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“I didn’t mean it literally.” Her smile widened.
The situation demanded he laugh with her, but he forced his attention off her smile. Once on the porch, he opened the door and stepped inside ahead of her. Then he waited. For the sound of her footsteps. For the thump of her bags hitting the floor. For the click of the door to assure privacy.
“I wanted to—”
When he turned, she halted mid-sentence. Her apologetic expression gave way to an alarmed squeak when he grasped her upper arms and pushed her up against the wall. The bulk of his body gave her no room to move.
“Who the hell are you?” he demanded.
Stark fear dilated her pupils until her brown eyes were nearly black. Her breathing grew shallow, and she gulped twice before stuttering, “Y-you know w-who I am.”
He tightened his grip on her shoulders, then became aware of how delicate they seemed under his large hands and forced himself to ease up. “I don’t believe it. You’re up to something, and you’ve got about five seconds to tell me what it is.”
“H-honestly, I’m n-not.”
Colton scoffed. “So, it’s merely coincidence that you robbed me this morning and then show up here claiming to be some long lost relative?”
“It’s nothing more than cruel coincidence—I swear to God.”
“Don’t you dare do that. I don’t buy one word of it.” He leaned closer, ignoring her trembling beneath his hands. “Who are you? What do you want with Joel?”
“He told you, I’m his sister. Please…all I want is a place to stay until my…until we get back on our feet. We have nowhere else to go.”
He caught her hesitation, saw a brief flash of panic, and wondered what she’d been about to say. He searched her expression for any kernel of truth to her words.
In the space of a heartbeat, he became aware of the heat of her vibrating body. If he leaned down a few inches, their lips would meet. His pulse thrummed. The urge to do just that was so great it left him shaken as he stared into her eyes. She was an untrustworthy, lying, thieving, scheming con artist.
And he’d never felt an immediate attraction like this in his life.
What the hell was wrong with him? She was rumpled, and needed a shower for heaven’s sake! Not even Cassie caused this gut reaction. He pushed away, dropping his hands once he’d put a safe distance between them.
Kendra breathed a silent sigh of relief now that his gaze wasn’t boring into hers from only inches away. Fear had dissipated in the searing heat of his intense scrutiny, despite the threatening press of his hard body. His eyes were green, just like his driver’s license stated. It was the first time she’d seen them close enough to notice they were light, vibrant, and effectively highlighted by thick, caramel-colored lashes.
For a crazy second, she’d thought he might kiss her. Even more shocking, she’d wanted him to—had felt an odd urge to lift her hands up and draw his mouth down onto hers. What a foolish and embarrassing mistake that would’ve been!
She moved away from the wall, skirting him to stand close to where she’d dropped the duffle bags.
“Joel and Britt are like family to me,” Colton stated. “Somehow you’ve convinced them you’re telling the truth—”
“Because I am.”
“—and Joel seems pretty happy with your arrival. For the moment, this morning will remain between us. But let me make myself crystal clear. I won’t stand by while you run whatever scam you’ve got going here. I’ll be watching you like a hawk.”
Kendra reminded herself he’d interrupted her apology with his brute force tactics, and forced her chin up in a show of defiance. “There’s nothing going on, but if it makes you feel better, then watch away, towel boy.”
Her sarcastic emphasis on the last two words hit home. A flush rose along his neck to his ears. Hard to tell if it stemmed from embarrassment or anger.
“There’s a shower and a laundry room,” he growled. “I suggest you find them and use them.”
He punctuated his departure with a wall-vibrating slam of the door. Kendra’s eyes widened as she raised a hand to her hair. She blinked furiously at the mortified tears that sprang forth.
The door opened again, and she dropped her arm. When her gaze met Colton’s, she paused at the glimmer of remorse in his expression. So what. She faced him with as much dignity as she could muster and snapped, “What?”
Any sign of guilt disappeared. “Where’s my wallet?”
She dropped onto one knee to unzip her duffle bag, then stood and tossed him the worn leather. He caught it in one hand and flipped it open to take stock of the contents.
“I had forty bucks in here,” he said without looking up.
