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But I think I just got permission to sleep with my boyfriend under her roof.
I’m going to take that as a win.
“Stop pouting, Coop,”Carys laughs as we get into her car. The damn thing is the size of one of Callen’s toys.Christ, my knees and nuts are practically smashed against my chest because I have to bend myself in half to fit inside.
“It’s got eyelashes, Carys.” She’s got long black eyelashes on her pale-blue Volkswagen Beetle convertible.Eyelashes. “Whydoes the car have eyelashes?”
She puts the convertible top down, then jacks the heat all the way up. Turning out of Dad’s neighborhood onto an old tree-lined street that leads us toward Kroydon Lake, she smiles like she just won an argument.
Like the top being down makes this better.
“The eyelashes are cute, Coop. And unless you have a car in town that I don’t know about, this is our only form of transportation. So, hush.” My girl blows right through a stop sign, and I groan.
“You know you’re supposed to stop at those, right?” We did not just survive hell to die in a car with fucking eyelashes attached to the headlights.
“Cooper Sinclair.” She turns toward me, and I slam my foot down against the floor, as if there’s an imaginary brake that allows me to control the car.
“Holy shit, baby. How did I not know you’re a terrible driver?” I soften the blow with a laugh, but given the silence during the rest of our ten-minute drive, and the stony glare she keeps shooting my way, I may have overshared.
We drive along the winding road, past the waterfalls and over to the side of the lake that’s dotted with houses. Each one sits on a large plot with its own dock. Work trucks line the driveway of what I assume is Hudson Kingston’s house. Daphne and he are talking near the driveway of a massive three-story home. Trees line the property, giving it privacy, and the lake sits off in the background.
I’ve been around money all my life. My father was a pro quarterback long before he started coaching, and my mother out-earned him every year as a supermodel. Money doesn’t impress me. But this house is a whole other level of wealth.
Not that I should be surprised.
Hudson Kingston is aKingston, as in the family who owns the Philadelphia Kings.
He’s also the MMA heavyweight champion.
And he definitely seems like ago big or go homekinda guy, from the few times I’ve met him over the years. His sister is married to my buddy Bash, and Carys’s best friend, Daphne, is engaged to his older brother, Max. Not to mention Dad and Declan coach and play for the Kings team. But he’s a few years older than us, and we never ran in the same circles, so I don’t know him well.
Carys gets out of the car and slams the door shut behind her. With a pissed-off fury on her face, she tosses me the keys. “You can drive home, since I’m such a terrible driver.”
She tries to storm past me toward Daphne, but I grab her wrist and pull her back against me, taking her mouth in a kiss. “We all have to have flaws, baby.”
She punches me in the stomach, and I laugh as Hudson and Daphne join us. “Your form needs some work there, Carys.” Hudson picks up her hand in his and moves her thumb to the outside of her fist. “Always on the outside, so you don’t break your thumb.”
Daphne pushes Hudson out of the way and throws her arms around Carys, and the two girls cry, while Hud and I stand there, watching like idiots.
“Nice house.” I point behind us.
“Thanks. As big as my family is, we tend to end up with big houses.” He looks behind him to see workers carrying in a piece of stone the size of a small room.
“We appreciate you letting us rent one of the others. Seems quiet back here, and we could definitely use a little quiet right now.” Just thinking about the shitstorm of the past few months has my pulse pounding behind my eyes.
He leads me through the trees to the far side of his property. “Not a big deal. Honestly, it saves me some hassle. I had a realtor out here the other day. I bought the lot from a family who owned all three homes, but I only really wanted the one I’m remodeling. We were going over what needed to be done to sell the other two when Daphne called. The property hasn’t even been subdivided into three separate lots yet. So you can take your time figuring out what you want to do. Rent or buy. Do whatever you want. If you change your mind, it’s not a big deal. It gives me time to figure out my plan.”
We stop in front of a two-story gray Cape Cod with stone and shaker siding. Dormers mix with rounded turrets and white trim. More trees line either side, so the privacy and views are similar to Hudson’s place, but this one is less than half the size of his.
Thank fuck.
Hudson stands in a wide stance with his arms crossed. “So, what do you think?”
“Looks good to me,” I tell him as the girls join us.
Carys wraps her arm around mine, a beautiful smile stretching across her face. Guess I’m forgiven for my comment about her driving. “Hud, this is perfect. Can we see inside?” Her entire body vibrates with excitement.
“Sure.” He hands her the keys. “If you like it, you can move in today. I bought the place fully furnished. It’s a little pretentious. Definitely something my mother would love. Lots of plaids.” The last part is said with enough disdain that I think his mother and mine would probably get along. “Anything you don’t want, just put in the garage. If you decide you want to stay for a while, we can get things moved out and put in storage. But you don’t need to decide that yet.”
