After another round of mind-blowing sex, I settle down next to Colton on his bed. He holds me tight, stroking my long hair with his fingertips. "I think I could stay here all day like this," I say, sighing contentedly.
"Then stay."
"Buddy and Shelby will kill me if I bail on them on a Saturday night." I sit up and look down at him. "Are you gonna come into the bar later?"
"I have a better idea. How about you meet me right here," he says with a sly grin while patting the mattress underneath us, "after you're done with work?"
I kiss his sweet lips and then say, "That sounds perfect."
I stand up; but before I can walk away, Colton grabs my hand and pulls me down for another kiss. "I miss you already," he whispers against my mouth.
A smile spreads across my face, and I can feel the butterflies fluttering in my stomach. As of this moment, I can't remember the last time I was so happy. The bumpy road it took to get here was all worth it in the end, and I'm glad I stuck it out and never gave up.
I get dressed quickly with a big, goofy grin on my face. All my trepidations about Colton went right out the window after this afternoon. For the first time since I arrived back in town, I feel like I'm finally going to get my Colton back. I know he could feel the love between us just as much as I could. I could see it in his eyes and feel it in the way he touched me. He made love to me like I was the most precious thing in his world. And I'm starting to think that maybe I am.
"See you later," he calls as I leave his bedroom and venture back to my apartment.
I sigh when I close the door and glance at the clock hanging on the wall. I'm going to be counting down the seconds of my shift until I can see him again.
Yep. I'm deliriously in love with Colton James Crawford…again.
* * * * *
COLTON
I'M WAITIN' PATIENTLY for Penny to get off of work. I cooked her a late dinner that I hope she'll like. The casserole is keepin' warm in the oven. The wine is poured, and I even placed a candle in between the two plates. I'm usually not a romantic; but in this case, Penny is the ultimate exception.
A knock is at my front door, and my stomach does a flip.Penny.
I have to force myself not to run as I pull open the door with a big smile on my face. My smile instantly fades, however, as I see Ruby Sue on my doorstep. She's obviously been cryin' given the amount of mascara and black eyeliner runnin' down her cheeks.
"Colt," she whispers, her voice crackin'. "Can I come in?"
I step aside and allow her to walk past me. I promise myself not to let her stay for long. I really want to see Penny tonight, and I don't need any complications screwin' it up. I have a lot I want to talk to her about, includin' some things in my past that I never wanted to bring up until I met her. I want to know what we were like together. I want to know a lot of things, and only she can provide the details. I'm officially breakin' my rule of not talkin' about the past.
"Are you okay?" I ask Ruby Sue as she helps herself to a seat on my couch.
She shakes her head vigorously as she sobs in a fistful of crumpled tissues. "Tom broke up with me."
Her words catch me off guard. So she's havin' boyfriend problems and decided to visit the guy she was sleepin' with to console her?Lord have mercy. I didn't even know she had a boyfriend or that she was sleepin' with anyone at the same time we were fuckin'. Shakin' my head in disbelief, I ask, "Tom, your boss from the tattoo shop?" Tom is the one who did my tribal tattoos. Hell of a nice guy. I just didn't know we were bangin' the same chick. I guess we had more in common after all.
She nods, sobbin' harder.
Some guys can resist when a girl cries, but not me. Tears are like Kryptonite to me. They render me powerless. And so I find myself sittin' down next to her, rubbin' her back in an attempt to calm her down. "It's all right, Ruby Sue. I'm sure he's not worth all this cryin'." I guess that was the right thing to say. I have no fuckin' clue.
"I feel like such an idiot for showing up here." She looks up, wipin' away her streaked makeup with a ball of tissues. "I didn't have anywhere else to go. I'm sure you think I'm a whore now," she says, her voice breakin' with another gut-wrenchin' sob.
"No," I lie. I wasn't exactly bein' totally honest with her about Penny, but at least I wasn't fuckin' both of them at the same time. I haven't slept with Ruby Sue since before Penny got back into town. It's not like I was cheatin' like Ruby Sue obviously was. "I didn't realize you were seein' anybody else," I confess.
"I know. I'm sorry. I should have told you. You just always said we weren't exclusive, so I didn't think it was that big of a deal."
Well, she's got me there. I did tell her that. Countless number of times. But why did she act so damn jealous when Penny started workin' at the bar? She made a damn show of stakin' her claim on me, but she obviously didn't extend me the same courtesy since she was fuckin' around behind my back.
"Can I use your bathroom?" she asks.
"Sure. You know where it is."
I watch her disappear down the hall, and I lean back in the couch. "Shit," I sigh out loud. I need a beer. Standin', I walk to the fridge and get out two bottles of beer, figurin' that she probably could use one too. Penny should be here any minute. I'm already plottin' in my head what I'm goin' to tell her. Ruby Sue just dropped by. Nothin' happened. And nothin' is ever goin' to happen. She's just here as a friend. Surely Penny would understand. I mean, Penny was hangin' out with Tucker even when she obviously had feelings for me. She has to see where I'm comin' from…right?
