15. Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Brynn
I am living my nightmare. I am in Cedar Creek and saw Steven in a bar. Colt made him leave, but not before I started to panic. What the fuck am I going to do? My brothers were there. They saw the entire encounter and they are going to have a million questions about my behavior.
Fuck.
I am going to have to try to smooth everything over.
"We are here," Colt says quietly. I hadn't even noticed we had stopped driving.
Colt jumps out of the truck and beelines it for my door. "Here, let me help you."
I am so not used to the way he is treating me. I like the scowls and smirks. "Thanks," I say weakly. That is not how I want to be perceived though. I put my mask on and say, "But I've got it. I'm not a kid. "
Colt holds his hands up in surrender. "I wasn't trying to imply that you were a kid. I was just trying to be a gentleman and help you out of the truck."
"You are anything but a gentleman," I scoff as I wait for him to unlock the door to his cottage.
"What no key this time?" He asks with a smirk. At least his smirk is back.
"I wouldn't want to catch you naked again," I quip.
"Seems to me that you liked the naked look, since you couldn't take your eyes off me." He turns the key in the lock and opens the door, motioning for me to go in first.
"Don't flatter yourself," I say dryly.
"Oh, I was plenty flattered by your body's reaction to mine. Tight little nipples, rosy cheeks and not to mention the drool in the corner of your pouty lips."
"Please. You must've been dreaming," I say as I walk over to his refrigerator and take out a beer. I rummage around through his kitchen drawers until I find a bottle opener.
"By all means, make yourself at home, Firecracker."
"Why do you keep calling me that?"
"Why do you keep calling me Cowboy?"
I shake my head at him and plop down on his couch. One quick knock and my brothers come barreling in the cottage, Whitney hot on their heels .
"What the fuck happened tonight?" Brooks asks, throwing his arms out wide.
"Calm down," Whitney says as she sits beside me on the couch. "Are you ready to tell them?" She whispers.
I shake my head no and take a sip of beer. "It was nothing. I just hate that guy. He spilled my coffee all over me and then had the audacity to try to speak to me again," I say as I turn the beer bottle around and around in my hands.
"Are you sure? It looked like so much more. You froze up when he touched you," Blake says slowly.
"I am fine. It was all just a misunderstanding. Really guys, I am fine." I give them my practiced easy smile.
My eyes meet Colt's, and the expression on his face says he can see right through me. He doesn't know the reason, but I am guessing he is imagining some pretty close scenarios. I look away and back to my brothers. "Really guys. I am fine. I don't think I have ever been that pissed at a single person. I should've punched him in the face," I say with a laugh.
Laughter helps lighten the mood and I watch as my brothers look to one another and their shoulders release the tension they have been holding. "We just want to make sure you are okay. If everything is fine, I need to get home," Blake says.
"If you are sure everything is fine, then I will leave too. You coming, Whit?" Brooks asks as he goes to the door.
"Yup, be there in just a few. "
My brothers leave the cottage, and Whitney grabs my face and looks me straight in the eyes. "I know this is a lot for you, but you need to talk to them. Help them understand why you don't like it here. Why you don't come to visit. Brooks needs those answers. You don't have to tell them everything but tell them enough, so they understand."
I nod, and she pulls me in for a tight hug. "Colt, make sure my girl gets some rest," she says with a wink before she leaves the cottage.
"Want me to drive you back to the main house?" Colt asks as he stands from the chair he has been sitting in.
"Actually, can I take a bath first?" The tub in the bathroom here is my favorite. I used to come soak in it for hours when I was in high school. I would read my books and get away from reality.
"Uh, sure." Colt scratches the back of his neck.
"Thanks. There isn't a tub in the main house. When we were younger, dad renovated all the bathrooms, and he only installed showers. I guess men don't like to take baths as much as women do."
"Understandable. Take all the time you need."
"I hate to ask, but do you have some sweats or something I can wear after I get out?"
"Sure. I'll be right back," Colt says as he walks toward his bedroom. I can hear him mumbling and opening drawers in his dresser. "Here ya go." He comes back in the living room with a pair of navy sweats and a gray t-shirt.
"Thank you. I really appreciate it."
"No problem. Enjoy your bath. There are towels in the closet," Colt says as he sits on the couch; that is when I notice he has a paperback in his hands.
"I mean it. Thanks for everything tonight."
"Just doing my job," Colt says as he opens the book to his marked page.
I walk down the hallway to the bathroom, where I strip out of the borrowed clothes from Whitney and start the faucet on the clawfoot tub. It is one of those that is higher on one side so you can lean against it while you soak.
I watch as steam starts to rise from the tub, and I know it is going to feel so good to soak. I wish I had some bubble bath. I look around the bathroom and notice Colt's body wash in the shower. I flip the top and take a sniff. It smells like a forest, only spicy. I figure it won't be too bad to smell like this for the rest of the night.
I walk over and squeeze some under the running water, so it makes bubbles quickly. The bathroom now smells like fresh pine, mint and black pepper, maybe? Whatever the scent, it is amazing. I sink down into the water and let the bubbles wash away all my worries from earlier.