Risking the Crown

by Violet Paige

  “I’m not here for the party scene. Dinner sounds good.” I wanted Cole to know I was older. He didn’t know this version of me. I was more than Ryan Sinclair’s little sister.

  I turned to pull the inside frame of the door. I wasn’t sure why I had told him that. “Thanks.”

  “Oh, and, Rocky, there’s an ice machine on the way to your room. You might want to put some on that hand before it gets much worse.” He grinned.

  6

  Cole

  The door closed and I took a step back. Kaitlyn Sinclair wasn’t a skinny girl in glasses anymore. When had that happened? How did I miss it? And why the hell did I have to fight the instinct to greet her with the kind of kiss that would leave her moaning for me to take her to bed?

  Fuck. I was glad there had been a desk in between us. It was the only thing that kept my hands off her.

  I couldn’t go there. I couldn’t think about it. She was my best friend’s little sister. I should be worried about her. Watching after her while Ryan was overseas. Not picturing her in my bed, tangled in my sheets.

  There was a guy code. A Marine code.

  Fucking her was not an option, no matter how gorgeous and plump her lips were. Or how innocently and sweetly she looked at me with those green eyes. She wasn’t the cute kid sister anymore. She was a sexy knockout that blew me away.

  I rubbed the back of my head and looked around the office. She probably thought this place was a shit hole. I know I did. But it paid the bills, and right now I needed to give Grayson stability.

  Amber was all over the place. This might be the only thing I could give my son and I was going to work my ass off to make it perfect. It was going to take time. But I wasn’t going anywhere. He needed me.

  When I found out Amber was pregnant I knew I had to leave the Marine Corps. Ryan had tried to convince me to stay in. But he didn’t know Amber the way I did. I couldn’t leave my son with half a parent while I fought a war on the other side of the world.

  He said he understood, but I always wondered if he’d forgive me. I left my brothers for my son. I didn’t regret it, but it didn’t mean the guilt didn’t keep me up at night.

  I tried to remember if Kaitlyn’s room had everything it should. Did I put enough towels in there for her? I imagined her curvy body undressing in the pink-tiled bathroom. Damn, she had perky round breasts. I knew she caught me checking her out.

  I thought about stopping by her room. But just the idea made my cock twitch and I knew I needed to head in the complete opposite direction.

  I needed a cold beer and a cold shower.

  7

  Kaitlyn

  The Dune Scape was divided into two rows of rooms angled toward the beach in a V, like a seagull with its wings fully spread. All the odd-numbered rooms were on the right and the even-numbered on the left. Mine was at the farthest end, closest to the beach. It looked as if guests could still catch a glimpse of the ocean from their balcony even from the side closest to the highway.

  I inserted the key into the rusty lock and turned the door handle. The air was musty. The kind you smell when you forget you left your wet bathing suit in the bottom of the clothes hamper.

  The walls were coated in a thick paint, which was doing a miserable job of covering up the paneling. Strips of peeling paint dangled from the corners.

  “Home sweet home,” I muttered.

  I was still dying to know why Cole was here. What did he have to do with this place? Ryan hadn’t said much other than he left the Corps to take care of his baby.

  I remember thinking how sweet and amazing that was. Ryan never mentioned anything about him taking handy man job. But I reminded myself my brother wasn’t big on details.

  I flipped the switch on the air conditioner, pulled the drapes closed, and sat on the bed. It was pointless to try to clean up before I even had a shower or clean clothes to put on afterward. I had been wearing the alcohol-stained jeans so long I couldn’t smell the bourbon anymore.

  Cole mentioned a place to eat within walking distance. That seemed like the best option for dinner, but first I wanted to buy a few things to make it through the next day until my luggage arrived. I stopped myself from getting nostalgic about my favorite Carolina T-shirt, or the cute pink skirt and the mini-pack of new makeup I just bought. They were all in my suitcase, and I could do nothing about it.

