Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93723 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93723 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
“I’m going inside.” I nod for him to move out of my way so I can climb down.
Colten hops out of the tree with little effort. I, on the other hand, make the dismount look incredibly difficult. Yes. Things have changed. I have a healthy fear of breaking something.
“I’ve got ya.” He grabs my ass as I ease down the trunk.
“I’ve got it, handsy.” When my feet hit the ground, I turn and take a step away from him.
“Listen, I should not have let it get so far at your place. The attraction mixed with so many years of not seeing you … mixed with your emotional fragility. It just all—”
“Wait.” I narrow my eyes. “My emotional fragility? Are you kidding me? There was nothing emotionally fragile about me that night or any other night for that matter.”
Colten shrugs before sliding his hands into his back pockets as the wind starts to pick up, bringing in the forecasted storms. “I assumed I caught you having a weak moment. Why else would you have sex with someone who you, in your words, ‘hate?’”
It’s a good question, but the answer is not emotional fragility. That sounds weak. I’m not weak. I’m … well, I’m not sure, but we’re going to find a more accurate word than “fragile” to use.
“Maybe I just wanted to get laid. And you ran my date off, so … slim pickings.”
A grin confiscates his entire face. “You had sex with me because I was your only choice? You’re going with that story?”
I cross my arms over my chest and lift my chin. “A true story.”
“Stop scraping your teeth over your bottom lip if you don’t want me to kiss you.”
I freeze and release my lip from my teeth. “Asshole.”
“Stubborn overthinker.” He steps toward me, hands making a play to grab my face and kiss me. That’s what has always followed “stubborn overthinker.”
I bob and weave once before running as the clouds open up and drop buckets of rain on us.
“Ahh!” I squeal, squinting against the rain as my shoes fail to grip the wet ground.
Colten grabs my arm, keeping me on my feet just seconds before I nearly land ass first in the mud. His hand slides from my upper arm to my hand.
Our fingers interlace, and he runs toward the house with me a few steps behind him.
We slip into the side garage door, me in his arms, his lips inches from mine until my dad clears his throat.
I jump right out of Colten’s hold and wipe the water from my face. “Hey … uh … we got caught in the rain.”
Dad wipes his hands on a towel. He should be in bed with Mom, not out in the garage cleaning his guns. His silence makes me feel like a child getting caught.
“Go get dried off while I have a word with Colten.”
“A word?” I chuckle. “No. I’m not twelve or fifteen. I don’t live here. And you don’t tell me what to do. If you need to have a word with Colten, then you’ll have it in front of me.”
“Fine.” Dad cocks his head and eyes Colten. “Are you screwing my daughter?”
Well, shit …
“Yes.”
“What?” I whip around, jaw unhinged while Colten keeps his steady gaze on my dad. Not so much as a flinch. “We are not…” I turn back toward my dad “…we are not in a relationship.”
“I didn’t ask if you’re in a relationship. I asked if you were screwing,” Dad says.
I say “no” again as Colten says “yes” again.
“Jesus …” I shake my head. “First, my sex life is none of your business. I’m thirty-five. But since Colten is being such an asshole about it … yes, we had sex once. And it will never happen again.”
“Is that correct?” Dad has the nerve to ask Colten for confirmation.
I’m ready to kill them both.
Colten slides his gaze from my dad to me. Face straight and unreadable.
I pivot and stomp my feet toward my dad, hands on my hips. “What is wrong with you? Why are you questioning me? Why are you questioning us? Why can’t you be a normal dad who sees something that wasn’t for your eyes and slithers out of the room in embarrassment because his daughter is a grown woman who has sex with whomever she pleases whenever she pleases?”
Immediately, I realize how bad that sounded. Still, I own it. Whatever. If I’m having sex with a new guy every night—which I would not do—that’s my business, not his.
Dad frowns.
I blow out a long breath, losing my will to let this be a big deal when it’s not. I’m leaving in the morning. What’s the point? “I had an itch. Colten scratched it. End of story.”
His frown deepens.
“I never would have cheated on her,” Colten says.
“W-what?” Did I hear him right?
This has become a private conversation between my dad and Colten. Neither one will look at me. It’s like I’m not here.