Not long after, Cole strode toward the car with Elliana still tucked tightly in his arms.
After dispatching two guards to handle the woman, Myles slid into the passenger seat. He was about to give the order to move but hesitated, glancing over his shoulder. “Where to, Mr. Evans?”
Without loosening his grip on Elliana, Cole replied, “Regal Grove.”
Regal Grove served as Cole’s personal retreat, tucked away from the public eye.
“Understood.” Myles nodded, instructed the driver, and then reached forward to raise the privacy screen.
They were riding in a sleek stretch limo-Myles and the driver up front, Aron and Hugh at the rear, while Cole and Elliana sat cocooned in the center. With the partition drawn, the middle seat felt like its own private world.
The sleek black convoy pulled away from Willow Lane with quiet authority.
Still grumbling under his breath, Hugh leaned toward Aron and whispered, “Mr. Evans is really bringing that waitress to Regal Grove. You think he’s trying to make her his mistress?”
When Aron didn’t respond, Hugh gave him a nudge. “Come on, man, say something! The Evans family has rules-no mistresses allowed. If Ruben hears about this, Cole’s toast!”
With a knowing smirk, Aron finally said, “Still clueless? Mr. Evans is not sneaking around. That’s his wife he’s got in his arms.”
Hugh stared at him, stunned. “Wait, what? I thought Elliana was supposed to look awful?”
Aron simply leaned back and let the silence confirm everything.
Meanwhile, Cole kept Elliana firmly seated on his lap, his fingers casually tracing the curve of her waist-completely unbothered by the world outside their tinted windows
Elliana sat stiffly, irritation bubbling up as Cole’s wandering hands tested her patience and left her speechless. After everything that happened last night, she had expected some distance-maybe silence and awkward politeness. Instead, Cole was getting bolder, touching her as though nothing had changed.
“Keep your hands off me!” Elliana hissed, the words sharp enough to cut through the tension but quiet enough not to echo. She had deliberately lowered her voice, mindful of the other occupants in the car-even with the privacy screen up, voices had a way of slipping through.
Apparently, a whisper wasn’t enough to stop Cole. Instead of backing off, his hand slipped beneath her shirt, his fingers finding her side and giving it a playful, infuriating pinch.
“You absolute jerk! What part of ‘stop’ do you not get?” Elliana’s self-control snapped, and an unfiltered curse escaped her lips. Instant regret followed. She pressed her lips together, knowing that the outburst probably painted the wrong picture for anyone listening. But the moment had already slipped-too loud, too late. There was no taking it back.
Startled, the driver jerked the wheel before steadying it again. No one had ever dared call Cole a jerk before. What on earth was going on in the back seat?
From the passenger seat, Myles lifted one brow and said, “Eyes on the road.”
With a stiff nod, the driver quickly corrected himself, gaze fixed dead ahead.
Meanwhile, Aron and Hugh looked like someone had cranked up the heat-faces flushed, ears red, completely out of their depth with this kind of tension. For as long as anyone could remember, Cole had been strictly off-limits when it came to women. They had followed his lead, swearing off even casual touches like hand-holding. That was why Cole’s sudden shift in behavior rattled them. He wasn’t just bending the rules-he was tearing them up.
Hugh, especially, took it the hardest. He’d pegged Elliana as the desperate type, clinging to Cole ambitiously. He’d even mocked her for chasing after someone way out of reach. But now? It was Cole chasing her-and getting called a jerk in return. What the hell was happening? He felt like his brain had short-circuited.
The Cole Hugh looked up to was acting completely out of character, and it rattled something deep in him.
Unbothered by others’ thoughts, Cole kept his gaze on Elliana. Her blushing face captivated him, and he chuckled low, pleased. His hand lingered, fingers tracing her waist again, drawn back to her soft skin like it was a reflex.
That was it-Elliana had had enough. Without thinking, she snatched his wrist and sank her teeth into his hand. She bit him. Full stop. No hesitation. She’d never bitten anyone before, but if pain was the lesson, she wanted him to remember it.
Instead of flinching, Cole let her bite down, eyes gleaming like he was indulging some scrappy little pup that had no real bite.
The second her teeth left his skin, regret hit her hard. A slap might’ve sent a message-this just turned into some twisted flirting game. She wanted to shrink into the seat. Biting him? What had gotten into her? Elliana couldn’t stop regretting that she’d bitten him. She had never done something so downright humiliating.
“Put me down already!” Elliana insisted and shoved his hand away, doing her best to come off strong even though her cheeks were flushed. Cole, of course, didn’t blink. That smug look said loud and clear-he’d do whatever he wanted.
Before, Cole had at least tried to mask his overbearing nature with charm. He’d butter her up, sprinkle in compliments, and act like he was some refined gentleman. But now, he ignored her protests and did what he pleased, cocky to the max, blatantly mischievous and unapologetic.
Elliana swore at him inwardly with every curse she knew. That whole gentleman act was garbage. He was nothing but a sleazy liar with a pretty face.
Before she could explode, his fingers found her cheek and gave it a bold pinch. “Bad-mouthing me again in that head of yours?”
She turned her glare on him, eyebrows raised. Was he psychic now, or just that annoying? “Are you planning to hold me hostage all night?” Elliana questioned, her patience spent.
With a playful gleam in his eye, Cole tugged her closer. “You trashed my date and ruined my night. Feels like you owe me something sweet in return, doesn’t it?”
Elliana sneered, “Maybe try keeping your attack dog on a leash next time instead of letting her crash the kitchen like she owned the place!”
Cole chuckled at the memory of the woman’s meltdown and then gave Elliana’s cheek a squeeze. “You feisty little spitfire.”
Elliana’s eyes rolled so hard that it almost hurt. In the underworld, she was known as Death Thorn. Being called “spitfire” felt like an insult straight out of a high school drama.
Cole had no clue about her thoughts. He leaned in and added, “You went nuclear on my date. Come on. Was it really about her attitude, or were you just a little jealous?”
With her glare sharp enough to cut glass, Elliana responded, “Jealous? You? I tossed you aside like spoiled leftovers. Why would I be jealous of anything involving you?”
Her words struck him sharply. A shadow fell over his features, his gaze turning as cold as steel.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.