The XOXO New Adult Collection: 16 Full Length New Adult Stories (61 page)

Javier grinned and did an exaggerated pose, his muscles flexing. “You like what you see?”

The camera flashed. “Let’s see some more of that, Javy,” Bastian said, his camera to his eye. “Let her see what she’s missing. Perfect.”

“Cole, can I talk at you a sec?”

Turning, Cole caught Marshall’s gaze. His friend looked oddly serious. Cole glanced at Everly, who was watching Javier and covering her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing out loud.

“Go on, Cole,” Billy said. “We’ll keep your girl company.”

Now, Everly’s attention shifted. She looked up and saw Billy and Anton staring at her.

Glancing at Cole, she said, “If you need to talk to Marshall, don’t worry about me. I’m not going anywhere.”

He knew Marshall wouldn’t pull him away for no reason, so he nodded. Because he also knew Billy was an outrageous flirt, he pulled Everly close and gave her a quick kiss.

“Back in a minute,” he said.

As he turned to follow Marshall to a quieter spot, he heard Billy say, “Howdy, Everly,” in a way that made him want to go back and grab her to keep her close to his side.

Where had this sense of possessiveness come from? He’d never felt this insecure, especially around his teammates. There was a code among them that prohibited any serious poaching.

Besides, this was all meant to be a cover to protect his work with Everly.

Wasn’t it?

“What’s up, Marsh?” he asked, not wanting to pursue that line of thought.

“Hey, man.” Marshall looked uncomfortable. He glanced back at where Everly stood talking to Billy and Anton and egging Javier on as the camera flashed. “Just wanted you to know that I asked Rebecca about Everly’s tires.”

Cole stiffened. He’d discussed the incident with Marshall the day after it happened to gauge his friend’s involvement, but he hadn’t expected this.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Marshall said, holding up his hands in a show of innocence. “But I was really friendly with her. I told her that I’d heard Everly’s tires had been slashed, and that it sure sounded like something a jealous ex might try. Hell, I told her I might have done the same thing, just to get her trust. Know what I mean?”

Cole nodded, his gaze on Everly.

“She denied doing it,” Marshall said.

Something about his tone had Cole glancing back at him. His friend looked like he didn’t want to go on. But he did.

“The thing is, man, I know how to read B.S....and I believed her.”

S
ince Everly’s shift at Prix Fixe started at four that afternoon, Cole drove her home after the shoot concluded. He wanted to take her to lunch, but she insisted on going home to spend some time with her grandpa before she had to work.

“I’m sure I sound paranoid,” she said, staring out the windshield of his car. “But I don’t like the idea of my grandpa being alone with my father for too long.”

He blinked, then just replied, “All right.”

Her statement sat in his mind throughout the drive to her grandpa’s house. What was her father like that she had such suspicions? Where did he usually live? Why was he staying with Jake and Everly right now?

The lack of answers was more frustrating now than it had once been. He realized that he wanted to know more about Everly. Even more than that, he wanted her to trust him with the darkest parts of her life. He knew that, for her, sharing those things would be a significant claim of her feelings.

Caroline’s statement that Everly was in love with him had lodged in his brain. He wanted to know if it was true. He wanted to know how Everly really felt about him.

He refused to consider why.

“Looks like my father’s gone out,” she noted as they pulled up to her grandpa’s house. “At least that’s one less thing to deal with before work.”

“Whose car is that, then?” he asked, pointing at the silver SUV in the driveway.

“Jonette. She comes out almost every afternoon to check up on Pee Paw and work with him on his respiratory exercises.”

“Ah. I don’t suppose I’ll be invited in to participate in the festivities?”

She gave him a regretful smile. “You understand, don’t you?”

“Sure.” He reached out and brushed a few stray hairs from her forehead. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t miss you the moment I drive away.”

Was that him saying such a corny thing? What the hell was happening to him?

Fortunately, Everly didn’t seem to find it cheesy. Her smile widened. She got a look in her blue-green eyes that made his heart thump like a bass drum in his chest.

