[ I'm such an impatient liar. this isn't 'coming soon' it's coming now like Carolina next chapter — sorry. I stayed up past my bedtime to write the first two chapters, but tomorrow I'm gonna try to write the next free and easy chapter ]

☁︎

YOU COME HERE OFTEN?

CAROLINA CARTER HATED CLIMATOLOGY. Sure, she had a passion for weather and meteorology just like her older sister did, but it didn't come naturally to her. She had to work hard every day to understand the complexities of how storms and various weather anomalies developed.

So, she was tucked away in her favorite booth just Milton's, sipping on her third Coke as she highlighted practically the entire textbook, writing notes in the margins. The final was three weeks from then, and she had a feeling this, out of all her classes, would kick her ass the most.

Since her booth was in the corner and tucked away, no one really bothered her except for Sally, the usual waitress that she had. Sally was in her forties and liked Carolina because she was a good tipper even though she wasn't much of a conversationalist. Caroline was fairly quiet and shy, especially when it came to people she didn't know well. And Sally was still considered just an acquaintance even after nearly a year of Carolina studying there.

It wasn't until after you got to know Carolina that you realized she had quite a spitfire attitude when she wanted to. The quiet and shy exterior was somewhat misleading at times.

"Thanks, Sally," Carolina managed to mumble without even looking up from her textbook as the waitress sat her fresh Coke down while also taking her empty glass.

She rubbed her tired eyes, wondering if she should take a break to scroll through TikTok and eat some tater tots, as she'd been working hard for at least an hour — maybe more. The gold watch around her wrist that was a hand-me-down from her sister was broken — it needed a new battery but she couldn't bother to go to a jewelry store to get one.

But then she took a sip of her Coke and got a second wind, putting the highlighter back in her mouth as she turned the page.

She was so focused on her textbook that she didn't even notice at first when two men sat across from her in the booth, much to their amusement. But a full minute later, a large hand reached across the table and slid her book away.

Carolina looked up, and the highlighter fell out of her mouth, hitting the wooden table that her elbows were rested in. But upon seeing two incredibly handsome men, she sat up a bit straighter.

One, the taller one, had dark blonde hair hidden away by a cowboy hat. The other had tan skin and a camouflage bandana wrapped around his neck, with a little mustache and patch of hair on his chin. One had blue eyes that looked like the color of the sea — not that she'd ever seen the ocean. And the other had deep, dark brown eyes that reminded her of the warm dirt she loved to play in as a child.

Neither said anything to her, meaning she had to start the conversation, which she hated.

"Can I help y'all?" she asked in a soft voice.

The blonde one raised an eyebrow and looked down at her textbook, reading one of the paragraphs before flipping it closed to read the title. "Climatology," he said, seeming actually interested now. "You studying meteorology?"

"I am," she told him. "Or I was before you stole my book. Could I have it back?"

"Maybe," he said with a teasing smile. "How long you been over here?"

Her thick eyebrows furrowed and she looked at her broken watch, it telling her nothing. But the sun had gone down, so she knew it had been a while. "Few hours, I suppose."

"Think you could take a break?" the other man asked, tilting his head. "We ain't from here. Was wondering what there was to do around here."

Carolina looked between them, feeling a bit shy under their gazes. All their attention was on her. "What's y'all's names?" she finally asked.

They both beamed as she showed interest instead of just ignoring them.

"Well, I'm Boone, and this is my boy, Tyler," Boone said, patting Tyler on the shoulder. "What about you, Darlin'?"

Of course, being from Oklahoma, she'd been called darlin' plenty of times, but she liked hearing it in Boone's thick southern accent.

"I'm Carolina," she introduced. "And there ain't much to do around here. You're standing in the only bar worth anything."

"Well, you come here often?" Tyler asked her, leaning his elbows on the table.

She raised an eyebrow. "You use that line often?"

It made Tyler grin and Boone laugh hard at his expense. Tyler just shook his head. "No, ma'am, as a matter of fact. Thought you might be worth trying it on though."

Carolina's cheeks heated up and then she glanced at Boone, wondering if he was there to be some sort of wingman. But Tyler didn't seem like he needed one, in her opinion.

Tyler's eyes caught her pink cheeks and smirked victoriously. Then, he slung an arm around Boone's shoulder, who leaned into his side the slightest bit.

"Well, Boone here was wondering if you wanted to dance."

Okay, Carolina thought, maybe Tyler was the wingman?

As Boone looked at her hopefully, she smiled bashfully and shook her head. "I don't dance."

"Now, come on," Boone said, "this ain't High School Musical 2."

That made Carolina laugh, throwing her head back, and it was music to both men's ears. Tyler's eyes followed the curve of her neck as she did so while Boone kept his gaze on the way her eyes crinkled and her nose scrunched as she laughed.

"Come on, it's our one night in town," Tyler said with a charming smile. "Don't let us go home thinking this place is boring. Come and dance with us."

Now it was dance with them, not just Boone, she noted. And something told Carolina that dancing with the two men would be dangerous — after what happened to her sister five years ago, she tended to avoid all things dangerous just as a precaution.

Then again, two handsome men showing her interest couldn't be near as life changing and traumatic as the EF 5 that day.

"I really should be studying," she said halfheartedly, biting her lip.

"Well, how about this," Tyler suggested. "You give us a dance, and then we'll help you study."

"And what do you two know about climatology?" she asked with an amused smirk on her lips.

"I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in meteorology at the University of Arkansas," Tyler informed her, making her eyes go wide.

Boone snickered at her shocked expression. "Yeah, Tyler here is a genius when it comes to storms. We're out here chasing the tornados that have been coming in."

