Crazy For You

by Alexander, S. B.

  “It’s too soon,” Nan had said. “Go to Georgia’s and try to unwind.”

  So I’d showered, dressed, and packed a bag before heading to my BFF’s.

  “Baby doll, are you okay?” Colton said in my ear.

  His gravelly voice shattered the depressing haze I was in. “I am.” I loved being out on the beach and listening to the waves. I especially loved being in his arms. The grief that was settling in had become stronger that morning, but his presence dulled the pain.

  “I feel like the lone wolf.” Georgia giggled as she stared at the flames.

  I guess I would have, too, if I was alone with two couples. Mia was cozied up to Grady, and Colton had his arms around me while I sat between his legs with my back to his front.

  “You could always join us,” Grady announced as he waggled his eyebrows.

  Mia pinched Grady’s leg. “Grady.” Her tone was lethal.

  “What?” he asked innocently, though all of us knew otherwise. “Come on, babe. You know you want to have a threesome.”

  Colton cleared his throat. “So, man, is your dad at another timeshare convention this weekend?”

  Grady’s expression went from playful to perplexed, or maybe he wanted to deck Colton for changing the subject. “Something like that.”

  Grady’s dad owned several resorts from Florida to the Bahamas, which kept him busy with traveling just about every weekend. Apparently, weekends were the busiest times for selling timeshares. In addition, since Grady’s parents had divorced a few years ago, his dad worked constantly.

  “You know what we need to help Skyler,” Grady said.

  I glared at him. If he so much as said “threesome,” I would throw him in the ocean.

  Mia perked up. “Party, music, dancing.”

  I wasn’t sure I was up for a party. I would prefer to spend time alone with Colton. But I knew my friends were trying to help.

  “Babe,” Grady said to Mia. “You read my mind.”

  They were definitely a match made in heaven.

  Georgia was on her feet in seconds, grinning from ear to ear. “I’ll send some texts.”

  Before long, Mia and Grady were both on their phones.

  “Want to take a walk?” Colton asked as he brushed his lips over my ear.

  “Instead of a walk, can we do something else?” I asked.

  “Mmm. I have an idea.” He peppered kisses along my neck.

  I leaned into him, relaxing even more. I wanted nothing more than to let him do whatever he wanted to me. But I needed to expend some energy. Sure, sex could probably have done just that, but I had the sudden urge to get on my skateboard. There was something about the feeling of catching air or just cruising that gave me the sense that Dad was with me. Maybe because he’d given me my board.

  I popped up and held out my hand. “Come on.” I tipped my head toward Grady’s house.

  His brown eyes darkened as he plastered on the most belly-tingling grin I had yet to see on him. He was upright in one second flat.

  I hated to disappoint him, but I tugged him as we bypassed Grady’s house.

  “Where are we going?” he asked. “The door into the house is that way?” He stabbed a finger behind him.

  “Skate park.” I stuck out my bottom lip.

  Confusion lined his forehead. “You want to skate?”

  I pouted more. “Please. Afterwards, I’ll do whatever you want.”

  He lit up like a Christmas tree. “Whatever I want?”

  I captured my bottom lip between my teeth and nodded.

  “Deal,” he said too quickly.

  I giggled, knowing he had something intimate in mind for later, but I was cool with that.

  Fifteen minutes later, Colton and I were at the skate park.

  “I hope you don’t want me to get on that board.” He pointed to my baby in my hand as we walked up to the bowl.

  “Why not? Don’t you surf?”

  “I haven’t since Josh died. But surfing and skateboarding are not the same.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Kind of similar.”

  “Yeah, but if I fall on my face in there”—he stabbed a finger to the brightly lit bowl where four boys were flying high and doing verticals—“I’m toast. At least in the water, I might be bruised, but my bones won’t be connecting with cement. Coach might kill me if I break a bone.”

  “How about you watch while I do my thing?”

  “I’ll watch you do anything.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Remember, when we’re done here, it’s my turn. You’ll do what I want. Right?”

