Page 67 of The Omega Verse

“If you mean pickup truck, then yes,” he grins, opening the door and boosting me into the seat. It’s ridiculously big and shiny, but when Kobi slides behind the wheel, it all makes sense.

“Okay, now I’m trying to remember what Silva said about shootin’ and boggin’.”

Kobi places his arm on my seat back and gives me a wolfish grin. “Don’t forget the neckin’.”

We both chuckle as he starts the oversized truck, and we chat about growing up in the Grace family until he takes the turnoff to the next town. I assumed we were going to one of the local beachside restaurants where most of the tourists go, but he’s headed in the wrong direction.

“I can hear your mind whirring from over here,” Kobi laughs, his hand coming down over mine.

I turn it over until our fingers are entwined, feeling giddy at the contact. “I just feel like a bad host. I should be the one showing you the local sights.”

“Not if I plan on becoming a local,” he says, his whiskey eyes searching my face. “I mean, we’re calling this a date, but I’m courting you here, Cass. This is serious to me.”

“It’s serious to me, too.” I stare down at the vision of our linked fingers, trying to imagine this being an always thing. His hand is big and tanned, his long, thick fingers sporting chunky silver rings, including one that used to belong to Johnny Cash, according to River. And that’s enough to slam me back to reality. “But how can this work? I mean, you’re way out of my league, Kobi. Our worlds are really different, and… Well, won’t you get bored with small-town me?”

“Small town you,” he echoes, taking his hand back to change gears. But then cups my chin, looking deep into my eyes. “You do know I’m not that picture on your wall, right? I’m no different to the other guys.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t exactly even things out much. You’re all super famous and talented.”

“Tom’s not,” he shoots back. “Famous, I mean.”

“No, but he still makes me giddy,” I smile, absently playing with the lacy hem of my dress. “Believe me, I pinch myself every time I see his bite mark in the mirror. And Silva’s just makes my head spin more.”

“Right,” Kobi says, working smoothly through the gears, but there’s a new determination in the sharp line of his jaw. “Then prepare to be knocked off your feet, darlin,’ because I’m going to court the hell out of you.”

Kobi

Cass just stares at me after my declaration, but when she slides a small smile my way, I’m glad I’m sitting down. I might boast about sweeping her off her feet, but I’m pretty sure I’m the one headed for a fall. I just can’t tell yet if we’ll be falling together, or if I’m going to get my heart crushed in the process.

“The drive-in?” she peers up at the sign on the dusty road I just turned down. “Really? I didn’t know these still existed.”

“Great thing about country towns,” I reply, relieved to hear the excitement in her voice. “Lots of cheap land, and people don’t care if the movie isn’t the latest blockbuster. They just want to experience a night under the stars.”

“This is so cool,” she says, sitting forward in her seat. As we pass through the big metal gate and ticket booth, her head twists and turns as she studies the empty lot. “But where is everyone? Are we early?”

She’s looking dubiously at the sky, which is now that deep purple of twilight, and I rub the back of my neck. “I’m sorry it’s not the real deal, but I talked to the other guys and they thought it was best if it was just us.”

“Just us?” It takes a moment for my meaning to sink in. “You mean, you booked out the whole place? That must have cost a fortune, Kobi!”

River told me how freaked out she is about money, so I try not to smile at her shock. “It works out the same as if we bought a nice dinner back in Memphis.”

She doesn’t look convinced, but I think she’s too excited to argue with me. Instead, she watches as I back the truck up to the wired pillar in the middle of the lot. “Okay, we can go old school, which means hooking up to this speaker, or we can use their wireless option, which broadcasts sound to our phones.”

“Oh, we have to go old school,” Cass replies, her lips quirking. “I want the full experience for my first time.”

As I nod and buzz down my window, I do a double-take. “Seriously? You haven’t been to a drive-in before?”

It seems impossible to me, but as soon as the shadow passes across her eyes, I want to kick myself. Given the way she grew up, of course, she didn’t have money for things like movies. Or if she did, it would’ve been a discount session somewhere, because it’s pretty hard to drive into an outdoor cinema when you don’t have a car.

To cover my screwup, I turn off the engine and climb out, rounding the car to open her door. “Well, if we’re going all out, we need to visit the concession stand.” She grins and grabs my hand, that damn pretty skirt sliding up her pale thighs as she climbs out. It’s a bit of a stretch to the ground and I take full advantage, encircling her waist and keeping my arm there as we head to get snacks. “Now, this might not be up to Cookie’s standards. And I don’t know a lot about candy in this country, but we can’t go wrong with M&M’s and popcorn, right?”

“I like sugar in all its forms,” she pronounces with mock seriousness as we enter the small concession stand. The guy who owns the place greets us with a huge smile and they chat for a bit the way strangers do in small towns, quickly finding about a dozen things in common. When they’re done, I point out a few of the snacks we also get in the States, but we settle on a big tub of popcorn, a packet of oversized gummy snakes, and a carton of ice cream from a local dairy farm. “That means we’re gonna have to eat it first,” I warn her as we head back to the truck.

“How will we ever survive?” She flutters her lashes at me as she reaches the truck bed and leans on the edge. “Besides, eating dessert before dinner is highly rated, or so I’ve been told.”

I know exactly what she’s talking about. River isn’t one to kiss and tell, but Silva had such a shit-eating grin on his face after her pastry surprise, I eventually got it out of him. Which really made me regret turning him down when he told me they were taking Banjo out to chase seagulls. Is that Aussie code for whipped cream and multiple orgasms?

I’m not sure, but missing out on the experience was a good wake-up call. I’ve been well aware of my attraction for Cass since we met, but I’ve been dodging the deeper emotions I can see playing out with the other guys. I’m still waiting to see what Jett decides to do, but the other three are fully committed to their new life here. River might still have a way to go, given his grief over Steven, but there’s no denying the connection he has with Cass. And seeing them together – feeling the bonds that are forming between them – reminds me of a time in my life when love, and all the good stuff that comes with it, was as familiar as breathing.

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