by Susan Stoker
Macie had heard of the famous bats of Austin. It was said that over a million bats lived under the bridge and came out every night at dusk to feed. She’d wanted to go see the phenomenon, but hadn’t ever made the time.
Colt went on. “They have an aquarium in Austin that we could do, or we could take a tour of the downtown area. Sixth Street is always an option too. They have a huge multi-block party every weekend, complete with live bands, but I wasn’t sure that would be your thing. The stores down there are pretty eclectic, and we could wander around during the day if you wanted. The bottom line is that I just want to spend time with you, Macie. One on one. Continue to get to know you. Have some fun.”
Macie took a deep breath and nodded. “I’d like that.”
“But?” Colt asked.
Macie smiled a little and shook her head. “How can you read me so well?”
“Because I pay attention. What part of my plans do you not like? Nothing is set in stone. We can change things up however you want.”
“There’s a store called Uncommon Objects in Austin. One of the authors I work for told me about it. It’s an antique store, but it’s apparently so much more than that. They have all sorts of stuff, but what I’d really like to get my hands on are the antique photos. Real photos of real people. Memories that are lost to those who experienced them, but I can only imagine the stories that will run through my head when I see them.”
Colt was smiling at her and had a look in his eyes that she couldn’t interpret. “Of course we can go there.”
“And there’s a restaurant called Bacon that I want to go to. I saw a rerun of an episode of Food Paradise on the Travel Channel that featured it. They make all different kinds of flavored bacon. I think it would be fun to visit.”
The indulgent look hadn’t left Colt’s face. “I’ve been there. And you’re right, the food is amazing. But hon, I have bad news.”
“What?” Macie asked.
“They closed.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. A couple years ago. I guess the street it was on frequently flooded, and they got tired of it. They were supposed to open in a new location, but I haven’t heard if they’ve done that or not.”
“Well, darn,” Macie said.
“I’ll make you bacon if you want it, Mace,” Colt told her.
“It won’t be the same,” she said with a pout.
Colt chuckled. “True. We’ll see if we can find another place that sells kick-ass bacon while we’re there. How’s that? The city’s well known for their eclectic, independently run restaurants.”
“Okay.”
“So you’ll go with me?”
Macie looked up at Colt and said seriously, “I think I’d go anywhere with you.”
“We won’t have time to get there to see the bats tonight, and I figure we’ll both be tired by the time we arrive. So I thought we could just order room service.”
“Sounds perfect. Colt?”
“Yeah, Mace?”
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I mean, I know I’m Ford’s sister and he’s one of the soldiers under your command, but I appreciate it all the same.”
He looked confused then. “Macie, you know I’m not helping you just because you’re Truck’s sister, right?”
Macie heard the incredulity in his voice, and began to get nervous in a way she hadn’t felt around him since she’d moved in. “Well, no, because that would be crazy. I mean, you can’t move everyone’s siblings into your house if they need help. But I get that you were there with Ford when I called him that night. And when I refused to stay at his place with him and Mary, you were put in a weird spot. All I’m saying is that I’m thankful.”
She couldn’t interpret the look on his face now, and that was beginning to freak Macie out. She’d obviously said the wrong thing, again, but didn’t know how to fix it. So she tried to fill the awkward silence.
“I mean, it’s not like we aren’t friends, because I think we are. I like you, and I think you like me. But when you didn’t call after my brother’s wedding, I kinda figured out where we stood with each other, and I’m okay with that.”
“When I didn’t call?” Colt asked, breaking his weird silence. “Mace, I didn’t have your number. I could’ve asked Truck, but I didn’t know if that’s what you wanted. I also didn’t want you to feel weird about what happened that night…but I sure didn’t. I loved talking to you. Getting to know you. But I wasn’t going to force you to go out with me if you didn’t want to.”
“I left my number,” Macie got up the courage to say. “On a note.”
The confusion left his eyes, and determination took its place. “Where?”
“Where what?”
“Where did you leave the note?”
Macie’s head was swirling with confusion. “Right next to your bed, so you’d see it when you woke up. On the nightstand.”
Without a word, Colt grabbed her hand. He turned and pulled her after him as he went up the stairs toward his bedroom. Macie didn’t protest or say anything. She was too weirded out by the way he was acting.
When they got into his room, he turned to her and said, “Show me where.”
Macie pointed at the small table next to the bed. The same notepad she’d used that night was still sitting there, along with a pen.
Colt looked at the table, then back at her, then back to the table.
Just when Macie was about to completely wig out, he said, “I didn’t see a note from you, Mace. And believe me, I looked. When I woke up and you weren’t next to me, I was upset. I had been looking forward to having breakfast with you. To talking with you some more. I got dressed then went downstairs to see if you had left a note there. And once again was disappointed when I didn’t find anything. I figured you simply didn’t feel the same connection between us that I did.”
“I did. I do,” Macie said. “It was hard for me to leave that note because I was scared you were just being nice. That you didn’t mean it when you asked if I wanted to have lunch or something. But I liked you. So I left my number. And you didn’t call.”
