Chapter 1
Colton Williams Jr. “Colt”
We were on tour with Wren fucking Parker.
My band was actually opening for someone big.
Like, really fucking big.
And so far?
We were loving every second of it.
Wren was cool as hell. Super sweet. Nothing like you’d expect from someone as famous as she was.
I also had my cousin Noah on tour with us.
Because somehow, Noah Kidd had ended up dating Wren Parker.
Still couldn’t believe that shit had happened.
I gave him hell about it every chance I got, but I loved that he’d found her.
They were a good match.
Weird as fuck.
But good.
Nico looked over at me from where he was stretched out across from me on the bus.
“What?” I asked.
He snickered. “Just can’t believe we’re doing this.”
I nodded, looking around the bus.
Our shit was everywhere.
Kale had his feet kicked up.
Caleb was messing around on his phone.
Nico looked like he’d made himself completely at home even though none of us had been doing this long enough to call any of it normal.
“Wicked, right?”
He grinned. “That it is.”
“Wren Parker too,” Caleb supplied.
“Right?” Kale said. “Of all the fucking people.”
I laughed. “Yeah. Weird how that worked out, huh?”
“Thank your cousin,” Nico said.
“Oh, I do.” I leaned back. “Every damn day.”
Nico snorted. “Bullshit. You give him shit every day.”
“That too.”
Caleb laughed.
My phone buzzed against my leg.
I pulled it out without thinking much about it.
Then I saw the name on the screen.
Rea.
And just like that, I wasn’t thinking about the tour anymore.
Weird she’d be texting.
I didn’t look at it.
Caleb looked up from his phone. “Reagan is going to come on tour with us.”
Shit.
I hadn’t seen Reagan since that Seven Minutes in Heaven game.
Since that closet.
Since my best friend’s little sister had grabbed my shirt and kissed me.
Fuck.
I could still remember it too.
Her back against the wall.
The way she’d looked up at me right before her fingers curled into my shirt.
And then she’d fucking kissed me.
I’d kissed her right back.
That was the problem.
It hadn’t been some stupid little game kiss either.
That was the problem.
I gulped and looked down.
I opened her message.
Rea: See you soon, Colt. It’s been a while.
No shit.
A long fucking while.
And apparently, the next time I saw the girl I’d kissed in a closet and then hadn’t seen since, she’d be climbing onto our tour bus.
Perfect.
Just fucking perfect.
“You good?” Kale asked.
“Yep.”
Nico’s eyes narrowed.
Fucker knew me too well.
“Why’d you say it like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like someone just threatened your life.”
I locked my phone and shoved it back into my pocket. “I’m fine.”
Caleb wasn’t even paying attention anymore.
Thank fuck.
Nico was, though.
Of course he fucking was.
His gaze dropped to my pocket and then came back to my face.
A slow smirk pulled at his mouth.
I pointed at him.
“Don’t.”
His smirk only grew.
“I didn’t say shit.”
“Keep it that way.”
Now Kale looked between us. “What the fuck did I miss?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly.
Nico laughed.
Caleb finally looked up. “What?”
“Nothing,” I repeated.
Because there was nothing.
Reagan was Caleb’s sister.
I’d known her forever.
We’d kissed during a stupid game.
That was it.
Didn’t matter that I could still remember exactly how she’d looked standing in front of me.
Didn’t matter that I’d wondered more than once what would’ve happened if we’d had longer in that closet.
And it sure as hell didn’t matter that she was about to spend God knew how long on tour with us.
My phone buzzed again.
I shouldn’t have looked.
I fucking looked.
Rea: You better not be pretending you didn’t see that.
I bit the inside of my cheek.
Same fucking Reagan.
I typed back before I could stop myself.
Colt: Was thinking about blocking you.
The dots appeared almost immediately.
Rea: Liar.
A smile tugged at my mouth.
“Holy shit,” Nico said.
I wiped it off instantly. “What?”
“That explains it.”
“Explains what?”
He leaned back, looking entirely too fucking pleased with himself.
“Nothing, Colt.”
Yeah.
I was going to kill him.
My phone buzzed again before I could even think about replying.
Rea: Just wanted to warn you I was coming.
I smirked.
Me: Shit. Can’t run away now.
I looked up.
Nico was watching me.
Before he could say anything, Blake walked in.
She was glaring at him.
Good.
His thoughts weren’t on me anymore.
Her hands went to her hips as she stopped in front of him.
“I swear to God, Nico Rhodes.”
He smirked. “What did I do now, Barbie?”
“Stop calling me that,” she growled.
These two.
“You two should just fuck,” Kale called out.
Blake whirled around. “First off, Bishop, shut the fuck up. Second, mind your own business.”
Kale held his hands up. “Whew. Glad you’re on his ass and not mine.”
I shook my head and turned back to my phone.
Rea had replied.
Rea: Nope.
That was all.
Nope.
I stared at the word longer than any sane person should stare at four fucking letters.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Nope, I couldn’t run?
Nope, she wasn’t giving me a choice?
Nope, she didn’t give a shit that we hadn’t seen each other since I’d kissed her in a closet?
I started typing.
Deleted it.
Typed something else.
Deleted that too.
Fuck this.
I locked my phone.
“You look constipated.”
I looked up at Kale. “Fuck off.”
He laughed.
