Consolation Prize (Forbidden Men Book 9) (12 page)

As she pulled a cell phone from the pocket of her tight jeans, I slipped off my jacket. “Here, put this on.”

Julianna glanced up from the screen where she was typing frantically and immediately shook her head. “You’ll get cold.”

“I still have two layers on.” I tugged up the hem of the hoodie I was wearing, so she could see the T-shirt under it. “I’ll be fine.” When she just stared at me stubbornly, I sighed. “Do you want him to catch sight of you, or not?”

She put the jacket on.

After bunching the long sleeves enough to poke her hands through the ends, she flipped the hood up and shifted closer to me, right up against my side, like
right
against my side. I looped an arm around her shoulders, glanced back for the ex, and when I didn’t spot him, I started us toward my truck.

We didn’t speak all the way there. For some reason, I knew anything I said would ruin the intimacy of the moment, so I just enjoyed the feel of her heat and soft body plastered against mine. When I pointed out my baby, Julianna slowed to a stop, her eyes widening with horror.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What?” I asked, confused, glancing down at her.

She pointed. “I can’t ride in that. That has got to be the whitest, white-boy truck I’ve ever seen!”

I owned a red, 1980 lifted Chevy 4x4 Silverado short bed with a roll bar and flood lights. Shrugging, I silently admitted, okay, it looked like something the ultimate redneck might drive. I didn’t care; I still liked it.

“Trust me, if you were fully prepared to ride me, I think you can ride in my truck just fine.”

She sent me a scowl. “Don’t be crude.”

“Don’t knock my baby,” I flipped back. Opening the passenger’s side door, I motioned her forward. “Do you want in, or not?”

Heaving out a huge sigh, she stepped forward, muttering, “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” only to pause when she saw how high up she had to climb to get inside. “Running boards would be nice here.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “But it looks cooler without them.”

“Cool or not, I don’t know how the hell you expect me to get up there.” She grabbed the door frame and lifted one foot into the cab.

“Why, with a little help from your friendly chauffeur, of course.” Before she realized what I had planned, I set my hands on her ass and heaved her up.

She screeched out her surprise and went stumbling forward, tumbling into the floorboard of the truck. Once she was inside and whirled around, settling into the seat, she glared outside at me, where I was grinning back.

“Was that absolutely necessary?”

“Oh, yeah,” I answered. “Think of it as my consolation prize for rescuing you from your ex and driving you home without getting any action from it.”

She huffed out her aggravation, but then I swore I saw a smile of amusement seep through. “Well, I guess it was better than you trying to cop a feel of my breasts,” she finally allowed.

“Don’t worry, I felt those too, when you put on my jacket and snuggled up against my side.”

When her mouth fell open, I chuckled and shut the door. Then I hurried around to the driver’s side, only to pause with my fingers wrapped around the door handle.

I was pretty sure spending more time with her would only lead to more heartache. But honestly, nothing was going to keep me away right now, especially when she was scared.

Heaving out a bolstering breath, I opened the door and climbed in. The interior held a bench seat, so she could’ve slid all the way over to sit right next to me if she felt so inclined.

She did not.

She hugged the passenger side door and clutched my jacket to her as she gazed out the side window.

I watched her huddle into my coat a moment, wondering if it’d smell like her when I got it back. Then I shook my head and started the engine.

“So this guy’s pretty bad news, huh?” I asked as I set my hand on the gear shift and pressed the clutch before turning the ignition. “I mean, I didn’t think anyone gave you the creeps as much as I did, but if you turned to me for help, he must be pretty damn creepy.”

She turned from the window to face me, blinking as if confused. “You don’t give me the creeps.”

“Right,” I said slowly. “So, how many times did he hit you?”

“You don’t creep me out,” she argued a little more forcefully. “You… You just…”

When words failed her, I waved a hand before pulling out of my parking spot. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to explain it. I already got you all figured, baby doll.”

Her eyebrows lifted. “Oh, do you?”

“I do.”

