Chapter Twenty-Four
Colt and I take a cab back to the hotel, and he can’t keep his hands off me the entire ride.
His fingers skim my thigh, his touch sending electricity racing through my veins.
By the time we step into the elevator, the tension is thick, pulsing between us like a live wire.
I am sure that if there hadn’t been people in the elevator, he would have pinned me to the wall.
Holding me tight against his side, he leads me down the hallway, his grip firm, possessive.
He presses the key card against the reader, pushes the door open, then turns—his gaze dark, hungry.
Before I can take another breath, he yanks me against him, crashing his lips onto mine in a kiss so deep, so demanding, so consuming that it steals the ground from beneath me.
If I were wearing panties, they would have already surrendered, slipped off, and hit the floor all on their own.
He backs me through the door and kicks it shut behind him.
The lights are off, the air thick with anticipation as he tugs his shirt over his head. A low, husky laugh escapes him—dark, knowing—as he leans down, lifting me effortlessly. Our lips stay fused, breathless and hungry, as he carries me to the bed.
For a fleeting second, my mind flickers back to earlier—to Jared’s hands on me, to the way Colt watched, seething—where we played a twisted game of jealousy and recklessness.
Shame knots in my stomach, but then Colt’s grip tightens, his lips trailing down my neck, and all those thoughts scatter like ashes in the wind, before…
Crunch.
Our lips part.
We look down at the carpet.
“What the hell?” Colt barks out.
Ohhh shit!
I bite my bottom lip, and Colt puts me on the bed and walks over, flicking the light switch. He furrows his brows, and his eyes bulge as he enters the disaster zone.
“Sorry,” I whisper.
His head snaps up. “Wait! You did this?” With quick steps, he kicks some of the broken glass across the floor.
“I was angry. No, I was furious. I thought you were fucking her. I… I…” My voice falters as the image of them together slams back into my mind, vivid and unforgiving. My stomach twists, and I squeeze my eyes shut, willing it away.
A heavy sigh fills the silence, then the bed dips beside me. A moment later, Colt’s arm wraps around my shoulders, pulling me against his warmth.
I hesitate before slowly opening my eyes—only to find him smiling.
The jerk is fucking smiling.
My brows snap together as I sit up straighter, irritation sparking. “Why are you smiling?”
He chuckles, the sound low and amused. Annoyance flares in my chest, and I exhale sharply, shifting away from him, putting space between us.
“Come here. I’m not laughing at you. Well, maybe I am… a little.” He holds up his fingers, barely any space between them, smirking as mischief dances in his eyes.
“You were such a delicate little daddy’s girl when I met you.
All prim and proper. And now look at you…
breaking lamps and shit, swearing like a damn trooper.
” He tilts his head, eyes gleaming with pride.
“You’re a real rock chick now, baby. There’s no going back.
” He grins. “Mamma Sia will be deliriously happy that her Little Bean has finally, fully sprouted.”
Taking in the wreckage around me, I finally see the humor in my tantrum—kind of. But as the full weight of it sinks in, so does the cost. And damn, it’s going to be expensive. Not only will I have to cover the damages, but I’ll also need to fix the walls. Oh, and let’s not forget the cleanup bill.
And to make things worse? This isn’t just any hotel. It’s one of Daddy’s U.S. chains.
This shit is going to get back to him—for sure.
Fuck. My. Life!
“Wow,” I mumble under my breath.
“What?” Colt tilts his head.
“This is going to cost me a fortune to fix,” I say, remembering that Daddy has been decreasing my allowance to force me home.
“It’s fine. I was the cause of all…” he waves his hands around, “… this. So I’m gonna foot the bill for the damages. I owe you that much. In fact, I owe you so much more, Dee, and I want to start by making it up to you right now.” He pushes me to the bed and moves on top of me.
His lips meet mine, leading me to giggle at his playfulness.
And just like that, all the issues vanish.
***
We spent all night loving each other in every way possible—in the bed, in the shower, dominant fucking, fast and hard, normal lovemaking, slow and passionate. We made up for lost time until we both passed out from exhaustion before the sun rose.
Slowly, I roll over, reaching for Colt, but my hand meets empty sheets.
My eyes fly open, suspicion twisting in my chest. Lifting my head, I scan the room, hoping I’m wrong. But no, he’s not here. With a frustrated growl, I drop my head back onto the pillow.
I guess we had our time together, and now it’s back to business.
