Her fingers curled and uncurled at her side, and she shook her head. “No, that won’t be changing anytime soon.”
“Why?” He laughed. “Chicken?”
She clenched her jaw “I’ve read the statistics.” Which was true, and there were plenty enough to prove to anyone that motorcycles were death traps.
He stopped beside his bike, took two helmets from the saddlebag and tossed one to her.
“I’ve read the statistics on alcohol. Doesn’t mean I’ll never have a drink again.”
She smirked. Good point, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. She glanced over the bike, then to the helmet held tightly in her hand. A nervous flutter beat against her chest, and she looked up to their second story window. She almost hopped Elliot would be there, watching…but he wasn’t. The window was bare, reminding her of how he’d acted the night after their kiss. “Sometimes I wonder how anyone is alive at all.”
She placed the helmet snugly on her head and fastened the strap.
He smiled, threw one leg over his Harley, then lifted his chin. “Climb on, Fe. What are you waiting for?”
She hesitated for only a moment, asking herself the same question. Elliot wasn’t coming for her, she would be an idiot to think otherwise, but she still had to stop herself from looking up to the window again. Taking a fist full of his shirt in one hand, she threw her leg over the bike, and positioned herself behind him.
He grinned, took her hands in his and positioned them around his waist. “Hold on, don’t let go.”
And she didn’t.
Chapter 16
It turned out that holding onto a man she barely knew on the back of a motorcycle was exactly what she needed. The wind in her face, the rumble of the engine between her thighs, caused a mixture of adrenaline, excitement, and fear to pulse within her—But at the time, she felt more relaxed than she had in days.
“Where are we going?” she asked when her feet hit the pavement again. They were down town, she could tell that just by the proximity of the buildings, but not once had he mentioned their destination. Until this moment, she hadn’t even thought to ask.
Colton took her helmet from her fingers and quickly secured it back in the saddlebags. “That depends,” he said, squinting against the sun.
For the first time the evening, she really looked at him. Into his eyes that were dark brown, but sprinkled with traces of green and gold throughout. So different than his brothers. “On what?” she asked, forcing herself to look away.
“On what you like.”
The flirtatious tone of his voice twisted in her belly. Not that there was anything wrong with him flirting with her, but for some reason, her insides turned to knots. As though she were cheating on a test… as though she were cheating on Elliot. Which was silliest thing she’d ever thought of. Elliot knew she was out with Colton. Had basically given his blessing, so she really had nothing to feel guilty about.
Then why did she feel this way? Why did she have this intense urge to call Elliot to see if he was okay? “I like just about anything,” she said instead.
A gentle smile turned at the corner of Colton’s mouth, and he grabbed hold of her hand. “Do you like sushi?”
She met his stare and nodded “Yes.”
He gave her an affirmative nod, like a drill Sargent, and took off walking. “Well that’s where we’ll go then.”
He stepped off of the sidewalk, paused for a moment, then immediately turned around and began walking in the opposite direction.
“Do you even know where you’re going?” She laughed, following a half step behind his steady pace. He made her nervous, but he was taking her mind off of Elliot, and that was exactly what she needed.
A dimple flashed on his left cheek and he shot her a grin. “Yes ma’am. Or I will before the night’s over.” They walked a block or two, his pace picking up a little with each step.
She was pretty sure that by this point, they were lost, or maybe the restaurant didn’t exist at all, but her suggestion of a Google only seemed to prompt him to take wider strides.
Sometime later, when they rounded a corner she was pretty sure they’d been to before, Fe noticed an elderly woman sitting alone out on the patio of a small cafe. Fe met the woman’s kind eyes and smiled, realizing she probably looked ridiculous being dragged block by block, at a pace reminiscent of jogging.
It was in that second, however, when the elderly woman scanned over Fe’s face, to Colton’s body, to their joined hands, that things immediately changed. She thought they were together. There was no doubt in Fe’s mind, this stranger, this woman, thought her and Colton were a couple.
Something immediately churned in her stomach, because before that moment, she’d almost forgotten about the fact they held hands. She hadn’t paid any attention to how warm and strong his fingers felt wrapped around hers, or how intimate the act really was, walking down the streets, hand in hand like this. The last thing she wanted was to give him the wrong impression.
Easing her fingers out of his grasp she stuffed them deep into her front pockets, not breaking her stride. To her relief, Colton didn’t even seem to notice. Probably because his attention was focused on finding the non-existent restaurant.
“Are you always so stand offish?” he asked, stopping in his tracks to turn and face her.
Her cheeks warmed instantly, because maybe he’d noticed after all. “I’ve spent less than an hour with you since you walked into my apartment. How can you possibly know if I’m stand offish or not?”
He grinned. “Cause you are.”
Her brow creased “Are you always so forward?”
“No one’s complained yet.”
She wasn’t sure if she should be offended, or annoyed, but for some reason, she couldn’t be either. It worked for him. This cocky, aloof, dry humor of his. Because in the root of it all, he was teasing her. She tried to think of something witty to say, something that would keep him on his toes, but she had nothing.
