Chapter 9
Heather sent Ronan a sultry look as he headed down the aisle of the plane. I had the urge to bare my teeth at her. God, I needed to get a grip.
I followed Ronan out of the plane and into the night air and pulled deep breaths of it into my lungs. There was a hint of salt that told me we were near the ocean.
Colt pressed a hand to my back as we descended the plane steps. “It’s not a far drive now.”
My stomach twisted, nerves setting in. “And your dad’s okay with this?”
Colt’s footsteps faltered as we hit the pavement, an unreadable expression passing over his face. “My dad passed away last year.”
My chest constricted, and I grabbed Colt’s hand on instinct. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
Of course, I hadn’t. Because Maryanne had ripped away every support system I’d had in my life. And Colt and his father had been at the top of the list.
Colt squeezed my hand. “I know.” His throat worked as he swallowed. “Dad always loved you.”
I wrapped my arms around Colt and held on tight. “I wish I could’ve been there for you.” It was a club no one wanted to be a member of, but it helped when you had someone who had walked the path before you.
A million questions filled my head. I wanted to know what happened and how. I wanted to know who was taking care of Colt. But now wasn’t the time. So, I just held on.
Colt inhaled deeply, breathing me in as he nuzzled my neck.
“Colt,” Ronan snapped.
Colt’s hold on me tightened.
Ronan moved in closer. “Get yourself under control.”
Colt’s grip on me loosened, and he stepped back. But when he did, I gasped.
“Your eyes.”
It wasn’t the subtle flecks of glowing gold from this afternoon. His eyes were on fire. A liquid gold swirled through them.
He blinked a few times, and the gold was gone.
“What was that?” I leaned in as if I were going to examine Colt’s irises.
He quickly stepped back. “Probably just tired.”
Being tired didn’t make your eyes glow like some lost treasure, but something in his expression had me biting back further questions.
Briar let out a loud meow.
Ronan glanced down at the carrier in his hand. “We need to get going. Even the hellcat thinks so.”
I sent a stern look in Ronan’s direction. “Don’t call her a hellcat.”
He arched a brow. “She attacked the damn bars when I picked her up. She’d scratch my eyes out if she could.”
I winced. “She’s just getting used to all the new people.”
“Sure,” he muttered. “Let’s just get her home before I lose a finger.”
Home.
Would this place be that for me? It had been so long since I’d felt that kind of peace. But somewhere deep, a flicker of hope lit.
Ronan tossed Colt a set of keys with a meaningful look. “You drive.”
Colt nodded, striding toward the blacked-out Range Rover without a word. His departure stung. But I understood how talking about his father’s death could’ve left him raw.
“Come on,” Ronan urged, glancing around the small airport.
It was then that I saw four more people in black—three men and one woman. Two waited by the SUV while the others seemed to patrol the area. I didn’t miss the weapons holstered on their hips.
“Who are they?” I whispered.
Ronan glanced at them. “Security.”
“For who?”
His gaze darted away from me. “Colt’s got a lot of money. There are people who would like to take that from him.”
What was I walking into? I’d had no sense of Colt and his dad being wealthy when they spent their summers with us in Michigan. Their cottage was nice, but it wasn’t like it was a mansion. A heaviness settled over me as I wondered if I’d ever known my best friend as well as I thought I had.
One member of the security team opened the back passenger door. He nodded at me. “Ma’am.”
I’d never been called ma’am in my life. Could you even be a ma’am when you were seventeen?
Ronan slid Briar’s carrier onto the floorboard and then stepped back, motioning me in.
“Thank you,” I said softly.
He nodded, waiting for me to get in. When I did, he shut the door. The sound ricocheted around the dark night. It was so final. As if I just now realized my entire life was about to change.
Ronan climbed into the front passenger seat. “Let’s roll.”
Two security guys were already in another blacked-out Range Rover in front of us, and I saw the other two climbing into the one behind us. Had they gotten a deal on all these fancy cars?
Colt still didn’t say a word, but his hands gripped the steering wheel as he put the SUV in drive.
“You gonna be able to handle this?” Ronan asked so softly I could barely make out the words.
Colt jerked his head in a nod. “I just need to acclimate. I’ll be used to things in a few days.”
Used to what? My being here? It made sense that my presence would screw with things. Especially if he was used to living with his friends.
Guilt pricked at me. “I’ll stay out of your hair, I promise. You won’t even know I’m here.”
I was good at being invisible.
Colt’s gaze jerked to the rearview mirror, and I swore gold flashed again. “Why would I want you out of my hair?”
I linked my fingers in an intricate twist. “I just…you said you needed time to acclimate. You shouldn’t have to do anything differently because I’m here. I get that you have your life. I don’t want to mess with that.”
Colt’s back teeth ground together. “You don’t mess with anything. I’ve wished you lived with us from the day we met. I want you in my life. Every part of it.”
My heart squeezed. “Oh.”
The corner of his mouth kicked up. “Yeah, oh.”
Ronan simply grunted. I wasn’t so sure he felt the same.
I studied the brooding guy. There was no denying he was beautiful. Even the scar on his brow somehow made him more so. But there was something deeper. A pain rooted in the hidden parts of himself that I recognized because it lived in me, too.
Ronan turned as if he could feel my stare. Our gazes locked, and suddenly, I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. That pain was there now, in those rich amber eyes. Gold glowed in their depths, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt, there were places we were undeniably the same.
We hit a speed bump, and the moment was broken. Ronan turned quickly around, his gaze locked on the road ahead, muttering something under his breath.
I shifted in my seat. My skin felt itchy, too tight for my body. I pressed the window button, welcoming in a cool breeze. It was so different from the heat and humidity of early fall in Louisiana. The thought had me realizing just how far I’d come.
“Could I borrow one of your phones?”
Colt glanced in the rearview mirror. “What do you need it for?”
“I have to tell my boss I left. She’ll worry if I don’t show up.”
Colt’s expression softened, and he handed me his device.
It was too late to call, but I typed out a text to the number I had memorized, letting Betsy know where I was and that I’d call when I’d saved up enough money for a phone of my own. I stared down at the screen, tugging my lip between my teeth. She’d still worry, but hopefully, this would lessen it.
Colt guided the SUV through winding roads. The houses surrounding us got larger and larger until he pulled to a stop in front of large iron gates. A guard stepped out of a little gatehouse, and Colt rolled down his window.
The man nodded at him. “Welcome home, sir.”
“Thanks. Everything quiet?”
“No issues while you were away.”
“Good.”
The gates opened, and I couldn’t help but lean forward. There was no house in sight yet. Just a wall of trees and shrubs.
Colt eased us forward, and we followed the drive. As he took another curve, I sucked in a sharp breath.
The house in front of me was unlike anything I’d ever seen.
Because it wasn’t a house at all. It was more like a palace.
Floor after floor of white brick with massive windows on every story that were flanked by black shutters.
Immaculate landscaping surrounded it with grounds that seemed to go on forever.
It was the most beautiful home I’d ever seen, and one thing was for certain.
I didn’t belong here.