**Completed** Cole Galloway has always had just enough of an ego to believe that the women falling at his feet were deserved. With an abundance of charm and looks to die for, who wouldn't want him?
Wynona Caldwell. That's who.
When Cole sets his s...
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Cole
Last night might've been the best sleep of my life, which seems crazy considering my lying in a heap of clothing fashioned into a mattress. Physically, I'm a bit worse for wear, as I'm still sore from my previous injuries. But I couldn't care less about that, because for the first time in as long as I can remember, everything is as it should be.
Walking away from my father was the first step, bringing about an indescribable peace through independence and self-reliance. Surviving my first four days as a real adult, complete with bills and responsibilities, was step two.
Waking up with the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on wrapped around me like my own personal lifeline is the icing on the cake. We slept tangled together in the middle of the living room floor, unwilling to let go of one another even in sleep. She's been my deliverance more than once, my strength in the face of all my familial strife. Now that I'm free of my father's constant scrutiny, we can finally be a family.
This isn't gonna be easy, as we're taking on a lot of uncertainty with very little life experience to speak of. I know that we're headed for a wicked learning curve, sure, but at least we'll be doing this together. To me, that's everything.
Wynn stretches in my embrace, yawning as she props herself on her elbow. "G'morning, Galloway." She smiles lazily, running her fingers through my hair.
Oh, I could get used to this.
"Hey," I rasp. "Sleep well?"
"Like the dead. Whew, and speaking of, my breath just might kill you." She covers her mouth with her hand, leaning away from me. "I was in a period of self-loathing before you texted me—I promise I'm not usually this gross!"
"We're just getting a head start on reality, babe," I say, grinning as I turn her onto her back. "This is real life, smelly breath and all."
"Clearly," she asserts, plugging her nose as she giggles beneath me. "'Cause yours is nasty, too! But I don't care because I kind of love you." She clasps her arms around my neck pulling me closer, the intensity in her gaze setting my soul alight.
Only Wynn.
I seize her mouth with mine, the length of her body flush against me as she locks her legs around my waist. I kiss the contours of her jaw, my lips brushing the hollow below her ear. "I kind of love you, too."
"Mmm..." Her fingertipsgraze over my shoulder blades as my mouth meets hers once more, my pulse pounding with the desperation I feel to be nearer still.
Until her stomach growls.
"Damn, Nono, when's the last time you ate?"
"Ugh," she groans. "Try all the time. I'm like an eating machine, anymore. At least I'm not puking as much now."
