Colton: Rogue Beginnings (A Rogue Enforcers Novel)

by Grace Brennan

  But she loved the fact that none of them, Sergei especially, looked like they gave a shit if the hotel lost business.

  The moment the truck was in park, she opened her door, not waiting for Colton to come around to help her out. Her uncle immediately made his way toward her, and she’d just put her backpack on when he pulled her into a tight bear hug.

  “Can’t. Breathe,” she wheezed out, laughing in between inhalations of air when he eased away, putting his hands on her shoulders.

  “You okay, girlie?”

  Some of the nerves and fear seeped away as she heard the nickname he gave her years ago, spoken in his gruff Russian accent. Smiling as she kissed his cheek, she tried to make sure the remaining fear was buried deeply enough that he couldn’t see it in her eyes.

  “I’m fine, Sergei. I haven’t been hurt, and I’m just ready to end this now.”

  He smiled back, approval shining from his blue eyes. “That’s my brave girl. Show those murderous bastards that you can’t be intimidated or silenced.”

  Colton walked around the front of the trucks with their bags in his hands and her uncle turned toward him. His friends greeted her warmly, and then they joined her uncle in gazing at Colton with narrowed, critical eyes.

  “You the man who thinks he can protect my girl?” Sergei said, his eyes not the least bit friendly.

  Putting the bags down, Colton offered him his hand. “I’m Colt, sir, and it’s good to meet you, although I wish it was under different circumstances—and I don’t think I can protect her. I know I can.”

  Sergei didn’t immediately shake his hand, and Katia held her breath as he drew the moment out. After what felt like an eternity, Colton’s hand and the steady eye contact with him never wavering, her uncle finally huffed a breath as he shook it.

  “You better, boy, or you’re the one whose life is going to be in danger. You’re the one who got her into this mess.”

  She shook her head with a roll of her eyes. “Now Sergei, you know that isn’t true.”

  “Well, it’s close enough. Him, his family, it’s all the same.”

  Opening her mouth, she started to protest but Colton spoke before she could. “You’re right, it does fall on my family’s shoulders. You have my word that I won’t let anything happen to her. I won’t let it.”

  Sergei studied him closely and then finally nodded, glancing back at her. “Well, let’s all get inside. No need to be out in the open and make her a sitting duck.”

  Colton picked up the bags and walked with her uncle’s friends. She started to follow, but Sergei held her back for a moment before strolling with her after them.

  “You like him, don’t you? He likes you, too. I can see it in your eyes, especially when you look at each other.”

  She hesitated, watching Colton’s big form as he walked to the hotel door, somehow managing to juggle the bags and hold the door open for Sergei’s friends at the same time. He glanced back at her, waiting for her to catch up, and she knew it was because he didn’t want her out of his sight—even when she was with her uncle.

  “Yeah, I like him, but I don’t know if the feeling’s mutual.”

  “Trust me, it definitely is.” He ran his eyes over Colton, lingering on his cowboy hat and boots. “A cowboy, huh? You couldn’t have found yourself a nice Russian boy?”

  She laughed, but she didn’t feel very much humor over the situation. “It won’t go that far, Sergei. It can’t.”

  Frowning, he looked over at her, and she knew he wanted to say more. But they thankfully caught up with Colton, effectively keeping her uncle from saying anything else on the subject.

  For now, anyway.

  She led Colton to her room, knowing he wasn’t going to let her stay in there by herself. Her heart fluttered at the thought of the single king bed, but logically she knew he’d probably take the couch.

  Didn’t stop her from imagining what might happen if he did, though.

  Opening the door, she held it for him then followed him in, setting her backpack on her bed and watching as he looked around. She’d made the room as much her own as she could, but it was still clearly a hotel room.

  For a split second, she felt embarrassed that he was seeing for himself where she lived. What twenty-six-year-old lived in a hotel instead of having her own place? But she quickly brushed it away.

