Текст книги "Cole"

Автор книги: Tess Oliver

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Chapter 8

Kensington

“I know I’ve said this twice already, but I love your friends. Just let me say that. There. I said it. I’m done. And your sister is adorable. There, I’ve said that twice too, but now that’s it.”

I smiled over at Kensington and thought how perfectly right she looked sitting in the passenger seat of my truck. “I guess you were really downing those margaritas at the end there.”

“I had one or two more, and I think it was mostly the sour mix stuff. But I’m a total lightweight. I think I’m just lightheaded from laughing so hard because—” She paused. “Well, you know, as I mentioned, your friends are great.”

“I agree. I hadn’t seen them in awhile, and I haven’t laughed like that in a long time.” I pulled around the corner and headed up the long, tree-lined driveway to her house. “This was such a short drive home. I’m wishing that you lived a little farther.”

I stopped in front of the ornate iron gates. A sign reading Modante Vineyard arched over the gate. Kensington hopped out and punched in a code. The gates parted and opened. She climbed back in and we drove up toward the house. It was a colonial type mansion with a lot of used brick and white columns. Trimmed hedges lined the front of the house. I parked on the circular driveway, stopping in front of the steps leading to the massive front doors. The entire facade of the house was lit up but it looked dark inside.

I shut off the engine. “I’ll walk you to the door. I am, after all, a prince.”

She looked over at me. “I had a great time tonight.”

“I’m glad. And I’m sorry your date took off so quickly.”

“I’m not sorry. The thing between Nate and me was sort of crumbling away anyhow. That’s me, a crumbler. I crumble things, on purpose, mostly. I just can’t seem to meet the right guy.” She lifted a long, thin finger. “But I am a pro at picking the wrong ones. I’ve got that down to an art.” She sat back. “Shit, I’m rambling. Maybe there was a lot of tequila in those drinks.”

“You’re not rambling, and I like listening to you. And I don’t say that about too many people.”

She unfastened her seatbelt. I was disappointed thinking she was ready to hop out already. Instead she turned to face me. “I don’t know why it’s so hard. I don’t even have a tall order when it comes to the right guy. I want someone who doesn’t take himself too seriously. Someone, who, if I’m crying, can just listen with a sympathetic ear and who can make me laugh through my tears. I want someone who makes my knees wobble when he takes my hand or caresses my arm. See, not a big list, but so far, that person has eluded me.” She pressed her fingers to her mouth. “Oh my gosh, I am just babbling like a chattering bird. Stop me. No, I’ll stop myself. That’ll make more sense. Tell me—what it is you’re looking for, Cole? Or maybe you’re not looking for anyone.”

“Sometimes I think I’ll just stay single and have a good time and see where the future takes me, but whenever I hang out with Rett and Finley or Jude and Eden and all the others, I feel a little twinge of loneliness, like I’m missing out on some big secret that they know but that I won’t ever hear until I find someone. I don’t have a tall order either. I want to find that girl who’s on my mind all the time, whether I’ve had a shitty day or a great day or just an ordinary and boring day, I want to be thinking about her. Oh, and before you praise me for being deep and thoughtful, I will add that a great pair of legs is a bonus.”

She nodded a little more enthusiastically than she’d intended and she pitched forward. I reached over and took hold of her arm to keep her from slipping off the seat.

“Oh my gosh,” she laughed, “I don’t think I’ve been this drunk since college. I should probably go inside before I do something completely embarrassing, or worse, throw up the tequila.”

I hopped out of the truck, walked around and opened the passenger door. She struggled some to get out of the seat and had to yank hard to get the train of her dress out of the truck. Again she tottered forward. This time I caught her against my chest.

She peered up at me from beneath heavy black lashes. “I’m a disgrace to the princess uniform. But you are every bit the prince.” She steadied herself and stepped away from me. Total disappointment. She braced one hand against me as she yanked off her plastic slippers.

We walked up the steps to the front door. I faced her, and she closed her eyes for a kiss. There was nothing I wanted more than to kiss her, but this wasn’t the night. I leaned forward and kissed her cheek. She looked up at me with round green eyes. Her luscious mouth turned down in a frown.

I gazed down at her and brushed my thumb across her bottom lip. “I’m dying to kiss you, and I will kiss you  . . . soon, but I want you to remember it. Is it all right if I call you?”

“I think I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.” She walked to the door and pressed the keypad. She glanced back at me over her shoulder and flashed a smile that I’d already memorized. “Later, Charming.” She slipped inside.

