by Kaylee Ryan
“Got it.” She moves to step behind me, and I’m assaulted with her scent, something lavender, as her arms wrap around my waist just as I’ve instructed.
I can’t help but run my hands over hers. I tell myself it’s to make sure her grip is good and tight when the reality is that I just want to touch her. Her skin is so damn soft, and this is just her hands. I can only imagine how it would be if my hands got to roam all over her body. “Good,” I croak. I cough to clear my throat. “Now, when in this situation, you want to shift your weight forward. You do that by bending forward at the waist. This makes it more difficult for your attacker to lift you from the ground, and it gives you a better angle to throw an elbow or two.” I bend over at the waist and turn with my elbow poised to demonstrate. “You want to switch from arm to arm counter-attacking to throw the attacker off. This should lead to you being able to turn fully and getting a good groin shot or heel palm strike, which we haven’t gone over yet. However, from a man’s perspective, always go for the groin. That pain, when delivered precisely, will drop him to his knees.” I turn to face her and then step back. Her arms drop to her sides, and her eyes stay locked with mine. “You ready to try it?”
“What if I hurt you?”
“First of all, I’m a big guy, I can take it. Don’t use all of your power, just walk through the steps. If you make contact, you make contact. It’s not the roughest thing I’ve been through. Trust me on that.” My mind flashes to being in the trenches in the desert. An elbow is nothing compared to the things I’ve been through.
“Okay.” She nods, and I can see a little of her hesitation start to drift away.
“Turn around.” My voice is gruff. I move in behind her, clasping my arms around her waist. My cock is nestled next to her ass and twitches. I don’t even fight it because there is no use. No way can I hide what she does to me. As I feel myself harden from being this close to her, she gasps.
“I can’t apologize for that. That’s what you do to me,” I whisper in her ear. It’s bold, and I’m so far out of line. However, when I’m holding her close like this, I can’t seem to find it in me to care. No, in fact, I pull her a little closer. I want her to feel my body's reaction to hers.
“W-What next?” she asks.
My lips are still next to her ear, so I keep my voice low. “Bend over, push your weight forward at the waist.” She bends over, and on instinct, my hands go to her hips, holding her to me. “Fuck,” I murmur. There are so many wildly inappropriate things running through my head right now.
“Colton?” She says my name, and it sounds like a plea.
“Elbows,” I grind out. “Alternate elbows.” I try to focus on what this is supposed to be about. Her safety. Hollis learning how to defend herself should the need arise.
Lifting her right arm, she turns to mimic elbowing me, but turns all the way around and her hands land on my shoulders. My hands still on her hips, pull her close. Looking down at her, her gaze is focused on my lips. I lick them, the anticipation of what I think is about to happen overwhelms me. When her tongue peeks out, and she wets her own, I know I’m about to cross another invisible line.
“Hollis,” I murmur, and her eyes dart to mine. I lean in just a little. “Tell me to stop. Tell me I’m not allowed to kiss you.”
“I-I can’t do that, Colt.”
Colt. The familiarity in the way she shortens my name only fuels my desire for her. I want that with her. Not just so I can learn every inch of her. I want to know what makes her who she is. I can’t explain it, and frankly, I’m done trying. I just want her. I can’t fight it, and honestly, I don’t want to.
She rises up on her tiptoes, and I meet her halfway. At first, it’s just a soft press of my lips against hers. It’s delicate as we both take the time to savor one another. Needing more of her, I nip at her bottom lip, and she opens for me. My tongue lazily strokes her bottom lip soothing the ache, before I slide between her lips, and get my first real taste of her. She whimpers, a sound that’s released from the back of her throat, and it fuels me. Needing a better angle, needing to be closer to her, I bend and lift her into my arms. We never break our kiss as she locks her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck, holding on while I devour her mouth.
My hands grip her ass as I deepen the kiss. My feet carry us to the far wall, and I’m just about to push her into it when my phone rings from the storage closet. Fuck. I peel my lips away, resting my forehead against hers while I catch my breath. “I’m sorry. It could be my parents about Milo.”