  I rolled my eyes and shrugged as I headed in.

  “Skyler,” Colton called. Then he swaggered up to me, his hair loose around his shoulders, his jaw full of scruff, his red T-shirt stretched across his broad chest, and his jeans encasing his thick thighs and narrow hips.

  My lady parts throbbed at how gorgeous he really was, and the closer he got, the need to skate died a quick death.

  He sized me up with a hooded expression. I shivered where I stood, with my skateboard in one hand as the other landed on his waist for nothing more than to steady myself.

  He gripped my neck with his big palm as his forehead touched mine. “You’re all mine after this.” The huskiness of his voice threatened pleasure and passion.

  I swallowed the dryness in my throat. “Promise.”

  He leaned down, captured my lips, and bit lightly. “Good. Now, let’s see what you can do on that board.”

  I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to do a damn thing, not after that pulse-racing moment.

  31

  A couple of hours later, Colton carried me into Grady’s house. Bass pounded from the speakers in the ceiling as kids drank, mingled, and danced in all corners of the open floor plan.

  “I can walk. It’s only a scrape.” Apparently I was rusty, and I’d skated like it had been my first time.

  “Move,” Colton snapped at a group of girls who looked as if they’d seen a ghost. I did have blood running down my leg.

  As I bounced in his arms, I spotted Georgia talking to a guy with curly red hair. I’d never seen him before. They seemed to be into each other, and Georgia waved her hands in the air as she often did when she talked excitedly.

  I locked my hands around Colton’s neck. “Seriously, I can walk.”

  He grunted. “You’re not.”

  “I’m fine,” I assured him. I really was. I’d fallen many times on my skateboard, and I’d relayed that to him when he sped through the streets to get to Grady’s. At first, he’d wanted to take me to the emergency room. He’d thought I’d broken some bones.

  “I’m not,” he said, a little breathily. After his brother’s fatal drowning accident, I imagined Colton would always be on edge with people he cared for.

  I rubbed his neck while kids opened a swath to let us by. Colton didn’t even stop to say anything to Grady, who was playing beer pong at the long kitchen island. All he did was shake his head at Grady, who seemed to get the silent message that Colton didn’t need any help.

  When Colton banked around a corner to climb the stairs, a mass of auburn hair came into my peripheral vision.

  Amanda Gelling glided down toward us. “Colton, there you are.”

  I growled, narrowing my eyes at her.

  “Not now, Amanda,” he said as he continued to climb the stairs.

  “My mom has been trying to get a hold of yours,” she said. “She needs to get her signature on the documents.”

  Colton stopped on the landing. “I’ll let my mom know.” Then he rounded the corner, heading toward one of the bedrooms.

  “What’s going on?” Since Mrs. Gelling was in real estate, it wasn’t hard to connect the dots. “Are you selling the house?” If so, that meant he was moving. My stomach hollowed.

  He carried me into the same bedroom I’d woken up in the last time Grady had a party. “I think so. My mom likes South Carolina, and she feels like she and my old man need a fresh start.”

  I
didn’t know what to say as he nudged open the door to the en suite bathroom and set me down on the marble counter. Then he flicked on the light.

  “Are you leaving, then?” Please say no. Please, please, please.

  He blinked, shaking his head. “No. No way. I’m sorry, baby. I’m still reeling from your near plummet to death.”

  I held back a laugh. He was really shaken up. I guessed I couldn’t blame him. That vertical had been as steep as it always was. I gave him a few minutes to process my banged-up knee, which was clotting and fine.

  He grabbed a washcloth from behind me, wetted it, and gently wiped the dirt and blood away. When he was finished, he sighed.

  “See, I’m good.”

  His snarl didn’t match the smile in his eyes.

  “So, if you’re not going with your mom, will you stay with Grady?”

  “When the house sells, yeah. Grady’s dad gave me the thumbs-up. I’ll finish school here. I’m not leaving you, Skyler.”

  I couldn’t contain my smile. I did a silent fist pump in the air.

