Cole & Jamie

Chapter 12

I awoke with a satisfied sigh, my hands slipping through the sheets for the warm chiseled body I just knew would be there. Only it wasn't, the only thing my fingers came in contact with was cold, soft, sheets.
I bolted up, scrambling for my glasses on my bedside table sure that I was only imagining being alone. I mean Cole wouldn't just leave after everything that happened last night, and I'm not even talking about the sex, which was mind-blowing. What a way to break a dry spell.  
Slipping out of bed, I pulled a wrinkled t-shirt over my head. The smell of pancakes and breakfast sausage pulled me toward the man in question. I tip-toed downstairs, peeking over the railing to watch a shirtless Cole flip pancakes at my neglected stove. I was no better than Melody or Destiny as I gazed dreamily at his unknowing back still marked with faint indents from my fingernails. My face grew hot at the memory.  

"Jamie." He called my name without turning around. "I know you're there you can come down now."
"I was just admiring the view," I replied, slinking down the steps. 

He turned to look at me as I entered the kitchen. Bending to kiss me, he said, "Good morning, beautiful." 

"Morning." I stood next to him watching him masterfully flip the pancakes. I knawed on my lower lip in envy. I'd burn the house down if I tried something like that. I'm shocked I even had the ingredients to make breakfast. I rarely keep eggs in the house let alone the things to make pancakes. "Did you go to the store?" 

"No, but I did order grocery delivery," he replied, plating the pancakes and sausage. "Did you know your fridge was almost empty?" 

I took my plate and went over to the table. "I figured. I haven't been to the store in a while." And it doesn't help that I hate going to the grocery store in the first place. DoorDash and I have cultivated a loving relationship over the last month. 

As I was going to sit at the kitchen table, Cole pulled me into his lap.  I put my arms around his neck. "Thank you for making breakfast." 

"Anytime." 

I let my fingers twist in his hair as I gazed at him. I knew Cole had an amazing body, it was hard to ignore while we worked together over the last few weeks, but being able to touch it gave me a whole new appreciation for it. My hands began to wander over his shoulders and down his chest where the muscles contracted under my fingers. 

His jaw had a fine layer of stubble covering it and I had to say it was a good look for him. I placed small kisses along his jawline to tell him so. "Jamie," Cole whispered, breathlessly. 

"Yes,"  I hummed my lips still coasting down his neck. 

"Your breakfast is going to get cold." 

I lifted my head so I could look him in his eyes. "I own a microwave." 

"Eat," he commanded, adjusting me in his lap. 

"If you insist." Doing as told I turned back to my breakfast. The stack of pancakes was far from cold, but he was right I was hungry. I never got to eat my pizza last night, Cole and I were a little busy. I groaned taking a bit of the pancake. "This is amazing. I wish I knew how to cook." 

"I can teach you," he offered, digging into his own plate.

"If I learn does that mean you'll stop cooking for me?" I was all for learning a new skill but not if it meant forgoing five-star treatment. 

He chuckled. "No, but it might make you feel better about cooking when I'm not around."

It might also be nice to know how to cook something that didn't come in a pre-made package. "Okay, I'll let you teach me, but you have to promise to be patient." 

"Scout's honor," he promised. 

"You were never a boy scout." 

"The sentiment is the same." 

The two of us ate breakfast while I still sat comfortably on Cole's lap. He insisted on cleaning the dishes despite having already made us breakfast. Eventually, I wore him down enough to let me load the dishes into the diswasher while he rinsed. 

Rinsing the syrup off one of my blue speckled plates, he asked, "What are your plans for the day?" 

"I was going to head into the store for a few hours," I replied, placing silverware in the rack. "Why?" 

"Play hooky with me." 

"Excuse me?" 

Cole pulled me into his arms, saying, "Ditch work with me just for the day." 

"I don't think I can." Would it be unfair of me to leave the girls at the store by themselves all day? I was confident they could function without me, the two of them have been managing great on their own, but never for a full day. "The girls might need me." 

"That's what phones are for," he insisted. Cole kissed down the column of my neck. "I promise to make it worth your while." 

I sighed as his lips ran over a rather sensitive spot behind my ear. "Just for today?" 

"Just for today," he reiterated. "Tomorrow I'll let you go back to work but today I want you all to myself." 

I scoffed. "I don't believe that for one second." We both knew that when tomorrow morning came he would be asking me the same question complete with sweet kisses and pleading baby blue eyes to drive the whole thing home. 

"You've always been a smart girl." 

I pushed him away before I completely lost myself. "I need to give them a call." 

The girls were happy to manage the store without me. Almost too happy if you ask me, was I so overbearing that they couldn't wait to get rid of me? 

Cole quickly shut that line of thinking down as he pulled me onto the couch to cuddle. It wasn't long before my thoughts completely strayed from the girls and were back onto him. We spent the day curled around one another, spooning on the couch as we watched tv or as the tv watched us I should say neither of us was paying any attention. 

I traced the scar that was once a large tattoo along his bicep. "Do you ever think about getting another tattoo?" After a thorough investigation, I found that he had no others. It was surprising because growing up he had always wanted many it was never my style but I'd always admired the art form. 

"Yeah, I actually have an appointment to get 'Jamie,' written in big letters in a few weeks." 

My hands stilled over the spot. "You're joking?" I loved Cole dearly, but even that's a little too intense for me.

"I am," he laughed, eyes crinkling closed. "But you should have seen your face." 

"Asshole," I huffed, pinching the scar.

"I do have an appointment to get something new done in a few weeks." 

"Is it the word 'Dumbass,' across your forehead, because that seems like the best choice to me." 

He squeezed my side. "Now who's being the asshole? I'm going to Jason's tattoo shop if you want to tag along." 

"Like the first one," I smiled.

 While I thought it'd be more fun for us to have a real party with cake and balloons, Cole wanted to spend his eighteenth birthday laying on an old weight bench in Tracy's garage being tattooed by an unlicensed artist. Her brother, Jason, turned out to be an incredibly talented tattoo artist but in the moment nothing felt sleazier.

"Do you think he still gives discounts to pretty girls?" I teased. 

Cole's eyes narrowed. "Maybe it's best for you to stay home so we don't find out."

"Why scared of a little competition," I was only joking, but this wiped the smile clear off of Cole's face. 

"You think after ten years I'd let you slip through my fingers so easily." He rested his forehead against mine. "I can give you a lot more than a pretty girls discount." 

"Like," I wondered, breathily. 

This made him smirk. "I can show you better than I can tell you."