Page 32 of Out of the Shadows
Hunter’s palm slapped the table, sharp and loud.
“I suggest you get the hell out of here, or maybe word will get out about what you’ve been up to this summer. And we both know you wouldn’t want that.” Hunter’s voice was steady and, as always, almost emotionless, but it never failed to make an impression.
Nico went pale, a flicker of panic crossing his face. He stood up, tossing some cash on the table. “I’m out. No hard feelings, Michaels. See you at practice.”
He strolled out of the restaurant, and Hailey scoffed. “What a giant douche. I can’t believe him.”
Knox shook his head and rubbed his neck. “Sorry, if I’d known he was gonna act like that, I wouldn’t have brought him. My bad.”
“It’s okay,” Hailey said. “It’s not like you’re psychic.”
“He wanted to come, and I really didn’t think anything of it.”
“Don’t worry about it, man. He’s an idiot, and at least we know that now,” Asher said.
Jax growled, “And we’re stuck playing with a piece of shit like that.”
I was still silent, afraid to lose control. Self-doubt tried to creep in at the edge of my consciousness, but I pushed it back. Hailey had stood by me, by us — even if it wasn’t technically real, but that didn’t matter now. If anything, it made me want to win her over even more. No one else deserved her. Neither did I, but at least I was ready to lay it all on the line for her.
Hailey reached back and stroked my side. “Well, this has all been fun, but Colt and I are going to leave now. Can you letus out?”
“But what about your food?” Asher asked, confused.
Hailey looked back over her shoulder at me, raising an eyebrow. Picking up on her silent question, I dug my wallet out of my pocket, pulled out a few bills, and put them on the table.
“Sorry, we’re not really hungry anymore.” Hailey shrugged, her hand sliding down to intertwine our fingers.
She was suddenly in quite a hurry, and I couldn’t help but wonder what the reason was.
My nerves were a little shot, but I followed her out of the booth regardless. She grabbed my hand again, we said our goodbyes while I tried to ignore the knowing looks, and I followed her out of the diner.
As I would follow her anywhere.
Fourteen
Hailey
Colt let me pull him outside and over to his truck, where I pushed him firmly back against the shiny black metal. He indulged me as I maneuvered his big body around, although I was fully aware I wouldn’t be able to move him an inch if he didn’t want me to. His eyes darted from left to right underneath furrowed brows as I slid a hand to the back of his neck so I could pull him down to me and seal his lips with mine.
Sitting on his lap had made me so hot that I could barely form a coherent thought. And he hadn’t been unaffected either. Before Nico had opened his fucking mouth, Colt’s hard length had been throbbing beneath me.
I needed to pull myself together, though, just for a moment. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me to be confronted with him, but I guess I had hoped to avoid him. It might be a bit of a blow to the mood, but the moment would never beright, and he had the right to know.
As I pulled away, his eyes fluttered open. Despite the tight ball of anxiety clenching in the pit of my stomach, I forced myself to meet his gaze head-on.
“Colt … this wasn’t the first time I met Nico,” I said with the calm on the outside at odds with the turmoil on the inside.
He blinked slowly, his brows slightly rising. “It … wasn’t?”
“No. Unfortunately not.” I pursed my lips and shook my head, hoping he could see the honesty in my eyes. “You know how my dad is, no need to get into it, you’ve seen it firsthand … Well, he started this fun little thing where he would set me up with dates he thought were appropriate for all these events he dragged me to. And Nico was one of them. He was just as much of an asshat then as he was in there. It wasn’t until we ran into your mom that I realized he actually plays with you — that’s how uninterested I was.”
Colt’s face had turned serious, but I considered it a victory that he didn’t immediately disappear behind his infamous mask. “I’m sorry your father made you do this,” he said quietly, his jaw clenched as he looked down at me with his lips pressed in a straight line and his brows drawn together like heavy slashes.
Relief washed over me like a tidal wave. This perfectly exemplified one of the countless reasons I adored him. His first concern wasn’t out of misguided jealousy from going on a date with one of his teammates, his first concern was my feelings, and he was empathetic enough to realize I didn’t enjoy those dates.
“Who cares?” I breathed as I rose to my tiptoes. “I’m here now, and nowImake the decisions.”
Our lips met again in a fervent, passionate kiss, his thickarms holding me tightly against his front. Panting, I broke away from him and leaned back a little to peer into his eyes.
