"Have. You. Done. That?"
He'd seen enough game tapes to know that he had one of the meanest glares in football, but instead of being cowed by the four snarled words, Anna's answering smile was the brightest one yet, so stunning that he almost felt blinded by her beauty, by that light that surrounded her.
"No," she said, still smiling. "I haven't." She went to her tippy toes and tilted her face up to his to press a soft, short kiss to his mouth. "But thank you for thinking that I could have if I'd wanted to."
On the verge of dragging her by the hair up to his room and tying her to his bed for the rest of the night, he growled, "Hell, baby, you could have any guy here in ten seconds flat."
But he only wanted her to want him.
"That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."
Not even trying to understand her--no question about it, women were one huge, endless mystery--Cole pulled his focus in tight again. "If you want to be crazy for once, I can help you.
What do you say, Anna? Should we be crazy together?"
"You mean crazier than--" She actually looked both ways and lowered her voice to a near-whisper. "--sleeping together?"
He chuckled against her mouth, swiping his tongue against her lips for another quick taste. At her indrawn breath he said, "Oh yeah. A whole lot crazier."
A half-dozen expressions moved across her face.
Pleasure.
Excitement.
Curiosity.
Desire.
Doubt.
And then, as if it were single handedly going to lock down the coffin on his plans: Full-on fear.
But then, instead of pulling out of his arms and saying no, she took a deep breath and said, "You're not talking about gambling or karaoke, are you?"
This time when he laughed against her lips--he was proud of her for not running, ridiculously impressed with her for staying in with him as long as she had--he was surprised to feel her tongue slide out across his mouth.
Knowing what she wanted--because he wanted it just as much--he plundered her mouth with his. He wanted to map out every sinfully sweet corner and crevasse, wanted to spend hours kissing her until he knew exactly what made her moan with pleasure.
Finally, he let her up for air and when she looked up at him, panting and aroused and so damn beautiful he could hardly believe it, he was blindsided by the strength of what he felt for a woman he'd just met.
Not just pride, but something more. Something even bigger, something he'd never felt before, something he'd never wanted to feel.
Shit. This wasn't in the plans.
His grandmother. He had to remember that he was only doing this for his grandmother.
He had to remember that the only reason he'd looked for a girl like Anna wasn't because he was actually looking for someone to love, but because he just needed it to look that way for a little while.
His throat tightened again at the thought of losing his grandmother. At how quickly his life with her could come to an end.
"Marry me, Anna."
She stumbled back from him in her surprise--shit, he was right there with her, as shocked as she was at the words that had come out of his mouth--and he had to move fast to catch her before she was knocked over by the couple dancing in front of him.
She stiffened as he pulled her back against him, no longer the soft, pliable woman he'd held until then. He hated to see that frown where there'd been nothing but helpless desire before.
"Oh my God." She looked like she was trying to catch her breath. "Did you just ask me to marry you?"
But even as she asked, he could see her growing stronger. Steadier.
For the second time since he'd seen her innocence shining out at him like a beacon from across the room, Cole was struck and surprised by her strength. She wasn't stuttering now, she wasn't panting with passion. Instead, she suddenly reminded him of his tenth-grade Calculus teacher, a woman who hadn't cared that he was going to make millions in the pros, unlike most of his other teachers. She'd been hellbent on teaching him math and he'd had to excel, or else.
Thanks to her, he'd easily been able to take his earnings and multiply them in the stock market.
He'd never much cared if his women were strong, just as long as they were willing when he was ready to go--which they always were. So then, why did he find that surprising hint of strength, of backbone, so sexy in this one?
"I need you, Anna."
And he did need her, desperately, only this wasn't just about his grandmother anymore.
He needed her for himself, too.
The realization that his need for her had somehow gone way beyond physical, not only had his gut twisting, but his chest clenching too.
"Please, Anna. Take this chance to be crazy and marry me."
She blinked once, twice, three times in clear surprise at his plea, her beautifully long eyelashes fluttering against her cheekbones. He had to press a kiss to each eyelid.
"Marrying you is more than crazy, Cole. It's certifiably insane."
God, he loved hearing his name on her lips. A sudden vision came at him of her lying beneath him on his bed, her eyes shining with pleasure as she cried out his name.
She was right. Getting married was insane, for so many reasons. He hadn't told his grandmother he was married, or even engaged. He'd just said that he'd found love. So then, why did it seem so crucially important that Anna agree to marry him?
Insane didn't even come close.
"I don't get it. Why would you want to marry me?" She looked up at him, her lack of comprehension clear in her beautiful eyes.
Would her eyes ever not take his breath away?
But instead of crafting an answer that would convince her to marry him--something other than the inexplicable Because I think I could fall in love with you that kept ringing through his brain--he found himself telling her the only other thing in his head.
"Your eyes are like the ocean, Anna. So beautiful I could stare into them forever."
She looked stunned and pleased in equal measure, but then, suddenly, she was looking away from him and saying, "Oh no."
Following her gaze, all he saw were people dancing and drinking, the same as they had all night.
"What's wrong?"
"My sisters. They look worried."
She had sisters? And they were here, in this bar, right now?
A moment later she was cradled in his arms again and he wasn't sure if he had pulled her closer--instinctively claiming her--or if she was the one hiding out against his chest.