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seven

“Y ou look hot. Where are you off to looking like a hussy?” Peyton jokes.

My stomach drops as I smooth out my dress again. “Does it look like I’m trying too hard?” I turn to look at her.

She frowns. “I was joking. You look gorgeous. Why are you so nervous?”

“I have a date,” I admit softly.

“Oh my goodness. My little girl is all grown up. Who is this boy? He knows I have no qualms about wearing orange, right?”

I roll my eyes at her. “I’m not telling you. I’ll let you know when I know if he’s worth it. As for wearing orange, how about not threatening murder? I’d rather you were here with me than in jail.”

“Fair enough. Are you meeting him somewhere?” she asks.

I shake my head. “He’s picking me up.”

“So he’s not a freshman if he has a car. Does he go to college here?”

“Yes, Mom. He goes to school here. I have a copy of his ID that I have uploaded into my cloud in case anything were to happen to me. I would send it to you or Grace, but you psychopaths would do a deep dive on the dude that would put the FBI to shame.”

She scoffs. “Grace would be so offended.”

I give her a look. “Fine, not Grace, but you would know about the freckle on his left butt cheek that he had when he was a baby before he picked me up for our date.”

“How do you know about it? Have you given this boy your virtue? I’m scandalized.” Her hand lands on her chest.

“I’m leaving now. You’re being ridiculous.”

She stops me, pulling me into a hug. “I know, but I worry about you. These college boys can be douchebags. You have my number. Call me if you need me. Will you at least tell me where the date is? For my peace of mind? I promise I won’t follow you there.”

I sigh. “Club Zero on Broadway. My idea, not his.”

“Watch your drink, and if he has even a sip of anything, you call me for a ride,” she tells me.

“I will. What are you doing tonight? Working?”

“Nope. I get the night off, so I’m going to hang out here and catch up on school. So you won’t be interrupting if you call.” She gives me a pointed look.

My phone vibrates, letting me know Kellan is here.

“I’ll call. Love you, PeyPey.” I use the nickname I have for her.

“Love you too, CoCo. Be safe.”

Leaving her in the room, I rush downstairs. I don’t think she would snoop, but I’d rather she not find out it’s Kellan I’m dating by catching us together.

When I get to the truck, I smile when I see Kellan waiting by the passenger door.

He opens it, stepping in my way so that I cannot get in.

“Gotta pay the toll, beautiful.” He smirks at me.

I step into his arms, giving him a hug. He squeezes me extra tight before stepping back to allow me to climb into his truck. Once inside, he closes the door, walking around the front to get into the driver’s side.

Once inside, he grabs my hand.

“You look beyond beautiful tonight, beautiful. Are you trying to earn a new nickname? Maybe…goddess? Sexiest woman alive?” he jokes.

It makes me blush. “Had to match you, hotshot. You are looking pretty snazzy.”

He’s wearing dark blue jeans, a fitted T-shirt, and a backward ball cap on his head. He looks dangerous. Maybe his new nickname should be Danger to reflect how he has my lady bits standing to attention.

“So Club Zero, huh?”

“I like to dance. I’m the social one in my family, and I don’t mind crowds. I like making friends.”

“That much is obvious. You didn’t even hesitate to walk up to me and ask me to be your beer pong partner.”

“Nope. You don’t scare me. No one does, really. I think the fear of rejection is an interesting concept. You don’t want to ask the question for fear the answer is no, but the possibility is always there that it might be a yes. I don’t want to live a life full of what-ifs. I want to know for sure I did everything I wanted to do, and if I didn’t, I tried like hell to.”

“It’s a good way to live. Never have regrets. Lord knows I wish I had lived that way before now. Maybe that’s something I should start,” he tells me, letting go of my hand so he can back into a parking spot.

God, why is it so sexy when a man uses your seat for his arm as he backs in? He even has a backup cam, but he still looks over his shoulder. It makes me want to kiss him.

When he finally puts the truck in park, I swear my breathing has sped up.

“Wait there.”

I do as he asks, watching him take the same path as before to come collect me from the passenger side.

Go for it, Cora.

As he helps me down, I lean into him, but he is closing the door before I can take the plunge. Threading his fingers through mine, he leads me to the door. He pays the cover for both of us, leading me inside.

“Do you want a drink?” he asks.

I shake my head, grabbing his hand to lead him to the dance floor.

Without another word, I move in closer to him, moving my hips to the beat. At first, I keep my distance, dancing with my arms up on his shoulder and room between us, but as each song plays, I move closer and closer to him.

