~Cole~
I’d spent the whole weekend with her on my mind.
Kate hadn’t said much after that kiss—half a kiss, really, since she pulled away before it became what I desperately wanted it to be. I wasn’t angry. If anything, I respected her even more for it. She gave me that moment, that glimpse, and it was enough to leave me haunted, restless, craving more. The taste of her lingered longer than any wine, and the way she looked at me before she stopped—God, it was enough to undo me.
But come Monday, I knew I couldn’t keep pretending. She moved around the office like she was deliberately avoiding me. Not in a way that screamed guilt or annoyance, but in that quiet, calculated way someone avoids a flame they know will burn them if they get too close. She was careful. Too careful. And that only
