Chapter 9
Sunday morning, I did something I hadn’t done in a
very long time. When I stripped off my pajamas and shoved the shower door open,
I didn’t allow myself to gloss over my reflection or to pretend that I wasn’t
purposely avoiding catching a glimpse of myself. Because that was what I’d been
doing for a long time. Almost like if I didn’t see myself, I didn’t have to
acknowledge how I felt.
But this morning, I looked.
The hollows of my cheeks were a bright pink and my gaze wary
as I took in my disheveled hair. It was probably my imagination, but my lips
looked swollen. There was no way that was the case, but I didn’t have to try
hard to remember Colton’s kisses. My lips tingled. Those kisses were something
I wouldn’t forget.
My gaze drifted down, over the slope of my shoulders and
then across my chest. I pressed my lips together as I lifted my hands, placing
them over my breasts. The skin was smooth, nipples puckered. Steam began to
fill the bathroom, dampening my skin. I lowered my hands. My breasts were round
and full. Definitely nowhere in the general vicinity of perkiness, but
they…they matched the rest of me. My waist curved in slightly and then flared
out, forming round hips. The shadowy area between my plump thighs drew my
attention. Brazilian wax? Uh, no. I almost laughed out loud at that thought.
God, it had been so long since I had sex.
Could I do it? An image of Colton formed in my thoughts, and
the flush raced down my throat. Biting down on my lip, I was pretty sure that I
could do it. The man neared perfection when it came to his body.
That would be a lot to overcome.
As I twisted to the side, peeking at my behind, I tried to
come to terms with how I felt about myself. It wasn’t easy and the steam
covered the mirror before I had any answer. I stepped into the shower, letting
the hot water beat down on me. I wasn’t sure if it was a lack of self-esteem or
a lack of action that had my confidence bouncing all over the place. Or maybe
it was the fact that I spent every day caught up in the fictional worlds of the
authors I edited, experienced their love, their heartbreak and everything in
between that I hadn’t, in the last four years, experienced anything in the real
world or taken any time for myself.
When Kevin passed away, I had thrown myself into work. If I
was honest, that was when I started to lose sight of myself, of who I was. I
didn’t want that any longer. Last night I had decided that I couldn’t pass up
the chance to feel again. And what I saw in the mirror wasn’t horrifying. It
was the same body Kevin used to refer to as Botticelli beautiful. Curves
weren’t a bad thing.
I just needed to get my mind on board with all of that.
Since I had gotten up early, I hit the computer after I’d
showered and changed into a pair of jeans and a loose, cap sleeve blouse. I was
able to work on a couple of pages before my phone dinged. It was a text from
Colton. He was outside.
Heart jumping all around like a bouncing bean, I saved my
work and closed the laptop. My bare feet were silent as I came down the stairs.
The fresh pot of coffee I’d put on scented the air. Reaching the door, I opened
it with a deep breath.
And the same breath punched out of my lungs.
The jeans he wore were faded along the knee and the old
screen T-shirt stretched across his broad shoulders. He lived in these kinds of
clothes. Not dress shirts and pants, and while he looked good in his detective
getup, he looked damn good in jeans.
“Mornin’,” Colton drawled, stepping inside. He held a white
cardboard box that smelled like heaven, and as I moved to close the door, he
swooped down, pressing his lips against my cheek. The innocent brush of his
lips across my skin sent an acute shiver down my spine. “I swung by the
hardware store and picked up the stuff.”
Closing the door, I ordered myself to pull it together. “And
the bakery?”
“Always the bakery.” He tossed a grin over his shoulder as
he headed toward the kitchen, where he placed the box on the counter. “I got
some muffins and éclairs. You haven’t eaten yet, right?”
My tummy grumbled happily. “No. Thank you for doing that—for
doing all of this.”
“Like I said before, my pleasure. Do you prefer chocolate or
fruit?”
I watched him from under my lashes. “Chocolate. Always
chocolate.”
He chuckled as he plucked the chocolate éclair out, placing
it on a napkin. “I’ll have to remember that.” Picking up a fruity éclair, he
faced me and leaned back against the counter. “Did you sleep well last night?”
At first, I had tossed and turned, thinking about his kiss
and what he’d said. I’d been turned on and I had to take care of that. Not that
I was going to share that piece of info. Obviously. “I slept okay. You?”
His lashes lowered as a small grin tugged at his lips. “It
took me a while to fall asleep.”
