Page 38

Colton scoffed, his lips quirking in what might have been amusement. “Yeah. An identical twin brother. His name’s Cooper.”

My jaw dropped, and I pressed a hand dramatically to my chest. “There’s another one? Is he nicer? Less of an ass?” I pointed at Colton with a smirk. “Ooh, maybe I should sleep with him too, just to compare.”

Colton’s scowl darkened, his voice dropping to a low growl. “No.”

“So…a threesome’s out of the question?”

He didn’t dignify that with an answer, which only made me laugh harder.

Sobering slightly from the thought of sex with two Coltons, I tilted my head. “Do you talk to your parents?”

His expression hardened further, the vulnerability from moments ago vanishing like a puff of smoke. “No. I shed them and their reputation the second I had the chance.”

I nodded, understanding more than I wanted to admit. Family wasn’t exactly my strong suit either. I’d left my dad’s house the second I’d graduated high school. I’d stayed as long as I had to, long enough to finish, but after that? His drunk ass didn’t get another say in my life.

I didn’t blame my mom for leaving him. But I did blame her for leaving me.

Maybe that’s where part of my prickly attitude came from, the armor I wore like a badge of honor. At least I was self-aware enough to admit it.

“I get it,” I whispered, fidgeting with the fabric of my sweatshirt. “I know what it’s like to feel out of control of your life because of other people.”

When I looked up, Colton’s gaze had softened, the hard lines of his face easing. Something passed between us in that moment, a flicker of understanding that chipped away at his usual scowl.

“We don’t ask for the life we get,” I murmured.

He scoffed. “From the moment I was born, I was handed a reputation I didn’t create, but I let it define me anyway. When I finally decided to take control, I kept falling back into the same pattern—letting people dictate my life. And look where it’s gotten me.”

Colton raised the beer to his lips, taking a long pull, as if hoping it could wash away the weight of his words.

“With Marcus?” I asked gently, my heart aching at the rawness of his confession. His rugged exterior, it seemed, was more armor than persona—a shield to fend off the world’s demands.

“Yes.” His voice was quiet, but the weight of that single word was crushing.

Colton had spent his life picking up the pieces of things he hadn’t broken. His family, his work—it all fell on his shoulders.

“I got lucky that it didn’t blow up in my face as badly as it could have. Then again, it is never truly over.” His honesty was disarming, and I found myself struggling to process the vulnerability he was showing. My mind short-circuited, unused to dealing with someone else’s raw emotions.

“What happened to Stan?” Colton asked, his tone casual but the question caught me off guard, an abrupt change in conversation, but I let him have it.

“I pulled him from the project,” I replied matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, I gathered that. But why?”

I suddenly wished I had a beer.

I held out my hand and made a “gimme” motion, pointing at his beer. Colton raised an eyebrow, his gaze flicking between me and the bottle.

“I’ve kissed you, had your cock in my mouth, and let you fuck me in a barn, and you won’t share your drink with me?” I teased, crossing my arms.

Colton huffed, shrugging one shoulder in a way that screamed, you got me there, before handing me the bottle.

I took it, bringing it to my lips for a long pull of the amber liquid. The cool taste was welcome, grounding me before answering his question. “I needed a change. As much as I love the city, it was becoming…monotonous. The same thing on repeat, the same type of people. Your project looked easy enough, nothing too high stakes but still a place to use my skills.”

Colton nodded, like he understood more than I expected, and extended his hand for the bottle. I handed it back without a word.

“Can I ask you a work question?” I ventured cautiously.

He turned his head toward me, the movement deliberate, his expression unreadable. I knew I was toeing the line, but I couldn’t let the opportunity slip. He was being more open than usual, and I needed to take advantage of it while it lasted.