A broad smile spread across his face at the simple win, and he turned on his heels, quickly opening the door behind them. “After you,” he said, bowing his head down toward the floor.
Dumbfounded, and trying not to let on how shocked she was that he’d been standing in front of the restaurant for a good two minutes without her noticing, she stepped through the door.
To be fair, from the outside, it was easy to miss, but the inside… It looked like everything you’d imagine an authentic Japanese restaurant to be. Low tables, dim lighting, lanterns everywhere.
“Two please,” Colton said, as he walked up to the woman standing behind the front desk.
They were quickly escorted though a wooden archway, to a room with rich black walnut accents, and crimson pillows on the ground.
Colton grinned at her, handed the hostess his jacket, then lowered himself to his seat.
“I’ve never been to a place like this before,” Fe said, taking his lead, and lowering herself to one of the cushions.
“What do you think?” he drawled, handing her one of the menus.
Fe peered around the room, struggling to keep her mouth from falling open. “Honestly, it’s beautiful. I can’t believe I’ve never heard of it.”
He crossed his legs up in his lap and squinted. “You sound surprised.”
“I am. This isn’t want I was expecting.”
“Oh yeah? And what were you expecting?”
She cleared her throat, then pushed her still tangled hair behind her ear. “I don’t know. Elliot doesn’t like sushi, so that part alone surprised the hell out of me.”
“Elliot and I are different.”
She nodded. “You could say that again.”
“Elliot and I are different,” he repeated.
A tiny grin teased at her mouth and she looked down to the table. “Smart ass.”
He laughed then, throwing his head back with the boisterous chuckle. “Now I’m curious,” he said, after the good twenty seconds. “I know Elliot and I are d
ifferent, but having just met me, what do you see?”
She shook her head. “You’re different in just about every way possible, I think finding similarities would be the easier task.”
He nodded in agreement, but spoke again. “Humor me.”
She frowned, realizing she wasn’t going to get out of this easily. “You do look the same. Or pretty close. I can tell you’re brothers.”
Colton’s brows pinched. “Nah. I’m better looking.”
She grinned. “More humble too.”
He smiled back at her, taking the pint of sake from the center of the table and filling her glass with it. “Maybe, maybe not.”
She took a tiny sip. “Elliot has no clue how good looking he is, you on the other hand…” She looked up at him, taking in the deep brown eyes that stared back at her. “You have brown eyes, and his are blue,” she stated, finally realizing how odd that was..
Colton lifted his own glass, and tilted it toward his lips. “You noticed.”
Her cheeks heated a little, because he was speaking to her in that flirtatious tone again. Her eyes shifted downward as she took another sip. “It’s hard not to.”
He adjusted in his seat, filling his glass for the second time. “That’s what happens when you have different fathers,” he muttered.
It was so low, so quiet, almost as though he hadn’t meant for her to hear it. “What?” Her eyes shot up.
His eyes narrowed, and he leaned back on his elbows. “We have different father’s. Elliot’s never told you that?”
She shook her head. “No. No, he hasn’t.” He hasn’t told me anything.
The server came to take their orders, which was given strictly by Colton, because she couldn’t seem to speak. All she could do was think about the words that had just left Colton’s mouth. “But you have the same last name,” Fe stated as soon as the server left the table.
Colton’s eyes narrowed, obviously wondering why she was so curious. “It’s complicated.”
“Oh?” she asked, not caring for a minute that she was prying. Elliot had always been a mystery to her, and now she was finally getting answers. There was no way she was going to miss this opportunity.
Colton took a deep breath, then another, before finally speaking. “My ma and pa met when they were very young.” He nodded, like this in itself was enough of an answer. “Junior year of high school to be exact.” He wiped over his face, as though realizing just how young that was. Sixteen, maybe Seventeen by the end. “He was the starting pitcher for the Buckeyes, and she was the head cheerleader at their school. They were cute, happy, and inseparable.” He topped off her glass with more sake before speaking again. “They were prom queen and king senior year, voted most likely to get married, and to everyone’s in town they were the perfect couple. Until I entered the picture. I was born just two weeks after graduation.”
His finger twirled around the rim of the glass before he looked up. “But that’s how it is in a small southern town. Mama lost friends, was the outcast of the town—no one wanted their daughters hanging out with her anymore.”
“And your dad?”
“He married her.”
Even more confused than she’d been before, she sat forward, and took a healthy gulp of sake.
“I’m sure you can imagine,” he began again, “the difficulties of starting a family so young? They were married by my grandfather that very summer, but like I said…
“About two years later, ma showed up pregnant again.” He nodded. “But pa had been stationed out of country for the past three months. The numbers just didn’t add up.”
Fe covered her mouth, to shocked to contain her gasp.
Colton frowned and turned his attention toward the ceiling. “Some guy, traveling through town on his way to be a ’star’. Story goes he had hypnotic blue eyes, and well mama… I think you can figure out the rest on your own.”
Her brows furrowed, and she swallowed the lump of emotion that came out of nowhere. Why had Elliot never told her this? Why did she feel so bad learning it from his brother? “So, your father, when he found out about the baby, what happened?”
