Another Chance at Love (Another Series Book 1)

by Suzanne Sweeney

  With nothing to lose, I grab my purse and march myself down the stairs. I take a cautious step into the kitchen where Brie and Cole are gathered around the table gabbing. Suddenly, the conversation comes to a screeching halt. The only sound I hear is Brie uttering a barely audible “aww”. I take that as a good sign.

  Cole steps out from behind the table and my eyes immediately scan him from head to toe. He’s wearing a dusty gray untucked T-shirt that hugs his arms in the most tantalizing way while his khaki shorts hang loosely on his slender hips.

  He has a grin spread across his face from ear to ear revealing a set of perfect teeth, and that single sexy dimple. “Kenny, you look stunning.” His eyes sparkle with mischief, and I’m weak in the knees. “Are you ready to go?”

  All I can manage is a weak nod. He places his hand on the small of my back and escorts me out of the kitchen. Oh my, he smells good.

  Just as we reach the front door, I hear Brie call out, “Have fun you two. Make good choices!” Cole and I just look at each other and laugh.

  We reach his truck and the first thing I notice is the soft leather tarp covering the truck’s bed. “Is that new?” I ask.

  “Yes and no. I’ve never really had a need to use it before now.”

  Upon closer inspection, I notice there are snaps holding it in place. I try to lift the corner and peek inside which earns me a warning from Cole. “Don’t look or you’re going to spoil the surprise.”

  I quickly release the cover and step away. The last thing I want to do is ruin whatever special plans Cole has prepared for tonight.

  Always the gentleman, Cole opens the door and holds out his hand to help me climb into his truck. He runs around to the driver’s side and hops in, easing his body behind the steering wheel with effortless command. He locks his door, and then reaches across and locks mine. “No escaping this time,” he teases.

  His old pickup truck really suits him. It’s got charm. There’s nothing pretentious about it and the only fancy gadgets are the radio and the heat.

  As we begin the drive to parts unknown, Cole taps on the seat beside him, urging me to sit closer to him. As I scoot across the seat, I discover something that makes me appreciate this classic truck – bench seats. Without a word and as natural as breathing, Cole raises his arm and I tuck myself beneath his waiting arm.

  His hand is resting on my shoulder and the contact of his skin against mine makes my heart sing. He gently caresses my bare shoulder with the pad of his thumb and I can feel my nipples immediately tighten in response.

  I want to touch him so badly. Tentatively, I reach out and run my hand across his thigh. I love how strong his legs are and the feel of his incredibly hard muscles under his soft, silky leg hair. When I trace the line of his muscles with my manicured fingernails, I feel his muscles tighten beneath my touch.

  As he concentrates on the road ahead, I drink in his features from beneath my lashes. He has a beautiful profile. Straight nose, square jawed— I’d like to run my tongue along his jaw. He hasn’t shaved, and his stubble makes the prospect doubly tempting. Hmm . . . I’d like to feel how rough it is beneath my tongue, my fingers, against my face.

  We’re well on our way somewhere, but I still have no idea where we’re going. Not that it matters. Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. But curiosity eventually gets the best of me as we drive further and further south. “Okay, Stretch. You’ve got me all to yourself. Now can you tell me where we’re going?”

  He looks over at me, giving me the most adorable and sultry smile. “Sorry, Houdini, no can do. You’re going to have to wait until we get there. I hope you’re comfortable, because it’s going to be a long drive.”

  “I don’t think I ever want to move from this spot, so take your time.”

  “Good. Same here.” He gives my shoulder a little squeeze and I melt deeper into his hold. We spend the next hour driving and chatting away about everything. Cole wants to make sure that all is forgiven for his preemptive phone call to Philip. And I want to know everything he is willing to share about his family.

  He has such a big extended family that he remains in close contact with, and all his cousins seem to lead such interesting lives. Unlike me, Cole is an only child. His parents’ names are Ed and Angela and he promises that I will get to meet them very soon.