Spinning, I press my back into his front and start grinding on him. I can feel the evidence that he is enjoying this pressing into my back, but I keep going. My body is warm from both the dancing and the hormones rushing through it.

I’m intoxicated by this man. I’m not even drinking, and yet I feel dizzy. I feel weak in the knees.

I want him.

Pulling him off the dance floor, I find a wall and lean against it. I try to catch my breath as he leans his forehead against mine, his arm above my head holding his weight.

“You’re a hell of a dancer.”

“Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself.” I let my hands linger at the nape of his head.

He looks over his shoulder before looking back at me. Then it sounds like he says something like, “Fuck it.”

The next second, his lips are on mine. My body melts into him at the first touch.

The butterflies are raging inside my stomach as I pull him closer. I feel like the hussy Peyton called me with the way my leg itches to wrap around him. I’ve never been this hot for someone before in my life. Not even when I’ve had sex before.

I wonder if it’s the forbidden factor or maybe the anticipation that led up to it.

Either way, this is one hell of a kiss.

He pulls away, looking down at me. Then he looks over his shoulder again and stiffens.

Peeking out behind him, all the blood drains from my face. Clay and Grace are standing at the bar looking around.

I know why they are here. Peyton said she wouldn’t come, but she never said she wouldn’t tell Grace.

Kellan stiffened as soon as he saw them. In fact, he looked around before he kissed me. What if he only kissed me because she was watching?

My stomach sours. This amazing first kiss has turned to ash in my mouth.

“Wow,” I murmur. I can’t believe I let myself get here.

He looks back at me. “Yeah. Words fail me.”

I shake my head. “Look, Kellan, I really like you. You are funny and down to earth. You’ve been honest, but I’m no one’s pawn. I deserve to be first. I won’t be anyone’s rebound.”

I go to step away, but he grabs my arm. “Wait, what? I’m confused. What just happened?”

I turn, tears threatening my eyes. “What happened is that the girl you were in love with last year? She’s over there at the bar along with my brother. You saw them and thought you’d show them you moved on by kissing me. It’s a shame, really. It was an amazing first kiss. I would have loved it if it was the last first kiss I ever had. Instead, it’s tainted now. I wish you the best, but this isn’t going to work.”

“That’s not what this is.”

He tries to convince me, but I’m numb now.

“It doesn’t matter. Take your hand off of me. I’m going home.”

He doesn’t stop me this time as I break his hold and stalk out of the club. It doesn’t take me long to pull up the rideshare app, ordering a ride.

The entire ride, I let the tears fall. Sadness for the lost relationship I thought I found.

Why did I believe he would be different? It was stupid really. You can really only count on yourself.

When I get back to the room, Peyton isn’t there, I’m grateful for it. I’m angry at her too. She helped ruin this night for me. I would have snapped at her.

Instead, I make myself a hot chocolate from our single pod coffee maker before cuddling into my bed with my comfort TV show, One Tree Hill.

Nathan Scott would never fail me the way Kellan would.

Too bad he’s fictional.

* * *

What the fuck just happened?

One second, I am kissing the girl that I have already decided I need to marry. Not only is she gorgeous as hell, but she is kind, understanding, patient, and has a heart of gold. She also has some feistiness to her, so I know she won’t put up with my shit.

Now I ruined it all.

I run my hand through my hair and pull at the roots. She makes it seem like I knew they were here before we kissed, but I didn’t. I only didn’t want to get caught kissing the hell out of her by security. They don’t tend to like that kind of thing as they are worried it will turn into more.

When I looked after the kiss is when I saw them.

She knew all along. She knew who I was. If anyone was played, it was me.

My chest feels tight, and it becomes hard to breathe. I rub my hand over my heart, trying to calm myself down.

I feel betrayed, but not enough to not want her anymore. I should care more that she’s been lying to me, but the truth is I get why she did it. She likely knows everything between Grace and me. If I were her, I wouldn’t have even given myself the time of day. Yet she did.

Now I know why she looked familiar. Jesus, I’m an idiot. I remember seeing her after that one game last year. I thought she was cute then, but I was more worried about Grace. What a stupid mistake.

Fuck. I need to fix this. I can’t let this end here.

I turn, planning to go over to Clay, but he’s already in front of me. In fact, he looks spitting mad.

He pushes me into the wall, his arm across my throat. “Leave my sister alone. You don’t get to fuck with her because you want to fuck with me. Leave her out of our beef.”

“I didn’t even know she was your sister till just now. I thought our beef was squashed. What the hell, Clay? I can’t breathe,” I try to tell him, pushing at his chest.

