Chapter Thirty-Six
Three Weeks Later
Colt has been calling every day.
And every day, he sounds stronger. Clearer. More like himself.
I’ve been allowed to visit the center a few times, which has been amazing, and just seeing him, watching the light slowly return to his eyes, has made everything feel a little less heavy.
But outside of those visits? It’s been chaos.
The paparazzi have practically camped out at my front door, desperate for any scrap of information on the Slade brothers’ recovery.
They follow me everywhere, cameras flashing, voices calling out questions I refuse to answer.
At this point, I don’t even open the door anymore.
If I have to leave the condo, I slip out under the cover of darkness, head down, moving fast.
And then there’s Daddy.
He’s called more times than I can count, insisting I need to end things with the “drug lord” or “once a druggie, always a druggie, Deliah.” He always puts emphasis on my name, like I should know better, like I have lost my damn mind.
I told him to stop calling.
Eventually, he did.
The doorbell rings, and when I answer, Anna’s standing there with a massive bunch of flowers. “And what are these for?” I ask as she hands them to me.
“They’re from Colt. He asked me to get them for you,” she says, and inside, I melt a little, or should I say a lot.
Joseph smiles while I lift the bouquet closer, breathing in the mix of roses and lavender. The petals are soft against my fingertips, still cool from the morning air. I pull out the little card, nestled between the stems. It’s a simple card, yet it means more than words can say.
Dee
I am so lucky to have the most supportive girlfriend.
You’re my strength, my peace, my everything.
“Only you, always.”
Colt xx
Joseph takes the stunning arrangement from me and pushes me out the door. “Go, you don’t want to be late.”
We walk to Johnny’s car, and I jump in the back seat.
Johnny spins around. “You excited?”
Anna slides into the front passenger side.
“You have no idea,” I reply, my heart racing in anticipation.
The drive to the Priory seems to take forever. We catch every red light, and every road we drive on has some sort of damn construction, so I’m becoming impatient.
All I want is to walk out of the clinic holding Colt’s hand.
Eventually, we arrive, and Johnny finds a park close by. I practically run through the front door and into the main foyer. Sia and Dingo are already there, and I walk over to them and sit on the sofa next to Sia.
“How are you?” I ask excitedly.
“Going good. Looks like you’re about to burst,” Sia says, and I laugh.
“I think I am. I’m so excited.”
Anna and Johnny sit on a sofa opposite us.
My leg is bouncing up and down as I twiddle my thumbs, waiting impatiently. I look at the clock on the wall—it’s ten past eleven.
He was meant to be out at eleven.
I start to get anxious.
Maybe they have changed their minds. The doctor’s going to come out any minute and tell me Colt has to stay another twenty-eight days.
I’m lost in my agonizing thoughts when the doors swing open, and Colt walks out, talking to a male doctor.
He’s smiling and looks amazing. All the weight Colt lost, he’s put back on, and his beard is gone.
His scowl has been replaced with a happy smile.
He simply looks…
… breathtaking.
Hux isn’t far behind and walks out with his arms in the air like he’s at one of his concerts, trying to make the crowd go wild. Everyone laughs as he struts over to us.
I stand eagerly and wait for Colt to finish with the doctor. I’m practically bouncing on the spot.
Hux rushes across to me and makes a kissy face. I smirk and stick my tongue out as he walks past and fist-pumps Dingo.
It’s taking everything I have not to pace, not to fidget, not to explode from impatience.
Why is Colt taking so long?
Anna’s hand settles on my shoulder, a grounding touch. “Just let him do what he needs to. He knows you’re here, and I bet he’s bursting to see you too,” she says gently.
Inhaling deeply, I force myself to believe her. I tear my eyes away from Colt for just a second and turn to Hux, who, of course, is winking at a nurse. A sharp laugh bursts out of me, loud, completely unfiltered.
Every head in the room snaps toward me.
I slap a hand over my mouth, mouthing a quick Sorry!
to the ladies at the reception desk, as I stifle my amusement.
When I glance back at Colt, he’s watching me from the corner of his eye, his lips twitching like he’s holding back a smile.
He quickly refocuses, shakes hands with the doctor, then turns fully toward me.
My breath catches as I bite my bottom lip, raising my brows, silently asking if he’s finally ready. His smile breaks wide and bright.
He nods.
And just like that—I’m moving before I even think about it.
Running.
