Make You Mine (Book Two)

Confessions

"I didn't think you'd show," Cole said. He was pleasantly surprised, as he knew what he had asked for was risky.

"Neither did I," Wynona said, gracing him with a breathtaking smile.

He knew then and there that the risk was worth taking. She'd arrived in style, wearing a silk blouse and skinny jeans tucked into her knee-high boots. And while she professed only a modest interest in the effortlessly attractive boy before her, her clothing and makeup said otherwise.

Wynn and Cole were thoroughly smitten, though it was, in essence, forbidden. Caldwells and Galloways hated one another. It was innate. Instinctual.

With two notable exceptions...

The duo knew that they were playing with fire, but were more than willing to be burned if it meant they'd be consumed together. The decades old familial feud meant less than nothing where their feelings were concerned.

"I'm glad you came." Cole wrapped her in his warm embrace, enjoying the feel of her body so tightly held against his. "Shall we?"

"What exactly are we doing?" Wynn asked, her tone laced with worry. Meeting up so close to home had her on edge, even though it was the dead of night. Their typical rendezvous occurred in far off locales, well away from any prying eyes.

"Midnight fishing," he answered, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "Nobody will see us out there in the middle of Bellwood Lake. C'mon, I'll race you!"

"You're a cheater, Galloway!" Wynn bellowed after his retreating form. "There are two inch heels on my boots!"

"It's not my fault that you don't own any sensible shoes!" he shouted, not slowing his pace in the least.

"Did you just say sensible shoes?" she cackled as she gained on him. "What are you, eighty?"

He skidded to a stop, reversing course and hurtling toward her. She paused, finding his broad shoulders and wry grin to be an utter distraction. It was downright criminal to be so handsome...

"What're you—oh!" she cried when he reached her, swinging her into his muscular arms bridal-style.

"Could an eighty-year-old do this?" he asked before planting a lingering kiss on her full lips.

Wynn clasped her arms around his neck, drawing herself closer. "Maybe if he's motivated enough." She smiled slyly as he laughed her favorite laugh, making his way toward the rowboat at the edge of the lake.

This. It was all she needed.

To hell with the longstanding grudge.

The affection and ease they shared was uncomplicated—more real than anything else in her life, and she wanted it, no matter the cost.

He reached the lapping water, trudging headlong into the mellow tide and placing her into the boat.

"What service," she said as he waded the boat out into the quiet waves. In one deft motion, he leapt into the other end of the boat.

"Couldn't have you ruining your impractical shoes," he said, winking as he began rowing to deeper water. "You look beautiful, by the way."

Her heart melted. She would never be worthy of his affections.

...

"Are you brave enough to bait your own hook?" Cole asked, skeptical of her angling skills.

"Please. Watch and learn." Wynn took the pole, expertly attaching the worm to the hook. "Done! Now gimme yours."

"You don't think I'm man enough to handle it?"

"I'm just earning my keep," she said, gesturing toward the boat filled with various foods, drinks and blankets. "You really outdid yourself tonight, Galloway. Like you always do."

"Anything for you, Nono," he said quietly as she rose to her feet. She cast the line into the water beneath the silvery moonlight, radiating confidence. It was one of his favorite things about her.

"I got one!" she shrieked, the end of the pole curving forcibly toward the water. "What do I do?"

He couldn't help himself. He laughed, watching her squeal as she reeled the line in. "Aren't you a skilled fisherman?"

"No! I just wanted to impress you!" she said as the fish cleared the edge of the boat. "Oh! Oh, no!"

"Here," Cole said, coming to her aid and grasping the line. Reaching for the squirming fish, it took him two tries to get a hold of it. "Got it! Now you hold it while I pull the hook."

"Ew!" She held it at arm's length as he worked the hook out of its mouth. The face she made was making it difficult to focus, a cross between panic and disgust, causing him to snicker.

"There! I got it. Now let'em go."

She knelt, holding the wriggling fish just above the water. It freed itself from her hands, swimming quickly to the safety of the deep. "Oh... oh my gosh..."

"You did great!" he said, handing her a towel.

"I've never done that before. Probably shouldn't do it again, either. That poor fish is gonna have nightmares about me."

"Nah, it'd be lucky to dream about you. I like dreaming about you, too," he said smoothly, bringing a smile to her lips.

After an hour of fruitless fishing he moved beside her, draping a blanket over their shoulders and laps as they reclined in the bow of the boat.

They laid side by side, arms and legs entangled as they watched the stars above. The vessel rocked gently in the subtle waves, easing them ever closer to peace.

"Cole." Wynn glanced up at his angular face, waging an internal battle.

He ran his fingers through the length of her thick, dark hair, his eyes meeting hers. "What is it?"

She watched him intently, willing herself not to say it. She shouldn't. But then the corner of his lips tipped upward, and she lost all self-control. "I... I love you," she whispered as a singular tear fell from her eyes. What she felt in that moment was too strong, too real to deny.

"Do you mean that?" he asked, wiping the tear away with his thumb.

She nodded, and his heart nearly burst.

"Baby," he said. "I love you, too." He grinned, smothering her face in kisses as she giggled. When his mouth captured hers, the intensity stole his breath away. Cole knew in that moment that he'd never felt so light in all his life.

"Can we make it official?" he asked when they came up for air, his forehead pressed to hers. "I know it would only be official to us, that nobody else could know, but..."

"Yes!" Wynn declared, her enthusiasm warming his soul.

One little word that would change everything.