I pulled out my phone on the way to the truck and dialed her number.

It took her a few rings to answer. “Hello?”

“Charming here. You should have dinner with me tomorrow night. Ball gown and plastic slippers optional.”

Her laugh was just as cute through the phone.

“Have to check my royal appointment calendar.” She paused. “Is seven o’clock too late? I’ve got stuff to do after work.”

“Stuff?”

“Yep, princess stuff. O.K.. That’s getting old. I can be ready at seven, but if that’s too late—”

“Seven it is. Good night, Kensington.”

“Good night, Cole.”

Chapter 9

Kensington

I looked back at the little girl on the pony. She was grinning so widely, I could see every tooth in her mouth, or at least the ones that the tooth fairy hadn’t run off with. “Ready, Darcy?” I asked.

Most of the time, Darcy was locked up in her own world, but when she climbed up on Archie’s back, the rest of the world opened up to her. I spent three afternoons a week helping my friend, Trish, run a riding program for special needs kids. Trish had taught me to ride horses when I was barely tall enough to reach the stirrups. Darcy and I had bonded only with the magical help of Archie, the Shetland pony.

I started to jog, and Archie picked up a slow trot. Darcy was belted onto the saddle but she had great balance. She clutched the reins and kept a broad smile plastered on her face. Occasionally, she’d let loose with a giggle or happy sigh.

I smiled back at her. “You’re smiling so wide, Darcy. You look just like a grinning Jack-o-Lantern.”

She made a point of widening her smile even more, letting me know she liked the comparison. According to her mom, eight-year-old Darcy could put together a five hundred piece jigsaw puzzle in an hour. And that was just one of her amazing talents.

I slowed the pony to a walk and led him around the pen two more times. Darcy’s mom was looking at her watch, which meant it was time to end the ride. After this, Darcy would be whisked away to her violin lesson. She had trouble communicating and forming relationships with people, but when tucked back into her own quiet world, Darcy could do just about anything and do it better than most adults.

Darcy was very insistent about climbing off the pony by herself. I held Archie steady, and she swung her little leg over and slid down to the ground. We walked Archie back to the barn. Darcy lifted her arms, which meant I could give her a hug. Some days she wasn’t in the mood, but this afternoon she’d been in a particularly friendly mood. We hugged and she let me hold her for longer than usual. Then, without another word, she followed her continually rushing mom to their car.

Trish came out of the empty horse stall she’d converted into an office. “You mentioned you had a date tonight. Is it Nate?”

Her reminder brought back the slight case of nerves I’d been feeling off and on all day. “It’s not Nate. His name is Cole.”

Trish grabbed a brush for Archie’s tail. “Tell me. Give this old married woman a little something to fantasize about. Is he handsome?”

“He’s definitely easy on the eyes. Probably a little rowdy and tattooed for my dad’s liking, but that’s all right. It’ll probably never get to the parent introduction stage. Oh, and this part will probably cause you to go all groupie crazy, since I know you love Black Thunder.”

Trish looked around Archie’s butt at me. “What do you mean? Are you going to one of their concerts?” She put her hands on her hips. “How did I not hear about them having a concert? I thought they were semi-retired.”

“Whoa there, relax lady, I was just going to mention that Cole, the guy I’m going out with, is Nicky King’s son.”

Trish’s mouth dropped open. “Get. Out. Of. Here.”

“That’s why I’m not counting on this as being anything more than a flashing flirt. He’s really charming and hot and funny. But I highly doubt he ever dates any girl longer than his attention span will allow.” I lifted Archie’s foot and cleaned his hoof. “Anyhow, it’s just one date.” I lowered the pony’s foot to the ground. “So, don’t bother asking for backstage passes. Didn’t you tell me you and your friends once got caught trying to break into the band’s dressing rooms?”

“Ah yes, those were the days.” Trish dragged the brush through the pony’s tail. “The security guard carted us out on his golf cart. I was on the backseat, and when he came to a stop, I jumped off and ran out to the stadium to watch the show.”

“You hardcore rowdy. If I ever go to jail, I sure hope you’re my cellmate.”

I finished up with Archie and Trish returned to the office. She popped her head out before I left. “Have fun tonight, and I’ll want all the details.”

My phone buzzed as I headed to the car. It was a text from Nate. He’d left the party early and I’d stayed behind, but it hadn’t stopped him from texting twice to ask what I was doing tonight. “Want to go to a movie?”

I decided to be blunt. “I’ve got a date.”