“Think you could manage to kiss me without causing me undue pain?” she asked with a fluttering of her eyelashes.

He laughed. God, he was never going to live down that head-butt. In answer to her question, he pulled her closer. He held her gaze for a moment. Then her eyes moved to his mouth. He read the anticipation there. Here, she couldn’t hide things from him.

This kiss was tender. Slow. Deep. It made him want to start the car and drive away with her.

They parted and he held the side of her face for a lingering moment. Then she smiled and lifted her purse off the floor.

“Have fun tonight,” she said. “I’ll be by in the morning for our next session.”

He returned the smile. “Thanks. I hope your shift goes well.” His thoughts turned to Marshall’s conviction that Rebecca hadn’t been the one to slash Everly’s tires. Although he disagreed with his friend, he added, “Make sure you don’t go into the parking lot alone.”

She nodded and opened the door, granting entrance to a gust of wind. When she looked back at him, her hair blew around her face and her breath left her in a white plume. Her cheeks blossomed with color. She looked stunningly beautiful.

“See you,” she said.

He couldn’t respond. She closed the door and walked up to the side door of the house. He watched her until she went inside.

Then, even though he knew it made him extremely lame, he backed out of the driveway thinking that the rest of his day would pale in comparison to the time he’d spent with her.

*    *    *

E
verly didn’t tell her grandpa about her unexpected role in Cole’s photo shoot. The odds of him ever seeing the actual advertisement in a magazine were slim, and she didn’t want word of her modeling stint to make its way to her father. Lord knew, he’d probably try to get her to take up modeling as a profession if he got wind of it. Then he’d insist on managing her and handling the accounts.

Yeah, right.

She spent some time catching up with Jonette, getting an update on her grandpa’s progress. Once the nurse left, she made some veggie pasta with turkey meatballs for a late lunch. So that she could talk with her grandpa, she ate in the family room while he sat in his recliner with his oxygen supply beside him.

When the timing felt right, she forked up a bite of meatball and asked, “So, has he asked you about your finances yet?”

His uncomfortable expression was all the answer she needed. He kept his gaze focused in the direction of the television and mumbled, “Now, don’t go readin’ into—”

She relaxed her clenched jaw. “Pee Paw,” she interrupted. “I didn’t ask to upset you. I just need to know what I’m up against here. I’ll remind you before I go to work that you can’t share those details with him. We have a deal, right? I won’t make a scene and bring up the past while he’s here so long as you don’t let him convince you to give him money or change any of your existing legal documents.”

“Yes, my girl,” he said.

He sounded so sad. It tugged at her. Setting her bowl aside, she walked over to him and squatted beside the chair, taking his cool hand in hers.

“Pee Paw, I’m sorry it’s come to this. I hope you don’t think I—”

“No, no,” he said, shaking his head. “It ain’t you. At least I done right in raisin’ you since your mama passed. Though Lord knows you all but raised yourself since well before then.”

“I wouldn’t be here if not for you,” she said quietly.

He met her gaze. When she saw moisture form, she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold onto her composure. Clearing her throat, she squeezed his hand and got to her feet.

“I have to get ready for work. Now, don’t watch TV the entire time I’m gone, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

She smiled over his resigned tone. Then she washed her dishes and changed for her shift at Prix Fixe.

Her father didn’t return before she left. That was fine with her. She didn’t need any confrontations or false politeness before work. Instead, she thought about Cole on the drive to the restaurant and throughout her shift.

He’d been so good about not pressing her to expound on the things she revealed about her father. Sure, she hadn’t said much, but she sensed his curiosity over the little that she had. He wanted to know more, but she wasn’t ready to share it. She could chalk that up to not wanting to go through the emotional drama that would naturally accompany such a conversation. It was a valid enough reason to avoid it.

But the truth was, she was worried that Cole would go running for the hills when he knew everything there was to know about her past. It’s what all of her other friends had done. Why should she expect him to be different?

That wasn’t giving Cole much credit, she decided as she put her coat on after her shift. He knew more about her past than most people did, yet he hadn’t done anything but treat her like a true friend. More than a friend in some areas, she silently added. And what was going to come of that?

