Текст книги "Tempted"
Автор книги: Eliza Jane
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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 9 страниц)
Chapter 22
Colt
I sit at the bar nursing my pint. The one good thing about being in London – the drinking age. I need a reprieve. Between dealing with Taylor ignoring me, Bria’s mood swings, and managing Geoffrey’s unyielding demands on this never ending case, things have been intense.
I glance at my phone. Still no word from Taylor despite numerous texts and emails asking her to call me back. We really need to talk, but for some reason, she seems reluctant, and hasn’t been answering her phone.
I realize it’s Homecoming night and dial up Reis instead. “Hey man. You ready for the dance tonight?”
“Yeah. I just got Taylor’s corsage out of the fridge, she’ll be here soon.”
“You didn’t pick her up?”
“I know. I wanted to, trust me. But you know how she is. She insisted that was a stupid idea, and I could do little more than nod my head and obey. She’s staying the night here though, sleeping in your old room.”
“Cool. How’s Mrs. Lee?”
“A nervous wreck, waiting in the foyer with her camera ready and poised on the door. But hey, listen we’re dancing around this and we need to talk about what you’re doing to Taylor.”
Now I’m getting shit from my little brother too? Damn, this is not my day. “Just worry about yourself, Reis.”
“You’re fucking with Taylor’s emotions and we both know it. Come clean with her,” he says.
“You don’t know shit about my relationship with Taylor.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I’m there when she’s sad because you’ve done something stupid. I’m the one who’s there for her when she’s drunk and sick. And I’m the one she comes to when she wants to laugh. I’ve been the one comforting her when she runs into one of your ex’s.”
Fuck. I hate this. I hate that I’m not there for her. “Don’t get any ideas with me away. She’s not yours.”
“We’ll see. You’re not here for her.”
“I’ll be back eventually, don’t be a dumbass, Reis,” I growl.
He’s quiet for a second. “Why do you have to have this girl? You’ll fuck anything that moves.”
His assessment of me would have been true a few months ago, but Taylor’s changed that. It sucks to know that’s what he still thinks of me though. Some big brother I turned out to be. What if Taylor is better off with him? Someone her own age, who doesn’t have a shaky past, who isn’t running an international corporation, someone who can take her to regular stuff – like high school dances. Reis can give her things I can’t. “If that’s what she decides she wants, I’ll step away, but until then, no fucking way.” I won’t just hand her over to him.
“You can’t have it both ways, Colt You’re not here.”
Maybe it is selfish of me to try and keep her. If she really is interested in Reis, though it will kill me, I’ll walk away. “Treat her right tonight.”
“I always do,” he says, ending the call.
Chapter 23
Taylor
I pull into the circular driveway of Reis and Colt’s massive house and hobble up the brick walkway in my too high heels, tugging at the hem of the tiny silver dress MJ lent me. My curves fill it out in ways MJ said Reis would approve of, but I felt overexposed.
I reach the door and before I can knock, it’s pulled open by a tiny Asian woman smiling at me. “Hello,” I say.
“My dear, come inside, come inside.” She grips my hands and pulls me in. She’s standing there, still holding onto me, grinning from ear to ear while she studies me.
“Mrs. Lee?” I guess.
She nods vigorously.
Reis rounds the corner, chuckling at us. “Mrs. Lee, give her a break.” Once she steps back, his eyes travel from mine down the length of my body, down my legs and stop at my open toed heels. His mouth drops open. “Damn, Shrimp. You look sexy.”
Mrs. Lee nudges him in the side, and he starts chuckling again. He crosses the room, lifting me in a full embrace until my feet leave the floor.
Mrs. Lee poses us together in various positions, clicking away with her camera repeatedly. After we’ve posed for photos in front of the fireplace and in the backyard, Reis slips a beautiful corsage of purple flowers on my wrist and ties it in place with a silver ribbon that matches my dress. Then we’re on our way.
I steal glances at him once we’re inside the Jeep. He looks good in his suit. His shoulders fill out the black suit jacket and crisp white dress shirt. It’s simple and classic. And with his silver tie, we sort of match.
He finds my hand and gives it a squeeze. It’s a short drive to his high school, but once we park, he hesitates, fidgeting with his keys and makes no move to get out. “I have something to tell you before we go in.”
My stomach lurches. He looks so nervous, I’m desperate to know what it is he wants to get off his chest. I pray it doesn’t have anything to do with Colt. I can’t handle hearing from Reis that Colt’s done with me. I won’t make it out of this Jeep if that’s the case.
