His eyes never wavered from mine. “Then maybe I’m looking for the wrong thing.”
My stomach dropped.
“Cohen…” Any further protests were cut short, because his mouth made its way to mine and he kissed me passionately, holding the back of my neck, weaving his fingers underneath my hair.
If Cohen wasn’t going to fight this thing between us, then I wasn’t either. I gripped his shoulders and crushed his mouth to mine.
Several minutes later Cohen stood, still holding me against him. He kissed me once more, and set me on my feet. “Come on, we better get back.”
I couldn’t help but grin at him, noting that he had an erection again. I chuckled and laced my fingers with his as we started back to the lake house.
***
Cohen and Aiden were seated at the dining room table playing a heated game of cards, while Ashlyn and I cooked dinner. Well, I cooked salmon and prepared greens for a salad, while Ashlyn fidgeted nervously near the counter. I removed a chef’s knife from her hands, sure she was about to slice one of us open.
“Why don’t you get the guys another beer and a snack? Dinner will be a bit yet.” It didn’t take long at all to prepare salmon and salad, but babysitting Ashlyn was adding time to the meal and I just wanted her out of the room for a minute. She was a major liability in the kitchen. Luckily for her though, Aiden loved to cook.
“I’m on it.” She nodded. She grabbed two bottles of the specialty micro-brewed beer that we’d learned the guys shared in common as their favorite and then began pouring a mixture of different salty snacks into a bowl, balancing it all in her arms to carry it to the table.
I grated lemon rind into a small bowl and added a drizzle of olive oil, adding this flavoring to the salted and peppered pink flesh of the fish.
I glanced up and watched as she delivered the beers and snacks to the table. She exchanged the full beers for the empty bottles and Cohen eagerly dug into the snacks, grabbing a handful and tossing it into his open mouth.
I smiled and hummed to myself, appreciating the cozy domestic vibe this weekend had taken on. I gathered up the empty bags Ashlyn had left on the counter, pretzels, cheese crackers, and salted nuts. Nuts.
I rushed toward Cohen and slapped the handful of snacks from his hand. They scattered all over the floor.
“What the—?” Aiden stood to avoid the scattered mess falling into his lap.
I thumped against the back of Cohen’s head, and held my hand in front of his mouth, coaxing him to spit the half-chewed bite into my palm.
He did so without question, but the collective intake of breath from Aiden and Ashlyn was almost comical.
“Nuts?” Cohen asked once his mouth was clear.
I nodded and disposed of the mess into a napkin.
“Thanks, babe.” He patted my behind.
I released a deep breath I’d been holding, and went back into the kitchen to throw the used napkin away. Ashlyn followed me into the kitchen.
“He’s allergic?”
I nodded, washing my hands.
“I’m so sorry—I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay. He’s fine.”
Then why couldn’t I stop my hands from shaking? I thrust them under cold water, and leaned against the sink. I didn’t even notice him at first, but Cohen had come up behind me and leaned in close, brushing my hair from my neck.
“Thank you,” he breathed against my skin.
A chill ran down my spine at the soft whisper of his voice. I shut off the water and grabbed a hand towel, shoving away from him. “Just be more careful.”
I turned toward the oven and set the fish inside to broil, needing something to keep me busy and distracted from the rush of emotions I was feeling.
***
After dinner the guys cleaned up the kitchen while Ashlyn opened another bottle of wine. I wouldn’t have thought it’d be possible to drink all the bottles we’d brought, but we were already opening our last one at eight o’clock on Saturday night.
I curled up on the couch, using Cohen’s Chicago Fire Department sweatshirt like a blanket. I accepted a glass of white wine from Ashlyn and leaned back, settling in to the couch. This weekend wasn’t at all what I had been expecting. I had developed deeper feelings for Cohen, if that was even possible, which left me feeling confused and irritable. And on top of that, each time Cohen did something sweet or thoughtful for me, or each time my eyes lingered on his for too long, I’d catch Ashlyn narrowing her eyes at me.
When the dishes were done, Aiden joined Ashlyn on the couch, and I forced myself to remain facing forward, rather than turn and search for Cohen like I desperately wanted to. A second later, I felt his warm breath at my ear.
“Come upstairs with me.”
My pulse jumped. His silent invitation and everything it implied set my skin on fire. I leaned forward and set my glass of wine down on the coffee table while Cohen disappeared upstairs.
Ashlyn and Aiden were cuddling on the sectional sofa across from me, and I made a show of stretching my arms above my head and yawning. “I’m beat.”
“It’s early still,” Ashlyn said. “Where’s Cohen?” She peeked around the corner into the empty kitchen.
Rather than answering, I stood, leaving the sweatshirt on the couch. “Well, I think I’m going to call it a night.”
“You can’t do this,” Ashlyn hissed under her breath.
Aiden’s hand on her forearm relaxed her just slightly. “Leave them alone. They’re both adults.”