She nods. Her chest is rapidly rising as she struggles for breath. I’m glad the kiss had the same effect on her as it did on me. Changing directions, I head for the closet.
“You can put me down.” Her voice is winded, and it makes me want to beat on my chest, screaming to the world that I did that. I made Hollis Taylor breathless.
“I’m not ready to let you go,” I murmur as we enter the small room. I move to the front of the small desk and set her on top of our coats. Reaching for my phone, I see that I missed a call from Chase. With one arm around her, holding her close, I hit his contact to call him back.
“Hey. You still at the gym?” he asks.
“Yes. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just know you can’t see outside. It’s really starting to get bad. You should send everyone home and head out yourself.”
“Already ahead of you. It’s just me and Hollis left.”
“Oh. Okay. Well, you two should get going. Wait, did Hollis take the class?”
“Yep.”
Chase laughs a deep throaty laugh. “That’s a story I can’t wait to hear, brother.”
“Thanks for the heads-up.” I end the call, not waiting for a reply. Sliding my phone in my back pocket, I place my hands on either side of her face and press my lips to hers once more. “That was Chase,” I say, forcing myself to pull away. “He said it’s really getting bad out. We should head home.” She nods her agreement, and I lean in to kiss her again. “I don’t know if I can stop,” I say softly.
“Maybe… maybe we can pick up when we get home? I mean—”
I cut her off with another kiss. “Best fucking idea ever.” She giggles when I pull away. “Let me go start the truck.” I rush out of the room, pick my keys up off the floor, and race outside to start my truck. Good thing Chase called when he did; it’s really getting bad. I clean off the front windshield, cursing that I didn’t grab my coat, before hurrying back inside. “It’s nasty out there.”
“You think we can get home okay?”
I love that my home is her home. That we’re going to the same place. And although she might not end up in my bed tonight, I’ll still know she’s in my home. That she’s there with me is enough. “Yeah. We’ll just have to take it slow.”
Quickly, we bundle up and lock up the gym. I hold the door open for her, before running around to the passenger side of my truck. I’m suddenly cursing the fact that I don’t have a bench seat. Making sure the truck is in four-wheel drive, I put my flashers on and pull out onto the road. Reaching over, I lace her fingers with mine and rest our combined hands on my lap.
“Don’t you need to have both hands on the wheel?” she asks. I can hear the tension in her voice.
“Will you keep yours right here?” I ask her.
“Yes.” No hesitation.
I bring our joined hands to my lips, kissing the back of hers, before placing it on my thigh. I release my grip and place both hands on the wheel. This is going to be a long drive. I just hope that by the time we make it home, she’s still willing to pick up where we left off. Regardless, I plan to steal a goodnight kiss. Anything more is just a bonus.
Chapter 8
Hollis
I’m a box of nerves and anticipation as we head back home. Well, to Colton’s place. The house I’m staying at. Renting.
Whatever.
Part of it is the hum of sexual tension filling the vehicle. My hand is still tucked on his thigh, and it takes e
verything I have not to slide it along the cotton of his Nike joggers. Maybe even angle it upward until my fingers brush up against the very cock that was pressed against my ass just a bit ago.
The other part is because of the weather. I can barely see where we’re headed. My entire body is tense, but Colton just seems as cool as a cucumber. He threw it in four-wheel drive before we pulled from the parking spot and has been expertly driving the snow-covered streets back home.
“You’re really good at this,” I whisper, my eyes riveted on the roadway in front of us.
“Good at what?” he asks, glancing my way for a second.
“Driving in snow. I’d be a terrified wreck right now,” I confess, realizing that moving to the Midwest may not have been my brightest idea.
Colton shrugs. “I grew up here, so the snow doesn’t bother me. But I will admit, I haven’t really driven in it in a while. It’s kinda fun,” he says, glancing my way again with a boyish grin. One full of mischief and excitement.
“Kinda fun?” I’m slightly stunned by his statement.
