Chapter 26
TWENTY-SIX | TARYN
Ishift in the bed, the sheets tangling between my legs. Flipping again to my side, releasing a frustrated groan, I accept that sleep may evade me tonight.
My throat is dry, and my body apparently can’t find comfort on a mattress that feels like sleeping on a marshmallow after it’s been lightly toasted by a flame.
I miss sleeping with Rossco. I miss finding comfort in the way his body curled up at the end of the bed, warming my feet. The way I wake up in the night to soothe him when he’s whimpering, and his body lightly shakes while he’s dreaming.
I’ve gotten so used to his presence that now I don’t sleep as well as I used to with him around. I’m sure he feels the same since he sleeps outside now. Luckily, Colten got him a doghouse and a bed with plenty of room to curl up inside for the night.
Today was…awkward, hence why the tension still lingers and pulls at every cord and muscle in my body, denying me of rest.
The twins left with Jess this morning, leaving me to watch the kids by myself for the first time.
It was easy.
Painless.
Who knew spending time with a seven and five-year-old would be easier than sharing the same air with their brooding brother who showed up for dinner and didn’t bother to utter a word to me all evening?
I received a few glares.
And several scrutinizing gazes that I couldn’t dissect.
Teaching his five-year-old sister the word ass probably has something to do with that.
Honestly, I’m surprised her little mouth doesn’t spill all sorts of other nonsense since Colten, Cameron, and Brennan are no saints.
The moonlight casts long shadows across the floor and up the walls, the light waking me more than I wish it would.
I lose my internal battle and glance at the clock.
It’s nearly one in the morning.
Ugh.
Flipping the covers off my body, I toss a white tank top over my purple bralette and pull on a pair of black sleep shorts.
Since I sleep in a bra and underwear and don’t feel comfortable walking around in such little clothing, I decide it’s best to cover myself.
I know who lurks in the other rooms in this house.
Jess and the twins may be gone, but it would just be awkward if the kids found me since it’s only them and me in the house.
I pad down the stairs on feathered feet and quietly open my door, walking through the eerily silent house. The only sounds are my faint steps, my heartbeat, and my shallow breaths. Managing to quietly make it down all the flights of stairs, I step into the foyer.
My skin prickles, the hairs on my arms standing on end, responding to a presence that makes all the sensitive nerve endings in my body tingle.
I peer into the kitchen to my right, only lit by the light on over the stovetop on the kitchen island. Scanning my surroundings, my eyes drift to the dark living room, faintly glowing from the moonlight filtering through the windows, casting shadows across the room.
But it’s the shadow sitting on the couch in a far corner of the room that has my heart creeping into my throat.
The silver light dances across Colten’s features in an ethereal way. His concentration on me is secure and unrelenting, freezing me in place at the base of the stairs.
Neither of us has moved, and I’m completely aware that I can’t see his eyes from this far away, but they feel black and bottomless. The obscure kind that pulls me in, wanting to venture and see how close I can get until I fall into them, and he swallows me whole.
A glass of amber liquid is on the end table. He picks it up, the surface of the alcohol shimmering from the moonlight.
Colten’s gaze holds mine.
I slowly part from the staircase and wander into the living room, keeping him a safe distance away.
“Um…I—” I inhale a deep breath. My nipples pebble under my shirt in response to his company, making me feel entirely more exposed than I am. “I just needed a glass of water,” I whisper, loud enough that he can hear me, while pointing to the kitchen.
There’s no response from him. His chest rises and falls, and the silence stretches between us.
Chills break out across my bare arms and legs. My tone shakes. “What are you doing in here?”
“Elena had a nightmare.” His sleepy, deep voice tenses every one of my muscles. “She came to get me.”
Shit.
She walked outside by herself at this time of night? The twins and Jessica may be in Seattle, but I’m here.
I fold my arms over my chest, attempting to hide my firm nipples from his view. Colten’s eyes land on the movement, his fingers tightening around the glass tumbler on his knee.
I shift unnervingly. “Why wouldn’t she come get me?”
He swirls the amber drink in his glass leisurely. He lifts it to his mouth, but instead of taking a sip, he inhales the sweet aroma. He closes his eyes briefly before setting the glass back on his knee.
“She comes to find me when they scare her more than others. I guess she thinks I’m better at handling nightmares.”
“Are you?” There’s a nervous edge in my tone.
I absentmindedly step toward him, and he cocks his head, observing my movements.
His eyes roam my body. “I’ve dealt with my own.”
My breaths become shallower, causing my hands to shake. “Delt with your own or dealing with your own?” I ask.
Slits appear in his eyes. “Why would you ask me that?”
I shrug, heart thumping. “There’s a big difference.”
God, I should ignore him—get the glass of water I came down for and return to my room. Yet something about him keeps my feet firmly planted on the chilly wood floor. He makes me want to push the boundaries.
“You’re giving me the vibe that you might be trying to deal with them right now,” I continue when he doesn’t answer.
Colten lifts a hand to his mouth, swiping a few fingers over his bottom lip before dragging the same ones through his hair. His black shirt hugs his chest and biceps, the cords in his muscles and neck catching the light as he moves fluidly.
I’m not sure why I do it, but I stalk toward him, our gazes sparking and lighting something I should be running from.
Getting close enough that the fabric of his sweatpants brushes against my knees, I lean over, grabbing the liquor in his hand.
