Chapter 9 #2
“It was a car backfiring. Probably down the street.” His
hand curved around the nape of my neck and he guided my gaze back to his. “I
get it.”
That was all he needed to say and I believed him. Nodding
slowly, I forced an even breath in and then out. “I guess…I’m just a little
jumpy after Friday. When I heard that, I thought…”
“I’m not surprised.” His hand shifted and he curled his arm
around my shoulders, drawing me to his chest. “You freaking amaze me, Abby,
with how you’re holding it together after Friday, but I know it has effected
you and that’s okay. That’s normal.”
The citrusy scent of his cologne surrounded me and my heart
rate slowed. The embarrassment from overreacting eased off. “Thank you.”
“There is no reason you need to thank me.” Leaning back, he
brushed his lips over my forehead and then lowered his arm. He swooped down,
picking up my purse. “But I want you to feel safe. Nothing is going to happen
to you.”
I didn’t respond as he took my hand in his other one. Still
holding my purse, he led me to where his truck was parked under a large oak
tree. The leaves stirred in the warm breeze. “Reece has been keeping an eye on
your place during the night and throughout the day, doing drive-bys.”
I stared at him, floored.
“It’s not perfect, but I doubt you’re ready for me camping
out in your place like I want to until we get those shitheads and put them
behind bars.” Stopping in front of the passenger door, he let go of my hand and
opened it. “Up?”
I didn’t move, not even when he placed the purse in my
hands. “You have Reece watching my place?”
“Yeah. And the other deputies know to keep an eye out.” He
cocked his head to the side, studying me. “You look like I just dropped my
pants.”
I liked to think I’d be rocking a totally different look on
my face if he’d done that. “I’m just surprised. That’s a lot of trouble for
them.”
“It’s nothing.” His gaze met mine. “And they’re glad to do
it. You’re important to me. They know that.”
For the umpteenth time since he appeared Friday night, I was
absolutely flummoxed by Colton. I was important to him? Since when? That
question sounded like such a douche-tastic thing to think, but could he really
be telling the truth? Did I have any reason to doubt that he was?
“You have that look on your face,” he said.
I snapped out of it. “What look?”
“Like you don’t believe a word I’m saying.”
My eyes widened. Was I that obvious? Holy crap. But he
didn’t get it. He didn’t understand that there was a part of me, no matter how
much attention or attraction he tossed in my direction or what he said, that
couldn’t truly believe he really wanted all of this with me.
“That’s okay.” He tapped my hip with his hand, motioning me
to get into the truck. I did just that, staring at him as he closed the door
and jogged around the front. When he climbed in, he started the truck, cranking
up the air conditioner. Snagging aviator-style sunglasses off the visor, he
slipped them on and looked over at me. “Do you know why it’s okay?”
I shook my head. “I’m guessing you’re going to tell me?”
His lips kicked up on one corner. “Nah, sweetheart, I’m
going to show you.”
I’m going to show you.
Those words lingered in the back of my head throughout
dinner, a tantalizing distraction that resurfaced whenever our gazes collided.
Conversation wasn’t lacking though.
While we waited for the food to arrive, along with the wine,
we chatted about high school and he asked about college. I talked about what it
was like to live in a city like New York, and he’d admitted that he could never
handle day in and day out in the city, not even Philadelphia. During the
dinner, he led me into a conversation about editing, something that many people
outside of the publishing industry would have absolutely no interest in, but he
seemed genuinely curious about it.
And when I started to go fan-girl over the authors I worked
with and hoped to work with in the future, he said I was cute. Again.
We didn’t talk about the investigation. I hadn’t brought it
up, figuring it would kind of ruin the lovely dinner.
Sometimes I found myself missing what he was saying, just
tiny bits, because as terrible as it sounded, I ended up just staring at him.
It wasn’t just because he was that attractive. It was more than a physical
thing. A mixture of his charm and kindness, the fact that he was actually here,
after all this time, having dinner with me, had a lot to do with it. And yeah,
some of it had to do with him simply being so freaking hot.
And I was woman enough to admit that.
I had to wonder what people thought when they saw us
together. Like when the waitress’s gaze lingered on Colton, what crossed her
mind? Did she wonder how the hell I ended up on a date with someone like
Colton, who was universally attractive? No one wanted to admit it, but I knew
people thought things like that. Hell, I had. After all, if they didn’t, there
wouldn’t be a thousand articles online showcasing couples that didn’t match on
the attractive scale.
Maybe I wasn’t giving myself enough credit. I didn’t want to
think about things like that right now, because the dinner was sort of perfect,
and the steady internal stream of nonsense was ruining it.
Night had fallen when we left the restaurant and bright
stars blanketed the onyx sky. He kept his hand on my lower back until we
reached his truck. It was such a simple gesture, but I felt like there was so
much meaning to it.
The ride back to my place was quiet as I was lost in my own
thoughts, replaying the dinner over and over. I wasn’t even aware of the fact
that we were at my house until he parked the truck.