I’m even more stunned when he pulls into the superstore parking lot and stops the truck just off the deserted roadway. He pushes down the lever that controls the four-wheel drive and gives me another one of those ornery grins. Then, without so much as a word of warning, he guns the gas and turns the wheel sharply to the right.
We spin, and a piercing scream rips through the truck cab. One hand reaches up and grabs the handle over the door, while the other grabs the dash in front of me so hard, I’m sure there might be nail marks. At this point, I’m just praying to God and anyone who’ll listen I make it out of this truck alive.
When the truck comes to a sudden stop, I realize the scream is ripping from my own mouth, and I clasp it closed. Well, as tightly as I can, considering I’m panting like a dog in July. “What the hell was that?” I holler, my eyes wide as they meet his playful ones.
“That was fun, Hollis. Admit it.”
The fear I felt mere moments ago is quickly swept to the side by something that feels a lot like joy. Suddenly, I find myself smiling back at him from across the truck. “Can we… do it again?” I ask, not sure why I’m so nervous.
“Damn right, we can,” he says before throwing the shifter back into Drive. “Hang on.”
And just like that, we’re spinning in the empty parking lot, doing donuts in the freshly fallen snow. I’m still hollering, but this time, it’s more out of enjoyment than fear. I realize quickly that I trust him. I trust Colton to not wreck and kill me while spinning circles in the empty lot.
When he stops, my smile matches the ear-to-ear one on his gorgeous face. We’re having fun. Something that’s both as surprising as it is comforting. “Okay, your turn,” he says, throwing the truck back into Park.
Wait. What?
He just smiles and unbuckles his seat belt. Before I know it, he’s already throwing the console up and sliding my way. “Yep, you heard me. You’ve never driven in the snow, right? Your information when you filled out the rental application said you were from California, so something tells me playing in the snow isn’t exactly a regular activity for you in the winter. Am I right?”
Wide-eyed, I just stare at him as he moves to sit right beside me.
“This is the perfect place for you to practice for a bit. I can teach you how to drive in snow with and without four-wheel drive.”
“But… what about your truck?” I ask.
Again, he just smiles. “As long as you don’t wrap it around a light pole, it’ll be fine, Hollis. My girl is used to getting down and dirty in the winter weather,” he states, tapping the dashboard with his palm.
I swallow through my anxiety and unbuckle my seat belt. “Are you sure?” I croak over my too-dry throat.
“Positive. I’ll just show you the basics since it let up for just a few minutes. Then, we’ll get back home,” he says, his eyes boring into mine, “and finish what we started.”
Oh, boy.
My heart is pounding, and my palms are sweating. I’m not sure if it’s because of the driving in the snow bit or the after with Colton.
Carefully, I move, trying to stand up and shift myself over his body. He slides under, while I move over, and there’s no denying the bulge in his pants that rubs against my ass. When I finally get to the driver’s seat, I buckle up, pulling it as tightly as I can. There’s a slight tremble to my hands as I reach up and place both hands on the wheel. Ten and two. I’m gripping that wheel like it were my first day of driver’s education.
“Okay, let’s leave it in two-wheel for now. I want you to get a feel of the roadway and how the truck handles. Each vehicle is different, Hollis, so just remember to go slow and take your time. Only drive as fast as you feel comfortable going.”
I nod, staring out at the lazily falling snow and the unplowed lot.
“Go ahead and put it in drive.”
I reach over and slide the shifter into gear.
“Now, gently press on the gas.”
I do as instructed, my hands death-gripping the wheel, as I let the truck slowly crawl forward like a turtle. I’m not even sure the speedometer is moving.
“You do know the gas is on the right, right?”
“Don’t use your sexy charms right now, Colton. I’m concentrating,” I tell him, my eyes locked ahead.
“Sexy charms, huh?” he asks, the humor evident in his voice.
And then, he leans over and moves my way. “Hey! You’re not buckled in!”
“You’re not going fast enough to register speed. I think I’m in the clear from potential accidental injury,” he says as he reaches over and swipes a strand of hair off my forehead. I look his way—Jesus, he’s gorgeous—and then focus back on the path in front of me.