  She worked hard for what she had, and she was damned proud of what she was doing with her life. She’d never felt ashamed of what she had to do to pay for school and still survive, and she wasn’t going to let herself start now.

  “Should I go ahead and get to work at the front desk? Give them the chance to know I’m here.”

  He frowned as he shook his head, and she narrowed her gaze. His eyes went that strange kaleidoscope green and yellow and his pupils flickered again, elongating briefly before returning to normal, and this time she knew she wasn’t seeing things.

  It really happened—which meant Colton was something more than human. He had to be, for his eyes to do that.

  Katia thought that should maybe make her nervous or scared of him, but it didn’t. Instead, she felt fascinated and curiosity burned through her. What could he possibly be?

  And was she truly a few fries short of a Happy Meal? Because she wasn’t as scared as she should be that her life was in danger, and now she was positive Colton was more than human and she was curious instead of freaking out.

  “No,” he replied, bringing her back to the conversation. “I think you can wait until tomorrow. Besides, we were outside long enough that if they were watching right now, they already know you’re back.”

  She searched his eyes, seeing the reluctance he was trying to hide. “It really bothers you that I didn’t go inside as soon as we got here, doesn’t it? And you do realize you’ll have to let me go back to work eventually, right? Otherwise, coming back here was completely pointless.”

  He exhaled heavily, adjusting his cowboy hat. “I know. I just… well, I fucking hate the idea of you deliberately putting yourself out there to get them to try to kill you. I’m going to protect you, no matter what I have to do, but I still can’t stand the thought of you in danger.”

  Breath catching, she felt her heart melting and she walked over to him, gently cupping his cheek. She hadn’t meant to do that, but she didn’t regret it at all. His beard scratched her palm as he leaned into her touch, briefly closing his eyes, and desire and affection shot straight through her veins.

  “I understand what you’re saying,” she replied, clearing her throat when her voice came out all breathy. “I’d feel the same way if the situation was reversed. But I totally trust you to keep me safe, and this is the best way to get Justin back. I know how much you need that, and I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have stopped chasing us anyway. At least this way, we’re on my home turf, and we have backup.”

  Uncertainty flashed through his hazel eyes, followed by something she couldn’t identify. “I think you’re right. I just hate the situation, all the way around. I’m not going to be able to relax until you’re safe and Justin’s back.”

  “I completely understand that,” she replied softly, trailing her fingers down his cheek as she pulled her hand away.

  He reached up, capturing her hand and holding it against his chest. Her breath caught as he searched her eyes, his gaze soft and affectionate—and slowly filling with heat. She could feel his heart pounding beneath her palm, and hers reacted, beating in tandem with his.

  Her breathing stalled completely as he slowly leaned down, and the last thing she saw before her eyes fluttered closed was his pupils flickering again. His lips gently touched hers, his beard lightly scratching her skin, and a wave of heat instantly washed over her as fire sizzled in her veins.

  He kissed her softly at first, slowly deepening it, and she moaned as desire forcefully washed over her. Moving in closer, she went up on tiptoe, wrapping her rams around his neck. Her movements knocked his cowboy hat off and she used the opportunity to gently r
ake her fingernails over his scalp.

  Colton groaned deep in his chest, the sound vibrating through her as he grasped her hips and pulled her in tightly against him. The groan tapered off into a strange hissing sound, but instead of freaking her out like she thought it should, it just amped her up even more.

  One of his hands gripped her hip tightly and he trailed the other slowly up until he was cupping her face, angling his head as he opened his mouth. She followed suit, and then it was all long, open mouth kisses until he ran his tongue across her lips.

  She gasped as her body reacted, lava rushing through her veins as it felt like her whole body tingled, and he used the chance to slip his tongue inside. She met it with her own, pressing her body even more tightly against his, her heart jumping in her chest as she felt his erection digging into her.