  “I should find a bandage.” He ducked into the linen closet and came out with a first-aid kit.

  “I’m okay, Colton.”

  He searched my face. “You scared the crap out of me.”

  I reached up and touched his scruffy jaw. “Falling is part of the sport.” I’d said the same thing to my dad not long before he passed. Skyler Lawson, don’t you dare shed any tears. Your dad loved seeing you on your skateboard.

  “What is it? Does it hurt?”

  I stared at a cracked button on his shirt. “Just thinking of Dad.”

  With the pads of his fingers, he guided me to look at him. “Anything I can do?”

  “Hold me.”

  He was making quick work of bandaging my knee when Georgia’s voice trickled into the huge bathroom that I’d only just started to take in.

  A walk-in shower built for six was surrounded by glass, adorned with brushed stainless fixtures and brown-and-tan tile, with a separate sunken tub and a skylight above.

  “Sky-ler.” Georgia slurred my name as she stumbled in.

  Colton and I exchanged a surprised look. I probably had more shock on my face than he did. I’d never seen Georgia tipsy, and if she had been the night I’d gotten drunk, I didn’t remember.

  She swung her arm toward the wall, her green eyes glossy. “What happened? You went sk-ating, didn’t you?” Yep, she’d had one too many.

  “I was dropping into the bowl and lost my balance. It’s Colton’s fault.” My tone was playful, although I chalked up my fall to the fact that he had taken my mind hostage.

  Colton arched his brow. “My fault?”

  I gave him a coy smile, but it went unnoticed when Georgia slid down the wall.

  Colton’s reflexes were quick as he caught her. “Let’s get you to a room.” He lifted her into his arms. “Skyler, don’t move.” He gave me the evil eye before he left with Georgia.

  “Bye, bestie!” Georgia shouted as she rested her head on Colton’s shoulder.

  If she remembered anything in the morning, I was sure she would be babbling about how strong Colton was.

  Smiling, I hopped off the counter, and my knee buckled. “Ow.” I walked around, working out the kinks. A dull pain finally started to set in. I was examining my elbow in the mirror when Colton returned. “That was quick.”

  “There’s another guest room down the hall.” He came up behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and nuzzled his nose into my neck. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  I turned in his arms. “I think so. And with you here, the loss isn’t as suffocating. So it’s your turn. What do you want to do?” I was done talking about me.

  He caged me in, one hand on each side of me, fingers gripping the counter. His eyes darkened as his thick lips curled at the corners ever so slightly.

  My heart tripped once at the intensity in his stare. He raised a hand to my face, his touch as tender as if I was the most delicate creature in nature.

  I leaned into him. “I won’t break.”

  He stilled, examining me as though he wasn’t sure I was telling the truth.

  I closed my eyes, relishing the moment of just him and me. My heart slammed against my rib cage as the anticipation of what would happen next was getting me hot and clammy in all the right places.

  His lips feathered over mine.

  I whimpered, opening my eyes, and when I did, my belly somersaulted at the sheer lust oozing off him.

  Gripping my neck, he pressed kisses on my nose, my eyes, my cheeks, everywhere but my lips. My core went liquid as he continued his assault on my ears.

  I stuck out my chest, wanting—no, needing—to feel his body against mine.

  Then he pulled away, and I frowned until he tore off his shirt.

  I captured my bottom lip between my teeth. He was a god of all gods, with his cut abs, strong jaw, and biceps that I was sure could lift a mountain. But what had me itching to feel him was the prominent V that led down to the stone mountain in his jeans.

  When my gaze tracked back to his upper torso, he had a look of sheer satisfaction, like a hunter who had just caught his prey.

  32

  We stared at one another as the dull beat of the music pounded in the distance. Or maybe it was the pulse wreaking havoc in my ears.

  I was ready to throw myself at Colton, but I would probably have fallen flat on my face, which seemed to be my luck that night.

  But before I could decide what to do, Colton pounced. He lifted me in his arms and my legs wrapped around his waist as though they belonged to him.