  I headed out of the room. As I passed by the Dune Scape office, I saw Cole sitting behind the desk shuffling through a stack of papers. I wondered if he always wore a scowl on his face. His jaw was set in a line of determination. I stood in front of the window a second too long; he looked up from his work and saw me staring at him. I scurried out of view, wishing I didn’t have to be so curious all the damn time.

  The surf shop was only two blocks from the motel, on the beach road. After being squeezed into small seats all day, it felt good to walk.

  “Hey, honey. Welcome to Tassels.” The red-haired woman called from a nearby hat stand. She was straightening a line of visors that had been displaced. Yes, it was a surf shop, but not like any I had seen. “Can I help you find something? You look lost, darlin’.”

  I took in the Stetson hats, rows of surfboards, and rack of suntan lotion.

  “Yes, I need something to wear. The airline lost my luggage and I’m here all week. I’m sure it will show up, but I need a change of clothes.” I spotted a mannequin wearing a sundress that was adorable.

  “Oh, you poor thing.” The woman ditched the set of pink hats and rushed over to me. “Those airlines are so bad these days. Last year my sister, Sue, had two bags lost and she never got them back. She had everything in there. It was a mess.”

  Hearing Sue’s story didn’t comfort me. I was still hoping my phone would ring any second with a call from the airport saying they were on their way with my clothes. I hadn’t itemized what was in the suitcase, but there were more sentimental things than just my school T-shirt.

  “Well, let’s get you some things to wear. You here for graduation week?” She flashed a red lipstick smile.

  “I am. All week.” Standing in Tassels Surf Shop, it was starting to sink in that a week in paradise was a long time to spend alone.

  “Oh, wonderful. That’s so good to hear. I’m Lisa.” She reached her hand to me.

  “Kaitlyn.” I shook the freckled hand that had seen obvious years of sun.

  “Where you from, honey?” She busied herself with a circular stand of board shorts.

  “North Carolina.”

  “Why don’t you just go right in that dressing room and I’ll bring you a few things to try on?” Lisa shuttled me over to a cubicle covered by a curtain that had been strung across the doorway.

  Normally, I would have browsed the racks myself, but Lisa had a mothering hen approach that I followed like a new chick. I waited in the cubby for her to select a few pieces.

  “I brought a few different sundresses. That’s what all the girls are wearing this year. I guessed on your size.” She shoved the hangers and dresses in through the slit in the curtain. “I’ll be right back with a few bathing suits for you to try.”

  I looked at the collection of dresses she handed me. They were all short and strappy. I dipped my leg into a green one and pulled the straps over my shoulders.

  Lisa reached a handful of bikinis in through the curtain. “Why, don’t you look, darlin’, in that dress? Green is definitely your color.”

  I looked at the girl in the mirror with choppy blond bangs. “I’ll take it.”

  “Good, now try on these suits. With your figure, they’re all going to look great. I wish I could still wear some of these. I’ll grab some sandals and flip-flops for you to try too.”

  Lisa sure knew how to sweet-talk her way into a sale. There was no hiding the curves in my hips or in my breasts. I made a pouty face with my lips, wondering if Cole would notice me like this. Would I look different to him?

  I chose a turquoise bikini out of the pile of prints she gave me. I liked the brig
ht color against my skin, even though I was in desperate need of some sun.

  I walked to the register in the green dress with a tank top, two fitted T-shirts, a pair of running shorts, khaki shorts, and my bikini folded in my arms.

  “Is it ok if I wear the dress now?” I asked.

  “Of course. It really is your color.”

  I felt better being out of the sticky jeans. Something about wearing a dress just made me feel prettier.

  While I was in the dressing room, Lisa had collected an assortment of sunscreen, toothpaste, and shampoo for me. It looked like she had all my short-term needs covered.

  I handed her my spring break credit card.

  There goes two hundred dollars I didn’t plan to spend, but I was more than making up for it by staying at the Dune Scape. I could afford a few outfits.

  “I’m so glad you came in tonight. Now if you need anything this week—you know, if you’re luggage doesn’t show—you just come right back here and I’ll help you find something else.” She winked as she passed two bags to me over the counter. “I’ve got every necessity right here in this store.”

