The Risks We Take Duet Box Set

3. Carys

CARYS

“ H oly hell. That was insane .” My entire body is alive with excitement as we finish our set and move into the hall behind the makeshift stage.

“Heads up,” Jack calls to me as he tosses a bottle of water my way.

A bottle I watch sail past my head in slow-mo.

I was never the athlete in the family.

“Talk about an adrenaline high. I mean, I’ve sung in front of a crowd before, but that... That was intense.”

Theo wraps his sweaty arms around me and drags me in close. “Carys, that was crazy. You were amazing.” He plants a sloppy kiss on my cheek before he lets go. “You were good in practice, but that... that was unreal.”

“Thanks.” I step back as I wipe my damp face. There was never any real chemistry between Theo and me. It was a onetime thing after a few too many beers when I was trying to convince myself I’d made the right decision in moving across the country. It was fun... Enough.

Not necessarily a mistake.

But not my shining moment either.

I’ve definitely gotten the feeling that Jack was disappointed to not have joined us that night, but there was no way that was happening, and he’s never pushed it since.

Jack slings his arm around my shoulders. “Come on. We need to celebrate that performance.” He looks back at Theo and Lucas. “I think we’ve found our sound.”

I don’t correct him, but as much fun as that was, I don’t know if I want to do it again. Singing for fun is one thing. But these guys want to get picked up by a label, and that’s not something I’m looking for.

The four of us break down the equipment and pack it up for the night before we walk out into the main bar and spot Em in the crowd. She’s standing at the bar, laughing at something the guy on her right just said, and although he looks familiar, it’s the guy on her left who has my every nerve ending firing like the Fourth of July.

It takes a second before my brain catches up to my heart.

But there he is.

The man I followed across the country.

Even if he’ll never know it.

The man I’ve been in love with since I was fifteen years old.

A fact I’ll never tell him .

The clueless man who’ll never look at me as anything more than his best friend’s little sister or, lucky me , his somewhat newly minted stepsister. Even if it’s been three years since his dad married my mom, it still seems brand new when I look at him, and my traitorous heart skips a beat.

“Oh my God. Coop?” I take a tentative step forward, then stop, hesitating, my eyes locked on Cooper Sinclair. It’s been almost a year since the last time we saw each other.

Since the last time our entire family was together.

There’s no hesitation in Cooper’s movement when he closes the distance between us and wraps his strong arms around me, lifting me off my feet. He even buries his face in my hair when he whispers, “God, it’s good to see you, Carys.” His warm breath tickles my skin and sends my hormones into overdrive with awfully un-sibling like thoughts racing through my mind before I’m placed back on solid, albeit slightly shaky ground.

And damn... he’s never hugged me like that before.

I look over every inch of the man in front of me, from the well-worn jeans hanging from his lean hips to the broad shoulders stretching a black Kings t-shirt covered by a gray-and-black flannel—shoulders that are definitely more muscular today than they were when I saw him last summer. And those impressive muscles that make your neck look big and strangely strong while also making girls like me think stupid thoughts.

His sandy-blond locks are longer than I’ve seen on him in a while, which matches the scruff growing on his gorgeous face. And damn, he wears it well. Then again, I can’t think of a single thing this man doesn’t wear well.

Finally, I manage to get myself together and out of my lust-fueled haze enough to ask, “Do Mom and Coach know you’re home yet? Everyone started freaking out when you went radio-silent a few weeks ago. Nattie’s been blowing up the group text for days. I don’t know who she thought would be stupid enough to hold out information on her.”

“I haven’t had the chance yet.” He has the good graces to look ashamed as he answers. “We just got back today.”

I shove a hand at his chest. “You need to at least text and let everyone know you’re safe and home.” A round of snickers come from the group of guys standing behind him.

Big guys. Sexy guys. All of them overly interested in our conversation, and I have no problem glaring at each and every one of them.

I recognize his friend Linc from the few times I’ve met him before, but I guess the rest of the guys are members of his team.

