Chapter 13 #2
“Two weeks . . .” Avery muttered low before bringing her focus back to Alex. “You were at that one guy’s gallery showing then. The one out in L.A. And you.” She sent a pointed finger Colt’s way. “At the cookout yesterday, you mentioned how you were just in L.A. on business a couple of weeks ago.”
“Did I say that?” He looked to Alex as if he were following her lead.
Given that this was her sister, she felt compelled to let the guy off the hook. “Fine. Yes. Things between us started out there. But what he said was the truth. We didn’t plan it. It was by pure happenstance that we even ran into each other in the first place.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me sooner.” Avery shifted her stance to face Alex more fully. “No wonder you two looked so guilty when I interrupted you in the kitchen. I assumed you’d been bickering, because that’s what you do. But now . . .” Her sister blew out a breath. “Man. This is . . .”
“Crazy,” Colt finished for her with a grin before his breathtaking gaze slid to Alex. “Yeah, we know. But it’s also been pretty damn cool so far.”
The penetrating stare she sent his way preceded an emphasized, “So far.”
But the crazy man simply winked with a playful smirk that made her suddenly wish they were all alone.
Not in front of Avery.
Avery. Right. Her sister was still here. And from the look on her face, she was still mentally absorbing the shocking news.
“Um . . . okay, then. Wow.” The other woman’s long lashes fluttered with a few succinct blinks. “I should probably go so you two can have your first official date or whatever. Good seeing you again, Colt.” She went in for a quick, though slightly awkward hug.
“You, too, Aves. And thanks for keeping our secret.”
“You have until tomorrow to tell Garrett.” Avery pulled back. “After that, the deal’s off.”
“Understood.”
Alex waited with bated breath for her sister to turn her way. When she did, she half-expected Avery to shoot her a look of disappointment or possibly even a glare. Not because her sister didn’t like Colt. On the contrary, the woman was constantly trying to convince Alex to like him more.
Careful what you wish for, sis.
But Avery didn’t glare, and disappointment was nowhere to be found. Instead, her sister pulled her into a tight hug.
Whispering low, so only Alex could hear, she said, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Me, too.
“I do.” She hugged her back.
“This doesn’t mean you’re off the hook, you know? I expect details.”
Her shoulders shook with a laugh. “First chance we get.”
“Good.” Avery stepped back and took Alex’s hands. “I love you, sis. No matter what.”
“Love you, too, Aves.” She gave her sister’s hands a comforting squeeze.
“Twenty-four hours, Coulter.” The other woman shot him a look as she walked past on her way to the door. “And don’t think I won’t be keeping an eye on the clock.”
“Copy that, sis.”
Alex’s lips twitched as she watched Avery leave.
“Well.” Colt sighed. “That wasn’t how I envisioned our first date starting out.”
She barked out a half-scoff, half-chuckle. “Not at all, but . . . is it weird that part of me is glad she knows?”
He walked over to where she was standing. Reaching up, Colt brushed the back of his knuckles along her cheekbone. “It’s not weird. She’s your sister and your best friend. It’s only natural to want to share the good things in your life with her.”
“Who says you’re a good thing?” Alex teased.
Naturally the man touching her didn’t miss so much as a beat.
“You did,” he reminded her. “Last night, as a matter of fact. A couple of times, if memory serves me correctly.”
“Very funny.” She swatted his hand away with a soft laugh.
“I thought so.”
Alex turned and started walking toward the back. “I’m going to go put these in some water.”
“Need some help?”
“Pretty sure I can handle putting flowers into a vase,” she quipped back. But then she sent him a smile from over her shoulder and a softer, “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t take too long. We’ll end up missing our reservations.”
“I won’t.” She waved a hand in the air, rushing to the small kitchen area she’d had updated before the gallery’s opening a few years back.
The task of arranging the flowers in the vase and filling it with water gave her a moment of solitude she desperately needed. It was true, what she’d said to Colt. Part of her was relieved knowing Avery knew. But the other part filled her insides with knots because telling her sister made it real.
Real was scary. Real was messy. Most of all, real pain hurt like a bitch.
Avery dried her hands on a towel before wiping down the outside of the vase. She looked at the finished arrangement and had to admit, it was sweet of him to bring her flowers.
I hope you know what you’re doing.
Her sister’s whispered words rolled through her head once more. Alex had assured her she did, when in reality, she had no idea what she was doing.
All she knew was the way Colt made her feel when they were together. Like she was the only other person in the world. She felt cared for. Protected. Occasionally annoyed, but also safe.
When he looked at her, though, it was as if he thought she held the answers to life’s great secrets. And as she picked up the vase and carried it back out to where he waited, Alex found herself looking at him with the same sort of reverence and longing.
I’m in big trouble.
So much trouble. And his name was Coulter Morgan.
“You ready?”
She flashed him a smile while setting the pretty flowers on one end of her desk. Leaning down, she opened the bottom left drawer, grabbed her purse, and gently kicked the drawer shut.
“I am now.”
“Ladies first.” Colt motioned toward the door with an outstretched hand and a grin.
Damn.
He truly was, without a doubt, the sexiest man she’d ever known.
Alex headed toward the entrance, stopping to set the alarm before stepping outside. She smiled to herself as she locked the door behind them, filled with satisfaction knowing he was all hers.
For the time being, at least. Until this thing between them went sideways.
Maybe it won’t.
Alex hoped not, but she was all too familiar with the dangers of blind faith when it came to love.
Either way, she was determined to do something she hadn’t done in a long damn time, and that was to let herself be fully in the moment.
She was going to enjoy life as it happened, rather than focusing on the past or worrying too much about the future.
Starting now. Tonight. With her and Colt’s first official date.
“I’m parked up here.” Colt pointed toward his car a few spots down.
“What about my car?”
“We can swing back by after dinner, and I can follow you home.”
Tilting her head slightly, she sent him a playfully narrowed stare. “Being a bit presumptuous, aren’t we?”
“To make sure you get home safely,” he clarified with a smirk. “After all, what kind of date would I be if I didn’t walk you to your door at the end of the night?”
“Mmm hmm.” Alex chuckled. “And after?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
He turned those stunning eyes her way. “On whether you decide to invite me in.”
A flash of heat flared to life behind his gaze.
Oh, yeah. I’m inviting him in, all right.
But what she said was, “Meh . . . we’ll see.”
With a laugh that sent her heart into a racing flutter, Colt reached down and linked his fingers with hers. Together, they walked hand-in-hand to his car, just as a normal couple.