The Consequence of Loving Colton

by Rachel Van Dyken

  “You broke it playing Ping-Pong!” I snapped. “What did you want me to do? Call 911?”

  “Guys!” Jason held out his hands between us.

  I gripped the paddle in my hand and took my stance.

  “Let’s have a fair game, all right?” Jason looked at me longer than necessary. Fine, I’d cheated once, but I was ten, give me a break.

  “Fair game,” I seethed.

  “Fair game.” Colton blew me a kiss.

  “Terms?” Jason asked.

  “I win,” Colton said, his eyes narrowing, “she promises never to bring up the pancake incident again—or at least for a year, we all know it’s hard for little squirt to keep her mouth shut.”

  I stuck out my tongue.

  Colt’s eyes heated for a brief moment before he swore and said, “Cute.”

  “And your terms?” Jason’s eyes narrowed. “If you win?”

  “I want . . .” I bit my lip. I wanted a kiss. I wanted time with Colton, I wanted . . . “Colton watches Star Wars with me.”

  Colton groaned. He was the only guy breathing who hated Star Wars. When he was little he’d had nightmares that Jabba the Hutt was in his closet.

  “Four, five, and six,” I added.

  Jason whistled under his breath. “Tough terms. Tough terms.”

  “I accept.” Colton shrugged as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Bastard. “I’m not worried, been training, lifting weights . . .”

  Yeah, I’d noticed. Not that he’d needed to before, but damn, now the man was cut.

  “Milo?” Jason asked. “You accept Colton’s terms?”

  “Absolutely.” I smiled sweetly. “I always accept his terms—probably because I’ve never had to worry about following through on them. Once a loser”—I pulled the Ping-Pong ball from the basket—“always a loser.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  MILO

  In my mind the Ping-Pong game looked a heck of a lot like the movie 300, you know, without the swords, blood, and capes.

  Grunts and curses cut through the tense air like fireworks. I’d serve, Colton would return, and so the game went, back and forth, back and forth.

  A few times I sacrificed my body to gain a point. But my small scratches were nothing next to his war wounds.

  Colton struck his head against the table trying to perform a low hit, and I’m pretty sure Jason was going to have a black eye after I accidently slammed the ball in the wrong direction.

  “Foul!” Colton shouted.

  “No fouls in Ping-Pong, bitch,” I yelled.

  “Whoa!” Colton held up his hands. “Got a fire under your ass there, squirt? Pulling out the big-girl words?”

  “I know big-girl words and I can do big-girl things.” I inwardly cringed. Yeah, I should have left that second part out.

  He smirked and leaned forward so his hands were pressed against the table as sweat poured from his face. We’d been at it for at least three hours.

  Each game had ended in a tie.

  “What kind of big-girl things?” He licked his lips.

  “Just . . .” My throat went completely dry. “Things.”

  “Tiebreaker!” Jason removed the ice pack from his eye and set it on the desk behind him.

  “Next point wins?” I offered.

  “I have a better idea.” Colton set his paddle on the table and walked around until he was on my side. “Slap game.”

  “Are you ten?” I narrowed my eyes¸ not trusting him for a second.

  Colton looked himself up and down and then shrugged. “Do I look ten?”

  No. Hell, no. He looked . . . well, I wasn’t sure, but I needed to snap my mouth shut before I started panting. Sweat soaked through his shirt, and his shirt clung to his abs, which in turn made me want to both cry and thank God that his shirt was tight.

  “Slap game.” Jason laughed, jolting me out of my stare-down with Colt’s abs. “Classic.”

  Colton held out his hands, pressing them together in front of his body. “Ladies first.”

  “What a gentleman,” I mumbled, holding my hands on either side of his in the air.

  “I’m ready when you are,” he whispered.

  I stole a look at his face; his eyes drank me in.

  Crap.

  He was messing with me.

  “Stop it.” My jaw clenched.

  “What?” He licked his lips again, this time taking extra care to bite down on his bottom lip in such a way that it was impossible not to imagine what it would feel like to have his teeth on my body.

