I strip out of the dress with Pace’s strange warning still ringing in my ears. I throw on one of Colton’s t-shirts. Now that I’ve grown used to sleeping with him, with his warm arms around me, tonight I’ll have to settle for his scent.
Luckily the bed is big enough that I hardly notice Marta curled up on the opposite end.
I’m drifting off to sleep when my cell phone pings, informing me of a new text.
Colton: Are you awake?
My mouth curls into a happy grin and I hit call rather than reply to his text, eager to hear his deep, rumbly voice. I burrow myself under the covers so as not to wake Marta.
"Hello?"
"Hi," I return.
"Hi, sweetness. How was your girl’s night?"
Hearing the nickname reserved just for me and his gruff voice soothes me more than I could have imagined. I look over at Marta’s sleeping form in the bed next to me. "It was fun. How is…everything going there?"
"Eh. It’s to be expected, but I hope to have all this figured out soon so I can put it behind me."
I hate the not knowing. "Will you tell me…"
"Not yet. Just trust me, okay?"
I nod, before realizing he can’t see me. "Okay." The crazy thing is, I do trust him. So far, he’s given me no reason not to. "Will you be home tomorrow?"
"I have to stay another day," he says, his voice somber.
Oh. Tomorrow is Sunday. What business could he possibly have on Sunday? "Is it work or personal?"
"Sophie…" He lets out a soft groan. "I wish I could explain it all to you, but I don’t want you to hate me."
"I could never hate you."
"You promise?"
I yawn, unable to hold it in a second longer. "Uh huh."
He chuckles, sending little vibrating tingles all through me. "Get some sleep, sweet girl. I’ll see you on Monday."
"Okay." I nestle into the pillow, hating that I have to wait another day to feel his strong arms around me.
Chapter Seventeen
Colton
The trip was a complete bust. I’d wasted the last several years of my life on someone who I now realize was never worth my time, and one weekend in her presence hadn’t fixed a damn thing. I don’t know why I’d thought it would.
With a woman like Sophie in my life – someone so kind, generous and pure – it had opened my eyes to something more. What I’d had with Stella had never been the deep, soul-catching connection I was looking for. But something told me I might have finally found what I’d been seeking in Sophie. She’d auctioned off her virtue to save her sister’s life. Who does that? She’s special and amazing in so many ways. And now I’m eager to get home to her.
I wonder, despite the strange master/slave start to our relationship if we have any shot at something real.
When my plane finally touches down at the hanger, I strap my leather duffle bag to my bike and take off like a bullet. The only thing on my mind is clearing my thoughts of my disastrous weekend and getting Sophie’s warm, pliant body in my hands.
As my bike roars down the Pacific Coast Highway, the desire to see Sophie and to be near her rages through me. I could never have imagined that spending two nights alone after spending so many with her snuggled warmly beside me would have affected me so profoundly. But I know that it has. My brothers would say I’m going soft – and they’d be right – but I don’t care.
Tearing through the mudroom, I check the kitchen and den in search of her. Finding the downstairs empty of everyone except the household staff, I take the stairs two at a time and haul ass to my bedroom, deciding it’s the best possible place I could find her anyway.
Empty.
Same with the master bath. She’s not here.
I call Kylie who confirms she’s not working today.
What the fuck?
I try Marta next. No answer. Has everyone just dropped off the face of the planet today?
Unable to temper the anxiety coursing through my veins, I change into a pair of trunks and decide to swim laps and burn off this excess energy while I wait for her to get home.
I run into Beth on my way to the pool who confirms no one’s seen Sophie.
Seventy-two laps later my body’s tired, but my mind races on. I climb from the pool, leaving a soaking wet trail and collapse onto a lounge chair to wait. She has to come home sometime, right? Unless she already found out and she… No. She’d give me a chance to explain at least. I have to believe that.
When I open my eyes sometime later, Sophie’s standing over me, her long hair falling like a wave onto my chest.
"Colton? Wake up. You’re going to burn out here."
I blink several times, the harsh afternoon sunlight causing spots to dance in my eyes.
Sophie
Colton stares up at me, blinking to clear his vision. His shorts are wet and his skin is developing a golden hue. I hadn’t expected him home in the middle of the day, figuring once he flew in from New York, he’d head to the office. But instead, he’d come straight home. It causes something to pinch in my chest. I want to leap into his arms, but he’s still staring up at me and his mouth is tugged down into a frown.
He looks like he’s been through hell and back. "What’s wrong?" I ask.
He sits up and scrubs a hand across his face. "Where were you?"
"I went shopping with Marta." I point to the shopping bags I set down beside the glass patio doors.
He rises and knots the towel around his waist before stomping away.
"Colton?" I follow him. "What’s wrong? Was your trip okay?" Considering he’s told me absolutely nothing, the question feels fake. I hate it.
"It was fine."
His back is to me and I place a hand against his shoulder, gently kneading the tense muscle. "Are you mad I wasn’t here?"
"I like coming home to you." He shrugs.
I walk around him, so I can face him eye to eye. "You missed me."
"No. The house was too quiet. Empty."
"The housekeepers are here. You missed me."
"Can we not discuss this?" His voice is firm, but his gaze is imploring and soft. The combination causes me to melt just a little.
I suppress a smile. Knowing he missed me just as much as I missed him makes me feel giddy. "I’m home now." I link my fingers with his and his mouth relaxes into one of the smiles I’m coming to love seeing on him. "So what do you want to do now that you’re back?"
His hands curl around my waist and he tugs me close. "Come swim with me."
My answering smile lights up my entire face. He’s so light and carefree – I decide I like him skipping work on a Monday. "Pool party it is. I just need to change into my bikini."
His mouth tugs up in a wicked grin. "No bikini necessary. There’s no one around." He glances toward the towering green shrubs that create a virtual wall around his estate, caging it in privacy. But he’s forgetting the household staff is here and the floor-to-ceiling windows mean they have a direct line of sight to the pool.
I open my mouth to protest when Colton’s hands skate up the sides of my thighs, lifting my sundress to expose my black g-string panties and matching pushup bra.
He tosses the dress to a nearby chair. "Oops."
When he tugs me close, naked sun-warmed skin caresses mine and my eyes slide closed.
Feeling bold, I reach back and unclasp my bra, letting it drop away just as I feel Colton’s fingers twist into the sides of my panties. He rubs his thumbs over my hip bones and slides his hands lower, pushing my panties down my legs and sending them drifting to my feet.
Being nude in the bright daylight should make me feel self-conscious, but the dark, hungry way Colton is watching me makes me feel beautiful and special. His hands skate up my sides, sending little chill bumps over my skin despite the heat outside.
"Let’s get you wet," he whispers.
Taking my hand, Colton leads me to the shallow end of the infinity pool and we wade in together, hand in hand. The water’s so warm and perfect, there’s no adjustment necessary as it envelopes my ankles, calves and then thighs. Though my bikini doesn’t cover much, swimming naked is a completely different experience. The water licks at my skin and the resulting feeling is freeing and serene. Once we’re submerged up to Colton’s chest and my shoulders, he cages me in against the side of the pool and leans in to kiss me.
His mouth moves urgently against mine like he’s chasing after something that he’s desperate to reclaim something between us. I push up on my toes and wrap my arms around his neck, running my fingers through his hair.
I’m coming to realize I’m more than just a casual fuck to Colton. And I like that he’s taken his time, gotten to know me, earned my trust before things progressed to a point of no return, despite the wait being maddening. Somewhere along the way, I’ve become addicted to the warmth he instills deep inside me, and I want more.