CHAPTER 6
Cole
It’s her.
Quinn.
I knew the moment she looked up at me with those stunning hazel eyes, she was the same girl I served drinks to all those years ago.
How could I forget a face like that?
Everything about her had me captivated. But her eyes?
I got lost in them. Even if it was just for a moment, they had this way of staying with me, like they were meant to.
I should’ve told her the truth—that I’d seen her before, six years ago, during one of my last shifts here before I turned to carpentry full-time.
But I didn’t want to be that guy. The creep who still remembers the pretty girl he served once.
She probably wouldn’t have believed me anyway, but I remember that night like it happened yesterday.
It was a double shift. I was wiped out and ready to clock off when she made her way to the front of the line.
She ordered one vodka lime soda and one vodka apple—even said please—and then rummaged through her purse.
Her voice scattered my thoughts, and I messed up the order. She didn’t complain, of course. Just smiled softly and told me not to worry. When I finally handed over the right drinks, she looked up and met my gaze, knocking the breath right out of me.
I was about to say something. Anything.
Then she paid.
And right as I opened my mouth again, a guy came up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist. The look that passed over her face was something I couldn’t forget if I tried. Then she turned away and smiled at him.
One I wished had been meant for me.
Sliding in next to her now, I try not to lean too close. The booth is barely a two-seater, and the soft curve of her thigh brushes against mine, sending a quiet jolt through me. The space suddenly feels warmer, as if the air itself has thickened between us.
“One whiskey on the rocks, one margarita, six tequila shots,” I announce, placing the tray on the table. I hand Sophie hers and Chad snatches his drink like he’s afraid it’ll vanish.
“Thanks, Cole. This is the best cocktail I’ve ever had.” Sophie hums in approval.
I glance over just in time to catch Chad rolling his eyes, but I ignore him and sip my beer instead. He’s always trying to act like Markus but without any of the drive or substance.
“It’s our signature one,” I say, smiling across at Sophie.
“Yeah, thanks, man,” Chad mutters before taking a sip of his whiskey and, to my amusement, subtly cringing.
Silence stretches between us and I can already see the snark forming behind his eyes, but before he can spit it out, Sophie jumps in.
“I know! Let’s play a game,” she announces, slipping out from under Chad’s arm. “How about truth or dare?” She shoots a mischievous look at Quinn.
“Ugh, as long as you don’t play dirty this time. I don’t think I could survive a repeat of last time.” Quinn laughs, shaking her head.
“I’ll play if Cole plays.” Chad smirks at me.
“If he’s playing, I’m in,” I reply, then glance at Quinn. “So… how does it work?”
Quinn takes a breath, then explains. “It’s like regular truth or dare, but if you refuse or fail, you take a shot. Soph, you start. You’re the best at this.”
She grins. “All right. Quinn. Truth or dare?”
Quinn takes a sip of her margarita and shoots her friend a challenging look. “Dare.”
“Hmmm.” Sophie pauses for a moment, her fingers tracing the rim of her glass before she looks up with a teasing smile. “I dare you to message the first person in your phone under the letter A and ask them to send you a pizza.”
Quinn slips her phone from her bag hesitates, her thumbs hovering over the screen, then slowly types out a message before turning the phone to show us she’d texted a girl named Ashley asking for a large ham, cheese, and pineapple pizza.
Nodding, she turns to me, pink rising in her cheeks. “Cole, your turn.”
“Yeah,” Sophie agrees, flicking her eyes subtly toward Quinn. “Your go.”
I glance at her, trying to come up with something that won’t totally embarrass me.
If I’d known we’d be playing, I would’ve memorised a few questions.
I’ve always been hopeless at this kind of thing.
Eventually, I blurt the first thing that comes to mind, not wanting to leave the group hanging in awkward silence.
“Quinn, would you rather find true love or win the lottery?”
I immediately regret it. I didn’t have time to come up with anything better and now I’m holding my breath, waiting.
She shrugs and takes a sip of her marg. “Since I don’t know if true love exists… I’d pick the lottery. At least I can be alone and happy on a private island.”
A strange pinch settles behind my ribs. So she’s not into commitment. I shouldn’t be surprised after she told me about her ex, but I still have to work to keep the disappointment off my face.
“I’ll be joining you.” Sophie laughs.
“Me too, babe,” Chad adds, leaning into her. She shifts away, but he doesn’t notice because he’s too busy checking the glint of his overpriced watch.
