to close your eyes when kissing, but she didn’t. And neither did he. Instead, he watched her with such a fierce intensity it nearly melted her into a puddle of lava on the ground.
He took his free hand and slid her even closer, then placed a kiss so soft, so sweet on her lips that it stunned her. She closed her eyes and let his kiss fill her up, pressing her hand against his chest and imagining for a moment that the rest of the world had disappeared.
She was overcome by the very idea of him. How had he won her heart so completely in such a short period of time?
He took her face in his hands and kissed her so fully it took her breath away. Every one of her daydreams paled in comparison to the way his kiss made her feel, like maybe she’d finally found the something more she’d been searching for.
41
Kissing Charlotte could quite possibly rival football as his favorite pastime.
She was beautiful, of course, but that’s not what he fell asleep thinking about. She had this way about her. Strong, yet elegant. And he adored the heck out of her. She was talented and hard-working, and she was going to make this recital happen for Julianna, her way of honoring his sister. The way she worked with Amelia only solidified what he knew—Charlotte loved his people.
He loved that about her.
If he didn’t already know how much happier he was, Bilby and the guys on his team would’ve made sure to point it out. There had been more than one wisecrack at practice about “that goofy smile” on Cole’s face.
What was he supposed to do—deny it? He was happy.
Cautiously, deliriously happy.
A few days after their first kiss, Cole called Charlotte in the morning and asked if she wanted to go out that night on a proper date.
“My first date,” she said. “Where will we go?”
“It’s a surprise,” he said.
“Okay.” He could practically hear her smile through the phone.
That night, he arrived to pick her up, and Lucy opened the door before he could knock. “You know this is her first date,” she said.
“I know.”
“Like, ever.”
“Yeah, we talked about it,” he said.
“So, where are you taking her? You’re going to make it special, right?”
“I got it, Lucy,” he said.
Charlotte appeared at the top of the stairs, and he felt like a teenager all over again, watching in awe as the light revealed her beauty. She reached the bottom of the stairs, and Lucy gave him a shove.
“You’re in a trance, teddy bear,” she said.
He couldn’t take his eyes off of Charlotte, this gorgeous, unexpected, adorably sweet woman who, he feared, had stolen his heart so completely, it wasn’t likely he’d ever get it back.
“You look beautiful,” he said.
And she did. Her hair fell in long waves past her shoulders, and her lips shimmered with a glossy pink shine. Her eyes were so wide and stunning he knew it would be a matter of seconds before he was completely lost in them.
“So do you,” she said. “Handsome, I mean.” She glanced at Lucy, then back at Cole.
“Shall we?”
He’d put a lot of thought into this date. He didn’t need Lucy to tell him the pressure he was under to make it special. He already knew.
He led her out to the truck, feeling a strange nervous energy he hadn’t expected.
“Thanks for agreeing to go out with me,” he said.
She smiled shyly. “Thanks for asking.”
As they drove, she talked about working with his football players, about some of the other couples she’d met, about how she’d watched Amelia in dance class the other day and how much better she seemed to be doing.
“Her teacher thinks maybe she got over her hesitation,” she said.
“Good,” he said. “That was because of you, you know.”
She stared out the window. “Or because of your bet.”
He watched her for a few seconds, then smiled. “We’ll share the credit.”
Her eyes sparkled in recognition as he made the turn into the long driveway at Haven House.
He didn’t explain. Instead, he drove straight past the farmhouse and behind the barn, where he parked the truck and turned off the engine.
“What are we doing here?” she asked.
“You’ll see.” He opened his door. “Stay there.” He made his way around to the other side of the truck, opened her door, and helped her to the ground.
He took both of her hands and found her eyes. “I forgot to give you something.”