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Stepping out of the shower, I dry off, toss my hair up on top of my head, and pull on some comfy sweats. I go downstairs to the kitchen to find something to eat but decide on takeout instead. After calling in an order to my favorite Mexican restaurant, I decide to go through some of Daddy’s old things for donation. I was glad to take over my old homestead, but having constant reminders everywhere I turn in this house will break me down even deeper if I don’t erase his presence now.
Starting in his bedroom, I go through the drawers and closets, pulling aside all his clothes and shoes. In the back of the closet, I find a large oak chest bound by lock and key. It’s a gorgeous chest, full of mystery, as I’ve never seen it before despite the countless times I’d played hide-n-seek in this very closet. I look all over the bedroom for the key but come up empty-handed. So I turn my search to the home office. I search the desk drawers, behind picture frames, under knick-knacks, and I still can’t find a key. The doorbell rings, stopping my search.
I race downstairs in hopes that my dinner awaits me on the other side of the heavy steel door. The doorbell rings again just as I approach the living room. “Damn, give me a second, will ya,” I yell.
“Hurry the hell up, Carly Jo; it’s chilly out here!”
What the hell! I know that damn asshole seriously ain’t standing on my front porch. I swing the door open in a rush of excitement and anger. Yep, Colton came to visit. Can I fire his ass for harassment yet?
“Obviously I wasn’t blunt enough this morning. I don’t have anything to say to you, so you can leave now, and don’t bother coming back. If you do, your job is on the line.” Just as I slam the door, he sticks his foot in the jamb and forces himself in the entry. “Damn it, Colton, I’m not kidding with you! Get the hell out of my house!” I scream.
“Carly Jo, relax. Damn, I just wanna talk to ya. Now chill your sweet ass out. We have some catchin’ up to do.”
“Catchin’ up, huh? What exactly is there to ‘catch up’ on? You left me, remember? We haven’t spoken in seven years, and now all of a sudden you wanna catch up? Hell no! Get out!” As my palms connect with his chest, determined to shove him out the front door, he wraps my wrists in his large hands and pulls me into a deep, passionate kiss. His lips are full and soft and taste sweet like mint. He gently licks and teases my tongue with soft flicks. I melt into him, immediately drunk on all that is Colton Weston. Running his fingers through my hair at my nape and pulls my head back and then works his lips from my mouth to my neck.
The connection I feel with Colton’s lips on my body is undeniable. He can sense my wanting. I’m so carried away by his lustful ambush, I barely notice the doorbell ringing again. Kissing his way up to my lips, he sucks away at my bottom lip and whispers, “I’ve missed your sweet lips, Carly Jo. I’ve missed you so damn much.”
Breaking from his embrace, I wipe my lips with the back of my hand and stare up at him with my mouth agape. I straighten my clothes and step around him to open the door. With the stunt Colton just pulled, dinner is the last damn thing on my mind. I pay the delivery guy, take my food, and shut the door. Turning around, Colton is nowhere in sight. What the hell’s up with him?
I go to the kitchen to see he’s set the table with two plates, two forks, and two bottles of water. He’s sitting at the table with his arms crossed, acting like a dog waiting for a bone. Placing the takeout on the counter, I put my hands on my hips and tap my foot on the ceramic tile, hoping that he senses my irritation.
“Let’s move it, baby, I’m starvin’. I know you ordered enough food for a damn army, so let’s eat,” Colton says with a sly grin on his face. I roll my eyes in defeat. I can’t run this animal off.
I take a seat across from him, placing the takeout trays on the table. Not being shy, he helps himself. I sit back and huff out a deep breath of air. He just munches away on tortilla chips and salsa like it’s his last supper. Piss me off enough, it damn well may be.
“Okay, you’ve made it clear there is something you need to get off your chest. So say your piece, then get your ass out of my house.” I glare straight through him as he chews away, not bothered at all by my frustration. He’s seriously pissing me off. I could beat the hell out of him for ruining my dinner.
“You better eat, Carly Jo. You didn’t leave the office, so I know you haven’t eaten all day. Don’t want your dinner to get cold.” He smirks. Smartass.
“No, I didn’t want my dinner to be ruined, but you obviously had other plans, so out with it already. What the hell do you want?”
He wipes cheese sauce from his delectable lips and smirks. Sitting back, he laces his fingers to rest on the back of his head. Nice, looks like we may be here a while.“Darlin’, I’m an ass. You know that by now, and I’m sure you hate me with every bone in your fine ass body. But you don’t know the whole story. You only know what I told you when I broke up with you, and that was all lies. I had to cover things up; I had to protect you. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought of you, missed you, worried about you. Big John never told me where you went, said he didn’t know. I thought that was bullshit. That man always knew everything about everyone, including me. But he stood in our way long enough, and he ain’t around now to stop us from being happy. Carly Jo, please, let me make this right. I’m beggin’ you.”
I chew on my lip, stewing over what he’s just said. Albeit vague, there’s a lot he wants to share. But do I want to hear it? He admitted he lied… About what? How many lies did he feed me? Was he really protecting me? Do I want to feel that heartache he left me with once before, all over again? I pulled myself from the trenches of his affliction and became whole again, all on my own. Nobody fought for me.
“No,” my voice is barely a whisper. I’ve come too far all on my own to be broken by him again.
“Carly Jo, please hear me out. You need to know the truth. We can be fixed, sweetheart, please,” he pleads.
Standing, I leave the room. Colton follows right on my heels until I stop and open the front door. “You left us seven years ago. That can never be forgiven. Don’t ever come back to my house again. I’ll see you at work tomorrow, unfortunately. Goodnight.”
He steps out onto the porch and looks up at me with shock-filled eyes. I hold my head high and refuse to show him any of the hurt I’m feeling deep down inside. Just as he begins to speak, I close the door and turn the lock tight. Colton yells, “What do you mean, us?”
I turn the porch light off, leaving him in the cold, dark night, just as he left me those many years ago.
Chapter 7
Colton
Carly Jo Simon is the most frustrating woman I know. We grew up together since we were knee high to a duck’s tail. She was the pesky little girl of my dad’s business partner, Big John Simon. Damn, she was annoying as hell, always trying to get one up on anybody in sight. She always had to be the strong one, best at everything. Annoying little shit.
It wasn’t until we were older, though, that I understood the essence of her beauty. She’s a petite five-feet-three-inches tall, with a perfect curvy tone and a thick, tight ass. Her dark brown hair hangs in wavy curls to the middle of her back. Her skin is a soft porcelain with light freckles splayed across her pug nose. Her eyes are a mesmerizing hazel, but if you look deep enough, you can see a sunflower around the irises.
But it wasn’t just her looks that caught my attention. Carly Jo wasn’t like most girls. She had a humble heart although she was the daughter of the richest man in Williamstown. She was strong-minded, tough, and would knock you on your ass if you pissed her off. She loved to go fishing and mudding. She was a rare beauty, inside and out.
When she walked into the conference room yesterday, tension ignited in her as soon as our eyes connected. When I touched her, I could feel that same spark of electricity flow between us, just as it always had. When I kissed her, the heated passion between us gave me confidence that she wants us as much as I do. She’s stubborn and bullheaded, but she’s worth the fight.
I went over to her house tonight to try to talk to her, but she threw me out on my ass. She said something just as she closed the door in my face that made me wonder.
