"With the floods subsiding, it looks like you'll be totally fine getting back to UT," he said, setting his mug in the wide double sink.
My heart sank but I didn't want to let on. It was so silly to feel this disappointed, I mean, what did I expect? I had to go back to my life at some point; this wasn't some crazy fantasy, after all. Plastering on the best smile I could muster, I simply nodded. "I had such a wonderful time. Thank you, again, Cory."
I loved hearing him call my name, but saying his name also sent a special little thrill up my spine, too. The way his mouth twitched in the corner made me think that maybe I wasn’t the only one.
Once I was seated in the back of his car, Cory leaned in and gave me a tight hug, his arms lingering for a moment as I turned and kissed him on the cheek. It was weird being this chaste with him after the thorough fucking he gave me last night, but it was most certainly better than nothing.
"Enjoy Italy, Emma. I know it'll be a great time for you."
Italy! How had I managed to forget about Italy? I wanted to reach out and stroke his stubble like I did right before I fell asleep but I kept my hands in my lap, fidgeting with my purse. "Definitely."
The door shut and I did my best not to desperately look out the window and watch him fade in the distance behind us as we headed down the long driveway back to the road. Taking in a deep breath, I smiled at Beckett, Cory's driver, and thanked him for the trip home.
"It's my pleasure, miss. I've got the directions up and running here, and it looks like it will be approximately fifty-one minutes until we make it back to your school. Any requests for music?"
I chuckled, wondering what Beckett would say to a little Lady Gaga. "No, that's okay, thank you. I could use some peace and quiet."
The wildflowers growing along the hillsides blurred together in a colorful mishmash, my thoughts tilting back into Cory territory. He'd been a little disengaged this morning, not that I could blame him. He was probably used to having a new woman in his bed every night of the week… but thinking about that didn't do me any favors. It hadn't mattered to me last night because he was there with me and no one else, but I was most likely right. Cory was so drop-dead gorgeous with his deep tan, that cute dimple, and those amazing eyes that stared right into your very soul. It only made sense that he had other prospects besides some college girl who was off to another country soon enough.
Cory was cultured, rich, and ten years older than me. I needed to let go of what happened between us and refocus instead on my upcoming graduation and everything else that came after. The first thing on that list? Cramming for tomorrow's final.
Perfect diversion. I'd have my head so deep in the books that I wouldn't even know what year it was.
When we made it back to the sorority house, I giggled and gave Beckett my best curtsy after he opened my door for me. With a wave, I walked up the sidewalk and fumbled for my keys, unlocking the door and barely making it into the house before one of the younger sisters craned her neck around the corner and said hi.
"Emma's back? Oh my God!" came Cassidy’s raspy voice from the top of the stairs. My shoulders slumped. I didn't feel like having to go through the whole evening play by play like they’d surely ask me to do.
"Look at this little slut!" Lindsey squealed, her eyes puffy and red.
I raised a brow at her. "What's up with you?"
"You expect me to be all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed like you this morning? Ha! Not everyone got laid by a seriously sexy cowboy in what, a meadow of soft grass or something? We're all hungover. I'm just waiting for Holly to finish up the bloody marys for us."
I swung my purse over my shoulder and headed toward the steps, pausing mid-step when Cassidy threw me an evil look.
"Oh, no you don't. You owe us some details, Em."
"Um, I don't owe you anything. And don’t think I forgot about what happened at the wine tasting bar, either," I replied, shaking my head. But everyone kept whining, making it damn near difficult to keep from caving in much longer.
The doorbell rang just in time to save me from having to go into all the details. I had to admit I was a little tired, and if I was going to try and immerse myself in all things exam-related, I was going to need a little extra sleep.
The freshman sister, Gia, answered the door, letting out a noise of excitement. She threw the door open even wider, and on the other side of the threshold stood a tall, skinny teenager in a hat, holding the exact same kind of huge wine bottle Lindsey had knocked over last night. "Oh my God, guys, look at this!"
"Is there an Emma here? I have to check your ID, sorry about that," the kid mumbled as I slowly walked to the door, raising my hand. Somehow, I managed to pull out my license and show it to him, pocketing it when he nodded at me. "Okay, great. This is for you. The note is taped on top. Where would you like this?"
"How about the kitchen?"
"How about in my room?" a few of the other girls chimed in, everyone staring as I gestured for him to leave it by the front door. Once I shut the door behind him, I spun around and made a mad dash for the note, ripping it open.
