Darkness Before Dawn

says before turning to us. "And you two should be ashamed of yourselves! This is a public store!"
    "Honey, what's going on?" A deep male voice chimes in from behind, making us turn around. "Oh hey, Murphy! Are you back on the night show?" the man asks cheerfully when he sees Cole.
    Cole recovers his composure and chuckles, extending his hand to the stranger. "I'm actually filming a new segment for the channel. It'll air on Sunday nights. It's called "Inside the Locker Room." Check it out, I just did an interview with Jack Carter." The man's eyebrows raise in approval as he nods his head.
    "Nice. I'll be sure to tune in! I miss hearing your take on games—you and I have similar views on things. Well, it was great to meet you, sorry I can't stick around to talk longer but we're back to school shopping, you know," he says with a bored expression before signaling toward his family. "Oh, I'm so glad you're safe! Martha, this is the girl that was kidnapped by those people." Martha's glare eases on me before she says that she's glad I'm safe. We awkwardly wave goodbye to the teenager and little kids before turning to pay.
    "That. Was so freaking weird," I mutter under my breath. Once we pay, we both go to separate dressing rooms and change into our new clothes, at Cole's insistence. I think it's strange that he wants us to wear something nicer so much that he's not willing to go back home, but it's Cole, his appearance is everything. He was probably embarrassed to be spotted looking like "a bum" to begin with. No wonder he dated so many models.
    As soon as we get in the cab my phone starts to ring. I pick it up while Cole informs the driver where to take us, but the line is silent. For the first time since we got to New York, I start to feel panicky. Cole questions the call and I tell him it was nobody. When the cab starts to slow down and asks us to pay, I get a text message from the same number.
     
    We need to talk. Call me when he's not around. D.
     
    My eyes widen at his message. Why would Dean call me and not talk?
    "We're here," Cole says as he hands the cabbie the money. I shake the thoughts out of my head and slide out of the cab, careful not to flash anyone.
    "What about our bags?" I ask.
    "Spencer can carry them," Cole says with a shrug that I have to laugh at.
    "He's our bodyguard, not our butler."
    "Yeah, well, where we're going, we don't need security. He can wait outside with our bag. It's only one, I'd do him the favor if he needed to pee," he replies with another shrug.
    I look around Fifth Avenue and wonder where we're going next. I look down at the short coral peplum dress and nude heels I'm wearing and look at Cole who looks edible in his dark jeans, dress shoes, shirt and jacket. His short hair is getting long enough for me to run my hands through it and grab it. I realize I'm biting down on my lips at where my thoughts are taking me when I see him look at them and smirk.
    "I'd rather do that to you for real...at home, now let's go," he says with a laugh as he grabs my hand and pulls me to him.
    "Do what?" I ask, confused, as I try to figure out what to do with my oversized handbag.
    "Fuck you," he replies nonchalantly.
    I gape at the sidewalk, which I'm concentrating on as I walk in my new shoes, before looking around to make sure nobody heard him.
    "Cole," I warn in a hush whisper.
    "What? You're looking at me like you want to fuck me and I'd rather not do that in public," he adds with a shrug.
    I laugh loudly, throwing my head back, causing myself to stumble before I take a breath and go back to paying attention to my walk.
    "You suck at walking in heels."
    "And you suck at trying not to fuck me in public," I retort.
    He groans and stops walking before he tugs my arm and dips his head to suck my lip into his mouth. He loves doing that. Hell, I love him doing that. I moan when his tongue slides into my mouth. He pulls back quickly and takes a deep breath. "You drive me crazy. You need to stop talking about fucking you in public unless you're okay with me walking around with a hard on."
    I laugh lightly and we step back into walking. "Nah, although I don't think the cameras will mind if they zone in on it," I say with a sly smile.
    I'm so lost in our conversation that I completely forget trying to figure out where we're going. When we stop in front of very familiar large iron doors, I'm completely frozen in shock. My mouth is still hanging open when Cole opens the door for me so I can walk inside of