Bedding The Biker Next Door Read online

  Thank you so much for everything.

  Jill

  Cole stared blankly at the wall.

  How had he messed things up so badly?

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The next morning, Jill dragged herself out of bed. Her body hurt all over, like she’d just recovered from the flu. It could’ve been from driving so late at night, or it could’ve been from the motorcycle ride so soon after her hospital release, but she knew it was because her heart was broken. The best thing would be going back to work and putting her life back together. She could glue her heart together, too, if needed.

  When she managed to get up and about, she texted Liz: I’m back home. The security is installed. Talk at lunch about starting things up again?

  Then something else occurred to her—she still needed to plan for Cole selling her house. But not now. She wasn’t ready to start thinking of her future—a future without Cole.

  Still feeling stiff, she ambled around her house. Someone had cleaned up. The bathroom wasn’t in disarray, as she expected. It was like nothing terrible had happened there. As she turned to head back into the bedroom, she saw a black swatch of fabric sticking out from under her bed. It was a black baseball hat. She had never owned a baseball hat in her life.

  But she immediately knew who it belonged to.

  Monica’s boyfriend, Trevor. She’d seen him wearing it the Monday he’d picked her up to head out for San Diego. They’d had a fight beforehand. Maybe they’d had a fight afterward and had never gone on their trip, after all. She wasn’t sure. But she knew she’d seen Trevor wearing the hat before.

  He was the person who’d broken into her house.

  She immediately called the police and told them what she’d found. They sent an officer over to take the cap and her statement. After he left, she mulled things over, deciding it had been the right thing to do. She wouldn’t call and talk to Monica about it herself. She’d let the police do that.

  Finding the cap and knowing the police were on their way to talk to Trevor made her feel better and in control again. She wasn’t helpless. She had survived the break-in. She was strong. Sure, it had shaken her up and knocked her off her feet for a while, but anyone would react that way. It didn’t mean that she was different now, weaker, or any less of a person. And the same would be true whether she decided to be tested for the genetic mutation or not, whether she tested positive or not. She’d do her best to be the person she always had been for as long as she could. In many ways—an average woman, but capable of love and occasional boldness.

  A tiny part of her hoped she could still find her wild side even if Cole wasn’t in her life. She had loved riding his bike with him. While at his condo, she had let herself dream about going on adventures with him—a cross-country trip, maybe on his Harley or flying to other countries. And having wild, mind-blowing sex, of course…

  But she shook her head and pressed back the tears. Maybe she could think about all that later on without it hurting so much. For now, she needed to focus on moving on.

  * * *

  The next day, Jill and Liz had the daycare up and running, though a few of the children wouldn’t be back until the next week. It felt good to be working again and seeing her kids. Jill was able to put her emotional pain aside during work hours and just throw herself into the daily routine. She’d talked to Stanley’s father that morning and made it clear she would not be accepting his dinner invitation ever. He promised not to bring it up again, and after an initial awkwardness, things returned to normal.

  Monica’s boyfriend, Trevor, confessed to breaking into her home. He and Monica had indeed gotten into another fight ten minutes into the drive to San Diego. He’d dropped her off at her house and they hadn’t seen each other since. Trevor had come back to Jill’s house on his own. He’d claimed he hadn’t meant to hurt Jill but had panicked when she’d walked in on him. He was just looking for a stash of cash to keep up his meth habit.

  So her first day back on the job began with answers and closure—not a bad thing. If only she could get that with Cole. But she wouldn’t regret her time with him. She and Cole had enjoyed each other in so many ways, sexually, emotionally, and even in a way she couldn’t articulate. She couldn’t blame him for not wanting more. He was an amazing man, but he was only human. Nobody would want to be with a woman whose future was as uncertain as hers was.

  She’d get through this—she was strong. But knowing that didn’t help lessen the pain.

  * * *

  Jill was getting the kids settled for lunch when Liz touched her arm. “Listen, I’ll take over for a while. Someone needs to talk to you outside.”

  Jill walked to the front door, smoothing her hands down her work apron. She peeked through the peephole and saw—

  “Cole.” She opened the door slowly.

  He smiled, a slow, uncertain smile, but as he looked at her, his eyes lit up and the smile grew. “Jill…” He opened his arms, and she flew into them. His warmth, his scent, his strength surrounded her. “I’m sorry,” he said. “The other night… Well, can you come next door to talk for a few minutes?”

  She looked over her shoulder, and saw Liz nod and shoo her out. Jill turned back to Cole and stepped out onto her porch. He took her hand. Together, they crossed the lawns and entered his mother’s house. It was empty inside, but he led her to the kitchen, then picked her up and set her on the counter. Standing in front of her, he took her hands. She got a sinking feeling in her stomach. Maybe he simply wanted to say goodbye in a better way. But she didn’t want goodbye.

  “There’s so much to tell you,” he said, his voice sounding gruff. Choked. “First, I shouldn’t have left that night, but I—I was struggling with what you told me. I’m sorry.”

  She rested her free hand on top of their entwined fingers. “It’s okay. I understand you needed space to deal with what I’d told you.”

