Chapter 28
Noah
“Check.”
I grunt, eyeing the board.
My uncle sits back in his chair, hands folded over his stomach. “Is it serious?”
“Walt,” I warn.
“I’m allowed to ask about it,” he says primly. “I’m your family. And he’s been coming round for a while now.”
I shake my head, reaching for my rook before finding a flaw in my plan and setting my hand back on the table. “I shouldn’t be surprised you noticed.”
He snorts. “No, you shouldn’t. You two kept sneaking around like teens. Confident like teens, too, thinking you wouldn’t be caught.”
“I wasn’t trying not to get caught,” I respond. “I was just…trying to be discreet.”
“For whose benefit? Mine?”
I sigh. “Partially,” I admit. “But also…for his.”
I can feel my uncle’s eyes on me, but mine are on the chessboard.
“He’s skittish,” I explain. “And maybe, at first, it wasn’t…anything.” At least, I tried to convince myself of such. “But now… I need to go slow.”
Walter hums. “So it is serious.”
I raise a brow his way, but my uncle only smiles back. “He’s Colton Darling,” I tell him a little hotly, knowing he’s perfectly aware of all that means to me. “Excuse me for taking a minute to come to terms with it myself.”
“I’m curious how it happened,” my uncle says, waiting patiently on my move. The way he doesn’t ask outright tells me he’s not going to pry.
But I don’t mind telling him the truth. “Pure accident,” I say, finally plucking my queen off the board and moving her three spaces over. “I kissed him on accident.”
My uncle barks a laugh. “Must’ve been one hell of an accidental kiss.”
I let out a laugh. That it was.
“Checkmate,” my uncle says.
I groan, and he chuckles lightly.
After Walter demolishes me in chess, twice , I head out to the barn to work on the metal crown. It’s nearly finished, and I’m anxious to put the final touches on the piece. The smaller details that will bring it all together.
I flick on the lights and start up the forge before pulling out my phone. Colton’s name stares back at me for a long moment as I wonder how the fuck we went from…what we were to what we are. Steeling myself, I send him a message while I wait on the forge to heat.
Me: Doing all right?
It doesn’t take as long as I’m expecting to hear back. I’m just pulling my tools off the rack when my phone pings.
Colt: Fine.
I hold back my sigh at the perfunctory response, wondering if we’ve already taken a step back. But then another text comes through.
Colt: I told my family I’m bi.
My brows pop up, something akin to hope settling in my chest right alongside my surprise.
Me: Were they good to you?
Colt: Jesus, I don’t get you sometimes.
Colt: Yeah, they took it well.
I release a breath.
Me: That’s good.
Colt: You left fucking marks all over me, you dick. My ass looks like a Rorschach.
I bark a laugh, fingers moving swiftly.
Me: Send me a picture.
Colt: Fuck off.
It’s only a couple seconds before he adds…
Colt: Hold on.
My pulse beats heavily as I wait. Is he really going to send me a photo of his ass?
I get the rest of my metalworking supplies out, setting everything up on my workspace. The forge is at temperature now, but I wait to start working on the crown, not wanting to miss Colton’s message.
Finally, my phone pings.
It is a picture. I click to expand it, my breath catching in my throat. Colton’s pants and briefs are tugged down on one side, exposing his right ass cheek. Mottled bruises pepper his skin. Nothing too outrageous. Just small blooms of color I sucked to the surface of his skin.
But just above the marks, visible below the tugged-up hem of Colton’s shirt, is my name. King . I trail my finger over the letters on the screen, heart pumping viciously.
Me: Gorgeous.
I’m not the least bit surprised by Colton’s response, but I laugh all the same.
Colt: Oh, fuck you, you possessive prick.
I am possessive of the man, aren’t I? Possessive of his pleasure. Of his pain. Possessive of those marks I left all over his body and the way he looks when his scowl drops and I see the man beneath all that anger, feigned or otherwise.