  “That.” I looked away. “And I’m ready.”

  “Ladies, we gonna play or we gonna talk?” Jason stepped up beside us and grinned.

  “Play,” we said in unison.

  I flinched. Colton moved his hands, I flinched again and slapped with my right, then my left, but missed on the third time around.

  “My turn.”

  Colton got me once. Twice . . . three times. We usually went three rounds, and Jason decided who won based on how many slaps we got in within the first ten seconds.

  “Missed,” I taunted, jumping up and down.

  A few minutes later, Jason sighed. “Sorry, bro, she’s got six slaps to your four, one more round and I’ll declare the winner.”

  With a triumphant grin, I began again. I should have realized my lucky streak wouldn’t continue.

  I went for his hands and made the mistake of looking at his face, just as his lips formed a mocking air kiss.

  I missed.

  “WHOA!” Jason shouted. “Missed on the first round, sorry, little sis, but you lost.”

  “He cheated!” I wailed.

  “Don’t be a sore loser,” Colton scolded, putting his hands down. I didn’t even realize I had that much pent-up anger until my hand went flying across his cheek.

  “Damn it!” He stumbled to the side.

  Jason’s mouth dropped open. I covered mine with my hands.

  “What the hell, Milo!” Colton kept swearing.

  “I, uh . . .”

  Jason covered his face with his hands as if I were a supreme embarrassment to the family name and chuckled. “I’ll go get you some ice, bro.”

  “Thanks,” he snapped, then looked at me. “Well? Care explaining, Rocky?”

  “You made me mad?” I scrunched up my nose and then burst out laughing. “I’m sorry! I shouldn’t laugh. It’s just, you have a me-size handprint right here.” I reached out and touched his cheek. He placed his hand over mine, sealing it against his skin.

  “You branded me,” he joked, his voice hoarse.

  “Yeah, well, now there’s no escaping me.” I tried to keep my voice light—tried and failed. I really needed to stop staring at his lips. Bad things were going to happen. A girl could only last so long without the opposite sex before she just jumped whoever was in front of her.

  “Who says I want to?”

  “Want to?” I shook my head in confusion.

  “Escape.” His eyes went completely black as he took a step toward me, making any space between us nonexistent.

  Something shifted in the air. My hand was blazing underneath his. With a curse he grabbed the back of my head, and our mouths met in a violent kiss, one that I knew I’d never forget.

  His mouth plundered mine. I arched under his touch and then crumbled under the sensation of the feelings he was creating in me.

  “Here’s your ice!” Jason called at the top of the stairs.

  Colton released me as abruptly as he’d grabbed me. Adrenaline surged through my body, making it impossible to act normal. Breathing was nearly impossible because I was afraid if I inhaled I’d make too much noise and if I exhaled he’d know that what he’d just done to me had physically altered every single cell in my body and left me defenseless and wanting. I stared at him, waiting for him to say the words I’d longed to hear my whole life.

  I mean, I didn’t expect him to propose or say that he was in love with me. Just admitting a mutual attraction would have been nic
e.

  But he didn’t say anything. Instead he looked down at the floor. His face was a mask of indifference, his eyes, once piercing, weren’t even looking at me, his mouth was set in a grim line as if he was disappointed.

  “Yo!” Jason made it to the bottom of the stairs and set the ice and towel on the table. “Dad needs help with the TV again. I’ll be right back—don’t kill each other in my absence.”

  I laughed weakly and waved him off.

  Colton still said nothing.

  With a huff I walked over to the table, grabbed the ice and slammed it against his face.

  “Shit, Milo. Could you be less violent? Please?”

  “Sorry.” My voice was small. I felt small. There was a damn elephant in the room!

  “So.” Colton took a step away from me. “I, uh, I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

  “Sorry,” I repeated, my heart dropping all the way to my stomach. “For?”

  “Look . . .” Colton swore and rubbed his eyes. “I shouldn’t have done that. You’re my best friend’s little sister—shit, you’re like my sister, you know?”

