He was the leader of the mafia. I was about to fall in love with him, and his name…Cole Mauricio.
Cole by Tijan is NOW LIVE!
Kobo
Synopsis
I shouldn’t have remembered him.
He was just a guy who walked through a restaurant. I didn't know his name. We never made eye contact. There was no connection between us at all.
But I could feel him.
The tingle down my spine. The command in his presence. The snap of tension in the air around him. That was the first time I saw him, and I was captivated.
The second time was different.
He was in the mysterious back elevator of my apartment building. Our eyes met for a fleeting second before the doors closed, and I was staggered. My breath was robbed. My senses on high alert. My body hummed.
That was just the beginning.
He was the leader of the mafia. I was about to fall in love with him, and his name…
Cole Mauricio
Excerpt
Once inside the
elevator, I stood to one side, watching him. He returned my gaze.
We still did not
touch.
My chest tightened,
hoping no one would call the elevator at that moment. We sailed past the lobby,
the second floor, and stopped at mine. I put in the code, and the doors opened
to my home.
I drew in a breath,
filling my lungs again. God, it was time.
Stepping out with
shaky knees, I bypassed the light switch. The full moon lit up my entire floor.
I went to the kitchen and paused at the island. “Did you want something to
drink?” I caught sight of the tequila and wine on the counter. There was more
than enough.
Cole stepped up
behind me and followed my gaze. “Were you going to have a party?” he asked, his
breath coating the back of my neck.
I shivered, closing
my eyes for one delicious moment. “I stocked up. I thought a friend was coming
over tonight.”
His hand rested on
my back, nudging my sweater aside to touch my skin. “He?”
“She. Sia.” I looked
over my shoulder. He was so close. “She stood me up for a date.”
A faint smile
showed. “I need to send her a thank-you card.”
“Please don’t sign
it.”
“Why not?”
I turned around,
easing my back against the island. Cole placed his hands on either side of me,
trapping me in place.
“Because she’s
slightly obsessed with you, though she’s in love with someone else now. She
could circle back,” I joked.
“Me?”
“We saw you one
night.”
“When?” He leaned
away, but his hands remained on the counter. It was like he was giving me
breathing space on purpose.
“At Gianni’s. We
went there the night I moved in.”
He didn’t move, but
I could feel him pulling away. A protest started in my head, but I bit back the
words. He didn’t reply. He was waiting for me instead.
I continued, “You
came in with a bunch of men and went upstairs. That was it.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Did you talk to anyone?”
“What do you mean?”
“The staff?”
“About you?”
“About anything.”
My forehead
wrinkled. “Sia networked with the hostess. They exchanged cards. Sia said the
girl was a model. She recognized her from the Gala. That was it. Oh, well,
another server sat with us for a drink later on. But they mostly talked with
Sia about the Gala and about photographers—stuff like that.”
He relaxed, his
hands loosening their hold on the counter. I was scared to ask what he was so
worried they’d told us.
“I don’t know who
you are.” I lifted a hand, placing it on his chest. His heart was racing, just
like mine. My mouth parted in surprise. “If that’s what you’re worried about.”
He glanced down at
my hand and held still. He was thinking something over. I held my tongue,
worried it was me, that he was second-guessing this night for us. I wanted to
tell him there was nothing to worry about, but it sounded ridiculous. I really
had no idea.
So I waited it out, my heart pressing against my rib cage.
When he looked back
up, the hunger was in his eyes again—dark, primal, and more evident than ever.
He took my hand and leaned in, closing the distance between us. With his other
hand, he cupped the side of my face. “I wasn’t second-guessing this. I want you
to know that.” His touch was tender.
“What were you
thinking about?”
“Something else, but
it wasn’t you.”
“This is one of those
moments where you wish you could tell me, but you can’t? Not yet?”
The corner of his
mouth lifted. His eyes moved from mine to my lips.
“Something like that, yes.”
“Mmmm-hmmm,” I
started to tease, but then his head dipped down, and his lips were on mine.
I gasped. The
pleasure was immediate. His mouth was gentle, but as he felt my body’s
reaction, he applied pressure. His touch grew more demanding, then I was
kissing him back. I wanted more. Someone groaned. That was me.
