Free Cole by Tess Oliver

beach.”
    “Nolan? Isn’t that the name of Black Thunder’s drummer?”
    “Yeah, that’s him. We call him Uncle Nolan even though he’s not really related. Dad’s band has always been more family to us than any of our real relatives.” He turned on one of the many small streets that led down to the beach. 
    Damp, salty air crept in through the vents on the truck, and I wrapped my arms around myself.
    “Are you cold?” Cole asked.
    I shook my head. “Not really. Just rendered completely wimpy by the constant high temperatures at home. I always forget it’s way cooler down here.”
    Cole pulled up behind a garage that was attached to a beach cottage. It was small and the paint and wood siding were weathered, but in this location it was worth a lot of money.
    We climbed out of the car. Cole walked around to my side and offered me his arm.
    “And they say chivalry is dead,” I quipped. We were both a little stiff and nervous and it made me want to laugh. We walked up to the door which had been painted forest green. Cole unlocked it, and we stepped inside.
    A small, round table had been set in front of the picture window overlooking the beach. Pink and yellow flowers flowed from a blue vase in the center of the table, surrounded by sparkling white china and polished silver. There was a bottle of wine in a cooler.
    I stood there shell shocked, trying to decide if anyone had ever gone to this kind of trouble for me before. The closest I could come up with was a boy named Trevor, who I’d dated in my senior year of high school. He’d had a bouquet of red metallic balloons delivered to my homeroom class on Valentine’s Day.
    Cole walked over and lit two candles. He smiled my direction. “Well?”
    “You, sir, are totally getting that kiss tonight.”

Chapter 12
    Cole
    We’d finished dinner and taken our glasses of wine and a blanket out to the small yard that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. We’d talked and laughed through the entire meal, and all I could think was that I didn’t want to blow it with this girl. I’d dated a lot of women, too many to count, following, not necessarily so proudly, in my dad’s footsteps. But Kensington was different. I wondered if this was how Jude had felt when he’d met Eden. I could remember him stomping around in an even darker mood than usual after Eden had moved in to be Finley’s companion. I hadn’t understood it right away, but it didn’t take me too long to figure out that my brother had been trying futilely to fight his feelings for Eden. I wasn’t going to fight my feelings for Kensington, but I was going to fight like hell to keep her interested.
    Kensington sat and held her wineglass between her hands as she stared out at the ocean. Her button nose twitched as a long strand of dark hair curled across her face. She pushed it back behind her ear, and I stared at the side of her face, thinking she was perfect from every angle. I gazed at her, thinking just how fucking perfect she’d feel in my arms.
    I sat next to her on the small wall lining the back of the house. She pressed her leg against mine as she scooted closer to me for warmth. I wrapped the blanket around our shoulders.
    “Ooh, you’re like hot coals,” she said and pressed closer. “Hey, an unintended pun.”
    “Yep, it’s part of my plan.”
    “You planned body warmth? Then, well done. Just like the meal. Thank you for that. I really enjoyed it.”
    “My pleasure.”
    Her nearness was definitely having a profound effect on me. I was impressing the hell out of myself. Self-control around a beautiful girl had never been my strong suit.
    She scooted her feet closer to the wall to keep her bare legs under the warmth of the blanket. “I know what I was going to ask you. On the way to the bathroom, I stopped to look at some of the pictures hanging in the hallway. There was one of you when you were young, maybe eight.” She paused and looked over at me. “You were such a cutie, by the way. Anyhow,