  “I needed to deal with that, yes. Just like I’ve needed to deal with other things too.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “After I found you gone, I panicked. I was afraid I’d driven away the most important person in the world to me. The way I reacted—it wasn’t because I saw you as a burden, Jill. I believe in the words ‘for better or for worse.’ Whatever the future brings, I’ll always want to be here for you. Taking care of you. I’d already decided that you’re more important to me than any amount of traveling. Just like my mom was. But I’m not perfect. I feel like I let my mom down at the end, not being there for her—”

  “Oh Cole. No!”

  “Shh. It’s okay. I know I shouldn’t blame myself. But I think I always will. The important thing is I know my mom loved me. That she’d never view me as a failure. And Jill, I think you can love me that way, too. If you can just believe in me—”

  “I do believe in you, Cole. And I’m already falling in love with you.”

  He cupped her face and rested his forehead against hers. “I’m falling in love with you too, sweetie.”

  She smiled once again at the endearment.

  They just stayed that way, faces touching, breathing each other in for several precious seconds, before Cole pulled back. “I want to share something with you. The letter you saw? The one I’d torn in half? I taped it together and read it.”

  “You did?”

  “Yes. You gave me the strength to do that, Jill. You taught me to be brave. To face the future with open eyes and an open heart. And it turned out my father is someone you’ve heard of—Senator Taylor.”

  “Oh, wow!”

  His face was impassive.

  She couldn’t tell how he’d taken the news. “I might be out of place, but, Cole…your mom would be so happy that you connected with him. What happened? How do you feel?”

  Her words opened a floodgate. Cole started talking and couldn’t stop. “I thought if I ever met my father, I’d throw a punch in his face and tell him exactly what I thought of him. But I didn’t.” He traced the outline of her hand and occasionally,
brought it to his lips to press a kiss in the center. “I understood why things happened the way they did. It still hurts, but I’m happy I found him—my father.”

  His voice changed as he said those words. All these years—his entire life—“his father” had been some nameless man who abandoned him. Now he had answers. Possibly a relationship waiting for him, if he wanted it.

  “Did he tell you why he wasn’t around?” Jill asked carefully, not wanting to dredge up negative memories and make things worse for Cole.

  “He was married. That’s it. He has a family. Three kids. He loved my mom, but he couldn’t…”

  Cole couldn’t finish his words. A wave of emotions hit him, and he pulled Jill close again.

  “He couldn’t leave his wife, his responsibilities.” Jill finished for him.

  He nodded. “But he said he thought about me all the time. He sent my mom regular checks to take care of me. I didn’t know that. And when he and his wife divorced five years ago, that’s when he started sending the letters. He wanted to make amends. He even talked to my mom directly. She told him she was dying…and she gave him my address so he could contact me after she was gone. He said she felt guilty about it, but she also said I’d understand. And I do.”

  “Oh, Cole…” Jill said into his shoulder.

  Cole took a deep breath and pulled back slightly. “Jill,” he said, looking into her eyes. “I don’t know what the future holds for him and me, if we’ll have any sort of relationship. I mean, my mom did get screwed because she loved him. But I feel like he was strong enough to come to me, to admit his mistakes, to claim me as his…and that’s a start.”

  She did nothing to fight the tears in her eyes. She was so happy for him.

  Cole stroked her cheek. “He loved my mom and regretted the way things ended between them. I don’t want that, Jill. I want you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  Now, the tears were flowing freely down her face.

  “But my health. The risks…”

  “I don’t care.” He shook her hands in earnest. “We’ll take our chances just like everyone else. But we’ll have love. Everyone has a chance of getting something. Right? It shouldn’t stop us.”

  Relief swept through her. “Maybe you’re right.”

  “I’m right that no one knows the future. We all have health risks. But not everyone finds true love. Not everyone finds someone like you, Jill Jones. Smash was right—you’re the real deal.”

  She giggled and sobbed at the same time. “I’ll spend every chance I get making you happy, Mr. Novak,” she whispered.

  “And I’ll do the same for you, Jill.” He pulled her into his lap and kissed her, gently but with real power, taking her breath away, and igniting her passion at the same time. Then he pulled back and growled, “I need you.”

  Suddenly, her wild side came back in a hot wind, and she yanked her shirt over her head. “Oh, yeah?” she said, pulling him to her. “Show me!”

  Epilogue

  “I’m ready, Jill. Are you ready to come again, baby?”

  Cole had already given Jill two orgasms, one while he had her clit between his lips and the other while he was pounding her from behind. He wanted to stretch things out even more, make her come all night, but she was so damn sexy, and if he tried to hold back any longer, he would implode.

  Jill smiled even as she struggled to catch her breath. They’d been going at it hard and heavy, and with each orgasm, her body had progressed from shimmering with a light, sparkly sheen to gleaming with a more serious sweat. Her hair was stuck to the sides of her face and across her cheeks like she’d just gotten caught out in a storm—and in some ways, she had. Her skin was flushed, her lips bright red and swollen. Cole didn’t think he’d ever seen her look more beautiful.

  “I’m ready,” she said.

