“Of course,” she replied quickly. “You can always talk to me about anything,” she promised.
“Well... I’ve been thinking a lot about... us...”
Her face dropped slightly.
“And I was thinking... I don’t know what will happen from here, but I want to figure it out with you... as an official couple.”
A huge, surprised grin broke out on her pretty face. “Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?”
I rubbed the back of my neck, embarrassed and nervous. “Uh... well, yeah... if that’s something you might want to be...” I trailed off, feeling like I was twelve years old again and asking a girl out in the playground.
Shit.
“I would love to,” she answered sweetly.
I couldn’t contain the huge smile that spread across my face.
She’s mine.
“You’re not even going to give me grief about that botched up proposition?” I asked as I tugged her against my body.
She laughed and cuddled into me, filling my nose with the sexy perfume she always wore.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she promised.
Luckiest fool in this place.
***
“I know you don’t dance, but pleeeeaaasse,” Lex pleaded. “Just come and dance with me once. We can just sway.”
I chuckled and took her outstretched hand. “What makes you think I don’t dance?”
She frowned and narrowed her eyes at me. “Because you wouldn’t dance with me at that charity event,” she pointed out.
I smirked. “Oh, babe, that had a whole lot more to do with the tent I was pitching in my pants than it did with not being able to dance.”
Truth was, I’d been hanging out to dance with her ever since. Having that tight little body grinding up against me...
Where do I sign?
This may not have been a hot and heavy night club like I would have liked, but it’d have to do.
Lexie’s eyes dropped to my crotch and her jaw fell lax for a moment before she managed to get herself back together. “Hmm.” She cleared her throat. “Okay... well... good.”
I loved watching her eyes look at my body.
“So... is that, um, not so much of a problem now?” she asked curiously.
I pulled her in close and leaned down to whisper in her ear, my voice husky. “If you’re asking is my dick hard, then, yes... it is.” I pressed my hips against her belly to emphasize my point.
I’d been walking around in at least a half-hard state ever since I’d met her.
She let out a small gasp.
“But I don’t need to hide it from you anymore, do I?”
She shook her head slowly and bit down on her lip.
God damn.
“Lead the way, little bird,” I instructed.
***
We’d been home for ages, and Lexie had been asleep for a couple of hours now, but for some reason sleep still wouldn’t take me. I’d been lying here, utterly mesmerized by the woman in my arms, to the point where I couldn’t look away.
She was sleeping in my t-shirt, same as she had every other night, although she had a rotation of two or three different ones going now. I didn’t care if she took every shirt I owned – they looked better on her anyway.
Her long, dark hair was swept back behind her, the silky strands tickling my arm whenever I moved. Her lips were parted slightly as she slept and her lashes twitched every now and then as she dreamed.
I would have given my left leg to know what went through that mind of hers while she slept so peacefully, but I never would. I’d have to settle for knowing that she thought about me during our time together, that much was obvious. There was so much joy in her eyes when she looked at me, and it made my heart soar. There was a hint of fear in there too, of what the future might hold, I assumed. But we were here, we were together and we could figure something out.
We had to.
I took a deep breath, absorbing the alluring scent that was entirely Lexie, and closed my eyes.
***
“Can I take you to meet some people today?” I asked Lexie shyly.
Nobody really knew what I got up to on a Tuesday. It was the one day of my week that I used to give back to the community I lived in. It was something I viewed as an important part of my life, but I kept it to myself. I’d never shared this with anyone.
She eyed me up, searching my face for clues as to why I might look so nervous.
“Why do you look weird? I’ve already met Harrison, it can’t get much worse,” she teased.
I laughed but still didn’t answer as I rinsed my bowl out and put it into the dishwasher.
“Colt.” Lexie’s sweet voice caressed my name. “Tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”
I rubbed at the back of my neck and turned to look at her, resting my hip against the kitchen countertop.
Her brilliant blue eyes were soft and welcoming. A sense of ease washed over me and I knew that I had found the right person to bring with me today.
“How about I show you instead?” I offered.
“Okay...” She nodded. “But you know I hate surprises, how am I meant to know what to wear?”
I looked her up and down. She had on blue jeans, a white long-sleeved t-shirt and socks.
“Go and chuck something warm on top and some shoes... then you’ll be perfect,” I instructed.
She gave me a salute and wandered off down the hall to do as I’d asked.
I wiped my hands down my jeans, my palms suddenly sweaty. I don’t know why I was so nervous, but I guess that was the thing about opening up your life entirely to another person... you left yourself vulnerable.
Lexie appeared back in the kitchen, an excited smile on her face, dressed exactly as I’d suggested.
“Alright, let’s do it.” She winked.
Here goes nothing.
***
Lexie hadn’t said a single word since we’d arrived at the retirement home. She’d eyed the sign curiously, but not asked a single question.
I’d opened her door for her, taken her hand in mine and led her through the big automatic doors at the front of the building.