She let out an incredulous laugh. “Then please…tell me everything about me. I’m dying to know.”

I shrugged. “Okay. Since you asked for it. You’re a fighter. You fight the things you like but don’t think you
should
like. You have some preconceived notion set up in that brain of yours, telling you what you think is good for you and what you want, but when something comes along that doesn’t fit into those boxes, you try to reject it. You do it every time you look at me, even though I know you like what you see, and you did it when I made you come. You fought it the entire way through.”

I could feel her tense up from all the way across the cab of the truck. “I did not,” she muttered, clearly unwilling to accept such a thing. But then, who would like hearing that, I guess.

“You did,” I murmured gently, “which you shouldn’t do, you know. Orgasms are meant to be accepted openly and appreciated through the full extent of the ride. Resisting them only hurts yourself.”

“Well, I am so sorry I didn’t even come right for you.”

“Don’t be.” I shrugged. “I liked the challenge it posed. It made me want to be the one who finally set you free, who made you come so hard there was no way to resist it, so you had to experience all of it to its complete capacity.”

Hell, I’d wanted to break through her barriers so she would accept
me
to my complete capacity.

“But…” I shrugged regretfully. “I guess we’ll never know what I could’ve accomplished, will we? Since I’m never going to fuck you.”

J
ULIANNA’S
C
HAPTER
|
12

M
y insides shuddered madly when Colton glanced across the interior of his truck at me. Verbally, he’d just told me he would never have sex with me, but the look he blasted my way murmured,
unless you want me to
.

I was tempted. Oh my God, was I tempted. But Colton really did have me figured out, the cocky jerk bastard.

If I didn’t think something should fit into my life, I
did
try to resist it, no matter how much I liked it or not. Liking Brandt had fit. It’d made sense, so I’d been determined to make it happen. But then Colton had come along, and he’d been wrong…all wrong except for the little fact that he’d ignited things inside me his brother hadn’t even been able to touch.

The more I fought my feelings for him and tried to convince myself he wasn’t the one I wanted, the more bottled up and miserable I felt. This wasn’t working. I wanted so badly to blurt out that I did want him, I wanted him so much it ached. But yeah, that rev limiter inside me kept me quiet.

When I saw the intersection we were approaching, I said, “Turn left here,” instead of demanding he pull over so we could get it on right inside the cab of his pickup.

I could feel the disappointment ooze off him as he turned without a word. Or maybe, the disappointment was all inside me and I was projecting it onto him, but whatever the case, it just made me feel more miserable.

I opened my mouth to apologize again for ruining the one chance we’d had to be together, but he said, “So about this abusive ex-husband of yours.”

I ground my teeth, wishing he’d forgotten about that. “He wasn’t abusive,” I muttered, fiddling with the hem of his jacket sleeve. I’d never worn sleeves this long before, and it was probably best I didn’t because I’m sure I would’ve started the nasty nervous habit of worrying the cloth between my fingers if I had. Playing with it was addictive.

“Right here,” I added. Damn, every time I shifted in my seat, this smell would waft up from the inside of his jacket and surround me. The hint of winter was masked by something that was pure Colton. It reminded me of the scent that had burned its way into my nostrils on the night of the wedding when I’d been ripping his shirt open. He’d smelled the exact same way then, too.

Colton turned where I instructed and said, “I don’t believe you. You’re not this scared of him for no reason.”

“He wasn’t abusive,” I insisted and then muttered, “because I never gave him the chance to be.”

A moment of silence followed before Colton asked, “What does that mean exactly?”

I sighed. He always had a way of making me spill everything to him, didn’t he? That was so not fair.

“One night,” I started reluctantly. “We had a fight. Our first real fight. Jesus.” I laughed and shook my head. “I can’t even remember what we were arguing about now, it was that stupid. But he got mad and swung out his arm just when I moved into striking distance.”

“Shit,” Colton whispered, shaking his head.

“He swore it was an accident and said I’d just gotten too close when he was moving his arm. Hell, it
could’ve
been an accident.”

