Page 81 of Untamed Heart
Chaos reigned.
Jesse and Lil were with Cole in seconds as Kyle bellowed with rage.
Bailey pulled me away gently. ‘You okay, sugar?’ she asked, her words barely registering as she checked my arm. ‘He grabbed you pretty hard there.’
‘Stop them fighting, please!’ I shouted, watching as Leo pulled Kyle back as he yelled a string of obscenities. Jesse and Lil hung on to Cole, forcing him back.
‘Is this what you really want, you little bitch?’ Kyle yelled at me, a red welt growing on his cheek. ‘You know what, if he’s already had you, I don’t want to know. God knows what you’re riddled with now.’
‘Kyle, stop, you’re embarrassing yourself,’ Leo said, fighting him back until Kyle pushed him off. ‘It’s not dignified, mate. She’s moved on, just leave.’
Throwing Cole one last, hate-filled look, Kyle shrugged as though none of it mattered.
‘Good luck with her – she’s a manipulative little bitch and a fucking nobody, just like you,’ he spat. ‘I’ve had enough of this bullshit, this fucking trash town. You’re welcome to it, to her.’
Bailey hugged me tightly as he stalked off, the implications of this whole sorry episode dawning rapidly on me.
‘I’ll take it from here,’ Cole said, appearing on my left, letting me fall against him as the tears started.
‘I’m so sorry, Lottie, I just lost it,’ he said, tilting my face up to him. Aware of the others, all openly staring, I could only think to say one thing in reply.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ I whispered, holding his eyes in mine. ‘I love you too, Cole.’ I said it softly, watching as it registered, the anger and violence of the last few minutes dissipating into something else entirely. ‘You don’t have anything to prove to me. You’ve already done it.’
He held my face in his hands and slowly, leaning down, he kissed me. Gently at first and then more firmly, only breaking off when Bailey wolf-whistled.
‘Oh my God, that is the most fucking romantic thing I’ve ever seen,’ Ashley cried and as I looked over, Cole still holding me tight, she and Kendra were clutching each other, both with their hands over their mouths. ‘You guys are the cutest,’ she added.
‘Hold up, when did you both meet?’ Alix asked, bringing his phone over. ‘This is too good – were you on vacation here, Lottie?’
‘Umm . . . sort of,’ I replied, glancing at Cole for reassurance, not sure what was happening, but as long as it didn’t involve the guests running off and reporting what a disaster their trip had turned into, I didn’t care.
‘She came here to get away from that asshole, after he cheated on her,’ Cole said, pressing a kiss to my forehead, ‘and found herself a cowboy instead.’
‘Holy shit, that is one hell of a marketing strategy,’ Kendra breathed.
Suddenly overwhelmed with relief, I started laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. In a moment she was laughing too, then the others joined in.
‘Seriously though, this is an amazing story,’ Ashley said, eyes alight. ‘Can we include some of it in the content? I mean, not Kyle’s temper tantrum, but the whole finding your cowboy thing? My followers will beobsessed.’
I looked up at Cole, waiting before he nodded.
Leo walked over, hands up in apology.
‘Lottie, I’m so sorry I let him barge in on the trip, I can’t believe the way he just spoke to you. Look, I’ll make sure he gets on the plane home. I never would’ve said anything if I’d known this is what he’d be like.’
‘It’s okay,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘It’s not your fault. I just didn’t want this weekend to become about him, or us . . .’ I looked up at Cole, staring at me with such intensity that my stomach filled with butterflies.
‘Oh it’s all about you two,’ Alix said, grinning. ‘C’mon, let’s get some shots by the lake before the sun goes down. This place is stunning – look at how gorgeous the water is!’
The surface of the lake was still, a mirror reflecting the burnt coral sky, while the mountains watched over us from a distance.
Cole and I walked, hand in hand, down to the shore. The stillness was beautiful, utter calm after everything that’d just happened.
‘So what are the chances of getting you skinny dipping in there with me, huh?’ Cole asked, smiling at my reaction as he straightened and flexed his right hand, the beginnings of a bruise beginning to bloom across his knuckles.
‘I’m more of a hot springs kind of girl,’ I said, then as I considered his face, his smile at the sheer magnitude of what had just happened, I added, ‘But give me some time to get used to it and maybe I’ll change my mind.’
‘How long have I got?’ he asked, his fingers squeezing mine.
