Chapter Eleven - Blaire
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Blaire
The flashlight on my phone scans over the blush floral upholstery from the 90s that lines the couch in my Gram’s camper. Sure, it’s a little dated, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a perfectly reasonable sleeping spot. I slept in this very spot as a kid.
I sniff the area.
There’s a musty smell, but it could just need some airing out. I’ll get through one night here and then I’ll make it more liveable tomorrow. One night will not kill me, but sharing a space with the Rile brothers might. I had to walk the perimeter of the camper about ten times after they drove away just to cool off, and I still feel the anger at them thrumming in me.
A metallic thud reverberates through the entire camper and I scream in surprise, whipping my phone light around me frantically.
“Shit!” a familiar male voice swears.
Colt.
“It’s just me,” he continues. “I think the damn door came off its hinges. ”
I huff with impatience and make it to the front door.
“Did you just rip my door off?” I say, folding my arms as he places a camping lantern on the ground. “A bit excessive, don’t you think?”
“Peace offering.” Colt puts one hand up as he hands me over a big canvas bag with the other.
I take it while glaring at him suspiciously. I should just slam the door on him. But I can’t really do that now, can I?
I peek into the bag. A paper bag with grease spots seeping through, blankets, and a big bottle of water. I lift the paper bag to inspect it.
“Egg sandwich,” Colt says. “Briggs makes ‘em damn good.”
This is the first time I’ve ever seen Colt even look a little bit sheepish. The man practically has his damn tail between his legs. And seeing him like this is… damn it. It’s kind of sexy, I realize.
“This is actually really nice.” I sigh resentfully.
“Sorry to annoy you,” He says with a small smirk. Damn that smirk.
“You should be sorry,” I say.
“You should be sorry, too.” He leans up against the door frame. He’s so close to me that I can feel the heat emanating from his body and smell his cedar scent that hasn’t changed. A warm thrum shimmers through me.
“Oh, yeah?” I say, but my voice sounds soft, almost delirious with the warmth that is filling me from being this close to him.
“Yeah,” he says, his breath mixing with mine. Our faces are dangerously close. “For telling us you don’t have a damn fiancé.”
My eyes narrow at him. What does that mean?
“Because now there’s no good reason in the world why I shouldn’t pin you up against that wall and fuck you until you say my name like you used to.”
I inhale sharply. That is not what I was expecting. So much time has passed between us.
“I have a reason,” I say, my voice sounding shallow and unsure. “Because it’s a bad idea. It got so messy last time.”
And I don’t say my other hesitation out loud. That I want love. And Colt is here for the physical. I know he likes the way these leather pants fit me, even if he thinks I’m a spoiled brat.
“I don’t know about you, but I haven’t had a bad idea in so long that having one feels like a really, really good idea.” There’s exhaustion in the way he says it. I wonder how much he actually is able to date with Kaylee and the ranch.
His eyes are intense and hungry. I remember the side to Colt that comes out when making love. He’s not the reserved tough guy any longer. A more playful side comes out. And he’s so damn good at knowing just what I want. And how I like to be touched.
My traitorous body screams for him as the memories come flooding back.
“What is it about you?” I whisper resentfully, letting my face get close to his.
His lips barely lift with a smile, taking my words as the resignation they are. His hands grab the back of my thighs and he wraps my legs around his waist. Being touched by him feels like a cold drink on the hottest summer night, and I didn’t realize just how thirsty I am until I taste it.
He carries me further into the trailer and pushes me up against the wall.
“So what do you say, Hollywood? Should we have a bad idea?”
My heart races as I trace the lines of his hardened, beautiful face. And that’s when I realize it goes two ways. He might like the way I look, but damn, do I like the way he looks, too .
And the way he touches.
It might cause all kinds of problems, but for tonight I know it will make me feel alive in a way that I’ve missed so damn much.
I nod slowly.
He grins as he mirrors my nod, bringing his face closer to mine. He teases me by gliding his lips against mine but not kissing me.
“Say it then,” he says gruffly into my mouth. “Because you are a lady, and I’m not making another move until you say it.”
“Yes. Let’s have a bad idea,” I whisper as I wrap my arms around his shoulders and close the distance between our mouths. Our lips connect and we breathe each other in deep. I take his scent in like it’s the only thing in this world keeping me alive at this moment. His scent is so familiar, but so foreign at the same time. I breathe him in like I might never get a chance again. Feeling his big frame pressed up against mine, pinning me to the wall, is like a hit of a drug I didn’t even know I was addicted to.
And now that I’ve had a taste again, I know I won’t be able to stop myself from having it all.