With her mind made up, she climbed the steps, easing through the door like a scared cat. Colt was sprawled out on the bed, his arm thrown over his forehead, the sheet draped across his hips. Her eyes went to the steady rise and fall of his stomach. He’d fallen asleep.
Well, she needed to get it off her chest before she lost her nerve. She sat on the edge of the bed. The hand over his chest shot up, his eyes sprung open. He took one look at her and his features softened, a tired frown replacing the surprised parting of his lips. “Maci?”
“I’m sorry, Colt.” With her apology came a fresh wave of tears. She’d meant every word. Sorry for being a pain in his ass. Sorry for being there that night. Sorry both of them had to go through any of this. Most of all, she was sorry that she’d come to care for Colt, sorry that she felt anything at all for him.
Colt rolled to his side, pulling her down into his arms, snuggling her into him. “I shouldn’t have told you any of that,” he said. He slipped his arm into the crook of her waist and held her a little tighter. “I don’t know where I’ll be next week, let alone next month. You need to understand, Maci, I have nothing to offer you.”
She considered the road ahead. She knew when the time came, Colt would go after the man from the store. Would he get caught? Would he get hurt? Knowing they’d have nothing to do with each other when they left the cabin didn’t make the danger any easier to accept.
In his arms, her thoughts shifted to the bar, and the bartender. “I don’t understand why you did that,” she said, quietly.
“Did what?”
Maci swallowed, looking for the words. “She was willing. Why did you, um, end up doing it yourself?” Why wouldn’t he just pack his junk up and walk away if it wasn’t working?
“Doing what?”
There was a touch of humor in his voice now, and Maci felt her cheeks burn. He was making fun of her. She rolled her eyes, deciding to let the subject die, but Colt wasn’t ready.
“Jack off?” He rose up, propping his head on his elbow. “Spank the monkey? Bop the boa? Flog the log? Jingle the Pringles?”
“OK, that’s enough,” Maci giggled. “I’m sorry I asked.”
“Oh, but you did,” Colt teased, resting his chin in the curve of her neck, his scruff scrubbing against the delicate skin just enough to send a shiver through her.
His hand went to her thigh, his voice going gruff. “It was all because of this woman right here.” His long fingers splayed against her skin, inching their way up. “I wanted her and nobody else but her.”
The desire in his voice was just as powerful as the feel of his touch, now on her hip, creeping under his shirt, stopping at her waist.
She may never have him as hers, and they may never have this again. Earlier had been a blatant lie, but Maci decided then and there that she would accept that. Whatever he left to do when they got back, she’d let him go.
Turning over, Maci looked into his bright green eyes, feeling like there’d never be another man who’d look at her quite like Colt was right that second, and she wanted to soak in every minute of it.
“What are you going to do with her?”
“That depends,” he muttered.
“On what?”
His eyes roamed over her face before locking onto hers. “What does she want me to do?”
Maci knew. He’d mentioned it out on the porch. She also knew he was going to force her to say it, if she brought it up, and he didn’t misread her hesitation.
Most of his brothers would probably line up to buy him tampons if they could see him playing so cute with Maci, but he didn’t give a fuck. This woman made him feel human, something no one else had done since before his father died.
Her innocence, and enthusiasm, were just a fraction of her appeal to him, but his concerns from earlier remained. Talking about themselves, even in third person, had brought them right back to the edge of the fire, and he couldn’t get her out of his head.
Still, as he looked into her eyes, so bright and red from crying, Colt wanted nothing more than to hold her, and make her his. That couldn’t happen, but he did want to make her feel better. How did she do this to him?
“We don’t have to do anything, Maci,” he stressed, fully prepared to stay behind whatever boundary she put up.
He watched, his heart sinking, as she sat up on the side of the bed. He thought she’d walk away, and he wouldn’t blame her, but instead she crossed her arms, tugged his shirt off over her head, and let her gorgeous blonde hair spill back over her bare skin. Colt wasted no time twisting it in his fist, pulling her naked body back to his.
