by Lexi Hunter
Colt's reaction was too fast to see. Somehow, he got his arm around Erik's neck and gripped him in a choke hold. Erik's face was turning red as the breath ran out of his lungs. My heart pounded in my chest as Erik dropped my arm.
"Now what do you say?" Colt asked Erik. "Still think it's a good idea to put your hands on her?"
Erik's handprint lay red on my skin, and I saw Colt's eyes fall on it. Nothing got past him.
"It's not what you think, Mister," Erik said, apparently deciding to try and reason with him. "This bitch here—"
Colt's fist collided with Erik's face. I heard a crunching sound and Erik fell to the ground, looking dazed.
"You don't ever lay your hands on a woman again," Colt growled. He turned to me and his face immediately softened. "Are you okay?" he asked. His voice was kind, almost delicate.
I nodded my head and Colt held out his hand to me. "We should go," he said.
I looked at his hand, wondering what had just happened. Had Colt, a man whom I thought hated me just as much as I hated him, saved me? What would Erik have done if Colt hadn't shown up? I rubbed my shoulder as Colt led me, carefully, towards his motorcycle.
The engine roared to life, soothing me like a kitten's purr. I sat behind Cold, my arms wrapped tightly around his waist. I watched the street lights go by, no idea what time it was, only that it was very dark. The wind whipped through my hair and I closed my eyes, trying to think. This whole night didn't make any sense. At the biggest graduation party of the year, my boyfriend—correction, ex-boyfriend—had assaulted me because I'd found him in bed with two sluts? And my dad's best friend, a man who had barely said two words to me since I'd moved in with my father, had shown up at Alec's out of nowhere and rescued me like something out of a fairytale.
I inhaled his scent. It was masculine and exotic, like a tropical whiskey, if such a thing even existed. But Colt was like that. Different. Magical. I was still trying to figure him out. I probably would be for quite some time.
His face was set in a hard line, his five o'clock shadow only adding to his mystique. I felt a creeping heat rise up my legs and go into my chest. I tried to remind myself that he was my dad's best friend. The problem was, he didn't look or act like any man I'd ever known. More like a film noir detective or an undercover agent. A million questions ran through my head. I took a deep breath and tugged on his leather jacket. He turned his head slightly towards me while keeping his eyes on the road. "Thank you," I said.
Colt's mouth turned up at the corners. It was almost too soft to be a smile, but it still made my heart flutter. Colt was always so hard. Seeing any sort of smile on him made me tingle. Of course, tonight Colt's hard ass attitude had come in handy. I smiled as I replayed the sound of his fist striking Erik's face.
"What are you grinning at?" Colt asked when he stopped the bike at a red light. The engine buzzed under me, making my thighs itch with heat.
"The way you decked Erik," I said. "That was pretty amazing!"
Colt's grin stretched across his face now. I didn't want to look away. A street light shined in my eyes and I turned my head. We cruised past a familiar looking house. My back straightened and my smile ran away.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked above the roar of the engine.
His eyes stayed on the road but he answered my question. "Home."
I scoffed. "You can't take me home."
Colt turned, surprised. "Where do you want to go then?" he asked.
"I don't know," I said. "Not home."
I thought of the black lace I wore under my clothes, picturing how different tonight could have been. We drove down the same street another block, then Colt turned the bike around and parked it on the side of the road, away from my house. I sighed with relief.
"Where do you want to go?" he asked.
"Anywhere."
"We could go to my place..."
I nodded. "Good idea." I could sit and relax. Gather my thoughts. Maybe we could watch a movie. Colt was turning out to be something of a surprise. I didn't want to tell him that part of the reason I didn't want to go home yet was because I didn't want to leave him. I was becoming fascinated with him the longer we were together. Something occurred to me then.
"How did you know where I was?" I asked.
Colt started his bike back up and made a sharp left, giving me a quick glance. "You talk on the phone a lot," he said. "I heard you mention it a few times."
