“Having fun with the wedding prep?” Colter asks Mom, deadpan. His tone is uninterested. He’s simply filling the dead air brought on by our parents’ reappearance.
“I’m having an absolute blast.” It’s a good thing Mom has enough enthusiasm for both of them. “Can you believe it, Honey?” Mom takes Alistair’s hand in hers, thumbing his knuckles. “Two more days and we’re going to be married.”
I have to force myself not to groan out loud. My newfound interest in Colter aside, I still can’t get behind this.
“I can’t,” Alistair shakes his head violently. “No man ever could, knowing they’d be spending the rest of their lives with you.”
So, no answers then. More writhing and mental anguish anytime I see someone who looks suspicious…
Great.
Time floats by slowly, filled with the same meaningless chatter. Mom and Alistair being excited. Colter saying a few lines here and there, but not really adding anythingto the conversation. And me, stuck in the middle of it, wanting to hunt down secrets I’m not sure exist.
Finally, Alistair gets up and collects the glasses for a second round of drinks, but Colter declines by covering the top of his tumbler with his palm.
“Have to head out.” He looks at me, a sheepish smile hovering at the edge of his lips. “The city needs me.”
“But does it deserve you?” I say, under my breath, so only Colter can hear. A silly joke, and one I’m not sure he’ll even understand, meant to call back to our conversation from earlier.
“You can’t leave. The night’s still young,” Mom argues, snapping her eyes to a grandfather clock in the corner. The hands haven’t ticked past eight.
“Busy days ahead.” Colter starts for the door. “So much to do, so little time until your big day.”
“No trouble, I hope,” Alistair says, but the smile he wore before is gone.
“None. At least, not tonight,” Colter reassures him, but leans in to whisper, “Elias is expecting me. I’d rather not keep him waiting.”
I suspect I wasn’t meant to hear that. But why, or what significanceEliashas to them, is beyond me. My guess would be it has something to do with Saturday. A special guest, maybe, or someone who has something bigger planned for the day.
I stand to say goodbye this time, not really sure why. Maybe his comment about the greeting hug did more psychological damage than I’m willing to admit. Noticing it, Colter smirks and opens his arms wide.
I’m reluctant to give him a hug at first. For all the gawking he’s done, we haven’t actually touched one another yet. But succumbing to the pressure of our watching parents, I wrap my arms around his midsection and get my first feel of the body he keeps hidden beneath those fancy suits.
Every inch of him feels as if there’s no fat, just muscle. Flexing, firm and strong. The only thing I can compare him to is hugging stone, yet somehow, it’s awfully reassuring. The warmth of his body and the soothing rhythm of his fingers thrumming against my back help.
Holding on, it doesn’t take long for another of Colter’smusclesto join the embrace. Starting as a barely noticeable twitch, the hard slab in his pants eagerly pokes my belly in no time.
I suck in a sharp breath, inhaling his musky scent. The combination of all my senses being overwhelmed by him floods my lower half with unbelievable neediness for more.
The thought alone sets my cheeks ablaze with a blush. I am disgusted with myself at the same time.
He’s about to be my brother. This has to be wrong.
But if that’s the case, why does it feel so right?
“Gonna let go?” Colter asks after our hug lingers a little too long. I wouldn’t be able to tell if getting an erection made him uncomfortable or not by his tone.
Breaking away, I see why. He’s got a big, gloating smirk on his face. Of course he wouldn’t feel embarrassed by it. I don’t think this man is capable of any emotion other than cold, hard cool.
He steps back, and with it his eyes flick down my body. They don’t linger anywhere in particular, because our parents are standing close by. But it’s the first time I’ve noticed him look at anything other than my face.
I’m definitely reading too deeply into it, but at the same time, I enjoyed everything about this exchange way more than I should.
Chapter Nineteen
Colter
“Package came in for you,” Elias says, resting a pink plastic folder on the counter. “Voodoo said it was urgent. At least, that’s what I think he said. I don’t understand a lick of that Neo-Nova broken English bullshit.”