  Cole asks me to share some information about my family, but frankly there’s not much to say. I have no cousins, no living grandparents, and no extended family. My father is an aeronautical engineer. He travels a lot and makes a very good living, so my mother keeps busy by completely devoting herself to doing charity work. I really don’t expect to see her again until the holidays. She’s involved with a Syrian aid project right now.

  Eventually, as the conversation winds down, we pull off the highway and onto a local road. “Almost there,” Cole announces excitedly.

  We pull up to what I can only describe as a dilapidated road sign that reads, “Delsea Drive In”. It is definitely a remnant from days long past. Cole pulls right in and follows a dirt road that leads to a small shack. He cranks down the window with one hand and pulls out his wallet with the other. “Two adults for Screen One please.”

  Holy cow – he’s actually taking me to a drive-in movie. I didn’t know there were any of these still standing. Now I’m really getting excited. The kindly older gentleman asks if Cole has ever been here before, and when he learns that this is our first visit, he gives us directions on where to go and the best place to park.

  He hands me the tickets and I quickly inspect them for the title. There are two movies listed, “Incarceron” and “Maximum Ride”. This man knows me well already in such a short time. These movies are based on popular books, both of which I have read and sell in my bookstore. “Which one are we seeing?” I ask eagerly. “I’d love to see either one!”

  “It’s a double feature. We’re seeing them both,” he informs me. I’m even more excited than I was before.

  Cole backs the truck into a parking spot at the end of a row, leaving ample empty spaces beside us. “Um, Cole – the screen is the other way,” I inform him. Although I can’t imagine how he didn’t know that.

  “Thank you, Captain Obvious,” he smirks. “Come on, let’s go. I could use a hand.” He turns the truck off and hops out. Anxious to see what he has planned, I quickly follow and meet him at the tailgate. “Start unsnapping, Houdini.”

  I watch what he’s doing and try my best to keep up, working my way up and pulling the leather cover back one snap at a time. Of course, I have to be careful not to break a nail, so I don’t move as swiftly, but I get the job done.

  Together, we roll the cover back and slowly reveal what I can only describe as a nest. He’s placed a blow-up mattress in the bed of the truck and covered it with an assortment of pillows of all shapes and sizes. It looks like he emptied his house of every pillow he could get his hands on. And all I can do in response is smile.

  He drops the tailgate and pulls out a rather large cooler. As he heaves the heavy container, his muscles flex and I’m transfixed. It should seriously be illegal to be this attractive. “If you open the cooler, you’ll find a cloth. Toss it over the tailgate and start to sort out the food. I’ll be right back.”

  “Yes, sir.” As I dutifully begin to unpack our dinner, Cole is fiddling with something behind the front seat of his truck. Eventually he emerges with an armful of game day gear. There are two red sling bags he has slung over his shoulder and he’s carrying one round bag. In no time at all, Cole unzips, unpacks, and unravels the three pieces and magically produces two armchairs and a small round table. All three pieces proudly display the New Jersey Sentinels logo. This was clearly intended for some serious tailgating.

  “Nice set-up you have here, Mr. McGuire. Why Sentinels and not Red Hawks?”

  He smirks. “My Uncle John was so proud when Evan got traded to the Sentinels last year, he gave all of Evan’s cousins a season ticket and a tailgating set. I got the ch
airs and table. Hugh got the portable grill, Noah got a canopy and cooler, and Reed has the portable heater.”

  “That’s great. Have you had much of a chance to use it?”

  “Oh, sure. We managed to get together for a few regular season games and one playoff game.” I can see him replaying the memory in his mind. He obviously has fond memories.

  “Do you think the boys will get together and come to one of your games?”

  He scrunches his face. It seems like he’s never even given it a moment’s thought. “I don’t know, maybe.”

  “Well, I think they should.” I may just have to make sure it happens.

  It’s seven thirty and we have half an hour until the first movie begins. Cole helps me to finish unpacking our meal. So far, I’ve uncovered a tablecloth, a bottle of Pinot Grigio, a pair of disposable wine glasses, and a fresh grilled vegetable platter. Cole unveils a small assortment of sandwich wraps and a Styrofoam container.

  “Oh, everything looks so good. Where did it come from?”

