On wobbly legs—thanks to the landing and what lies ahead—I ascend the steps and Colt immediately takes my hand, lacing our fingers together, his thumb stroking my palm.
Miraculously, it helps. Holding hands with this man I only met two days ago doesn’t feel odd. If anything, it’s unexpectedly pleasant. We stop by the conveyor belt, watching everybody’s luggage but ours parading around.
“I paint,” I say, dropping in some last-minute trivia. “Mostly landscapes, and I play the cello. Oh, and—”
“Relax, Addie.” He pulls me into his side, then dips his head, his warm breath flirting with my ear. “I don’t need your entire biography. We’ll be more believable if I get to say ‘you never mentioned that, baby’ and you reply with ‘now you know’.”
He heaves my suitcases onto a trolley, stacks his on top, and we’re off. I stop him again before we step through the door leading from the arrivals hall to the main airport.
“Thank you for doing this. I owe you a massive favor.”
“I’m getting you drunk ASAP. You’re more fun when you’re mellow and calling me a bellend.” He navigates the trolley with one hand, firmly holding mine in the other. “What does that even mean?”
“In slang, it’s... well, it’s the head of a penis,” I whisper in his ear. “It’s an insult.”
“Okay, rule number one. Don’t whisperpenisinmy ear.”
I stop abruptly, earning a playful eyeroll from Colt.
“What now?”
“We haven’t set any rules,” I mouth. “We need rules.”
“Too late now.” He nods at a man in black, holding a sign withMiss Audrey Westonwritten in flowing gold cursive.
“And guest,” I mutter, the blatant omission prickling my annoyance. “We’ll sort out the rules later.”
“What if there are hidden microphones?” he teases.
I elbow him under the ribs and hold my tongue. We’re too close to Felix—the limo driver—to risk a verbal comeback.
“Miss Weston, welcome home. I wasn’t expecting you to have company.” Felix tucks the sign under his arm. “If you will, sir, I’ll handle the luggage,” he adds, taking control of the trolley. “Please follow me.”
Colt cocks an amused eyebrow once Felix has turned his back, sauntering through the airport toward the exit where a sleek, black limousine waits just outside. It shouldn’t be there, but the nearby traffic warden seems not to notice the thirty-foot-long vehicle obstructing the pedestrian crossing.
I squeeze Colt’s hand tighter, a silent warning as he reaches out to open the car door. That’s Felix’s job. The man would have a stroke if he were robbed of his door-opening privileges.
We’re inside a moment later, and I immediately snatch a bottle of bubbly from the limo’s fridge, my hands still shaking. Colt has more than enough evidence to label me an alcoholic, but at this point, I couldn’t care less. I need liquid courage.
“Give me that.” He takes over, opening the champagne with a twist like a pro. With a glass each we settle into the leather back seat.
He has this gig all figured out. Not an ounce of tension in him as he casually throws an arm over my shoulders, pulling me closer, and we sit... so close that our bodies are pressed together, as if cuddling in the back of a limo is such a regular occurrence for us.
“To my first vacation in five years,” he says into my hair.
“What? Why?”
“No desire, time, or company. Make this one memorable for me, Addie.”
I clink my glass to his, feeling bolder with every tiny sip. “I’ll do my best,teddy bear.”
His response is a low chuckle. “That’s grounds for a spanking. Watch your mouth unless you want to be punished.”
My heart thuds faster and pleasant tingles slide down my arms, making the hairs stand on end. I don’t think the wordpunishmentshould have me slick between my thighs, but his husky, suggestive tone tells me I’d love whatever he has in store.
There’s no denying Colt’s a dominant type.
Everything about him screams control and power. From the way he moves to how he stares. It wasn’t so staggeringly intense before, but his warning multiplies his dominance tenfold and it presses into me from all sides.