He swallows. “I sort of told everyone you’re my girlfriend.”
I slug him in the arm, which ends up hurting my hand and has no effect on his arm whatsoever. I frown and rub my knuckles. “Why on earth did you do that?”
“Because. I’m new here, I don’t have many friends. They’ve all gone to school together since forever.” He waves a hand absently toward the school. “And I’m always spending time with you and when someone assumed you were a girlfriend, I just never corrected anyone.”
I stare out the smeared windshield and watch as a group of guys escort a group of girls in dresses of every color. I don’t like that Reis has felt so alone here. I guess for one night, if people think I’m his girlfriend, so what? “Well then you better come around and open my door to help me out, because I have very high expectations of my boyfriend.”
He grins. “You’re the best, Shrimp.” He hops out of the Jeep and jogs around to help me out.
The school is much like my old school, smelling of disinfectant and plastic with chipped tiles and germ-infested drinking fountains. The decorations in the gym are subtle, but the low lighting and disco ball send little sparkles and stars skittering across the shiny wood floor. It’s nice. Sort of comforting, in a regular high school kind of way. I’m glad Reis brought me. Being here with him beats lying on my bed worrying over Colt. And I’ve never seen Reis so excited or proud. He keeps his hand on the small of my back and introduces me as we mingle in the gym. He seems to know everyone. A few of the guys give him fist bumps and nods of approval when they meet me. Apparently, some of them thought I didn’t exist.
His claim that he doesn’t have many friends here is clearly a farce. But then I realize he’s spent every weekend since school started with me. He probably hasn’t developed any true friendships because I’ve monopolized his time. But he seemed to like spending time with me too, so I didn’t dwell on it too much.
Reis leads me to the center of the gym. He pulls me into his chest, nestling my head under his chin. He’s really making the most of this girlfriend experience. But somehow I don’t think it’s for show. His heart thuds against mine as we sway to the music.
We stay in the center of the crowd, moving at our own pace regardless of the song changes. It’s nice having him hold me. After several songs, he’s ditched his jacket, and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, and I’ve slipped off my shoes, evoking a whole new round of comments on my height as if Reis had forgotten in the last few hours what my true height was.
The song changes, this one is slow and sweet. The lights drop even lower to set the mood. Reis wraps his arms around my waist, pressing me close. His fingertips massage my lower back and he drops his head down to my ear. “How’s that feel?” he whispers.
“I like it,” I say back.
He moves with me, holding me against him. I’m very aware of our nearness. And the fact that I make no move to set any boundaries between us. Just his presence comforts me. Even though it probably shouldn’t.
“I want to kiss you,” he whispers against my temple, giving me time to decide, time to say no, pull away, something. But I freeze in his arms, waiting in anticipation. He lowers his mouth flush with mine and gently presses forward. His lips are soft and slightly damp. A thrill runs through me settling in the base of my spine. His hands press into my lower back, urging me even closer and deepening the kiss. His kisses are different than Colt’s. He’s more eager, less controlled and not as precise as he tries to find the right angle to bring us together. But it’s nice. His tongue sweeps against mine and I turn off my brain, letting myself enjoy his kiss.
After our kiss on the dance floor, I made an excise to use the restroom and spent fifteen minutes locked in a stall nearly hyperventilating. I even considered calling Colt to confess. But Reis finds me and talked me out, saying he’s sorry, he got caught up in the moment of pretending I was his girlfriend and it wouldn’t happen again, unless I wanted it to. I could almost believe that was all it was, until I caught sight of the mirror, and my flushed, swollen lips. I had no right to be breathless and warm from his kiss.
Once we get home, Mrs. Lee is gone. Reis failed to mention I was staying over, saying she’d be pissed. I remove my shoes and he carries my bag upstairs. He drops it in the doorway to Colt’s room and gives me a quick hug goodnight, thanking me again for going with him. I can do little more than nod and murmur my agreement. I’m numb, confused and utterly disgraced that I kissed Reis. Or rather that I allowed Reis to kiss me.
After changing into shorts and a tank top I wash my face, then collapse onto the bed. I pull out my phone. I’ve missed three calls from Colt tonight. He knew it was the night of the dance, so I don’t know why he’d be calling. His name flashes on the screen. He’s calling again.
I answer it before I chicken out. “Hello?” Right away I can tell we have a bad connection. Static crackles in the background.
“Taylor?”