Maybe I have a death wish. Or maybe I’m curious what taunting Colten will lead to. His eyes don’t leave mine, but as our fingers brush against each other’s, molten lava floods through my veins simultaneously as a threat flashes across his eyes.
“Taryn.” His husky voice, laced with warning, sends a rush of desire to my aching core.
God, the voice that comes out of that mouth.
A mouth whose words have nearly brought me to orgasm almost as quickly as his tongue pressed to my clit. A throbbing between my legs increases the staccato rhythm of my pulse.
He releases his hold on the glass, inspecting me savagely as I lift it to my lips and draw a mouthful. Swallowing it down, the smoky, sweet flavor bounces off my tongue and burns my throat. I know alcohol doesn’t work this instantly, but my flesh tingles just the same.
His fingers curl into a fist on his lap. “What are you doing, Little Ghost?”
I smirk, taking another sip. I lean across his muscular frame, setting it back on the table, my head so close to his that I can feel his hot breath skimming the slope of my neck.
Wetting my lips, I whisper, “Facing my own nightmare.”
Before I can even register what’s happening, his hand whips out, his fingers wrapping around my throat with such a subtle force I release a strangled noise.
He stands the exact moment he rotates us, throwing me on the couch effortlessly.
He shoves my back into the sofa with his fingers still firmly around my throat and his body pressing between my open legs.
Oh, shit.
His swift actions and the way he forced me into this position transfers a surplus of tension between my parted legs—the fear inside me sparking and shifting into something much more needy.
His fingers softly dig into my erratic pulse. I’m completely trapped and helpless under Colten’s hard physique. Thrusting his hips between my thighs, the massive and hard bulge of his cock grates against my sensitive flesh.
Lightning crackles under my skin.
His lips skim the shell of my ear. “I highly suggest you go to bed, Taryn.”
I should. God, I should.
Making no effort to move, I give myself over and accept my fate. He’s making it nearly impossible to scurry away from him and back to my room. So, I stare at him challengingly, dissecting the look in his eyes, my chest rising and falling beneath him.
His eyes flutter closed, his features contorting in a way that shows me the internal battle he’s fighting. When his eyes fly open, my body jolts at the complete shift. His hooded eyes inject venom into my bloodstream, immobilizing me in place.
“Fuck it,” he breathes.
His lips crash down onto mine, my body igniting into flames underneath him at the unexpected feeling of his mouth on mine. His cock swells against my core, enticing him to grind on top of me and wrench a moan from my mouth and into his.
Colten’s other hand, not capturing my throat, grips my hip bone, tugging my frame flush against his. His touch sears through my flesh and liquifies everything. Hot damn, I’m going to turn into a puddle on the couch for this man.
I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m soaked through my underwear and shorts, drenching him through his sweatpants with the skillful way he’s dry humping me. His thick erection rubbing against my clit has everything twisting and coiling, begging to be released.
He bites my bottom lip hard, the sting quickly diminishing when his tongue swipes against it. He thrusts it between my lips, demanding further access and deepening the kiss. Our tongues tangle, his sugary, minty flavor sizzling on my taste buds.
Did he even drink the scotch? He doesn’t taste like it at all.
Every part of my being floats in space as his dominant tongue, which brought me pleasure a few days ago in his truck, duels with mine.
His minty taste and the spiced scotch lingering in my mouth create a cocktail of flavors that increase my feverish flesh.
Fuck, I’ve never been kissed like this.
I’ve never been handled in such a mind-blowing way that tears prickle in the corners of my eyes from the combination of millions of unknown emotions I’ve never experienced.
Fear.
Lust.
Desire.
Hate.
Pleasure.
He brought the entire storm to play with my lightning.
A groan vibrates his chest, pulsating through my sternum. My sensitive nipples are strained against the lace bralette, begging to be freed and caressed by his teeth or twisted by his fingertips.
Surprisingly, he pulls his mouth from mine, leaving my lips swollen and wet. His hand releases my throat, and his other hand lifts from my hip as he rises from the couch.
Our heavy breathing is the thunder.
The enormous rumble after the lightning strike.
Loud and terrifying.
Colten’s hands drag down his face in apparent ire.
And then he’s gone.
Colten rapidly paces out of the living room and through the hallway on the other side of the stairs. The back door slams, the tremor shaking the house’s bones, rattling me even more than I was.
What the actual hell?
He has some nerve, not bothering to utter a word or spare me a glance after he nearly ground our bodies to a climax and dominated my lips.
My tongue.
My damn mind.
I push myself off the couch, reaching for his glass of scotch, and down the whole thing in a few gulps. It scalds my throat, but my skin ruptures into flares from how angry I am, numbing the pain. The alcohol swirls and swirls, festering in my stomach with rage.
Letting the liquor give me some audacity, I set the glass down and take the four flights of stairs back up to my room. Hurling open the bottom drawer, I remove the hot pink lace underwear he left on my dresser.
Fuck him.
It takes less than a minute for me to erupt through the back door and march down the grassy decline to his sidewalk. Rossco emerges from his doghouse, wagging his tail.
And Colten’s rules can kiss my ass. I’m taking Rossco back up to bed with me tonight.
No porch light is on, but the moon is full and bright. All of his curtains are pulled closed, but my ire is directed at his door as if I have a problem with it and not him.
I batter my fist against it and wait a second. My patience wears thin when there’s no answer. But my anger doesn’t let up. I keep knocking and knocking, knowing at some point he’ll have to come to the door and deal with me if he wants to get any sleep.