But I’m not the only one guarding this thing we’ve stumbled into. And I’m not going to apologize for it. I wouldn’t ask him to, either.
Me: Maybe next time some girl who’s far too young for me starts flirting, you can show her your ass.
It’s a mental image that has me chuckling.
Colton doesn’t respond for the longest time, so I give him a prod, wanting him to know I’m teasing. Mostly.
Me: Don’t worry. Jealousy looks good on you, little Colt.
He calls, much to my surprise.
“Hello?”
“I wasn’t jealous,” he spits in greeting. “And she was far too young for you.”
“That’s what I said,” I point out, amused. “And you invented a girlfriend to get her off my back. What d’you call that?”
“Helping you out,” he replies, making me huff a laugh. “Why didn’t you tell her to stop?”
Oh, did I hit a nerve?
Not jealous, indeed.
“It was harmless,” I answer. “Nothing was going to come of it.”
“She didn’t know that.”
“Did you?” I ask carefully.
He’s quiet, not answering.
“Colt… I won’t be flirting with anyone else.”
“None of my business,” he mumbles.
Oh, hell no. “Nuh-uh,” I tell him. “You listen and listen good, Colton Darling. What I said the other night? That wasn’t a lie. You’re mine until you tell me otherwise. So this prickly, indifferent thing you’re trying to pull off? Just know I see through it. I see you . And I’m telling you I won’t be flirting with anyone else. Got it?”
He’s breathing hard enough for me to hear. “You’re not letting this go, are you?”
“No.”
“We’re wrong for each other, Noah. We don’t fit.”
“I disagree.”
“And you just know everything, don’t you?” he asks, the frustration in his voice directed at himself, I suspect, and not me.
“Hardly,” I allow, leaning against my workbench. “There’s a lot I don’t know. But I’m trusting my gut on this.”
“And your gut?” he says, a question.
“Has latched on to you.”
He scoffs. “Like a lamprey. I sure have the evidence all over my ass. And on my neck. Thanks for that.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Dick,” he mutters before sighing. “This is so fucked. I don’t even like you.”
“Is that so?”
He groans, and my mouth quirks into a smile. “I am sorry about the job at Marie’s,” he says, seemingly out of nowhere, but it’s clear he’s still harboring guilt over it.
“I know,” I tell him softly. “But it won’t happen again, will it? We’ll be careful moving forward. And we’ll talk things over if we have concerns.”
“Yeah,” he agrees. Hesitantly, he asks, “Will you still advertise?”
I let out a breath I’m positive he can’t hear. “If you need me to stop, I will.”
My business is stable. I have enough clients, and like Colton said, folks in this town—and even towns over—know me well by now. Sure, I might miss out on the occasional new resident or someone with a brand-new horse looking for a farrier.
But is getting their business worth losing Colton?
The answer to that earlier this year would have been a resounding yes. Because the man wasn’t even mine to lose.
Now?
Colton makes a noise in the back of his throat. “No,” he says quickly. “You can’t just… Don’t stop putting out ads because of me.”
“It won’t bother you?” I ask, surprised.
“Of course it will,” he says without venom. “They’re terrible. King this and King that . For the royal treatment, go King. I wanna punch you in the face every time I see one, but…”
“But?” I ask, a smile curving my lips.
“I wanna win fair and square,” he says. “If you stop trying, it’ll feel like taking candy from a baby. And don’t you dare bring up the Shoein’. That was not an accurate representation of who’s the best farrier in this town. You won on a technicality.”
I’m grinning outright now. “Did I ever show you my trophy?”
“You did not get a trophy,” he says, appalled. “The fuck?”
“A kid drew it for me,” I tell him. “It’s hanging on my fridge.”
“Well that’s just the fucking worst,” Colton grouses. “I can’t even be mad about that.”
I laugh, and Colton grumbles something I can’t quite make out. There’s a pressure in my chest as I listen to him on the other end of the line. I rub over my sternum, picturing his hair curling at his neck and the blue fire in his eyes as he complains about the outcome of our friendly competition. I picture the bruises on his ass and those on his neck.
