by Audra Cole
Colton crossed the room and opened a door that revealed a small closet. “There’s a little room in here, so make yourself at home. If you need hangers or anything, just let me know.”
“Right. Will do.” I fidgeted on the spot, shifting my weight back and forth. A sudden sense of awkwardness had invaded the easiness we’d shared and I had no idea how to get it back again.
Colton appeared just as confused. He rubbed the back of his neck, and I couldn’t tell if he was trying to find a way to leave, or an excuse to stay.
Something in his expression struck me as amusing and I started to giggle. He shot me an even more confused look and I burst into a full laugh. A slow smile spread across his face. “What’s so funny?”
“This,” I said, trying to regain control. “This whole thing is so crazy!”
Colton chuckled and dropped his hand. “I guess so.”
I pushed my hair back and sighed. “God, I’ve been building this moment up in my head, and now that it’s here, I feel like I’m acting like a complete lunatic.”
“You’re not,” Colton replied, offering me a smile. He sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to him. “Come here.”
I willed my hands not to shake as I crossed the room and sat down next to him. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and looked down at me, pulling me into his side. “You’re probably right, this whole thing is crazy. Believe me, my buddies have already told me—more than once. But I don’t care how crazy it is, or isn’t. I like you, Karena. I’m insanely glad you’re here and that I get to go crazy with you.”
He brushed a strand of hair away from my cheek, his eyes following his fingertips as they ran down the silky strand. When he looked back at me, I held my breath, afraid that even breathing would interrupt the suspended moment. Colton’s eyes bounced back to mine slowly, making me feel vulnerable and exposed, even though we were sitting together, fully clothed. It was intimate, sweet, like unspoken words were swirling around us. When Colton’s fingers slid from my hair, and rested along my jaw, my lips parted and the breath I’d been holding came out in a soft sigh.
Colton leaned forward and tipped my face up to meet his descending lips. When his mouth met mine, a rush of heat rippled across my body, as though tiny fireworks were being set off under my skin, filling me with energy and excitement. His lips were impossibly soft, but they took mine in a possessive, hungry way, like he’d been waiting a lot longer than just a few weeks for the chance to kiss me. I dared to tease his bottom lip with the tip of my tongue and Colton responded in kind, unfolding our affection in a slow, burning exploration of one another.
I lost track of time and place as we tangled together, engulfed in the intensity of the kiss. When we finally broke apart to catch our breath and slow things down, Colton rested his head against mine and grinned at me. “That was one helluvan icebreaker.”
I surged up and kissed him again, feeling the softening of his smile under my lips.
“Much needed,” I whispered, when I released him.
Colton laughed and stood up from the bed. He offered me his hand and I let him pull me up. He kept a hold of my hand and we both looked down as our fingers automatically wrapped around each other’s, locking in a perfect fit. “Why don’t you go ahead and unpack. I’ve got some steaks I can throw on the grill if you’re hungry. After we eat, I thought we’d go down to the lake and walk around. Keep it low key for your first day.”
“That sounds perfect.” I smiled up at him, wondering—not for the first time—how I’d managed to slip into some kind of fairy tale world. An experience that was especially jarring considering I didn’t believe in such nonsense.
Colton’s hand slid from mine and I immediately missed the warmth of his hand interlocked with mine. He flashed another smile before leaving me to head to the kitchen, and I melted down to the bed as soon as his footsteps faded away down the hall.
“Oh, Karena, what did you get yourself into…” I whispered to the empty room. Before I could get too wrapped up in my review of the events of the afternoon, my phone buzzed in the pocket of my jeans. “Oh, shit! Becs!”
I dug the phone out, and sure enough, Becca’s name was lit up in bold on the screen. I tiptoed to close the bedroom door before answering. “Hey Becca. I’m here. Not in the trunk of a car, or chopped into a million pieces and sprinkled in the woods.”