His text came back as I climbed into the driver’s seat. “Are you still mad at me, baby?”

I shook my head with a laugh as I texted back. “How does my date have anything to do with you? I’m not mad.” I nearly finished it with the part about not caring enough about him to be mad, but I held back.

The phone rang and I sighed in frustration. But as I glanced at the screen, I saw it was Cole. I felt a flash of disappointment thinking he was calling to cancel. There was a lot of clamor in the background, voices, hammering, truck engines. “Hey, sorry about the noise. I’m on the construction site,” Cole spoke loudly into the phone. “Just checking that we’re still on for tonight. I sort of took advantage of your state of tequila-ness to ask you out. So I thought I’d make sure.”

I caught a glimpse of myself in the rearview and realized I was smiling. I’d been doing that a lot since I’d met the man. “I’m not sure if there is such thing as a state of tequila-ness, but I was definitely drunk. I’m still planning on it. Unless you need to cancel.”

“Nope, I will see you at seven. Oh, and Kensington, I’m looking really forward to it.”

“Yeah, me too. See you soon.” I hung up, and there it was, the smile, still stuck on my face, just like Darcy’ permanent grin when she was in the saddle. Now my only real worry was setting myself up for disappointment because while the rest of my life always ran pretty darn smoothly, the romance end of it was always like opening up a beautifully wrapped gift and finding a new pair of socks. The only good thing was that I was growing used to finding the socks.

Chapter 10

Kensington

Dad and Mom were in the dining room when I came downstairs. Mom had spent the last week trying to convince Dad to take her on a river cruise in Europe, but she was having a tough time of it. Which was unusual because she could normally talk him into anything.

Dad was sitting in front of a half eaten steak and potato, shaking antacid tablets out of a bottle and onto his palm.

“Is that a trendy new dessert, Dad?”

He looked up and did a double take of my outfit. My dress was admittedly a little short, ending just above mid thigh, but I was feeling especially flirtatious. I’d even pulled on my cowboy boots.

“You mom is giving me indigestion,” he complained.

“Oh, John, you do like to exaggerate. The reason you keep getting indigestion is because you never take a break from work.”

Dad grumbled in agreement and chewed his tablet like a cow with cud. “That’s an interesting outfit for a first date. Now, who did you say this man was?”

I plucked a dinner roll from the basket and pulled up a chair. “I really didn’t say. He’s living on the property next door.”

“What?” Mom placed her hand against her chest to punctuate her shock. “Those motorcycle hoodlums from next door?”

I laughed. “You know between dad’s hooligans and curmudgeon and your hoodlums, you two could really revive the old fifties family sitcoms. And, Cole is not a hoodlum. He rides motorcycles for sport. His dad owns the property. Cole runs the family construction business, Kingston Construction.”

Dad’s look of worry turned to interest. “Really? The company that’s building the casino? Well then, that’s better.”

“Oh, so now that he’s not a hoodlum and he works for a big company, he’s on your approved date list?” I bit off a piece of roll.

“Well, when you put it that way, it sounds a little shallow, but yes.” He popped another chalky disc into his mouth and pressed his fist against his chest.

“Dad, you need to go to a doctor and make sure you’re not getting an ulcer.”

He waved off my concern. “I wonder who owns that property now.” He laughed. “You’ll never guess who used to own it. In fact, he even tried to start a vineyard.”

“Nicky King?” I asked.

“Yes. How did you know?” Dad asked.

“Nicky King,” Mom said, suddenly looking a little starry-eyed. “He always had the most wonderful British accent. His tight leather pants were rather wonderful too.”

Dad cast an annoyed brow lift her direction. “I’m sure he still has the accent . . . and the pants, no doubt. I never did hear who bought the property from him.”

I got up from the chair and kissed Dad’s forehead. “That’s because he never sold it.”

I walked around the table to give Mom a kiss and allow Dad time to absorb everything.

Mom turned her cream covered cheek toward me and I kissed her.

“Kensington Rae, are you telling me you are going out with Nicky King’s son?” It always made me smile when he felt the need to use my middle name. Something told me images of the hoodlum were floating back into his head.

“Yes I am.”

He reached for the antacid bottle.

“Dad, don’t worry. You know how short-lived my relationships are. It probably won’t go past this first date.”

Chapter 11

Kensington

Cole turned the truck and headed along the onramp. He’d put on a nice blue shirt and jeans. Even though my dad’s eyes had nearly popped from his skull at the tattoos running along Cole’s neck and forearms, he was quickly calmed by Cole’s affable personality. Cole had my mom blushing like a schoolgirl as well.