I get it.
I really do.
Still, disappointment lingers, heavy in my chest.
But before I can dwell on it, the soft rustle of fabric catches my attention. The drapes in front of the balcony door part, and Colt steps inside. Relief rushes through me, chasing away the doubt, and a bright smile spreads across my face.
He hasn’t left.
Not yet.
“Hey, baby, did I wake you?” he asks, shutting the door and walking over, then sits on the bed beside me.
“No, I thought you’d left for the day.”
“No, I was outside making calls and didn’t want to wake you.”
“Who were you calling?”
“Rob and the guys. They’re doing the promo work without me today,” he says casually, stripping off his jeans.
What in the ever-loving hell is happening right now?
I blink, completely stunned.
Before I can form a response, Colt slides into bed, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me against him like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
Giggling, I rest my chin on his chest and look up at him through my eyelashes. “What did they say about that?”
“The guys were cool, Rob not so much. I told him I was having a day. Just one day for my rock chick and me to be together. We need this, and I need a break.” His hands gently glide along the curves of my naked back, caressing my skin.
My heart pounds a little bit faster.
“But what about your interviews?”
“Cancelled. I’m only doing them because Hux and Rob think we need to keep up the momentum, but “Until the End of Time” has already gone triple platinum.
The music speaks for itself. They don’t need me to keep on plugging it,” he says.
“Well, not today anyway. The world can wait one more day because today is all about you.” He looks at me and smiles a panty-dropping smile, and my insides turn to mush.
“I’ve been a selfish prick and more concerned about the band’s popularity than what was happening with you.”
He holds my hand. “That was the single worst moment of my life when you broke down after you thought Jessi and I had slept together. I knew how it must have looked, and Jessi didn’t help.
That bitch knew what she was doing. But to see you fall apart like that, to the point where you couldn’t even hear me when I was yelling at you, it broke my heart, baby.
It broke my heart that I had made you that way…
” He exhales heavily like a burden is bearing down on him.
Colt pulls me on top of him, and I settle against his chest, resting my head in the crook of his shoulder. His arms wrap around me, holding me so tightly it’s almost hard to breathe, like he’s afraid to let go, afraid I might slip away.
But I’m not going anywhere.
I want him.
I need him.
All of him.
For hours.
***
Slowly, I wake to the feeling of Colt softly stroking my hair.
When I look up at him, his loving gaze compels me to relax instantly.
“You hungry?”
“Yeah, what’s the time?”
“Just gone seven. Can I take you out for dinner?”
“Sounds great,” I reply. “Wait, don’t you have a concert tonight?”
“No. We fly out to Germany in the morning. Our next show’s tomorrow night after a few more damn interviews.”
“Okay, that sounds amazing. Let’s have an awesome date night, and then we can get back into the swing of things tomorrow.”
His eyes bulge, and his mouth opens slightly like he’s in shock.
I furrow my brow in concern. “What?”
“No, nothing. I just realized how much of a douchebag I am. Tonight will be our first official date. That’s unacceptable.”
“You’re not a douchebag, you’re just busy. And I get that. I really do. But it’ll be nice to have our first date with no groupies, band members, or agents… just us.”
Colt grins as he rises from the bed, taking me with him effortlessly. I giggle at his strength, and he presses a quick kiss to my cheek before striding over to the luggage.
Grabbing my short black dress from last night, he scrunches it up in his fist, then methodically pulls every other piece of clothing from my suitcase. With deliberate intent, he shoves the dress to the very bottom, piling everything else on top of it like he’s burying evidence.
I blink at him, confused. “I thought you liked that dress?”
“Oh, baby, I looove that dress,” he drawls, his voice dark with meaning.
“But if you ever go out in public wearing something that short again, I’ll drag you home and spank you so hard you won’t be able to see straight, let alone sit.
” His eyes lock onto mine, one brow arching, his head tilted, completely serious.
“That dress is for me… only me. No one else gets to see you in it. You got me?”
My possessive, jealous man has officially entered the building.
I nod, keeping my expression neutral, even though inside I’m grinning like an idiot.
“I got you.”
“The way Coslecki was manhandling you… I can’t ever witness anything like that again, Dee.” His voice is low, tight, and laced with something raw and unshakable.
I step forward, placing my hands on either side of his face, forcing him to look at me. His jaw is tense beneath my fingertips, his eyes dark with lingering frustration.