“It wasn’t an accident,” Colton said.

I nodded. “Yeah, probably not.”

“It wasn’t,” he insisted. “I’ve seen plenty of people lose their shit without harming a single person around them, accidently or not.”

“I told him it didn’t matter if it had been an accident,” I admitted quietly. “I’d gotten hurt when he’d been mad, and that was enough for me. He told me I was being completely unreasonable and not even giving him a chance, and maybe he was right, but he fucking bruised me. My jaw was sore for over a week.”

With a nod, Colton murmured, “You did the right thing.”

“Hell yes, I did. After it was over, I found out he’d cheated on me anyway.”

“Well, shit.” He shook his head. “Why is he so determined to win you back, then? Or do you think he wants to exact some kind of revenge on you for leaving him?”

“Oh, he wants me back. My dad works for this huge equal rights organization. He’s kind of a bigwig there, and Shaun would love nothing better than to work there too. He thinks my dad could be his
in
. That’s my building on the left.”

Colton slowed the truck and pulled to the curb before killing the engine. The quiet that followed kind of freaked me out, especially after I’d been talking about Shaun.

I hadn’t lied, but I hadn’t been completely honest either. He’d only hurt me once while we’d been married. It was after the divorce that he’d gotten more physical. I’d refused to talk to him, to listen to his side of things
again
, and it had pissed him off. Usually, I was adept at avoiding him, but he’d managed to corner me a couple of times. Once he had pushed me down, and another time he’d grabbed my arm and tried to drag me off before Chad had caught him in the act. He’d stopped immediately and run off.

I had changed my number twice in the past two years, and we’d had to get new locks installed in the apartment once. Other than that, I’d been pretty lucky. He’d cut down his encounters to about once or twice a month these days. But I certainly didn’t want him to catch me hanging out with another man. I wasn’t completely sure how he’d react, but I didn’t want to learn either.

Wondering if he was out there right now, and loathing to step outside the security of Colton’s truck to find out, I gulped and began to shrug off his coat. “I guess I’d better give you this back now.”

But Colton was already opening the driver’s side door. “You can wait until we reach your door.”

I zipped my gaze to him. “You…no, you don’t have to walk me in.”

Except he was already outside and shutting his door. I ground my teeth and clambered after him. If Shaun had followed me home, I didn’t want Colton facing him alone.

As soon as he reached the sidewalk, I snagged his arm and yanked him to my side, not even caring if he could feel my breasts against him or not. Glancing up and down the dark street, I hustled us toward the front door.

Tripping after me to keep up, he gripped my waist to steady himself. “Shit. What the hell? You think he followed us or something?”

When I didn’t answer but dragged him into the building, he tightened his grip on my hip. “Baby doll?”

I growled when he forced us to a stop. “I don’t know, but I don’t want to risk it. I’m not sure how he’d react to me tonight.” Sometimes he smooth-talked and tried to charm his way back into my good graces. Sometimes he was more aggressive. “But I do know how he’d react to
you
. And it wouldn’t be good.”

Colton’s eyebrows arched. “Well, that’s unsettling.”

He started for the stairwell, only for me to pull on his arm. “I’m on the first floor,” I told him, pointing down the hall. We walked toward the third door on the right and I paused to unlock it before I faced him and blew out a breath.

“Thank you. I know I don’t deserve your help, but—”

“Save it,” he said, stepping past me and opening the door to my apartment before disappearing inside.

“Wha—
hey
! What do you think you’re doing?” I hurried in after him.

“If you even suspect he might’ve followed you home, I’m checking out the place to make sure he didn’t get in somehow.”

“Really, you don’t need to bother.” I trailed him past the couch in the front room and toward the opening of the kitchen. “We’ve already changed all the locks.”

That caused him to swerve an incredulous glance my way. “Which means he’s gotten in before. So yeah, I’m definitely checking the place now.”

He paused at the table and stole an apple Sasha had sitting in a basket in the middle. As his teeth sank into the red pulp, he moseyed back out of the kitchen.