“Oh, thank God,” Becca replied, her voice a rush of relief. “So…what’s going on? Is he what you pictured?”
“Even better. He’s like a country singer, but on the cover of GQ, so the perfect mix of country-slash-city boy.” My cheeks warmed at the onslaught of other things I could add to the description. I kept those thoughts to myself, knowing Becca didn’t really need a full list of all the things I wanted to do with the ridiculously hot man that had picked me up at the airport. “We just got back to his house. I’m unpacking and he’s making dinner. Then, he said something about going to a lake.”
“He cooks?”
“Well, BBQ’s. But, who knows, maybe he cooks too. I’ll find out.”
Becca sighed. “This is crazy, Karena.”
“I know that’s what you think, but you gotta trust me. It’s going to be all right. I’m here to learn everything I can and then…we’ll see. It’s not like you and Keith knew everything about each other right away, you know.” I fought back the urge to add that they probably still didn’t know everything about each other. At the very least, Keith didn’t know—or, worse, didn’t care—how miserable Becca was in the relationship.
“Fair enough, but we got to know each other over these things called dates, not a two week, long distance trip!”
I sagged down onto the bed, and released a long sigh. “Becca, please?”
“All right, all right. I’m sorry. I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
“I know that. And I appreciate it. But, really, what do you think is gonna happen? I mean, besides the whole ax murderer thing you were paranoid about.”
“I don’t want you to leave with a broken heart. You’ve been so single, almost anti-dating for so long, and now, you’re swinging all the way to the complete opposite end of the spectrum, practically overnight. I’m worried about you.”
“Becs, I promise, I’m going into this eyes wide open. I’m talkin’ dinner plate sized eye balls. Okay? I’m not in love with the guy. We like each other, we complement one another, and if there’s something more, we’ll figure it out and go from there.”
My stomach twisted, hating the fact that I was still holding out all the information from my best friend. But, I reminded myself that if she was this concerned about me getting my heart broken, she would completely lose her shit if she found out what I was really planning.
“I should probably get going,” I said, glancing at the door. “I’ll text you tomorrow and let you know what’s going on, okay?”
Becca hesitated a moment, before agreeing. “Be safe.”
“I will! I promise. Love you.”
I clicked off the call and stashed my phone in my purse that was laying on the bed beside me. I didn’t want any more interruptions to my time with Colton. I pushed off the bed and unzipped my suitcase and rummaged through the piles of clothes that I’d packed—and re-packed. I snatched up an armload and went to the closet, happy to find a small dresser tucked against the back inside. Stacked on top, and off to the side, were unmarked cardboard boxes. My fingers itched to open them and see what was inside. Colton’s house—at least, what I’d seen of it—was so orderly and neat. There were a few nick-nacks and a couple pieces of art on the walls, but other than that, it was fairly neutral, like a staged home or hotel room.
Footsteps sounded outside the room, and moments later, a soft knock at the door.
“Come in,” I called over my shoulder, as I stashed my clothes in the top drawer before going back to get the next load.
The door opened and Colton leaned against the doorway. “How’s it going? I just fired up
the grill.”
“Almost done.” I went back to the closet and dumped the second arm load into the second drawer, surprising myself at how much I’d managed to fit inside my suitcase. No wonder it had been so heavy. “I can do the rest later.”
Colton shoved off the wall and showed me to the kitchen. He had a plate loaded down with two large steaks and another piled high with veggie kabobs. “Do you want to try some of this? It’s pretty good.” He opened the fridge and produced a bottle of merlot.
“Sounds good to me. I didn’t know you were a wine guy.” My eyes followed as he popped the cork out of the previously opened bottle.
“Normally, I’m an imported beer kinda guy, but every once in a while, I class it up.” He smiled and handed me a stemless glass he’d filled halfway. He poured a matching glass for himself, polishing off the bottle. “Come on, I’ll show you the backyard. It’s the real reason I picked this place.”
