Holding You

by Kelly Elliott

  Damn it all to hell! Just when I get all worked up. Letting out a frustrated moan, I walked somberly to the door, but not before I adjusted my panties and shorts. Stopping for a quick second to put my game face on, I pulled the door open. Standing in front of me was my mother, father, Gunner and Ellie. All four of them peering at me with wondering eyes. “Long time no see, family!” I said as I stepped out of the way and gestured for them to walk in. Looking over my shoulder, I did a double-take. Colt was walking down the stairs yawning, like he had just woken up.

  Attempting not to laugh, I asked, “Did you sleep good, Colt?”

  Giving me a naughty smile, he gave a jerky nod and said, “Yep.”

  Gunner and my father both walked up to Colt and shook his hand. “How was the drive?” Colt asked as he flopped onto the sofa. I wanted desperately to sit next to him. To show our parents that we were together, and happy. Peeking over to my father, I couldn’t help but notice how he stared at Colt. Glancing at my mother, she was staring at me.

  Dear God. Do they know? Can they tell? Placing my hands up to my cheeks, I could tell they were on fire. One look to my mother’s left and Ellie was staring at me. Swallowing hard, I jumped up. “I’m starved! Who’s down for some pizza?” Looking around the room, everyone stared at me. Snapping my head over to Colt, I widened my eyes and tried to give him a signal. I had a feeling we needed to be in a very public place . . . and fast.

  Colt stood up quickly. “Yeah, pizza, my treat.”

  As the two of us stood there, our parents just stared at us. Finally, the silence was broken.

  My father cleared his throat and asked, “How long have the two of you been dating?”

  Oh. My. Glitter. I’m pretty sure I just saw my entire life flash before my eyes. Taking one last look at Colt before my father beat him into the ground, I gave him a weak smile. Colt’s eyes were calm. They didn’t have the look of fear in them like I thought they should have. Returning my smile with a drop-me-to-my-knees smile of his own, he started walking over to me. The entire room seemed to have disappeared and it was only Colt and me. My senses went into overload as I smelled his musky scent before he even reached me. The memory of his lips on my skin caused my body to shudder. Walking up to me, Colt placed his hand on the side of my face and I instinctively rested my head in his hand. His thumb gently brushed across my skin, leaving a trail of tingles in its place. Colt’s smile grew bigger, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. His mouth parted open and he began to speak.

  “For about nine hours, I would say.”

  Letting out a giggle, I found myself lost in his beautiful blue eyes. It was if he was looking into my soul with the way they pierced my eyes.

  Hearing someone clear their throat, my eyes snapped over to my father, who was trying like hell to keep his smile hidden.

  “That must have been an interesting drive home then,” Gunner said with the same silky smooth voice Colt possessed.

  Nodding my head, I spoke just above a whisper. “It was.”

  Walking up to me, my mother placed her hand on Colt’s shoulder and gently looked into my eyes. I sucked in a breath when I saw tears in her eyes. “Mom, why are you upset?”

  Colt took a step back and I wanted to yell out in protest. I instantly missed his warmth. “I’m not upset, darling; it’s just that you’re all grown up.” Pursing her lips together in an effort to not cry, she said, “I just miss you I think.”

  Wrapping my arms around my mother, we held each other tightly. “I love you, Mom. I miss you and Daddy so much. I’m so glad you came to visit me.”

  Pushing me back at arm’s length, my mother looked me up and down. She raised her eyebrow as if she was acknowledging something.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gunner, my father and Colt all walking toward the front door. My heart began to race and my breathing picked up. Gunner was apparently going to keep my father from killing Colt.

  Walking toward them, my mother took my arm. “Why don’t you let the guys talk for a bit? Show me this project you had to rush home for?”

  Glancing back at my mother, I gave her a dazed look before I turned back and watched the love of my life walk out the front door with my father leading the way. Colt glanced over his shoulder and gave me a quick wink, causing my stomach to flutter.

  Turning back to my mother, I looked between her and Ellie with pleading eyes. My hands started to sweat as I thought about all the things my father could do to make Colt hurt. “You’re just going to let them take him away?”