He rubbed his free hand over his face. “God, what a clusterfuck,” he muttered. Colt dropped her hand and went over to the bed. He got down on his knees and looked under it. Macie had no idea what he was doing.
Then he reached under the bedframe and pulled out a white sheet of paper and held it up.
She held her breath. The paper had some dust bunnies attached to it, indicating that it had been under his bed for a while.
He hadn’t lied. It looked like he really hadn’t seen her note.
He stood and walked back to her, holding the note between them. She looked down and saw her own handwriting on the small piece of paper.
Colt. Thank you for last night. If you were honest about wanting to have lunch sometime, I’d like that. ~Macie
Her number was clearly written under her short note. Swallowing hard, she looked up at Colt.
“Damn it all to hell,” he said softly. “I can’t believe I didn’t get this. I’ve wasted so much time.”
Macie wasn’t sure what to say to that.
“I remember shutting my bedroom door that morning and thinking how glad I was that I didn’t live in an apartment when it slammed harder than I’d intended,” Colt mused. “I bet it blew off then. All this time, I could’ve been with you, and I fucked it up.”
Now Macie felt bad that he was blaming himself. “I shouldn’t have torn it off the pad,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“No,” he said immediately, shaking his head. “This isn’t your fault. It’s mine. I should’ve manned up and asked Truck for your number anyway. Shit.” Colt blew the dust off the note and walked back to the small table. He put the note down, making sure to put the pen on top of it so it didn’t get blown off again, then he came back to Macie.
He took both her hands in his and looked down at her. “I would’ve called that day if I had found the note, Mace. I w
ould’ve told you then that I had a wonderful night with you, even if it hadn’t started under the best circumstances. I would’ve asked you to lunch. Then after we had lunch, I would’ve asked you to go with me on a dinner date. I would’ve asked permission to kiss you at the end of the date, after I’d driven you home. And I would’ve texted you nonstop after that, and called you when I got home from work, just to hear your voice. I would’ve bought you silly presents so you wouldn’t forget about me. We could’ve watched movies in your apartment and here at my house. We would’ve laughed together, and I would’ve been there for you if you had an anxiety attack. I’m so fucking sorry that I didn’t see your note. So sorry.”
Macie could feel her heart beating fast in her chest, although this time it wasn’t a bad feeling. “We can still do all those things,” she got up the courage to say. “It’s only been a month and a half since we met.”
“I want to do those things,” Colt said immediately. “And more. But I still hate that we’ve missed out on a whole month of being together.”
Not liking the look of regret on his face, Macie brought her hand up to his neck. Her thumb caressed his chiseled jaw and she said, “Ask permission to kiss me, Colt.”
And just like that, the regret faded from his face, to be replaced by hunger. “May I kiss you, Mercedes Laughlin?”
“Yes. Please,” she responded.
Macie thought he might crush his lips to hers immediately, but he surprised her by leaning down and placing his lips on her forehead. Then her right cheek, followed by her left. Then he took her hand from the side of his neck and kissed her palm. He dropped it and placed his hands on either side of her neck, his thumbs caressing her jawline much as she’d done to him.
“We’ve somehow managed to screw things up from the get-go, haven’t we?” he asked quietly. “But as much as I regret not finding your note and causing you even a second of worry about why I hadn’t called you, I love that you’re currently living in my house. Sleeping in my bed. In my arms. I haven’t pushed for more because the last thing I want to do is rush you—”
“Push me,” Macie said, interrupting whatever he was going to say next.
He shook his head. “No. I refuse to rush this. We only have one first kiss. One first time making love. I like this feeling of anticipation. Of knowing that the giddy feeling inside me has returned. It has, hasn’t it? You feel it too?”
Macie licked her lips, and loved how his eyes immediately went to her mouth. “Yeah, Colt. I feel it too.”
Reverently, he ran a thumb over her lips. Then his beautiful gray eyes met hers and his head lowered.
Macie shut her eyes and waited.
His warm lips brushed hers. Lightly. Achingly soft.
“Heaven,” she heard him whisper before his lips were on hers again, this time harder. His tongue brushed against the seam, asking permission to enter. Macie granted him that permission. She opened her mouth and then they were kissing.
Really kissing.
Macie had been kissed before, but nothing compared to how she felt in Colt’s arms. His hands kept her head still as he devoured her. She made a noise deep in her throat and gripped Colt’s uniform shirt as she took all that he gave her. It was beautiful and carnal at the same time. And the best part was that she didn’t feel one inkling of anxiety. Usually when she was with a man, she worried about where she should put her hands, if her breath stunk, if he was enjoying himself…but with Colt, everything else fell to the wayside.
All she could think about was him. And how he made her feel. Nothing else mattered. No one else existed in their little bubble.
Eventually, the kiss gentled. Became less heated. Less desperate. Colt finished their kiss with small pecks and then rested his forehead against hers.
“Wow,” Macie said softly.
“Wow, indeed,” Colt echoed with a smile.
“You should know something,” Macie told him.
