“How so?” he asked, rocking us side to side. I wanted to dance with him right here, and I’d never had that thought before.
“You let me take care of you, even though you’re fiercely independent.”
He hummed. “I just don’t know how.”
I squeezed him harder, making him grunt. “Then I need to show you.”
Colin turned his head to the side, bringing our lips together. We kissed in the middle of my kitchen as the dog barked and Allister wove himself around our ankles, leaving his kitty scent all over both of us.
It was romantic and felt like something I could do for the rest of my life with him. But I knew I was getting ahead of myself. There were things we still didn’t know about each other.
He released me as Bella continued to bark. “Someone needs to go out.”
“Yes,” I sighed, not wanting to stop. “I’ll be back.”
I released him, missing the connection immediately.
“I’ll make us something to eat and meet you by the pool.”
“You know how to cook?”
He smiled. “A few things. I’ll poke around and see what you’ve got.”
I kissed him again. “Deal. I food prep, so we need to shop this afternoon.”
He rolled his eyes. “Of course you do.”
I popped him on the ass and headed to the back door with Bella.
When we got back from our walk, Colin had prepared two plates of avocado toast with scrambled egg whites and tomatoes.
“This looks great,” I said, taking a seat next to him.
“Thanks. I may have overdone it a bit. I’m not used to cooking for two.”
He passed me a travel cup of coffee along with a glass of orange juice. Bella’s food sat on the concrete between us.
We dug in, enjoying breakfast as we sat oceanfront, watching the waves. There were things I’d said to him weighing heavily on my mind, and if we were going to give this thing between us a chance, I needed to apologize. And evidently, my face gave me away.
“What’s wrong? You don’t have to eat it. I should have found something else.”
I put my hand on his arm. “No, it’s great, really. I just need to explain some things to you, that’s all.”
He raised a brow. “Explain things?”
I nodded. “Yes. Things I said and why I reacted the way I did.”
Colin put down his fork and wiped his mouth. His eyes dropped to the table.
“Okay.”
I reached over and held out my hand. Colin stared at it for a moment, then slipped his into mine.
“The other night, when you told me about your relationship with Leland… I gave you the wrong impression. My ire was not at you; it was at him. You were a nineteen-year-old kid, and that asshole took advantage of you.”
He looked away and hardened his jaw. “But I initiated all of it. I’m not innocent, Carson.”
I squeezed his hand until he gave me his attention. “You may have started it, but he didn’t have to take you up on it. That’s on him. And he’s a fucking predator. You were a naïve kid thrust into a professional sport with little guidance. I’d bet you had a little hero worship, too. I just need you to know that my disgust isn’t about what you did, it’s about everything to do with him.”
