Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Star
Unloading groceries shouldn’t have felt like a test.
But somehow, it did.
I carried the lighter bags even though Cole had given me the look, the one that said he was trying not to hover while absolutely hovering. I ignored it on principle. I wasn’t fragile glass. I was just… still recovering. Those were different things.
I set the bread on the counter, then the hamburger buns, lining things up without thinking about it. Order calmed me. It always had. My mom liked to joke that I organized when I couldn’t control anything else.
I reached for another bag and felt it then, a brief dip. Not dizziness exactly. More like my body reminding me that it still had opinions.
I leaned my hip against the counter and waited it out.
Cole didn’t say a word.
He just slid in beside me and took the bag out of my hands like it was nothing. Like it had always been the plan.
“Hey,” I said. “I had that.”
“I know,” he said easily. “You also had the cart, the Oreos, and a container of blueberries that is now in the garbage at the store.”
I snorted despite myself. “Those blueberries weren’t any good anyway.”
“Sure, babe. Just sit down and let me finish this.”
“You don’t know where anything goes,” I pointed out.
He chuckled and grabbed the loaf of bread. “I can figure it out.”
I smiled, but something in his eyes stayed serious. Watchful.
Mom wasn’t home yet, which meant it was just Cole and me.
“Fine, fine,” I muttered. I hopped up on one of the stools at the island and spun once, then twice, until the faint pressure behind my eyes reminded me not to push it.
I stopped.
“You okay?” he asked, casual but not careless.
“I’m fine,” I said. “Just… tired.”
He didn’t argue. He just grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and set it in front of me.
Subtle bastard.
“Drink,” he grunted.
I took a drink.
Cole’s phone buzzed.
Once.
He ignored it.
It buzzed again.
Something in his posture changed. Not dramatically. Just enough that my stomach tightened.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, already moving down the hallway.
I watched him go, every instinct in me suddenly sharp.
I didn’t follow him. I wasn’t that girl. But I also wasn’t oblivious.
I listened.
His voice was low, clipped. I couldn’t hear words, just the tone. Controlled. Focused. The kind of voice that didn’t match the vibe we had going between us.
I traced my fingers over my lips and sighed, thinking about our kiss. God, that had been a good kiss. Not that I doubted kissing Cole would suck, but it exceeded all expectations.
When he came back, his face was calm. Too calm.
I met his eyes. “You good?”
“Yeah.”
I waited.
He leaned back against the counter across from me, arms crossed loosely, like he was deciding how much truth I could handle.
“Got a lead on the guys who jumped you,” he said.
My breath hitched before I could stop it. “Really?”
He didn’t dodge the question. I appreciated that. “Pretty sure they work for the pipeline. Mason asked around, and four guys who work on a crew there match the guys who hurt you,” he said.
Cold slid down my spine. “They’re still around?” I asked.
“From what Mason can gather, though he hasn’t seen them. Wrecker wants a group of us to head up there and find them.”
I studied him. “You’re sure?”
He nodded. “Yeah, babe. I told you we would find them.”
“Shouldn’t you tell the police?”
“So they can fuck it up, and the guys run?” he shook his head. “We’ll handle them.”
That should’ve been reassuring. And it was. Mostly. “Aren’t you going to get into trouble?” I asked.
“Only if we get caught.”
“Are you leaving now?” I asked quietly.
Something flickered across his face, surprise, maybe. Or realization. “No,” he said immediately. “I’m staying here. Wrecker and the guys can find them. They’ll let me know when they get them, and I’ll roll out. I’m here with you until then.”
“This shouldn’t be your guys’ responsibility. What if something bad happens?” I asked.
Cole’s eyes connected with mine. He stepped closer. Not crowding me. Just there. “Something bad already happened, Star. The Fallen Lords are going to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“And what happens after you get them?” It had been a question in the back of my mind. Cole said he was here now while there was danger out there, but what happened after?
“Life goes back to normal.”
“But…” I started. “Us?”
A smile spread across his lips. “Pretty sure there was going to be an us, whether or not those assholes jumped you.”
“Did I impress you when I pinned that guy to the ground?” I laughed.
He shrugged. “Let’s just say you caught my eye before then, babe.”
That was the moment something shifted.
Not fireworks. Not declarations. Just the quiet certainty that he wasn’t here because he had to be.
He was here because he wanted to be.
I swallowed. “You don’t even know how long this could last.”
“I don’t care.”
I laughed softly, shaking my head. “That’s crazy.”
“Probably,” he agreed. “Still not leaving, though.”
I slid off the stool and stood in front of him, close enough to feel his warmth. My hands slid up his chest, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt, and I kissed him.
This one wasn’t tentative.
The kind of kiss that said I know what I want and I’m not afraid of it anymore.
He made a low sound in the back of his throat and kissed me back like he’d been waiting for permission.
His hands framed my face, thumbs brushing my jaw as he deepened it just enough to steal my breath without taking too much.
It wasn’t rushed. It was steady and warm.
I leaned into him like my body already knew where it belonged.
When we finally pulled apart, we were both breathing a little harder.
He rested his forehead against mine. “You okay?”
I smiled, even as my head swam a little. “I might feel a tiny bit dizzy,” I said lightly. “But nothing another kiss won’t fix.”
His mouth curved. “Yeah?”
He kissed me again, shorter this time, sweeter, but no less intense. Like reassurance wrapped in heat.
He pulled back just enough to look at me. “Better?”
“For now,” I said. “Might need more kisses later if it happens again.”
A corner of his mouth lifted. “I’m here to serve.”
I laughed and pushed at his chest, just enough to make him take a step back. “Finish putting the groceries away before the ice cream melts, handsome.”
He shook his head, smiling, and turned back to the groceries.
I stayed where I was for a second longer and thought this might not at all be how I thought my summer was going to be, but damn if it wasn’t better.