AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My mom laughs. “I don’t think your mother would be too happy to hear that.” She gives him a loving hug, and I don’t miss the way she speaks lowly as she pulls away. “You need to tell her.”
It’s clear her words were only meant for him, but my curiosity gets the better of me as she walks away and Colton takes the seat beside me. “Tell who what?”
He looks like he’s hiding something behind those oceanic eyes of his, but instead of explaining, he shakes his head. “It’s nothing. How’s your evening? Are you enjoying yourself?”
I nod. “Definitely. It’s crazy how big this thing has gotten over the years. I still remember hearing you and Maverick plan the first one.”
Dusting the sand off his knees, he snickers. “Nah, this was all Mav. I was just the best friend who always got roped into his crazy ideas.”
“He’s had some wild ones, hasn’t he? Like the time that he made you and Roman go with him to try and find elephant ear leaves and girls who would fan you with them.”
He throws his head back and groans while laughing. “Don’t remind me. That was the day I got a milkshake poured over my head.”
“Classic.” I tease. “That should happen more often.”
Colton glares playfully. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
The corners of my mouth raise into a smirk. “I mean, I can think of better ways to cover you in chocolate.”
His breath hitches and his pupils widen, showing his arousal. “Fuck, Mac. You can’t just say things like that.”
“And if I do anyway?”
“I’m sure I can find somewhere around here to sneak you away to.”
There are so many things that turn me on about the concept of us running off to fool around. I’ve been craving the feeling of his hands on my skin for a week now, and since the second I got here, my core has been aching.
I survey the area before looking back at him. “Think your car would be safe enough?”
“Don’t fuck with me, Princess.” He growls.
Giving him a wink, I get up and start walking toward the parking lot. After five steps, I turn around to see he’s still sitting in place. “Are you coming?”
He gets up and follows me without another word. The two of us are all laugher and smiles as we make our way to his car, which thankfully, has tinted windows. Colton reaches over to tickle my side, causing me to jump out of his reach, giggling like a school girl. If there weren’t hundreds of people able to see us right now, I’d leap into his arms and have him carry me the rest of the way while I kiss his neck.
“Keep your hands to yourself, Brooks.” I tease.
“Yes, Brooks. Please keep your hands to yourself.”
The British accent has me stopping dead in my tracks. My head whips over to see Parker standing no more than twenty feet in front of me. I swallow hard as I try to gauge his expression – stoic.
“P-Parker, hey.” I try to gain control of my breathing. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
He grins. If he has any idea of what’s been going on between Colton and I, he doesn’t show it as he walks toward me and wraps his arms around my waist. “I wanted to surprise you. Were you leaving?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Colton looking just as uncomfortable as I feel. Still, he comes to my rescue when the words get caught in my throat. “No. McKenna was just coming with me to get something out of my car, but you two go enjoy the party. I can get it.”
“Are you sure?” My eyes are begging to know if he’s okay.
He nods. “Of course. Parker has never been to one of these. Go show him around.”
With that, Colton runs his fingers through his hair and continues his trek to the parking lot. I glance up at my fiancé, only to find him smiling down at me. I should be happy he’s here, but the feeling I get as I look at him does little to ease the stabbing pain in my chest from seeing the hurt expression on Colton’s face.
This is not the time, McKenna. Not right now.
My subconscious is right. I shake the thought from my head and plaster on the best smile I can manage. “Come on. I’m sure everyone will be happy you’re here.”
LONG AFTER THE SUN has set, the DJ announces last song and the crowd starts to clear out. Instead of going with them, Maverick, myself, and our closest friends all head toward the fire. Since the second year this event became big, we’ve made it a tradition to stay later. With Roman being on the fire department, they leave him in charge of one of the trucks and allow us to keep the fire going as long as we want.
