CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Riley— 22 years old (two months later)
I rummage through my closet, trying to find my favorite woolen sweater. It has to be somewhere in here, but it’s been over an hour now since I’ve been looking for it. And I still can’t find it. I’ve emptied all my drawers and have looked through my closet five times already. Now, six. I try to think, combing through my memories to remember where I last wore it.
Did Lila borrow it from me and I forgot? Wait—
Oh, I remember now.
I left it at her place last week. And by her place, I mean what used to be Maddox and Colton’s apartment. Lila moved in with Maddox two months ago, and Colton moved out.
He’s living in one of the townhouses his family owns, five minutes from here. He apparently likes his new place better. It’s much bigger than our apartment and has a backyard pool, so he’s back to hosting his lame-ass parties again.
With Colton moving out, it means we see each other less now. I can’t decide if I like it or hate it. Somehow, as much as I loathe to admit it, I’ve grown used to his overbearing presence and his obsessiveness.
I don’t hate Colton, but I don’t necessarily like him either. Okay, maybe I am lying to myself now. I like him enough to want to sleep with him.
What we have is something between hate and desire. Maybe affection, but I can’t be too sure…I’m scared of giving him the power to hurt me.
To get your heart broken by a man like Grayson—imagine what Colton could do. He’ll stomp all over my already-bruised heart and I don’t think I have the strength left in me to give him that chance.
Fool me once, shame on me.
Fool me twice— oh, no no.
I make my way to Lila’s apartment, using my spare key to unlock the door. I don’t bother to knock. Maddox took her out on a date tonight, so no one’s home.
Or so I thought…
Until I walk inside to find a completely naked Colton, standing in the middle of the apartment. The first thing I see is…dick.
Colton’s dick.
Oh…
Oh, wow.
He is so…big.
Long and girthy.
A tingle runs down my spine and my lower belly does that same fluttering thing it always does in Colton’s presence. My throat is suddenly parched and there’s a pulsing need between my thighs.
Colton lifts his head, and he finally sees me standing by the door, staring like a complete creeper. “Jesus Christ, Riley!” He bellows and the shock in his voice has me jerking my eyes away from his semi-hard length, and I finally look up at his face. “You scared the shit outta me.”
I stand there, my feet glued to the floor and I watch him grab the white towel from the couch and wrap it around his waist. Obscuring my view. Excuse me, how dare he cover himself up.
“Why are you walking around naked?” My tone unexpectedly comes out as an accusation, carefully concealing my wicked desires.
“Because I thought I was alone in here. I’m supposed to be. What are you doing here?” He places his hands on his hips, where the towel hangs loosely.
His hair is wet, and there are still some droplets of water on his skin, which tells me he just came out of the shower and didn’t bother to dry himself properly.
My eyes linger over his wide chest far longer than I intended, before lowering to his hard-cut abs. And the perfect trail of hair, a shade slightly lighter than the hair on his head, leading from his navel to his…
The wretched towel hides the rest.
It’s unfair just how good-looking Colton Bennett is. It should be against the law to look this sexy. He is sinfully gorgeous, with a sculpted body and a devastatingly sexy face.
I swallow, trying to wet my parched throat, but it doesn’t work. Licking my lips, I avert my gaze from his semi-naked body only to fail after two seconds. “I came here to get my sweater,” I tell him, my eyes lowering below his waist again.
I can see his bulge through the towel.
He slowly advances toward me. “You’re staring,” he croons teasingly. “And you’re not even trying to make it less obvious.”
I very much am staring.
I am sex deprived. The last time I had sex was…
With Grayson.
It’s been more than two years now. Sure, I’ve touched myself countless times, but it’s nothing compared to the real thing. Sweaty bodies tangled together, the grunts of pleasure, the obscene sounds of fucking…
It doesn’t equate to self-pleasure.
I crave physical intimacy as much as I need emotional intimacy. I guess that’s why one-night stands don’t work for me. While I get the physical aspects of it, it lacks the emotional connection that I desperately need.
Colton stalks toward me and I take an instinctive step back. He doesn’t allow me to get too far though. He steps forward, his much bigger body crowding into my personal space.
Until my back is pressed against the wall and there’s less than an inch of space separating us. My hands land on his bare chest, and we’re skin to skin. Colton leans his forearm against the wall, above my head. Caging me between the wall and his body.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
“Are you going to kiss me?” I question breathlessly. Because if he does, I know I won’t push him away. Not today.
This has been building between us for months now. The sexual tension I had tried so hard to ignore, but I can’t seem to do that right now. His intoxicating scent and warmth surround me. Every particle in me feels greedy for this moment.