  His hand tunneled through her curls, gripping tightly as his other moved around to her ass. Their tongues dueled for long moments and then he pulled back and nipped her bottom lip hard before sucking it into his mouth. She moaned, doing her best to get even closer to him, but they were already pressed so tightly together that the only way she was going to get closer was to crawl inside his skin.

  He slid his tongue back into her mouth, and she was considering tearing his clothes off then and there when a knock came at the door, followed by her uncle’s voice. She jumped, automatically trying to pull away, but Colton didn’t let her. He gentled the kiss, slowly easing them down, and then gently nipped her bottom lip one more time before he pulled away.

  They were both breathing heavily, and she forced her eyes open, looking up at him. His eyes were full kaleidoscope, the colors bright, and his pupils were elongated. He winked at her and bent to pick up his cowboy hat, settling it on his head as he turned away, hooking his hands on his hips. He was still fighting for breath just as she was, and she hadn’t missed the truly impressive bulge of his erection in his jeans.

  Yeah, he probably didn’t want her uncle to see that, and neither did she.

  Blowing out a breath, she fought to even out her breathing, running a hand through her curls. A glance in the mirror showed that they were in complete disarray, her cheeks were pink, and her lips were swollen from that truly amazing kiss.

  Sergei knocked again and she blew out a breath as she went to open the door. It was clear to her that she totally looked like she’d just been practically ravished, but she was hoping he wouldn’t notice.

  A hope that was blown all to hell the moment she opened the door and his eyebrows shot up. A knowing grin spread across his face as he looked from her to Colton, who still had his back turned to them.

  “I just wanted to invite you two to dinner in my suite tonight. At six. Show up or not, it’s up to you. I don’t want to get in the way of any plans you might have.”

  He winked at her and turned to stride away, leaving her sputtering after him. Amusement filled her as she finally closed the door and turned back around. Colton was staring at her with a wry smile, and as she moved closer, she noticed his eyes had nearly returned to normal.

  Was he half snake or lizard or something? What else could account for his eyes and the hiss she heard as they kissed?

  Not knowing was driving her crazy, and she was determined to ask him about it later.

  “I guess it’s pretty obvious what we were up to. You look well kissed right now.”

  Katia grinned at the satisfaction in his voice. “Well, that’s because I was. It was a hell of a kiss.”

  He nodded, starting to take a step forward and then pausing with a shake of his head. “If I touch you right now, I won’t be able to stop, and we have a dinner to get to. But yes, it was one hell of an amazing kiss.”

  Her heart warmed, spreading the amazing heat throughout her body. It was different than the heat she felt from the kiss. It wasn’t desire, it was the feeling of being cared about—something she’d felt from Colton from nearly the moment they met.

  It was amazing, and everything she never thought she’d have, and she was almost certain it was real. There was still a niggling doubt in the back of her mind that had her questioning if this was real or a part of her fantasy, but she was accepting more and more that it was real.

  Now the question was, what was she going to do about it?

  Colton walked with Katia back to her room, his mind on the dinner they just had. Her uncle and his friends were an interesting group of men, that was sure. She thought Sergei’s claims of the Russian mafia were just stories, but he wasn’t so sure. He’d seen the look in their eyes throughout dinner, and just that made him inclined to believe the stories were real.

  Every time they looked at him, the warning had been clear. Mess with Katia and they’d fuck him up—if not kill him outright.

  He slanted a look over at her. Her black curls swayed as she walked, and she was wearing a figure-hugging tank top and snug jeans. Her makeup was minimal and she had old flip flops on her feet, and he thought even as dressed down as she was that she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

  And the woman she was on the inside was even more beautiful. She had a big heart and she genuinely cared about the people around her. She even cared about Justin, and she’d never met him. Some of it had to do with her knowing how important he was to Colton, but he knew she would have cared regardless. That was just the kind of person she was. She was kind, smart, funny, and insanely talented.

  He’d hurt himself a million times over before he ever hurt her. Sergei and his friends had nothing to worry about there.