I peeked down at her as we walked along the corridor in the direction of the main lounge. She was looking around, taking in the details and no doubt wondering why the hell I’d brought her here.
I glanced at my watch.
Ten o’clock. Perfect.
They would have just finished with morning tea.
I squeezed Lexie’s hand as we walked into the big room.
“Oh, Colton,” Betsy called from the armchair closest to the big window.
A huge smile broke out on my face. I could feel Lexie’s eyes on me as I made a beeline for the older woman. I really tried hard not to have favorites, but I did have a particularly soft spot for Betsy.
“Hey, Bets, long time no see.” I let go of Lexie and gave Betsy a gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek. She smiled brightly up at me from her chair and squeezed my hand.
I reached for Lexie’s hand again and tugged her closer. “This is Lexie,” I told Betsy. “This is my friend Betsy,” I explained.
Lexie smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Oh God bless,” Betsy cried. “Would you look at that, Susan, our Colton’s brought his girlfriend along.”
Susan looked up from her knitting. “Oh, well blow me down, so he has.”
Lexie giggled next to me.
I groaned dramatically at their teasing. “Yes, everyone,” I announced. “I have indeed brought my girlfriend with me today, her name is Lexie, and I want you all to be on your best behavior,” I warned, my tone teasing.
They might have been a group of oldies, but they still had plenty of get up and go.
Lexie received a chorus of hellos and waves, which she graciously returned.
“That’s Bob, June, Kate, Alfred, Elizabeth, Peter, Martin, Stuart, Susan, Shelley, Earl, Richard, Elle and Grace.” I pointed out each o
f my friends to Lexie.
She looked up at me with an amused expression. “And which one are we here to visit?” she asked me in a hushed voice.
“All of them.” I chuckled as she frowned.
She looked around the room. “Yeah... so... I’m confused,” she admitted. “Are you related to everybody here?”
I laughed and kissed her forehead. “I’m not related to any of them.”
“But you—”
“I come in every Tuesday and hang out for a few hours,” I explained.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“I sit with them, sometimes we just talk, they tell me stories from their younger days, or I might read for a bit... most of them haven’t got much in the way of family around.” I shrugged. “I dunno, they seem to enjoy it, and so do I.”
Her eyes turned glassy as she looked at me. The expression on her face was one of total wonder. She pressed up on her tippy toes and kissed my jaw. “You are the most incredible man I have ever met in my entire life,” she told me, absolute honesty in her eyes.
I swallowed deeply.
“So what are we doing today?” she asked, turning her attention back to Betsy.
My heart swelled in my chest.
I’m so glad I brought her here.
“Well, I don’t know, dear, what do you think might be fun?” Betsy asked.
“Hmmmm...” Lexie thought about it for a moment. “When was the last time someone did your nails for you?” she asked.
Betsy smiled and her eyes lit up instantly. “About 1999, honey, so you can sign me up for that.”
Lexie giggled, and for some reason the sound hit me like a wrecking ball right in the heart. That was the sound I wanted to hear, every day, for the rest of my life.
Just the fact that she was here, and with no prompting at all she was offering to do something nice for people I cared about... she really was amazing.
She was as close to perfect as a person could get.
“Count me in, angel,” Kate called out to Lexie.
Lexie beamed back at her. “Brand spanking new nails for everyone.” She winked.
***
I looked over at Lexie for what must have been the hundredth time, totally in awe of the beautiful woman beside me.
“What?” She giggled. “Why do you keep looking at me like that?”
I shook my head and ran my hand through my hair. “You were incredible today, you know that?”
She shrugged and blushed that pretty pink color I’d quickly grown to love. “It was fun... I didn’t do anything special.”
I chuckled.
She was down-playing the situation and we both knew it.
“Babe, not only did you paint every set of women’s nails in that place, but you actually went out and bought the polish to do it.”
Lexie had quickly discovered that the only nail polish available in the retirement village was a terrible shade of maroon. She’d declared that it wouldn’t do, then she’d had me drive her to the closest pharmacy where she’d picked up at least eight different colors.
I’d never seen the ladies so excited.
Lexie had moved their chairs into a circle, with a small table in the middle and had set about her work. It was a sight that would have warmed even the coldest of hearts.
It was nothing special, just a couple of coats of color on their nails, but it was obvious that it meant so much more to these women.
The couple of hours I’d anticipated spending here had quickly turned into most of the day. I’d spent most of my time doing puzzles and reading with Bob, Richard and Earl, and watching football with Alfred and Peter. Martin had spent half of his time pointing out exactly how long it was going to take us to finish the puzzle, informing me that I had a terrible reading voice, and flirting with the ladies.
“You might not have thought it was a big deal, but the ladies certainly did, Lex. You talked with them, asked about their lives, you looked at pictures of their great grandchildren... what you did was more special than you probably realize.”
Lexie blushed deeper.
“It breaks my heart that they don’t get many visitors,” I added.