He rolled her over, tucking her beneath him. “I hope you have nowhere to go today,” he teased. “This is going to take a while.”
Balanced on his elbows, he settled between her thighs. “That all right with you?”
“Yes,” she breathed. Colt punctuated her response with a kiss, then left a trail of warm pecks across her cheek. “You fell asleep on me earlier,” he growled in her ear. “I’m pretty sure I promised to make you come, again.”
A soft moan floated from her as he moved a little lower, the tip of his tongue tracing an outline of her areola before tugging the firm peak between his teeth. Maci’s arms went around his head, holding him firm. He teased her a few minutes, then replaced his mouth with his fingers as he moved to the other.
“That feel good, baby?”
“Yes,” she panted.
“But that’s not what you want, is it?”
Without waiting for an answer, Colt shifted, slipping his tongue between her lips, he deepened the kiss as he brought his knees up, spreading her thighs. He reached between them, not surprised at all to find Maci drenched and ready for him. “I want to taste you.”
The subtle push against his shoulders moved him down her body, his lips feathering along her skin as he went. Confronted with the scent of Maci’s arousal, Colt wasted no time sweeping his flattened tongue across her pussy, humming a groan of satisfaction as he collected her juices.
Maci’s hands gripped his hair, her body convulsing as he did it again. “Oh god.” The words died on her lips as Colt gently spread her apart with his fingers, sealed his lips around her clit and sucked the stiff little bud, teasing it with his tongue.
She lifted her shoulders from the bed, panting, “Colt.” He looked up, locking eyes with her. He released the suction, but stiffened his tongue and raked it back and forth as he slowly shook his head.
He watched her, loving the way her head tilted to the side, her hair cascading over her shoulder. It was sexy as hell and sent a steady throb of need straight to his cock. What he needed was to be balls deep inside her, but not before he tasted her cum on his tongue.
Slipping his hands under her ass, Colt flexed her hips, giving him better access. Maci collapsed back on the bed as he floated his tongue down the length of her slit, stopping just short of her puckered little hole, before making his way back to her clit. Maci sighed as he made contact, her hips involuntarily gyrating in his hands.
Maci in the throes of sex was unbelievable, and a pure fucking privilege to watch. And hear. Every breath that came out of her escalated the excitement, and Colt wasn’t sure how much longer he could wait.
When her thighs began trembling, Colt quit dragging it out. It was time to stop playing and satisfy his curiosity of what it felt like to be inside her. He flattened his tongue against her clit and caressed the orgasm out of her with firm, measured strokes.
Her hands pushed him tighter, closer, all the while her body was fighting for space, to escape his touch, but he held her firm in his grip until her struggle faded to a defeated whimper.
“Colt?” she whined as he left her long enough to retrieve a condom from the nightstand drawer.
“I know, baby.”
“Please, Colt. I need you.”
Maci’s groan of frustration hit home, and seconds later, Colt was sheathed and hovering over her.
“You ready, baby?” Maci answered b
y wrapping her legs around his thighs, forcing him closer.
He bent low, his lips at her ear. “Next time you cum, it’s on my cock.”
Maci dug her head into the bed, her sharp nod the only indication she’d heard him. Damn if he was prepared for what was to come. He positioned himself at her entrance, pushing into her with one sharp thrust of his hips.
Maci gasped, biting into the flesh of his shoulder, but her entire body cinched tight around him. If fucking her was heaven on earth, he’d do it the rest of his life.
Colt forced a long breath through his teeth, but it did nothing to relieve the pressure of having her pussy clamped around him. He was going to lose his shit any minute now.
He eased all the way out of her, just long enough that he was able to get a handle on himself and keep this from being over before it began. “You OK?”
Maci nodded, but there was a new, pink hue to her cheeks. Colt pushed inside her, a little at a time, keeping his eyes on her, watching the color deepen. “You’re so fucking beautiful, you know that?”
