Sierra was always the sensible one. Talking to her, even briefly, often had Cole rethinking his reactions to certain situations. This was one of them.
“No. Not yet.” Shit. He really needed to talk to Alex. Hell, he probably should make a pit stop and have a conversation with Dylan while he was at it. “Luke mentioned that Dylan’s drinking again.”
“Yeah. It seems he’s gone a little overboard this time. Ashleigh mentioned that he broke up with Sarah a couple of weeks ago. Something about needing some space.”
Cole didn’t know Sarah personally, but he’d met her at Nate’s graduation party. He was also familiar with her because she was Jake’s aunt, and it was because of her that Dylan actually hired the kid to come work for CISS.
Cole knew that Alex had previously had a conversation with Dylan back when he first came on at CISS. Dylan’s grief over losing his wife eight years prior was still very much alive and churning inside of him. They all thought he was progressing, moving forward, but it appears he was suddenly back tracking.
“What if Dylan can’t cut it at work? Are you going to be satisfied handling the commercial sales?” Sierra’s question was the same one he’d been asking himself for the better part of the last month, and one he really didn’t have an answer for. He’d always been loyal to his friends. Often sacrificing his own happiness for the sake of others. For some reason, he had difficulty doing that these days.
“Is there something else you’d rather be doing?” Sierra asked, apparently thinking he didn’t intend to answer her.
Cole cocked his head slightly, staring into the crystal blue eyes that captivated him to the point of distraction. She was absolutely, beyond doubt, the most beautiful woman in the world. Inside and out. He grinned at her, and when she blushed, he realized she recognized her double entendre as much as he did.
He lowered his voice and responded to the unintended question so that only she would hear. “You, baby. I’d much prefer to be doing you. Always you.”
Sierra’s sexy laugh sent a blast of heat straight to his groin, and he fought the urge to fidget. When her hand moved down to her belly, as though the baby was moving and she was trying to cuddle her, he grinned even more. Cole could’ve watched her all day, the way her face softened when the baby kicked made him smile.
It was a reminder of how fortunate he was these days. To have Sierra and Luke, not to mention a precious gift on the way, Cole had to remind himself not to let the small things get to him. In just a few short weeks, the three of them were going to be parents. The idea of it all still took his breath away.
Not to mention sent his nerves rioting.
“What happened to you the other night?”
The night they had come home from the tour at the club, Sierra chose not to join them, and at the time he figured she was tired, but as he sat here with her now, he wondered if it was something else. It wasn’t like she was dodging his questions, but she did seem as though she had something on her mind.
“I was tired, and I knew that you and Luke needed some time together.”
“And you didn’t feel like watching?” Just the thought made his cock swell behind the restrictive confines of his jeans.
Cole couldn’t deny how fucking hot it was when Sierra watched the two of them. It was the best of both worlds for Cole. It was even better when she joined them, but that had happened less and less over the last few weeks. She claimed it was the pregnancy, but Cole couldn’t help but wonder.
Sierra smiled again, this time her face brightening. “I love watching the two of you. I sometimes think that the two of you might want to be alone, though.”
Cole reached over and took Sierra’s hand in his, twining their fingers as he stared back into those brilliant blue eyes. “Honey, you know it has never been like that. It’s always been the three of us. The way it should be.”
He was a little surprised they were having this conversation in such a public place, but he realized they hadn’t had much time just to sit and talk recently. With all that was going on with the club, entertaining the Walker brothers, Sierra’s new prospective clients, and Alex sending Cole on sales calls while Dylan was out, at least one, if not all three of them, was usually working late. Luke was even more wrapped up in trying to figure out the future of Club Destiny, which resulted in exceptionally little time at home.
“I don’t want you and Luke to drift apart,” Sierra stated, and Cole’s stomach churned. Did she know something he didn’t? Was Luke unhappy? He hadn’t noticed anything different about their relationship.
“Why would you say that?” When Sierra looked away, Cole released her hand and tilted her chin until she looked him in the eye, moving his chair closer to hers.