly, kissing his way up the inside of her leg, a big hand on her ankle, holding her open for him.

She felt incredibly naked. And she was. One hundred percent naked while he was fully dressed.

Intimacy had always been a problem for her. Relaxing into it. Allowing it. But here, now, with Cole like this, it felt…freeing. “I don’t think—”

“Good. Don’t think,” he said gruffly. “Just give. Give me you.”

And then he put his mouth on her, and in less than five minutes, she’d have given him anything he asked for. Her worries began to slide away. Even her angels went silent. Her bones were liquid; her body sagged against the desk like a limp doll when he rose up and kissed her. His mouth was hot and hungry, and he growled when she pulled him closer.

But then he let go of her, and she gasped at the lack of contact.

“Don’t move,” he ordered as he tugged off his shirt and unbuttoned his cargoes, stripping to skin. God. She knew she needed to stop this, but she couldn’t. Nor could she take her eyes off him.

He rolled a condom down his length, and then his hands were back on her, hard and deliciously possessive. He leaned over her, looking deep into her eyes.

She squirmed beneath him, desperate for him to push inside her, but he just looked at her, his gaze touching over her face, his bluer-than-blue eyes communicating more than she knew how to process.

And then a slow, warm heat filled her that had more to do with the things she saw there in those eyes than what his body was making her feel, and that was saying something. “Cole,” she whispered, and cupped his face.