The Bad Boy's Girl (Now Available as a Paperback and ebook)

Chapter Twenty-Four : You're A Twatwaffle

Before I can psyche myself into feigning a nasty bought of food poisoning, I rush to the shower. Once standing between the steady streams of hot water, it's easier to think of Cole's friends as human and not some sort of uber cool Russian mobsters. I mean Cole went to military school too and he's perfectly normal right?

Well normal isn't a word likely to be associated with him. He's extraordinary.

My point is that it is wrong to be presumptuous. I don't know what they'll be like so there's no need to be so terrified. Then again if they don't like me then that'll definitely not bode well for what Cole and I have finally managed to establish-a healthy drama free relationship. If Beth and Megan hadn't approved of him, I'd be having second thoughts about Cole too.

I dress simply but assertively, jeans and a cute billowing white top which I pair with an old pair of brown suede studded boots. It's a neutral look, not appearing as if I spent about an hour pacing the previous night trying to perfect the look.

Which I totally did.

Downstairs I find an odd picture in my kitchen. My father from what it looks like is trying to maintain a conversation with my brother and Cole. He and Travis avoid each other like a plague and make sure their timings never match. Which is why it is exceptionally weird seeing the three of them have breakfast like they've been poker playing buddies their entire lives.

Good to know, I'm not the only one affected by the magic of Cole Stone.

"Well I'll be damned. Who knew my daughter would actually be able to get up before noon." My father chuckles and I make a face at him. Traitor! We're all big on sleep in this family, so what if I happen to love it more than the rest of my bloodline.

"Told you I could do it, now pay up." Cole grins at my brother who grudgingly gets out a wad of dollars from his wallet and hands them to my soon to be dead boyfriend.

"You guys were betting on whether or not I'd get out of bed?" I narrow my eyes at the three of them sitting behind the kitchen island. It takes all of my cranky morning will to not pour the glass of OJ in my hand over each of their heads.

 "Honey you don't exactly have the best track record. Trying to wake you up early on a weekend is like poking a bear in hibernation. Remember the time your mother tried to get you up for the visit to your grandparents."

A booming laugh escapes Travis and despite the teasing, I feel warmth spread through me. Not only is this the first time dad has remembered mom fondly since she left, it's also the first time Travis and dad are actually acting normal around each other. If embarrassing me with sordid details of my sleep obsessed nature is the key to get them to get along then hey, come at me.

"You mean when she 'accidentally' set off the fire alarm in her room and you guys had to spend the rest of the day figuring out what was causing the beeping?" I bite my lip in humour at the memory. Those scented candles are more useful than most people assume. Just hide them in some discreet corner and you can get a peaceful amount of sleep while everyone else figures out the cause of something that might potentially burn your entire house down.  All whilst having a room that smells like peaches.

Hey, I was best friends with Nicole for a really long time.

I see Cole looking at me with a mixture of amusement and adoration in his eyes and it makes gargantuan butterflies burst in my stomach. Now that I'm looking at him, really looking at him, my mouth waters slightly. In my sleep induced hatred for all human beings, I somehow managed to overlook the fact that there's something different about him. Of course he always looks mind numbingly hot but today there's a kind of rugged, dangerous bad boy edge to him that wasn't there before. Whether it's the threadbare concert shirt, the dark washed jeans or the leather cuff on his wrist, Cole is emanating his dark and dangerous appeal today. Usually, he's rather subtle about the bad boy that he truly is especially since coming back. With me he's been the perfect gentleman save for the occasions when he does act like a complete condescending twat. I have caught glimpses of the pre-military school Cole, especially when Jay's around but for the most part today is the day his appearance stresses on who he really is.