She didn’t answer, but a flash of emotion crossed her features. He leaned in, giving her a soft, slow kiss.
“You feel so good,” he groaned, taking up a slow, steady pace in and out of her. Her hands wrapped around his body, digging into his skin, scratching down his back.
Colt groaned at the sensation, feeling the beginning of his release gathering deep in his groin. “This isn’t going to last,” he mumbled, his thrusts becoming needy, more purposeful.
Sweat broke out and ran down his body, drenching Maci and the sheets beneath them, but pleasure was trapped inside him, teasing him. He was aching with need. Every inch of his body was rigid, focused. He was quickly reaching the peak of his restraint.
The abrupt explosion took his breath away, locking his hips against her, his entire body trembling with exhaustion. He collapsed to his elbows, his forehead landing on Maci’s, gasping to replace the air he’d lost. She curled around him, sweat and all. “I’m sorry,” he panted, lifting his weight off her. “You OK?”
Maci’s grin said it all. “I’m perfect.”
Colt reached out, pulling her into his arms. “Goddamn right you are.”
“Think I could go pee now?” she asked, grinning.
Colt laughed, rolled off her, and planted his feet on the floor. “I’ll get us something to drink.”
Maci used the bathroom and washed her hands. It was amazing how relaxed she felt, despite the ache between her legs.
Finished, she opened the door, smiling at the thought of curling back up to Colt. She stepped out, froze, and instinctively searched the room before her gaze was drawn back to him.
“What is this?”
Maci faltered, taking a step back. Colt was standing beside the bed, the towel wrapped snugly around his waist again, a fierce look distorting his features.
Her attention went to the bed and the small patch of blood that matted the sheet. “Peroxide will get it out,” she said, softly.
“I’m not worried about the fucking stain.” She’d already turned back to the bathroom, searching the cabinets for the familiar brown bottle. She’d barely stepped back out when Colt started again. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Hugging the bottle to her chest, Maci was feeling the familiar urge to panic and run. She was shutting down.
“Why the hell would you do that? This?” he growled, waving his hands toward the bed.
“I-I wanted to.”
Colt huffed, throwing up his hands. “Un-fucking-believable.”
Maci could feel the heat burning her face. She was only saved from more of his tirade by the phone ringing. “This isn’t over,” he warned, pointing to her.
But it was. It was over and done now, there was no gluing her back together. She pulled the sheets off the bed while Colt answered the phone. It had to be Hank. He was the only one who called that phone.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Did he think she was going to use her virginity as some prize? Give him some sob story and guilt him into being with her? Shooting him one long, hateful look, Maci took the soiled sheet in the bathroom and soaked the stain in peroxide, cringing when his shadow fell in the doorway.
“Hank said he should have the pictures up in a day or two.”
“Lovely.” But something had changed, his tone was softer, almost contrite. He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.
“Your trailer burned down early this morning.”
Maci stopped. “What?” She couldn’t have heard him right.
Colt frowned. “Made the local news.”
Maci sat on the side of the tub, shaking her head. That couldn’t be right, there was still so much stuff there that she needed. Wanted. “Burned down?”
Colt nodded and Maci looked away before he could see the tears pooling in her eyes. She tried to create a mental list of everything left there that she’d need. Someday. Never had she considered she wouldn’t get the chance to go back. The last of her mother’s things, the hundreds of dollars in textbooks, her childhood treasures, everything she had was lost.
“You beat up your boss, Maci?”
Her head jerked up, the tears spilling down her cheeks. “What? No.”
“Hank said you punched your boss man in the face and walked out. He filed charges.”
“Filed charges?” She was a criminal. Her entire body began to tremble.
“You fucked him up. Broke his nose, they said. The news flashed your picture and said the police think you torched the trailer and took off, for some reason.”