"Oh." I hadn't realized I'd been talking about Alec's party so much, or that Colt had been listening. I thought of a couple conversations I'd had with Beth about certain other things that were supposed to be happening tonight at the party but couldn't remember if Colt had been around for those conversations.
"But," I said, a triumphant smile on my face. "That doesn't explain how you knew where he lived."
Colt chuckled. "You've seen Alec's place. This town isn't that big. Everyone knows where Alec lives."
Oh. It had never occurred to me that Alec's parents were so rich their home was mapped out like a move star's.
"Here we are," he said, pulling into a driveway. He gave me one last look before helping me off his bike and inside his home.
CHAPTER 8
Confessions
COLT'S HOUSE WASN'T huge, but it was nice. Not the polite "nice" you give when you visit someone's place for the first time, his house was genuinely nice. It was an old Victorian, mostly brick on the outside, and inside the hardwood shined like a mirror. Art hung all over the walls in thick frames that made it look fancy. I had no idea whether or not it was expensive, but it added unexpected character.
A staircase was just off to the left from the front door. Walking straight took you into the kitchen, going left took you into the living room, where a black sofa sat against a pale wall. A dining room connected the kitchen to the living room, creating one big loop downstairs. I assumed upstairs was the bedroom.
"Somehow, I thought you'd be living in a pigsty," I said when he opened the door for me. I was trying to be funny, but he didn't laugh. Instead, his eyes shifted towards the kitchen and he left the living room without a word.
Shit.
"I'm sorry," I said, following him into the other room. "Did I offend you? I was only joking."
He took a carton of orange juice out of the fridge and poured a glass, never looking up. "I know," he said.
"Oh."
"You want to talk about anything," he asked, going to look out a window back in the living room.
"Like what?"
"Like what happened tonight?"
I groaned. "Not really," I said. He nodded and continued staring out the window. Maybe it was because he seemed more absorbed in the window than in me that made me say, "I caught my dickhead boyfriend in bed with another girl." I paused. "Two other girls, actually."
I knew my cheeks were burning and tried to hide my face behind my hair, but it didn't matter. Colt never turned from the window.
"Oh," he said. He didn't sound too surprised for some reason, then, under his breath, almost too quiet for me to hear, "What an idiot."
He put his glass down on the coffee table and walked around the stairs, back to the kitchen. I felt silly following him around his house like a puppy, but I didn't seem to want to let him out of my sight.
When I walked into the kitchen, he was pouring more orange juice into a new glass. I was only a few feet from him but he managed to act like I wasn't even in the same room. Irritation flashed through me. He was treating me exactly like he had for the last three months. I'd thought that after all that had happened tonight we were beyond that.
He held the orange juice out to me but I waved it off, too frustrated to accept anything he might offer me right now. He frowned. "You should have some," he said. "Stress can drop your blood sugar. You've been through a lot tonight."
I rolled my eyes. "The only thing stressing me out right now is you," I shouted, surprised at the amount of feeling behind my voice. Temper, temper, I heard my father say.
"Me?" he asked, finally showing some emotion. I was happy to have gotten his attention but annoyed I'd had to work so hard to do it. He put the orange juice down and stared at me with his mouth hanging open.
"Yeah, you." Then my nerve cut out on me. "Why... what I mean is why... I thought we were..." I couldn't believe my sudden inability to articulate a complete sentence. Why was I acting like such a flake? All I had to do was open my mouth and ask him why he hated me. Why he ignored me every time I saw him, but still seemed to know so much about me?
A button had come undone from Colt's shirt and part of his chest peeked through. I could see his muscles flex under it. I wanted to pull off another button and see the rest of him. The view I'd had this morning in the bathroom hadn't been long enough. My mind left the kitchen and trailed off into a fantasy, wondering what it would feel like to run my hands over his skin. Would it be smooth or rough?
Oh my God.
I realized why I was suddenly having such a hard time talking. I like him. More than like. I have a thing for Colt.