“Help yourself,” I said dryly, only to hurry after him because I knew he’d start down the hall to the bedrooms next.

My mind spun, wondering if I’d made my bed or left worn underwear on the floor. Oh Jesus, I wasn’t sure what I thought about him entering my room. But my stomach swirled with an unnatural excitement, which kept me from stopping him in the living room.

“Hey, you owe me.” He waved the already half-eaten apple over his shoulder. “You kept throwing my supper out on the ground.”

He entered the bathroom first and flipped on a light, only to stop dead in the doorway. I was about to lecture him on how unhealthy it was to drink his supper, but he held up a finger and announced, “You have roommates.”

Wondering how he’d come up with that assumption, I glanced past him into the bathroom, but it looked the same as always to me, makeup and bathroom products everywhere.

“Yeah,” I said slowly. “Sasha and Tyla.”

“The tall one and the short one who were at the party tonight, booty grinding you?”

“Yes, why?” I shook my head, confused.

He shrugged. “I just figured you’d never leave a bathroom this messy. A bedroom, maybe. A bathroom, no.”

I scowled and almost told him he did not know me that well, but damn, it was kind of the truth. How the fuck did he know me that well?

“Bet I can figure out which room is yours.” He stepped past me and entered the next doorway down the line. “Oh. Well, that was easy.”

He’d already flipped on the light when I entered after him. He stood only a few feet inside my room and gazed around at all my walls, or rather at the multitude of dream catchers I had hanging everywhere. After wandering to the closest one, he flicked a hanging feather with his finger and glanced back at me. “Which one was the first your dad bought you?”

I kept eye contact with him as I moved toward the bed and pointed out the only one hanging directly above my headboard. “This one.”

He nodded, smiling affectionately as he stared at it. “That one’s your favorite.”

Of course, he’d figured that out. I watched his face as he studied every little detail of that dream catcher, and I quietly murmured, “Yeah. It is.”

He slipped his attention to me. His chocolate brown eyes held so much sadness and longing that I was a split second from going to him when he turned away suddenly and exited the room.

I drew in a deep breath and pressed my hand to my diaphragm before stepping into the hallway too. I didn’t follow him into Sasha’s or Tyla’s quarters and he didn’t stay in them long, just checked for intruders, but I did wait just outside the door to meet him when he was done being a nice, thoughtful guy and making sure I was safe.

“See,” I told him, holding up both hands. “No ex-husband lurking about.”

He shook his head. “Nope. No ex-husbands.”

“Yeah, so…I guess you need this back now.” I reluctantly began to remove his jacket.

“Sure,” he said, “unless you wanted to keep it a while and sleep with it until you’ve worn my smell out of it.”

My mouth snapped open as I gasped. “Ugh. You…jerk. I was not sniffing your damn jacket.” I slapped it against his chest, which only made him chuckle.

“I didn’t suggest that you had already. Why? Had you?”

“No,” I snapped, only to scowl and mutter, “shut up.”

The bastard only laughed harder before he brought it to his own nose. “Damn,” he murmured, lowering it again. “I actually hoped it’d smell more like you when I got it back.”

I had this sudden acute vision of him leaning over me while I was stretched out and naked on a bed, while he sniffed every inch of my body. And my hormones flipped to arousal so fast I was tempted to squeeze my thighs together.

“You like my scent.” I’d started it out as a question, but it ended up sounding more like a statement of awe. But holy shit, knowing he liked my scent as much as I liked his was fucking intoxicating.

“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked, glancing down at me because I was suddenly close enough that he had to look down, which made me realize I’d just drifted right up into his personal space. And I wanted to drift even closer. “I like everything about you, baby doll.”

Yeah, I was going to drift even closer.

When his breathing changed and his chest moved as he sucked in oxygen, I knew he was as far gone as I was. I stared up at him, my skin practically buzzing with the need to feel him against me. My gaze coasted to his hair, which I wanted to clutch so bad, then to his lips that had parted and looked dewy moist as if he’d just licked them.