“Stacy, I need you to stay close to me. The valet will take care of the car and our bags, so just grab your purse and stay close.”
She nods. I climb over her and get out first, wanting to shield her from them as much as possible. Not because I want to hide her, but because I just got her to agree to try this with me. I don’t need them digging into her life and scaring her away before I have a chance to convince her that we’re good together.
Once I’m out, I reach in for her hand. The others are already inside. When she steps out, I wrap my arms around her and she buries her head in my chest.
“Cole, over here.”
“Who’s the girl?”
“Is she your girlfriend?”
“Cole, can we get a picture.”
I ignore every single one of them. All I want to do is get Stacy inside. Everyone else is waiting for us just inside the door. Security is keeping the paparazzi out.
“You all right, sweets?” I kiss her temple.
“Yeah.” She smiles up at me.
“What did we miss?” Logan asks.
I look down at the stunning woman in my arms and smirk. She gives a small nod; she knows what I’m asking.
I kiss her temple one more time before facing our friends, my family. These three guys and Logan are my extended family, and I’m bursting with both anxiety and excitement to tell them.
“I convinced this one”—I pull her to my chest—“to be my girl.”
I expect a chorus of “No shit.” Or “What are you thinking?” for Stacy. Instead, we’re met with knowing smiles.
“Finally, you both realize it. I thought we were going to have to dumb it down for the two of you.” Gavin says.
“What?” Stacy asks.
“Stacy, we all could see it. You two don’t take your eyes off each other. We were just letting you come to the conclusion on your own. Although, Gavin’s right. We thought we were going to have to point it out,” Logan tells us.
Stacy giggles beside me and I want to bottle the sound.
A hotel attendant approaches us. “Mrs. Hampton?” He looks at Stacy, because well, everyone knows Kace and Logan are married.
She used my name. I want to beat on my chest like a fucking caveman. It sounds pretty fucking fantastic too.
Stacy Hampton.
Mrs. Cole Hampton
I like it.
“You used my name,” I say next to her ear.
Looking over her shoulder at me, she smiles. “You told me to.”
“Here are your keys, ma’am. As we discussed on the phone, I already checked you in. The valet will handle your car and deliver your bags. . . . Uh, we might not know whose go where.” The girl looks scared that we’re going to rip her head off.
“No problem. Just drop them off in any of the rooms and we can sort it out from there,” Stacy tells her.
“Yes, ma’am. Take the elevator to the top floor. All the suites on that floor are yours.” She hands her room cards.
In the elevator, Stacy hands everyone a key but me, and I don’t question her. I assume she wants to talk about this revelation in the car before we go our separate ways. If I had my way, I would never leave her side. My room can set empty for all I care.
That’s a first for me.
The elevator ride is quiet. I think everyone is just excited for a full-sized bed and a good night’s sleep that doesn’t have anything to do with a noisy, bumpy interstate.
We reach the top floor and scatter our separate ways. I follow Stacy to what I assume is her room. She inserts the card and I follow her inside.
Once the door closes, she turns to face me. She’s biting her lip and looks worried about something. My heart drops instantly—she’s changed her mind. I knew I wanted this, being more with her. It’s not until this moment that I realize that I want it—not just to give her what she wants, but for me too.
I want her.
I step forward and wrap my arms around her. “What’s wrong?”
“I didn’t get you a room,” she says. She sounds worried.
“No problem, I can call down and get it fixed or room with one of the guys.” I would offer to stay with her, because that’s where I want to be, but she looks too worried for that. I don’t want to push her for fear of her telling me to hit the road. I’ll try to rationalize my need to be next to her another time.
“No, I did it on purpose. I thought you could stay with me.”
Hell fucking yes! I pick her up and swing her around. “Good choice, beautiful,” I say as my lips cover hers.
All too soon, she’s breaking the kiss. “Cole, put me down.” She laughs.
“Wrap your legs around me,” I tell her before kissing her again.
For weeks, I’ve been this softer version of myself. I knew then, even though I wouldn’t have admitted it, that this is how I wanted to end up. Her in my arms. I’ve enjoyed actually taking the time to get to know her, but she agreed to be mine. It’s now my mission to prove to her that taking a chance on me—on us—was the right decision.
“Cole,” she breathes as I trail kisses down her neck.
“You want this,” I rasp.
“Yes.”