  Ellie smiled and peeked over to my mother. Turning to my mother, I grabbed her hands. “Mom, you have to stop Daddy. I love Colt. I’ve loved him for so long, but I’ve been so stupid by pushing him away. I was afraid Daddy would let Colt run the ranch because he doesn’t think I can. I was afraid I wouldn’t have any say in the business, but I see I was being stupid and acting like a spoiled brat and—”

  Holding up her hand, my mother covered my mouth as I continued to talk in a muffled voice. “Lauren! My goodness, stop and take a breath.”

  My eyes darted back and forth between my mother and Ellie. “If I drop my hand, will you calm down?”

  Slowly nodding my head, I closed my eyes in an attempt to hold back my tears. Opening my eyes, I saw something in my mother’s eyes. Understanding. Compassion. Love.

  Dropping her hand, she tilted her head. “Darling, where in the world did you get the idea that your father thinks you can’t run the business?”

  My mouth opened, but I couldn’t talk. I didn’t like to show weakness and right now, my voice was going to sound weak if I talked. I lifted my shoulders up and made a face. Ellie walked up to me and took one of my hands. “Lauren, you and Colt clearly have feelings for each other. It was evident when the four of us saw the two of you dancing. What threw us all was we had no idea either of you felt things for each other.”

  Feeling my cheeks flush, my eyes looked away. If they only knew. I wondered what would happen if I spilled my guts to my mother and Ellie? There were so many things I had wanted to ask them. Like, how long was it going to hurt after sex? Was it normal to already be wanting Colt, even though we had spent the most amazing afternoon together and made love twice? Did guys like dirty talk or was that something I shouldn’t do? Was shower sex really all that?

  Okay . . . maybe those types of questions I should save for the girls.

  Chuckling, my mother pushed a curl behind my ear. “Your mind is spinning, Lauren. Calm it down, sweetheart.

  My mother always said that to me. She could tell when my mind was racing and she would always tell me to calm it down. Daddy said it was a sign of immaturity that I couldn’t keep my thoughts clear.

  “I’ve loved Colt since the day he punched Paul Hines in the face and threatened to kill him if he ever touched me again.”

  Ellie and my mother both let out gasps. “What did Paul do?” my mother asked.

  “Colt punched him?” Ellie asked with her hands over her mouth.

  Grinning when I probably shouldn’t have been, I answered, “Yes! Paul Hines had wanted to have sex in high school and when I told him no, he slapped me and called me a whore. Colt punched him and told Paul he would kill him if he ever talked to me or touched me again.” My mother had been looking past me, but her eyes snapped back to me when I said Paul had slapped me.

  Ellie drew in a sharp breath and whispered, “That little bastard.”

  “That’s why you hit Paul?”

  Hearing Gunner’s voice, I spun around. Colt, Gunner and my father were all standing at the front door. Not being able to read Colt’s expression, I mouthed, are you all right?

  Something moved across Colt’s face. I’d seen that look before. It was the same look he had when he made love to me for the first time earlier today. My knees wobbled and I almost reached out for something to steady myself. Gunner stood in front of Colt, blocking my view of him. “Colt, is that what happened between you and Paul Hines?”

  “Yeah, the bastar
d deserved more than just a punch.”

  My father’s eyes were burning with anger. What did they talk about outside? What if he told Colt to stay away from me?

  “It’s a damn good thing I didn’t know about this when it happened,” my father said.

  Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I looked at my father.

  “Daddy?” I wasn’t even sure why I called out to my father like I did. Questioning him, as if he could read the questions in my mind.

  Giving me a slight grin, he looked around. “Take a deep breath, baby girl, everything is okay. Shall we go get that pizza before it gets too late?”

  My mother reached for my hand and gave it a light squeeze. Pulling my eyes from my father, I attempted to smile. “Um . . . sure. Antonio’s?”

  Ellie flashed me a sweet smile as she walked by and over to Colt. Slipping her arm around his, she began to talk. “So, I want to hear all about how school is going this semester. Will you drive with your father and I over to the pizza place?”

  I took a step back as my mother walked toward the front door behind Ellie. “Lauren, you can drive with your father and I. I hardly got to see you at all the last three days.