I glanced at him in the dark interior of the truck, half
hopeful that he would come in and partly terrified that he would.
One hand rested on the steering wheel as his gaze met mine
and held. His features were shadowed, so I had no idea what he was thinking.
“Walk you to the door?”
“Sure.” Disappointment snapped at my heels. So he didn’t
want to come in? Did I want him to come in? Colton dropped his hand from the
steering wheel and reached over, and as he unbuckled my seatbelt, his hand
brushed along my stomach. A series of shivers danced over my skin.
Oh yeah, I wanted him to come in. Like that door was wide
open.
We walked to the front door, silent with the exception of
the humming of crickets. I didn’t know what to say when we reached my door and
I dug my keys out, unlocking it. I wished I could be brave and confident,
invite him in with a sexy little grin, but it had been so long since I’d done
this.
Actually, I’d never really done this before. Kevin and I had
done the dating thing while in high school. Parents were involved then. Dates
ended at the door and picked up again with late-night phone calls. This was a
whole different ballpark I had no experience in. I looked up at him, drawing in
a shallow breath.
He was staring down at me, and even though I couldn’t see
his eyes, I could feel his gaze, it was that intense. “I had a really
good time tonight.”
“So did I.” I was breathless as I opened the door and
stepped inside. When I turned to him and looked up once more, whatever I was
about to say faded, lost in the space between us.
There was a certain intent to the line of his mouth, and I
knew before he even lowered his head, that he was going to kiss me. The breath
I took got stuck in my throat as he cupped my cheek with one hand, tilting my
head back. He brushed his lips over mine like he had done the night before,
tentative and questioning. There was something so sweet about the kiss as we
stood with me just inside the door and him leaning in.
Last night had been the first time I’d been kissed in four
years. This being the second time, instinct quickly took over. Or maybe it was
simply just arousal. Pleasure darted as I tilted my head to the side, and when
the tip of his tongue touched the seam of my mouth, sweetness was the furthest
thing from my mind.
The kiss deepened as our tongues tangled. My hands ended up
on his chest and his delved into my hair as his arm circled my waist, drawing
me tight to his front. I felt him then, hard against my belly, and feeling just
how effected he was had my blood simmering.
The fear of things escalating took a backseat, still there
but not consuming my attention. I couldn’t think around his kisses, could
barely breathe, and somehow, we were moving. I heard the door slam shut behind
us and then my back was pressed against the wall and there was no space between
us.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since I saw you in this
dress,” he admitted, and then kissed me before I could respond.
I clung to his shoulders as his hand slipped down my side,
curling around my thigh, just below my hip, leaving behind a wake of shivers.
Lifting his mouth from mine, he breathed heavily. “I told
myself I was going to behave tonight.”
My hands clenched over his shoulders, wrinkling the material
of his shirt. “You’re not?”
He kissed my jaw. “Well, I was planning on being a
gentleman.”
“Why?” I asked, surprising myself.
“Hell. Good question.” His lips moved over my neck as I
tipped my head back against the wall. “I’m not even sure.”
I gasped when I felt his tongue circle where my pulse
pounded.
“I just can’t keep my hands off you.” He lifted my leg just
enough that he was able to settle his hips against my core, and oh God, the
ache that blossomed almost made me weep. “Damn,” he groaned, burying his face
in my neck. “That didn’t help.”
My chest rose and fell sharply. “No. No, it didn’t.”
A deep groan rumbled out of him, and I felt his hand on my
thigh move, slipping under the hem of my skirt. The glide of his palm against
my bare skin shook me, pushing a soft moan out from between my parted lips, and
that was nothing compared to what came next. He dragged his hand up and over,
cupping my rear as he pushed his hips in. Muscles coiled in response.
He dragged his lips up my throat, finding my mouth as his
hand kneaded my bottom. The kiss rocked me, and there was little doubt in my
mind that I’d stop him if he pulled my panties down and took me right against
the wall. The mere thought of him doing so burned my skin, twisted up my
insides in a crazy way.
The attraction I felt toward him was startling.
His kiss slowed as he dragged his hand out from under my
dress. “Okay,” he murmured. “I told myself I wasn’t going to do this tonight.”
I opened my eyes, barely making out his features in the soft
glow radiating from the stairwell light. My heart thundered. I wanted to tell
him to ignore what he’d told himself. I was damp between the thighs, ready and
wanting. I wanted him.
Colton lowered my leg as he rested his forehead against
mine. His chest rose just as rapidly. I didn’t say anything as we both
struggled to gain control over what our bodies demanded, but him putting the
brakes on where this was heading was obviously the smart thing to do.
All of this felt so fast and I knew it could quickly get out
of hand, but I…I wanted it to do that. I liked Colton. I’d liked him in high
school. I’d liked him from afar when I’d moved back home. I really, really
liked him now.
And that was terrifying.