Page 264 of One More Kiss

Chapter2

I’m fillingmy water bottle at the refrigerator when the doorbell rings. I told Allie I was running late and would meet her at the gym. I should have known that she wouldn’t trust me not to crawl back into bed.

I twist the lid on the bottle and set it on the counter, then make my way to the door. Pulling it open, the snide comment I was prepared to hurl at Allie dies on my tongue.

Colton.

My jaw drops and I’m frozen in place, my eyes locked on him. Afraid if I blink, he will disappear. His brown hair is longer than the last time he was home. It hangs across his forehead, and I have to resist the urge to brush it back. The dark gray t-shirt he’s wearing under his jacket stretches across his muscular chest. Allie was right. Colton’s definitely upped his workout routine.

“Surprise.” The same smile that won me over ten years ago sends warmth pooling in my belly. My best friend is home.

I squeal and leap into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist. I inhale his earthy cologne and recognize it as the one I bought him for Christmas. And this may sound crazy, but I bought a second bottle for myself and I use it on the sweatshirt I stole from him. The one that he has no idea I have.

Colton squeezes me tight, his face buried in my neck. His lips press against my skin, sending tingles to the apex of my thighs. If he knew what just his lips on my skin is doing to me, he would probably drop me on my ass.

“It feels so good to be home, Skye. I’ve missed you.”

I don’t know how long we stay like that on my porch and I honestly didn’t care. I’ve missed him so much that not even the chilly morning air will tear me away from him.

Colton finally leans back leaving his lips a breath away from mine. “You’re shivering. Let’s go inside.”

I can think of plenty of ways that he can warm me up, but I’m a coward and will keep those dirty thoughts to myself. I’ll have to revisit them later when I’m alone in my room.

Unlocking my legs from around his waist, I slide down his thighs. I swear he groans, but when I glance at him before I move away, he clears his throat and grabs his bag, waiting for me to go inside.

Is he hurt? I don’t remember him telling me that he injured himself. What an idiot I am. I practically tackle the poor guy, and he’s probably in pain.

Before I can question him about his injury, I catch his gaze locked on my chest. I glance down and find my nipples saluting him through my sports bra. This can’t be happening. Betrayed by my damn nips. I spin and swipe my sweatshirt off the chair by the door and quickly slip it on. Wait until the girls hear about this. They will be happy to know that my nipples have a mind of their own and decided to flirt with Colton against my wishes.

“You didn’t tell me you got hurt,” I say as I walk toward the couch and drop down onto the cushion.

Colton follows and eases down next to me, leaving only inches between us. I try to focus on what he’s saying, but his close proximity causes all coherent thoughts to flee my mind. I have no idea what’s wrong with me. I’ve always been good at compartmentalizing my feelings for Colton when he’s around.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” I ask. “I got distracted for a minute. You know how I get when I don’t have my coffee.”

Colton’s hand rests on my knee, and my pulse leaps. Holy hell, I’m not going to survive this visit. He’s been here a total of five minutes, and I already want to climb him like a cat in a tree.

“I said, I would have stopped and grabbed you coffee, but I worried you would have already left for the gym. I may have broken a few speed limits to get here in time.”

“Oh.” Is the only response I can gather for his declaration. I mean, it’s not like he said he was in love with me, but the fact that he couldn’t wait to see me sends a jolt straight to my underused pleasure palace.

“So back to my original question.” Colton’s hand is still on my knee, and I’m fighting the urge to fan myself. Just that simple touch has elevated the temperature in the room by at least twenty degrees. “Why do you think that I’m hurt?”

I scrunch my face in confusion. Why did I ask if he was hurt? Focus, Skye. You’re acting like a fool. “You groaned when I jumped off you. Had I known you were hurt, I wouldn’t have tackled you on the porch. I would have kept my greeting to a formal handshake.”

Colton coughs and drags his hand through his hair as he shifts his position on the couch, seemingly uncomfortable with something. “Yeah. It was a long flight and I’m just a little stiff.”

My eyes drop to his crotch. At hearing the word stiff, my sex starved brain has taken a nose dive right into the gutter. I can feel sweat pooling between my boobs and let’s not get started on the condition of my underwear. What is wrong with me? I need to put distance between us, or I’m going to need to change my outfit.

Hopping off the couch I head to the kitchen and grab my water. I nearly drain the bottle before finally setting it down. That did not have the effect of a cold shower like I thought it would. I glance at the clock on the wall and realize I completely forgot about meeting Allie. I glance over my shoulder. “Give me a second, Colton. I need to tell Allie I’m not going to make it to the gym. I bet she thinks I went back to bed.”

I’m actually surprised Allie hasn’t already called me ten times wondering where I am. I shoot her a quick text, letting her know Colton is here and that I’ll talk to her later. Within seconds my phone chirps with Allie’s response of ‘have fun’. I stare at the screen and wait for Allie to text more but that’s it. Just ‘have fun’. Why isn’t she asking me how long he’s here or, for that matter, why he’s here? He’s never surprised me like this before, and she should be grilling me for details.

“Something wrong?” Colton asks from right behind me.

I jump, so lost in thought that I didn’t hear him cross the room. I turn and paste a smile on my face. “No. Everything’s fine.” But I am curious to know what he’s doing here. “Has something happened? I thought you weren’t able to make it home because of your schedule.”

Colton shrugs. “I had a change of plans and thought I would surprise you.”

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