Everyone in the room is waking and watching.
“For fuck’s sake, Colt, snap the fucking hell out of it and realize what you’re doing. Dee’s here. She came here to help you, and you pretend like it’snot fucking real. Then, to top it the fuck off, you damn well hurt her. You’re afuckingdisgrace. I’ve had it up to here with you, you arsehole! You deserve everything you fucking get,” Johnny berates and walks off to another room.
I have never,everseen Jonny this irate.
Colt looks up and notices me standing in the doorway. He rubs his nose aggressively, his eyes searching the room. “I need it! Just one hit. It’ll get rid of her,” he says.
A switch flips inside me.
Colt’s looking for a baggie, and I’ll be damned if he takes that shit in front of me. My legs move before I tell them they are allowed to, and I storm over to him as he searches the room, mumbling, “I need to get rid of her.”
I pull on his shoulder, spinning him around. He’s off balance, so he stumbles slightly, and I can’t hold back as I tighten my fist and thrust it forward into his gut.
He exhales loudly as he hunches over.
“For God’s sake, get a fucking grip, Colt. Look at you! Look at what you’ve become. You’re not the man I fell in love with.You’renothinglike him. I don’t know this new version of Colt, and I don’t intend to. I’m fucked if I know why I even bothered,” I say and turn to walk out.
“Dee?” he asks, and I turn back. He’s looking at me, and I note a small spark that was missing before.
“Baby, are you here? Is thatreallyyou?” he asks, straightening and walking over to me.
Finally!He’s realized that this isn’t all some fucked up dream.
“No illusion could punch that hard.” His hand comes up and caresses my cheek, and the relief that floods his face is evident as his bottom lip quivers and his eyes well up. I lean into his touch as I see a glimpse ofmyColt returning in his eyes.
“I’m here,” I reply, resting my hand on his as he caresses my cheek.
Colt exhales, his breath warm against my lips as he rests his forehead against mine, his dazed, searching eyes locked on me. He leans in, so close my breath catches, my pulse hammering beneath my skin. I close my eyes as his lips brush mine—soft, hesitant, like he’s afraid I might disappear. The kiss is gentle at first, our mouths barely moving, testing, remembering. But then my lips part, and his tongue slides against mine, coaxing, claiming.
He doesn’t taste like Colt.
Not the Colt I know.
The fresh, minty taste of him is gone, replaced by something darker—stale liquor, tobacco, regret.
But I don’t care.
I let him kiss me. And I kiss him back.
His hand slides to my hip, fingers digging in just enough to make my skin tingle, and he pulls me against him, body to body, heat to heat. A shiver races up my spine, goose bumps exploding across my skin. My fingers rush into his hair, tugging, anchoring, holding his face to mine as our kisses turn hungrier,needier. Months of loneliness, of missing him, of aching for this—every ounce of it pours into this moment.
We don’t just kiss.
We devour.
Our breathing is harsh, ragged, and then he moves—walking me backward, step by shaky step, like he can’t bear to let go even for a second.
I don’t know where we’re going. I don’t care.
Distant chuckles reach my ears, but they barely register. Nothing exists outside of him.
We reach the penthouse suite door, and Colt finally pulls away, his chest rising and falling, his lips swollen from our kiss. But his smile?It’s radiant. Overwhelming. Like I’m the only thing in the world that matters. He opens the door, gripping my hand like he’s afraid I’ll slip away, and pulls me inside.
Just before the door closes, I glance back at Anna, who’s grinning, eyes shining, like she knew this would happen all along.
Colt tugs me deeper into the suite, his urgency crackling in the air. When we reach the bedroom door, he turns, pulling me flush against him, trapping me between his solid frame and the hardwood. His lips crash into mine again, this time hotter, deeper, a desperate, consuming kiss that sends my world spinning. Before I know it, I’m stumbling backward into the room, laughter bubbling from my lips as he follows.
His fingers find the hem of my shirt, tugging it up, over my head in one smooth motion. Then he pauses. Smiling. Drinking me in like I’m the first good thing he’s seen in forever.