He stood staring at me, waiting for me to finish a complete thought before responding.
"I, uh," but now that my feelings had surfaced, I realized the real reason I'd wanted to come back to his place. Panic swelled up in me and I stammered some more.
"Uh, I... I want..." was as far as I got before Colt turned away from me again and walked back into the living room. Anger flashed through me and I followed him, determined to spit out what was on my mind.
"Why don't you like me?" I shouted to his back.
Colt spun around and stared at me, his eyes wide. For a second, I thought he was mad.
"Like you?" he asked. "You think I don't like you?"
"Of course you don't," I yelled. "It's obvious. I'm not an idiot you know."
"What's obvious?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. How did his voice ooze sex like that? If it was a trick of some sort, I wanted to know. He was still waiting for my answer. I peeled my eyes away from him and looked at the floor, forcing myself to focus on something other than the curve of his mouth and the grain of his skin.
"You never talk to me," I said. " You never look at me. It seems like you're always avoiding me. Until tonight, I wasn't even sure you knew my name."
"Maddison," he said at once. My name rolled off his tongue and sent uncontrolled shivers up my thighs. I caught him watching me and wondered if he'd noticed. "Maddison," he said again, his voice softening, "I'm so sorry. I had no idea you thought that. I thought I was," he seemed to struggle for the right words, "protecting you," he finally finished.
"Protecting me?" I whispered. "From what?"
"From me," he smiled a crooked smile and I felt my head go light.
Did he just say what I think he said?
I wanted to believe I was understanding him correctly, but I was afraid everything that had happened tonight was clouding my judgment. I took a large step towards him. He didn't move away, and this time, he didn't shift his eyes to an unoccupied corner of the room. They drilled into me. Even from across the room I felt the intensity of that stare. That deep caramel seemed to be searching for something in me.
"What are you thinking?" I asked.
"I'm thinking how pretty you are," he said, then ran away from me again into the kitchen.
I chased after him. "Colt," I called. "Why do you keep running away from me?"
His back straightened and his shoulders tensed, but he continued to face the wall. "It's not right," he said. "The feelings I have for you. The things... the things I'd like to do to you."
"Oh?" I tried to sound calm, but inside I was quivering. "What exactly would you like to do?" I whispered. "I might be interested to hear those things." I couldn't believe we were having this conversation.
"I can't Maddie," he said, turning around now to face me. He sounded torn. "You're my best friend's daughter. I'd never forgive myself."
"You're assuming there would be something to forgive," I said. "That's only true if you did something I didn't want you to."
I wasn't good at flirting. I wasn't sure how to make the next move, but I knew Colt never would, and I desperately wanted him to take that next step. I want to press myself against him and feel his body against my own.
"What would you do," I licked my lips nervously, "if told you I thought you were the sexiest man I'd ever seen?" I hoped that didn't sound too stupid. A light shined in his eyes and I figured that, stupid or not, it was still something every man probably wanted to hear.
"I'm not sure I would believe you," he said. I saw his fingers shake and wished he'd stop trying to control himself.
"Would you believe me," I asked, "if I did this?"
I brought my hands behind my back and unzipped my dress. It fell to the floor and I stood there in black lace. His breath must have stopped because his chest stopped moving. His eyes bulged slightly and I willed my cheeks to tone down the crimson I knew was flushing across them.
"Maddie," he said.
"I thought you said you liked me."
"I do," he whispered.
"Then do something about it."
CHAPTER 9
Kiss
SOMETHING CHARGED UP my body, electrifying my brain and making my legs begin to move. I crossed the room in three quick strides, pushing aside any doubts or fear, and threw my arms around Colt, pressing my lips to his.
He pulled back initially, wrapping his hands gently around mine and trying to pull them off his face, but I persisted. I coerced his mouth open with my tongue and for a moment I thought I had him. I felt his tongue slide against mine and his hands stopped pushing me away. Then his body tensed up again and he managed to pull away from me.