Grace is at his side, pulling him away. When he finally backs off, I rub my throat. Fuck, that hurt.

Security comes over then. “All three of you out. No fighting.”

I hold up my hands, making my way out the front door. Clay and Grace come out behind me.

I walk a few steps down the sidewalk before turning around. “I really didn’t know, but I like her. A lot. She’s amazing.” I admit my feelings to them.

Clay scoffs. “You expect me to believe you didn’t know? Bullshit.”

He still looks like he wants to punch me. Maybe I should let him. It would hurt less than this feeling in my gut right now.

“Clay, give him the benefit of the doubt. She told me about him. You’re the guy she’s been dating, right? The one with a reputation Clay wouldn’t approve of?” Grace asks.

She told her that? Fuck.

“Yeah. We’ve been dating since the first week of school,” I tell her.

She frowns. “Listen to me closely, Kellan Henry Cooper. Cora is a good girl. She is kind and wants to see the best in everything. She does not deserve your serial monogamist ways. She deserves a man willing to make her the priority and date her and only her without getting bored with her after a few months. I swear to whatever God above, if you hurt that girl, I will kill you.”

It’s weird seeing Grace so angry about something. She looks like she really might pull the trigger if she had a gun in her hand.

I’d deserve it.

“I already have, but not on purpose. She saw you two and thought that I only kissed her for your benefit. As for my past, I haven’t dated anyone since Monica. I haven’t wanted to. I think Cora could be someone special for me. I don’t want to lose her,” I admit to them both, knowing I look like a putz right now.

How did it come to this?

“Did you? Kiss her for us, I mean?” Grace asks.

“Fuck no. I kissed her because in that moment, I couldn’t think of anything else but doing so. She had me under her spell, and the only option I had was to give her whatever she wanted.”

I want to tell her that not everything is about them, but I bite my tongue.

“That’s my sister you are talking about,” Clay grumbles.

Trust me, right now I’m brutally aware of who she is.

“I’m sorry. I know we are getting somewhere with the team, but I won’t give her up because you ask. She grounds me in a way I’ve never had before. She’s the reason I’m playing as well as I am.” I pull at the neck of my shirt, feeling like my body is on fire.

Clay considers my words as Grace looks up at me with hope in her eyes.

“She likes those little chocolates with the white sprinkles on them that you get at the movie theater. What else, Clay?” Grace asks him.

He’s quiet for a moment before he holds out his hand. I hold mine out to him, enduring the crush of his hand as he shakes it.

“I don’t like this, and I don’t trust you, but I trust her. If you’re what she wants, then that’s it. You hurt her, though, and I will do everything in my power to get you off the team. I will ruin your life because that is what that girl is to me. She is my life. I have given everything in my life to make her life better. Do you understand?”

I nod. “I do. I will treat her with respect and do everything I can to make her happy.”

It’s the truth. Even if I’m still a little sour around them, I want Cora to be nothing but happy.

“Very well.” He takes his hand back. “She loves flowers. Any kind really, but she really loves marigolds. She likes how bright they are. Says it makes her feel happy. Her favorite pizza is ham and cheese. Ice cream is mint chocolate chip.”

“Thanks, man. You think getting her these things will help?”

He snorts. “No, but it will be a step in the right direction.”

“Clay.” Grace hits him in the stomach.

He shakes his head, sighing. “I cannot even believe I am helping you win my sister over. This is what you need to know about Cora. She is forgiving. Really, all the gifts in the world won’t win her over if you aren’t genuine. She needs to know the truth. Be honest with her. Go to her and ask her to talk. Be persistent. She won’t want to at first, but if you get her to give you at least five minutes, you have a shot. From there, it’s all you. I don’t know what to tell her because I don’t know your relationship. As corny as it sounds, talk to her from the heart. She’s always known when someone is being real with her. Then respect her wishes if she decides it’s not enough.”

I get what he is saying. I need to wear my heart on my sleeve for her, and if she stomps on it, I walk away knowing I did everything I could to win her back.

“Thanks, man. See you at practice in the morning?” I ask.

He nods. “Yes.”

I start to walk away, but he calls out to me. “Cooper.”

Turning, I look at them hand in hand. Only a small twinge from seeing it.

Progress.

“If you’re going to be dating my sister, you better get used to seeing a lot of me. I won’t have her avoiding me because of you. I can bury the hatchet if you can.”

A little bit of relief hits me in the chest. That’s as close to a blessing as I’m going to get for now. I’ll just have to prove to him that I’m serious about her.

“Work in progress,” I call out.

He nods, understanding.

Rome wasn’t built in a day after all.