Tempting Mr. Cole

Chapter 2. Try Touching Her Again

"Mr.Cole!"Malcolm quickly approached with a beaming smile."Please,come in.Sorry about the noise—it’s just a small family issue.I thought you’d arrive later.Make yourself comfortable!"

Then he leaned toward Delilah and whispered sharply,"That’s Aubrey’s fiancé.He’s a very important guest.Don’t make a scene.Leave.Now."

Fiancé?

Delilah blinked,shocked.She looked at Sebastian again.

Vivian stepped in,eager to fix the moment."Mr.Cole,I sincerely apologize you had to see that.This isn’t how we usually are."

She motioned toward Delilah with a dismissive smile."She’s the daughter from Malcolm’s first marriage.A little difficult,but she doesn’t live here.We’ll sort it out."

Sebastian didn’t respond.He gave Delilah a cold glance,then turned away.

That single look—chilly,dismissive,judgmental—was enough.

After everything they had—after an entire year—was that really all she meant to him?

Aubrey stepped closer,feigning concern.She gently brushed Delilah’s hair and said,"Sister,if my mom upset you,I’m sorry.You can take it out on me,just please don’t hurt her…"

"Don’t touch me,"Delilah snapped,jerking away.She hated being touched—especially by this fake angel.

She shoved Aubrey aside.

Aubrey stumbled back,nearly falling—until Sebastian caught her.

He stood straight and glared at Delilah."Touch her again,and you’ll regret it."

Delilah paused.Seeing him protect that delicate,manipulative woman made her sick.

So this was the woman he chose?

"Fine,"she muttered,her smile turning razor-sharp.

Without hesitation,she snatched the glass of water from the butler’s tray and splashed it in Aubrey’s face.

Then she tossed the empty glass into the trash,grabbed her purse,and calmly headed for the door.

But just before she reached the hallway,a firm hand seized her arm.

She turned—and found herself face to face with Sebastian Cole.

His grip tightened.

Delilah tried to break free,but he held fast,as if daring her.

She tilted her head slightly,her voice soft but taunting.“Careful.Keep touching me like that and someone might get jealous.”

Hearing her say something so bold,Sebastian Cole stood frozen,staring at her in silence.

Aubrey,watching her fiancéact out so fiercely toward Delilah,felt a twisted sense of satisfaction.Even after being splashed with water,she no longer cared.

But when she noticed Sebastian’s hand gripping Delilah’s bare arm,her satisfaction quickly turned into discomfort.

"Mr Cole,she’s not worth it.She’ll say or do anything to stir things up.Let her go.Don’t let her drag you down."

"That’s right,"Vivian added smoothly."I know it’s hard to watch her push Aubrey around,but you don’t know what she’s really like.My husband’s eldest daughter picked up all kinds of bad habits overseas—smoking,drinking,hooking up.Even her father gave up on her.We’ve put up with her for the sake of peace."

Sebastian didn’t seem to hear any of it.His gaze stayed locked on Delilah,his grip firm.

Annoyed,Delilah tried to pull away,but as her eyes landed on his familiar hand,she stopped.

Instead of resisting,she gently laid her hand over his,fingers tracing his skin with an intentionally slow touch,her gaze daring.

The effect was immediate.Sebastian tensed,then quickly let go and stepped back.

"That’s enough.Get out!"Aubrey snapped,no longer able to keep her cool.She looped her arm through Sebastian’s and glared at Delilah."If you’re into throwing yourself at men,go find someone else.Leave my fiancéalone.He’s not interested in you."

Delilah let out a short,dry laugh.

Thinking about the nights she'd spent tangled with this man,and now seeing him play the doting fiancé,she found it darkly hilarious.

The rich really did know how to put on a show.

She didn’t plan to stick around.

She gave Sebastian one last look,then turned and walked out without hesitation.Chin up,shoulders straight,refusing to look like she’d been defeated.

She slid into her blue Panamera and slammed the door.

Throwing it into reverse,she peeled out of the driveway and sped off.

One hand on the wheel,her mind kept looping back to the argument at the Hayes home—especially his face.

By the time she pulled into her building’s parking lot,it was nearly8p.m.

Her place wasn’t fancy—just a in a mid-rise condo near Yaletown—but it was hers.Unlike the Hayes mansion,this was a space she had created for herself,the only place that felt like home.

As soon as she stepped inside,her German Shepherd came bounding over,tail wagging wildly.

She played with him for a few minutes,then curled up on the couch and FaceTimed her best friend overseas.After a brief chat,her stomach growled,so she grabbed her phone and ordered some food.

By the time she’d showered and slipped into pajamas,the delivery had arrived and was waiting outside her door.

She opened the door without a second thought.

But before she could reach for the bag,the door was shoved open hard from the outside,and a man barged in.

She caught a familiar scent—clean,sharp,distinctly him.

Before she could react,he grabbed her and shoved her onto the couch.

"Are you kidding me?"she snapped,meeting Sebastian Cole’s cold stare."Why are you in my place again?What do you want now?"

Sebastian Cole stepped closer,his tone sharp.

"Delilah Hayes,didn’t I tell you to stay out of my life?What the hell are you doing at my family’s place?"

"..."

