For maybe six weeks of winter, the weather in Austin is cold enough to demand a coat, and during about ten weeks of summer, it’s too hot to want to do anything outside. The rest of the year, however, it’s beautiful and sunny almost every day. But Cole was right, today was especially lovely. I stole excited little glances at his handsome profile as we walked down Congress Avenue. Perhaps it was just the company.

I’d be happy to walk through falling snow, an earthquake, or even a meteor shower, as long as Cole was by my side. I wasn’t going to admit to him, or to Emma, but I had it bad. This was almost worse than when I was a teenager, because now it really seemed like he wanted me back. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The second the thought crossed my mind, Cole asked, “Want some new shoes?” making me momentarily concerned that he could actually read my thoughts. Instead, Cole was just pointing jokingly in the direction of a trendy shop that had an impressively hideous selection of bowling shoes in the window. It was only an artistic display and not what they actually sold inside—I’d been in there before, they actually had some great stuff. I looked down at his shoes, which were honestly not much better than the bowling shoes in the window.

“Will you throw away those hideous Converse sneakers if I can find something you like better?” I asked. I meant it teasingly, but there was some hopefulness mixed in.

Cole looked down at his shoes as if surprised to find them attached to his person. “My shoes? Chucks? Are they ugly?” My face must have told him the answer, because he nodded with more enthusiasm than I expected. “Ok,” he said. “You don’t like my clothes? Dress me up.” He held his arms wide. “Fashion is your thing right? Give me a Kate Williams makeover.”

“Oh. My. God. Really?!” I couldn’t believe this was happening. This was officially the best day ever.

Cole flashed his smile at me again. “Really.” He took in my excitement with an expression that looked only the slightest bit afraid, but he’d asked me. It would be bad form to back out now. I quivered with excitement when he grabbed me by the hand to lead me into the store. I tried not to look crazy or squeal with glee. In reality, there are few things I like more than playing dress-up, and now I was going to get to play dress-up with Cole? And he was holding my hand? I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven.

“Don’t be scared,” I told him as we walked the aisles, “I won’t put you in a dress or anything.”

“I’m not scared.”

“You look a little bit scared,” I teased.

“A little bit,” he admitted. “To be honest, I was holding an ace when I made that suggestion though. I don’t think you’re going to find a single thing in this store that will fit me besides shoes, ties, and cufflinks.” Cole’s smile was smug and confident, like always. He flicked through a rack of flannel shirts. “This stuff looks like it was made for elves. I usually have to get extra extra length on everything. One of the many, many reasons I don’t like shopping.”

Ward had stopped letting me buy clothes for him long ago, well before puberty, and most of them men I knew weren’t exactly either lining up for me to style them or as tall as Cole. I turned him around and held one of the shirts to his back for reference. He complied with my manhandling like a pro, letting me manipulate his arms this way and that as if he was a gigantic doll. I frowned. He was right. There was no chance.

“Aww this is no fun,” I griped, putting the shirt back down. “You’re going to be as hard to find clothes for as me.”

That got me a raised eyebrow. “You?”

I blinked at him. “Well yeah. I mean, look at me. I’m a giant.” I’d come to terms with my unusual height long ago, and some men did genuinely like it, but most of the time it sucked. Most of the time I didn’t mind standing out, but sometimes I felt like Big Bird in a world full of swans.

He shook his head at me. “If you’re a giant, what does that make me?”

I rolled my eyes and turned away, embarrassed. “A man. Men are supposed to be tall.”

“You’re not a giant,” Cole told me seriously. He put both hands on my shoulders “You’re gorgeous, and you know it.”

He was only inches from me, and just breathing his air felt unreal.

“Why are you being like this?” I asked. My voice sounded frightened, even in my own ears.

“What do you mean?” he asked, still gripping my shoulders.

I pulled out of his grasp, backing away, and looking anywhere but at him. I wasn’t even sure if I knew how to put an answer into words. Not any answer I wanted him to hear, that is. I turned around, suddenly not sure if I wanted to run away or stay and risk something to gain something even better.

“Kate?” His sexy low voice was soft but urgent. I couldn’t very well resist a voice like that. I never could. Steeling myself for honesty, I turned back around.

“Cole, do you like me?” I asked.

He looked me straight in the eye and his answer was confident. “Yes.” The smile he aimed at me a second later was pure sex.

I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. “You know I’ve always liked you,” I told him, the words coming more easily from me now that he’d opened the door. “Ever since you showed up with those damn daisies after the, um, glitter incident. You let me think that you liked me back when we were in college, but you were just being polite because I was Ward’s little sister. I get that. I do. Really. It took a while for me to come to terms with it, but I just don’t want to misread this situation.”

Cole looked like he was fighting some sort of battle with himself. “You aren’t misreading anything right now. I like you.”

I should have been happy. This was what I’d wanted. I’d fantasized about this exact moment—when Cole told me he wanted me—in emotional, visceral, photo-realistic detail for years. But even though my heart was pounding, my face felt flushed, and I was vaguely out of my body, it wasn’t with joy; it was with fear.

Terror, actually. I was terrified. Even though I was holding the prize I’d dreamt of in the palm of my hand, all I could do was marvel at how fragile it was. Most of my friends think that because I’m extroverted, I must also be brave. I’m not. That isn’t how it works at all. I’m a great big coward when it comes down to it.

“Kate. You aren’t misreading anything. I like you a lot,” Cole repeated, more quietly this time. “Say something…maybe? Um… Kate?”

“I can’t do this,” I mumbled. “This is a bad idea.”

I turned to run away, but Cole was faster. Whether he was using his crazy football skills, or I was just distracted by my own emotional state wasn’t clear, but he was suddenly in front of me. For all I knew, he teleported. But there he was.

“No running,” he told me seriously, “I’ve been trained for decades to try and catch you.” Cole pulled me against his chest in a heartbeat, tipped my chin up, and kissed me.

My body surrendered in an instant. My fearful heart and second-guessing mind might have opinions, but body only had needs. I kissed him back, savoring the soft press of his lips, and eagerly parting my own when his warm tongue sought entry. His hands buried in my hair, pulling me closer, and I went willingly, twining my arms around his hips. His hold on me was gentle, but still firm enough to promise passion in addition to affection. I could see myself spending lifetimes in his arms. I’ve had plenty of good kisses, and a couple of great ones, but until that moment I’d never had a perfect kiss. Cole gave me a perfect kiss.

It was just too much all at once. When we broke apart to share a breath and stare at one another in wonder and surprise—and there was enough surprise in his amber eyes to tell me that he hadn’t expected to do that either—the fear in me came flooding back.

“Kate?” Cole asked again, reading my face and maybe guessing that I was about to bolt.

“I’m really sorry. I gotta’ go,” I said, hanging my head and walking around him and out of the store without a backward glance.

Despite his teasing words, Cole didn’t pursue me. Perhaps my story about throat-punching had convinced him that it wasn’t a good idea. Perhaps he’d changed his mind after the kiss. Or—more likely—I just wasn’t worth the fight. Either way, he let me go and I went home in a dizzy blur. All the sleepless Googling, the shock and surprise, and that kiss had overwhelmed my senses. I was all out of energy. I collapsed on my bed and slept solid for almost eighteen hours.