Chapter 15 Colten
FIFTEEN
COLTEN
The blush that spreads across her cheeks and throat at being caught has my cock hardening behind my zipper.
But it’s the way my shirt looks wrapped around her that has my brain malfunctioning.
I’ve seen Lexi in skintight dresses that left absolutely nothing to the imagination, and I’ve seen her in ballgowns that made her look every bit like the princess she is.
I’ve seen her in sweats with her hair messy and glammed up until she barely looks like the Lexi I’ve been obsessed with for as long as I can remember.
But she’s never looked quite as beautiful as she does freshly showered, wearing nothing but my shirt.
I clutch onto the edge of the counter to stop myself from going to her, from throwing her over my shoulder, marching us into the bedroom, and having my way with her.
She moves from the doorway, padding across the room until she reaches the counter and carefully pulls herself up onto one of the stools. Her brow dips, pain lancing her face as she gets herself situated, but she doesn’t make a sound.
“Are your ribs bothering you?”
She nods. “A little. They’re just bruised.”
I should have had a doctor look at her. In my urgency to get her out of that house and into my space, I neglected to have an actual medical professional look her over, and that’s unacceptable.
I sucked a stuttered breath into my lungs, forcing my body to remain calm despite the frustration running through every muscle.
She’s been mine for a matter of hours, and I’m already failing.
“Colten?” Lexi says softly, and I flick my eyes up to meet hers. “I’m fine. Just a little sore. I’ll be good as new in a few days.”
I nod stiffly and carefully pile the last of the pancakes onto the plate before placing it in front of her.
I turn to the fridge and retrieve the ice cream from the freezer, sliding it across the counter along with the syrup.
Lexi stares at the plate for long seconds before bursting into a fit of giggles.
Did I do something wrong?
I frown, looking over the items in front of her to identify what it is that has elicited such a reaction.
“Colt.” She giggles, her hand pressed over her mouth. “How many people are we sharing these pancakes with?”
“Just us,” I reply, every bit as confused as I was a moment ago.
“There are twenty pancakes here,” she points out.
I flick my eyes down to the stack as understanding finally dawns on me, a chuckle tumbling from my chest. Now that I look at it, it is far too much food for just the two of us, but I had to distract myself while she was showering.
Having a naked Lexi too close is a lesson in my wavering control.
I rub the back of my neck. “I just wanted to make sure you were taken care of.”
Her eyes soften, and she reaches a hand out to me, which I take without hesitation. I’d be an idiot not to take any excuse that presents itself to touch her, even something as simple as holding her hand.
She wraps her fingers around mine and tugs me around the bench. She pats the stool next to her and shimmies in her seat as she pulls a few pancakes onto her plate and reaches for the ice cream. “It’s been so long since I’ve had this.”
“Why? It’s your favorite?”
She shrugs, shadows appearing in her eyes. “I guess it’s not the same having it alone. Cruz used to make them for me all the time, but Mom doesn’t eat gluten anymore, and eating blueberry pancakes alone? That’s just depressing.”
How have I spent years stalking her and never noticed just how lonely my girl really is?
“I’ll make them for you anytime you want, Wildcat,” I tell her.
I drag my attention from the sadness in her dark eyes, busying myself stacking my own plate while Lexi takes her first bite.
A sinful moan drags my attention to the drop of syrup clinging to her bottom lip.
It’s not a conscious decision, because my body is moving long before I have a chance to think through what I’m doing.
I brush my thumb along the pouty pillow, barely holding in my own groan at how fucking soft she is.
The thought of her on her knees in front of me, her mouth wrapped around my cock as I eat my breakfast, overwhelms me.
“Colt?” Her soft voice shakes me out of my daydream, and I quickly pull my hand back.
“Sorry,” I mutter, forcing myself to eat my own pancakes despite the way my hard cock aches behind the zipper of my pants.
I can see an ice-cold shower in my future.
We eat in silence, her occasional moans of appreciation the ultimate test to my control.
Once she’s finished, she pats her stomach and sighs. “Thank you for breakfast, Colten. I didn’t realize how much I had missed those pancakes.”
“I’ll make them for you every day if you want.”
She laughs, her head tipping back slightly and giving me the perfect view of her delicate throat. “I’ll be the size of a house if you do that.”
Before I can respond, she slips off the edge of the stool and takes her plate to the sink.
Methodically, she rinses the dish before turning in a circle until she spots the dishwasher and quickly loads the plate into its place on the bottom shelf.
It’s as I shamelessly watch her every move that something occurs to me. The curve of her ass beneath my shirt as she bends slightly has the realization crashing over me like a tidal wave.
She’s naked beneath that shirt.
Under my shirt, there’s nothing but her smooth skin and mouthwatering curves.
Fuck. Me.
If my dick gets any harder, I’m pretty sure he’s going to make an escape attempt.
She stands up straight and turns back to me. My gaze dips to the red marks and broken skin on her legs, and I’m in motion before I can stop myself.
I prowl toward her, backing her up until her ass hits the counter, and promptly lift her onto the surface.
“What are you doing?” she asks breathily with wide eyes.
I drop into a crouch in front of her, brushing my fingers over the redness softly. I give her a hard look to tell her without words to stay where she is before heading to the spare bathroom to grab the necessities.
When I return, Lexi is still perched on the counter with her knees pressed together, and I once again crouch in front of her, dropping the items I gathered to the ground beside me.
“Good girl,” I murmur.
A shiver moves through her body, and I smirk up at her with a knowing look. It’s a good sign that she’s so responsive to me. Maybe it won’t come as quite so much of a shock when she receives the email in a few hours.
I start with the broken skin, carefully applying ointment with one hand as I drag my hand up and down her other calf in comforting sweeps.
Lexi hisses out a breath but keeps her hands in her lap as I work, ignoring how close my face is to her bare pussy.
God, what I wouldn’t do to bury my face between her thighs and drown in her cunt.
Once I’ve applied the salve, I move on to rubbing lotion onto the red, angry-looking skin.
Seeing Lexi hurt never gets any easier. Even when we were kids and she would skin her knee, it physically hurt me to see her hurting, and nothing has changed now we’re adults.
She stares down at the bottle in my hand, her brows tugging together in confusion as hurt sneaks into her dark eyes.
“Lex?”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
I bark out a laugh. How can she be so oblivious to how deep my obsession with her runs? “No, no girlfriend.”
She sighs. “A recent breakup, then? I noticed in the bathroom you have all the same stuff I use at home, so maybe you had someone who left their stuff here?”
There’s an edge of something in her voice that sounds a lot like hurt, but that can’t be the case…right?
Because if it is, that means she cares about me as more than just her brother’s best friend.
I swallow past the hope lodged in my throat and glance up at her. “Wildcat, I’ve never had another woman in this apartment. No one left that stuff here. I bought it.”
She opens her mouth to respond but quickly snaps it shut again as she tries to process what I’ve just told her.
The wheels are turning, but every time she comes close to the truth, she shakes it off, as if my interest in her is impossible.
Little does she know, she’s the only woman that has ever been of any interest to me.