She slung her bag over her shoulder, grabbed her room key, and pulled the door closed behind her before making the short walk next door. The summer air had gotten considerably cooler since the afternoon, so she crossed her arms and extended a hand just enough to knock lightly. She’d told herself if Cole didn’t answer, he was probably asleep, and she’d go back to her room. But now, as she stared at the navy-blue door and felt her stomach tighten nervously, she reconsidered her pact with herself.
Thankfully, she didn’t have to reevaluate her decision because the door opened. And standing at the doorway was a shirtless Cole, his wet hair dripping as he tucked the longer pieces behind his ears. Though her eyes briefly dropped shamelessly to where Cole’s hands moved to secure the corner of a towel around his chiseled hips, she willed them to refocus on him. “Hi” was all she could get out.
Cole narrowed his eyes at Brooke in confusion. He hadn’t expected to see her until the morning. Although he certainly wasn’t complaining. If there was one thing Brooke was, it was easy on the eyes. With her long dark hair, which he would bet was as soft as it looked, and her smooth, sun-kissed skin, which made her glow, Cole could admit he was smitten. She was feisty too, which Cole definitely enjoyed. “What’s goin’ on?”
“Nothing. I just…” Brooke turned to the side to glance down the long balcony that ran along the outside of the rooms before quickly snapping her head back toward Cole.
“You okay?” Cole asked as he stuck his head out and peeked around the doorway. A middle-aged man a few doors down fumbled with his keys as he tried to enter his room.
“Yeah.” Brooke nodded. “I’m fine. I just wanted to know if you had a shirt or something I could borrow.” She pulled on the hem of the one she was wearing and looked down. “I didn’t bring much with me. Or anything, really.” She shook her head and laughed as she pushed her fingers through her hair and brought it around to lay on her other shoulder. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t ask, but…”
Brooke left her sentence unfinished, and it was then that Cole realized he’d been staring for what seemed like way too long without saying anything. “Don’t be sorry,” he blurted out. He stepped back from the door and headed over to his bag, which he’d tossed on the bed. “I have something.”
It was only when he’d started to rummage through his clothes that he suddenly remembered he wasn’t wearing anything but a towel. “How’s this?” he asked as he held out a T-shirt and mesh shorts.
Brooke unfolded the black shirt and held it up to her frame, which looked even smaller behind the clothing. “It’s perfect. Thanks,” she answered with a small smile.
She turned toward the door again and moved to leave, but Cole spoke up before she got more than a few feet from him. “You want to watch TV or somethin’?” He blurted it out before he even thought about it. Logically, he knew there was something going on with Brooke that he maybe shouldn’t get himself involved in. She had ID but refused to show it to buy a car. He hadn’t quite figured out what to make of her attitude, her dress, her roll of cash. But he also felt oddly drawn to this complicated stranger. There was something about the way she’d hesitated when she’d turned around and the slight fall in her voice when she’d thanked him for the clothes. It made Cole recognize the loneliness in her. Loneliness that was in him too.
“Yeah, okay,” Brooke answered softly. “You don’t mind? You’ve been driving all day.”
“Almost two days, actually.” One corner of Cole’s lips turned up into a partial smile. “But we don’t have anyplace we got to be tomorrow, right?” He shrugged. “Stay as long as you want. We can watch whatever dumb shit they got on TV here. Checkout’s not ’til noon. We can sleep late.”
His smile broadened to let her know his offer was sincere, and Brooke’s face seemed to brighten with it. It was one of the first times since they’d met that she actually seemed at ease.
“You mind if I take a shower first?” she asked. “I won’t be long.”
“Nope. Take your time.” Cole watched Brooke as she turned to leave, letting his eyes wander down from her exposed shoulder to her round ass. The way it swayed back and forth just a bit as she exited his room made his cock twitch beneath his towel. Jesus, get it together. He couldn’t perv on someone he would be stuck in a car with for who knows how long. Especially since that person was as guarded as the Federal Reserve.
The temptation was there, but he needed to keep that shit in check. And not only because it would undoubtedly make things awkward as fuck but because she was obviously running from something. An abusive boyfriend? The law? He didn’t know. But whatever it was, she’d clearly left in a hurry, and he didn’t want to get involved.
Cole pulled on some boxers, sweatpants, and a soft T-shirt. Before he turned on the TV, he opened his door and flipped the lock to prevent it from closing. Then he hung his towel on the bathroom door and stretched out on the bed. As much as his eyes were tempted to close, he willed them to stay open. He clicked through the channels until he found something that would hold his attention and turned up the volume. A few minutes later, he heard Brooke knock as she stepped into his room.
“You left the door open?” Brooke asked, looking at him like he was insane.
“Yeah. So you could come right in.”
“But you never know…”
Cole laughed. “Oh yeah, I forgot. There are crazy people who wear their victims’ organs and stuff. I’ll be more careful next time,” he promised.
Brooke dead-bolted the door behind her, and her face flushed a bit. “Well, it sounds ridiculous when you say it like that. I never said they’d wear the organs, just their skin.”
