Velvet Heat Ch. 04

"I don't want you to think." Cole murmured against her nipple, moving to give the other equal attention.

Briana laughed at that.

"Cole we need to talk about this."

"What is there to talk about Briana? I watched you lying in my bed this morning. Looking so beautiful and sweet and just knew I wanted to see you in my bed every morning for the rest of my life. You belong here Bri. Don't give me the satisfaction of having to tie you to this bed by refusing." He murmured the last part, moving down to trail kisses down her tummy.

"I've already accepted remember?" Briana said laughing uncontrollably. Her stomach chose that moment to growl.

Cole howled with laughter.

"I'm so sorry baby. You need to eat. Come on." Cole said getting up and drawing Briana after him.

"Yeah what happened to you going to bring me food down at the den?"

"Hmm I came back to tell you exactly what was available and ask what you would prefer. And what do I find? My wife to be, lightening into Mr. America. I really wish I had recorded that. That was...a-ma-zing! I've never felt so proud and loved." He dropped a kiss on her swollen lips. "Now let's go get something into that tummy of yours."

"No Cole. I need to take a shower first. I'll be right down. Besides Michael did say he wanted to talk to you remember?"

"Okay. But don't take too long otherwise I'm coming in there okay?"

"Okay."

Then giving her a quick kiss, Cole left the room.

***

"Jesus, Mickey. You've gotta be shittin' me!"

"I'm so sorry dude. But she said she was gonna tell Mary. And I just couldn't allow that Cole. She's pregnant. I just wanted to buy a little time till she at least gets past the first trimester or you found out the truth about Janice's fake pregnancy yourself. But then I saw you with Briana and saw how serious you were about her and knew how worried you must be over this fake pregnancy. This will kill Mary Cole." He finished in an anguished whisper.

"Yeah I know. But fuck dude, why the fuck did you have to do it. I thought you two were...tight."

Michael squeezed the bridge of his nose tightly and groaned. "It was just a moment of weakness. Come on you know how it is."

"Yeah but that's some shit bro. You know you've gotta tell her right? Better she hears it from you than that bitch dude."

The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Shouted Dean who was coming out of the kitchen, his mouth full of sandwich.

Kayla entered the living room where almost all the guys were relaxing.

"Hello there my love." Dean said attempting to kiss Kayla on the lip.

"Fuck off dude. Where the hell is Michael?"

"He's fucking married Kay. You actually prefer him to me? Mary's gonna make minced meat out of you."

Kayla looked around ignoring the 'hi's and 'hello's from the guys. She spotted Michael standing with Cole and walk over to them with so much anger on her beautiful face. Then before anyone could understand her intent, she delivered a heavy punch right on the nose of Michael.

"What the fuc..." But before Michael could even finish what he was saying, Kayla was giving him a solid kick in the groin.

"You son-of-a-bitch." She said through clenched teeth. Ignoring a kneeling Michael who was groaning as if his balls had detached from his body, Kayla looked up at Cole and said with all the anger she was feeling:

"He lied."

"I know." Cole said softly. "He told me."

"When?"

"Just now. Kay he was being blackmailed by Janice. She caught him with Vicky."

"I don't fucking care. You are his friend. He should have known better than to lie to you."

"I'm sorry." Michael whined still clutching his groin.

"Give me your hand Kay." Damon said from behind Kayla.

She turned and gave him a grateful smile, allowing him to wrap her hand in ice.

"That was some left hook." Tyron commented in an amused voice.

"Yeah, he taught me." She said tilting her heard towards Cole.

"And right now, I'm a proud teacher." Cole said with a grin. "Hell I wanted to do that myself. But not for me...for Mary."

"Ok now will somebody tell me what the good doctor did?" Matt asked.

"I cheated on Mary." Michael said quietly.

"The fuck, dude?" Chris shouted incredulously. He did look shocked and pissed too. After all Mary was his favorite cousin.

"Well that's not all he did." Kayla started.

"Kay..." Cole said in a warning tone.

She huffed and moved towards the kitchen with a scowl. "Where's Briana by the way?" She asked.

"Upstairs." Cole answered.

"Getting a well-deserved rest." Dean added with a smirk.

"Fuck off." Cole muttered with a laugh.

"Ok spill it Mickey. What did you do?" Chris asked still sounding pissed.

Michael got to his feet with a wince and didn't miss Cole's happy grin.

"Enjoying this are you?" He asked Cole with a glare.