Maci shook her head, trying to find her voice. It was too much. It made no sense. Fuck Shaun for going to the police, for being an asshole that locked her outside when that maniac had come to the diner. How did she explain that to Colt without revealing the rest? It didn’t matter. He was pissed at her, anyway. Her whole life was imploding. “I think I’d like to get a bath, now. Please,” she added when Colt made no move to leave.
He hesitated, but pushed himself off the wall and pulled the door closed. Maci took a deep breath, and then another, but the wave of desperation was crushing. More tears escaped. She stood, pulled off Colt’s shirt and dropped it to the floor. She reached in and turned the knob. One of them had left the shower on and the water poured down on her as she leaned in.
She didn’t even care. She climbed in, sat under the spray and drew her knees up to her chest, and let the water wash over her. There was nothing left. Her home was gone. Even if the Demons found Pops’ killer, she had nowhere to go.
And they think I did it? How did she face that? How did she explain her disappearance to the police, or her hitting Shaun, without bringing her involvement with the Demons to their attention? It was over for her. She could never tell the truth without implicating the Demons, and their revenge. If she did that, she would be at their mercy, and in no better shape than she’d been last week.
Her shoulders shook and Maci clamped her jaws together to stifle the cry building deep inside her. She clenched her fists to her chest and rocked, feeling like she was going to explode. The emotions just kept building until she didn’t have the strength to contain them anymore.
The sob tore through her, stealing the air from the room. The water turned off and a warm towel blanketed her. “Come on, baby,” Colt’s voiced said, soothingly. “Maci, shh, come on.”
Colt scooped her up, carried her to the couch and folded her into his arms. “It’s going to be OK, shh.”
His words made her cry harder. It was not going to be OK. He had no idea what he was talking about.
He’d gone back, thinking Maci could use a beer. He wished he hadn’t. She’d been slumped over in the tub, her whole body racked with such pitiful sobs, all he could do was dump the beer in the sink on top of the bloody sheet, and hold her. Fucking Christ, what’s going on?
“She’s a wanted woman. Keep her out of sight.” That’s what Hank had told him.
“What do you think?�
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Hank had been quiet a minute. “It’s too much of a coincidence. Her story is on the up and up. It all checked out. I’ll fill you in on the details when you get back.”
Colt had pressed for more, but Hank wasn’t up for sharing. “I’m not putting it out over the phone.”
That had been the end of that. On the upside, Tucker would be up tomorrow with the pictures. Colt was still in the dark about what was going on, where Maci fit into all of this, and now, here she was, hysterical in his arms. Given everything else, losing his shit over the virginity thing may have been a stressor she didn’t need.
Still, it pissed him off. Maybe he could have handled it better. Had it been anyone but Maci, he probably would have. Fuck, why did it have to be her?
Could he have told her about her trailer in a way that wouldn’t have hurt her so much? He frowned, shaking his head, and held Maci a little tighter. When she’d calmed down enough, he stood, with her in his arms. “Let’s go to bed.” She didn’t argue, she didn’t even respond.
He laid her on the bed and climbed in with her, pulling her whimpering body snug to him. It was a long time before he could fall asleep, long after her shaky breaths ceased and she fell into a soft, steady rhythm.
When he woke up the next morning, he didn’t think either of them had moved. Maci was still plastered against his stomach, his arm secure at her waist.
He eased away from her, but not gently enough. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
She rolled onto her back, stretching. “It’s OK. I’m a little hungry.”
“You need to get in the bathroom?”
She sat up and seemed fine, making Colt suspicious.
“No, I’ll be OK until you get done.”
“Are you sure? I’m going to get a shower. I smell like condoms, cum, and Maci,” he grinned.
She showed no hint of appreciating his humor. He sighed, rolled over, and pinned her beneath him. “I’m sorry,” he said.
Maci’s eyebrows rode high. “You should be. We’re not living in the 19th century. If I wanted to lose my virginity in a gang bang involving the entire State University football team, that’s my choice.”
Colt: Demons of Destruction Page 9