A Late Thaw Read Online Free PDF Page A

She’d only added them to the rotation in a moment of delayed laundry day desperation. Most of her underwear was boring but not actually embarrassing.
    He stood up and pulled his shirt up over his head. “Doesn’t matter. You’re not keepin’ them on anyway.” He smirked at her for a second before bending down and untying his own boots.
    “Cole.”
    He toed off his shoes and unbuckled his worn leather belt. “Yeah?”
    “You’re gorgeous .”
    He paused , hands at the button of his jeans, and looked at her with something like surprise on his face. “Oh, yeah?”
    She nodded. He worked hard, always had . His chest and arms bore the long, lean muscles to prove it. But it wasn’t the broadness of his shoulders or the definition on his abs that made Kiley ache for him. Cole was simply beautiful. She knew on an intellectual level that he wasn’t really perfect. His nose was a touch too big, and when he smiled the left side of his lips tended to rise higher than the right side did. What Cole possessed was an innate charm that made people smile at him without even thinking about it. She did it right then.
    He pushed down his jeans to reveal an entirely unembarassing pair of slate grey boxer briefs hugging an already impressive erection . He held out his hands and came back to her.
    She stood up on her own , moved closer, and slid her arms around his neck. Cole moaned as he placed his hand on her back and hugged her until her breasts flattened against his chest. Kiley closed her eyes and clung to him, tempted to rub herself against him like a cat demanding attention. She was determined to maintain at least a touch of dignity. This was just sex to him, affectionate sex certainly, but still just sex. That he made it feel like more only meant he was a skilled lover.
    Surviving this night would require keeping a careful hold on her heart , but it would be worth it. Even a single night with Cole would be worth the lifetime of hurt that might follow.
    She buried her face against his chest and inhaled deeply, letting his familiar scent comfort her even as it pulled her arousal to a peak.
    Cole’s large hand cradled the back of her head, and he tugged lightly on her hair. “Gotta taste your lips again.”
    She rose on her toes to meet his mouth, sighing at the first teasing brush of his lips over hers. “Please, Cole.” She needed more.
    The hand on the back of her head tightened its grip , and he spoke against her cheek. “I’ve got you. Gonna make you feel so good. This…this is good, Ki. This is so good.” His voice was deep and hoarse, almost unfamiliar.
    Her heart beat fast and hard like the ever-present sound of her neighbor’s bass jacked up in the dorm. She was certain he could feel it, too. It would probably bruise them both. She bit her bottom lip to keep from telling her secret and scaring him away.
    He kissed her again, almost tenderly , and she melted against him. If he pulled away, she’d be nothing but a puddle on the floor. Instead, he scooped her up as though she weighed no more than a small child. Pressing her face into the crook of his neck, she laughed. “I’m pretty sure guys only do this in movies and those books with girls wearing corsets on the covers.”
    Cole placed her in the center of his bed and grinned. “But I’m doing it for purely practical reasons.”
    “Oh yeah?”
    “You’re a sexy woman, Ki, but you’re also a klutz . I really don’t want to explain to the doc how you managed to end up with a black eye tonight.” He lay down on his side next to her and kissed her shoulder.
    “I’ll have you know that I’ve grown out of that.”
    He lifted his head. “Really?” His eyes twinkled mischievously.
    “Mostly.” She grinned , flirting with surprising ease. “And I’m way more flexible now.”
    The blacks of his eyes doubled in size. “You don’t say.”
    “I do say.” Kiley raised her arms above her head and stretched, arching her back and surprising them both with