He never calls me by my name, instead choosing baby or another endearment. It sends off warning signals in my brain.
“This trip…something happened…didn’t go as expected…”
“Colt? I can’t hear you, you’re breaking up.”
But he keeps going uninterrupted. “…between me and Bria. I’m sorry.”
“What? What about you and Bria?” I press the phone more tightly to my ear, waiting to hear my worst suspicion confirmed, that he and Bria had hooked up.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you…but her and I…” he says before cutting off again. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
My heart slams against my chest, thudding painfully. After several seconds of silence, he speaks again. “Taylor, say something.”
While I try to figure out what there is to say, mercifully, the phone connection is lost just as the tears begin to flow and tumble down my cheeks.
I curl into a ball and sob into the pillow. The pillow that still smells like Colt, which must be the universe’s idea of a sick joke.
“Shrimp?” Reis peeks inside the cracked door.
When his eyes meet mine, he sees that I’m crying, and comes toward the bed.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have kissed you. I’ll tell Colt, it was my fault. You did nothing wrong.”
Yeah, nothing wrong, other than enjoy it and let it happen. Stupid, Taylor. Stupid. That kiss shouldn’t have happened. I was still with Colt then.
“It’s not that,” I manage between sniffles.
“What’s wrong then, sweetheart?” He gently rubs my back, coaxing the words from me.
“I talked to Colt.”
His hand freezes on my back while he processes my words. Then he begins rubbing again. “Did he tell you?”
I sit up suddenly, tears staining my cheeks. “You knew? About him and Bria?”
He nods. “Yeah. I wanted to say something, but he wanted to be the one to tell you.”
I reach for the pillow and pull it to my chest, burying my face. Reis knew. Britt probably knew. And of course Bria and is probably celebrating behind my back. I let the tears come, not even trying anymore to hold them back.
“Shh, it’s going to be okay.” Reis continues rubbing the length of my back. “Everything will be fine when he gets home, you’ll see. You guys will figure this out.”
I lift my head from the pillow. “No. He’s messed up one too many times.”
I cry until I’m spent, emotionally and physically drained. Reis just sits quietly beside me, rubbing my back and smoothing my hair, and shushing away the harder sobs that rack my chest. Eventually when I quiet into just hiccups, he lies down beside me, cradling my body with his. A few minutes later, Reis gets up from the bed, untangling his limbs from mine.
I whimper from the sudden absence of warmth and reach out for him.
He chuckles. “I’m not going anywhere, Shrimp, just turning off the light.” He flips off the light and comes back to the bed, pulling me tightly to his chest once again. I sigh and relax into him, thankful for his presence and long past feeling guilty about that kiss.
After I’ve quieted my tears and breathing has returned to normal, I roll over, turning toward Reis. He looks down at me and brushes my hair back from my face and smiles.
“How stupid am I?”
“Shh,” Reis whispers, playing with a lock of my hair.
“I gave my heart to someone who can’t be trusted. He hasn’t changed one bit. And to think, I almost slept with him before he left.” I shake my head. And I would have, except it’d been Bria even then coming between us. It’s just like MJ said it would end.
“You mean you never slept with him?”
“That’s what you took away from that?”
He chuckles. “Sorry.”
“One track mind, much?”
“Well it’s Colt, so I figured you had. And even though it would have been weird being with you after that, I was willing to overlook it.”
I sit up in bed. “Reis, I’m not going to be ready to be with anyone for a while. I just need to be by myself.”
He nods. “I’ll wait for you until you’re ready. I’m nothing like him, you know?”
“I know that.”
“So maybe there’s hope for us.”
“I don’t think so.” Reis is a nice guy. Why couldn’t I have fallen for someone like him? But I wasn’t ready to even consider another relationship. I should be banned from interacting with the male species. “I’m not ready for anything, with anyone.”
“Let me worry about that then. You just focus on being happy again. And I’ll be here to cheer you up. How’s that sound?”
“Nice,” I admit.
“Good. Come here.” He holds out his arm and I snuggle in against his side, letting my whole body relax.
Chapter 24
Colt
Taylor was quiet when I told her Bria and I would be in London for another two weeks. I’d apologized profusely, but she hadn’t said much. After we got disconnected, I tried to call her back and instead of answering she’d sent me a text. She was tired of not being able to trust me, she said. It was over. She was officially done with me.
I fall back against the pillow. My sleeping schedule is completely messed up and my head is spinning. It’s been too long since I’ve seen her. Too long since I’ve held her, and she’s forgotten how good we are together. That’s all. I know I can get her back. Two more weeks and I’ll get my chance.