"You bet I am." Cole replied with a laugh. For some reason, he couldn't get angry at Michael. After all he had his Briana and he was relieved he didn't have anything to worry about where Janice was concerned.

Michael narrated everything to the guys and they all seemed angry not with the fact that he had lied to Cole, after all he was only trying to protect a pregnant Mary, but for cheating on his adorable wife. They all liked her.

"Guys, it can happen to all of us. Give him a break." Cole told them.

"Yeah but this shouldn't happen again dude." Chris said in a very serious tone.

"It won't. Trust me." Michael said with so much feeling.

"And you've gotta tell her before that bitch..." Matt started but Kayla cut him off with her vehement...

"She won't."

"You sure about that Kay?"

"Damn straight. Not after what I did to her this morning. She ain't gonna spill nothing."

"Thanks Kay. But I still want to tell Mary. Enough of the lies."

"Err...dude, you sure about that? I wouldn't. What she doesn't know won't hurt her right?" Damon drawled.

"I'll know." Michael said quietly.

"You'll be okay bro." Matt tapped him on the back. And just like that, all the guys were showing their support.

"How are the balls?" Chris asked with a smirk.

"Fuck you." Michael muttered.

"In your dreams dude. Yo Kay, what would you want me to buy for you? Platform heels, bikini, thongs, you just name it." Chris shouted, going over to pick Kayla up and twirl her around.

Briana came down to see a squealing Kayla in Chris's arms, with all the guys except Kyle looking on in amusement. Then she noticed some blood on Michael's nose.

"What happened to you Michael?" she asked going closer to him.

"Kayla happened to him." Dean said roaring with laughter.

"It's a long story Hon. Michael is fine." Cole told her, drawing her towards the kitchen.

"You didn't hit him did you?" She asked Cole with a loud whisper.

"No no. Why would I do that?"

His answer seemed to satisfy her. "Let me go say hello to Kayla. Will be right back. Where is Kyle?"

"Asleep in the den."

"Okay."

Briana went to Kayla and saw the swellings on her knuckles. Giving her a hug, she looked pointedly at her hand. Kayla noticed the direction of her eyes and gave her a huge grin.

"Long story." Kayla said her grin downright mischievous.

Briana turned to look at Michael, remembering what Dean had said about Kayla happening to him.

"Is he going to be okay? He looks...sad." She asked Kayla softly.

"I'll handle it." Kayla said starting towards Michael.

Michael saw Kayla approach and actually looked scared. What the fuck had she done to him to get him so wary of her Briana wondered. Then Kayla was stepping into Michael's arms and giving him a long tight hug. The doctor actually looked like he was going to cry.

Due to her concentration on the two, still wondering what had happened, she failed to see Damon's approach. She only noticed he was standing beside her when he called her name softly.

"Hey." She said looking at his beautiful face. The guy really did look angelic.

"Listen Briana, I'm sorry for upsetting you earlier." He started.

"No no forget about it. I overreacted." She said turning pink when she remembered her reaction and what had followed.

"No you didn't overreact." Damon countered. "I was out of line and I'm sorry."

Briana simply opened her arms and gave Damon a squeeze hug.

"Treat him good. He loves you." Damon whispered into her ears.

"I know and I will. Promise." Briana whispered back.

Damon gave Briana a kiss on the forehead and allowed her to go as her stomach grumbled again.

"He's starving you already. Girl, I'd never starve you." Damon gushed before quickly covering his mouth with his palm. The look on his face was so comical that Briana roared with laughter.

"You're nuts Damon." It was obvious he flirted with anything in skirt.

And still laughing irrepressibly, she turned in the direction of the kitchen and Cole.

***

For the first time in a long time, Cole actually had sweaty palms. The last time he had gotten this nervous was when he had been called into the Principal's office in second grade. He said a quick prayer and knocked on the door of Briana's house. Mr. Scott had said he was going to wait at home for him as he had traveled all the way from LA to see him. Cole was sure Elaine Scott, Briana's mother was out. And knowing Sean Scott, Briana's brother, home was the last place he would be on a Sunday afternoon.

Their butler, Frank, opened the door and gave a brilliant smile when he saw Cole.

"Hi Frank. Uncle Nick in?"

"Good to see you Cole. He's waiting for you on the patio. What should I bring you to drink?"

"Need you ask Frank? I've been dreaming of your lemonade for years now. I'd love to have that if you have it please."

"Of course we do. Chilled lemonade coming right up." Frank said with a laugh. He had always had a soft spot for Cole.