His hand slid around
to the back of my neck. He held me in his grip as his mouth explored mine,
opening over me and slipping inside. My hands grasped his shoulders, just
holding on. All I could focus on was his tongue. I met his with mine and
reveled in the sensation. But it wasn’t enough. Need shot through my whole
body.
My hands slid under
his shirt and moved over his back and shoulders. His body was just as powerful
as his presence. I felt the shift of his muscles. They trembled under my hands.
The feeling was intoxicating. I had power over him, and I wanted more. I wanted
to see how much power I actually had.
Pulling back, I
studied him.
He was panting
lightly. So was I.
I could see him
wondering what I was going to do, so I reached back to the counter and started
to lift myself. His hands caught the backs of my thighs, and he lifted me the
rest of the way. Now sitting on the edge of the island, my legs parted, and he
was back between them. His mouth went right to mine.
I couldn’t get over
what I was doing. I didn’t care.
I didn’t think I
would care the next day, the day after, or however long this lasted. I had no
clue. I only knew I had one night. One long night.
What I Loved
I can’t remember the last time a book had tears in my eyes from the beginning but Cole did exactly that, it captured my attention and when it was all over I immediately wanted more. Addison’s story was so compelling from the start, she immediately gripped my heart and was such an amazing and forceful character. Most of the story is from her point of view and right away you get to know her on a very intimate level and I loved that the plot immediately drops you into her sadness, because you feel it right along with her.
The minute Cole literally walks onto the scene you are instantly drawn to him, he emanates this power and mystery that sucks you in as the reader. Every time he was with Addison or walked into a room the environment changed because he was so powerful and that came across so beautifully to me. You know so little about him throughout most of the story and everything he gives you, you hold onto it because as the reader, you want more. He had this air about him that drew your attention and whenever he was around I didn’t want him to leave. I loved the chemistry between him and Addison, they couldn’t stay away from each other and their love kept me captivated.
Not So Much
I really loved this book so I don’t have a lot of bad things to say. I do wish there were more details added into the background to really set the stage for each scene. The building where Cole and Addison live was described nicely but once Addison moves in there isn’t really a good description of what the apartment looks like, nothing is really explained that would reflect her new life or personality. I felt like those types of details were missing in many scenes, I would’ve liked to have seen more background detail added in.
To Sum It All Up!
Overall this was truly a magnificent book that reminded me why I love romance and suspense so much. I was instantly sucked into Cole because of how amazing Tijan’s writing is, I was enthralled from the very beginning and when it was all over I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
Addison is truly an amazing character that surprised me repeatedly by her bravery and unending love. Cole is this man of mystery that captured my attention the minute he walked into that restaurant. I literally could not get enough of this man, he was dangerous yet loving and sexy. I loved all these different facets to this man, he could be a killer one minute and the next be soft and loving. I’m such a huge fan of complicated characters that have so many layers to them because it shows true talent in the writing.
Cole is filled with suspense that I loved and there were many things I did not see coming at all. I love when I can read a book and not predict what is going to happen next. There was a great foundation laid out for the story to build from and how the plot moved along was right on point. I never felt like the book was too slow or skipped over things I wanted to know more about. There was a lot of twists and turns so be ready for it and enjoy the ride!
Like I said before I loved the chemistry between Cole and Addison, it was instantaneous and they couldn’t get enough of each other. The feelings they have for one another poured off the pages and it was evident they were two people who were meant to be together no matter what. This was such a magnificent story, I was instantly sucked in and I can honestly say I’m still suffering from the book hangover. If I could shout it from every roof top for people to read this book I would! READ THIS BOOK!
Meet the Author
I didn't begin writing until after undergraduate college. There'd been storylines and characters in my head all my life, but it came to a boiling point one day and I HAD to get them out of me. So the computer was booted up and I FINALLY felt it click. Writing is what I needed to do. After that, I had to teach myself how to write. I can't blame my teachers for not teaching me all those years in school. It was my fault. I was one of the students that was wishing I was anywhere but at school! So after that day, it took me lots of work until I was able to put together something that resembled a novel. I'm hoping I got it right since someone must be reading this profile! And I hope you keep enjoying my future stories.
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