He pulled back and took her in, his eyes roaming from her eyes to her mouth, then the slight blush on her cheeks, before returning to her gaze. “Yeah? What’s that?”
“There’s no way I would’ve let you kiss me like that a month ago,” she said honestly. “And as much as I hate that there was a misunderstanding between us, that kiss made up for it.”
He grinned. “It did, didn’t it?”
Macie nodded.
“For the record,” he added, “I will always remember our first kiss as one of the most exciting, emotional moments of my life.”
“Colt,” Macie whispered, feeling overwhelmed. He had a knack for saying the perfect thing at the perfect time.
“Pack,” he said, running the back of a hand over her cheek before stepping away. “I’ll change and meet you downstairs. We’ll hit the road at soon as you’re ready.”
She nodded. Suddenly the weekend seemed even more exciting than before. She’d been to Austin, but seeing it with Colt somehow seemed more special.
Macie headed for the door. Even though she’d been staying in his bed each night, her things were in the guest room, where’d he’d put her suitcases the first day he’d brought her here.
She looked back right before she exited his room to see him running a finger over her note on the nightstand.
He looked up and caught her staring. “Things work out the way I hope they do, I’m going to get this framed so it never gets misplaced again.”
Macie’s throat closed up with happiness and she couldn’t say a word. She simply smiled at him and turned to go pack.
Chapter Seven
Colt held the hotel door open for Macie and followed her inside. He’d reserved a suite on the river side so they could watch the bats. The day had been fun. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed so much. As the commander for two Delta Force teams, he wasn’t known for being the most jovial man, but spending time with Macie made him loosen up and simply live in the moment.
They’d arrived Friday night and had ordered room service like they’d planned. Then they’d relaxed and watched a movie on pay-per-view. Macie had fallen asleep halfway through and woke up briefly when he’d gathered her in his arms to sleep.
“I missed the movie,” she mumbled.
“Yup. Shhhh, go to sleep,” Colt ordered, and she’d immediately closed her eyes and relaxed into him once more.
They’d gotten up early and gone for a walk around the lake. Then they’d had brunch, gone to the antiques store she’d wanted to see and spent several hours there. She’d bought an envelope full of old photos and several more knickknacks. They’d found an eclectic place to eat lunch, then enjoyed the rest of the afternoon wandering around Sixth Street. Colt loved watching her eyes light up when she saw something that interested her. She didn’t buy a lot of things, simply enjoyed taking in the ambiance of the quirky stores and shop owners.
They’d arrived back at the hotel in time to watch the bats emerge from under the bridge in search of their nightly meals. Colt laughed at the way Macie squealed and proclaimed she was glad they were inside behind a window, because there was no way she would enjoy being anywhere near the animals as they flew off.
Dinner was in the hotel’s restaurant, and they were now back in the room. They’d been holding hands and touching each other all day. Colt had even been able to sneak in a few kisses here and there.
The entire day had been building up to this moment, at least in Colt’s eyes. It felt like hours of foreplay, which was exciting rather than frustrating. He hadn’t been this eager to be with a woman for as long as he could remember. He’d dated, but after the incident overseas, he’d lost the desire for any kind of relationship. He concentrated on being the best commander he could be to protect the men who served under him.
Until now.
Until Macie.
“Today was awesome,” Macie said softly. They were sitting on the couch in the spacious suite, each drinking a glass of wine.
“Yes it was,” Colt agreed. Her hand was resting on his thigh and he co
vered it with his own.
She stared at him for a long moment before leaning forward and putting her glass on the coffee table in front of them. Then she took his glass from his hand and placed it next to hers. Colt watched her take a deep breath before she spoke.
“I haven’t been this relaxed in a long time, and it’s because of you. Usually when I’m in a strange city, I stress about directions, who’s around me, and what my plans are for the entire day. But I didn’t have to do any of that with you. I trusted you to know where you were going and that you would figure out what we would do all day. It felt good. I like being with you, Colt. I have a question, and I hope you’ll be honest with me.”
“Of course I will,” Colt answered immediately.
“Does the difference in our ages bother you? Or the fact that I’m Ford’s sister? I know he gave you a hard time about the night of his wedding. I hadn’t told him about it because I thought you saw me as just a friend or something. But now that things are…better between us, I got to thinking about the fact that I’m a decade younger than you are.”
“It doesn’t bother me in the slightest,” Colt told her. “In fact, I hadn’t even thought about it until you brought it up. Does it bother you?”
“No,” she said immediately. “But I don’t want you to get in trouble or have anyone at work say anything because I’m only thirty-three and you’re forty-three.”
“Listen,” Colt said earnestly. “We’re both adults. I like you, and you like me. I don’t give a flying fuck what other people say about us. And, if you do care, I’ll do my best to shut that shit down if I hear it. What goes on between us is only between us. It’s no one else’s business. And Truck and I talked. He loves you, Mace. Even though you weren’t communicating, he still thought about you and worried about you all these years. I’ll admit that he wasn’t happy with me, but he’s not going to be thrilled about anyone being with you, simply because you’re his little sister.”