Page 94 of Driving Beats

“Right back at you, Nese Dalton.”

Both Alexis and Owen crowd the doorway, chanting, “Kiss! Kiss!” Noah hangs in the background, not joining in but still supportive.

Coop asks, “Should we give them what they want?”

I consider his offer for a moment. “No. I want to go out to dinner in my new dress before I let your lips near mine.”

He looks at the peanut gallery who’s assembled in back of me. “You heard the lady. No show tonight.”

“We’ll be here when dinner’s over,” Alexis quips.

Ready to be anywhere but here, I shoo Coop out. “I’ll change and be good to go in thirty. Play nice.”

I close the door behind him and rest my back against it. What the hell just happened? I replay our conversation, holding tight to my heart when he told me he loves me.

In a burst of energy, I put on the outfit he gave me. The dress fits like a glove. I spin and delight in how the skirt billows around my legs. Racing to the mirror, I apply lipstick, brush on mascara, and flip my hair. With special care, I remove my earrings and put in the ones from him. Imperfections and all, I think they look incredible with the dress. Slipping into the heels, I grab my purse and place my hand on the doorknob.

Am I prepared for tonight? Hell to the yes—I’m more than up for exploring this amazing energy surging between us. With a smile, I open the door and enter to the sound of voices in the living room. Where my roommates are grilling him.

“Treat her right, and we’ll be good, bro.” Noah treats the rockstar like, well, a rockstar.

Owen says, “She’s basically my little sister. Don’t fuck with her.”

“If you break her heart,” Alexis warns. “Know you’re easy to find.”

Gotta love them. I enter the room. “Better listen to Alexis, Coop. She has a mean right hook.” She executes an air punch.

Coop stands, grabbing my attention. He’s wearing dark wash jeans with the purple shirt we bought in LA. I contain my drool—knowing he could pass for a model.

“Based on reviews, I made reservations for us at Miss Donna’s Kitchen tonight. But if you have another spot in mind…”

“I’ve heard that place is fantastic.” I turn to Alexis, our resident expert on all things dining. “Right, Alexis?”

“Definitely. I have a friend who started working there recently,” she says. “The buttermilk biscuits are divine.”

“Great.” He offers me his arm. “It’s a date.”

Will he be my only date forever? Being next to him, though, I feel his quiet confidence and it reassures me.

Yes.

This is the right decision.

My gaze travels over Coop, snagging on the earrings I gave him. They’re too loud for an intimate dinner, yet they’re perfect on him. I turn to my roommates. “Don’t wait up!” Then I put my arm through his and use him to keep myself steady, considering my ankle isn’t one hundred percent.

He pulls a carry-on next to him and opens the front door for me.

The moment hangs for a couple of beats.

26

NESE

With a jaunty wave to my three roommates, I precede Coop into the hall.

Before I know it, we’re in his rental car and on the highway to the restaurant. I rub the door handle. “Was the rental place all out of SUVs?”

“After what happened to your foot in LA, I specifically asked for a car.”