  “Thank you, so much, Lisa. I hope my bag gets here tonight, but I promise I’ll come back before I leave.” I spotted a black dress on a corner stand that I wanted to try on during my next shopping trip.

  I smiled and walked out the door in the direction of the bar the Dune Scape Cole had suggested. It was easy to navigate around the beach neighborhood.

  I walked into Peabody’s in my new green dress and sandals, feeling slightly reenergized, but famished.

  A guitar player was perched in the corner singing an acoustic song I had never heard about a girl with eyes as blue as the Texas sky. I sidestepped a few guys playing pool and made my way to the bar that stretched the length of Peabody’s.

  “What can I get you?” The bartender had a warm smile. He reminded me of my dad with the way the edges of his hair were peppered with gray. I was terrible at guessing ages for people my parents’ age, but he was probably fifty.

  I slid onto an open barstool and dropped my wardrobe bags to the floor. “I’m starving. I could eat anything. What do you recommend?”

  “Peabody’s has a pretty mean cheeseburger. How does that sound?”

  “Awesome.” I grinned. Just the thought of a burger right now made my mouth water.

  “One cheeseburger coming right up. What can I get you to drink?”

  I surveyed the row of liquors behind the man. The oversized bottle of Jose Cuervo caught my eye. “I would love a margarita.” Mary Ellen and the other girls were likely ordering pitchers of them right now.

  “You’re here by yourself?”

  I gulped down the first half of the margarita before answering. “Yep. Stupid idea I guess.”

  “I don’t usually do this, but here.” He jotted something down on a napkin and slid it across the bar.

  I read the numbers. Oh my God. Did he just give me his phone number? Maybe he wasn’t the paternal type after all.

  “I’m Hank. If you need anything while you’re here, you give me a call. That’s my cell. Anything. I’m serious. It makes me a little nervous knowing a young girl like you is here alone.”

  I sighed. He was doing something my father would do. “Thanks, Hank. That’s really sweet. I’m Kaitlyn.”

  “Where are you staying? One of the big resorts?” He dried a beer pilsner before placing it on the shelf.

  “No. My boyfriend, I mean my ex-boyfriend, stole my room. The only place I could get a room was the Dune Scape.” I hoped it didn’t take me long to stop making that mistake about Branch.

  Hank chuckled. “The ole Dune Scape, you say. That place has seen better days.”

  “Yeah, it is in serious need of a makeover.” I tasted the salt on the rim of the glass. Someone should call HGTV and have them do a motel crashers episode on the place.

  “Cole’s working on it. It’s going to take some time. There’s a lot of work over there for one man to handle.”

  “Cole? You know him?”

  “Orders up!” a high-pitched voice called from the other end of the bar.

  Hank turned to retrieve my cheeseburger from the cook. He placed the plate in front of me.

  “Taste it. Go on. Try it.” He waited for my first bite.

  I didn’t need much prodding. My stomach growled at first sight of the plate of food. A pile of fries spilled over the side and onto the counter.

  “Mmm-hmm,” I managed to mumble through my first bite of the cheeseburger.

  “Told ya. Best burger on the island.” Hank threw a towel over his shoulder and moved down the bar to help a new customer.

  The last ounce of my drink tasted especially limey. I could feel waves of the tequila starting to warm my limbs. Hank delivered a second drink to me with an extra lime. Maybe it was the country crooner or the margarita, but for the first time all day, I felt relaxed.

  Then, he walked in.

  It was impossible to ignore the broad shoulders on his athletic frame as he passed between the pool players. He was almost a head taller than the other guys in the bar. He no longer wore the paint-splattered T-shirt. His hair looked damp, like he had just taken a shower. The blue plaid button-up shirt he wore was rolled up to his elbows. He was sexy in that silent, mysterious way, but Cole shouldn’t be mysterious to me.

  He used to come home with Ryan at Christmas break. He used to wake up on our couch. I had seen him brush his teeth. I’d seen him play basketball in our driveway. I’d watch him fight with Rayn over Halo. I knew this guy.