  Oh God. They were separating us. Why? Shaking my head, I pulled my hand from hers. “What’s going on? Why did you take Colt outside, Daddy? Why is everyone acting so strange?”

  My father looked at me and smiled. “Everything is fine, Lauren. Colt’s parents’ just want to spend time with him like we want to spend time with you, darling. Everything is okay.”

  My blue eyes found Colt’s. He quickly made his way over to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. The warmth of his touch calmed me instantly and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He moved his lips to my ears. “I promise you, sweetheart. Everything is fine. I love you, Lauren.”

  Pulling his head back just enough to look at me, I whispered, “Okay. I love you too, Colt.”

  Kissing me softly on the cheek, Colt made his way out the door, followed by his parents and my mother. Giving my father a fake smile, I walked toward the kitchen. “I better get my purse so I—”

  Taking my hand, my father stopped me. “Lauren Ashley, stop for one second and look at me.”

  For some reason, I was afraid to turn around and look at my own father. I wasn’t sure why. It was so quiet I could hear my heart beating in my ears. Slowly turning around, I looked up into my father’s eyes. He gazed back upon me with nothing but love. “I simply asked him to take care of you.” My father’s voice cracked and he quickly cleared it before he continued talking. “Protect you, because you are the most important thing in the world to me. My heart belonged to you the moment I first looked into your eyes. You are my life, Lauren. It’s hard for me to just give that to someone else, even if that someone else is like a son to me.”

  My lower lip trembled as I listened to my father talk. His mouth rose in a half smile as he looked at me. “Seeing the two of you on the dance floor earlier this morning, I saw something change. The way Colt looked at you is the way I see Gunner look at Ellie.” Glancing to the floor, he barely spoke above a whisper. “I hope it’s the way people see me look at your mother.”

  My heart hammered in my chest. To hear my father say that Colt looked at me like he looked at my mother brought tears to my eyes. “Daddy,” I whispered as I threw myself into his arms. He held me tight as I cried. “Daddy, I’m so scared.”

  “Why, baby girl? Please tell me why.”

  “Is it possible to realize in one day how powerful your love is for someone? Daddy, my heart aches for him to just hold me in his arms. His touch calmed me down almost in an instant just now.”

  I wasn’t sure this was what my father wanted to hear from my lips, but it was true. Colt’s touch had calmed my nerves and that scared me.

  Pulling back, I had to catch my breath. I’d never seen my father cry. One lone tear slowly moved down his cheek. “Oh, Lauren, I wish I had answers for you. Love is such a crazy thing. Do I think it’s bad that Colt makes you feel safe? No, absolutely not. The person you are in love with should make you feel safe. Being in their arms should be the safest place in the world, Lauren.”

  “Was it like that with you and Mom? Was she your everything, Daddy?”

  Placing his hand on the side of my face, he slowly nodded his head. “She still is, Lauren.”

  Grinning until my cheeks hurt, I took a step back. “I’m glad you didn’t kill him, Daddy. Because I really love him.”

  Laughing, my father rubbed his hand on the top of my head. “Don’t think the thought didn’t cross my mind.”

  Draping his arm around my shoulder, my father led me to the front door. “Come on. I’ll treat for dinner.”

  Walking outside with my father, I’d never felt so happy in my life. For once everything seemed to be perfect.

  THE ENTIRE TIME we sat at the restaurant and ate pizza, I couldn’t push the image of Lauren wrapped around my body out of my mind. I could see the lust in her eyes, and I was dying to know what she was going to say to me before the onslaught of parents showed up at our door.

  Glancing across the table, I watched as Lauren talked her father’s ear off about an idea she had for his breeding business. I knew how much she loved her family’s business, and I was glad she shared her fears with me and the reasons why she had been pushing me away.

  Scott caught my stare and I smiled politely. When he walked up and took my arm back at the house and said he needed to speak to me outside, I thought for sure I was dead. I felt better when my dad followed behind me.

  “So, Colt, tell me all about what’s going on in your world. I feel like I hardly get to talk to you anymore.”

