Assured (Soul Serenade #2)(35)

I’m watching him, waiting for an answer. He tucks my crazy, windblown hair behind my ear, his eyes locked on mine. “You want to know why?” His voice is husky.

A nod is the only response I’m capable of.

He brings me closer, a feat I would have thought impossible, our bodies touching everywhere.

Soft vs. hard.

“I’m good with it because I get to take the winner home with me.” He smirks.

I slap my hands against his chest as we both lose ourselves to the laughter of his statement.

“I might be going home with you, as you say, but you won’t be reaping the rewards.”

His smile is still there, but his eyes show a different emotion altogether. One I can’t quite decipher. “The reward is being with you.”

My mouth drops open.

He kisses me on the forehead and releases me. “Now, which one do you want to ride next?”

Just like that. No big deal that I’m swooning in the middle of a damn go-kart track thing—whatever this place is. No big deal that he just made my heart skip a beat, that my plan to steel my emotions just flew out the damn window. No big deal that he’s chipping away at that wall I built, refusing myself intimacy with anyone who didn’t want more. No big deal that those six words just got him what he’s been after for months. It’s in this moment that I realize it’s always been inevitable. I’m going to let Cole Hampton give me what he assures will be the best night of my life. Then, I’m going to have to pick my heart up off the ground and act as though it’s no big deal.

How does one come back from that?

We spend the next three hours racing from track to track, acting like teenagers.

“I’m done,” I tell him. We just finished what feels like ride number fifty, and I’m exhausted and hungry.

“Hungry?” he asks.

It’s like he can read my mind. “Yes.”

“Starving,” he replies with a boyish grin. Holding his hand out for me, I don’t fight it, lacing my fingers through his. He leads us back to the sidewalk. “What sounds good?”

“Anything. I’m not a picky eater.”

He nods and we walk about a block before he stops and points to a pizza place. I smile, letting him know it sounds good to me. We spend the next hour eating and talking about random things that mean nothing but in this moment feel like everything.



“I didn’t think you were ever coming back,” Logan says as soon as we walk onto the bus. Looking around, I see the four of them sitting around the table playing cards.

“Didn’t know we needed to be.”

“Well, we were getting worried. You’ve been gone a long time.”

Kacen laughs. “Baby, we told you she was fine. She was with Cole.”

Cole, who is standing behind me, gently runs his fingers up my spine. It’s like he’s trying to tell me that he agrees with Kacen.

“You should have just texted me.”

“I did.” She sighs. “You didn’t answer your damn phone.”

I reach around to retrieve my phone from my back pocket, but Cole beats me to it. He slides it out and gently lays it in my palm, his fingers trailing over mine. I try not to shudder at the contact. I bring my arm back around and tap the button and, sure enough, I have four missed calls from Logan. “Sorry, I didn’t hear it. Or feel it. We were riding go-karts, so my ass was vibrating the entire time. Didn’t know it was my phone,” I explain.

“We called you too, man,” Kacen says to Cole.

“Turned it off,” his gruff voice pipes up from behind me.

“Why would you do that?” Logan questions him. The guys just look at him, all wearing smirks.

“Day off” is his half-ass reply.

“Well, now that everyone’s here, can we eat? I’m starving,” Gavin pleads.

“We just ate,” Cole says.

“Well, that leaves us. You all ready to head out?” Tristan asks.

“You sure you don’t want to come with?” Logan asks me.

“I’m worn out. We walked all over the city and road go-karts for hours. I’m ready to just relax. Besides, we roll out early in the morning, right?”

“Yeah,” Kacen answers. “It’s about a six-hour drive, so we’ll probably head out around five or so. I doubt any of us will even be up.”

“That’s still hard to get used to.”

“I agree. You wake up, look out the window and see highway. It’s different for sure,” Logan agrees. “Cole?”

He again runs his hands up my spine. They can’t see what he’s doing, and I have to fight against reacting. He’s been touchy-feely all day, as have I, but it was just us. With them. . . .

“I’m beat. This one kicked my ass today.”

I turn to look at him, a grin tipping my lips. A chorus of “You were beat by a chick,” “Way to go, Stacy,” “Dude,” and something about being whipped are all thrown out at once.

“She’s good. Didn’t even lift in the corners.”

“Damn, girl!” Tristan stands, heads toward me, and Cole throws his arm over my shoulders. For some reason, this causes Tristan to grin like a fool.

“She’s a tiny thing,” he says softly, his eyes holding mine.