“The skin’s an organ,” he replied. “The largest in our body, actually.”
Brooke’s eyes narrowed at him playfully as she plopped herself onto the bed next to him. “Smartass.”
Cole shot her a wide grin. “Hmm…charming and smart. I’ll take it.”
“I said smartass. Emphasis on the ass part.”
“Well, I do work quite hard on it.”
Brooke swatted his arm. “Stop misinterpreting me on purpose.” She turned toward the TV and watched it for a moment. “What is…this?” she asked.
“What?”
“What we’re watching,” Brooke clarified, her eyes wide in what looked to be disgust.
“It’s a show about fly fishing.”
“Is this a real show? Like one that people watch?”
“Yeah,” Cole answered. “I’m watching it, aren’t I? And now so are you.”
“No. I’m definitely not watching this.” Brooke’s expression turned serious as she reached for the remote.
Cole held it to the side, his long arm outstretched so it was out of Brooke’s reach. “My room, my choice.”
“Fishing’s so boring. And watching a show about it is even worse than doing it.”
Cole had to admit she had a point. “Fine. I’ll change it. But we’re compromisin’, Princess. It has to be something we both agree on. No way I’m gettin’ stuck watching some documentary on the different ways to tie a scarf.”
Brooke’s face remained stoic, but Cole could tell from the way the corners of her eyes crinkled a bit she was holding back a smile. “Like I don’t already know how to tie a scarf,” she said before lunging at him and snatching the controller from his hand.
It was the sexiest thing he’d experienced in months.
Chapter Three
Cole rolled over toward the edge of the bed and stretched his long arms above him. He could tell from the thin stream of light peeking through the curtains that it was morning. Or afternoon. Since he hadn’t set any sort of alarm clock, he wasn’t sure how long he’d slept. Or how long they’d slept.
They’d watched some TV and eventually fallen asleep due to pure exhaustion. But now, with Brooke’s arm lightly touching his back, Cole was suddenly wide awake.
He flipped over toward her, hoping the movement would rouse her. It didn’t. Instead, she lay next to hi
m, her chest rising and falling evenly with every breath. The hem of the oversize T-shirt he’d loaned her was pulled almost up to her ribs, allowing Cole to see her smooth skin. Fuck. With a view like that, he was having a difficult time getting his dick to behave.
“Do you always act this creepy in the morning?”
Cole startled at Brooke’s question but then chuckled softly. “No. This is a little early for me. I usually wait ’til it starts gettin’ dark.”
Brooke opened her eyes and flopped onto her side to face him, propping herself on her elbow and resting her head in her hand. “What time is it, anyway?”
“Um, not sure.” He grabbed his cell phone off the table next to the bed and pushed the button. “Almost eleven thirty.”
Brooke groaned and rubbed a hand across her face. “We have to check out in a half hour.”
“I know,” Cole answered, finally rising to head toward the bathroom. “Let’s get dressed and get somethin’ to eat after we check out.”
Brooke yawned. “I want pancakes.”
Cole snorted. “Of course you do, Princess.” He shut the bathroom door on her reply and put his hands on the sink, leaning into them. Looking at his reflection in the mirror—taking in his morning scruff, pale-blue eyes, and disheveled blond hair—he tried to reason with himself. “She’s nothin’ but trouble,” he murmured softly. “And trouble is the last thing you need.”
Mentally, he accepted what he’d told himself. Physically, however, the image of Brooke in his bed made his cock perk up with excitement. He rubbed a calloused hand over his face before returning it to the sink, trying to get a grip on his thoughts without gripping his cock. A feat that was proving harder with every passing second.
And as if to further remind him why lusting after her was a bad idea, a loud, obnoxious knock came from the door. “I’m going back to my room. Hurry up and meet me by the truck when you’re done. I’m hungry.”
“You realize telling me to hurry only makes me want to go slower, right?”
She scoffed, and he could practically hear her eyes rolling. “You’re such a child. And anyway, you don’t have that luxury. Half an hour, remember?”
“Go away.”
“Or what?” she said in a sing-songy voice that sounded more melodic than he thought possible for how annoying she was being.
Cole thought for a second. “Or I’ll shave your head while you sleep.”
There was a moment of silence before she spoke again. “You wouldn’t do that.” Her voice was the quietest he’d heard it since meeting her, as if she wasn’t sure if he was serious or not.
“You don’t sound so sure.”
More silence. “I’ll check us out and meet you at the truck.”
When he heard the door close, he slid his hands off the sink countertop. After splashing some water on his face and brushing his teeth, he got dressed, grabbed his duffel, and headed down to the truck. Brooke was already there, leaning against the tailgate.
“There’s a diner down the block,” she said without looking at him.
“What if I don’t want to go there?”
She took off her sunglasses. “Why wouldn’t you?” She rested her forearm on the tailgate and shot him a withering look. “It’s a diner, and everyone likes diners.”
“Even royalty such as yourself?”
She stared at him for a second before lowering her gaze and shuffling her feet and then straightened her posture to look him in the eyes again. “The diner is to the right. I need to hit a mall too. This town doesn’t have one, but the guy at the desk said there is one two towns over.”