  “Juliette had the chef at Rush make it for us. It’s really handy having family in the restaurant business.” Cole opens up the Styrofoam container and unveils a perfect miniature cheesecake with cherries and chocolate shavings.

  The most sinful idea pops into my mind and I decide to share it with Cole. “Um, how bad would it be if I suggested we started with dessert? It just looks so good, I really don’t want to wait.”

  Cole shakes his head. “Nope, sorry. The best things in life are worth waiting for. The longer you wait, the more you will appreciate it later.” He swipes the container away from me and stows it back in the cooler where it will have to stay, at least for now.

  I seize an opportunity to cozy up to Cole a little. He’s standing at the tailgate holding the bottle of wine and carefully removing the cork. So I take a few steps so I can stand beside him while I begin to remove lids and coverings from our picnic spread. The grilled vegetables come with three different dipping sauces. I grab a perfectly ripe tomato and dip it into the first container. With one hand placed beneath to catch any drips, I offer Cole the first taste. “Here, try this and tell me what kind of sauce it is.”

  He allows me to feed him, but I leave a small drip of sauce on his lip. I rub my finger across his lip, removing the offending morsel. Cole, without hesitation, grabs a hold of my wrist and brings my finger up to his mouth where he proceeds to lick it clean. “Mm, oh yeah. This is Juliette’s lemon aioli. Try it.”

  He grabs a small piece of cauliflower, dips it, and offers it to me to taste. As his hand reaches my mouth, I grab a hold of his wrist and hold it there as I accept the offering. “Ooh, you’re right. This is very good. I’m ready for more, how about you?”

  “I’ve been ready,” he replies with a mischievous grin. “Oh, wait – were you talking about dinner?”

  “Come on, big boy. Let’s eat before the movie starts.” We each fix ourselves a plate and grab a glass of wine. I sit down and Cole pulls his chair a little closer to mine before sitting down to join me.

  The large white screen sits directly in front of a mass of pine trees that stretch for as far as the eye can see. The sun is just now starting to set, hovering briefly on the horizon, and then dipping below the pines. It radiates just below the tree line, casting the entire field in playful shadows.

  I have what I consider to be a healthy meal on my plate, but by comparison, Cole is eating enough to choke an elephant. He has not one, but two plates piled high. I wonder if he eats like this off-season.

  For the next half an hour, we sit and talk. There’s still so much I don’t know about this man. I don’t know what his favorite color is or what kind of grades he got in school. And I wonder what is the last book he read (that wasn’t mine) or the last movie he saw. I have a thousand questions for him and I’m eager to learn the answers to each and every one of them.

  Eventually, the conversation winds down and movie trailers are now being projected onto the screen ahead. That’s our cue to start cleaning up. As I stand at the tailgate bagging and boxing the leftovers, Cole stealthily sneaks up behind me, brushes the hair off my shoulder, and places a sweet kiss there. His hand gently traces the curve of my waist and he whispers, “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

  He backs away and continues tidying up, leaving me standing there, wanting more. Needing more.

  The portable table and chairs are gone, packed away safely and securely. Cole calls to me from the cab of the truck, “Hey, Kenny. Check those tickets. What channel am I supposed to tune the radio?”

  I flip over the tickets, scan it quickly and locate the simulcast station. “Ninety point five,” I call back. He tunes in the correct station, slides open the back window, and now we’re able to watch the trailers and hear them, too.

  Cole takes advantage of his six-foot-four frame to effortlessly lean over into the bed of the truck, gather, and arrange all the pillows. He’s not pleased until he has wrangled every last one into a big pile right under the back window. Clearly pleased with his accomplishment, he turns to me and asks, “Well, what do you think?”

  “It looks amazing,” I tell him honestly. “There’s only one problem.”

  He tilts his head to the side. “Problem?”

  “Yeah, I’m in a dress. How am I supposed to climb up there without looking like a raccoon trying to climb a tree?”

  “Oh, that’s what you’re worried about?”

  Cole walks swiftly towards me, places his big hands on my waist and easily lifts me as I hold onto his arms. He places me gently onto the tailgate of the truck, leaving my legs dangling over the side. He stands stock still for a moment, unsure of his next move.

