HOTTER THAN HELL

4

Valerie:

“Cole—” My heart skips a beat as his eyes stay locked on me for a moment.

He says nothing, and I silently pray to be devoured by wild beasts just to stop feeling this shame eating me up inside. Then he turns, shuts the door, and walks away. I sit there like an i***t, legs still slightly apart.

My hands feel sticky, and the thought that he saw through everything cuts deep. I scramble to my feet and rush to the bathroom. My hand grabs some tissues, wiping between my legs like it could erase what just happened. He didn’t taunt me, but it’s bad enough. I need to get the f**k away from him.

COLE:

The door shuts behind me. My mind’s a mess—I don’t know what to do. This should be a safe place away from her, but seeing her like that has f****d with my head. f**k. I haven’t felt like this about any woman in years.

I swore I wouldn’t.

At first, I thought it was just lust, but staying up the entire plane ride just to make sure she was okay? That doesn’t feel like lust. I keep telling myself I’m just doing my job, but who the hell am I kidding?

I try to breathe. I really do, but the image is burned into my memory. The way she shook on her sheets, fingers buried between her goddamn thighs. Then, a sharp ache hits my chest.

Jealousy? Maybe. Because who the hell was she thinking about? It can’t be me.

“Cole, what the f**k is wrong with you?” I run my hands through my hair and slam my fist into the wall.

I should be disgusted. And I am. But not with her. With me. My c**k’s still half-hard just from watching. I did nothing but stand there like a f*****g creep when I should’ve walked away.

Why the hell am I watching a twenty-one-year-old, let alone my client? I hate brats, but her? She’s something else. Difficult, reckless in this posh, spoiled way. The kind of girl who needs a hand around her throat to remind her where she stands.

And f**k me—I want to shut her up with my c**k. To stop her from talking every time she gets sassy, because she should be moaning my f*****g name. I want to feel her tiny hands trying to wrap around me. I haven’t stopped thinking about the turbulence on the plane. Part of me hopes she’s still thinking about it too.

This is supposed to be temporary. Her dad made a shitty deal with the Whitewoods. They’re the second most powerful family after the Moores, and they want blood. Mafia ties, dangerous in every way—but he doesn’t know which family member they’re after. So he sent me—the only guy who can handle this mess, in his words. I used to be in the force, but I was framed and kicked out.

Framed or not—I’m the guy you call when s**t hits the fan. I run my hand over my face and groan.

My pants are tight, and I’m struggling mentally.

“Don’t.”

“Don’t touch yourself to that.” I squeeze my eyes shut and collapse onto the bed. “Don’t f*****g do it!” I grit my teeth.

Then my phone rings, and I open my eyes, relief flooding me.

Finally, a distraction.

I swipe before it buzzes again.

“Yeah?”

“Where’s Valerie?” Mr. Moore’s voice crackles through.

I clench my jaw at the mention of her name. Did someone see? No, I shake my head.

“Cole.”

“In her room.”

“I just got word. The Whitewoods are on the move. Don’t let her out of your sight. Do you hear me?” He barks, and the line goes dead.

I jump to my feet, grab my gun from the drawer, and tuck it into my pocket. Then I hear fast footsteps outside the door. Panic hits me, and I open it quickly.

Valerie rushes down the hall in a new bikini. Her father’s warning echoes in my mind as I chase after her.

“Valerie!” I shout.

She ignores me and bolts towards the elevator. She presses the button, and the doors slide open instantly.

“Valerie, stop!”

“Leave me the f**k alone!” she snaps, slamming the button repeatedly like it’ll make the doors close faster.

They start to close, but I catch up, sliding my arm between them. They jerk back open, and I step inside, muscles tense. She backs against the wall, chest heaving.

“What the f**k is wrong with you?” I growl, slamming the emergency button.

Before she can answer, the elevator jerks violently, and everything goes black.

Valerie screams. Not a startled squeal, but a full-on scream. I barely get a breath before she starts pounding the doors, wailing like a f*****g kid.

Her hands slam the buttons on the panel.

“Valerie—”

“Let me out!” she screams. “Oh my God, get me out! Get me out!”

“Hey, hey.” I reach for her in the dark, grabbing her wrists.

“Don’t touch me!” she yells, struggling against me.

