Chapter 13 Colson #2
“Well, I had some time to think about last night, and us…and all the questions I still had around where we stood with stuff.”
Perking up, my heart raced at the fact that we were already on the same page with things.
Wetting her lips, she lightly pushed a few curls behind her ears.
“I think the best course of action is to just let things be physical between us. We went a year avoiding one another, and on my end, there were strong feelings, and it seems on your end I have no idea…Either way, it built this tension that finally seemed to force you into my life, still not sure why.”
I let out a frustrated breath. “Do you still need a reason?” I was defensive as fuck, but the idea of her finally realizing why I had been forced into her life only meant she’d want me out of it again.
Eyeing me curiously, she moved on. “We obviously are attracted to one another…I think a no strings situation is the best course of action.”
For a moment, I stared at her, unsure if I had heard her correctly.
“So, you’re suggesting we…”
She shrugged her shoulder. “Hook up, have sex, enjoy each other…but nonexclusive, if you find someone, then you’ll tell me and same if I do. But no sleeping with each other and other people at the same time.”
I didn’t even know what to think…my brain felt like one of those “this is your mind on drugs” commercials, except Nora was the drugs.
The idea of her out dating someone else made me feel murderous, but so did the idea of not getting to touch her or hold her anytime I wanted to.
If this was the closest I’d ever come to having her, then I would have to take it. Might be the closest I’d ever get.
“What do you think?” Nora asked, toying with one of her curls.
Part of me wondered if she was testing me, hoping I’d turn her down and demand more from her.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t risk saying that and scaring her off.
So I dipped my head, thought over all my options, panicked, and then fell back into the same default bullshit mode I had existed in for the past year.
I’d continue to shove my feelings down and take whatever I could get.
“Okay. No strings…no expectations.”
She watched me, as if she was waiting for something more, but I wasn’t in any position to expand, or give her that.
As it was, I was barely holding it together.
My shitty dinner and flowers made me look like I wanted more from her and were probably the reason she spilled all of this tonight. I’d already fucking terrified the girl.
Finally, she crawled toward me, put her hand on my chest, and lightly pressed. “And no feelings.”
Right…that part.
I nodded and cupped her face, pulling her lips to mine.
If she wanted just physical, then that’s what I’d give her.
She moved with me, kissing me back, sliding her tongue against mine, and it worked to erase any insecurities I had.
This was enough.
Having her like this, in my arms, where I could kiss her whenever I wanted…it was enough.
My boss lifted his gaze, and it seemed to shudder a bit when he saw me.
My mind instantly went to Nora, and whether I should drop the news and tell him that I was falling for his daughter, and while it was no strings fun right now, one day it would be more. His distracted demeanor gave me pause. I’d wait to see what he had to say first.
“Boss.” I greeted him and took a seat.
The café was bustling with people, and for some reason my eyes bounced up and darted around the room, looking to see if Nora was somewhere in the fray. That had been something I had tried to stop doing a while ago, it wasn’t good that it had started up again. No strings, I tried to remind myself.
“Good morning, Colson. How was your night?” Peter asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
My stomach twisted tight with the memory of Nora falling asleep on my chest the night prior. Instead, I merely shook my head.
“Fine. Same as usual.”
“Good, then let’s get to business.”
My lungs extracted the smallest relieved breath as Peter discussed what had brought us here this morning.
“My wife has put her foot down and wants to be in Arizona before Christmas.”
Wait…why the fuck would she do that? What about Nora?
Peter continued, breaking into my thoughts. “So, I’m cutting the cord. I’m handing all my projects over to you as far as the bids go. I’m not sure I’ll get to them until after the holidays.”
The barista walked over right then and asked for my order. It was enough of an interruption to allow me to process what he’d said and all that it implied.
“Sorry, sir…I guess I’m confused. Why the sudden rush? I mean, I realize your wife wants to get out of here, but did something happen to make her want to leave immediately?”
All I could think of was what Nora had mentioned the other night about arguing with them, and it not going well.
“My wife has two sisters who moved to Arizona as well, she’s eager to be near them and with the last big storm that blew through, she’s ready for the warmer weather.”
He let out a heavy sigh, worry creasing the spaces near his eyes and mouth.
I didn’t say anything although a big part of me wanted to mention they had a daughter they were leaving behind, but it wasn’t my place.
“I don’t have much time this morning, so first things first. I need you to take over a few upcoming projects.”
He bent down and pulled a few folders out of his bag.
“The renovation on Davis Brenton’s storefront.
I guess he’s finally decided what he wants to turn it into.
Second”—he set the folder down and opened a rather thick one—“the Rojas house…that’s coming up.