  I, however, am quite confident in my next move. I quickly glide my hands across his chest, grab a hold of his shirt, and pull him closer while spreading my legs just enough to create room for him. I press my lips against his and move my hands to the back of his neck. My fingers weave through his hair, pulling, twisting, and turning the soft delicate strands.

  I release a slight groan of satisfaction and he deepens our kiss. This man is no stranger to me, and my body recognizes his, reacting voraciously to his touch. Hunger takes over, and I greedily open my mouth to let him in. His tongue finds mine and we explore each other. I gently bite his bottom lip as he wraps his arms around me, pulling me even closer. I can feel our bodies pressing tightly against one another. Feelings long forgotten and purposefully suppressed come raging back.

  Pressing my hands against his chest, I can feel his heart racing, just like mine. I need a moment to catch my breath, so I push just hard enough to get his attention. We break apart. Cole backs up infinitesimally and looks at me with a wide smile, rewarding me with that dimple that I never seem to get enough of.

  “You have no idea what you do to me, Kenny. No idea.” He shakes his head, trying to clear his mind.

  “Oh, I think I have an idea, Stretch.”

  I scoot to the side, giving Cole enough room to climb up with me. He stands up and offers me a hand, which I gladly take. With one tender tug, I find myself standing up beside him. He leans down and plants another sweet kiss on my lips before turning his attention to our nest.

  He crawls across the air mattress and positions the pillows behind him so that they cushion him from the solid metal truck body. I join him and find an incredibly comfy spot right next to him. I breathe in his scent. He smells heavenly, my favorite fragrance in the entire world.

  As the movie begins, I chance a glance up at the night sky, so vast and open with a thousand points of light sparking in the darkness. He reaches over and takes my hand into his, weaving our fingers together. My small hand fits perfectly in his, as if they were made for each other. I think he notices it too, because I catch him occasionally glancing down at our connection and grinning.

  Cole and I cuddle under the stars and from time to time, one of us steals a kiss from the other. But is it really stealing if it’s freely given? He makes me feel like a teenager again. Ev
erything is so new and unfamiliar.

  I love the way he plays with my hair. Sometimes he sweeps it off my shoulder and trails butterfly kisses across my shoulder and beneath my ear. Other times, he just wraps it around his wrist and caresses the silky locks.

  The best part about being here, under the stars, is that we can canoodle and talk during the movie without anyone shushing us.

  As the first movie draws to an end, we decide it’s time to stretch our legs and make a mandatory trip to the restroom. I think a few people recognize Cole as we walk through the concession stand, but no one says a word. But then again, it’s entirely possible that when you’re six foot four, blonde, and unfathomably handsome, heads are going to turn.

  We return just in time for the second film, “Maximum Ride”.

  Cole helps me climb back into the truck bed as he fumbles around for the cheesecake. “More wine?” he asks.

  “Yes, please.”

  He walks back to the tailgate, fills two glasses with more wine, grabs the cheesecake, and nimbly crawls back to join me. “Comfortable?” he asks.

  “Actually, I’m starting to get a little chilly,” I admit. There is a cool breeze in the air and no more sun to warm my skin.

  “Ha, I have just the thing,” he smirks. He reaches through the window and into the cab of the truck and pulls out a soft fleece blanket that he tosses over our laps. “How’s that?”

  “Perfect,” I tell him, mostly because it is. “Where did you have that hiding?”

  “Behind the seat with the folding chairs. Did I mention I was once a Boy Scout? I’m always prepared.” Cole slides his legs beneath mine and I cannot resist running my bare foot up and down his leg. I love the way his muscles tighten beneath my touch.

  I hold out my hand and demand, “Cake. Now.”

  Cole hands me the fork and holds the cake, still sitting in the Styrofoam container. “First bite is all yours, babe.” The cake is every bit as delicious as I had built it up in my mind to be. Juliette has a reputation for making the best cheesecake at the shore, and she did not disappoint. It’s light and airy with the right amount of rich, creamy goodness. I hand Cole the fork, “You have to try this.”