Then I remember that tonight was Reis’ dance. She hadn’t said anything about it, but damn, she hadn’t said much of anything. Did the dance have anything to do with her change of heart? Maybe that’s what she realized she needs. A typical high school experience, a boyfriend who’s actually around, not working in another country for weeks at a time. It’s her senior year. I couldn’t expect her to wait for me, I just figured our relationship was important enough for her to want to. I guess not.
I consider calling her again, we need to talk this out. But it’s late, and she probably needs time to cool off and realize this isn’t what she really wants. I switch off the lamp and punch my pillow into shape. Just as I’m falling asleep, my door squeaks open and I see Bria’s silhouette against the darkness.
“Are you awake?” she whispers.
I swallow down a lump in my throat. What the fuck is she doing in here? “Yeah.”
She tiptoes into the room. “I can’t sleep.” She comes in and shuts the door, shutting out the light that spilled in from the hallway and sits down on the edge of my bed. I push up on my elbows to look at her.
“Did something happen?”
“It’s just Liam. I shouldn’t have slept with him.”
Fuck. I didn’t know she’d actually slept with him. They’ve been out twice. Fear twists in my stomach, worrying what this might mean for the case. “Bria, I told you not to get involved. We need this deal with his uncle.”
“Relax. This has nothing to do with your precious deal. Geoffrey loves us. Liam on the other hand, now that he got what he wanted, is all back to all business.”
I breathe a sigh of relief and fall back against my pillow.
Bria crawls up the bed and leans against the pillows beside me. “Why can’t I find a guy who loves me for me?” Her eyes implore mine. I have no idea how to answer her question. I thought I found love with Taylor, but now I think I’ve already lost it.
“What is it about Taylor? I mean, why her?”
I’d never really thought about it, but I knew the answer without even thinking. She was open and outspoken. She wasn’t overly concerned with her appearance or impressing me like other girls. She made me earn it. Earn her and be worthy of being with her. “She challenged me.”
Bria scoots closer and I let out a frustrated sigh, but I don’t stop her. She’s testing the boundaries, waiting to see what I’ll do, if I’ll push her away. Now that I know how it feels to be rejected, I don’t have it in me right now.
“Can I stay in here?”
Without waiting for my response, she crawls toward me. “Bria…” I don’t want to argue with her right now. But she shouldn’t be in here.
“I’ll stay on my side, just please. Please let me stay.”
“You’ll behave?”
“I promise,” she whispers.
“Fine.”
“Night Colt.”
“Goodnight.” My mind reels. Sleep will be impossible tonight.
Bria rolls over to face me, a smile on her lips. “Despite constantly acting like a jerk, you’re not so bad.”
“Thanks.” Little does she know, Taylor is done with me, thinks I was a terrible boyfriend. I probably am.
She inches even closer until she’s lying against my side. Her bare arm and leg press against mine in her barely there pajamas. I move my arm out of the way and she snuggles in against my chest. Her perfume is a little overwhelming, not like Taylor’s subtle but sweet scent, but her body is soft and curvy where I’m hard. It’s nice. This is who Taylor thinks I am. So why should I fight it?
* * *
Last night shouldn’t have happened. Bria’s gone from my bed when I wake, thank God. I never should’ve let her stay. I should have called Taylor back and made her listen to me. I can already feel a headache forming. I stagger out of bed. First on the agenda is a shower. I soap up then let the rough spray of water beat down on me for several long minutes. I throw on jeans and a T-shirt and head into the living room. Bria’s gone, but she’s ordered coffee that’s been left for me in a warming carafe on the table. I pour myself a cup and sit down in front of my laptop. There’s an email from Geoffrey, one about a new possible case, another from Bria thanking me for last night, and nothing from Taylor.
The hot coffee works to ease some of the tension in my shoulders, enough to ward off the impending headache, but not enough to keep me from thinking about Taylor. She was the one girl I wanted to change for. Wanted to protect, and make happy. And now I’ve fucked things up.
I remember back to last night, and Bria climbing in my bed. Since I’d lost Taylor, part of me wondered if I should distract myself with the release that Bria’s body would bring me. I push the thought away. I pour myself another cup of coffee and settle into work.