“Stop trying to distract me,” I chastise.
Why is it suddenly so hot in here?
“You’ve been distracting me since the moment I first laid eyes on you,” he whispers, just before his lips graze across my jaw. A shiver slips through my body, though I don’t think it has much to do with the temperature.
Pressing the brake, I turn and look his way. His full lips are so close, close enough that I could move just a hint forward, and they’d touch mine. But I don’t. I stay right where I am, barely breathing. Our eyes remain locked, and so much passes in just a few moment’s time. I can see his desire, his lust for me. I can see his playful side and a hint of danger. But most of all, I see the man I want to get naked with, a long-forgotten hunger hitting deep in my gut for the first time in longer than I care to admit.
He’s been a craving I can’t seem to fight.
His throat bobs as he swallows hard. “You ready?” His voice is husky like it was raked over gravel.
“Ready?” I ask, not really sure what he’s talking about.
Suddenly, a smile so devastatingly handsome spreads across his face that my panties practically explode. I’m so distracted, so lost in the depths of his blue eyes and the familiarity and comfort in that very smile that I almost miss his movement. I almost mistake the touch of his boot against mine as something sexual.
Only, it’s not.
Oh, no.
That touch hurtles my blood pressure into stroke level and my heart rate toward another medical emergency as he hammers down the gas pedal, catapulting us forward into the gray dark of night. He spins us to the right, his laughter drowning out by my bloodcurdling screams. Colton reaches for my hand and moves it under his, the warmth of his touch only offering slight relief in this traumatic situation.
When we stop, he looks at me eagerly, like a kid on Christmas morning. “See? Isn’t that fun?”
“You and I have way different ideas of fun, buddy.”
“Ehhh, come on, Hollis. Live a little.” There’s something in the way he says it. It makes me want to throw caution to the wind and do just that: live a little. I’ve been so worried lately, glancing over my shoulder and trying to remain in the shadows, that I haven’t exactly be
en living much. Only existing.
Deciding it is time to take the bull by the horns—and I’m not talking about Colton and that very impressive bulge in his pants… yet—I shove his hands off the steering wheel. I kick at his boots to get them away from the pedals and sit up straight in the seat.
I got this.
Just as Colton did moments ago, I push on the gas pedal, ignoring that need to slow down that tingles at the back of my neck. Instead, I go. I launch forward, our wheels spinning and the bed wanting to come around to the front. I overcorrect, sending us into a spin, but keep us moving and my eyes on the roadway. I maneuver the truck through the building snow, angling it toward a drift. When we hit that drift, the truck stops, a small gasp rasping from my throat.
“Shit!” I holler, pressing on the gas even harder, yet only spinning the tires.
Colton laughs. “Okay, hold up on the gas. This is a perfect time to talk about four-wheel drive since you’ve managed to get yourself stuck in a drift.”
He goes through the process of engaging four-wheel drive in the truck and tells me to slowly drive forward. I’m shocked at how easily the truck moves through the snow, thanks to four-wheel drive. When we get through the drift, I stop and turn to face him. Colton’s smiling, leaning back in the seat casually, his arm extended toward me on the seat back.
Suddenly, the desire to kiss him is overwhelming, and it takes everything I have not to climb over the seat and sit on his lap.
“You did well today,” he tells me as I put the truck in park. We both look out at the snow, which is starting to fall heavily again, the only sound our mixed breathing.
“I have a long way to go.”
He shrugs. “Maybe, but that’s a great start. At least you know what it feels like to drive in these kinds of conditions, and when to engage the four-wheel drive.”
I glance out again, barely able to see the tracks we made earlier. “We should probably get out of here.”
“Yeah,” he says, starting to slide my way.
After I unbuckle, I shift so my butt is pressed against the dash and try to step over Colton’s legs. His catch on mine, though, and my weight shifts. Suddenly, I’m falling forward, into his arms. The moment his hands touch my face, I’m straddling his lap, and our lips meet in a frenzy of pent-up desire.