I slam her back against the cold wall, pinning both hands above her head. Her chest rises and falls fast, panic pouring off her.

“Shut the f**k up.” My voice comes out harsher than I mean.

She kicks and spits curses.

“Don’t f*****g tell me what to do, asshole!”

I cover her mouth with my hand.

“I said shut the f**k up.” I don’t want to be harsh with her, but she’s not making this any easier.

I need to think.

Her breath is hot under my palm, and her whole body jerks. There’s only a thin piece of fabric between us, and I can’t be this close. She’s trembling, and so am I, but for all the wrong reasons.

Fuck.

Her skin is warm and inviting. Her thighs brush mine when she moves, and my c**k twitches like it has a mind of its own.

Not now! I groan.

I pull back, dragging my face down.

Get a grip, I whisper to myself.

I pull out my phone, and the flashlight slices through the dark. Maybe the light will help. The small space lights up, and there she is—pressed against the wall in that goddamn bikini. The light definitely doesn’t help.

God.

“Give me your phone,” I snap.

Maybe if I get angry enough, these thoughts will disappear. She hesitates, then tosses it toward me. I catch it and dial reception. The line crackles before someone picks up.

“This is Cole Langston. I’m stuck in the elevator with Miss Moore. The power just went out.”

“We’re aware, Miss Moore, and apologize for the inconvenience.” They ignore me completely. “The system’s been tampered with, and it migh t take some time to get you out. We’re activating emergency protocols now.”

“Do it fast,” I bark and hang up. I look at her.

She turns away, pacing the small space.

“I wanted just one normal summer, alone, without anyone. Just me. Valerie. But noo! The f*****g universe says no!”

“Well, if I’m gonna die, at least I get to do it in a bikini.”

“You’re not gonna die,” I say through clenched teeth.

She glares at me.

“You don’t know that! I haven’t even done anything with my life! I haven’t partied in Ibiza, haven’t married a rockstar—” I raise an eyebrow.

She throws up her hands.

“I’ve only met one man I want to have s*x with, and I haven’t even lost my virginity!” Her hands fly to her mouth, cupping it, the word hanging between us.

“What?” I cut through it, and she meets my eyes.

“Fine, you heard me.” She rolls her eyes, and I chuckle, remembering her smart mouth all day.

“What the hell are you laughing at?” She questions with brows raised.

“You? Virgin?” I scoff. “What happened to ‘I can f**k whoever I want?’”

She shrugs one shoulder.

“I say a lot of things. Doesn’t mean I’ve done them.”

My gaze narrows.

“So, let me get this straight, you’ve never touched a man’s d**k in your life?”

She looks me straight in the eye.

“I touched yours.”

That knocks the wind out of me, and I almost choke on my spit.

“Don’t think about it too much. I’m only telling you this because I might die in this elevator, but… if we don’t.” Her eyes don’t leave mine. “You’re still fired after this trip.”

Her mouth keeps running, but my mind is spinning, and I’m curious.

My lips move, asking questions I’ve been dying to.

“Who were you getting off to earlier?”

Her eyes dart away. “None of your business.”

Her brows wrinkle a bit.

I step closer, closing the gap.

“Answer me, princess.” My voice drips down her skin, but she won’t look at me.

“Why the f**k do you care?”

“I’m just curious.”

Her heart races hard, pounding louder than mine. It can’t be, I tell myself.

“You were thinking about someone. So tell me, sweetheart, was it me?” Her eyes find mine, her throat bobbing.

“I feel nothing for you.”

My hands lock on either side of her, and I lean in, a dark chuckle against her ear.

“Let’s play a f*****g game, sweetheart.” Her body shudders at the sound of my baritone.

“I dip my hands in your panties, and if you’re soaked, you can kiss your fantasies goodbye.” She swallows hard. “But if—”

“Stop talking!” She cuts me off and then f*****g explodes. “Fine, you want to know? Yes, I’ve been thinking about you. I hate it. Don’t flatter yourself—I’m probably ovulating, and my mind is obviously fixated on the only f*****g d**k in sight. You’re the only man I’ve thought about having s*x with.” She pauses, brow furrowed. “But that can’t happen… right?”

My heart pounds hard, and the air seems thinner. My hands shoot out, grabbing her neck, pinning her to the wall, and I claim her lips in one rough, delicious kiss.