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My heart thuds in my chest. Indebted?
“But when I come to collect the debt of life you owe me, you will know.” His eyes glint with smugness. “In the meantime, you will just have to tolerate me and my presence. Go ahead, call me an asshole, a heartless jerk or any other cruel names you can think of. I am all those things and I’ve never claimed to be different. But get used to having me in your life now. I’m going to be your permanent shadow.” His voice drops low, a deep timbre that resonates through my whole body, causing a tingle in my lower belly.
I want to pull away, but I can’t.
I can’t move.
I can’t breathe…
His warm, musky scent surrounds me. His maddening touch and the burning intensity of his gaze— I can’t bring myself to pull away from them. My body and my brain are on two different pages.
Colton leans in, his breath fanning across my lips. “And you know what?” He purrs gruffly, and it’s both rich and masculine. “I was going to let you go, Little Wallflower. But it’s kinda your fault we’re in this situation right now.”
His mouth brushes along my jaw, moving lower and then pressing against my throat. Right over my rapid pulse. A soft caress of his lips. “For having a soft heart and for being so stubbornly beautiful.” He breathes against my skin.
My stomach flutters.
His teeth graze my flesh, a small nip that has been sucking in a sharp breath, before he pulls away. Colton releases my hair, and he takes a step back. A roguish smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth. That damn, wicked smirk.
I hate it.
He shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I’m going to tell Lila that I’ll be driving you back home.”
Colton doesn’t wait for my response before he’s stalking away.
I thought he was terrible before, but now he’s going to use the fact that he saved my life to continuously bait me. I don’t know what he wants from me, but I know one thing for sure. Colton is going to enjoy vexing me. I saw the mischievous challenge in his eyes.
I close my eyes, leaning back against the pillow. He infuriates me.
I hate him.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Grayson— 21 years old (2 years later)
Taking a long sip from the bottle, I feel the alcohol burn down my throat. I don’t drink often, but sometimes…being drunk is the only way to face the cold, lonely nights.
Sometimes when my brain refuses to shut off, when the ache in my chest just won’t go away, it’s easier to drink myself into oblivion.
It’s easier to forget, than to live with the memories of her.
Riley still breathes in my heart.
And fuck, I miss her like crazy. Loving her is like a sweet death, and I savor the taste of self-destruction. It’s pure insanity, really.
It’s been two years, and I still can’t move on. I find myself dreaming of her every night, and I carry those dreams with me during the day. It’s the only way I’ve been able to survive this long without her.
Sometimes, I wonder if Riley has already moved on. If she’s in love with another man. Have I completely lost my chance? Would she choose to listen to my reasons if we ever come face to face again? Would she give our love another chance?
The alcohol sours in my mouth. I take my glasses off, squeezing my eyes shut and lean my head back against the black leather couch.
A lot has happened in two years.
So much has changed. I have changed. The situation forced me to.
What about her? Is her hair short or long? Does she still like watching the sunset? Has her love for butterflies changed? Is her heart still soft, as I remember? Or has my love turned her bitter?
Regret cuts me deep. I still remember the day I broke her heart, how deeply my cruel words wounded her. I can still hear her broken whimpers echoing in my ears.
