Live for You by Marquita Valentine Page A

at me, but it’s waned a
little. “Open arms? Are you actually listening to yourself? I
didn’t get the chance to say anything before you opened your big
mouth.”
    *** *** ***
    Cole
    I scrub my hand over my
face. What’s wrong with me? I’m being a total asshole to her.
Jealousy is not an emotion I’m familiar with, but apparently it has
decided to become besties.
    “ Look. I’m not here to
give you a hard time. I was a little shocked to see you.” Actually,
I hadn’t expected to see Rae here at all. And for damn sure hadn’t
expected to see her standing next to my best friend.
    “ And I’m not here to see
you at all. I came to cheer for Lacey.”
    “ You’re friends with her?”
This is news to me. Does Lacey know who Rae really is?
    Rae’s lips flatten, her
gaze skittering away. “Something like that.”
    She’s lying, but I’m not
sure why. “How long have you known Lacey?”
    “ A couple of hours,” she
mumbles.
    Hours? “Excuse
me?”
    “ If you must know, my
grandmother set us up. She wanted me to make friends while I’m
here.”
    “ Does Lacey know
that?”
    Big blue eyes lock with
mine. Her nose scrunches up. “Well, yeah. It’s why we’re in a
public place for our first playdate .”
    I snort, then laugh. She’s
got to be yanking my chain.
    “ It’s not funny,
Cole.”
    I laugh harder, until I see
the look on her face. Her eyes are all shiny and her cheeks are
bright red. Her lower lip trembles and I stroke my finger across
it, my laughter gone. “Hey, don’t cry.”
    She wraps her arms around
her stomach, like she’s trying to hold herself together. “I’m not
crying.” She sniffs and swallows. “I’m pathetic. I don’t know how
to talk to people, I insult the one person who is nice to me and my
nana’s arranging meet cutes, because I can’t go on Facebook to make
female friends.”
    “ Don’t talk about yourself
like that.” I pull her into a dimly lit corner.
    “ It’s the truth,” she
whispers.
    I crook a finger under her
chin, lifting it up. “You’re just out of practice.” I kiss her
forehead. She leans into me, her slender arms coming around my
neck. I wrap mine around her waist, bring her flush against me.
She’s soft and sweet in my arms, smelling of flowery
shampoo.
    “ I’m sorry for the mean
things I said to you,” she whispers against my throat. “Let me make
it up to you by baking another apology cake.”
    “ How about an apology
kiss?” I ask and she nods. Then her mouth is on my skin, kissing a
path up to mine.
    I close my eyes the minute
her lips touch my mouth. Her tongue traces the seam and I part my
lips, letting her inside and then sucking on that full bottom lip
of hers. I wedge a knee between her thighs and she presses
down.
    My hands go up her shirt,
once again finding her without a bra and I bring them around front
to cup her breasts. “No bra again?” I groan. “Are you trying to
kill me?” Her nipples harden against my palm. I want them in my
mouth.
    “ No… I’m
small.”
    I pinch her nipples,
eliciting a whimper from her. “You’re just right.” Then I roll them
between my fingers and tug.
    She moans, her hands doing
their own exploration under my shirt.
    If we weren’t in public,
I’d take her against this wall. Instead I wrestle for control of my
raging lust, but she begins moving against my leg, little whimpers
filling my ears.
    “ Come home with me, Rae,”
I growl. “Let me make up for being as ass.”
    She nods, her hips moving
faster. “Please.” But I’m not sure if she means take her home or
make her come. Glancing around, I check to make sure no one is
watching. The place is empty and I have at least fifteen minutes
before Wyatt and Lacey will start to look for us.
    “ Baby, you wanna come
right now?”
    Her fingernails dig into my
back. “Yes.”
    I slide one hand down,
unbuttoning her shorts. They’re loose and I’m able to ease two
fingers beneath her panties. She’s soaked, my fingers slick as