  But something about being in South Padre made me wonder if I knew this Cole. I didn’t know Cole the committed man. Cole the father. Cole who worked at Dune Scape.

  I was way too curious about him and trying too hard to catch a glimpse of his eyes again. I focused on the limes floating in my drink.

  “Hey, Cole. How’s it goin’?” Hank asked over the guitar player who had amped up his performance.

  Cole sat on a stool a few spots from me. “Hey, Kaitlyn.”

  “Hi.” I smiled. Was he not going to sit next to me?

  “Same ole, same ole, Hank.” He rested his forearms on the counter while Hank poured him a beer.

  “I hear ya, man.” Hank deposited the beer in front of him. “You ready for the grads over there?”

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready. There’s a shit-ton of work to do.”

  “Hang in there, man. We’re all real proud of what you’re doing.” Hank smiled and walked toward the kitchen.

  Cole raised the glass to his lips and took a sip. I mirrored his actions. Every time he took a sip, I took a sip. I kept stealing looks at him behind the safety of my margarita glass. Within five minutes, my second margarita was history. My head felt slightly fuzzy, but my whole body was tingling from the tequila.

  A third margarita didn’t seem like a good idea, but I looked at the clock hanging above the row of liquor bottles. It was only ten o’clock. I debated ordering another drink from Hank when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

  “My buddy and I were wondering if you play pool.”

  A guy, who was so lean his T-shirt swallowed him, smiled a toothy grin. His friend stood next to him holding two pool cues.

  “I’m not much of a pool player.” I fidgeted on the barstool.

  “We can teach you. I’m Lance and this here’s my buddy, Cal.” They each tipped the brims of their cowboy hats. There was no mistaking it. They were local Texas boys.

  I waited for Cole to say something. To cut in and tell me he didn’t want me hanging out with other guys in the bar, but he stared at his beer.

  I twisted my lips together. “All right. I’ll give it a try, but only if you promise not to laugh when I completely whiff on my first try.” I took the stick from Lance.

  “We wouldn’t do that.” Lance’s smile was genuine.

  “I’m Kaitlyn, by the way.”

  Over the corner of Cal’s shoulder, I saw Cole. His eyes held mine with st
artling intensity. I was afraid that if I blinked, it would give him just enough leverage to see right into my thoughts. For a second, my knees went a little wobbly and my cheeks rushed with heat. Too many margaritas, Kaitlyn. I smiled at him, aware at how glad I was he had finally noticed me.

  “Ready to play?” Lance’s insistence shattered the trance. I hopped off the stool, wondering why Cole stared at me like that, and why it sent every nerve in my body into overdrive.

  I returned their smiles. “Yep. Teach away.”

  Regaining control of my senses, I followed them to a pool table. I leaned into the pool cue to steady myself as Cal and Lance argued about who was going to hit first. Knowing I had more distance from Cole, I peeked around the wall the guys made with their bodies. That look still had me distracted and curious. I watched as Cole threw a few bills on the bar and walked out of the double doors of Peabody’s. I exhaled and tried to settle my body back to its normal state.

  Lance grabbed the rack, and lined the inside of the tray with the stripe and solid-colored balls. “You’ve really never played pool before?”

  “No, I haven’t. I guess that does seem kind of weird.”

  “As long as you aren’t trying to hustle us.” He laughed.

  “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see, boys,” I teased, knowing I was blowing a lot of smoke.

  “Whoa, Lance. Sounds like she’s already challenging us.” Cal leaned over the table with the stick cradled along the ridge of his thumb. He swiftly shot the stick forward breaking the triangle and scattering the balls around the table.

  “We’re trying to teach her how to play, not how to embarrass herself.” Lance was having fun taunting his friend.

  “Go ahead, pool master. If you think that was so bad, show us how it’s done.” Cal stepped to the side and took a swig of his beer. He was slightly shorter than Lance, but with a stocky frame. I could easily imagine him as a running back.

  Lance’s eyes squinted into a thin line, and I saw him bite down on the side of his tongue while he lined up his shot. “Seven ball in that corner and the two over there.”