“I think we passed a Walmart on our way into town. Why don’t we just stop there?” Cole asked as he got in and started the engine.
The way she slowly panned toward him reminded him of The Exorcist. “Walmart?”
“Yeah. They have everything, and we wouldn’t have to go out of our way.”
“The mall isn’t out of our way. I grabbed a map from the lobby. We could just go that direction to get back on the highway.”
Cole knew he was being stubborn, and he really had no reason to be. He put the truck in reverse and said, “Okay, Princess. Since you’re the one with the cash, the diner it is. But you’re on your own at the mall. I’ll wait in the truck.”
He watched her inhale and fidget beside him, as though his words made her nervous, but all she said was, “Okay,” before turning to stare out the window.
They drove in silence to the diner. Ate in virtual silence too. It was as if something had happened between them that had taken them a step backward, had made them more like the strangers they were.
The only talking they did on the way to the mall consisted of Brooke giving him directions she’d apparently memorized. When they arrived, he pulled into a parking space and told her he’d be there when she was done.
She opened her mouth to say something but evidently thought better of it as she threw on her sunglasses and some sort of trucker hat he didn’t even know she had. Then she left the truck and walked away. Why the hell would she put on sunglasses when she hadn’t had them on already and was about to enter a building? Sighing, he chalked it up to her being weird as hell and chose not to think any more about it.
When Cole saw Brooke exit the mall an hour later, he climbed out and watched her struggle with the bevy of bags she had dangling from each hand. Victoria’s Secret, Nordstrom, Express, Sephora, and a bunch of other names he couldn’t make out. Jesus Christ.
He got out and opened her door, calling upon the manners his mama had ingrained in him. She pushed her seat forward and stowed the bags behind it.
“Did you leave anything in there for the other shoppers?” he teased.
“Yup,” she replied simply before tossing her hat and sunglasses on the dash. Then she pushed her seat back into place and climbed inside. She wore her irritation on her face, and he couldn’t blame her. But maybe it was better that way. Despite the comfortableness they’d found the night before, they were probably better off keeping the distance Brooke had put between them when he’d picked her up. Getting close was problematic for a whole host of reasons.
Still, he couldn’t keep himself from asking, “Where are you going to store it all?”
“I got a bigger duffel bag, Dad.”
He didn’t say anything else as he closed her door and walked around to the driver’s side. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to enter directions so he could continue on his journey to Oregon, only to find that it was dead. Shit. Cole slumped back into his seat before turning on the engine and pulling out onto the road. “Where’s the map you said you got?”
“Why do you need it?”
“Why does it matter?” When she stared at him in response, he took a deep, calming breath and explained. “I must not have plugged my phone into the charger all the way. My battery’s dead, so I can’t look up the directions.”
“You’re traveling across the country, and you don’t have a car charger?”
“The lighter doesn’t work. I only use my phone when I need to get to a highway, and then I shut it off to save the battery.” Cole looked over at her, but Brooke’s eyes stayed glued to the windshield as he drove. “So can I have the map?”
Brooke looked straight ahead. “I don’t have it.”
“What do you mean? You said you grabbed one from the hotel lobby.”
“Yeah, but I folded it up and put it in my back pocket, and it kept falling out when I tried on clothes, so I threw it away.”
“Good thinking.” He was pretty sure the dryness of his voice could have caused a drought, but he didn’t care.
She shifted in her seat so she was facing him. “How was I supposed to know we’d need it? I’m not a psychic.”
Cole sighed. “It’s fine. We’ll just drive. I’m sure we’ll see a sign or a gas station we can pull into.”
“I don’t need you to tell me it’s fine like you’re forgiving me for something,” she snapped. “I didn’t do anyth
ing wrong. Besides, it’s not my fault Bobbi Jo’s too old to charge your phone.”
Though he couldn’t keep his hands from clenching the steering wheel, Cole chose not to correct her about the truck’s name. He didn’t need the aggravation right now. Arriving at what seemed to be a main road, he turned onto it and hoped for the best.
“Turn left at the light.”
“What?” he asked.
“I may have thrown the map away, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t look at it. I got us to the mall without using it, didn’t I? Turn left.”
Cole felt in his bones he should not turn left. But he chalked it up to not being inclined to do anything she told him to and turned.
The farther they drove and the more turns Brooke directed him to make, the more apparent it became that Cole should’ve trusted his instincts. “I don’t think this is right,” he said as they started seeing more livestock and fewer people.
“It is. I remember.”
He chanced a look over at her and observed the hard set of her jaw. He knew she would be too stubborn to admit she was wrong. And that juvenile part of himself that had emerged over the last twenty-four hours very much needed to prove just how wrong she was. So he kept driving. Pretty soon the road they were traveling on became completely deserted. “Is this still the right way?”
“Yes.”
“Really, Toto? Because I’m pretty sure we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
Brooke slowly turned her head to face him. “I’m not a dog.”
He exhaled sharply. “Can you please just admit that you don’t know where the hell you’re taking us?”
Misadventures with a Country Boy Page 3
