Page 15 of Savage Truth

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, there’s plenty I have to say to you, but it’ll be more yelling than talking.”

“That’s fine. We both have things we need to say, but not here.”

“Why not?” I crossed my arms over my chest. “You have no problem saying and doing anything you want here. What’s to stop you now?”

“Get in the car, Riley. Please.”

Please?I paused because that was a first, and something I never thought I would hear from him. Before I could second-guess myself, I opened the door and climbed in. He shut his door too. “Where are we going?”

“The cove.”

Huh.That worked for me. But I wished I had my suit on rather than in a Ziploc inside my bag. “My car’s here. It would be better if I followed you.”

He pulled away from the curb. “I’ll bring you back after.”

There was something in his voice that stopped me from arguing. Whatever. I had my phone with me if he decided to leave me there. I could never tell with him. He went from hot to cold at the snap of a finger.

We drove in silence, but given how his hand gripped the wheel and that muscle jumped along his jaw, I knew he was holding back from arguing with me. I crossed my arms and looked out the window. It was fine. I had plenty to say to him as well.

“I didn’t like you talking to Jarrett. He’s a player.”

I snorted. “Takes one to know one.”

We fell back into silence. I wanted to fight. It seemed he wanted to wait. I bit my tongue. Once we’d pulled into the parking lot at the cove, I grabbed my bag and flung the door open— there was no way I would be stranded if he did decide to take off and leave me there.

There weren’t any other cars or people. We had the space to ourselves. Jarrett had mentioned coming here this afternoon, so I expected it to fill up later. It was early, almost ten in the morning. If I hadn’t had to go to practice, I would still have been in bed.

Cole motioned to the smooth rocks at the water’s edge a little way from the sandy part of the cove. I dropped my bag and joined him. I pulled off my shoes and let my feet dangle in the water. It was warm, and I was tempted just to push off the rock and sink under the water.

“I’m different than Jarrett.”

“You sure are.”Okay, we’re doing this.I shifted, pulling my right leg up and resting my cheek on my knee to watch his expression.

“Piper and I weren’t serious, and I don’t sleep around, not since sophomore year.” He met my gaze without flinching. “I haven’t hooked up with her since the end of last year.”

I wanted to ask what that meant, but it was easier to remain silent because the whole thing was too heavy, and I was determined not to misinterpret him. I doubted he was confessing his love and exclusivity to me, not given how much he wanted to kick Mom and me to the curb. He looked over the water, no longer meeting my gaze.

“Jarrett was checking out your body in that bathing suit that hid nothing. It pissed me off.”

“It’s a full one-piece.” I scrunched my nose.What is he getting at here?“The same thing all the other girls wear. And did you get a load of what the guys were wearing? Not hiding anything there, either.”

“Not the point, Riley. I know what that guy was thinking and that he planned to make a move. But I’m sorry for overreacting.”

I didn’t tell him it was okay because it wasn’t. I could handle myself, just like always. I swirled my foot in the water, watching the circular ripples. It was the first time he’d opened up to me since he’d found me talking to my uncle then admitted it wasn’t me that he hated. It was his father.

It felt almost like I could confide in him about my dad. I’d seen him fight, and maybe there was a chance he could protect me if I needed it. Not that I would ever ask, but having someone else who knew how to handle themself, besides Mom and me, was a big deal. “Why do you hate your dad so much?”

Cole leaned back on his hands. “I don’t want to talk about him.”

“What about your mom?” I waved away a bug that flew a little too close.

“She died about a year ago.” His voice was flat, uninviting.

I didn’t probe for details. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” If it had been my mom, she would have taken all the colors in the world with her. Even though things had devolved between us in the last few weeks, I couldn’t imagine a life without her in it.

He turned to me with such intensity in his gaze that I felt the world tilt. The gently lapping water faded, as did the distant buzz of nearby insects and the call of birds as they circled above a tree in the cloudless sky. Time seemed to stop, the moment pregnant with expectation. I held my breath, waiting.

With his focus directed at me like it was, his presence filled the space, shrinking everything else until all I saw was him. I felt like prey caught in the gaze of a predator, but there was something else too. His eyes dropped to my lips, and I shivered in expectation.

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