I shut my mouth.
“Oh, you think I didn’t know? The way you stared at him every time he was in the hallway? You were not subtle, Hallie. More like Captain Obvious.”
“Hey, you watch it,” Brooke says. “Everybody in school had a crush on my brother, including you.”
“I did more than have a crush on him, Brooke,” Liz says, and chooses a chip as if she didn’t just intimate she had sex with Colt.
Nate sets down his glass and looks at Liz. “Stop it, Elizabeth.”
Her name’s Elizabeth?
“Enough’s enough. Colt’s right. Hallie hasn’t done anything. ” His nostrils flare as he stares at from her across the table. “And we both know I should have asked you out a long time ago. You’re smart. When you want something, you will go after it, heart and soul. You’ve brought a lot of business into this town with your tearoom, and the way you help your brother with his kids after his wife left is admirable. I want you, Elizabeth Peck.”
For the first time that I can recall, Liz is speechless, blushing a deep shade of red. He walks over to her, leans down, and slams her with one of the hottest kisses I’ve ever witnessed. Not gonna lie, it weirds me out and makes me ant to to back Colt into a corner all at once.
When Nate sits back down, he nods to Colt an says, “I’ve this one.” He turns to Gentry. “Dude, seriously. Get it together, man. You’re about to lose the best thing that will ever happen to you.”
“I am not going to discuss my relationship with Brooke in the middle of Gloriana’s. Especially not in front of all of you.”
Brooke slams her cup and looks right at Gentry. “But you haven’t discussed a relationship with me at all. Not ever. You’ve never made a move, not even after the giant-sized hints I keep dropping.”
“There haven’t been any hints, Brookie.” Gentry’s jaw clinches so tightly I think it’s about to break.
She throws her hands up. “Why else would I have a fire helmet tattooed on my wrist, Gentry? It’s not rocket science.”
He reaches across the table and grabs my bestie’s wrist, studying the ink before dropping it. “You and I will talk about this in private.”
Brooke huffs but acquiesces as Colt turns to his high school ex. “Liz. What the hell are you doing messing with Hallie? You’re better than this. It isn’t the time or the place, but you two need to sort your shit out.”
Nate runs his hand through his hair, heaving a sigh. “It’s time, Elizabeth.”
I open my mouth to scoff when Liz does the most surprising thing. “I will, but if I’m going to do that, then you two need to admit to whatever this is.” She points between me and Colt. “Because it’s obvious to the world that something is going on.”
Colt sends a wink my way.
“She’s my girl. Sorry, Gentry. She’s off the market.”
Chapter 12
Colt
We barely make it inside my house before the clothes start flying off.
One boot by the front door. Two of hers at the edge of the foyer, right next to my other one. I fling my shirt somewhere near the couch while her button-down is carelessly strewn on the hallway floor leading to my bedroom.
Our hands are all over each other, the farm stretching out beyond the window as far as the eye can see. “I’m falling for you, cupcake.”
She stops mid-kiss, looking at me. “I’m falling for you too, Colt.”
I flip on the light and take both of her hands in mine as we stand partially clothed in my bedroom. “I didn’t want anything serious when I came back to Stoneridge. Leaving the rodeo circuit was hard, and I had so much on my plate. Still do.” The lamplight hits the framed rodeo photos on my dresser, reminders of a lifestyle I no longer need. “I didn’t think I had room for anyone, but the universe made room for you in my world when I couldn’t see it for myself.”
The soft light turns her skin a golden color, tightening my chest.
I cup her cheek, needing her to really hear me. “The second you fell in my arms, I experienced something that’s never happened in my life, the need to be around you every damn moment. I love that you are independent, that you care for my sister like she’s blood, that you love Brooke so much you would bid serious money on the guy she loves just so someone else can’t date him. The way you are with your niece and nephew… your tolerance with Liz when she didn’t give it in return is admirable and rare. I don’t know where you’re at with us, Cupcake, but I need to know before we do anything else.”
She tucks her bottom lip between her teeth, her blue eyes flashing. “Are you implying you won’t sleep with me unless I have feelings for you?”
“I’m all in, Hallie. This isn’t just a hookup for me.”