“I guess I should have warned you that the parents were around. But you did good. You’ve got that confidence thing going on, and my dad likes that.”

“He seems like a cool guy,” Cole said.

“Yep, if you like the sweater wearing, golf cart driving, one scotch in the evening type, then my dad’s the guy.”

“See, I could use the same sentence for my dad . . . with a few tweaks, of course. If you like the skin tight leather pants, Lamborghini driving, one scotch in the morning with eggs and the rest throughout the day type, then my dad’s your man.”

“See, they are almost two peas in a pod. I can’t complain though. My dad’s always been one of my closest friends.”

“For as little as I saw my dad growing up, we’re really close too.” Cole reached forward and turned up the music. “This truck is kind of noisy when it gets going faster than fifty.”

We were heading south toward San Diego. “Exactly where are we going?” I asked. “I just threw on this dress and my boots because I wasn’t sure,” I said it casually as if I hadn’t agonized over what to wear for an hour. Suddenly, I was back at sixteen when I’d first started dating, and everything, including the flavor of lip gloss, had to be carefully thought out. Cole had brought that excitement out again, and I hoped it would last. At least for awhile.

“I can’t tell you yet,” Cole answered. “But I think you’ll like it. Or, at least I hope you will.” He glanced briefly my direction. “And the dress, like the princess dress, is fucking perfect. I have to admit, I’ve been kind of nervous about this date.”

“Nervous? You? With the way you handled meeting my parents, you must be an impenetrable steel wall when you’re feeling confident.”

“I wasn’t nervous about meeting your parents. It’s you who I want to impress.”

He pulled off the freeway. The night sky was just turning from slate gray to black and a light fog had covered Pacific Coast Highway. “Are we heading to the beach?”

“We are. Is that all right?”

I looked down at my mostly bare legs. “Might be a little cold, but I guess I’m tough enough to handle it.”

“Well, we’re going to the beach, but we won’t be directly on the sand. My Uncle Nolan has a place down here. It’s a little bungalow right on the beach.”

“Nolan? Isn’t that the name of Black Thunder’s drummer?”

“Yeah, that’s him. We call him Uncle Nolan even though he’s not really related. Dad’s band has always been more family to us than any of our real relatives.” He turned on one of the many small streets that led down to the beach.

Damp, salty air crept in through the vents on the truck, and I wrapped my arms around myself.

“Are you cold?” Cole asked.

I shook my head. “Not really. Just rendered completely wimpy by the constant high temperatures at home. I always forget it’s way cooler down here.”

Cole pulled up behind a garage that was attached to a beach cottage. It was small and the paint and wood siding were weathered, but in this location it was worth a lot of money.

We climbed out of the car. Cole walked around to my side and offered me his arm.

“And they say chivalry is dead,” I quipped. We were both a little stiff and nervous and it made me want to laugh. We walked up to the door which had been painted forest green. Cole unlocked it, and we stepped inside.

A small, round table had been set in front of the picture window overlooking the beach. Pink and yellow flowers flowed from a blue vase in the center of the table, surrounded by sparkling white china and polished silver. There was a bottle of wine in a cooler.

I stood there shell shocked, trying to decide if anyone had ever gone to this kind of trouble for me before. The closest I could come up with was a boy named Trevor, who I’d dated in my senior year of high school. He’d had a bouquet of red metallic balloons delivered to my homeroom class on Valentine’s Day.

Cole walked over and lit two candles. He smiled my direction. “Well?”

“You, sir, are totally getting that kiss tonight.”

Chapter 12

Cole

We’d finished dinner and taken our glasses of wine and a blanket out to the small yard that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. We’d talked and laughed through the entire meal, and all I could think was that I didn’t want to blow it with this girl. I’d dated a lot of women, too many to count, following, not necessarily so proudly, in my dad’s footsteps. But Kensington was different. I wondered if this was how Jude had felt when he’d met Eden. I could remember him stomping around in an even darker mood than usual after Eden had moved in to be Finley’s companion. I hadn’t understood it right away, but it didn’t take me too long to figure out that my brother had been trying futilely to fight his feelings for Eden. I wasn’t going to fight my feelings for Kensington, but I was going to fight like hell to keep her interested.