A guy with shaggy auburn hair and a barrel chest covered in a Texas Forever t-shirt steps forward. “Ain’t ya gonna introduce us, Sinclair?”

Cooper throws his elbow back into the guy’s gut. “Nope.”

“That’s not very nice, Cooper.” I reach my hand out to the dude with the Texas twang. “Hi. I’m Carys. Great shirt. Classic show.”

“Marry me?” he asks as he brings my hand to his lips. “Wait... don’t answer that yet. Movie or show?”

Cooper groans, but I play along.

“Hmm.” I put my finger to my lips and pretend to think about it for a minute. “Show all the way. Tim Riggins was my first love.”

“Sinclair, man. Where you been hiding her?” he taunts Coop with a smile on his gorgeous face.

Cooper gives the dude a glare that would scare the shit out of most men, but not this one.

“Well, future wife, I’m Axel. But you can just call me ‘future baby daddy.’”

A very unladylike snort creeps up my throat. Mom would be ashamed of me. “Wow. Does that usually work for you, Axel?” My playfulness comes easily with the comfort that comes from being around Cooper.

Axel’s lips tip up in a crooked, cocky grin as he smiles, and I move down the line and offer Linc a big hug before I’m introduced to the rest of the guys. Standing in the middle of this group should be intimidating, but the smile on Cooper’s face puts me at ease.

Emerson pats the stool next to her for me to sit down as I catch Cooper out of the corner of my eye, taking his phone from his pocket. His fingers fly over the screen, and the cellphone in my pocket vibrates. My eyes connect with his, and he flashes me his panty-melting smile as he holds the phone in front of his face.

My cell vibrates again. Then again and again.

Guess he just activated the family phone tree. When my mom married Cooper’s dad a few years ago, they started a group text. It includes the two of them, my older brother, Aiden, Cooper’s twin sister, Nattie, and their older brother, Declan, his wife, Belle, and me. We’re a bit of a motley crew.

Well, truth be told, they mainly are.

I was always the younger one.

A little on the outside, looking in, I guess.

Envious of the friendships they had.

Wishing I was included.

I tug my phone from the pocket of my skirt, and sure enough, the text notifications are lighting up my screen.

Coop

Finally got back to Cali today.

Aiden

What? Like we missed your ugly face or something?

Nattie

You seriously couldn’t text one damn time in the last three weeks, Cooper Sinclair?

Declan

Don’t give him shit, Nat. He’s texting now.

Nattie

Bite me, Dec. You try sharing a womb with someone for nine months and then be expected to go without talking to them for weeks at a time. It blows.

Coach

I don’t want to hear about what blows or who bites, Natalie Grace. Give your brother a second to breathe.

Glad you’re home safe, son. FaceTime tomorrow?

Coop

Yeah, Dad. I’ll call tomorrow. Love you guys.

Nattie

Fuck that.

Cooper’s phone rings a second later, and I can’t help but giggle. “Nattie, right?”

“Yeah.” He looks at the screen, then back at me. “Don’t leave before I come back inside, okay?”

“Okay.” He turns around, and my insides somersault as I watch him walk around to the other side of the bar, wishing I could follow.

Emerson grabs my arm and squeezes. “Oh my God. That man is even finer in person than he is in pictures. Damn, Carys. Now I know why you’ve spent the last five years lusting after him.”

“Be quiet, Emerson.” I yank my arm away and cover her mouth with my hand. “We’re not talking about this here.” My eyes scan our immediate area to see if anyone heard her. But I think we’re safe.

She licks my palm, and I jerk my hand back and wipe it on her jeans. “Fine,” she pouts. “But we’re definitely talking about it later.”

“Yeah,” I agree, knowing I’m going to need to figure out how I feel before I can talk to her about it. “Later.”

This man has always been forbidden.

Before he was my stepbrother, he was already one of my overprotective big brother’s best friends. He was older. He was cooler. And he was not interested in a theater geek like me. But he was all I saw back then and for so many years since.

When his sky-blue eyes connect with mine from across the bar, logic tells me that he’ll never look at me the way I’ve always wished he would.

But logic has nothing on what my heart wants.