  A second later, he was carrying me into the bedroom. Then he set me down on the mattress, seemingly confused, or maybe he was trying to decide what to do next. Maybe he was a virgin too. I highly doubted that. My gut told me he was far from being a virgin. Maybe it was the way he handled me or the way he knew how to kiss. It didn’t matter. A whoosh of boldness washed over me.

  I grabbed the hem of my tank top. It was time to give him what his eyes screamed he wanted and what his erection needed. I was desperate for him too.

  I’d gotten my tank halfway up my chest when he crawled up on the bed. Automatically, my legs fell open.

  He grunted.

  I shivered at the mere sense that whatever he was about to do would shatter my world in an extremely explosive and awesome way. That much, I was sure of. What I wasn’t sure of was how I would react, whether my body would fall in line as if I knew what I was doing or freeze in place.

  But my thoughts disintegrated as he lifted my tank top above my breasts, then feasted on my abs until I was writhing beneath him.

  I latched onto his long locks, pulling as my entire being was transported to an alternate universe where only the feelings of weightlessness and euphoria were prevalent.

  He licked his way up to my breasts, then bit lightly on one, then the other through the fabric of my bra. I hated that I was wearing anything. But I was afraid that if I tried to strip, I would break the unspoken, tense, and out-of-this-world connection that Colton and I were locked in.

  I traded his hair for his arms, grasping his biceps as he worked his way up to my lips. He sucked my tongue into his mouth and tortured it sensually, slowly, lightly, and when I purred, he became a madman. Hands and lips everywhere, he pressed his erection, which screamed he was ready to lose that control he kept barricaded under lock and key, into me.

  I was dying to see him lose that tightly wound willpower, ready to feel him on me and inside me.

  I flattened the palms of my hands on his cheeks. “Lose control, Colton.” I didn’t know if he needed to hear it, but I wanted to make sure he knew I was prepared to give myself to him.

  He stiffened, tugging on my lip before he let go. “Baby.” His tone was an intimate whisper that soaked my panties. “Are you sure?” His eyes darkened with lust so strong, I knew I would never be the same.

  I threaded my fingers through his silky strands. “Very s
ure.”

  His grin was electrifying as he helped me shed the little clothing I wore.

  When I was completely naked before him, he sat on his heels in-between my legs, his chest rising and falling. “Beautiful.”

  I’d never been naked in front of anyone before. But showing myself to him wasn’t as scary as I’d thought it would be. He took me in as though I was a precious stone before touching me lightly.

  “I want to be gentle.” He traced heated circles around one nipple. “I want to go slow.” He switched to my other breast. “I know I won’t last.” He dragged his fingertips down my stomach, and when he reached the apex of my legs, he sucked in a sharp breath and lifted his hooded gaze.

  The hunger swimming in his depths was both thrilling, yet terrifying. My first time, and I was as hungry and desperate to feel him as he was me. My muscles tensed when he dipped his fingers between my folds.

  “Fuck” dropped from his lips.

  I itched to grab onto something, anything to get my body moving, or else I would be the one who wouldn’t last long.

  He ran his hands up and down my legs, his gaze roaming like a lion looking for his next meal.

  “Please do something. You’re torturing me.” My voice was strained.

  He grinned boyishly, as though he’d just won the race of the century.

  Then his fingers were circling that throbbing sweet spot in between my legs—a gentle caress that increased the more I purred and moaned. But when his tongue replaced his fingers, I bucked, moaning so loudly that I was grateful the music was drowning out my voice.

  He chuckled, but didn’t stop as he took me to places I’d never been before. Even when I pleasured myself, the feeling wasn’t the same.

  A host of emotions rifled through me—exhilaration, trepidation, lust so strong I was ready to burst, and the one overpowering emotion that hit me so hard, I wanted to cry tears of joy—I was so in love with him. I didn’t care how painful my first time might be. I didn’t care about anything but him and me and how we could make each other feel. I wanted us to feel something other than pain over losing a loved one.