  Cole stood, grinning ear to ear. Grabbing her legs, he pulled her to the edge of the bed, took a pillow, and stuffed it underneath her bottom. He gripped her hips in his hands and used her body to guide himself into her. Once he was inside, he wasted no time. He was on the verge. He began pounding into her, and they gasped and moaned until Jill came again, digging her nails into his arms as she did. The sound of her calling out his name sent him hurtling over the edge, and he let himself finally release.

  His body shook as he came. He held Jill tightly, not moving for a few seconds until he was sure he’d squeezed every drop out of his release. Then he rocked back and forth a few times, just to calm himself down before he finally let her go and collapsed on the bed.

  “Oh, my God, you’re going to kill me!” He laughed out loud, and it felt good.

  She giggled, kissing the side of his face. “See? Even you could go at any moment…from my sheer awesomeness. But what a way to go!”

  He pulled her into him and held her against his heart for several minutes, enjoying the sticky feel of their bodies touching.

  Jill planted a kiss on his lips. “I need to shower. I’m all gross.”

  “But I like you dirty. And I know you like me the same way.”

  She blushed, bit her lip in temptation to come back to bed, then shook her head with forced resolve. “You stay here and rest. You’re going to have to start packing for your trip soon.”

  Cole rolled onto his back and watched her cute little backside disappear into the bathroom. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, enjoying the scent of her—of them—that permeated the air. Sometimes he couldn’t believe his love for her, or hers for him.

  And they did love each other. They’ve voiced their mutual love last night without reserve. It had been the sweetest moment of Cole’s life.

  Several weeks had passed since Jill’s place had been broken into. Work kept Cole busy, but he’d been content with the job, probably enjoying it more than ever simply because he knew when the day was over, his evening would begin with Jill. He’d finally gotten hold of Eric, but his friend’s distant demeanor and refusal to talk about what had happened with Brianne had created a fissure between them Cole wasn’t sure could be mended. Cole had talked to Luke about holding off expanding the business in San Francisco for now—maybe indefinitely—and Luke had been fine with that. He understood that chances like Jill came only once in a lifetime, so he was in no hurry to push him.

  “Hey, did you go to sleep on me?”

  Cole opened his eyes. Jill was back in the room, wrapped in a towel with her long, wet hair laying against her shoulders and down across her breasts. The sight of her almost had him ready to throw her back onto the bed and go another round, but he forced himself out of bed and went over to the dresser where she stood. With her facing the mirror, he slipped his arms around her from behind and hugged her close, letting his lips touch the side of her face. She smelled so good. He closed his eyes and breathed in her scent.

  Jill had been completely fine with him putting off his move to San Francisco. Hell, she’d been so relieved, she’d cried when he told her. But she hadn’t been so understanding when he’d told her he was going to skip the Ride Home. She’d insisted he go. She never wanted to be a burden or limit what he could do in his life. At first, he’d resisted, but when she’d asked him point blank if she wasn’t in his life would he want to go, he hadn’t been able to lie. He did want to go on the ride. He just didn’t want to leave her.

  Finally, he’d signed on. And truth be told, he had been looking forward to the trip. That had changed the closer it came time to leave.

  “What is it?” she said.

  “I don’t want to go,” he told her.

  “You do, too,” she said with a little smile. “You’re going to have a great time.”

  He spun her around to face him. “I’m going to miss you like crazy if I’m away from you for a day. I can’t go two whole weeks without you.”

  Laughing, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. “Thank you, baby, and I love that you feel that way. But I don’t want to change who you are.” She put her hand on his chest. “This guy right here
makes me happy. He makes me laugh, he makes me think, he makes me feel. He turns me on, and sometimes he drives me crazy. But given the chance, I wouldn’t change a thing about him, including his love of adventure. That’s who you are, Cole, and those guys are part of you, too.” She winked. “Have fun, explore, and be crazy. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Maybe we should get back in bed and battle over it. I could show you a few reasons why you need me to stay.”

  “Of course I need you. I need you to come back, and I believe you will.”

  “So was that a yes on going back to bed?” he asked with a grin.

  Jill reached back and slapped him on the butt. “Later,” she said. “I promise, I’ll give you a big send off. But first, I have some things to do today.”

  With a face that could rival any of her daycare kids’ pouts, he gave her another kiss and headed for the shower. While he stood underneath the spray, he thought about those kids. They were awesome. He’d gotten used to seeing them every day and was going to miss them too…especially Stanley. He couldn’t even think about the little guy without smiling. It was funny how much the kid reminded him of himself when he was little. Stanley had a natural curiosity that would undoubtedly lead him into some trouble as he got older, but with the right kind of support, the kid could also use that curiosity and thirst for knowledge to take him to great heights. Cole even spent some time with Stanley and his dad, Jason, who’d reluctantly accepted Cole was in Jill’s life to stay.

  For now, Cole split time staying with Jill and his own apartment, but when the time was right, he was going to ask her to move in with him.

  Or more accurately, ask if he could move in with her, since he felt more at home in her place than he ever had at his. He was about ready to place his mom’s house on the market, and he was amazed how the thought of doing so didn’t hurt him anymore. His mom would always be a part of him, and he’d always have great memories to see him through difficult times.