“No boys allowed,” Sophie shoots back.
“Lucky I’m a man.” Chad winks.
Sophie rolls her eyes. “You’re next. Open your browser and show us your last Google search.”
He pulls out his phone and hands it to Sophie, but not before clicking and swiping away. She turns it around to show us her Instagram is lighting up his phone screen.
“I told you I missed you, gorgeous.” He pulls her closer to him, but I’m stuck trying to figure out how he managed to pull that off at all. He’s probably used to girls demanding to see his search history. Knowing him, he probably clears it daily.
Sophie rolls her eyes and hands him his phone. “Okay, Chad, it’s your turn,” she says, sending Quinn a look that appears to be an apology.
As expected, he turns to Quinn, wearing that signature smirk of his. The one that always gets under my skin. “Truth or Dare.”
Quinn doesn’t hesitate. “Truth,” she replies, taking a long sip of her cocktail and finishing it in one go.
“Who would you rather sleep with, me or Cole?” Chad asks.
Fuck. Of course he’d go there.
Quinn doesn’t answer. She picks at her thumb, avoiding eye contact, then reaches for a tequila shot and downs it quickly.
My eyes stay on her lips as she bites into the lemon wedge.
She holds it there without flinching, but I can’t stop watching the way her mouth curves around it.
My chest tightens with want and something deeper I can’t name.
When I sneak glances at her, I notice how she smiles from time to time, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. I wonder if her ex is on her mind, then shake the thought away. Not my business.
We keep playing. A few more truths. A couple of dares. I’ve switched from my beer to a Long Island and am drinking more than I planned to tonight. Before I know it, I’m being called on again.
“Truth or dare?” Sophie asks.
“Dare,” I say, hoping and praying someone will give me an excuse to get closer to Quinn. Having her within reach but not an ounce of her attention is killing me. Maybe she’s not into me. And if that’s the case, I’m not going to be like Chad and force something that isn’t there.
Sophie smirks. “Next time someone fails their question and they have to do a shot, you have to hold their lemon wedge in your mouth.”
“Okay, yeah,” I reply, not knowing where she’s going with this but praying I don’t end up mouth-to-mouth with Chad.
Chad turns to Sophie. “Truth or dare, baby girl?”
“Dare,” she says.
“I dare you to give me a kiss on the cheek.”
“Fine.” She sighs and leans in to kiss him, but at the last second, Chad turns his head and she ends up kissing him on the lips.
“That old trick?” she mutters, looking unimpressed. “You’re such a flirt.”
I glare, and he looks smug as hell.
“Hey, it worked last time.” He shrugs, and Sophie eyes the few remaining shots like she’d take them all to erase that memory. “My turn again.” Classic Chad, playing by his own set of rules. “Truth or dare, Cole?”
“Tru—”
“When was the last time you had sex?”
I pause. There is no way I’m about to admit that it’s been over a year. And I don’t want to encourage Chad’s behaviour. I’m about fed up with his shit.
I wish his ego weren’t as big as his bank account.
But before I can take the shot, Sophie’s eyes light up. “Wait, Cole couldn’t complete his dare. Someone else has to.” She turns to her friend. “Quinn, you’re up.”
I’m momentarily confused, but then it hits me. Sophie just gave me exactly what I wanted: a chance to be a little closer to Quinn. I hope she doesn’t mind following through with this dare. I don’t want her to feel obligated to play along.
I expect Quinn to push back on the sudden rule change, but she doesn’t. When I glance at her, she’s already inched closer. Her thumb presses to her bottom lip, cheeks flushing pink, and just like that, all rational thought vanishes.
I pick up the lemon wedge and gently place my hand beneath her chin, tilting her face toward mine.
Our eyes lock, and she holds my gaze steady.
We’re so close that I can count the tiny freckles dotting her cheeks.
I slip the lemon between her lips, and she closes them around it.
Her cheeks are flushed, and I have to fight the urge to brush my thumb across them.
I down the shot, not even feeling the burn because I’m too distracted by how pretty her hazel are this close.
I lean in slowly and deliberately, letting my lips graze hers as I take the lemon from her mouth.
The moment lasts a second too long, maybe two, but I can’t bring myself to break it.
In this instant, everything else fades away.
When I finally pull back, her eyes are still locked on mine, and suddenly, the whole room feels quieter. My gaze flicks to her.