She really didn’t know.

Everything was getting so entangled. She’d been prepared to work with Cole and keep the entire experience to herself. She didn’t know how to handle this new element of their relationship where he presented her as a romantic interest. He made her believe that he truly felt that way about her.

What if she was wrong? What if he was just a really good actor?

Even more importantly, what if she was right?

Ugh. Now she knew why she hadn’t ever been in a relationship.

“Ready to go?” Rowan asked.

He stepped into the doorway of the small coat room where the servers stored their things. After Everly’s tires were slashed, he’d started escorting all of the female servers to their cars whenever he was on site. If he wasn’t there, he had one of the other guys on the staff do so.

“Beyond ready. I’m exhausted,” she admitted. The long night on the couch followed by the photo shoot and a six-hour shift had her ready to drop. Her feet throbbed.

“Let’s get you out to your car, then,” he said, waving her ahead of him. “You did great tonight, Everly, just like always.”

“Thanks. Looks like the dinner crowd is still going strong even though it’s after ten. You’ve got to love the holidays.”

“You don’t have to tell me. I foresee holiday bonuses after this comin’ weekend.”

She smiled. “That sounds nice.”

“It should be. You all work your asses off. You deserve somethin’.”

They reached the back door leading out to the parking lot. She hadn’t been able to get a close spot due to the large crowd at the restaurant, so they headed toward the back of the lot. The air burned her lungs as she breathed in. The temperatures were falling below freezing again.

“Just might get that white Christmas,” Rowan said, looking around to scope out the shadows between the vehicles.

His voice sounded loud in the dark, quiet lot. Everly nodded. She caught sight of Champ and smiled.

“All tires fully inflated,” she said.

“Yeah. I don’t expect—”

They both turned when they heard a sound to the left. Rowan moved to block her view.

“What the hell? Sex in
my
parkin’ lot?” he barked.

Everly hunched her shoulders over his tone, even though it wasn’t directed at her. She pulled out her cell phone so she could text Cole that she was leaving even as Rowan looked at her.

“I’m fine,” she said. “The car’s twenty feet away and you can see me. Go and stop those godforsaken fornicators.”

Despite his obvious irritation, he grinned over her word choice. Then he cracked his knuckles. “Oh, I’ll stop ‘em, all right.”

She laughed and shook her head as she headed to her car. Composing her text, she decided to include some kind of reference to the parking lot sex. She was so absorbed that she didn’t notice the dark figure squatting near Champ’s trunk until it started to move.

“Watch out!” someone called at the same time her peripheral vision caught the movement.

She instinctively brought up her arm to protect her head. Pain blasted through her forearm. Her phone went flying. She fell hard.

The last image she saw was Champ’s hood rising up to meet her.

C
ole almost called off his night out with the guys. They’d convinced him at the photo shoot that he needed to get out with them. It had been a while since he’d done so, and since Everly was working and his shoulder was feeling a lot better, he’d ultimately conceded. Marshall’s driver was going to collect everyone in a limo so they didn’t have to worry about their alcohol consumption. They planned on dining at a high-end sushi restaurant for dinner at seven, then hitting up a club or two.

There was a time when he’d lived for these kinds of evenings. Now, he thought about how nice it had been to share a simple meal and a couple of movies with Everly. What did it say that he would choose the second option in a heartbeat over the first if given the choice?

Since he didn’t have a choice, he decided that going out was better than sitting around the house by himself. He showered and changed into a pair of jeans and a black, long-sleeved T-shirt with three buttons at the collar. Unlike many of his teammates, he didn’t wear a lot of jewelry. His only accessory was his watch, a silver Audemars Piguet he’d bought the year before.

The limo arrived just as he pulled his leather jacket off the hanger in the coat closet. He granted the driver access and prepared to enjoy his evening.

In the end, he was glad he decided to go. Their group consisted of mostly single guys, but a couple of married ones, like Marshall, also attended. Javier, Anton, and Billy were there, as were their teammates, Chris Kinney and Nicholas Ford.