I picture my name tattooed across his skin for the rest of his—and my—life.
“What was that noise you just made?” Colton says, his previous ramblings cut off. “Why do you sound so pleased?”
“It’s nothing,” I lie. “Just a happy memory.”
He makes a dubious sound. “What, uh, are you up to right now?”
Apparently, still talking to you.
I keep the thought to myself, not wanting to scare the man off.
“Just getting ready to play around a bit. With my forge,” I explain.
There’s a brief pause. “The sculptures?”
“Mm.”
“What, uh… Why do you do those? Do you sell them?”
“No,” I answer. “They’re just…for me, I guess.”
Another pause. “They’re really good. What I’ve seen of them, at least.”
There’s that pressure in my chest again. “Thanks, Colt.”
He makes a noise like he’s allergic to the T-word. I snort a laugh.
“What are you doing today?” I ask in return.
Was it really just this morning that Colton was hightailing it out of here like there was a firecracker in his ass and I was holding the lighter?
“You’re gonna laugh,” he mutters.
Well, that piques my interest. “I won’t,” I promise.
He lets out a long, drawn-out sigh. “I’m doing makeup tutorials with my niece. At present, I have one cat-eye, one that’s called natural, even though there’s a pound of makeup on there, and she did something called contouring that took near an hour and made me look literally no different.”
I choke back my laugh.
“You’re laughing,” he whines.
“I’m not,” I say quickly, charmed beyond words. Fuck . “Is she waiting on you now?”
“I’m taking a break to wash it all off. And then she’ll start again,” he says, trying to sound put-out and failing.
“Would you send me a picture?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“Not a fucking chance in hell, King. And breathe a word of this to anyone, and I’ll… I don’t know. Kick you in the balls, maybe.”
“Wouldn’t want that,” I mutter around a smile.
He heaves a breath. “I should go.”
“Yeah,” I agree, the forge waiting behind me. “Hey… How’s your ass?”
He pauses. “Pretty sure you already saw for yourself.”
I smirk, even as I shake my head. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Oh,” he says, and I can practically see the blush spreading across his face. “Good. Fine. Shut up.”
I huff a laugh, and Colton groans.
“See you soon, Colt,” I say gently.
“Yeah,” he mumbles. “Fuck. This is weird. See ya, Noah.”
When Colton clicks off the call, I set my phone down on my workbench and run through possibilities. Would it be so bad if Colton and I were to…date? Our rivalry is known around town, being that we’re the only two farriers here, but I’m fairly certain no one save the two of us and our immediate families know of the animosity we’ve held for each other. I imagine folks would be pleased to see us together.
Is Colton ready for that?
I don’t want to keep this a secret forever. It doesn’t feel right. Maybe, in the beginning, it was the only way for us to be. I certainly didn’t know what we were doing. Didn’t even know what I wanted.
But now that this thing between us has become starkly real in a way I never anticipated, staying hidden and sneaking around until the end of time isn’t an option. At least, it’s not one for me. But Colton is still wary.
Like any colt, he needs an outstretched hand. Encouragement to move forward.
The man would certainly knock me on my ass—or try to—if he heard me making that comparison, but it’s an apt one. He’s been scared from the start. Like his father told me before I truly understood what he was trying to say, Colton is afraid of asking for the things he wants. The things that matter .
Because what if the answer is no?
I won’t tell Colton no. Not ever. What he wants from me, he can have.
But until he’s ready to ask for it, I need to be the one propelling us forward.
Donning my gloves, I pick up my unfinished crown. A few thorns for balance. Evening primroses that only open at night. A sprinkling of forget-me-nots for the man who refuses to leave my head.
I work on the additions long into the evening. And when I set the finished crown down, a weaving of past and present in one, I’m certain I’ve made my choice.
Colton goddamn Darling is going to find out what it means to be mine.