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It’s been a week since the party at Maverick’s and I can’t get the thought of Roman walking in on us out of my head. If Colton didn’t trust him so much, I’d be terrified he’s going to say something to Maverick. They’ve all been friends for the same amount of time, so it’s not like he holds any more loyalty to Colton than he does Mav, other than maybe the fact that Colton is his boss. Ugh, it’s just all so frustrating.
I’m sitting at the nail salon with Ivy on one side of me and Tatum on the other. The foot bath feels amazing as the chair massages into my back. A day out with two of my favorite girls is exactly what I need.
“Oh Mac, before I forget, the bakery called to confirm your appointment for next Saturday. Parker is going with you, correct?”
My brows furrow as I try to figure out what she’s talking about, then it hits me. “The cake tasting! Right, yeah he’ll be there.”
Ivy snorts and rolls her eyes. “You’re going through a lot of trouble for a wedding that won’t end up happening anyway.” Mine and Tatum’s jaws drop as we both turn to look at her and all she does is shrug. “What? I’m just saying what no one else will. It’s Colton.”
“Exactly. It’s Colton. It’s my brother’s best friend. It’s the guy who made it so I felt like physically ripping my heart out of my chest would hurt less than the pain I was in. It’s dangerous, and reckless, and almost guaranteed to ruin me.”
“Mac…” Ivy sighs.
“Don’t.” I cut her off. “I don’t want to talk about it. I’m just trying to keep my distance for a bit. I let my guard down too much, and I need to make sure I’m protected. I can’t afford not to be.”
“Oh because avoiding him has done so well for you in the past.”
I glare at my best friend until I can’t help but smile. “I’m not avoiding him, per se. I still answer his texts. I just make excuses as to why I can’t hang out. I don’t even think he realizes anything is wrong.”
Tatum chuckles, not looking up from her phone. “I live with the guy. Trust me, he realizes.”
Okay, maybe a girls’ day wasn’t such a great idea after all. I grab the earbuds from my bag and slip them in place. The best way to not listen to their opinions on my hot mess of a love life, is to drown them out. As the beat blasts into my ears, I close my eyes and lay my head back. Now this is what I needed.
MY LEGS BURN AS they move at a faster pace than usual. I do my best to control my breathing but it’s hard. Running has always been an outlet for me. It’s a way to clear my head and allow me to focus on what’s important. The harder I push myself, the better I feel.
I arrive at the docks a full three minutes quicker than I usually do, making me smile at the accomplishment. If I keep this up, I’ll reach a five minute mile in no time. I pull the earbuds out and walk over to take a drink from the water fountain. Being in the end of June, it’s really starting to heat up outside. The breeze coming off the bay feels good against my skin. I walk over to the railing and lean against it to take in the view.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” A familiar voice says from behind me. I don’t need to turn around to know who’s standing there.
“Gorgeous.”
As Colton steps up next to me, I can feel the way my heart yearns for him. After spending a week and a half apart, I don’t know how I’ve made it this long. Every inch of my body craves him all of the time. There hasn’t been one day that’s passed where I didn’t consider throwing caution to the wind and risk getting hurt to be with him.
“How’d you find me?” I ask, still focused on the water in front of me.
“I was already down here. I just happened to see you when I was about to leave.”
I turn to face him and lean against the railing while I cross my arms over my chest. “Do you ever go to work?”
He smirks and points to himself with one finger. “Boss.”
“Mhm. That excuse can only get you so far, ya know.”
The urge to be closer to him is strong. I can practically feel his strong arms wrapped around my body, holding me tightly as he presses light kisses to my neck. My sexual frustration has reached an all time high, and I’m almost positive being near him when I’m like this is really dangerous.
He looks away from the view and catches me staring. I watch as he inhales a deep breath then lets it out. “I’ve missed you.”
“I didn’t go anywhere.”
“Mmm, but you did.” He tilts his head slightly to the side. “We spent just about every day together and then all of a sudden you’re too busy to see me? You can’t tell me you didn’t spend half this past week watching Netflix on your couch.”
I chuckle at how well he knows me. “Fair enough. So why didn’t you come over and force me to see you?”
He shrugs. “Because I figured if you were avoiding me, it was for a reason and something you had to work out on your own. I was just giving you the time and space to do that.” I go to speak but he puts one finger up to stop me. “But, it’s been a week and a half and I’m losing my mind, so I need to know. Are things over between us? Do you not want to be with me anymore?”
The thought alone of losing Colton has me shaking my head before he’s even done asking the question. “No. That’s not at all what I want.” I gesture over to a bench and he follows me, sitting closer than necessary before I continue. “When Roman walked in on us, it freaked me out. If that had been Maverick, everything would’ve gone from calm to chaos in under a minute. To be honest, I got scared.”
“Scared of what though?” He reaches over to hold my hand.
