“Thank you. I feel like Cinderella.”
Even more so when he ushered her into a warm limo. With its sleek leather seats and pristine carpeting, it was pure class. “I’ve never been in one of these.”
He popped the cork on a champagne bottle and poured them each a glass. He lifted his in a toast. “To getting it right this time.”
Her heart clutched at the thought that they might not. “To getting it right.” She took a sip, enjoying the bubbly treat. “And that goes for both of us.”
“How’s that?”
“It wasn’t just you who messed up in high school. I didn’t give you a chance. And come on, I was a horrible date.”
He broke into a grin. “The worst.”
“I just…wasn’t in your league.” She rubbed away the lipstick smudge on her glass. “And I couldn’t imagine why Cole Montgomery would choose me out of every other girl. I mean, come on. I was a total outsider. I made my ownclothes.And the hot jock on campus was askingmeout? It didn’t make sense.” She shook her head. “Your dad was amovie star. Can you imagine what that felt like for a girl who stole food out of a rich man’s refrigerator?”
“I liked your clothes. I liked that you were different. You were real, and you demanded honesty from everyone. I didn’t care if you were an insider or an outsider. If you wore designer clothes or leggings. I didn’t care. Still don’t. I just like you.”
The champagne bubbles must’ve gotten into her bloodstream because she was fizzy and happy and… God, she was soaring. “I like you, too.”
He held her gaze. “And I don’t want to mess it up again.”
“After what we did in the shower last night, I don’t think that’s possible. You keep doing things like that, and I’m not going anywhere.”
He tried to smile. “Trust me, I have a way of fucking up the things that matter most.”
“Hey.” She couldn’t stand to see him doubting himself. Crawling onto his lap, she scraped her hands through his hair. “In the ten years since Booker’s accident, have you fucked up anyone else’s life?”
Since she was sitting on his lap, she could feel the slight flinch that went through his body and watch the awareness spread across his features. “No.” He chuckled. “But that’s because I don’t have close friends anymore.” His hands on her thighs tightened.
“Well, all I know is I’m not the same idiot who ruined the wonderful date you took me on, and you’re not the boy who stole his dad’s plane.” The tulle of her dress billowed between them, and she had to shift it aside to get closer to him. “I was too afraid to get to know you back then, but I know you now. I see you. You’re a good man, and you have to know how much you mean to those girls. And to me.”
She needed him to hear her. With her hands on his cheeks, she said, “You feed my soul, Cole Montgomery.” And then, she kissed him.
That first press of soft, sexy lips and the taste of champagne on his tongue, made her heart flutter. But the way he grabbed her chin, angling her for a deeper connection, the way he licked and stroked—the way he showed her how desperately he wanted her—had her tumbling into reckless abandon.
She went hot and hungry, but the dress confined her. She needed to rub against him, relieve the ache, the insistent throb.
But when he cupped her breast and squeezed, he yanked his mouth away. Breathing heavily, resting his forehead on hers.
“What’s wrong?”
“I got a handful of crystals and remembered you’re all dressed up. I don’t want to ruin it.”
“I couldn’t care less about my dress, my make-up, or anything. I’d rather have your kisses.”
With a firm clasp around the back of her neck, he pulled her to his mouth. He fed her need and want and lust. He made her wild. But with all the layers of tulle and silk, she couldn’t feel him the way she needed, so she hiked up the dress and straddled him, and the moment his erection notched between her legs, a disembodied voice said, “We’re here, sir.”
The limo came to a smooth stop, but still, they didn’t move apart. His breath was hot on her cheek, and she was pressed so fully against him that if she kept rocking her hips, she’d come.
“Now, when he sayshere,” she began, just to break the mood. “What exactly does he mean? Where are we?”
Setting his hands on her hips, he lifted her off his lap and settled her beside him. “At the prom.” He got out of the limo, smoothed out his pants, and then reached back in to help her out.
Lord, she must be a mess. “Well, hang on. Let me do my lipstick.” She reached into her crystal clutch and pulled out the tube, quickly slathering the fire engine red across her lips. She didn’t have a mirror, but she patted down her hair and adjusted the skirt of her dress.
And then she took his hand and stepped onto… Main Street? It was a Friday night during ski season, so the streets were crammed with red taillights and the sidewalks full of people leaving restaurants and heading into bars. The energy was alive and full of excitement.
The air was bitter cold, but her heart was warm and full. He led her into Wild Billy’s, its neon sign of a cowboy riding a bull blinking against the night sky. The door opened to live country music, a rumble of conversation, and bursts of laughter.