He laughs, his arms open just as I reach him, and in a heartbeat, I’m off the floor, spinning.
I lock my arms around his neck, burying myself in him, feeling him, breathing him in.
He slows, letting me slide down the length of his body, every inch of him pressing into me, lighting up something deep inside.
Our faces stop just shy of each other, breaths tangled.
And then—he leans in.
His lips crash into mine, desperate, hungry, claiming me like he’s making up for every second we lost. He tilts, pressing his body into mine, pulling me closer, deeper, like he can’t stand a single inch between us. Heat erupts through me, searing, all-consuming, every nerve ending alive with need.
And then—that taste.
Fresh. Familiar. Minty.
Not Zurich Colt.
Not broken Colt.
My Colt.
I kiss him harder, devouring him like I’ll never let him go again, and somewhere in the background, I hear cheering, clapping, a few wolf whistles, but I don’t care.
Not when he’s here.
Not when he’s mine.
Slowly, he pulls back, his lips grazing over my cheek, my neck, leaving soft, lingering kisses that send shivers down my spine. Then, with one last exhale, he wraps me up, crushing me against him in a tight, unshakable embrace.
And for the first time in forever, I know he’s truly home with me.
“Only you, always, Dee,” he says.
“I love you so fricking much, Colt,” I reply and lift my head to look in his eyes. They are a blazing, bright blue pool of intense lust. He shakes his head and smirks at me insinuatingly.
“You know what your swearing does to me, Miss Norman,” he says, whispering while grinding his hips into me. I grin and wink, licking my top lip from side to side.
“Three long and painful months of not being inside you will make for an amazing night tonight if you’re up for it. I know I am,” Colt says with a smirk and grinds his hard cock into me. My breath catches as throbbing makes itself known between my legs.
“Oh, fuck, yeah,” I reply and kiss him again.
His hand scrunches my hair as his other holds my ass instead of my neck, pulling me to him.
I’m dizzy, and his kiss is driving me insane.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, you two! Can you bloody wait till you get home before you start dry-humping each other, please?” Dingo calls out.
Huffing loudly, I take my lips from Colt’s.
I move to let him go, but he stops, turns me around in front of him, and then wraps his arms around my stomach.
I wonder what he’s doing, and then, with a slight thrust, I realize he has a boner and needs me to hide it for him.
I turn my head over my shoulder to look up at him with a smirk.
He winks, and we walk awkwardly to Johnny’s car, where we say goodbye to Dingo, Sia, and Hux as they leave in their vehicle.
Hux is staying with them for a while so they can keep their eyes on him.
Colt finally lets me go, and I enter the back seat. He slides in next to me, shutting the door. I don’t hesitate, shift into his lap, and wrap my arms around his neck. He chuckles and moves the hair from my face behind my ear.
“Okay, love birds, no fucking in the back of my car on the way home. Got it?” Johnny states as he slides into the driver’s seat, and Anna moves into the passenger seat.
We don’t answer before our lips are locked together again. And I feel like everything’s where it’s meant to be for the first time in forever.
I don’t hear the car stop because I’m too busy lost in Colt to notice.
“Oi! Get out of my car and go upstairs and get naked already,” I hear Johnny say.
Slowly, I pull myself away from Colt, and we’re both breathing heavily. Anna opens the door with a smirk, and I slide out with Colt following close behind me.
“Have a good night, you two,” Anna says, shutting the door and getting back into the car.
I take Colt’s hand and walk with him to the door. He spins and pushes me against it, and his lips are on mine again. He grinds into me, and I can’t help the small moan that escapes my lips.
I’m on fire, needing to be with him.
I need him inside of me as much as he needs to be there.
I hear laughing, and then Johnny honks the car horn as they drive off.
Colt moves his lips to my neck, and I breathe deeply as I notice how wet I am at his touch. “We need to get inside,” I say through staggered breaths as he makes his way back up to my lips.
“Yes, we do,” he replies against my lips, the vibration making me tingle all over.
I turn in his grip and fumble for the keys in my pocket. His hands slide around my waist, one heading down between my legs and cupping my pussy. I moan as he grinds his dick into my ass.
“Fuck, Dee, open the damn door,” he growls out in my ear, then bites my lobe.
I put the key in the lock and turn the knob. As soon as the door opens, Colt pulls me to him and spins me around, lifting me by my ass and shutting the door with his foot. I wrap my arms around his neck as he walks me inside, our lips locked tightly.