"Damn it!" he shouted.
"What?" I asked, amazed that he could pull away from me so easily if he felt even half of things I felt running through my body.
"We should stop," he said.
"Why?"
"Because," he said. It was the first time he seemed at a loss for words.
"If all you've got is 'because,'" I laughed, "then I think you lose."
I ran towards Colt and tackled him to the ground. He grunted in surprise, and I laughed as I ran my hands over him.
He didn't try to stop me this time. I could feel it the moment he decided to give in and was glad for all of the awful things that had happened tonight to bring us to this moment. "Maddie," he whispered.
"Shut up old man," I grinned and felt his lips twitch up in a smile. We moved slow, not knowing each other's limits. I could tell he was still worried about hurting me somehow, so I kissed his neck, letting my tongue slide along his skin, and bit him. Not hard. Just hard enough to let him know he didn't need to be so careful with me.
A loud moan escaped his lips and I realized that in the last three months I'd never seen Colt with a woman. Even my Grandpa had a date every now and again, but Colt had never even mentioned women.
"Colt," I murmured in his ear. "When's the last time you were with a woman?" he paused just a second before running his hand up the lace corset glued to my skin. "I can't remember," he said, and a frenzy came over me. I couldn't control myself any longer. My mouth pushed against his and I slid my hand down his chest, over his ribs, to his thighs, finding him hard and inviting between his legs.
"When's the last time you were with someone?" Colt asked. I paused just the tiniest bit before answering honestly. "Never."
I felt his body harden under mine and in one swift move he stood up and lifted me off the floor. My feet dangled in the air as he carried me up the stairs. His bed was huge and plush. It felt brand new and when he placed me on it it was with the gentlest care.
"Your shirt," I said before he could climb in with me. He peeled it over his head and I thrilled at the sight of his chest. The tattoos stood out prominently against his golden skin. I bounced into a sitting position and wrapped my hands around his waist. I let my tongue slide against his skin, licked him from his belly button to his neck. He tasted so sweet and
salty. It was the perfect combination. His jeans were still on and I pulled at the buttons with my fingers, but he pushed them away.
"Not yet," he said. His eyes burned into me as he pushed me back onto the bed. The black lace came off easier than I had thought and I let him explore my naked body. It was the first time a man had touched me like this and I wondered how I had ever gotten by before.
"Are you sure you want this?" he asked one last time, and I let out a loud, exasperated rush of air.
"Yes!"
I heard the zipper and then he was climbing on top of me. I'd never been naked with a man like this. Colt was so understanding when I reached out to explore his body with tentative fingers. He took my hand, coaching me on the way he liked to be touched.
I bit back a giggle. How can something so hard be so pliable?
Heat throbbed deep in my stomach as he rolled my nipples between his fingers. His feather-light kisses caressed my skin as he kissed up and down my ribs.
"Are you ready?" he asked. I nodded.
With one swift move, Colt showed me how the dream I'd had last night could never compare to the real thing. I kissed my virginity goodbye and I opened my legs wide as he pushed inside me. I arched my back, unsure how to control myself. Everything was spinning. He pushed into me again and I dug my nails into his back.
"Don't stop," I screamed.
I felt my hips instinctively rise to meet his and liked the sound they made when our bodies slapped together. His hands caressed my breasts as he slowly pulsed against me. Masculinity oozed from every pore of his being, intoxicating me. I still couldn’t believe how firm his chest was and lifted my head to brush my lips over his tight, golden skin.
Then all thoughts were displaced as a feeling so strong surged through me. It was something I'd never felt before. I held onto Colt as he pumped faster into me. My thighs clenched. My heart raced.
A shot of euphoria rushed through my veins and went directly to my head. I cried out with all the passion and energy I'd been holding back since realizing how I felt about him. I felt Colt hit that same euphoria. He threw his head back, and when he collapsed on me, exhausted, I almost laughed. To think that all this time, I'd thought he hated me.