Busted by Cher Carson Page A

taking liberties without his permission, but she looked so
beautiful with her mouth pressed to his skin that he didn’t have the heart to
reprimand her. He would have plenty of time to make her understand the rules. Tonight
was only the beginning for them.

Chapter Five
     
    Charlene chastised herself for allowing things to go this
far. She knew this shouldn’t happen again. A relationship with Cole was out of
the question, but maybe, just maybe she could steal a few more hours of
pleasure in his capable hands. Her conscience told her she should have ended
her relationship with Paul first, but they’d never agreed to be exclusive.
    She had missed out on the opportunity to see Cole completely
naked last time they had sex, and what a sight to behold. He was a big man,
tall, with wide shoulders, defined abs, and lean hips. Every woman’s naughty
fantasy, and he was promising to give her everything she secretly craved. She’d
be crazy to refuse. Determined to push her doubts aside, she vowed to relax and
enjoy the ride.
    Watching him lay the hand-made throw out on the floor, she
was struck by how uninhibited he was. Not just with her, but with everyone. He
was comfortable in his own skin, confident in who he was, and he didn’t feel
the need to blow smoke to impress anyone. She loved that about him. No,
love was too strong a word, wasn’t it? She couldn’t be falling in love with
this man. Her heart pounded harder as the truth settled over her. Oh God, was it
already too late?
    “Hey,” he said, reaching for her hand and pulling her toward
him. “What’s wrong, baby? You looked scared all of a sudden.”
    She was terrified. How had she allowed a comfortable
friendship to evolve into so much more? Every day she felt a pang in her chest
when he walked out the door, holding his little girl’s hand, but she told
herself it was nothing. Sure, she was attracted to him, she enjoyed his company.
They had a lot in common, from sports to their love of horses, fast cars, and
big trucks. They both loved kids and dogs and... Oh God, why hadn’t she seen
this before? He was everything she’d ever wanted in a man, but that dark, deviant
streak meant she could never have him. Loving him would mean losing everything
that meant anything to her, the respect of her peers, friends, and family.
Possibly even the job she worked so hard to excel at. Everywhere she went,
people would talk and whisper about them, what they did behind closed doors,
how a nice girl like her had allowed a man like Cole to draw her in to
his dungeon of depravity. She knew she shouldn’t care what anyone thought, but
she couldn’t help it; she did.
    “Cole,” she said, pressing her hands against his chest,
trying to push him away while his arms circled her waist. “I think you’d better
go.”
    His eyes darkened and she knew he was angry and confused.
“What’re you talkin’ about?”
    “This was a bad idea. We can’t do this. It’s wrong—”
    “Who says it’s wrong? Your parents, your brother, your boss,
your boyfriend ? Who has the right to say it’s wrong for you to want to
be with me?”
    She hated that she hurt him, but he deserved to know the
truth. “Everyone, but that’s not the point. It’s me, I just can’t do this. I’m
sorry.”
    He thrust a hand into her hair, holding her neck as he
searched her eyes. “You have feelings for me.”
    Yes! “No.”
    “Why are you so afraid to admit it?”
    She fixated on his chest when she could no longer face the
pain she saw in his eyes. She’d never intended to hurt him, never even
suspected she had that kind of power over him. “I don’t expect you to
understand. You didn’t grow up here. Small town life is so different than life
in a big city, you know that.”
    “Yeah, it can be hell at times.”
    She stroked his jaw, wishing she could say or do something
to ease his anguish. “You’re a good man, Cole, a wonderful father… you do so
much for the community, but—”
    “Everyone