by KB Winters
Colton opened the door he’d named the guest room, and set my suitcase inside. I followed him inside and looked around at everything, cataloging the details in my mind. There was an L-shaped desk in one corner that held a laptop computer, a few stacks of paper and unopened mail, and a printer. On the opposite side of the room was a twin bed with navy blue bedding. A nightstand was shoved against it, holding nothing but a lamp.
“What do you think?”
“Looks great.”
“All right.” He lifted the suitcase up on the bed. “Did you want to unpack now? Or later?”
I swept another glance around the room, wondering exactly where I would be unpacking. There wasn’t a dresser or armoire that I could see. “I guess I could do it now…”
Colton crossed the room and opened a door that revealed a small closet. “There’s a little room in here, so make yourself at home. If you need hangers or anything, just let me know.”
“Right. Will do.” I fidgeted on the spot, shifting my weight back and forth. A sudden sense of awkwardness had invaded the easiness we’d shared and I had no idea how to get it back again.
Colton appeared just as conflicted. He rubbed the back of his neck, and I couldn’t tell if he was trying to find a way to leave—or an excuse to stay.
Something in his expression struck me as amusing and I started to giggle. He shot me a confused look and I burst into a full laugh. A slow smile spread across his face. “What’s so funny?”
“This,” I said, trying to regain control. “This whole thing is so crazy!”
Colton chuckled and dropped his hand. “I guess so.”
I pushed my hair back and sighed. “God, I’ve been building this moment up in my head, and now that it’s here, I feel like I’m acting like a complete lunatic.”
“You’re not,” Colton replied, offering me a smile. He sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to him. “Come here. Sit beside me for a minute.”
I willed my hands not to shake as I crossed the room and took my place beside him. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and looked down at me, pulling me into him. “You’re right, this whole damn thing is crazy. Believe me, my buddies have already told me—more than once. But I don’t care how crazy it is, or isn’t. I like you, Karena. I’m really glad you’re here and I can’t think of a better woman to get crazy with.”
I swallowed hard. His dark eyes on mine made it hard to form coherent thoughts, let alone sentences.
Colton slowly brushed a strand of hair away from my cheek. His eyes followed his fingertips as they ran down the silky strand and twisted the end of the slight curl. When he dragged his eyes back to mine, my breath hitched, afraid that even breathing would interrupt the suspended moment. “You’re so damn beautiful, Karena,” he said, his voice thick and sexy.
My go-to humor was gone. My brain reached for some witty remark to break the charged tension between us, but came up empty. Colton had a way of making me feel vulnerable and exposed, even though we were sitting together, fully dressed. The thin layer of sweat on my skin quickly evaporated in the climate controlled air and left behind a trail of light goosebumps. Then again, those might have more to do with the way Colton’s eyes roamed down to my lips. Colton’s fingers slid from my hair, and traced over my cheekbones and then down, along my jaw. Tingles raced over my skin, heating me back up. My lips parted and the breath I’d been holding came out in a soft sigh.
Colton leaned forward and tipped my face up to meet his descending lips. When his mouth met mine, a rush of heat rippled across my body, as though tiny fireworks were being set off under my skin, filling me with energy and excitement. His lips were impossibly soft, but they took mine in a possessive, hungry way, like he’d been waiting a lot longer than just a few weeks for the chance to kiss me. I dared to tease his bottom lip with the tip of my tongue and Colton responded in kind, unfolding our affection in a slow, burning exploration of one another.
Colton’s fingers moved down my neck before winding through my hair. With a gentle tug, he dropped my head back and moved his lips over the trail his fingers had just taken, planting hot kisses over my skin. I squirmed on my bed, clenching my thighs together as heat and an ever-increasing ache built there. Colton’s hand moved to my shirt and I sucked in a sharp breath when his fingers slid under the clingy fabric. His warm hand felt amazing against my skin. I wanted more. Craved more. It was too soon and not soon enough.
