“Babe …”
“No, Nic. You need to go. I’m late for class and I just … I can’t do this right now. I need to think.”
He takes a heavy breath and meets my eyes with regret shining so fucking brightly that it hurts. “I’m sorry, O. Please know that it wasn’t my intent to hurt you, I just wanted to rattle Carrington a bit. If I knew … I never would have done it.”
I nod and we hold each other’s gaze for a minute too long before he reluctantly steps back. “Time,” he murmurs.
I nod and he takes another step followed by another until he finally turns and walks away, leaving me a fucking mess of emotions.
Chapter 14
I walk through the door of the Carrington mansion completely deflated. Today sucked, like really sucked. I went to school thinking I could forget about everything Nic had done. What a joke that was.
Sure, there were a lot of things I expected to happen today. A million phone calls, text messages, hell even the odd email or two. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine Dominic Garcia storming through the cafeteria of Bellevue Springs Private School and forcing my hand in front of the entire student body. Then after that, I had to spend the rest of my afternoon dodging questions from Jess and Drix, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
I wasn't ready to see him. Not in the least, but I should have known. That was stupid of me. This new version of Nic is unpredictable. He's wild and out of control. I should have known that he'd shit all over the limits I'd put in place. I’ll be better prepared next time because, with Nic, there’s always a next time.
I don't even know who he is anymore but one thing is for sure, the old Nic no longer exists, at least, I don’t think he does. Seeing the look in his eye today told me that maybe he’s still in there, buried deep, deep below the surface, but it’ll take a miracle to find it. Someone needs to save him and I’m not sure I have the power to do it anymore, especially now that the Widows have completely taken over his life. He's changing by the day, by the second, constantly getting darker. He needs someone who can balance that out.
Heartache sits heavy on my shoulders as I make my way through the mansion, searching out the one person who could effortlessly put a smile on my face. I go by his office first and for the first time since taking over for his father, he’s not in there.
My face scrunches up in confusion. For Colton not to be busily reading over a contract or in the middle of a business deal means that something is up.
I hope he’s alright.
I start searching the mansion, starting with his bedroom and then the kitchen, because why not take a nap or stop for a treat every now and then? Not finding him, I look a little deeper, checking the living spaces and all of the meeting rooms.
Damn it. Is he even here? Maybe he headed out for the afternoon.
Giving up, I start heading out to the pool house, pulling my phone out to send him a quick text when a soft grunt comes from down the hall.
My brows furrow as I spy the entrance to the home gym.
What the fuck is he doing in there? Not once since being here has he ever worked out in the afternoon. He's a morning guy. He’d prefer to skip a good sleep-in and spend torturous hours working out in the gym, getting all sweaty, and making his body ache. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the occasional exercise, but if I’m going to get sweaty at six in the morning, it’s going to be from nasty, wild sex.
Stopping by the entrance of the gym, I peer through the open door before propping myself against the frame as my mouth begins to water. Colton hangs, shirtless, from the pull-up bar with his back to me, slowly lowering himself with a practiced control that has his strong muscles bulging to perfection.
With ease, he pulls himself back up and everything in his back squeezes, causing a waterfall of epic proportions to form in my panties. His tanned skin shines with a sheer layer of sweat and I do everything in my power not to walk in there and tear him down from the bar and screw him senseless.
After finishing his set, Colton releases the bar and drops to the ground, silently landing on the balls of his feet as though he’s some sort of cat. I stare in wonder. Anyone would be fucked if Colton was sneaking up on him. He’s silent and deadly, and hell, from where I’m standing, it’s sexy as fuck.
He turns to grab his drink bottle and in doing so, finds me loitering in the doorway. His brow shoots up. “How long have you been there?”
“Long enough to know that I’ll be sneaking into your bedroom and taking advantage of you tonight.”
A cocky smirk plays on his lips and he strides toward me, his eyes growing more and more hooded by the second. His hands fall to my waist and he pulls me in flush against his ripped body. “You really think I’m the kind of guy to just lay there and allow you to take advantage of me?”
I push up onto my tippy toes and hover just in front of his face, close enough for him to close the gap but he won’t dare as he waits for me to make the move. “If you know what’s good for you, you will.”
“Well, damn. How could I resist an offer like that?” he says, his smirk stretching wide across his face. “But for the record, if this is the way we’re playing it, I want to be wined and dined first, then I’m going to need you to spank my ass, choke me a little, beg me to call you daddy, and afterward, I’d like to cuddle, you know, as the little spoon.”
I scrunch my face in distaste, teasing him just as he’s teasing me. “Well, shit. If I knew you were this high-maintenance, I would have stuck with Charlie.”
“Fuck off,” he laughs, nudging me away and walking back over to the pull-up bar. I follow and make myself comfortable on the bench so I can get the full view during this set. “Charlie really would want that shit. He’d be a clingy motherfucker and you know it.”
I can’t help but laugh. He’s not wrong. “For the record,” I tell him as he jumps to catch the bar. “I wouldn’t mind a little ass-spanking and choking, but since you’re apparently the bitch in this relationship, I’ll have to make some changes.”
Colton slowly lowers himself from the bar and I instantly get distracted by his washboard abs that lead down into his defined V that’s staring right at me. My hands twitch at my side, desperate to reach out and touch.
How did I get so lucky to be able to call all of that mine?
Colton narrows his eyes at me. “Call me the fucking bitch of our relationship one more time and I’ll have you down on your knees, begging for forgiveness.”
“Promise you’ll tie me up?”
He lets out a small huff as he effortlessly pulls himself back up. “Fuck me,” he grumbles under his breath, making a show of trying to concentrate.
I get up off the bench and walk over to him, playing a very dangerous game of temptation. Will I be able to resist touching him or won’t I? I lean up against the cool, metal frame, mesmerized by the slow-motion show of pull-ups happening right before my eyes. “What are you doing here? Usually, you work out in the mornings.”
A grin cracks across his face. “Didn’t have some chick snoring in my ear to wake me up.”
I grab his water bottle and squirt water at his chest. “You’re an ass. I don’t snore.”