Cole walked out onto the patio and saw Nick Scott on his phone. He waved Cole into a chair, still talking into the phone.

"Look Dan, tell them to do the best they can. I'll fly out there next week and finalize everything. Talk to you tomorrow." He said, hanging up the phone.

"Hey Cole." Nick said coming over to give Cole a hug. "How's LA?"

"Good Uncle Nick."

"And how's Briana doing? Hope you're keeping an eye on her."

Cole's mouth went dry. He wondered what Nick Scott's reaction would be if he knew just what he had also been keeping IN her. Oh and what a blissfully orgasmic place that was.

"She's good Uncle Nick."

"Good to know."

Frank brought a large pitcher of lemonade with two glasses and poured some for both of them.

"Thanks Frank." Nick Scott thanked the butler, who then excused himself.

"So, what's so important you had to come all the way to discuss with me?"

Cole realized he had suddenly lost his nerve and hastily reached for the glass of lemonade. His mouth was so dry he needed to moisten it. When he placed the glass back down, he noticed Briana's dad looking at him intently.

"I want to ask for Briana's hand in marriage Sir." Cole blurted it out.

Nick Scott was quiet for a long time, staring at Cole. After a long while, he cleared his throat and asked in a gruff voice, "Is she pregnant?"

"No. Not at all Sir." Cole's surprise at the question was obvious to the older man.

Another long silence.

"How long have you two been s...dating?" Had he almost said sleeping together? Cole wondered.

"For the past five months Sir."

"Oh you mean since you last came home to visit."

It wasn't a question.

"Yes Sir."

"Why do you want to marry her Cole?"

Why else would he want to marry her? She fucking had him by the balls...in a good way.

"I'm nothing without her Uncle Nick. I'm so much in love with her that just the thought of not being with her gives me a physical pain here." Cole touched his chest. "I...I just can't live without her. I won't!" He finished in a shaky but grave voice.

He felt wetness on his cheeks and furiously wiped it off. What the fuck was wrong with him? He hadn't even known when those tears had escaped.

Nick Scott watched the determined young man in front of him with surprise. Did he even have a say in the matter? It looked like Cole was only there to inform him not to ask.

"Well you can still be together if you continue dating. You don't have to get married to be together." Nick countered in a hard voice.

"Not good enough Sir." Cole replied in an equally strong voice staring Nick straight in the eye.

He saw Briana's father reach for his phone, then saw him dial someone's number. Nick Scott had obviously put the phone on speaker because the next thing he heard was Briana's soft voice...

"Hi Daddy." And just like that, his heart started beating rapidly. Just her voice could do that to him? God he was so messed up. And he wanted to stay that way forever.

"You love him?" Nick asked his daughter straight away.

"With all my heart Daddy." She replied with a catch in her voice. There was a short silence. Then with a sigh, Nick spoke calmly to his daughter.

"Ok pumpkin. Talk to you later. I love you."

"Love you too Daddy."

Then Nick Scott cut the line.

"You've got my blessing."

'Whoa! Just like that?' Cole thought.

"Thank you Sir." He said out loud with so much gratitude in his voice.

"And Cole," Nick Scott continued in a deceptively calm voice, "You fuck her up, I'm gonna kill you."

"I'll do right by her I promise Uncle Nick."

"You had better son. She's my baby. Wait till you have yours. Then you'll understand how I feel. And please don't keep her away from me. Please!"

Cole looked up and saw tears in Nick's eyes. Wow!

He couldn't talk past the lump in his throat so he simply nodded.

The older man cleared his throat and wiped his eyes.

"I say we drink something stronger don't you think?" Nick Scott said in a hoarse voice. At Cole's nod, he called for Frank. The butler appeared immediately making Cole wonder whether he had been standing just inside the door eavesdropping?

"Bring us a bottle of Courvoisier Frank."

"Right away Mr. Scott." And when he turned to go, he gave Cole a wink. Yes, he had been listening.

Cole grinned. He was so happy he was feeling light headed.

When they had both poured generous portions into their glasses, Nick raised his glass and toasted, "To a happy life."

"To a happy life." Cole repeated and both drained their glasses.

"Seen your dad ye..."

"Nick?" Elaine Scott's sweet voice drifted out to them. "There you are. Oh Cole. How are you doing my dear?" She asked giving him a hug.

"I'm good Auntie E."

"You look good. What brings you here? Hope all's well."

"He's going to marry your daughter. He came to tell us. Of course he started by asking but...he actually only came to inform us. And I gave him my blessings."