He reached for my free hand and led me out the single door off the kitchen. It opened to a large, wooden deck. Beyond that was a lush backyard with tall trees overhead that provided a welcome relief from the full afternoon sun. Colton had a rectangular patio table with a matching set of chairs around it, and I got the sense he entertained on a regular basis.
“This is amazing! I love the trees.”
Colton nodded and took a sip from his glass. “Me too. Besides the lake, this is my favorite place to relax and unwind. I’m thinking about putting up a hammock over there,” he said, gesturing between two thick trunked trees.
“Mmm. I like this idea,” I said, grinning up at him.
He wrapped his arm around my waist and let his hand rest on my hip. I scooted in a half step to get closer to him, my arm pressed against his side. I took a deep breath of the air that was thick with the heat of the day and fragrant with the charcoal smell coming from the grill beside us.
As we stood nestled together, staring out over the yard, I marveled at how quickly things had changed. Less than half an hour ago, I was laughing, and on the edge of a nervous breakdown over the stilted, awkward feel of the arrangement—to being in Colton’s arms, dreaming of a hammock wide enough for two, maybe a blanket of stars to peek up at through the breaks in the tree branches.
I sipped my wine and let myself melt against Colton’s chest.
My life in Seattle was slipping farther and farther away.
Chapter Fifteen: Colton
“Damn, you sure know how to cook a steak,” Karena gushed, pushing her plate away. “I’m gonna have to get a temporary gym membership if this is what’s on the menu for the whole trip.”
At her teasing comment, my eyes roved up her long legs, wrapped in skin tight denim. I’d hardly been able to keep my eyes—and hands—off of her since the moment I’d spotted her in the airport. I thought I was prepared to handle seeing her in person, but the version of her that had stepped off the plane was intoxicating in a way that I could never have predicted. From chatting with her on video chat, and having her profile pictures to peruse daily, I already knew she was gorgeous, but there was something else, something about her live wire energy, sparkling smile, and the hundreds of little details I hadn’t been able to see through a screen or snapchat, that had me completely intrigued.
I chuckled and stood from the table to take the plates inside before the bugs swarmed us. The last thing I needed was a swarm of yellow jackets ruining our night. I dropped the dishes in the sink and went back outside. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. I don’t get a chance to cook much, but I’m the grill master when my buddies come over on the weekends.”
Karena smiled. “Do you do that every weekend?”
I settled back into my seat at the table and rested my elbows against the side. “More or less. In the summer at least. As long as we’re all home.”
She nodded and I thought I saw a flicker of worry in her eyes, but it faded quickly. “Sounds like fun. Do I get to meet them while I’m here?”
“If I can get them to promise to behave themselves,” I replied, only halfway joking. I knew Lucas would have my back, but after witnessing Mile’s reaction the other day, I wasn’t sure he’d hold back his opinions. Miles was infamous for not having much of a filter.
Karena smiled. “Well, I hope they don’t! I need to get the dirt on you. You can’t honestly be so squeaky clean.”
If only she knew what I was thinking, or how hard it was for me to keep my eyes from following the line of her low cut V-neck shirt as far as it would let me go. There wasn’t anything clean about it.
I leaned forward, a slow grin spreading across my face. “And what exactly would you like to know?”
Karena tapped a finger against her lips, her eyes wild with curiosity. “Do you snore?”
I couldn’t hold back a laugh. “That’s your big question?”
Karena shrugged and laughed along. “I don’t know. I panicked.”
“Well, as far as I know, I don’t snore. And, I think one of my boys would’ve ragged on me by now, if I did. But, if you feel the need to verify, go for it.” I chucked and shook my head. I hadn’t laughed so much in a long time.
“I’m tempted to ask you something…I don’t know…naughty,” she teased, leaning close to me. “But I don’t want to give the wrong impression. Especially after, well, earlier.” Her cheeks twinged with pink.
“What do you mean?”
