Read Online Taming the Country Star: A Hometown Heroes Novella (Entangled Bliss) by Margo Bond Collins - Free Book Online Page A

saddle?” He gestured toward the horse.
    Cole held his arms out as if pushing the idea away. “No, no, no.” He laughed. “Don’t let the country music fool you. I’m a city boy. Anyway, these folks were here first.”
    Realizing that the crowd of people around him was growing, he turned to pull Kylie closer, tucking her into his side protectively as he snapped the picture and passed the camera back to the mother. A little girl, maybe ten or so, tugged on his shirt. “Could I have your autograph?” she asked, eyes wide.
    “Sure,” he said, accepting the pen she held out toward him. It took him a minute to figure out how to manage to sign the paper she gave him without letting go of Kylie, but he did it.
    After a few more autographs, he disentangled himself from the small crowd and led her down the street. “There. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
    “No. It wasn’t,” she said in a thoughtful tone. They walked a few more steps and she glanced back over her shoulder. “Did you plan that?”
    “No. But I’m glad it happened. I was hoping you would get a chance to see what it was like when the paparazzi aren’t around. When it’s only me and the fans.”
    Cole could see her pondering that—in fact, she was so deep in thought that she bumped into him when he turned toward a revolving door in the building next to them.
    “Wait,” she said, looking up at the glassed-in crosswalk above them. “Where are you taking me?”
    “To my hotel room,” Cole replied, taking her by both hands and walking backward with her into the lobby.
    Kylie tugged him to a stop, grinning. “Cole Grayson,” she said. “Is this a seduction?”
    “Absolutely.”
    She frowned, tiny lines appearing between her eyebrows, and the air seemed to solidify around them—he couldn’t move as he waited for her answer.
    It was only a moment, he was sure, but it felt like an eternity before she responded.
    Inhaling deeply and staring directly into his eyes, Kylie nodded. “Okay, then.” She bit her bottom lip, and her expression—both excited and anxious—skipped right past Cole’s brain and hit his chest, taking his breath away.
    He could watch her expressions forever.
    So this is what love feels like .
    Odd—he’d made a fortune writing and performing songs about love, but this was the first time he knew, without a doubt, that what he was feeling was forever.
    Nothing else matters .
    The tour, the record deals, the performances—none of it was as important as this woman, this moment.
    But he would find a way to have it all—and to give her the entire world, if that was what it took to keep her by his side.
    They stood together in that breathless, frozen moment, staring into each other’s eyes.
    “Let’s go,” Kylie said, and suddenly she was the one pulling him into the hotel.

Chapter Eight
    Kylie tried to ignore her trembling as she stepped into the elevator behind Cole. The Worthington was beautiful—she had only ever been inside the luxury hotel once, for a wedding reception. Cole seemed to take the luxury around him for granted, though, smiling at the staff but otherwise ignoring his surroundings.
    “Wait here,” he said when they stepped into his suite. Kylie took a seat on the small sofa in the living room area. She could hear Cole’s voice murmuring into the phone, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying. Nervously, she stood up and paced over to the window. She could see all of downtown, even the top of the building that housed Cowbelles.
    “Hey.” Cole slipped his arms around her waist from behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder.
    “Hi.” Kylie’s voice was soft and quiet.
    “You okay?” he asked.
    “I don’t know,” she said.
    “It’s only us here, you know.” A knock at the door interrupted him and he laughed. “Well. Us and room service.” He stepped away to answer.
    The waiter who brought in a bottle of champagne moved quickly and efficiently, nodding to acknowledge Kylie as he opened