Elaine Scott's mouth had been opened throughout her husband's narration.

She closed it and turned to look at Cole.

"Well what can I say Nick? You know us Scott women...you get just one taste and you've gotta have it for the rest of your life."

"Wha...what?" Cole croaked staring at the woman who looked so much like her daughter.

"Ow come on Cole. You really think I didn't know? I didn't say anything because I knew you were stuck even if you didn't know it yourself. And did I tell you what I liked best about Cole Nick?" She asked turning to look at her husband. At his smile, she turned back to Cole, ignoring the fact that he had turned red to the roots of his hair.

"He goes after whatever he wants and doesn't stop till he gets it. Now tell me Nick, who wouldn't want a son-in-law like that? Come here son."

Cole rose like a zombie and walked into Elaine's outstretched arms and got engulfed in a warm motherly embrace.

"Thanks." He whispered into her ears.

"Be happy." She whispered back.

Stepping back, she accepted the handkerchief her husband gave her and wiped the tears from her face.

"So...we've got a wedding to plan huh?" Elaine said looking at Cole.

"Who's wedding?" Sean asking waking out onto the patio. "Oh hey Cole. Sup man?" He went over to give Cole a one-armed hug. For a sixteen year old boy, Briana's kid brother sure did look all grown up.

"Your sister is getting married." Elaine answered his question.

"To Cole?" Sean asked his mum.

"Yes."

"Now that's what I'm talking about. No need to welcome you into the family bro. You've always been part. I'm happy for you. She ever gives you grief, talk to me. I know how to handle her. For a fee of course."

"I'll remember that. Thanks Sean." Cole said with a laugh.

"What if he gives your sister grief Sean? Then what?" Nick asked his son.

"Not gonna happen. She's got him whipped!" Sean answered with a shrug.

His parents and Cole burst out laughing.

"Treat her well yeah?" Sean told Cole solemnly.

"You can bet on that bro." Cole answered equally seriously.

Both guys did the one arm hug thing and sat.

"So, when is the wedding?" Elaine asked.

"Why the rush Hon? They can stay engaged till Bri finishes school." Nick said.

"Hell no." Elaine exclaimed. "No way am I going to allow my daughter to walk down the aisle in a maternity wedding gown."

"She's not pregnant Elaine." Nick muttered.

"And I am not going to wait till she is. Look at him Nick" Elaine said pointing at Cole. "You really think your daughter is going to be able to keep her hands off him?"

"I'm so out of here." Sean said rushing to the door. "Say hi to Bri Cole."

"Will do Sean." Cole answered in a strangled voice. God, he needed to get out of here.

"Auntie..." He started but got shot down before he could go any further.

"That's mum to you young man." Elaine admonished.

With a happy smile, he went on...

"Mum, I need to discuss the date with Briana first but I also vote for as soon as possible."

"You sure you haven't knocked her up already son?" Nick asked again looking Cole in the eye.

"I haven't Sir."

"Dad." Nick said in a stern voice. "You've got two now." He added in a softer voice.

"I've always had two." Cole said shakily struggling to contain the emotion threatening to crack his voice. "Thanks Dad. But the last time I saw her, Briana wasn't pregnant." And he sure was thankful for that because he didn't want to disappoint Nick Scott.

"Well I still don't want to take chances." Elaine argued, "I want the wedding now. You talk to your fiancée while I start with the planning."

Nick Scott rolled his eyes at his wife.

"This is how it's gonna be son; you kids must at least wait till she's done with her freshman year. And no kids till she's done with college. That's the only way I'm gonna accept this. So bear that in mind when you have that talk with my daughter." Nick Scott said looking like the hard business man that he was. And Cole knew he was dead serious. He thought his suggestion was perfect though.

"I like that suggestion actually Un...Dad. Works for me just fine. And I'm sure Briana will be ok with it too."

"Oh it's going to be grand." Elaine gushed with so much delight.

"I will call you immediately Briana and I have a talk. Thanks so much. I really appreciate your support and I promised to make her happy till we both leave this world. And if there is life after that, I'll continue loving and making her happy then." Cole said with a smile.

"Oh you can continue when you leave here. I hear it's possible." Elaine deadpanned.

"Honey leave the boy alone." Nick laughingly told his wife.

"Alright alright. I'm just so happy." She gushed drawing Cole into a smothering embrace.

When Cole eventually left the Scott household, it was with a bounce in his step. He was walking on air. He had Briana's parents' full blessings to marry her. He was ecstatic. Everything was going so great.

Little did he know...