I dug my fingers into his back. His solid muscles moved under my hands and I clawed at the fabric, wanting to know what his corded muscles looked like. I was sure my imagination hadn’t done them justice.
Colton recaptured my lips, immediately falling back into a deep kiss. A moan vibrated at the back of my throat and he surged forward, laying me back on the bed as his body moved to cover mine. I liked the weight of him, the feel of him hovering above me.
His hand moved to my breast and I broke the kiss with another moan when his thumb teased my hard nipple. My eyes fluttered open and found his him staring down at me, watching the pleasure dance across my face with dark, hungry eyes.
I reached for his face and dragged him back to my lips. I wanted another taste. And then another after that…
I lost track of time and place as we tangled together, engulfed in the intensity of the kiss. When we finally broke apart to catch our breath, Colton rested his head against mine and grinned at me. “That was one hell of an icebreaker.”
I kissed him again, feeling the softening of his smile under my lips.
“Much needed,” I whispered, when I released him.
“I’m going to give you one chance to escape,” he said, tracing my lips with his thumb.
“Escape?” I smiled. “Why would I want to do that?”
“Because I don’t know how long I can maintain control here…” he replied, completely serious. “I don’t want to do something we’ll regret later.”
He was right. We had two weeks. Sleeping together on day one probably wasn’t wise, no matter how much my body was screaming for it.
I placed my hands on his chest and pushed him up. “All right, but I reserve the right to change my mind later.”
Colton laughed and stood up from the bed. “Deal.” He offered me his hand and I let him pull me up. He kept a hold of my hand and we both looked down as our fingers automatically wrapped around each other’s, locking in a perfect fit. “Why don’t you go ahead and unpack. I’ve got some steaks I can throw on the grill if you’re hungry. After we eat, I thought we’d go down to the lake and walk around. Keep it low key for your first day.”
“That sounds perfect.” I smiled up at him, wondering—not for the first time—how I’d managed to slip into some kind of fairy tale world. An experience that was especially jarring considering I didn’t believe in such nonsense.
Colton’s hand slid from mine and I immediately missed the warmth of his hand interlocked with mine. He flashed another smile before leaving me to head to the kitchen, and I melted down to the bed as soon as his footsteps faded away down the hall.
“Oh, Karena, what did you get yourself into…” I whispered to the empty room. Every nerve was on fire, in a hangover state from the near-hook-up that I was sure would’ve been hot enough to short circuit the blessed air-conditioner. I pressed my eyes closed and let the sensations play over me one more time.
My phone buzzed in the pocket of my jeans, interrupting my thoughts. I jumped and my eyes flew open. “Oh, shit! Becs!”
I dug the phone out, and sure enough, Becca’s name was lit up in bold on the screen. I tiptoed to close the bedroom door before answering. “Hey Becca. I’m here. Not in the trunk of a car, or chopped into a million pieces and sprinkled in the woods.”
“Oh, thank God,” Becca replied, her voice a rush of relief. “So…what’s going on? Is he what you pictured?”
“Even better. He’s like a country singer, but on the cover of GQ, so the perfect mix of country-slash-city boy.” My cheeks warmed at the o
nslaught of other things I could add to the description. I kept those thoughts to myself, knowing Becca didn’t really need a full list of all the things I wanted to do with the ridiculously hot man that had picked me up at the airport. “We just got back to his house. I’m unpacking and he’s making dinner. Then, he said something about going to a lake.”
“He cooks?”
“Well, BBQ’s. But, who knows, maybe he cooks too. I’ll find out.”
Becca sighed. “This is crazy, Karena.”
“I know that’s what you think, but you gotta trust me. It’s going to be all right. I’m here to learn everything I can and then…we’ll see. It’s not like you and Keith knew everything about each other right away, you know.” I fought back the urge to add that they probably still didn’t know everything about each other. At the very least, Keith didn’t know—or, worse, didn’t care—how miserable Becca was in the relationship.
“Fair enough, but we got to know each other over these things called dates, not a two week, long distance trip!”