Kensington sat and held her wineglass between her hands as she stared out at the ocean. Her button nose twitched as a long strand of dark hair curled across her face. She pushed it back behind her ear, and I stared at the side of her face, thinking she was perfect from every angle. I gazed at her, thinking just how fucking perfect she’d feel in my arms.

I sat next to her on the small wall lining the back of the house. She pressed her leg against mine as she scooted closer to me for warmth. I wrapped the blanket around our shoulders.

“Ooh, you’re like hot coals,” she said and pressed closer. “Hey, an unintended pun.”

“Yep, it’s part of my plan.”

“You planned body warmth? Then, well done. Just like the meal. Thank you for that. I really enjoyed it.”

“My pleasure.”

Her nearness was definitely having a profound effect on me. I was impressing the hell out of myself. Self-control around a beautiful girl had never been my strong suit.

She scooted her feet closer to the wall to keep her bare legs under the warmth of the blanket. “I know what I was going to ask you. On the way to the bathroom, I stopped to look at some of the pictures hanging in the hallway. There was one of you when you were young, maybe eight.” She paused and looked over at me. “You were such a cutie, by the way. Anyhow, you were out on the beach in front of this house with your dad and Jude and Finley. There was another little girl in your dad’s arms. She looked a lot like Finley.”

It always took me a few seconds to relieve the ache in my throat when I thought about Chloe. “That was our sister, Chloe. She died when we were kids. I can honestly say it was the darkest period in our lives, and with my dad’s fame, we’ve gone through some heavy rough patches. Including the few years when Finley had bound herself to the house, a prisoner of her own anxiety. Chloe’s death had something to do with Fin’s panic disorder. Fin had caught a flu at school and Chloe caught it from Finley.” I stared out at the water and thought about the summer when that picture was taken. Chloe would sit for hours building sandcastles for her dolls. “Chloe was always quiet. She was a thinker. You could always see the little gears churning behind her blue eyes. She was always pale and thin compared to Finley. She just couldn’t fight the flu.” I’d drifted off back to that time, but I could feel Kensington sitting next to me, listening to every word.

I sat quietly for a second trying to remember if I’d ever talked about Chloe’s death to anyone other than my dad. The waves rustled against the shoreline, and in the distance, someone was playing music. The briny breeze flowed steady over the sand. “I still remember my dad’s face when the paramedics took Chloe out to the ambulance. His skin was this awful gray color, and his eyes were sunken deep in his face. I was scared he was going to fade away and die too. Finley’s mom took off not long after that. Said she couldn’t bear being around the house where Chloe had gotten sick. Fin blamed herself for her mom leaving.”

A soft sniffle came from below the blanket. Kensington wiped discretely at her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Cole. That must have been so hard on you all. I’ve never experienced anything like that, so I can’t even pretend to imagine how heartbreaking it would be to lose a sister.”

“The worst part of having a famous dad was that we couldn’t just be left alone to get through it. We had the whole darn world watching to see how Nicky King was dealing with the loss of his daughter. Reporters will do anything to get a picture of a grieving rock star. They wouldn’t leave him alone.”

Kensington wrapped her arm around mine and rested her head against my shoulder. “I’m glad Finley has found her way out of the anxiety issues. I really like her. She mentioned that I should visit her rescue barn.” She peered up at me. “I think that should be another date. If you’re planning one, that is.” She looked shyly away. “Maybe I’m being a little too presumptuous.”

“I will definitely take you there. Presumptuous. Never knew big words could be so damn hot. Speaking of hot, are you warm enough?”

“I’m just fine thanks to you. But just to clear this up, I’m not a pampered, frail kitten. In fact, my dad, who was sure I was going to be a boy, had me playing every sport growing up, soccer, softball, even karate. Much to his dismay, the only sport that really made me happy was riding horses.”

“You are good. Not that I’ve been watching you like some kind of weirdo stalker or anything.”

“No? Because I’ve been keeping an eye on the hot guy next door jumping his motorcycle. You’re good too.”

“That’s probably Denver you’re seeing. He’s a pro. I’m only an amateur with just enough courage and just little enough common sense to pull off an occasional trick.”

“Oh. Then I guess I’m sitting here with the wrong man.”

“Probably, and in more ways than you realize. How long have you been riding horses?”

“Since I was seven. Although I took a break from riding during my sophomore and junior years in high school.” She took a deep breath. “I’d taken a really scary fall. The doctor said I was just an inch from being paralyzed. My parents begged me to give it up. I was freaked out enough to stay out of the saddle for a few years. I got on the varsity track team instead. And, if I do say so, I was fast. Could have given the Flash a run for his money.”

