The circles quicken. The pressure deepens. My body climbs with every movement, every touch, a spark that ignites the next. I moan his name, my body tense and trembling.
But then—
Pain.
It tears through my side, sharp and sudden, like a blade carving into me.
“Ahhh,” I groan, my body twisting.
Colt immediately rips his hand away, eyes wide. “Shit, baby! What is it? Are you okay?”
I clutch my stomach, the pain radiating from the exact place where that damn pole impaled me. It feels like something’s tearing open inside me.
Colt’s already pulling my tank top up, his face tight with worry. “Let me see.” He scans the area. No blood. No visible damage. Just angry red welts where healing scar tissue stretches under strain.
“There’s nothing there,” I whisper. “I think it was just the muscles… maybe the incision tugged a little.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Just a second of pain. The rest…” I lean in to kiss him, needing that connection again. “It was amazing.”
But he pulls back, jaw tight. “Fuck, Dee. I said I’d be careful, and I still hurt you,” he mutters, dropping to his back, one hand dragging through his hair. “I should’ve stopped the moment I felt that hesitation. But no, I had to let my dick steer the ship.Again. I’m such a fuckwit.”
“Colter,” I say, rolling toward him. “You are not a fuckwit. I begged younotto stop, remember?”
He exhales hard, turning onto his side to face me. Slowly, reverently, he lifts my tank again and lowers his head, kissing along the scar. One kiss. Then another. His lips whisper apologies his voice doesn’t say. His fingers gently stroke the area, grounding me with his touch.
“I’m not doing that again,” he murmurs, voice low and firm. “No more chances to mess this up. Kissing only, for now. No exceptions.” He kisses my forehead, sealing the vow.
I nod, lips pressed into a thin line. Truth is, I’m throbbing between my legs, every nerve singing for him—but I know he’s right. The ache in my abdomen says so too.
Maybe I wasn’t ready.
Maybe I wanted to be.
Still, I can’t help wanting him.
“Okay. New subject,” he says, voice softening. “Wedding. Who do you want standing with you?”
Just like that, my heart sinks.
Anna.
“I always thought Anna would be my maid of honor,” I admit quietly. “But I’ve probably blown that to hell.”
“You haven’t,” Colt says gently. “You miss her, even if it’s hard right now.”
I stare at the ceiling, the weight of it all pressing on me. “I’m struggling, Colt. She has everything I thought I’d have. I know it’s not fair to resent her, but… for some reason, I do.”
“Do you want a baby now?” he asks, no judgment in his tone.
Do I?I’m not sure.Is it grief? Envy? Hope?
“I don’t know,” I say. “Maybe not now. But maybe after the wedding, we can start thinking about it?”
“Then we’ll do that. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll make it happen.” There’s a light in his eyes now, something pure and full of hope. “I can’t wait to have a baby with you, Dee, even if it’s through a surrogate, even if we have to fight for it. I want that. Half me. Half you.”
I laugh through a watery smile. “You really want to jump into it?”