I sagged down onto the bed, and released a long sigh. “Becca, please?”
“All right, all right. I’m sorry. I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
“I know that. And I appreciate it. But, really, what do you think is gonna happen? I mean, besides the whole ax murderer thing you were paranoid about.”
“I don’t want you to leave with a broken heart. You’ve been so single, almost anti-dating for so long, and now, you’re swinging all the way to the complete opposite end of the spectrum, practically overnight. I’m worried about you.”
“Becs, I promise, I’m going into this eyes wide open. I’m talkin’ dinner plate sized eye balls. Okay? I’m not in love with the guy. We like each other, we complement one another, and if there’s something more, we’ll figure it out and go from there.”
My stomach twisted, hating the fact that I was still holding out all the information from my best friend. But, I reminded myself that if she was this concerned about me getting my heart broken, she would completely lose her shit if she found out what I was really planning.
“I should probably get going,” I said, glancing at the door. “I’ll text you tomorrow and let you know what’s going on, okay?”
Becca hesitated a moment, before agreeing. “Be safe.”
“I will! I promise. Love you.”
I clicked off the call and stashed my phone in my purse that was laying on the bed beside me. I didn’t want any more interruptions to my time with Colton. I pushed off the bed and unzipped my suitcase and rummaged through the piles of clothes that I’d packed—and re-packed. I snatched up an armload and went to the closet, happy to find a small dresser tucked against the back inside. Stacked on top, and off to the side, were unmarked cardboard boxes. My fingers itched to open them and see what was inside. Colton’s house—at least, what I’d seen of it—was so orderly and neat. There were a few nick-knacks and a couple pieces of art on the walls, but other than that, it was fairly neutral, like a staged home or hotel room.
Footsteps sounded outside the room, and moments later, a soft knock at the door.
“Come in,” I called over my shoulder, as I stashed my clothes in the top drawer before going back to get the next load.
The door opened and Colton leaned against the doorway. “How’s it going? I just fired up the grill.”
“Almost done.” I went back to the closet and dumped the second arm load into the second drawer, surprising myself at how much I’d managed to fit inside my suitcase. No wonder it had been so heavy. “I can do the rest later.”
Colton shoved off the wall and showed me to the kitchen. He had a plate loaded down with two large steaks and another piled high with veggie kabobs. “Do you want to try some of this? It’s pretty good.” He opened the fridge and produced a bottle of Merlot.
“Sounds good to me. I didn’t know you were a wine guy.” My eyes followed as he popped the cork out of the previously opened bottle.
“Normally, I’m an imported beer kinda guy, but every once in a while, I class it up.” He smiled and handed me a stemless glass he’d filled halfway. He poured a matching glass for himself, polishing off the bottle. “Come on, I’ll show you the backyard. It’s the real reason I picked this place.”
He reached for my free hand and led me out the single door off the kitchen. It opened to a large, wooden deck. Beyond that was a lush backyard with tall trees overhead that provided a welcome relief from the full afternoon sun. Colton had a rectangular patio table with a matching set of chairs around it, and I got the sense he entertained on a regular basis.
“This is amazing! I love the trees.”
Colton nodded and took a sip from his glass. “Me too. Besides the lake, this is my favorite place to relax and unwind. I’m thinking about putting up a hammock over there,” he said, gesturing between two thick trunked trees.
“Mmm. I like this idea,” I said, grinning up at him.
He moved to stand behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He dropped his lips to my ear. “You ever messed around in a hammock?”
“Can’t say that I have.” I laughed at his playful question. “Although to me, that sounds like it might be the perfect recipe for a broken ankle.”
He laughed and I relaxed back, enjoying the rumble of his chest against my back. I took a deep breath of the air that was thick with the heat of the day and fragrant with the charcoal smell coming from the grill beside us.
As we stood nestled together, staring out over the yard, I marveled at how quickly things had changed. Less than half an hour ago, I was laughing, and on the edge of a nervous breakdown over the stilted, awkward feel of the arrangement—to being in Colton’s arms, dreaming of a hammock wide enough for two, maybe a blanket of stars to peek up at through the breaks in the tree branches.