So you can always remember what brought us together. - Cory
I bit my lip, unable to hide the blush that took over my face.
"Jesus, Em, how rich was this guy?" Lindsey asked, her eyes following mine as I read the note.
I knew it would come up eventually, and I sighed, tucking the note into my purse so I wouldn't forget it. "Richest guy I've ever come across, that's for sure. His name was Cory."
"Cory? Did you get his last name? We have to look him up online," Holly chimed in, strolling into the room in her tank-top and shorts.
"Uh, Cory Shire, I think." At least that was what I thought he said. I had a couple of glasses of very good wine, so it was honestly my best guess.
Both Holly's and Lindsey's mouths dropped open. "Do not tell me that you were with the Cory Shire?!" Lindsey shrieked.
"Cory fucking Shire? Seriously?" Holly said, exchanging glances with her. "How was it? Did you sleep with him? Was it on a bed made of one-hundred-dollar bills stitched together or something?"
Now they were just being ridiculous. "Really, Holly? I mean he's rich, yeah, but not stupid."
"I think you need to see this," Cassidy said, handing me her phone. She'd pulled up his name on Google, thousands of search results popping up. "He's not just rich, Em. He's like holy-shit wealthy. According to his Wikipedia page…"
"Wait, he has a Wikipedia page?" I mumbled, staring down at it as I scrolled through.
"It says he's the son of oil tycoon Wesley Shire. Billionaire Wesley Shire, that is. Just look at the images."
Sure enough, tons of pictures of Cory came up. Some of him at black-tie affairs, looking insanely gorgeous as he smiled at his companions—more super rich people. "Whoa." I clicked on one of the pictures to see where Cory had done a photo shoot with a company called Hill Country Luxury, whatever that was. He was shirtless in nearly all of them, donning a pair of Wranglers and those same cowboy boots he'd worn to the winery, plus, of course, his hat.
He looked like a model leaning up against a bale of hay, straw stuck between his teeth as he hooked his fingers in his belt loops and stared off into the distance. It nearly took my breath away to think that I'd been lucky enough to sleep with him. Everything started rushing back to me all at once, my skin feeling way too hot.
"How was it? I know you didn't come home the next morning without getting some kind of action," Cassidy asked.
"Oh my God, she totally slept with him!" someone else squealed. Everyone started to crowd around me, asking even more questions.
"So, Em. You going to see Mr. Hot and Rich cowboy again, or what?" Holly finally asked.
I was beginning to wonder if maybe it was possible.
Chapter 7
CORY
* * *
"Would you like me to fill up your glass, sir?" the serv
er asked, gesturing to my empty wine glass.
I glanced across the table at Mom, watching as she finished off the rest of hers, too.
"If he won't, I will, darling. There you go," she said, smiling as he tilted the wine bottle down into her glass, filling it up halfway. "Perfect, thank you."
"Might as well then." I picked up the no-longer-empty glass and nodded to my mom as our server walked off. "To outlandish ideas."
She rolled her eyes playfully, still smiling. Obviously, nothing was going to dampen her mood. "Oh, don't be so dramatic, Cory. Can't we simply sit here and enjoy the scenery? And celebrate even? The wine is superb, by the way," she added. Renoir had just recently started carrying my wine, which Mom never passed up a moment to indulge in.
I leaned back, swilling it around in my glass. The mid-day sun was hot overhead, but luckily we were seated in a more shaded area, where we had a clear view of the Austin skyline wavering in the heat. "Don't you feel like you're rushing into things, Mom? You’ve hardly even known the guy that long. I mean, like you said, I haven't met him yet."
Clearly Mom had been expecting my questions; she batted them off as if they were ludicrous. "Just because you haven't had time to meet Jeremy doesn't mean that I barely know him. I know plenty about him, believe it or not."
"In the two months that you've known him? What makes you think he's going to be what makes you happy? What is it about this guy that seals the deal?"
Taking another bite of her pasta, Mom looked past me, her gaze unfocused. "I don't know, honey. He just does. He's a very smart, ambitious man. And he makes me smile. A lot."
"Does he come from money?" I asked.
She scowled at me, pushing the plate away. "Cory! Is that really necessary?"
"Yes," I countered. "If he's not wealthy, then my mind immediately goes to wondering if he wants you for your money. Don't tell me you haven't wondered that yourself."