Colton’s hand slips up my back until it’s wrapping around the back of my neck. He pulls me down to him and seals my words with a deep kiss, conveying everything that he’s not ready to say out loud.
“Come on,” I tell him when we finally break apart. “You must actually be hungry. What do you want? I can make pancakes or bacon and eggs.”
“You know I have staff that does that for me.”
“Ha,” I scoff. “You’re looking at her.”
“Babe,” he says with a low groan as I grab his hand and pull him up from the couch. “You know I don’t actually look at you as one of my staff, right? You’re my girlfriend who just happens to clean my place in the sexiest little outfits.”
I raise my brow as I search around for my sweatpants. “The fuck are you talking about?” I question. “It’s not like I’m getting around in those tiny little maid outfits with my ass showing and hooker heels. I’ve only ever worn sweatpants and whatever tank I can find that has the least stains on it.”
“I know, but it’s fucking sexy. The way you dance around with your earphones in, forgetting that everyone can see you. It’s you and it’s real. It’s not like the others who wear those ridiculous uniforms. They look so robotic, but if you wanted to get one of those sexy maid outfits and wear it for me, I’m down for that ...”
“Careful,” I tell him, dragging him into the kitchen and trying to ignore his last comment before I allow him to bend me over the kitchen counter and fuck me senseless. “You’re drooling.”
He rolls his eyes. “Is it that hard for you to just accept a compliment when you hear one?”
“Yeah,” I laugh. “It really is.”
He shakes his head as I go about the kitchen, grabbing all the things that I’d only just put away an hour ago. “Actually, I think I'll get rid of the uniforms. It’s so formal—too fucking formal. That’s not the vibe I want when walking around my home. That’s one of those bullshit rules Dad brought in after he fucked one of his maids and she claimed sexual harassment in the workplace. It was probably his way of punishing her and enjoyed making everyone else suffer right along with her.”
I stare at him with my mouth hanging wide. “Your dad really was a creep.”
He laughs, coming to stand by me. “Trust me, you haven’t heard the half of it.”
“I can’t wait,” I tell him, reaching across him to grab the large mixing bowl and looking over everything I have before me, trying to figure out what I’ve forgotten. Eggs, butter, milk, baking powder ... “Ahh,” I say, grabbing the eggs and cracking them against the side of the bowl. “Could you grab the flour and vanilla extract?”
He gives me a blank stare as I put the broken eggshells aside. “The what?”
I raise a brow and look back at him. “You don’t know what flour is?”
He rolls his eyes. “I’m not fucking stupid. I know what flour is,” he says, darting across to the pantry and quickly scanning the shelves before grabbing the packet. “What’s the other shit you need?”
I roll my eyes and step across to the pantry to join him, realizing it’s going to be a hell of a lot quicker to get it myself than have to explain it to a guy like Colton. He’s so fucking smart and business-minded but shove him in a kitchen and he’s a lost little boy.
I measure up all my ingredients from memory while ignoring the way Colton stares at me dumbfounded. “How do you know how to do this?”
“Make pancakes?” I question, dumping in all the ingredients and grabbing my whisk.
“Cook in general,” he says. “Did your mom teach you?”
I press my lips together and look down at the mixing bowl, making sure to get all the lumps. “She taught me a little but truth be told, she was always out working and I was left at home to figure it out. It wasn't until Nic started hanging around that I really started to learn. He's a bit of a whiz in the kitchen,” I say, feeling the heaviness of all the amazing memories come rushing in. “He didn’t like the idea of me cooking the same three meals over and over again. He taught me that just because you have to eat cheap, doesn't mean you have to eat like shit. Best lesson I ever learned. All the boys kinda taught me a little something when it comes to cooking, except Kai. He can’t cook to save his life which is why he’s fucking around all the time, hoping the girl will feed him before he fucks her off in the morning. That kid has eaten way too much take out for his own good. If the grilled chicken place wasn’t down the road from him, he’d probably starve.”
Colton drops his elbow onto the counter and he brushes my hair back over my shoulder. “You really miss them, don’t you?”
My whole world comes crashing down as the emotions begin to overwhelm me and I find myself unable to meet his eyes, afraid that my truth will hurt him in some sort of way.
Seeing the mess his question put me in, he steps into me and pulls me deep into his arms. “I hate that you’re hurting, Jade,” he whispers, resting his chin above my head. “I’m not going to lie to you and say that I love that they’re such a big part of your life, because I don’t. I don’t like them, but I’ll tolerate them for you. I hate the way Nic put his hands on you and left you bruised and I hate the way you’re always so hurt every time you come back from seeing them, but if making things right with them and learning to forgive and forget is going to bring back your smile, then go to them and talk it out.”
“I …” A heavy breath escapes me and I force myself to hold back my tears. “I’m not ready to forgive them and I sure as hell will never forget.”
“You don’t have to forgive them, Ocean, not if they haven’t done anything to earn it, but you can talk to them and make your pain go away. I hate seeing you so down about this.”
I step out of his arms and meet his eyes. “You really think so?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’d prefer to spend my day buried deep inside of you, but you need to do this. You need those dickheads in your life. Just go and talk. You don’t have to come to any conclusions, but let them know where you stand, and hell, maybe give Sebastian a fucking hug or something … anything to get that fucker to stop calling every phone in my fucking house.”
I raise a brow. “He’s been calling the house?”
Colton doesn’t reply but his unimpressed scoff is answer enough. “Here,” he says, stepping across the kitchen and pressing his hand against the small screen that’s been built into the marble countertop. His hand is scanned and a second later, a small drawer pops out, displaying an impressive array of car keys. He picks up a small key and places it in my hand. “Take the Audi and go see them. Make it right or don’t, it doesn’t matter. Just go and see them and heal whatever part of your heart it is that’s been aching for them.”
I raise my chin and meet his eyes, curling my hand around the keys. “Are you sure?”
He dips his head and gently brushes his lips over mine. “I'm sure, but if I don’t hear from you throughout the day, I’m coming down there and bringing your stubborn ass home.”