Page 130 of Just Like Home

He took his free hand and slid her even closer, then placed a kiss so soft, so sweet on her lips that it stunned her. She closed her eyes and let his kiss fill her up, pressing her hand against his chest and imagining for a moment that the rest of the world had disappeared.

She was overcome by the very idea of him. How had he won her heart so completely in such a short period of time?

He took her face in his hands and kissed her so fully it took her breath away. Every one of her daydreams paled in comparison to the way his kiss made her feel, like maybe she’d finally found the something more she’d been searching for.

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Kissing Charlotte could quite possibly rival football as his favorite pastime.

She was beautiful, of course, but that’s not what he fell asleep thinking about. She had thiswayabout her. Strong, yet elegant. And he adored the heck out of her. She was talented and hard-working, and she was going to make this recital happen for Julianna, her way of honoring his sister. The way she worked with Amelia only solidified what he knew—Charlotte loved his people.

He loved that about her.

If he didn’t already know how much happier he was, Bilby and the guys on his team would’ve made sure to point it out. There had been more than one wisecrack at practice about “that goofy smile” on Cole’s face.

What was he supposed to do—deny it? He was happy.

Cautiously, deliriously happy.

A few days after their first kiss, Cole called Charlotte in the morning and asked if she wanted to go out that night on a proper date.

“My first date,” she said. “Where will we go?”

“It’s a surprise,” he said.

“Okay.” He could practically hear her smile through the phone.

That night, he arrived to pick her up, and Lucy opened the door before he could knock. “You know this is her first date,” she said.

“I know.”

“Like, ever.”

“Yeah, we talked about it,” he said.

“So, where are you taking her? You’re going to make it special, right?”

“I got it, Lucy,” he said.

Charlotte appeared at the top of the stairs, and he felt like a teenager all over again, watching in awe as the light revealed her beauty. She reached the bottom of the stairs, and Lucy gave him a shove.

“You’re in a trance, teddy bear,” she said.

He couldn’t take his eyes off of Charlotte, this gorgeous, unexpected, adorably sweet woman who, he feared, had stolen his heart so completely, it wasn’t likely he’d ever get it back.

“You look beautiful,” he said.

And she did. Her hair fell in long waves past her shoulders, and her lips shimmered with a glossy pink shine. Her eyes were so wide and stunning he knew it would be a matter of seconds before he was completely lost in them.

“So do you,” she said. “Handsome, I mean.” She glanced at Lucy, then back at Cole.

“Shall we?”

He’d put a lot of thought into this date. He didn’t need Lucy to tell him the pressure he was under to make it special. He already knew.

He led her out to the truck, feeling a strange nervous energy he hadn’t expected.

“Thanks for agreeing to go out with me,” he said.

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