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A splitting stare rips through me. “Why do you ask that?”
“I don’t know,” I shrug, dodging Colt’s sudden irritation. “It’s fun for a few days… but I’m notlivinghere, am I? This tea is unique to me; it’s special. But doing this day in, day out… That’s part of the reason I was so excited to come up here. Break the monotony of every day being the same old thing, you know?”
Colt’s face is stiff, he’s glaring at me with a scowl creeping into his eyes. I swallow the hot tea, dodging his intense stare as he slams the paper down. Fuck. Is this another one of his sudden mood changes? What the hell? I’m wondering what I’ve said that’s pulled the smile from his lips.
“This is my life,” Colt grunts, his voice snapping through the tension.
“I know it is… I’m not saying-”
I take a moment to think, reading the venom between his words.
Not for the first time, I begin to wonder… is he truly happy? All this talk ofwhat’s mine is yours, but is it really? Would he give any of this up for me if I asked? If I bared my true feelings to him, would he consider adapting his life to suitourneeds?
I’ve loved every moment of these few days. Cooking. Hunting. Exploring. It’s been wonderful.
But could I do it every single day?
Maybe. I love him. I love him.
“Not saying what?” Colt prompts me, catching my state of deep thought.
I look at him, recalling everything we’ve done. He’s so damn tempting, I struggle to find a reason not to tell him how I feel despite the fight raging in my mind. His rugged good looks are harder to miss than before, his chiseled jawline and rough stubble so irresistible. He’s grown in strength, even since I’ve been here, watching the confidence in the way he moves. This is a man I grew up around, a man I know better than anyone in the world.
I’m drawn to him. I want him to hold me. Touch me. Feel me.
I want Colt. Heart and soul. Forever and ever.
Shit.
Maybe that’s all that matters?
“I know this is your life,” I lean in, sliding a hand over his knee and smiling. “And I think your life is amazing, Colt.”
His eyes flash and he almost smiles before his face straightens out again. “I might take a look at that vehicle for you. We’ll be waiting God knows how long for the mechanic otherwise.” He smacks the report with the back of his hand and looks up at me. “And then, judging by the amount of red crosses on here, it seems I’d better get to work on fixing this shit heap of a cabin.”
He pushes off the chair and dips down to kiss me, lingering longer than usual. My eyes close, drinking his touch in, before slowly, Colt disappears out the door without another word.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Colt
“Passmeanothernail,please sweetheart,” I say, the hammer in my hand gripped tight.
Hannah flicks through the box of old nails I’ve straightened out over the years. Pulling bent, rusty nails from old timber fences saved me a lot of money when I first moved up here. The hours I passed, sitting next to the fire, hammering twisted nails straight again was time well spent.
“I didn’t know you kept an antique collection,” Hannah smirks, her fiery hair swirling in the breeze.
I grab the nail and hold it steady over the new decking board, my giant shadow cast across the day’s hard work.
It’s been perfect, working in the gentle heat of the sun all day.
Of course, pretending to look over her car isn’t exactly ‘perfect’. There is no fixing it, but I haven’t had the guts to tell her what I did. I haven’t told her there is no mechanic. It’s one lie after the other, but it’s all for her.
I can’t risk losing her.
“Shut up. They’re not antique.” Hannah’s brows flick up at me, her gorgeous face suddenly playful. “It would do the humans of the world good to start reusing old supplies. Recycle. Reuse. Instead of mass producing all this ‘stuff’ all the time.”
I start hammering, once, twice until the long piece of timber is secure. I give it a wiggle and no movement has me leaning back on the balls of my feet, smiling.
