“Did he touch you anywhere else?” The question is quiet, but it scrapes like gravel.
I shake my head quickly. “No. Not like that. He—” I swallow hard, thinking it is better to keep the threat of rape from the man quiet. Colter doesn’t need any more of a reason to be on edge. “He nearly knocked me out. That’s all.”
“That all?” Colter’s voice sharpens, cutting me open. His eyes burn into mine, wildfire rage barely unleashes. “You could have been dragged out of there. Gone before anyone knew where the hell you were. And you’re sitting here telling me that’s all?”
The stool scrapes beneath me as I shift back, his intensity like a physical force. My heart slams in my chest, fear and something else tangled together.
“I didn’t ask for this,” I snap, the words out before I can stop them. “I didn’t ask for you to drag me into your world, Colter. For any of this!”
His chair screeches against the floor as he shoves his feet, looming over me, his shadow swallowing the kitchen light. He plants his hands on either side of me, caging me in against the island. His face is a storm barely restrained.
“No, Peyton,” he grits out, voice dark and shaking with fury. “You didn’t ask for it. But now you’ve got me. And I swear to God—I’ll kill the bastard who thought he could touch you.”
The air between us crackles, charged with heat and rage and something I don’t dare name. My breath comes fast, shallow, the water glass forgotten between us.
“Colter…” I begin, voice tight, cautious. “All of this—why do people act like the Shaws are…untouchable?” Those cops at the scene treated Jackson like he was royalty.”
He leans back against the island, arms crossed, I can feel the weight behind him even though he’s making it look effortless. His dark eyes follow me, unblinking and there’s that faint dangerous smirk tugging at his mouth.
“Untouchable?” he echoes, tilting his head. “That is a good word for us. Yes. But then, when people know what the consequences for messing with us are…”
“Consequences?” I repeat, frowning. “For what?” My hands twitch, gesturing at the sprawling house, the subtle luxury threated through every corner. “People are afraid of you. Lee and Jackson jump to do whatever you say. Hell, everyone at the party tonight treated you and your as if you were both some crown royals. But why? It doesn’t make sense.”
He moves toward me, enough to make me step back instinctively. “People respect power, Peyton. And some people… they respect it even more when it isn’t obvious. When it lurks beneath the surface.”
I bite my lip. “You’re not answering me. I want to know. Is it money? Connections?” My chest tightens. “Or… is it something more? Something I’m not supposed to see?”
He tilts his chin up, expression unreadable, voice low and smooth. “I’ve learned it’s safer not to advertise certain things. People who need to know… they know. People who don’t… they never ask twice.”
I blink at him, frustration bubbling. “You’re serious? That’s it? That’s all I get?”
His gaze softens slightly, dangerous and teasing all at once. “I won’t put a target on your back by dragging you further into my world,” he murmurs, letting the words hang like a thread I can’t grasp. “Whoever attacked you tonight, did it because they were trying to get to me. The Shaw name is powerful. Feared. Revered. All those things attract enemies and enemies look for weakness. I should have left you to Oliver. Shouldn’t have interfered, but I can’t help myself. I’m drawn to you like a moth to a golden flame. You lit up the darkness the moment you stepped into my world, and I don’t want to let you go.”
“You’re world? What does that even mean?” I whisper, the unease coiling in my stomach. “News flash, Colter. The man who attacked me had been paid to get rid of me. I’m already in your world.”
His lips twitch into a small, almost imperceptible smile. “It means that some things aren’t mean to be explained. Only survived.”
I frown, heart hammering, the house suddenly too big, too silent. “Survived?”
“Exactly.” He steps closer, too close, so that I can feel the heat radiating from him. “It’s a family that doesn’t forgive easily, doesn’t forget easily… and certainly doesn’t let people who belong to it get hurt.”
I swallow hard, realizing there’s a threat in his words wrapped in a promise. “And me?” I breathe, almost a whisper. “Do I… belong to that?”
His eyes darken, intensity flaring. “You belong where I say you belong. And right now…” His hand brushes my arm, light but unyielding, “that’s enough for you to understand.”
The words are vague, infuriating, and terrifying all at once. My mind races, trying to fill in the blanks, but all I know is that I’m in his world now. Whether I want to be or not. And it seems is if it’s not a place people walk out of untouched.
27
The silence stretches between us,thick as honey. He doesn’t move, doesn’t blink, just watches me like he’s waiting for the exact second I’ll snap under the weight of him.
I should turn away. I should remind myself of Melanie, of the mess that clings to him like smoke. But when he takes another step closer, the air shifts, charged and heavy.
“You’re still not answering me,” I whisper, though my voice isn’t steady anymore.
Colter’s mouth curves. It’s not exactly a smile, more like a warning cloaked in amusement. “You’re asking questions you don’t want answer to, Peyton. But I can give you something else.”
My heart slams against my ribs. “Like what?”
