Assured (Soul Serenade #2)(33)

Serious. That’s the first word that comes to my head. The look in his eyes tells me this statement is different from all the others. At least that’s how it feels.

“Hmmm, let’s see,” I start, tapping my index finger on my chin. “I think I want you . . . to be sweet Cole.” I immediately feel my face heat once the words slip past my lips.

“Sweet Cole?”

I take a drink of my water to stall. Why can I not just keep my damn mouth shut? Oh, well. Too late now. “Yeah.” I re-cap my water. “You know, the guy you’ve been the last couple of weeks. You’re nice to me, and you’ve toned down the ‘we will f*ck’ attitude. It’s been good.” I shrug. “I like getting to know this side of you.” I might as well lay it all out there, since I’ve already shoved my foot in my mouth.





Sweet Cole.

Fuck me, that’s the first time a woman other than my sister or mom has ever referred to me as ‘sweet.” Well, Logan, but she’s just like my sister.

Sweet Cole. I let those words bounce around in my head.

I don’t know what exactly she constitutes as “sweet.” It’s not like I’ve been all romantic and shit with her. I’m just being me—well, me when I’m thinking about something other than sliding between her thighs. It’s been . . . fun, much to my surprise. This hanging out and getting to know someone isn’t as bad as I would have thought.

“Sweet?” I finally ask.

“Yeah, you’re not all ‘I can’t wait to feel you’ and all that other game you have going on.”

“Game?” I laugh.

“Yes, game. You’re a player, Cole. It’s kind of like a game of Monopoly. You roll the dice and land on a property. You take full advantage, but you’re itching for your next turn, to roll the dice again and see where you land.”

Monopoly? “I don’t play games, Stacy. Yes, I’ve slept with a lot of women, but I never lead them on. I never go into the night with them thinking it’s going to be more than what it is—just f*cking. That’s it. If they romanticize that they can change me, that’s on them. I’m always open and up-front with them.”

“I believe you. You’ve always been honest that you want to sleep with me, I get that. But these last few weeks, you’ve toned that down.” I watch as she averts her gaze before continuing. “I just figured that you had lost interest.”

Lost interest? Has she lost her damn mind? Reaching out, I caress her cheek. “Definitely still interested.” I trace her lips with my thumb.

I watch as she closes her eyes and relaxes into my touch. She wants me too. It’s written all over her face.

Finally, she opens her eyes, and I can see the war waging in them. She feels this connection too, but she’s fighting it. I know she said she wants more. If she would just give this a chance, it would be a night that I can guarantee neither one of us would ever forget.

Leaning back, she breaks contact. “What’s next?”

I stand to gather our trash. “I thought we could just walk around and see if anything interests us.”

She nods and stands from her seat. I quickly throw away our trash and reach for her hand. Surprisingly, she doesn’t pull away. I’ll take every damn chance I can to get my hands on her.

“So, no longer a food truck virgin,” I say, trying to get that easy banter back between us. I peek over at her and she’s blushing. That’s sexy as f*ck.

“It was good. I don’t know why I was skeptical.”

Pulling our combined hands to my lips, I kiss her knuckles. “I’ll never steer you wrong, sweets.” Letting our hands fall back between us, I survey the area, looking for something for us to get into. That’s when I see it.

“Stacy, you ever ridden go-karts?”

She grins. “Yeah, but it’s been years.”

Her grin is infectious, and I suddenly feel like a damn teenager. I lead us to the storefront and purchase two all-day passes.

“All day?” she asks.

“Yeah, you can’t ride just once, and standing in line each time for a ticket just wastes time.”

“What if we only ride twice?”

I give her the “you know better than that” look.

She grins.

“Now, which ones do you want to ride first?”

“The fastest.”

Her answer surprises me. “Really?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m about to kick your ass, Hampton.”

This girl.

“You think so?” I try to hide my grin, I really do, but it’s impossible when I see hers shining back at me.

“Oh, yeah, I got this.” She hip-checks me and takes off toward the line.

I stand frozen for a few minutes, just watching her. I can’t ever remember having a better time with a woman. I would rather have lunch with her and that smile than sex with a random any day.

WHOA! What the f*ck am I thinking? I shake off the thought and search for her in the crowd. I spot her standing at the gate, underneath a sign claiming that particular track is the fastest in the complex. Her hands are on her hips and she’s tapping her foot, watching me.

Waiting for me.

There is something, a feeling deep in the pit of my gut that I’ve never felt before. My feet move toward her; suddenly, nothing matters but being next to her. When I reach her, I snake an arm around her waist and pull her in to my chest, kissing the top of her head. She hesitates for a few seconds before sliding her arms around my waist.