She leaned back and sighed. “Well, I was kind of hoping we could hold off on taking things too far, physically. At least, not at first.”
I nodded slowly, processing her request.
Karena bit her lower lip. “Oh, God, I made it awkward again, huh?”
“No, no, not at all. I’m fine with whatever makes you comfortable.” I reached for her hands, taking them in mine. “It won’t be easy, but I promise to behave.”
She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Well you don’t have to be a saint or anything…”
“I’m listening.”
She answered with a sweet kiss that lingered just long enough for the slow boil in my veins to turn crazy-hot. When she pulled away, her eyes were soft and warm, conjuring up images of us in bed on a lazy Sunday morning. It was startling how easy it was to slide images of Karena in and out of all the situations in my life. I wanted her in my arms, in my bed, and at my side for weekend BBQ’s and trips to the lake.
“I’ll be patient, Karena, but I gotta tell you, you’re not making it easy,” I drawled, smiling back at her as she lowered back into her chair. My eyes started drifting again. “Let’s go cool off at the lake.”
Karena hopped up out of her seat and headed back to the side door. “Excellent idea.”
* * * *
“I can’t believe we’re still awake,” Karena commented, pushing off the couch. “I never stay up this late.”
I clicked a series of buttons on the remote in my hand and all the lights on the media center turned off. After spending some time walking around the lake, we’d gone back to the house and settled onto the couch, a popcorn bowl between us, and watched a thriller that Karena claimed to have never heard of. I’d been all for it, loving the way she scooted in close when the music changed to a menacing, haunting pace. By the time the credits rolled, she was practically sitting in my lap, nestled under one of my arms. My hand rested on her waist and it had taken most of my concentration to keep from slipping my fingertips under the edge of the thin cotton tee she’d changed into.
“Well, you’re still on Pacific time,” I pointed out, following her lead and getting up from our places on my sectional style couch.
Karena wandered the living room, stopping to look at the bookshelf. She cocked her head and studied the titles. “That’s true,” she replied, her voice distracted. When she reached the end of the row and turned to face me again, sliding her hands into the back pockets of the denim shorts she’d changed into before we’d trekked down to the lake. “What’s your excuse then?”
I smiled. “There’s this gorgeous woman in my living room, and
I can’t stop thinking about her long enough to get tired.”
“Is that so?” Karena smiled and shifted nervously in place.
Throughout the afternoon, I’d been trying to figure her out. At times, she could dispense biting sarcastic comments that gave our conversations a playful energy, but there had also been a few moments in between jokes, where her sense of humor had fallen aside long enough for me to catch glimpses of a deeper, more complicated version of Karena than I’d met before. In our virtual communication, we’d tackled serious conversations, but it usually didn’t take long for her to bring it back to a lighter tone. In person, it wasn’t as easy for her to bob and weave and the result left her jittery and awkward.
“Karena, you are a very beautiful woman,” I said, locking my eyes with her when she dared to look up from the floor. I took a few, calculated, steps towards her. I wanted to close the space between us, to take her into my arms, and get back to that comfortable ease that we’d shared earlier, out on the deck, or on the couch while the movie had played.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded slightly. “Thank you.”
“Is everything all right?” I forced my hands to stay at my sides and left a few steps between us.
Karena’s eyes bounced back to mine from whatever she’d been looking at over my shoulder. “Everything’s fine. I think I’m just finally feeling the travel catch up to me.”
I could see it in her eyes that it was an excuse. There was something she was holding back from me. I smiled and pocketed my hands. “That makes sense. Long day for us both. We probably should turn in.”
Karena stared up at me for a long moment, and I was about to ask what was on her mind, when she turned and started down the short hallway that led to the bedrooms. I followed behind after turning out the living room lights. She was paused at the door of the guest room. “Thanks for today. It was a lot of fun. And hey, hard part’s over now, right?”
I chuckled. “Right.”