She reached out and squeezed my hand. “They have you.” Her voice and the look in her eyes told me that she believed that having me was more than enough.
“I know it doesn’t make up for their families not being around, but it gives them something to look forward to,” I agreed.
“I saw the way they all looked at you, Colt. You mean the world to those people.”
Now it was my turn to blush.
“Thank you for letting me see that part of your life,” Lexie said softly.
I looked over at her and knew that I’d undoubtedly made the right choice.
I knew in that very moment that anything involving sharing my life with Lexie was always going to be the right choice.
“I want a relationship where we can act like idiots, talk about the most random stuff, share music, and never get tired of each other.”
-Author unknown
21. Lexie
“Hey, babe, I need to head out for a bit, do you want to come?” Colt called out to me before appearing in the doorway of the living room.
We’d ended up spending all day at the retirement home, rather than the few hours Colt had intended, and I’d just sat down on the couch while Colt had gone hunting through the kitchen to assess the options for dinner.
I glanced down at my heart-covered, flannel pajama bottoms and the black t-shirt of Colt’s that I was currently wearing. My hair was all over the place; I’d just showered and washed it, but hadn’t gotten around to brushing it yet. I wasn’t even wearing a bra. I looked like a total mess.
I scrunched up my nose. “No luck with the food, huh?”
He shook his head. “Not a shot in hell of making a meal out of that.” He gestured with his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the kitchen.
“We could order in if you can’t be bothered cooking tonight?” I suggested.
He shook his head “It’s all good, I may as well get what we need for the next couple of days. You wanna come?”
I gestured to my attire. “I think I’ll stay here.”
He smirked. “Good call.” He grabbed his keys off the side table. “Will you be okay here on your own?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not a baby in a hot car, Colt, I’ll be fine,” I reassured him.
There was no way I was going looking like this – that, and a new episode of Teen Wolf had just come on, so I wouldn’t be moving far from this couch anyway.
He laughed his way to the door. “Tyler Posey has nothing on me, right, babe?”
“Not a thing on you,” I promised with a wink.
It wasn’t until after he’d left that I realized that he’d obviously been doing his research on my favorite show.
That man...
He is something special.
Looking around the room I realized I’d been living here for days, and neither one of us had done any cleaning. The sheets hadn’t been changed, I had no idea how much laundry there was, and the kitchen needed a good once over. I decided I’d better give up my spot on the couch for now. I found the remote, hit record and went in search of the vacuum cleaner.
***
“Oh my god, they’re so beautiful,” I gushed as I accepted the enormous bunch of stunning flowers that Colt had returned with. “What on earth are they for?”
“Do I need a reason?” he asked over his shoulder with his eyebrow raised. He had begun unloading the groceries he’d just bought into the fridge.
“In my experience, albeit limited, men don’t usually buy women flowers, just because,” I explained.
“Then you haven’t been spending time with the right man,” he replied without missing a beat.
There is no doubt about that.
I just smiled stupidly at him, feeling like the luckiest woman in the world.
“And I got them because I had a feelin
g they would make you smile.” He turned to face me. “Like you are right now... and I’m never going to need more of a reason than that, okay?” he told me, his tone gentle but insistent.
I nodded, the giant, goofy grin he was referring to, still firmly in place on my face.
“You’re smiling like a loon.” He chuckled.
I just nodded, still grinning.
“Here.” He tossed me a small box of refills for my Polaroid camera.
“Oh my gosh.” I swooned.
Just the fact that he knew the make and model of the camera I owned said volumes about how much attention he paid to me.
He laughed and shook his head in amusement at how content I was.
“Thank you,” I told him quietly. “You certainly know how to make a girl feel special.”
It wasn’t even just the gifts, it was the way he looked at me... the way he constantly paid attention to my emotions... it was just him.
I’d never, ever, in my whole life, met someone quite like Colt.
“It’s lucky I did buy them,” he added as he looked around at the now considerably cleaner apartment. “This place looks amazing. You didn’t have to do that.”
“It no big deal,” I insisted. “I’ve been living here too.”
I fished around in the cupboard looking for a vase. I found a big glass jug and decided that it was probably the best I was going to find.
I could feel Colt’s eyes on me as I sat the pink and white arrangement in the jug and placed them on the table.
“There.” I smiled. “Now it’s perfect.”
“You won’t get any argument from me,” he replied, his voice deep and throaty as he wrapped his arms around me from behind.
I knew he wasn’t talking about the flowers at all.
“I got something else too,” he murmured in my ear.
“Oh yeah?” I asked, holding back a shiver from his closeness.
He reached around me into the one remaining bag left on the table, and when he pulled out series one, two and three of Teen Wolf on DVD, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You really are a sucker for punishment, huh?”
It was such a sweet, simple gesture. That was Colt down to a tee.
Sweet and uncomplicated.
Love like Yours Series (Box Set #1-4) Page 78
