Chapter 15
Breakfast was mostly polite conversation after that. Dash peppered me with random questions about my favorite things. His easygoing demeanor was a balm compared to the intensity of the rest of the guys. Even Colt had that edge. It was just tempered by the fact that I knew him so well.
Baldwin stepped into the dining room and inclined his head toward Colt. “Your car has been brought around.”
I looked up at him. “Thank you so much for breakfast. It was amazing.”
My stomach was practically full to bursting.
He gave me a kind smile. “I’m so glad you liked it.”
“You ready?” Colt asked.
I nodded, pushing back my chair. I grabbed my plate, wanting to take it to the kitchen, but Baldwin shook his head. “I’ll deal with that. You go have fun with Colton.”
My lips twitched at the use of Colt’s full name. There was something so endearing about it. “I’m happy to clean up after myself.”
Baldwin’s expression gentled. “I get immense pleasure in taking care of all my chicks. Don’t rob me of that.”
“Well, thank you.”
“Come on, we’ve got lots of places to stop,” Colt said.
There was a giddiness to Colt that almost made him look like a little boy, even though he was six foot four inches of solid muscle now. The image had me fighting a smile.
I glanced at Dash and Ronan, unsure of what to say. Dash had his usual easy grin. “I should come with you.”
Colt shook his head, sending Dash a mischievous smile. “Sorry, no room in the car.”
Dash rolled his eyes. “You’re an ass. You know that, right?”
Colt chuckled and slapped Dash on the back. “We’ll see you in a few hours.”
Concern creased Ronan’s face. “Not too long.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Colt grumbled.
He took my hand and pulled me out of the room. “If we don’t leave now, we’ll never get out of here.”
He moved quickly through the maze that was his mansion, and before I knew it, we were out the door and stepping into the sunshine. My steps faltered as I took in the vehicle waiting for us. It looked like something out of a Batman or Bond movie. “What is that?”
Colt chuckled, running his hand over the curved hood of the sleek sports car. “My baby.”
My gaze lifted to him in question.
“A Bugatti La Voiture Noire.”
I wouldn’t have been able to repeat the name if I tried. “If I get in that contraption, you’re not going to kill us, right?”
Colt laughed harder. “I promise to only go ten over the speed limit.”
I eyed him suspiciously.
He held up a hand as if he were taking an oath. “I swear.”
“I’ll call the cops on you myself.”
“Deal.” Colt opened the door for me.
I didn’t even want to climb in, worried I’d somehow damage the leather.
“It’s just a car, LeeLee.”
I swallowed and slid inside. The seats were buttery soft, and the interior looked like it belonged in a rocket.
Colt got behind the wheel and started her up. The engine roared and then settled into a purr that sent vibrations through my seat. “Here we go.”
He expertly handled the manual transmission as if he’d been doing it all his life. By the time we reached the gates, they were already opening. The guard probably heard the car from there.
Colt kept his promise, maintaining a reasonable speed. He wove through neighborhoods with breathtaking mansions and then more typical homes, and finally, we passed through a quaint downtown area with shops and restaurants.
“It’s so cute.” Each shingled building looked weathered by the sea air in a way that only increased their appeal.
“We’ll show you around this weekend.”
His words suddenly reminded me that it was a weekday. “Shouldn’t you be at school?”
He shrugged. “Called out for a few days. The rest of the guys will go, though.”
“Can you do that?” There were a million more silent questions in that one sentence.
Colt seemed to read every single one. “Baldwin’s my guardian, according to the state.”
“And he’ll just let you take off whenever you want?”
Colt grinned. “He trusts me not to take it too far.”
This was a whole different world. One I wasn’t sure I’d ever entirely understand.
Colt turned onto what looked like a two-lane highway. “There’s an outdoor mall not too far from here. They should have everything we need.”
My stomach cramped at the word everything. “You promised not to go crazy.”
“I won’t.”
Somehow, I didn’t believe a word.