Chapter 25
Taylor
I tell myself that I won’t hack into Colt’s emails anymore, that I’m done worrying over him. But that lasted about three hours. By lunch, I’ve hacked into his account and read all his emails. There was only one from Bria, thanking him for last night and accusing him of being a cover hog. My stomach turns and I think I may actually be sick. But deep breathing and squeezing my eyes closed help to keep my lunch where it belongs. After the, I promise myself again that I won’t look at his emails again, unable to stomach what I might find.
The next two weeks pass without a word from Colt. Well, other than one late night text that just said U there? I hadn’t responded. I kept busy with school, my friends and of course Reis.
This morning when I log in, there’s an email from Colt. No subject line. When I open it I’m both relived and disappointed to see it’s a new case for me. His note is professional, all business detailing the case. It seems a woman has an internet stalker who’s sending threatening emails and the police won’t do anything. My job is to find out who’s behind the emails. Seems simple enough. There’s one line at the end that I fixate on, the one personal thing he’s added to the email. He’ll be home tomorrow.
Having him back will be strange. He’s been gone for six weeks, practically a lifetime. We’d only been dating for four months, and he was gone for a month of that time. His persona in this school is larger than life. There will be no avoiding him, no going unnoticed. If I thought dealing with my ex-boyfriend, Wes in a sea of hundreds of students, confronting Colt on a daily basis was sure to be much worse. Not to mention, I’d grown closer to Colt than I ever had to Wes. After learning about his mother’s death and the way it affected him, being part of his Dad’s departure from the company, I felt sort of responsible for Colt’s growth. It would crush me to see him revert back to his old ways with a steady stream of girls to fill his time and take his mind off of his pain. I couldn’t imagine dealing with that.
I set to work on my newest case with the internet stalker and tuned everything else out. It was Friday afternoon, which meant Reis would be here in a little while to stay the weekend. With Colt coming back, I imagine he’ll have to start camping out in a couch in the common room, but it’ll be nice to have him as a sort of buffer from having to deal with Colt. I should feel guilty using Reis as a buffer, but I don’t, we’re like peanut butter and jelly. It’s just a combination that works.
School is starting to feel almost secondary to all the crap I have going on in my personal life. I go through the motions each day, sure I’m not learning, or retaining any of it, feeling more distanced from MJ and Logan each day. I hate that feeling, but I do nothing to try and change it. At our shared lunch table, I listen to the conversation, but rarely contributing. I no longer debate with MJ and Logan over her latest crazy idea.
I head into the bathroom and see MJ getting ready in front of the mirror. She meets my eyes. “Logan and I are meeting up with some guys from St. Johns tonight at Taste. Come with us.”
Taste is a dance club MJ likes, I’ve been there once before, but it’s really not my scene. “Sorry. I’m hanging out with Reis tonight.”
She shakes her head. “Do you have some sort of addiction to those brothers or what?” She holds up a hand, stopping me from saying anything further. “Never mind. Have fun.”
I knew I was letting Reis come before my friendship with MJ, but why couldn’t MJ understand that there was something about his company that I needed that I needed right now.
* * *
Reis and I sit in the common room, a deck of cards spread between us. Hanging out in Colt’s room has a strange forbidden feeling to it, like I don’t belong in here, with Colt’s presence looming in every corner. And with him due tomorrow, it’s time we found a new place to hang out.
“You’re not going to want me around anymore, with the brother you really want coming back tomorrow.”
“Hush. I’m done with all his shit. I’m better off on my own.”
The disbelief rolls off Reis in waves. “Riiight. You’re pissed right now, but I know you’re both still crazy about each other,” he says, glancing up at me to gauge my reaction.
“Have you been talking to him?” I wonder what Colt’s said to make Reis think he’s still crazy about me.
“Of course. You guys still haven’t talked?”
“Not since the night of the dance.”
He shakes his head. “You’re both so damn stubborn.”
I fold my hand of cards on the table. “Sorry I’m longer speaking to the guy who cheated on me.”
He shakes his head, his eyes full of concern. “Wait a second, what exactly did Colt tell you that night?”
I think back to our conversation, his words felt like a confession. “We had a bad connection, but he said something about him and Bria and how sorry he was.”
Reis frowns. “He was trying to tell you about him and Bria having their trip extended another two weeks. He was worried about how you’d react, since you weren’t happy about him being there with her.”
“You mean he and Bria never…”
“He didn’t cheat,” Reis says with certainty.
His words should flood me with relief, but that sensation is strangely lacking. Something nags at me that there’s been several times now where Colt hid the truth from me. “Doesn’t matter. It was only a matter of time.”