They want to start in April.” I already knew about that project, along with Davis’s, but they were both a few months out.
“Then there’s the possibility of Nora’s building project,” he said, shuffling a few papers around inside one of the folders.
The barista brought my coffee over, just in time for me to take a sip and seem nonchalant as I asked, “What building project?”
I didn’t like how it felt not to know something about her life. Over the past week, we had grown so close. How could she have not mentioned this yet?
No strings.
Without taking his eyes off the papers in front of him, he replied.
“Nora’s designing the new community center.
Her friend Rae put her on the job. She’ll need to have her mockup done soon to put a bid in with a contractor, but the only problem is, most of the local ones are booked up.
So, Rae put in a special request, asking if she could get the plans to me before January, then I’d agree to take on the project as a priority. ”
“I thought we gutted that building,” I said, confused as to how I’d missed the details on this.
“We did. But the plans hadn’t been drawn up yet. They still aren’t, but I emailed Rae and told her she had to have them in by end of the week in order to get us.”
Us meant me. Nora would be working with me if Peter was handing it all over.
Taking another sip of coffee, I took my time responding.
Because I’d been so adamant about not interacting with Nora for so long, even taking on a girlfriend for a while, which wasn’t even real, but it worked to convince my boss that his daughter didn’t mean anything to me—I wasn’t sure how to converse about Nora-related topics.
Unless, of course, I wanted to push my boss like I did the other day.
“So, with you leaving…” I muttered, wiping my hands on my jeans.
Why the fuck was I so nervous? He’d already asked me to watch out for her. Now he was telling me I’d be working in close proximity with her. It was fine. We’d agreed to no strings attached, so why did it make me so edgy?
My boss sipped his coffee, peering down at the papers in front of him.
“You’ll take that over if it goes through. Can I trust you to bid it all out properly, while remembering what we talked about the other day in my office?”
Silence settled between us, but it wasn’t comfortable. It was tense, tight…about to snap.
Peter cleared his throat, setting his cup in front of him, while his eyes lowered to the table.
“Colson?” His left eyebrow raised as his eyes swung back up to meet mine.
My chest burned as the desire to tell him that I didn’t need his permission hung like hot air, right there in my lungs.
The memory of when I’d met Nora came back again with clarity.
For the first time I felt as if someone had pried open my chest and reached inside it, cradling my heart.
Nora had looked at me with so much feeling, so much life, that it was impossible not to watch her every move, and every single rise and fall of her chest as she stood off by her father, smiling. Existing.
Taunting.
Tempting.
She saw me in a way no one ever seemed to, and I was addicted to it.
Just a few days ago I was ready to flip him the bird where his daughter was concerned, but she had pulled back…so where did that leave me? It left me with a company that I wanted to buy.
Tipping my chin up, I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Peter watched me, his gray eyes moving back and forth over my face, until he finally clenched his jaw and let out a sigh.
“Good, then I’ll leave you to it and be in touch about the bid.”
He closed the folders and slid them across the table to me, while our barista came over to collect our cups.
“So…Christmas?” I asked, curious if Nora would go with them to Arizona or spend it with Davis and Rae. She didn’t seem like the type to be away from her family during a holiday that big.
Peter grabbed for his wallet tucked into the pocket of his jeans. “Yeah…Lilly wants to spend Christmas on a cruise ship, then come home to warm weather and zero snow…so our ship leaves from Seattle on Christmas Day and returns two weeks later.”
“What about Nora?” I blurted, hating that I couldn’t keep my fucking mouth shut. He was already making assumptions about my feelings toward his daughter. Any extra concern would be fuel to the flames.
So, to be safe, I added, “Only because I won’t be here and you asked that I keep an eye on things with her, and if we’re both gone…” I let my voice trail off, hoping to cover my blunder.
My boss thumbed through his wallet, his eyes down until he finally let out another cement worthy sigh.
Flicking the cash on the table, he responded, “I think this will be a great opportunity for her. We’ll see her when we get back and do a small celebration before we leave.”
Oh.
I swallowed and pushed my chair back, standing.
“Okay…well keep me posted on what you need from me.”
Peter turned toward me with a pensive expression. Holding his cell to his ear, he barked out a few demands to our foreman, Tyler, and then he hung up.
“Actually, Colson, I could use your help prepping our house.”
“Oh, are you selling?” I asked, trying to cover the fact that I was just being nosy. I remembered that they had offered it to Nora, and I knew she wouldn’t take it.
Peter focused on his cell again and distractedly said, “My daughter is going to take it, she just doesn’t know it yet.”