  Colton was already a goner when it came to her, and when this was all over and he had Justin back, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to leave her.

  His dragon hissed in a breath, shock rolling off him in waves. Of course. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before now. I was just so consumed with keeping her safe and saving Justin…

  Colton frowned, knowing his animal wasn’t talking about an immediate threat but unable to keep his eyes from darting around, trying to find one. What didn’t you see?

  She… well, Katia’s our mate.

  He sucked in a breath as the entire universe seemed to stall. She’s our mate? You’re sure about that?

  Positive. I knew how you felt for her was unusual for you, but I was so focused on other stuff that I didn’t see why you were getting attached so fast. There’s no doubt in my mind, though. She’s our mate.

  Shock filled him as he swallowed hard. Now that he thought about it, it should have been obvious what she was to him. He’d felt so much for her from the very start and gotten attached so fast.

  It explained why even though it tore him up to not go after Justin, the need to get her to safety overpowered it. He liked to think he’d do the same for anyone inadvertently caught in the middle, but he literally burned with the need to keep her safe, and he had from the very start.

  Shit. He had a mate now.

  And how in the hell had he gotten lucky enough for it to be Katia?

  “Colt? Are you okay?”

  Her voice pulled him back to the present and he blinked with surprise when he realized they were already at her door. She’d opened it and walked inside, holding it for him, and he’d been lost in the shock and wonder of learning she was his mate.

  And as he stood there, he couldn’t deny the pure joy at the thought of this beautiful woman as his mate.

  Clearing his throat, he nodded as he walked inside. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just realizing something.”

  “Realizing what?”

  She let the door close as she asked the question, but he didn’t reply. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her into him and kissed her, pouring all the emotions he felt into it.

  When he let her go, her gorgeous sky-blue eyes were dazed, and her chest was heaving as she sucked air in. He couldn’t keep his eyes from dropping as he watched the movement, but he finally managed to pull them away, looking up and meeting her gaze.

  “What was that for?” she whispered, touching her glistening lips with
her fingers.

  “I just wanted to kiss you.”

  “Oh. Good reason.”

  Chuckling, he watched as she walked to the bed and sank down on the edge, her gaze speculative as it rested on him. He arched an eyebrow as he sat on the chair facing her, waiting on her to say what was on her mind.

  “Will you tell me the truth if I ask you something?”

  His brow furrowed as he cocked his head. “Of course.”

  “Why do your eyes change? They go from hazel to this kaleidoscope of green and yellow, and your pupils elongate. I think it’s clear that you’re not quite human, but what exactly are you?”

  Freezing, he stared at her in surprise. He hadn’t once given thought to how his eyes changed when he was riled up emotionally and his dragon was close to the surface. That was probably stupid, to never consider it or try to hide it, but it never crossed his mind with her.

  Nerves welled up inside him and he rolled his shoulders, uncomfortable with the feeling. It wasn’t an emotion he ever felt, and he had a hard time processing it.

  Calm down, his dragon rumbled inside him, his voice smooth and unruffled. She obviously noticed it a while ago, and her question was curious, not freaked out. Not to mention that she wouldn’t have let you kiss her if it bothered her.

  Okay, his animal had a point. Inhaling deeply, he forced the nerves down deep and met her curious gaze. “No, I’m not quite human. I’m a shifter.”

  Her eyes went wide as her eyebrows shot up. “A shifter?”

  “Yeah. I share my body with an animal, and I shift into that form sometimes. We’re the same yet separate—it’s hard to explain. He has his own thoughts and emotions, but we’re still one.”

  “Wow,” she breathed, fascination in her light blue eyes. “What kind of animal do you have? Your pupils make me think something like a snake, but I can’t see that fitting the man I know you are, at all.”

  Searching her eyes, he hesitated as he tried to decide if he should ease her into it or just blurt it out. He’d never told anyone what kind of animal he was before. All dragons kept that information close to their chests, not wanting to be targets of hunters.