  My mouth dropped open. No. Freaking. Way. No way was he pulling the sister card again! One day I was going to find that card, rip it to shreds, put a hex on it, and bury it next to his body. Okay, a little harsh, but I hated that card. Hated it more than peas and that’s saying a lot. Peas shouldn’t exist. Period.

  “No, no.” He shook his head. “Not like that. I’m just saying, I’ve known you forever and I’m sorry. I just . . . I overstepped my boundaries. That should never have happened.” He cursed again. “If I could take it back, I would.”

  If he could take it back he would? That was worse than saying sorry! I would have preferred getting run over by my own car—or dying in a bull stampede.

  My throat felt thick.

  I tried to keep the tears in, I really did. Instead they streamed down my cheeks so fast I didn’t even have time to wipe them away before Colton saw.

  “Milo, shit.” He pulled me into his arms. “Don’t cry.”

  I tried to pull away, but he kept me firmly pressed against his chest.

  “No, it’s not you.” I was finally able to wrangle myself free. “It’s, uh . . .” Think, Milo, think. “It’s just that I’ve never cheated on anyone before, and I feel bad.”

  Gold star for Milo.

  “Cheated?” Colton’s eyes pinched together in confusion. “What do you mean cheated?”

  “Max.” Yeah, he was going to murder me. “We’ve been dating on and off for years and, well, we’re kind of back on, and . . . I’m going to have to tell him . . . You’re right, Colton, it should have never happened.” Yeah, the bitterness in my voice was unmistakable. And the Oscar goes to . . .

  “Milo—” Colton cursed and started pacing in front of me. “I’ll tell him, give me your phone.”

  “No!” I shouted. “I mean, um, no, it should be in person. I feel bad enough.”

  The dog bark ringtone went off.

  Damn it, Max!

  “You should answer that.” Colton nodded to my front pocket.

  “Voice mail.”

  “It’s your guy.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Same ringtone, an unlucky guess.”

  “So?”

  Colton rolled his eyes. “Be mature, Milo, just answer the damn phone.”

  With shaking hands I pulled my phone out of my pocket and clicked “Accept.” “Hey, baby.”

  “Uh-oh . . . what did you do?”

  “Yeah, I miss you too!”

  “Milo, say my name if you did something really stupid and unforgiveable like the time you told me I wouldn’t get a splinter in my ass for using a wood sled.”

  “Max . . .” I purred, trying to sound sexy. Colton leaned in like he was trying to listen to our conversation. I glared at him, hoping he’d back off and give me space.

  “Shit balls. Oh, look, a bus! What? What was that? You want to throw me under it?”

  “So listen . . . you know I love you.”

  “I hate you so much right now.”

  I forced a smile. “But I may have done something really stupid . . .”

  “Shocked. Really. My heart almost stopped.”

  “. . . and kissed another guy. But to be fair he kissed me.”

  “Do you want me to yell?”

  “Yes!”

  “The pain!” Max shouted. “The misery in my heart! It’s dying, I’m dying, you’ve killed me! You’ve killed us! Do we mean nothing to you? I bought you an aloe vera plant, Milo! Do you even know what those mean?”

  “Uhhh.”

  Colton held out his hand. “Give me the phone. I’ll explain.”

  “No,” I argued.

  “NO!” Max yelled. “Well, let me tell you. Aloe vera means healing, it means love, and I gave you a piece of my heart, so you would heal me, not run me over with your Mercedes!”

  Colton won the war and jerked the phone out of my hands. “Listen, it’s my fault, yeah.” His eyes narrowed and then he started laughing. “Well, yeah, that’s true. Yeah. Oh, man, you should totally come down. Yeah, that would be great.”

  No. No. No. No. I tried to snatch the phone as Colton walked off with it. “Sure, dude, yeah, and again I’m so sorry, bro, apologies, I just, I don’t know what came over me.” He smiled in my direction. “Yeah, she sure is. Okay, I’ll tell her.”

  He hit “End,” his face still set in a firm smile. “Nice guy.”

  It was official. I hated all men.