“There’s a problem. If I kiss you, I won’t be able to stop,” Colton rasps, his warm breath fanning over my lips.
I move my fingers over his pectoral muscles, softly... teasingly. His body tenses and his bare chest rattles with a sharp inhale when my knuckle brushes over his nipple. It’s by accident, but his reaction has me suddenly feeling quite bold. “And what if I kiss you?”
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Our eyes lock, and I slowly rub my thumb over his nipple, feeling it tighten under my touch. His throat bobs with a hard swallow, and he releases a shuddering breath.
This man is…beautiful. In a rugged, masculine way.
Be still my beating heart.
I know I’m playing with fire.
And I’m about to get burned.
But I can’t stop.
“You won’t be able to stop either.” Colton grins cockily.
“I think I have better self-control than you,” I whisper. His eyes are dark with lust and my thighs grow slick with arousal.
His arm snakes out, circling around my hips and tugging me into his body. All his hardness against my softness. God, he’s so warm. “Let’s test that theory then.”
My pulse quickens at his deep, slightly husky voice.
“Is this a bet?”
His features darken dangerously. “I’ll never bet on you.”
“I was a game to you, though.” My nails dig into his chest, leaving tiny imprints on his flesh. Colton grunts in response, but it’s not a sound of pain. Quite the opposite actually.
His lips brush over the corner of my lips, not really a kiss. It’s more like a tender touch, a tease to remind me of what’s coming. “A mistake I made and still deeply regret,” he admits, with a slight shake in his gravelly, lustful tone.
My heart slams hard against my rib cage and I wonder if he can feel it.
“How much do you regret it?” I find myself asking, while slowly dragging my fingers down and across his abdomen.
“I lost you because of it.” His voice is pained.
“You never had me.”
His deep chuckle sends a flutter of tingle through my body, from the top of my head all the way down to my toes. “That’s what you think.” He growls low in my ear.
My breath hitches.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
And then we’re both moving at the same time.
My eyes flutter closed when Colton crushes his mouth against mine and the world comes to a standstill. His heart thunders under the palms of my hands.
He captures my lips and I gasp into his kiss. His tongue slides inside, tasting me. Licking and sucking on my tongue. He devours my lips like he’s on death row and this is his last meal. The kiss is savage and cruel.
His hand curls around the back of my neck, his fingers dangling into my hair. I teeter on my toes, returning his punishing kiss with a violent one of my own. My nails dig into the muscles of his shoulders, and his body tenses. My teeth graze his lower lip and I bite down. Colton growls a guttural groan in response. “Fuck,” he swears into the kiss.
A needy whimper spills from my lips and he swallows it, drinking in my moans like he’s been thirsting for them all his life. “Riley,” he groans deeply, my name like a fevered prayer on his lips and my pulse quickens.
My sex clenches in response, arousal coating the inside of my thighs. My need seeps out of me like desperate waves of carnal desire.
Colton kisses me like he can’t get enough.
When we part for air, our chests heaving breathlessly, I open my eyes to find Colton already staring down at me.
He cradles my jaw in his hand before lowering his lips to mine again. This time, it’s a whispery kiss. A tender touch, almost like he wants to breathe in the taste of me, to memorize the curves of my lips.
My heart ricochets against my ribs.
“Run,” he begs me in a guttural voice. “You need to go, before I fuck you against this wall. Leave and go back to your apartment. Lock the door behind you.”
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
“Colton—”
“I can smell the musky scent of your arousal, Riley. And I swear, it’s driving me fucking mad. You need to go right now.” He releases the back of my neck, his hand moving to grip my waist instead. He yanks me to him, hard. Colton shifts his hips, pressing the thick length of his erection against my heated core. My chest rattles with a surprised gasp.“But make no mistake. We will be fucking. Just not today, because when I have you in my bed for the first time, I’m going to take my sweet time with you. And right now, if I take you…it will end up being a hard, quick rut against the wall. You deserve better than that.”
Colton releases his hold on me and he takes a step back, giving me just enough space to escape. There’s a possessive glint in his dark gaze. “Go,” he begs roughly.
With my heart in my throat, I do just that.
Spinning on my heels, I run.
I get inside my apartment and lock the door. My knees weaken and my body slides against the door, until I’m sitting on the ground. My lips are swollen and I can still taste the minty remnants of him.
Oh God, what have we done?
We can’t go back from this; nothing will ever be the same again. His one kiss has completely obliterated the illusion of my hatred for him.
So, what happens now?