Chapter Six
“I ’m gonna need at least a thirty-minute nap before we try that again, cowboy. I’m sure a man as seasoned as you could benefit from one too.”
Colton collapsed unceremoniously on the empty space next to Seneca as he tried to figure out what the hell was happening to him.
His muscles were still twitching; his chest was still heaving as he struggled to fill his lungs with air.
Yes, the sex was good, good being a euphemism for transcendent, and the orgasm was so powerful it shred his big ass into tiny little pieces.
But he’d never experienced sex so good his body felt boneless and beyond his control.
It was sex. It wasn’t supposed to leave him feeling raw, wrecked, and out of sorts. And yet, as he turned on his side to place an arm around her waist to draw her into the cocoon of his embrace, he was once again shaken by how right the idea of her being so close to him felt.
The first time in the kitchen–living room area was fast and explosive.
When he finally found the strength to stand after Seneca rode them to their mutual orgasms, he picked her up and deposited her in her bed where he’d intended to take his time with her, but just as before, they burned up like kerosene-soaked kindling.
He bent his lips into a small smile when she willingly pressed herself against him. Lying skin to skin in the light of day, where neither of them had anything to hide, soothed him, like all of the pieces, all his sharp edges fit into place with hers to create a smooth, even, balanced surface.
He pressed a kissed to her cheek and silently chuckled.
“Seasoned? Since when is forty seasoned?” She shrugged her shoulder in response.
He leaned up on one elbow to see the side profile of a wide grin spreading across her face.
“As I recall, I wasn’t the one saying ‘Colton, please… Colton, it’s too much… Colton, I can’t take it… Colton—’”
She held up a hand in the air. “All right quit fishing for compliments. I can’t lie. Both rounds were good.”
He raised and lowered his eyebrows in a repetitive fashion. “Good enough to want to go for a third?”
She turned in his arms, so she was facing him, letting a lone finger slide down the carved hills and valleys of his thick, muscled arm, over his hip, until her palm was grabbing a handful of his ass.
She donned a playful smile and gifted him with a wink before she raised her hand and brought it down in a light smack against the meaty portion of his butt cheek. “Hell yeah.”
The bright amusement that twinkled in her deep brown eyes was as much of an aphrodisiac as the heat of her naked flesh pressed against his.
His cock twitched and the familiar sparks of arousal spread through his body.
He leaned down to take her lips in a kiss, but was halted by the sound of the burner phone Holden gave him vibrating against the wood of her nearby nightstand.
“Fuck.” The expletive slipped from his lips on an exhausted breath.
“That’s the plan,” Seneca replied. “Ignore the phone and we can.”
He stole a brief kiss and shook his head. “I can’t.”
He turned around and, swinging his legs out of the bed and grabbing the phone, he cleared his throat and barked, “What?” into the phone.
“We need to talk.” Holden was making a demand, not asking for permission and it pissed Colton off.
“We already did that a couple of hours ago.” He took a brief glance at Seneca over his shoulder and desire stirred in his gut. “I’m in the middle of something. We’ll have to do this later.”
“Colton, I’m about to walk into enemy territory. We need to have this conversation now.”
Colton closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to let the urge to strangle his friend simmer down.
“Fine, give me five minutes to call you back.”
He exhaled a loud huff into the air before turning to Seneca. “This is work. I can’t ignore it.”
She watched him carefully as if she were cataloging every inch of him, like she’d never see him again. The finality of it unnerved him, making him cup her cheek, letting his thumb stroke the soft skin there.
“Seneca?”
She took a minute before she answered, and he could see the veil of disappointment falling in place, concealing her vibrant features.
“It’s fine, Colton. Do what you need to.”
She turned away from him, taking the fleeting warmth they’d just shared with her.
He stretched his hand out to connect with her.
When flesh met flesh, they had no misunderstandings or mistrust. But when she reached for a nearby satin robe on the foot bench at the bottom of the bed and covered herself in it, just before padding barefoot into the en-suite bathroom, he knew the spell was broken and trying to retrieve the coziness of the previous moment would be a waste of time.
He stood, walking naked into the living room to find his clothes and dressing quickly before he called Holden.
The phone rang once before his friend answered. The sound of his voice was a reminder of what Colton had just lost, and displeasure spread through him. His voice was thick and laden with it as he spoke.
“What the hell’s so important you need to speak to me again?”
“Colton, I need to talk to you about Seneca Daniels. What the hell is going on? I didn’t want to push it in front of Jackson and Aja, but your reaction doesn’t make sense to me.
It’s not unusual to use former offenders to lure in the bad guys.
Why were you so insistent Ms. Daniels shouldn’t be involved? ”
His good mood was turning worse by the minute. Holden calling him out on his bullshit torched the last vestiges of the contentment his time with Seneca had given him.
“She’s not just a former offender, Holden. I’m involved with her.”
There was a brief pause before Holden let out a sharp whistle. “Colton ‘by-the-book’ Adams is dealing with someone who broke the law? How the hell did that happen?”
“People are allowed to make mistakes, Holden. Her past doesn’t dictate her future.”
“I didn’t say it did. I’m actually not disparaging her. I’m just surprised that you’ve accepted someone’s flaws enough to get past something like that. You’ve never had much use for folks who don’t follow the rules.”
Until he became one.
It was so easy to cast judgment on others when you hadn’t yet walked in their shoes.
He cringed at how self-righteous he used to be.
He’d never considered that rules could one day be manipulated to cause injustice instead of protecting people.
