Chapter 26 #2
It’s his house.
I’m busy staring in awe when Colter opens my door. His hand is firm at the small of my back as he helps me down. “Inside,” he growls, voice clipped.
He leads me up the steps, never taking his hand off me.
The heavy front door swings open to a wide foyer.
My heels hit polished wood floors that gleam beneath soft, amber lighting.
A stone fireplace anchors the living room to my left.
The mantle is stacked with books and things that don’t belong in what seems as if it was made for some carefully curated designer’s catalogue.
No…this feels lived in. Claimed. The space smells faintly of cedar, leather and something spicier—him.
It doesn’t match the man I’ve made him to be in my head.
Colter focuses his attention on me. Sharp enough that I feel stripped down to my bones.
He nudges me further inside until I’m perched on a leather stool at the massive kitchen island.
Dark cabinets. Wide counters. Everything neat, precise, but with that same rustic charm that makes the place feel grounded.
“You live here,” I blurt before I can stop myself.
His brows draw together like he doesn’t understand the question. “Yeah.”
“I though…” I trail off, my cheeks heating. “I thought you stayed with your dad.”
His mouth curves, humorless. “No. This is mine.” His tone leaves no room for doubt.
Something about the truth sinks beneath my skin, deeper than I want it to. Like this house is an extension of him, his independence, his dominance, his control. And here I am, dropped squarely in the middle of it.
Colter grabs a glass, fills it with water, and sets it in front of me like it’s an order. I wrap my hands around it, more for something to hold onto than thirst. He takes the chair opposite me, knees brushing mine, gaze unrelenting.
“Peyton.” My name comes out rough, like gravel. “Whoever laid a hand on you…he’s already dead. I need a name. A face. Something.”
The promise in his voice chills me. He means it. Whoever that man was, Colter will hunt him down and end him.
But my heart is still racing for a different reason. Because beneath the fury in his eyes, I see something else, something rawer, more dangerous. Possession.
And maybe the worst part?
Some twisted part of me feels safer here, in this house, with his rage aimed at the world instead of me. My fingers tighten around the glass, condensation damp against my palms. The water sits untouched. My throat is too tight, words scraping raw on their way out.
“We were having fun,” I start, keeping my voice even, though it shakes at the edges. “I went to the bathroom and when I came back out it, it was quiet. Too quiet. He was waiting, I think. In one of the stalls. I didn’t even hear him until it was too late.”
Colter’s jaw locks, hard enough I think it might crack.
“He grabbed me from behind. Slammed me into the wall.” My breath stutters, the memory flashing hot and bright in my chest. “His arm was around my throat. It felt as if I couldn’t breathe. Everything…blurred.”
The glass rattles softly as I set it down before I drop it. My hands won’t stop trembling.
“Then what?” his voice is a low growl, threaded with danger.
“He said something about getting a payday for getting rid of me—” I pause, forcing the words past the knot in my throat. “Then Jackson and Lee burst in. He bolted before they had a chance to see him.”
The silence that follows isn’t silent at all. It’s a storm, thick and charged. Colter’s fury rolls off him in waves. His knuckles flex against the granite of the island, tendons standing out like chords, his body taut with violence he hasn’t unleashed.
“Did he touch you anywhere else?” The question is quiet, but it scrapes like gravel.
I shake my head quickly. “No. Not like that. He—” I swallow hard, thinking it is better to keep the threat of rape from the man quiet. Colter doesn’t need any more of a reason to be on edge. “He nearly knocked me out. That’s all.”
“That all?” Colter’s voice sharpens, cutting me open. His eyes burn into mine, wildfire rage barely unleashes. “You could have been dragged out of there. Gone before anyone knew where the hell you were. And you’re sitting here telling me that’s all?”
The stool scrapes beneath me as I shift back, his intensity like a physical force. My heart slams in my chest, fear and something else tangled together.
“I didn’t ask for this,” I snap, the words out before I can stop them. “I didn’t ask for you to drag me into your world, Colter. For any of this!”
His chair screeches against the floor as he shoves his feet, looming over me, his shadow swallowing the kitchen light. He plants his hands on either side of me, caging me in against the island. His face is a storm barely restrained.
“No, Peyton,” he grits out, voice dark and shaking with fury. “You didn’t ask for it. But now you’ve got me. And I swear to God—I’ll kill the bastard who thought he could touch you.”
The air between us crackles, charged with heat and rage and something I don’t dare name. My breath comes fast, shallow, the water glass forgotten between us.
“Colter…” I begin, voice tight, cautious. “All of this—why do people act like the Shaws are…untouchable?” Those cops at the scene treated Jackson like he was royalty.”
He leans back against the island, arms crossed, I can feel the weight behind him even though he’s making it look effortless. His dark eyes follow me, unblinking and there’s that faint dangerous smirk tugging at his mouth.
“Untouchable?” he echoes, tilting his head. “That is a good word for us. Yes. But then, when people know what the consequences for messing with us are…”
“Consequences?” I repeat, frowning. “For what?” My hands twitch, gesturing at the sprawling house, the subtle luxury threated through every corner.
“People are afraid of you. Lee and Jackson jump to do whatever you say. Hell, everyone at the party tonight treated you and your as if you were both some crown royals. But why? It doesn’t make sense. ”
He moves toward me, enough to make me step back instinctively. “People respect power, Peyton. And some people… they respect it even more when it isn’t obvious. When it lurks beneath the surface.”
I bite my lip. “You’re not answering me. I want to know. Is it money? Connections?” My chest tightens. “Or… is it something more? Something I’m not supposed to see?”
He tilts his chin up, expression unreadable, voice low and smooth. “I’ve learned it’s safer not to advertise certain things. People who need to know… they know. People who don’t… they never ask twice.”
I blink at him, frustration bubbling. “You’re serious? That’s it? That’s all I get?”
His gaze softens slightly, dangerous and teasing all at once.
“I won’t put a target on your back by dragging you further into my world,” he murmurs, letting the words hang like a thread I can’t grasp.
“Whoever attacked you tonight, did it because they were trying to get to me. The Shaw name is powerful. Feared. Revered. All those things attract enemies and enemies look for weakness. I should have left you to Oliver. Shouldn’t have interfered, but I can’t help myself.
I’m drawn to you like a moth to a golden flame.
You lit up the darkness the moment you stepped into my world, and I don’t want to let you go. ”
“You’re world? What does that even mean?” I whisper, the unease coiling in my stomach. “News flash, Colter. The man who attacked me had been paid to get rid of me. I’m already in your world.”
His lips twitch into a small, almost imperceptible smile. “It means that some things aren’t mean to be explained. Only survived.”
I frown, heart hammering, the house suddenly too big, too silent. “Survived?”
“Exactly.” He steps closer, too close, so that I can feel the heat radiating from him. “It’s a family that doesn’t forgive easily, doesn’t forget easily… and certainly doesn’t let people who belong to it get hurt.”
I swallow hard, realizing there’s a threat in his words wrapped in a promise. “And me?” I breathe, almost a whisper. “Do I… belong to that?”
His eyes darken, intensity flaring. “You belong where I say you belong. And right now…” His hand brushes my arm, light but unyielding, “that’s enough for you to understand.”
The words are vague, infuriating, and terrifying all at once. My mind races, trying to fill in the blanks, but all I know is that I’m in his world now. Whether I want to be or not. And it seems is if it’s not a place people walk out of untouched.