Colton leaned back on his elbows, studying her. “In the long run, he took Elliot in as his own, gave him his name, and all that legal bullshit.”
“What happened to the traveler? Elliot’s father?”
“Maybe you should ask Elliot that question.”
“I’m asking you.”
He sighed and sat straighter. “A couple months after Elliot was born, my granddaddy tracked him down. The bastard was performing in a bar outside of Alpaca and denied the whole thing. Said he’d never even laid eyes on my mama, let alone his cock.”
“Oh my God!”
“Let’s just say my grandfather beat the shit out of him after that. Almost went to jail for it.”
Fe frowned. “Elliot always said your grandfather was the gentlest man he’d ever known.”
“And he was. He was also the most protective. Where do you think Elliot gets it from?”
Fe looked into Colton’s eyes, sensing he wanted to say more… and her heart raced with anticipation.
“You didn’t see the daggers he was shootin’ when I asked you out to dinner, did you?”
She shook her head, “What?” She blotted her face with a napkin, because her cheeks instantly heated. She pushed her sake across the table. “No he didn’t.”
“Sweetheart, if he had snakes for hair, I’d be a statue right now.”
Fe pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Was he telling the truth? Had Elliot really been Jealous?
The server came to the table then, relieving her of any farther commentary, and filled their table with an abundance of rolls, sashimi, and other side dishes. Fe immediately reached across the table for the bowl of wasabi, grabbed a healthy chunk with her chopsticks, and began meticulously mixing it with soy sauce in her bowl.
But her mind kept wondering back to all this new information. How had she known Elliot for five years, and not know this about him? Why would he keep this from her? How did it feel to know your father didn’t want you?
Colton must have been thinking the same thing, because after refilling her glass, he whispered. “Elliot never shared this with you?”
She picked out a piece of sushi, then popped it into her mouth. “No.” She shook her head. But the question, or maybe how it was asked of her, enlisted an emotional response she wasn’t prepared for.
He ran his fingers through his hair and frowned. “Maybe I overstepped. Everyone back home knows this story. I thought he would have…”
But he trailed off, because they were far away from Texas, and no one here knew this dirty secret. Fe’s nose began to burn, and she took a large drink of ice water to ease it. “Do you think that’s why Elliot moved all the way to California? Do you think that’s why he’s only been back to visit once?”
Colton took a scoop of wasabi and met her eyes. “Possibly.”
“Is that why you left?”
“Nah. I love Texas. It’s where I’ll settle down when I’m old. Just like my grandfather.”
“What about Elliot? You think he’ll ever go back?”
Colton’s face softened, and he took a deep breath. “I don’t know, darlin'. I could’ve asked you that same question.”
The meal continued. Though the conversation grew much less serious. They talked about his job, her job, and all that regular first date meanderings. It was nice. To get to know Colton away from Elliot. To see all the differences, and the similarities. Colton was cocky where Elliot humble. Colton a bad boy, where Elliot was more of a nerd. But they were both so much the same in many ways. At the end of the meal, Colton paid the server, then escorted Fe back out to the boardwalk. The air was crisp and cool, and she bundled her flannel around herself before heading back towards his bike.
“Thanks for coming out tonight, Fe. I really had a good time.”
She laughed, then glanced back over her sh
oulder. “I did too. Which surprised me.”
“And why’s that, miss Porto?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I guess I always thought you were an asshole.”
“Sometimes I am.”
She laughed. “You’re not as bad as you try to be.”
“Maybe so.”
She took a deep breath, feeling a cool breeze whoosh in all around her.
“What’s step number seven?” Colton asked then.
“Pardon?” She froze. Because the question had caught her out of nowhere.
“I’ve been curious all night, what is it?”
Clenching her jaw, she shoved her hands in her pockets, and began walking more briskly, “If you’re going to make fun—“ But he grabbed her arm, spun her around, and held her in one place.
“I’m not making fun. I’m genuinely curious.”
“Why?” she almost spit, hyper aware of his hands on her wrists.
“Because I think it’s good for him.”
She took a deep breath, and calmed. “You do?”
He removed his hands, but didn’t move away. “Yeah, I do.”
She hitched her bag up on her shoulder at met his eyes. “Fight. Which now that I’m saying it out loud, sounds ridiculous. I’ve never seen Elliot lay a finger on anyone—except.” She tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “Except you.”
Colton grinned. “Seems I have that affect on people.”
“I’m serious. I’ve never seen Elliot hurt a fly, let alone head butt someone in the middle of our living room.”
Colton laughed. “We’re brothers. It’s a different kind of relationship.”
“Oh, you don’t have to tell me about brothers, I have three of them.”
“I feel for you.”
Fe nodded, but glanced down to her feet. “Thanks.”
There was a long pause, like neither knew where to go from here, but then Colton’s voice broke the silence. “Maybe I could help you.”
She looked up. “Help with what?”
“With step number seven.”
She immediately started walking again. “Oh no. I don’t think that’s a good idea—“
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