Could he have had the same problem as I? An image of him
took hold in my thoughts, vibrant and seductive. I saw him in bed, his hand
beneath the sheet, gripping his cock. My stomach hollowed at the thought, my
mouth dried. His back would definitely be bowing and his head would be kicked
back against the pillows as he worked himself…
He tilted his head to the side. “What are you thinking
about, Abby?”
“Nothing.” Turning away hastily, I all but shoved the éclair
in my mouth. “So…um, how much do I owe you for the stuff to fix the window?”
“Dinner.”
I dabbed at my lips when I turned back around. My brows
rose. “Dinner?”
A half grin appeared. “Yes. Dinner. You know, where two
people, sometimes more, go out to eat?” He took a bite of his éclair while my
eyes narrowed. “Tonight.”
I started to ask why but managed to stop myself before I
looked like a complete idiot. Well, I wasn’t sure I would look like a moron,
but it would be so evident that my confidence in what was going on between us
was somewhere between crappy and craptastic.
So I smiled as excitement and hope bubbled, and prayed there
wasn’t chocolate on my teeth. “Dinner would be nice.”
Colton was as handy as he was good looking, and I
really could get used to him doing work around the house. Actually, I could get
used to him just being in my house in general.
As he boarded up the window, making it more secure until the
window guys could come out, an easy conversation flowed back and forth between
us, and it was the same when he reappeared later that evening to take me to
dinner.
After he’d left in the late afternoon, the struggle had been
real when it came to concentrating, but I managed to get some work done on
McGuire’s novel. I was lucky; her manuscripts were typically clean.
Nervous giddiness had my heart and pulse jumping all around
as I picked out a dress that I hadn’t worn in what felt like forever. Actually,
there was a good chance I’d never worn the sleeveless pink and blue floral
dress. I sort of felt like I was wearing my grandmother’s couch when I slipped
it on over my head, but the high waist and heart-shaped neckline were super
flattering. I felt pretty in the dress.
Maybe even a little sexy.
I carried a pair of pink heels downstairs and then slipped
them on mere moments before there was a knock on my door. Colton had texted,
letting me know he was there. With my heart lodged somewhere in my throat, I
opened the door and my tongue nearly lolled out of my mouth and rolled across
the floor.
Once again dressed in jeans, he’d paired the dark denim with
a plain, white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows,
showcasing powerful forearms. I didn’t know what it was about sleeves rolled
up, but it had always been a huge turn-on for me.
I was so weird.
Colton’s gaze glided over me as a small grin appeared. “You
look lovely.”
Like I was love-struck or something equally silly, I felt my
cheeks flush. “Thank you. So do you. I mean, you don’t look lovely. You look
hot. Sexy. Very nice.”
His brows rose.
I wanted to smack myself. “I think I’ll stop talking now.”
He chuckled as he lowered his head, kissing me softly.
“Actually, keep talking. It’s doing wonders for my ego.”
“I don’t think you need any help in that department.”
“True,” he admitted, straightening. “My head is probably
already too big.”
The thing was, Colton was confident and self-assured, maybe
even a little cocky, but he wasn’t arrogant. He was like a unicorn.
“You ready?”
“Just one second.” I grabbed my purse and keys off the
coffee table and then joined him outside, pulling the door closed behind me.
The heat was near stifling, coating my skin as I glanced at the boarded window.
I cringed. “That looks terrible.”
“Not the greatest curb appeal,” he agreed, placing his hand
on my lower back. We started down the short set of steps. “Did you get in touch
with anyone today after I left?”
“I called my insurance company—the one-eight-hundred number.
It doesn’t make sense to file a claim, not with the deductible, but they did
give me a list of companies to call tomorrow.” Despite the heat, I couldn’t
suppress a shiver when he slid his hand to the center of my back.
He cast me a knowing side-look as we stepped onto the
sidewalk. “I want someone to get out here quick. I don’t like the idea of the
window being like that for long.”
“Me neither. I feel like—”
A loud pop caused me to jump and lose my grip on my purse.
It slipped from my fingers, falling to the pavement as I whipped around. Heart
racing, my frantic gaze searched for the source of the sound, terrified I was
about to come face-to-face with the bald man.
He wasn’t there.
“Are you okay?” Colton placed his hand on my shoulder,
turning me toward him. Concern was etched into his handsome face. “Abby?”
“Was that a…a gun?” The moment I spoke the question, I
already knew the answer. If it had been a gun, I doubted Colton would just be
standing there. “I’m sorry.” My cheeks burned as I looked away. “I know that
wasn’t what that was.”