Delilah paused.

Then she scoffed,her voice cool."That’s my father’s house,Mr.Cole.Last I checked,I grew up there—it’s my turf,not yours.You’re the one who’s been barging into my world.I should be the one calling the cops for trespassing."

His jaw tensed.

Before she realized it,he was looming over her,close enough to make her uncomfortable.He reached out and grabbed her jaw firmly.

"Now that you know where I stand in the Hayes family,you’d better keep quiet about us,"he said in a low,threatening voice."Especially around Aubrey."

She didn’t flinch,just met his gaze with bold,glittering eyes.

"Oh?"she said,teasing."And what exactly are you so afraid I’ll say?That we’ve been together in ways your fiancée would never imagine?"

His fingers tensed on her jaw.

For a moment,it looked like he might snap—but finally,he let go.

Delilah slouched back on the couch,watching him with a smirk.

Clearly,Aubrey mattered more to him than he let on.

Otherwise,why show up like this,threatening her barely an hour after she left?

She glanced at him standing stiffly by the balcony,scrolling through his phone like he wasn’t two seconds from losing it.

Just then,her phone buzzed.

A w******p message.

It was from a guy she kept around for moments like this,asking if she was free for a late-night bite.

In her contacts,he was saved as"Elliot."

She didn’t hesitate.She typed back:"Sure."

Shrugging off the earlier tension,Delilah walked over to Sebastian.

"I’ve got plans tonight,"she said evenly."No time for whatever this is."

Leaning against the glass,she added with a faint smile:

"You do you.Who you marry is none of my business.I’ve got a date.Door’s that way."

He didn’t react to most of what she said—except for one word.

Date.

His eyes narrowed."Got yourself a new guy?"

"Yep."

Delilah didn’t miss a beat."He’s younger,wealthier,built like a linebacker.Full of energy.Doesn’t waste time brooding on balconies."

Sebastian’s mood visibly soured.

He didn’t even know why he’d come.

All he knew was that every word out of her mouth made him want to lose control.

Her phone buzzed again.Another message.

She picked it up and recorded a voice reply."Wherever’s good.You pick.That jazz bar we went to last time?That was good.Let's go with that—"

Before she could finish,Sebastian yanked the phone from her hand.

And with a swift motion,tossed it straight into the trash can across the room.

Delilah froze.Then fury exploded across her face.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

She stepped toward the trash can,but before she could reach it,he grabbed her arm roughly and shoved her back onto the couch.

Delilah hit the couch hard,her cheek smashed into the cushions.She gasped,s truggling beneath him,but he was stronger—overpoweringly so.

She pushed back instinctively,but it was useless.He was all tension and fury,like a storm barely holding together.The lines between anger and desire blurred as he pinned her with his body,rough and unrelenting,like a man punishing her for something only he understood.

And she let him.

Something inside her cracked open.Logic burned away.She stopped fighting him—not because she couldn’t win,but because,in some twisted corner of her mind,she didn’t want to.

Instead,she pulled him closer.

By the time it ended,neither of them knew how long they’d been tangled up.

Delilah lay motionless,breathless,her clothes rumpled,makeup smudged,hair a mess.Her limbs were jelly,her mind blank.She stared at the ceiling like it might give her an answer.

Across the room,Sebastian Cole stood buttoning his shirt slowly.His chest rose and fell,skin flushed,but his expression was unreadable—cool,detached,like what had just happened meant nothing.

Delilah's eyes drifted to him.The curve of his back.The way the light hit the side of his face.For a fleeting second,she almost forgot why she hated him.

Then he turned.

Their eyes locked for a heartbeat.She saw nothing in his gaze.No warmth.No regret.Just ice.

“I’ve said what I needed to say,”he muttered.“Don’t show up at the Hayes house again.”

He grabbed his phone and car keys,turned toward the door.

She didn’t stop him.

Not until his hand touched the doorknob.

Hey,”she called out,voice dry.“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

He froze.

Delilah pushed herself up on the couch,fixing her hair with a casual hand.“We settled last month’s account already.Tonight’s a new bill.”

His jaw clenched.

After a beat,he unlocked his phone,pulled up w******p,and shot her a glare.“Add me back.”

She raised an eyebrow,she unblocked his number.

Moments later,her phone buzzed.A payment notification popped up.

She stared at the screen.$500.

“That’s all you’re worth to me now.”he said flatly.

Her lips curled.

“Alright,”she said lightly,then reached for her phone again.“Then I guess I’ll report you.Let the cops decide if it was worth it.”

He didn’t answer,just glared.

She started tapping:9…1…

“You’re insane,”he growled.

“No,”she said sweetly.“Just practical.”

“Is money all you care about?”

“Do you love me?”she shot back.

Silence.

His eyes darkened.

He yanked out his phone again.Tap,tap—another notification buzzed in.$100,000.

“There,”he snapped.“Consider that hush money.Use it to disappear.”

He didn’t wait for a response.He stormed out,the door slamming hard enough to shake the frame.

Delilah sat there,staring at the door long after he was gone.

Then,slowly,she leaned back into the cushions,eyes half-lidded,lips curling into a dangerous smile.

“Thanks for the tip,Mr.Cole.”