Page 23 of Endurance

“I’m going to use the ladies’ room before we head out,” Rylee announced with a pointed look at Kallie.

“I think I will, too,” Kallie immediately replied, and both she and Rylee stood from their seats.

After they walked away, I turned to Colton.

“Why do they always go to the bathroom in pairs? It’s fucking weird.”

Colton laughed.

“Not weird at all. I’m pretty sure Ryles planned that after the way you snapped at Kallie. My guess? She’s in there explaining your shitty behavior.”

“I didn’t snap.”

“Yeah, you did. I felt that arctic chill from across the table. Cut the girl some slack. How is she supposed to know about what happened?”

I looked in the direction of where the two women disappeared and blew out an aggravated sigh.

“I suppose I owe her an apology,” I murmured more to myself than to Colton.

My friend laughed again.

“An apology is a start. I mean, yeah. She’s your PR rep, but it’s more than that. You’ve got it bad for this girl. I’ve never seen you like this.”

“No need to point out the obvious. I don’t get it either. I barely know her—not that I knew any of the other women I was with all that well either. But Kallie is different somehow.” I paused and pursed my lips together, trying to find the words to explain the unexplainable. “I know what you’re thinking, and you can say it. I’m fucked up.”

“Nope. I think it’s voodoo pussy.”

“Jesus, Colton. I haven’t even been with her in that way. Yeah, it’s like she put a spell on me, but there’s no magical pussy taking hold of my dick—at least not yet.”

“It doesn’t matter. It was like that with Ryles and me. I saw her and immediately wanted her. There was no rationalization for why I couldn’t get her out of my head. It just was. I’m not saying what’s going on with you and Kallie is anything like Rylee and me but trust me on this—if you want a chance to find out, you probably need to be a little nicer.”

The waiter returned with my credit card, and as I put it back in my wallet, I considered Colton’s words. Before my accident, I was never a big drinker, and I never took drugs. Sex was my only vice. I’d had more than my fair share of women, but I wasn’t a playboy. I merely appreciated the high that came with being buried deep inside a beautiful woman. It was an instant stress reliever.

After the accident, I’d felt more alone than ever before in my life. Colton had been the only one dumb enough to stick around and put up with my miserable ass. When I found out I couldn’t race again, I’d used alcohol and painkillers to dull the physical and mental ache no doctor could heal in an operating room. I shut out everyone and anything that reminded me of my previous life, including my ability to get laid with just a snap of my fingers. Depression took over, and I’d assumed no woman would want a broken has-been. In the process, I’d mastered the art of being an asshole.

Then Kallie showed up at my door.

A part of me wondered if the only reason I felt so drawn to her was that she was the first woman I’d allowed myself to be around for more than a passing minute since the crash. I wasn’t certain, but I would have to heed Colton’s advice and start being a little nicer to Kallie if I wanted to find out.

8

Kallie

Istood in front of the restroom mirror and reapplied a thin layer of gloss to my lips. Rylee walked up next to me, leaned her hip against the counter, and gave me a small smile.

“I’m not sure what you’re thinking, but I want you to know that Sloan isn’t normally a complete jerk,” she said.

“No. I don’t think he’s a total jerk. But I do think he’s arrogant and assuming.”

“Still mad about the kiss he planted on you this morning?”

“You know about that?” I asked, feeling shocked and embarrassed at the same time.

“Colton might have mentioned it,” she admitted with a knowing grin. “I have to say, I’ve never seen Sloan act like this before. You had him tongue-tied quite a few times over dinner.”

“I don’t know about that. He didn’t seem to have any issue biting my head off just now.”

“Don’t hold it against him. There’s a reason he turned cold there at the end. Once you get to know the real Sloan, you’ll understand why he reacts the way he sometimes does.”

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