I sipped my wine and let myself melt against Colton’s chest.
My life in Seattle was slipping farther and farther away and I wasn’t even a little bit sad about it.
Chapter Fifteen: Colton
“Damn, you sure know how to cook a steak,” Karena gushed, pushing her plate away. “I’m gonna have to get a temporary gym membership if this is what’s on the menu for the whole trip.”
At her teasing comment, my eyes roved up her long legs, wrapped in skin tight denim. I’d hardly been able to keep my eyes—and hands—off her since the moment I’d spotted her in the airport. I could think of far more entertaining ways to keep in shape together.
I thought I was prepared to handle seeing her in person, but the version of her that had stepped off the plane was intoxicating in a way that I could never have predicted. From chatting with her on video chat, and having her profile pictures to peruse daily, I already knew she was gorgeous, but there was something else, something about her live wire energy, sparkling smile, and the hundreds of little details I hadn’t been able to see through a screen or snapchat, that had me completely intrigued.
I chuckled and stood from the table to take the plates inside before the bugs swarmed us. The last thing I needed was a swarm of yellow jackets ruining our night. I dropped the dishes in the sink and went back outside. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. I don’t get a chance to cook much, but I’m the grill master when my buddies come over on the weekends.”
Karena smiled. “Do you do that every weekend?”
I settled back into my seat at the table and rested my elbows against the side. “More or less. In the summer at least. As long as we’re all home.”
She nodded and I thought I saw a flicker of worry in her eyes, but it faded quickly. “Sounds like fun. Do I get to meet them while I’m here?”
“If I can get them to promise to behave themselves,” I replied, only halfway joking. I knew Lucas would have my back, but after witnessing Mile’s reaction the other day, I wasn’t sure he’d hold back his opinions. Miles was infamous for not having much of a filter.
Karena smiled. “Well, I hope they don’t! I need to get t
he dirt on you. You can’t honestly be so squeaky clean.”
If only she knew what I was thinking, or how hard it was for me to keep my eyes from following the line of her low cut V-neck shirt as far as it would let me go. There wasn’t anything clean about it.
I leaned forward, a slow grin spreading across my face. “And what exactly would you like to know?”
Karena tapped a finger against her lips, her eyes wild with curiosity. “Do you snore?”
I couldn’t hold back a laugh. “That’s your big question?”
Karena shrugged and laughed along. “I don’t know. I panicked.”
I chuckled and shook my head. I hadn’t laughed so much in a long time.
“Well, as far as I know, I don’t snore. And, I think one of my boys would’ve ragged on me by now, if I did. But, if you feel the need to verify, you’re welcome in my bed anytime.
Karena’s cheeks flushed and I knew it had nothing to do with the hot, sticky evening. The thought of rattling her and making her blush got me excited.
She grinned across the table at me. “I’m tempted to ask you something…I don’t know…naughty,” she teased, leaning close to me. “But I don’t want to give the wrong impression. Especially after, well, earlier.”
“What do you mean?”
She leaned back and sighed. “Well, I was kind of hoping we could hold off on taking things too far, physically. At least, not at first.”
I nodded slowly, processing her request.
Karena bit her lower lip. “Oh, God, I made it awkward again, huh?”
“No, no, not at all. I’m fine with whatever makes you comfortable.” I reached for her hands, taking them in mine. “It won’t be easy, but I promise to behave.”
She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Well you don’t have to be a saint or anything…”
“I’m listening.”
She answered with a sweet kiss that lingered just long enough for the slow boil in my veins to turn crazy-hot. When she pulled away, her eyes were soft and warm, conjuring up images of us in bed on a lazy Sunday morning. It was startling how easy it was to slide images of Karena in and out of all the situations in my life. I wanted her in my arms, in my bed, and at my side for weekend BBQ’s and trips to the lake.