But his time in the army taught him in the most painful way possible that being right didn’t make you right in the eyes of the law.
“What you’re asking her to do is dangerous. I can’t let you risk her safety for your case.”
“You sure she’s worthy of your protection?”
Colton pulled the phone away from his ear and looked down at the screen. He could see the counter clock ticking, so he knew full well the call was still connected, and he hadn’t actually imagined the bullshit that had slipped from Holden’s mouth.
He put the phone back to his ear to reply, “As sure as I am of my own name. What are you trying to imply, Holden?”
“I’m not implying anything, just asking a question.
I’m going undercover as a new deputy. I stopped by the department to finish filling out some paperwork.
As I was leaving, I heard Hastings having a conversation in the parking lot on his cell.
Whoever he was talking to, he mentioned his money troubles would be over soon now that he’d gotten the Daniels woman in line. You know anything about that?”
Colton ran rough fingers through his hair. This was exactly why he didn’t want Seneca involved in all of this. Just from a conversation, she’d been implicated in something she had nothing to do with.
“She’s not working with him,” Colton replied, his mood souring with each passing moment of this conversation.
“He’s attempting to blackmail her. Hastings is threatening to block the permits her boss needs to open up Restoration Ranch.
Seneca is loyal to her. He knows that and is using it to pressure her to use her hacking skills to steal money for him. ”
“Colton,” Holden sighed heavily through the phone line. “This is even more of a reason for her to work with us on this.”
“No.” His response was emphatic. “I know how you play fast and loose with your C.I.s’ lives, Holden.
You and I both know that’s why Hargrove wanted you out of the rangers.
I remember how you used to put your C.I.s in fucked-up situations where you knew they would either be killed or exposed as the rat in their organizations.
People died because of you and your determination to win at all costs.
No, Seneca won’t be risking a hangnail, let alone her life, wellbeing, and freedom, messing around with you.
” He needed his friend to know there was no sense continuing this argument.
There was nothing that could change Colton’s mind.
“Colton, you’re letting your personal relationship get in the way of good investigative work. If this was your case and you weren’t involved with her, you’d have no problems asking another law enforcement agent to do this.”
He fought the knee-jerk reaction to agree with Holden, but he couldn’t.
There was nothing he could say that would challenge the other man’s argument and make it untrue.
Resolved to that reality, he did the only thing he could.
“You’re right on all counts. But I will not risk her life to help you close a big case.
Not when Hastings will know it’s her who helped you.
I won’t let you put her in danger. I will find another way to save her and you will find another way to take that bastard down. ”
He ended the call and returned to Seneca’s room in time to hear her shut the shower off.
He sat on her bed, waiting for her to emerge from the bathroom.
When she did, she was covered in the same satin robe she’d been wearing when she left.
He stood, ready to peel it off her, but she walked beyond him, to the opposite side of the room into her closet.
If he’d grieved losing their physical connection when Holden’s call interrupted them, the sight of her fully clothed set a bomb of despair off in the middle of his chest like an unpinned grenade.
“You’ve got on way too many clothes.”
She shook her head. “I’ve got way too much to do to stay in bed with you. I need to go into town to run some errands.”
She might’ve needed to run errands, but that wasn’t the reason she was leaving and they both knew it. The way she kept fiddling with her clothes in an effort to keep from meeting his gaze was a clear indication this was about avoidance.
“You want some company?”
She shook her head. “No, it will be quicker if I go alone. I’m headed to Mr. Bitterman’s electronic store to pick up some new equipment.”
He nodded and smiled, trying to keep things easy and pleasant between them. He was an ornery cuss by most people’s standards. Making small talk was painful for him. But he’d willingly engage in it if it kept her from running away from him.
“I don’t mean for this to sound sexist, but you shop for electronics the way some women shop for shoes.”
She looked at him then, gracing him with a wide, genuine smile that lit up her eyes.
That lightness, that bit of amusement they often shared had returned and it made his breath hitch in his chest. She was beautiful on any given day of the week.
But when she smiled deep and true, she was radiant, and he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
“No need in getting mad at the truth.” She shrugged. “You know how I love my devices and gadgets. Nothing can keep me away from them for too long. I’m also gonna stop at the diner to get a to-go bag. You want anything?”
He couldn’t tell whether she was just practicing good manners or if she really meant to extend him this kindness. Either way, he was determined to take advantage of it.
“Anything except that Buffalo sandwich. The food’s mostly great at the diner, but that thing tastes like it’s been dipped in pepper.”
“Big man like you scared of a little pepper?”
“No.” He shook his head slowly, cocking it slightly to the side as he leaned back on his elbows on the bed, giving her a full view of what she was willingly walking away from.
“I like it hot. I just prefer my meat seasoned and tasty as well as spicy.” He let the words hang in the air and by the brief movement of her graceful neck when she swallowed, his message had hit its mark.
“Good to know,” she replied before walking to the door, and stopping briefly to share another smile with him before gripping the doorknob.
“Close up when you leave, please.” When she got a quick nod from him, she stepped out of her bedroom, leaving him to listen to her retreating steps as she left the cabin.
He let out a satisfied sigh when he heard the front door snick closed.
She might not know it yet, but he was certain he’d made the first chink in her armor.
As he ran his hands over the sheets that still held their commingled scents in equal parts sweet and spicy, Colton knew one thing.
No matter how much effort he had to expend to show her how right they were together, he would work until he’d used every last drop of his energy to ensure she was his.