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“You shouldn’t be here alone. I never should have let you leave the Dunes.”
“You were worried about me?”
“Something like that.” He avoided eye contact.
“Well, I can take care of myself. I’m not a damsel in distress type of girl.”
Cole laughed. “I guess I should have thought of that. I’ll give you the self-defense technique.”
“Thanks. I think.” We both stared out at the water.
“Kaitlyn, why in the hell are you here alone?” Cole turned to me.
“I had to get out of that room.”
“No. I mean Padre. Why did you come here by yourself?” he pressed.
It was the one question I really didn’t want to discuss with him or anyone. But somehow I felt as if he deserved the truth.
“The condensed version is that the person I planned the trip with had a last-minute change of plans. So I decided to do the whole thing solo.”
“Brave girl.” He whistled.
I wondered what he would think if I told him the entire story. Why did it matter if Cole knew I had just been dumped? I didn’t lie, but I left out a few key points I didn’t want to think about, at least not when he was around.
“I’m ready to get out of here. Walk me back?”
“Sure. Yeah, of course, but I drove.” Cole turned toward the party that was raging in front of us. “I think we can leave through the side gate. No reason to go back in that shit.”
I followed him around the side of Bottoms Up and through the wooden gate that was marked as an emergency exit. I waited for a siren to go off as he pushed on the handle, but it was silent.
“They just mark the gates like that so people don’t sneak their friends in. That’s how my buddies and I used to get in here.”
I looked at him. “You used to sneak into Bottoms Up? Tell me it ain’t so.”
Cole laughed. “Yep. And I did a lot more than that.” His sexy smile made me melt. “Come on, let’s get you back.”
Cole walked over to a huge maroon truck parked in the club’s lot. He crossed in front of the vehicle and opened the passenger side for me. I had to hold the grab bar to hoist myself into the cab. This was definitely the highest truck I had ever ridden in, but that was supposed to be Texas. Big trucks, right?
Cole pulled into the empty parking lot at the Dune Scape and cut the engine. I could hear the waves hitting the beach through the open windows of his truck.
“Would you want to have a drink?” Cole pulled the keys from the ignition.
“Should we ask Ryan?”
He shot me a look.
“Kidding. Yes. A drink sounds good.”
“Ok, then. I’ll grab a few drinks from my room and meet you at the boardwalk.”
I climbed down from the cab and made my way to the wooden path that led to the beach. The breeze had picked up and I wished I had something to cover my arms.
After a few minutes, Cole emerged behind me holding two beers. “Sorry, I don’t have a huge selection. Beer ok?”
I wasn’t about to admit that I didn’t drink much beer. “It’s perfect.” I took the cold bottle and sipped. A shiver ran down my back.
“You cold? Here.” Cole handed me his beer and unbuttoned the plaid shirt he was wearing. He pulled one sleeve and then the other before wrapping it around my shoulders. Underneath, he had on a T-shirt. I studied every move he made, as if he was unwrapping a present.