“Oh really? Huh? I was pretty good at track myself. And I do like a challenge.”

“You’re in luck, buster, because so do I.” She pushed bravely out of the blanket and stood up. She immediately wrapped her arms around herself. “Did not realize just how warm it was under there.” Her smile gleamed white in the light coming from the house. Then her attention dropped to her cowboy boots. “These will not do. If I’m going to throw sand in your face, like you moto boys like to say, then these have to come off.”

I watched with more than just casual interest as she stepped right in front of me and braced her hand on my shoulder to yank off each boot. As she lifted her leg to reach for her boot, the hem of her dress slipped back, exposing more of her smooth thigh.

“This is turning out to be an even more exciting challenge than I expected.” I could no longer contain myself. I leaned forward and pressed my mouth against her thigh. She took a quick breath at my unexpected move.

I peered up at her. “That’s the fee I charge for using my shoulder to take off boots.” I wasn’t completely sure if she was shocked or pissed or indifferent until she put the first bare foot on the ground and lifted her other foot, making sure that the dress slipped back farther.

“Then, since I’ve got two boots . . .” She pulled it off and dropped it to the ground but kept her bare thigh in front of me.

I took the invite without a moment of hesitation. I wrapped my hand around her calf and brought her leg closer. She kept her hand braced on my shoulder as I pressed my mouth against the inside of her thigh. A deep sigh floated down over my head. There wasn’t a damn thing about Kensington that didn’t have my head fucking spinning, and this quick erotic moment on the beach was only intensifying the effect. She wasn’t an uptight, prissy bore. On top of being sexy as hell, she was fun.

I lowered her foot to the ground. She gazed down at me with a heated look that went straight to my cock.

“Seems to me that you’re just trying to find an easy way out of that challenge because you know I’m going to beat you. And you don’t want to lose to a girl.”

“You’re wrong. I don’t mind losing to a girl. But I’m pretty fast.” I smiled. “Or I would be if—well—if kissing your thigh hadn’t caused an unexpected development.”

She laughed. “Good, then my plan worked. To the water.” With that she spun around and took off toward the ocean. I pushed off the wall and ran after her.

Kensington squealed as she felt me gaining on her. She hadn’t been kidding. She was fast. Her long legs carried her over the soft sand. I reached for her arm just inches before her feet touched the foamy water rolling onto shore. She laughed and turned toward me as I pulled her against me. Her green eyes glittered in the moonlight. Her lips softened, begging me for that kiss. My mouth covered hers. As her body pressed closer, my arms wrapped around her. Her lips parted and our kiss deepened. The coastal breeze was brisk, but heat swirled around us.

I lifted my mouth from hers. Her expression was a mix of teasing and wild flirtation and longing. I’d been holding back, not wanting to send her scurrying off, but something told me that that had been a mistake. She was confident, a woman who was sure of herself and what she wanted. And hell if I wasn’t the luckiest damn bastard in the world to have her in my arms.

I’d already grown obsessed with her smile. I knew every line around her mouth as if I’d taken a picture and glued it to my brain. “You surprise me at every turn,” I said.

“Do I? I like that. Keeps you on your toes.” She hopped up and pushed her mouth to my ear. I could feel her lips against my skin. “Cole,” she whispered seductively.

“Yes?” My voice had grown ragged in anticipation of what she might say.

“My feet are freezing.”

I laughed and took hold of her hand. “Then climb on my back, my quick-footed cutie. I’ll give you a piggy back ride to the house.”

“But I don’t have my riding crop and spurs.”

“As hot as that sounds, I’m sort of relieved about that.” I turned my back toward her.

Kensington climbed on and wrapped her arms around my neck. She propped her chin on my shoulder. Her long legs went around me, and I looped my arms through them. I hiked back across the sand toward the beach house.

“Can I just say that I was sure by this time of the date I’d be ready to go back home. I thought there’s no way this amazingly handsome guy is for real.”

I wasn’t completely sure where this was going. We reached the yard. She lowered her feet to the ground. I turned around. Her long dark hair swirled about her shoulders, causing a long strand to curl up in front of her mouth. She brushed it back. “I’ve never connected with someone so quickly, Cole. I don’t know why I’m feeling the need to lay myself out there with these declarations but there it is. Guess I’m tired of looking back on relationships and adding up how much time I’ve wasted. And since you’re just standing there looking slightly stunned and possibly even thinking about how you might just make a run for it, I’m going to assume—”