  Turning to my mother, I couldn’t help but smile bigger. My mother was breathtaking. An older version of my sister, Alex. Her blue eyes seemed to have a sparkle to them always. My father loved my mother with his whole heart. I can remember Alex and I sitting at the top of the stairs many a time, watching my father swoon my mother with something as simple as a dance in the living room. The way she would look at him is what I longed for with Lauren. I saw it today when we made love for the first time. I’d do whatever I could to see that look as much as possible.

  Bumping my shoulder, my mother asked, “Colt? Are you lost in thought?”

  Letting out a chortle, I nodded my head. “I guess I was. School has been good so far. Hard to tell with it just starting up again for spring semester. I’m ready to start spring practice.”

  “We’re really proud of you son,” my father said as he placed his hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

  Turning to him, I was overcome by the look on his face. I knew my parents were proud of me and Alex, but they never failed to tell us and show us that support. “Thank you, Dad. That really means a lot to me.”

  He nodded but then something changed in his eyes. “Don’t get distracted with school or your commitment on the field.”

  Pulling my head back, I gave my father a blank stare. Why would he think I’d get distracted? Stealing a quick look toward Lauren, my father went back to eating. Did my father think my relationship with Lauren was going to be distracting? Hell, our push and pull game the last three years was a much bigger distraction. Everything would be better now that Lauren and I were finally together.

  Picking up my pizza, I took a bite as I listened to Lauren telling her dad about a horse in Kentucky she had been following. Smiling, I took my surroundings in. My parents and Lauren’s parents stopping by, I think, made things even clearer to me.

  Life from this point on was going to be different. Things were finally turning around for me and I could see nothing but happiness in my future.

  LAUREN AND I stood outside and said our good-byes to our parents. It was almost midnight and we had been at the pizza place until they closed. We came back here and talked for a while, Lauren showed her parents her project, and we made plans for spring break week. I had to admit, it was nice getting to spend some time with
my mother and father. I knew Lauren felt the same way. She was an only child and super close to them.

  As the two cars pulled off and headed to the Marriott Hotel, Lauren and I waved and watched until both cars turned and were gone.

  Lauren grabbed my hand and dragged me back inside the house. The second the door closed, she jumped into my arms and pushed her lips against mine. Moaning as she pulled and sucked on my lower lip. “I never . . . thought they would . . . leave.” She panted between kisses.

  Walking over to the sofa, I dropped her onto it and crawled on top of her. Pushing my hard dick between her legs, we both moaned. Arching her back and giving me a sexy grin, Lauren pulled my shirt over my head.

  Once my shirt was off, I reached down and pulled her shorts off of her body. Our kisses were frantic, as if we would never kiss each other again. I needed more of her; I needed to taste her. Feel her sweetness drip around my fingers. Nothing else mattered at this moment but being with Lauren.

  “Colt, oh God. I’m so turned on. I don’t want sweet and romantic. I want more.”

  Holy shit. My dick was so hard it hurt. “Lauren, baby, I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Lauren pushed her hands up and played with her breasts. “Colt, please don’t make me beg. I want to feel that you’ve been inside of me. Please!”

  Jesus, just seeing her touch herself almost had me losing it in my pants. “Lauren, I need to go get a condom. They’re up in my room.”

  Lauren’s eyes turned dark and the electricity that flowed between us had me holding my breath. “Take me in the shower, Colt. Hard.”

  My eyes rolled to the back of my head as I whispered, “I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

  Standing up, I reached down and picked up Lauren. She was light as a feather. Turning, I had never run up stairs so fast in my life. Lauren laughed and held on tight as she yelled, “Don’t drop me, Colt!”

  Pushing open the door to my room, I walked in and dropped Lauren onto the bed. Crawling on top of her, our hands were everywhere. The sense of urgency to touch each other was overwhelming. Making love earlier had been amazing. But this . . . this was beyond anything I’d ever experienced. The absolute need to have her near me was out of control. The rest of our clothes were stripped off until there was nothing but the feel of skin on skin. Our teeth crashed together as we kissed each other senseless. Whimpers and moans filled the air as I slipped my fingers inside her. She was soaking wet and her sweetness coated my fingers, pulling out a deep growl from the back of my throat.