Bet on Me Read Free

anticipation of his reaction.
    “Okay.” A defeated sigh came from the other end of the phone, making me snap my eyes open in shock.
    “Wait what ?”
    “You’re right. This is your life and if this is what it takes to make you happy then okay.”
    It wasn’t the response I expected, and neither did my mum by her sharp intake of breath.
    “Thank you. I’ll keep in contact as much as possible, although I have to go now. This is probably costing you a fortune anyway. I love you both.” I had no idea whether I’d spoken the truth, yet it sounded like a plausible excuse. I hung up the phone and dropped it into my bag. At least they were starting to accept it all.
    “Should I brace myself, or do you think we’ll get to the end of this journey in one piece?”
    I squealed and twisted in my seat to confront the deep, rich voice coming from beside me. I hadn’t even felt anyone sit down.
     

CHAPTER THREE
     
    Cole
     
    I watched the panic in her eyes extinguish and her hand lower from her chest. The action caused a citrusy scent to hit me. She’d spun quicker than I thought possible, her hand flying over her heart as if it was the only thing keeping the organ in her chest. And I kept my attention on her hand, not her pert breasts only covered by the flimsy, dirty pink top she wore … okay, I may have caught a glimpse.
    When I drew my gaze back to her face with a chuckle, she regarded me with suspicion. Her parted lips closed into a tight line and her wide eyes narrowed into slits.
    “So, do you think I’m going to be safe?” I pressed, when it became clear she wasn’t going to say anything.
    She closed her eyes and took a breath. I used it as an excuse to allow my focus to wander over her body again. She had deep red hair—dyed almost wine coloured—tied loosely into a messy bun. A few tendrils escaped the hair tie’s clutches and hung delicately around her olive-skinned, heart-shaped face to frame it. Her deep pink lips were full and matched the natural blush to her cheeks.
    Travelling lower, I studied her petite frame. She was small, almost pocket-sized, yet every item of clothing fit her perfectly. The dark, navy jeans hugged her thighs and tiny waist, while the loose-fitting top did nothing to hide her dainty figure.
    “If you stop gawping at my chest, I may let you survive.”
    I snapped my gaze back to hers with a sheepish expression at being caught, and what I saw knocked the breath from my lungs. From across the carriage her eyes appeared grey, though up close and in the sunlight they appeared almost artic blue with flecks of silver.
    I chuckled in relief at the teasing shining in them.
    “You also have some drool you may want to wipe away.” She pointed to the corner of my mouth, giving me a glimpse of her sky blue fingernails.
    “I don’t.” Now I knew she was messing with me.
    She shrugged and stared out of the window once more. “Suit yourself.”
    Quickly raising my hand to my mouth, I swiped my thumb across both corners. As it came back dry both times I frowned at the offending digit.
    “I thought you didn’t believe me.”
    Fuck. I didn’t think she was watching, but she challenged me with her eyebrow raised. The sunlight illuminated her hair in an auburn halo and her pouty lips curved up into a smirk.
    “You’re pretty, so I figured I’d better check.”
    She shook her head, peering up at me through her eyelashes. “Not going to work, Hazel.”
    “First of all, Hazel? And secondly, you can’t take a compliment?”
    “I can take a compliment, just not from random strangers on a train who decide to steal the seat next to me.”
    “Better me than him, right?” I tilted my head back over my shoulder to where a man with a bulging stomach and slicked back hair picked at his nose as he read the paper. Unshaven and unwashed, he’d made a beeline for the girl as soon as he stepped into the carriage. I’d acted on impulse when I moved across the seats to put a stop to his