  Colton handed me the phone. “Oh, and he said to call him. He said he was surprising you for the wedding, was gonna show up and be your date, now that things are . . . awkward.” He coughed. “I told him it was a good idea. Besides, you’re probably still pissed at me for mauling you like that—you should be able to have a date for the wedding.”

  Damn the man for continuing to march all over my heart like I was dirt and he was the freaking army storming some other girl’s castle!

  “Right.” I forced the word out of my mouth, and promised myself I wouldn’t cry again.

  “Yeah.” Colton nodded and looked away. “I should, uh, go help Jason. Thanks for . . .” He stopped talking. “’Night, Milo.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  MILO

  Escaping Colton for the rest of the night was not an option. My parents were big believers in doing everything in the evening together—and I do mean everything. So when I said I wanted to go to bed early rather than watch a movie with everyone, the response was yelling until I finally consented to watch half the movie.

  Jason was making popcorn in the kitchen—shirtless. That was how he did everything. It used to irritate me that he made food with no clothes on. Then again it wasn’t like he had crazy chest and back hair. I could have sworn he waxed but he always denied it.

  I tilted my head as he shook his ass in front of the microwave and then continued dancing to the newest demented beat in his head.

  Girls had always loved him.

  I never saw the pull.

  I mean he had the whole olive skin, light eyes thing going for him—compliments of my very Spanish grandparents—but still. To me he was just Jason.

  Then again he was my brother, so understanding the whole attraction thing . . . probably a sin.

  I turned and rummaged through the fridge for a soda. Really what I wanted was to drown my sorrows in something a bit stronger, but getting drunk in front of the parents all because my childhood crush kissed me and made me cry after we played Ping-Pong and a game of slap? Yeah . . . the idea just made me that much more depressed. Add in the whole “you’re like my sister” reference and yeah, let’s just say I wouldn’t be a nice drunk. That was the last thing my parents needed on wedding weekend.

  “Squirt.” Colton swatted my ass with a towel and breezed by.

  As. If. Nothing. Had. Happened.

  I gripped the door to the fridge so hard that my knuckles turned white.

 
“So, what did she say?” Jason asked behind me.

  “She said not a problem.”

  “Told you she’d be your date.”

  The soda I’d just grabbed dropped to the kitchen floor with a thud. Quickly I picked it up and closed the door, still listening.

  “She’s hot,” Jason continued. “You two’ll have fun.”

  “I’m sure we will,” Colton said, not sounding convincing at all.

  “Date?” I interrupted, holding the can in front of my face.

  “Yeah.” Colton nodded. “You know, since you have Max and all—you were supposed to be my date for the wedding, remember?”

  No. I hadn’t remembered. In the heat of the moment, I’d survived. I’d made up a huge lie in order to cover up my own hurt feelings and ended up shooting myself in the ass, not that it mattered since technically Max had held the gun and pulled the trigger! I give him one job! Lie! And he goes and invites himself to the wedding! I was going to murder him.

  “Right,” I said through clenched teeth.

  “See?” Jason patted my back. “It all works out.”

  “Yes . . . it’s all working out.” I jerked open the can of soda.

  And was rewarded with it spraying all over my face and white shirt.

  The guys burst out laughing.

  And for the second time that night I wanted to cry.

  Nothing had changed. Nothing was different. I was like some sexless friend to Colton and even if by some slim chance he did want something more, he was too much of a pansy-ass to admit it.

  “Screw you guys,” I muttered under my breath. “I’m going to go take a shower.”

  “Need help getting in there without falling on your face, squirt?” Colton’s eyes twinkled with amusement.

  “Sure.” I glared at him. “You offering to help strip me or just wash me down, Colt?”

  His smile fell.

  Jason looked at me like I’d just told him I was into chicks.

  “Right.” I nodded. “Didn’t think so. ’Night, boys.”

  I walked out of the room, embarrassed, sad, agitated, and pissed.

  Having Max here wouldn’t help, but at least it would take my mind off the fact that the one guy I’d crushed on since middle school had rejected me. And this time, after kissing me.