Across from us, Blake was still going off on Nico about whatever the hell he’d done this time.
Nico didn’t look remotely sorry.
If anything, the asshole looked like he was enjoying it.
Caleb glanced at me. “Reagan text you?”
My entire body went still.
“Yeah.”
He nodded like that wasn’t the most dangerous fucking question he could’ve asked me.
“She excited?”
How the fuck would I know?
She’d sent me nope.
“Guess so.”
“Good.” He went right back to his phone. “She needs this.”
That caught me.
“What do you mean?”
Caleb shrugged. “Just think it’ll be good for her to get out for a while.”
I looked down at my phone again.
Rea.
Coming on tour.
Staying with us.
After that fucking kiss.
Yeah.
Maybe it’d be good for her.
I had a feeling it was going to be fucking torture for me.
Since I hadn't seen her in four years.
My mind drifted back to that damn game
“We are not playing Seven Minutes,” Caleb said.
I laughed.
Stupid game that we decided to play at seventeen.
Why?
I don’t know.
The group I hung out with were children.
I shook my head.
But of course we got roped into it.
Reagan stepped forward. “I am playing.”
“Absolutely fucking not,” her brother said.
Kale looked over at me and shook his head.
Nico leaned over. “He thinks he can control her?”
I shrugged. “Rea is going to do whatever she wants.”
Reagan was quiet, but she was strong-willed.
Always had been.
She just didn’t make a big show of it.
“I’m seventeen, Caleb.”
“I know how old you are.”
“Then stop acting like I’m twelve.”
“I’m not letting you go into a closet with some random asshole.”
Nico put a hand over his chest. “Random asshole?”
Caleb glared at him. “Especially fucking you.”
“Damn.”
Kale laughed.
I did too.
Reagan rolled her eyes and walked toward the rest of the group.
“I’m playing.”
Caleb groaned.
“Fine.”
He pointed around the room.
“But if one of you fuckers gets her name—”
“What?” Reagan snapped. “You’re going to stand outside the door?”
“Maybe.”
“You’re insane.”
She turned away from him.
Caleb looked at me.
“You.”
“What?”
“At least you’re not a fucking idiot.”
Nico gasped beside me.
“Wow.”
I laughed. “What do you want?”
Caleb glanced toward Reagan.
“Just don’t fucking touch my sister.”
I stared at him.
“Why the hell would I touch your sister?”
That was a lie.
I’d noticed Reagan.
Of course I fucking had.
She was pretty.
Quiet.
Sweet.
And every once in a while she’d look at me a little too long before quickly looking away.
I’d noticed that too.
I just hadn’t done anything about it.
Because Caleb was my friend.
And she was his little sister.
“Promise?” he asked.
I laughed.
“Yeah, man. I promise.”
Famous fucking last words.
Because ten minutes later, I unfolded the little piece of paper in my hand.
Reagan.
Fuck.
I looked up.
She was already staring at me.
Her cheeks turned pink.
Nico leaned over my shoulder.
“Oh, shit.”
I elbowed him.
“Shut the fuck up.”
Caleb looked over.
“Who’d you get?”
I crumpled the paper in my fist.
“Nobody.”
“That’s not how the game works, dumbass.”
Then Reagan stood.
And Caleb saw the paper in her hand.
Saw her looking at me.
“No.”
I started laughing.
“I didn’t fucking do it.”
“Switch.”
Reagan’s eyes narrowed.
“I’m not switching.”
“Rea.”
“Caleb.”
Nico was fucking dying beside me.
“It’s seven minutes,” Reagan said.
Caleb pointed at me.
“You said you wouldn’t do anything.”
“I’m not going to do anything.”
Reagan’s eyes met mine.
Something flickered there.
Something I didn’t understand until about thirty seconds later.
The closet door shut behind us.
Darkness.
Seven fucking minutes.
Reagan stood across from me, twisting her fingers together.
There was the shy girl I knew.
“You okay?”
“Yep.”
“We don’t have to do anything.”
“I know.”
Silence.
I leaned back against the wall.
“We can literally stand here for seven minutes.”
“Colt?”
“Yeah?”
She stepped toward me.
I barely had time to straighten before her fingers curled into the front of my shirt.
And she kissed me.
Fuck.
For maybe half a second, I didn’t move.
Pure shock.
Then I kissed her back.
My hand found her waist.
Hers tightened in my shirt.
And suddenly seven minutes didn’t seem like nearly enough fucking time.
When we finally pulled apart, both of us were breathing harder.
I stared down at her.
“Rea.”
Her eyes widened like she couldn’t believe she’d actually done it.
“Don’t tell Caleb.”
I laughed softly.
“That’s what you’re worried about?”
“Colt.”
“I’m not telling him.”
Voices sounded outside the door.
Our time was almost up.
Reagan stepped away from me and smoothed her shirt.
I ran a hand through my hair.
She looked at me one more time.
“We act normal.”
“You just kissed me for almost seven minutes.”
Her cheeks went red.
“Shut up.”
I grinned.
Then the door opened.
Caleb was right fucking there.
His eyes went from Reagan to me.
“Everything good?”
Reagan slipped past him.
“Yep.”
Caleb looked at me.
“You didn’t do anything?”
I glanced toward Reagan.
She looked back at me.
“Told you I wouldn’t.”
Technically?
I hadn’t.
She had.
