The fantasies didn’t stop there. He was not a man who was shy in bed. He could be rough and playful, sweet or dirty depending on his mood, and he kept running through every delicious scenario he could imagine of how he would taste Ophelia. Colt had never jacked off in the shower so much in his life as he had since she had moved in. He’d become as horny as some teen, getting hard at the sight of her just walking to her mailbox, or while she watered her potted plants in her backyard and he could hear her humming. The woman was a damn temptation, and if he didn’t keep his shit together, he would give in to his need.
In order to stay out of trouble, he’d been visiting the VA center almost every other day after work, and it was where he was headed now, to keep his thoughts decidedly away from the tempting girl next door.
“I think you’re coming here too often,” Nancy teased as he and Noah walked into the center.
“You can’t ever spend too much time with your fellow veterans,” he replied, and he meant it. The veterans in their country were always forgotten. They’d served and sacrificed and went silent while others whined about shit they wouldn’t even have if not for people like them who’d kept them safe. The irony was how that same tough silence meant they were increasingly overlooked—by the public and far too often by the government. The thought always made Colt furious.
“Hey, turn that frown upside down,” Nancy teased. “Tell me what’s going on. You’ve been amped up for the last couple of months.”
Colt leaned against the wall of the lobby, which had filled with veterans who came to visit Noah. “Just neighborhood shit,” he grumbled.
“Are those divorcées mowing their lawns in bikinis again? You poor baby.” Nancy’s playful sarcasm didn’t go unnoticed. “Have you ever thought about dating again? You would put off those nosy neighbors, and you might actually have a good time yourself. You weren’t born to be a monk, Colt. God gave you that body so women could enjoy it.”
He definitely wasn’t born to be a monk, but the woman he wanted didn’t deserve a casual hookup. Ophelia was the kind of girl a man married and worshiped the rest of his life, and Colt wasn’t sure he was ready for that after Talia.
“Nance, what Dean and Talia did—”
“It sucks, I know. But not every woman is like her. Most of us are pretty damn loyal and awesome.” She gave him a pointed look, and he curled an arm around her shoulders.
“You are awesome, Nance. Why don’t I just date you?”
She laughed heartily and nudged him in the ribs with an elbow. “I’m flattered, but you aren’t my type, honey. I like ’em with blond hair and blue eyes.” Her gaze betrayed her as she watched a tall blond-haired man roughing up Noah’s fur, much to the dog’s enjoyment. The man had one leg amputated below the knee, and he was wearing a prosthetic limb.
“Don’t tell me you’re shy?” Colt teased.
“Maybe a little, at least with that hottie,” Nancy admitted.
“Hey, bro!” Colt called out. Nancy gasped and tried to run away, but Colt held her in place. “Nancy here wants to go out with you.”
The man took one look at Nancy and came right over.
“I’m going to kill you, Colt,” Nancy warned before turning on her bright smile as the soldier joined them. Colt took the opportunity to retrieve Noah, and then they headed to the parking lot. He was just putting Noah in the truck when someone called his name. He closed his truck door and turned, expecting to see someone from the center.
Colt’s hands clenched at his sides as he recognized the man. Dean Griffin walked toward him, his hands held up, obviously hoping to avoid a fight.
“Hey, man, I’ve been trying to call you for months.”
“I blocked your number.” The last thing he wanted was to talk to the man who had ruined his life.
“Just give me a minute, okay?” Dean begged.
Colt looked down and saw the glint of silver on Dean’s ring finger. “You married her, didn’t you?” God, this day was going to shit fast.
“Yeah, I did, but—”
Colt threw three punches before Dean could finish. The blows sent Dean sprawling on his ass.
“Fuck!” Dean gripped his face with one hand, spitting blood. “You and your fucking haymakers, Colt, Christ. I forgot how much I hated fighting with you.” He climbed to his feet and stood there, his guard lowered. “Go ahead. Hit me, man. I owe you that.”
For a second, Colt’s pulse spiked as his blood roared in his ears, but Noah’s barking interrupted his building adrenaline. He calmed. Dean wasn’t the enemy. He was a cheating asshole, nothing more.
“I’m sorry, Colt. I fucked it all up. I betrayed you. I betrayed our friendship. I know what we had is gone, but I had to find you and tell you I’m sorry. That’s all.” Dean was quiet, honest, and for the first time Colt felt the hot anger inside him begin to fade.
“I heard you’d been looking for me. How did you find me?”
“Vets talk.” Dean chuckled. “You weren’t that hard to find. I drove two hours to get here, but it was worth it.” He held his jaw. “Well, except for that part.”
Colt sighed. “So, you and Talia?”
“Married six months ago.” Dean smiled wryly. “She’s pushing me to go after promotions.”
“You always were more ambitious than me.”
“I suppose,” Dean agreed. “Anyway, I’m sorry I surprised you.”
“It’s fine . . . now.” If he had seen Dean two months ago, Colt would have thrown more than one punch. But things had changed. He had changed. Somehow that one kiss with Ophelia had set something in motion. He wasn’t quick to change, but he was like molten lava beneath the surface, rolling, tumbling, burning, and perpetually changing inside.
“I wish things had turned out different,” said Dean.
“Yeah, but they didn’t. And maybe it’s for the best.”
Dean held out a hand to Colt, who stared at it for a long second. He thought of Ophelia and what she would want him to do, and then he placed his palm in Dean’s, giving it a shake before letting go.
“Well, I should go.” Dean nodded at him and turned to walk away.
“Take care, Dean.”
“You too, man.”
Colt gave himself a moment before he got into his truck and drove home.
It was early evening when he pulled into his driveway. Ophelia was out in her front yard, spreading mulch in the beds planted against her house. The sight of her cute butt in the air as she bent over made him smile, and he got hard thinking of all the sweet, wicked things he could to if she was bent over in front of him.
Maybe Nancy was right. Maybe he was brave enough to trust his heart to someone again. Maybe it was time.
She waved when she saw him. “Hey, Colt!” She came over, and her vibrant smile began to fade. “What happened to your hand?” She removed her gardening gloves and tossed them to the ground.
“What?” He looked down and saw the knuckles of his right hand were bruised and bloody.
“Let me see.” She took his hand and pulled it toward her. “You have a first aid kit?”
He nodded toward his place. “In the house.”