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“Oh, hey.” He greets me as if the sight of him right now isn’t making me nearly combust. “What are you doing here?”
“I h-have plans with T-Tatum.” Smooth, McKenna. Way to play it cool.
He nods but I don’t miss the way his eyes sweep over my body. While I hadn’t planned on seeing him today, I’m glad I picked one of my favorite outfits. The black skinny jeans rest perfectly on my hips and the white crop-top hangs low enough to still be tasteful. When he looks back up at my face, he smirks.
“What?”
Something familiar flashes in his eyes but it’s so short that I wonder if I imagined it. He raises his eyebrows and shakes his head.
“Nothing.”
I roll my eyes. “Whatever.”
Deciding to get what I was looking for and get out of here, I march towards the coffee maker and grab two of the disposable travel cups next to it. As I go to grab the handle of the pot, Colton’s voice startles me.
“Careful, it’s hot.”
I hear his warning but it’s a second too late. My hand meets the scorching metal and I release it with a hiss. In my haste to pull away, I stumble backwards until I land against the firm feeling of Colton’s chest. His hands instinctively grip my sides to stabilize me. As soon as his skin meets mine, the spark that I once fed off of like a drug shoots my mind into four years ago.
The long day at the beach was exactly what I needed. However, I won’t deny that this outdoor shower is what truly feels like heaven. The mixture of sunscreen and salt washes clean from my body. The fresh water is cold but contrasts nicely against the humid air.
“Do you know how hard today was?” His voice echos in the small space as he steps behind me and places his hands on my hips. “To have to look at you in that bikini and not be able to touch you? It was absolute torture.”
I spin in his arms, pressing myself to the front of him and allowing my hands to skate over his impeccably sculpted abs. “No one said you couldn’t touch me.”
“Right.” He lets out a bellowing laugh - my favorite of many. “Because I’m sure your brother wouldn’t kick my ass for laying a finger on you.”
To be honest, whenever he brings up reasons why we’re not together, it sparks a bit of anger inside of me. If he wasn’t such a coward, he would go to Maverick and tell him about us. Nothing would stop him if he really wanted to be with me the way that I want to be with him. But that’s the thing, isn’t it? He doesn’t want to be with me at all; at least not when we’re in public.
He gently grazes his knuckles down my cheek and I’m right back under his spell.
“Colton.” I breathe, lulling my head back against him.
His grip on my waist tightens and I don’t miss the way he gasps just slightly. After everything we’ve been through and all the pain he’s caused me, he still has the ability to light my nerve endings like wildfire. My subconscious is screaming at me to move but I can’t. I’m frozen in place, milking this moment for everything it’s worth. It’s been four years without his touch - four very long years.
“I-”
“Mac?” Tatum’s voice echoes through the house. “Are you ready to go?”
Whatever he was going to say is effectively cut off by the sound of my brother’s girlfriend. Within seconds, his touch is gone and he’s at least three steps away. I don’t get a moment to question anything before Tatum is standing in the doorway, looking at us like a judgmental parent.
“Everything okay in here?” She asks suspiciously.
I’m stunned into silence but Colton handles everything with a practiced ease. “Yup. We’re all good.”
He makes his way out of the room and pats her on the shoulder as he passes by. However, just before he’s out of sight, he spares one last glance at me. The way the corner of his mouth raises in an involuntary motion has my stomach doing backflips. Fuck. This isn’t good.
“What was that?”
“What was what?” I play dumb. If I’m being completely honest, I really don’t know the answer.
She looks like she wants to question it, but instead shakes her head. “Ready to go?”
I nod and follow her out of the house, hoping to leave Colton and the moment we just had completely behind me.
I SHOULD BE EXCITED to look at wedding venues. The only thing that should be on my mind is my fiancé and the fact that I’m planning the most important day of my life. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case at all. Every place we’ve looked at has been gorgeous but I can’t get my brain to focus.
The feeling of Colton’s touch lingers, staying there like he permanently branded me. No matter how many ballrooms I walk through and the amount of times people congratulate me on my engagement, nothing can wipe the memory from the very front and center place in my mind.