"That - that's real dangerous," she said with a frown.

"Awe, you worried about us already?" Tyler asked teasingly.

"Well, maybe," she said softly. Carolina was worried about anyone that got close to those storms. There was a reason she'd never chased like Kate used to. "What if you get hurt? Or you're blown away in your car?"

"Oh, baby, you ain't seen my truck," Tyler told her.

And Carolina swallowed thickly, hating that she liked how the name 'baby' sounded coming from his lips. It was just as good as darlin' coming from Boone's. She was getting more and more flustered by the attention these two were giving her.

Carolina was never one to get attention from a boy — and never two at the same time, assuming she was picking up on their hints correctly.

"Come on and take a break with us," Boone requested, a genuine look in his soft brown eyes.

Her fingers traced the grain of the wooden table while glancing up at Boone through her lashes. "I guess... one dance won't hurt. But only since Tyler's gone help me with my flashcards."

Boone's grin was blinding, and Tyler's smirk was dizzying. Then both men were sliding out of the booth, both offering a hand to her to help her get out. Rather than choose one, she opted to take both, letting them lead her to the dance floor where a new song was starting up.

It wasn't Thursday, so there wasn't any line dancing.

At the very least, she knew the Thomas Rhett song that was playing, so it was easy to move her hips to the beat, pushing past her nerves and getting into it. And a moment later, Boone was joining in, Tyler still behind her. A smile grew on her face, thinking Boone felt just as nervous as she did based on how he moved, careful not to brush against her.

So, feeling bold, she reached for his hands and pulled him close and placing his hands on her hips. He smiled timidly at that, getting a bit more confident now that he knew his touch wasn't unwelcome.

They got closer and closer until the dance grew more intimate, their hips brushing. And just when Carolina began to forget Tyler was there too, he reminded her, coming up behind her. She gasped when she felt his broad chest brush her back.

"Thought you couldn't dance?" he asked, his lips brushing her ear as her ass grazed his hips.

It was dizzying as Tyler wrapped an arm around her waist from behind and Boone held her hips, pressing his forehead to hers. All of a sudden, their intentions for the night were very clear.

"I said I didn't," she managed to breathe out, turning her head a bit to glance at him. "Not that I couldn't."

"Well, I'm sure glad we changed your mind," Boone said, catching her attention once more.

"Y'all do this a lot?" she asked a bit nervously. "Go after the same girl?"

Tyler and Boone shared a look over her shoulder. "We usually just prefer each other," Tyler admitted. "But you just looked so goddamn good sitting all on your own."

Carolina raised a doubtful eyebrow, not thinking she looked all that impressive. She was just in a college sweatshirt she'd cut off into a cropped top and a pair of short, red athletic shorts. Not exactly the sexiest she'd ever looked. But she didn't sneak into the bar with a fake ID to seduce older men. She did it to study.

God, was she a nerd?

Her train of thought was interrupted by Boone's nose grazing her forehead. He wasn't the tallest man in the world and yet he was still a good six inches taller than her. And Tyler towered over them both.

"What're you thinkin' so hard about?" he asked her, wanting to make sure she was doing okay and that they weren't overwhelming or scaring her.

"I - I have a habit of overthinkin'," she admitted, biting her lip and drawing his gaze to them.

"Well, if you'd like to stop thinkin', we'd be happy to distract you," Tyler offered, his grip on her tightening, loving how she drew in a sharp breath.

"Thought we were studying after this?" she managed to asked, the corners of her lips turning up.

"Well, a bar's hardly a studious and quiet setting," Tyler said, and though she wasn't looking at him, she could practically hear the smirk in his voice. "But as for our room across the street? Well, I'm sure it's plenty quiet."

It was an invitation. A bold one, she thought. One that had her heart hammering in her chest.

Carolina had never considered doing something like that with someone — let alone two someone's. And yet Tyler and Boone were probably the two handsomest men she'd ever laid eyes on, every hair on her body on edge just from the mere thought of leaving the bar with them.

So, Carolina angled her head toward Tyler, who was thrilled as her lips hovered near his. "I guess a change of scenery wouldn't hurt."

His grin was mesmerizing, she thought.

"But not 'til the song's over," she added.

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded, continuing to move to the beat.

Then Boone grew bold as they danced, hooking his index finger underneath Carolina's jaw, brining her closer. His eyes searched hers, flicking back and forth from her darkened gaze and her lips, a silent question hanging in the air.

So, Carolina mustered as much courage as she could and kissed Boone softly — it was just a shy peck, one that had him smiling, thinking she was terribly adorable for it.

With a smile on his face, he pulled her into a real kiss, and she nearly giggled as his facial hair tickled her skin. But then his tongue slid along the seam of her lips, pushing past them, and all amusement was gone.

Especially when she felt warm lips on her neck. She gasped into Boone's mouth as Tyler kissed her neck from behind. She couldn't help but press her ass back against him, earning a low groan from his lips that vibrated against the column of her throat. 

Needing to breathe, Boone pulled back and sucked in air before placing a kiss to the underside of her jaw. Then he reached past her, hooking his hand behind Tyler's head, pulling the taller man into a kiss. The sight had Carolina stifling a whimper, watching as Tyler quickly dominated the kiss, his tongue parting Boone's mouth.

No doubt, they were making a scene — a scene that Dani was taking a video of while snickering.

But Carolina, for once, didn't care. No, when she was pressed tightly between the two alluring men, all her anxieties and inhibitions drifted to the back of her mind, nearly disappearing. Because in that moment, all she wanted was for them to keep going.

Luckily, neither planned to stop.