“Taylor, it matters. It changes everything.”
I’m not sure if Reis is right. I don’t know if this changes anything. I’m also not sure based on the emails I’ve seen that I even believe they weren’t together in London. I don’t tell Reis about the email where Bria thanked Colt for a good night and accused him of being a cover hog since I don’t want to admit to hacking into his account like a psycho. Right now Reis still thinks the best of me, and I want to keep it that way.
He’s still looking at me, studying my expression, waiting for a reaction. His hair is in need of a trim, but somehow the unkempt look suits him. “Shrimp, are you okay?”
The memory of my kiss with Reis replays in my head. His lips placed over mine, the firm pressure yet tentative movement of his tongue.
As worried as I’d been about Colt being unfaithful, how was it that I was the one who cracked first? Sure Reis might have been tempting, but I trusted myself not to act on it. Colt trusted me too. I was the one who’d blown it. “But what about that kiss?” I know Reis likes me, and I need to stop toying with his emotions. “Nothing like that can happen again,” I add quickly.
“I could explain it to him. He’d forgive you. I’d tell him it was my fault, which it was. Trust me, he’ll be pissed at me, not you.”
Would that even be fair to let Reis take the blame? I might not have initiated it, but I’d been a willing participant in that kiss. “Well considering I’m not speaking to him, I doubt we’ll even talk about it. Unless you were planning to tell him?”
“I’d rather not get my face pounded in.” He smiles and I can’t tell if he’s serious or not.
My phone rings, interrupting the silence of this heavy moment. The caller ID says it’s Logan and when I answer, a blast of music invades my ear drum.
“Logan?”
“Taylor! We’re at the club, and MJs puking in the girl’s bathroom. Can you come get us?”
I roll my eyes. Was this MJ acting out because I haven’t been around? “Yeah and Reis and I will be right there. Go in there and help her.”
“I tried and I got thrown out of there, just hurry, okay?”
I remember back to the time Colt came into that same public restroom to talk me out of the stall where I’d been crying. No one had questioned his presence in there. Colt just gave off that vibe of authority and confidence that meant he usually got his way.
Reis and I shuffle into shoes and head out into the night. I give him directions and a few minutes later, we’re pulling up in front of the club. The guy at the door won’t let us in without paying the cover charge, not believing that we just need to go in quickly to get my friend. When I tell him that Reis will wait outside for me, he agrees, letting me go inside. Reis isn’t happy about the idea, but I promise him I’ll just get MJ and Logan and we’ll be right out. Reis gives a tight nod and I disappear into the club.
Logan is easy to spot, waiting near the front entrance. He helps me to the back restrooms, parting the crowd to guide me through. I find MJ sitting alone against the wall in the corner on the grungy tile floor. She’s barely coherent, her eyes rolling in her head. “MJ!” I shake her awake.
“Taylor?”
“Come on, we’re gonna get you out of here.” I help her stand and support her weight as we head to the door.
I sit in the back of the Jeep with MJ’s head resting in my lap while Logan takes the front seat. It’s a silent drive back, Reis doesn’t even turn on the stereo. I cradle MJ’s head across my knees and rub her hair back from her forehead. I hate that I haven’t been a good friend to her lately, too wrapped up in Reis and Colt and my own shit that I hardly had time for her. I’m glad Logan called me tonight. Maybe by being here for her tonight, I’m making up for the past month in some small way.
When we pull into the school, MJ’s just a bit more coherent. She actually walks up the gravel drive on her own. I figured Reis would have to carry her. When we reach the lobby, she gives Reis and I a hug, thanking us for picking her up. I make Logan promise to give her a big glass of water before she goes to bed, when the lights in the foyer suddenly flip on.
Shit. I know we’re busted. It’s way past curfew. I expect to see Vera looming at the top of the stairs, and that’s why it takes me a minute to realize it’s Colt standing there. He pads softly down the stairs in bare feet, pajama pants and a T-shirt. It’s the first time I’ve seen him since he’s been back and my heart rate spikes. Even in his sleepy state, he’s incredibly gorgeous. It’s hard to look straight at him.
He surveys us, clearly noting MJs wobbling stance. “I’m not even going to ask. Everyone go get in bed.” His voice is quiet, yet domineering. It sends a silent shudder through me.
MJ steps toward him and pats his cheek with her hand. “You’ve been replaced,” she says as she passes.
I duck my head as I pass by Colt, not wanting to meet his eyes, especially with the implication that Reis has replaced him hanging in the air.
