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She laughed, but the truth was, she was fine. Despite intimidating the holy living shit out of her at every turn, Nancy had been nothing but pleasant.
When they finally returned to the studio, the con room was empty, Benji was behind the counter clacking away on his computer, and Cole was nowhere to be seen. But he could be heard.
“Someone’s letting off steam.” Nancy angled her head toward the recording booth, where Cole wailed on his drums. “I don’t think he liked that I borrowed you.”
Stepping closer to the window, close enough to watch his muscles flex, his wrists flick, his eyes close while he raised his face toward the ceiling, Mira said, “He’s amazing.”
Nancy turned to face her. “I’m not sure how much Cole has told you about me, but I’m really not a bad person.”
Mira had no idea what to say to that, so she didn’t say anything.
“I’m not necessarily a good person,” Nancy added with a small laugh. “But Cole is. He’s one of the best humans to ever walk this planet. I thought only drumming made him happy these days.”
And then, like his ears were burning, Cole opened his eyes and noticed them through the window, and when he looked at Mira, his face lit up with a heart-stopping smile.
“Obviously, I was wrong,” Nancy said. “It’s the worst cliché, and I’m making myself sick saying it, but I just want him to be happy. He deserves it.”
“He really does,” Mira said, and when Nancy walked away, she turned the doorknob, stepped into his booth, and closed the door behind her.
Dropping one of his drumsticks, he waved her over, tapping on his knee while he kept playing with the other. The entire scene was so absurdly sexy she actually swooned, this close to putting a hand to her forehead and sighing. Instead, she crossed the room, sat in his lap, cupped his neck, and kissed him while he twirled his drumstick in the air.
“What is that?” he asked after they pulled apart, staring down at the foamy drink still in her other hand.
Bringing the straw to his lips, she said, “Give it a try.”
He took a sip, then made a face. “Jesus, that’s awful.”
“Nancy made me get it. I think she was punking me.”
“Nah.” He pulled her deeper into his lap. “She loves that sugary shit.”
“And you?” she asked, brushing her thumb over his soft bottom lip, drawn to that tiny freckle under his eye like a kitten to a ray of sunlight. “What do you like?”
“Don’t you already know?” Leaning forward, kissing her behind her ear, making her shiver, he said, “You’re the only sugar I need.”
CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE
COLE
Her hand warm in his,Cole led Mira back to Benji’s convertible after he’d told Cole that not only could he borrow it for the day, but after how well he’d sweet-talked the band into recording at their studio, he could “fucking have it, bro!”
Looking up at the perfect blue sky, he said, “I wish we had time to go sailing.”
“Maybe next time,” she suggested, squeezing his hand, and his heart skittered to a stop.
“Yeah?”
When she nodded, her cheeks glowing, jumpstarting his heart, he said, “Definitely next time.” Then he pulled her into a soft, lingering kiss. “But today”—he brushed a windswept curl from her forehead—“how would you like to meet my granddaughter?”
Her smile shone brighter than the midday sun. “Are you kidding? Yes, please!”
Forty-five minutes later, pulling into his driveway, Cole wondered how much of his life he’d already wasted sitting in Seattle traffic. When he undid his seat belt, he looked at Mira, and aside from her mouth slowly sliding open, her eyes going wider and wider as she stared at his house, she didn’t move a muscle.
“Mira?” He waved his hand in front of her face. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she said absently. “It’s just… Your house…” She turned to face him. “Cole, it’s enormous.”
“It’s not that big,” he said. But when he looked at the sprawling two-story cedar house now, it did seem like more than he needed. “I picked it up at a very good time to buy houses in Seattle.” He slid a hand over her cheek, hungry for any excuse to touch her. “Does it bother you that I have money?”
