Page 54 of Crazy for You
Warmth radiated throughout my body as desire pooled between my thighs. Colton did like me. He found me sexy.Best day ever.
“I’m sorry you had to witness the fight with my old man last night.”
It seemed so long ago. “No need for an apology. Families fight.” Although I’d never seen a parent flat out punch his kid like Mr. Caldwell had.
Before my brain caught up with my actions, I grabbed Colton’s hand, praying he didn’t pull away or run like he had at the cemetery.
One or five minutes passed, I didn’t know for sure, but when we reached a barrier of rocks, indicating the end of the line, Colton’s hand was still tethered to mine.
He guided us up along the rocks toward the last house standing. It appeared empty with a “for rent” sign tacked to the deck.
Before my thoughts could take a trip down memory lane, Colton stopped and gave me the most loving look.
I swallowed one gasp, and then another when he grabbed my chin gently and tenderly, eyeing my mouth as though it was the most interesting thing he’d ever seen.
Whoa!If he kissed me, I was sure to self-combust.
The more he studied me, the more the air around us seemed to flare as though we were in our own little bubble. That blank mask he’d always worn was nonexistent. In its place were emotions galore, but one that stood out like a shining beacon on a dark night was lust.
His big brown orbs darted back and forth, and the longer we stood alone at the end of where the sand met rock, where my heart was blasting off into outer space, and where my legs were becoming weaker by the second, the more this guy was stealing a part of my soul.
I flattened my hands on his chest to stabilize myself in the event my knees gave out.
When I did, he briefly closed his eyes and shivered. “I can’t do this anymore, Skyler.” His words were a whisper on the wind.
I licked my dry lips. “Do what?”
It was crystal clear we were attracted to each other, that he was straining against his resolve not to take me right there.
He leaned down, snaked his arm around my waist, holding me like I was his lifeline, and pressed his forehead to mine. “I’m a fucking mess.”
“We all are.” Because as humans, we were. Not all the time, but we each had struggles and problems and regrets.
“Not like me,” he said.
My chest rose as high as the swell of a large wave. Words were on the tip of my tongue, but I was afraid to say something stupid.
He traced circles on my bare lower back. I’d left my tank top off like I usually did when leaving the beach. “I want to kiss you. I want to do things to you and with you that I’ve been dreaming about ever since I saw you at the Latte House.”
A heady feeling coursed through me, giving me the courage to say, “Then what are you waiting for? Kiss me like you mean it. Lose that control you said you had.”
He moved away, shoving both hands through his wet hair.
My stomach clenched, my eyes wide, and my ego black and blue. Nausea was on the precipice of crawling up my throat. If these were the feelings I had to endure to like a guy, I wasn’t ready to take the plunge.
He paced in short, violent strides, his bare feet pounding into the sand.
I took one faltering step toward him, then another until my trembling hand latched onto his steely forearm.
He flinched as though he’d made a mistake in telling me how he felt. As much as his actions were gutting me and injuring my heart and ego, he needed a friend.
Then I remembered what Georgia had said:He said you were the one that talked him down last night. Whatever you said, say it again.
“You’re a good person, Colton Caldwell.”
He jerked up his head, his expression soaked in turmoil.
“You are.” I put more emphasis behind that statement.
