Holding You (8 page)

“I’m sorry. I’m not normally like this. I don’t cry. Ever.”

Running my hand along her back, I whispered, “Shh, Lauren, baby, tell me what has you so upset.”

Pulling back some, I reached up with my hands and wiped her tears away with my thumbs. Lauren smiled the sweetest smile I’d ever seen.

“Daddy said he needed someone like you to run the family business.”

Sucking in a breath of air, I took a step back. Everything all of sudden became clear. The night she walked away from me was the same day her dad hired me to help out on the ranch. All the times I talked about my ideas and pitched them to Scott, and Lauren would get so pissed of. It all made sense.

My eyes landed on her beautiful baby blues. They were anxious as she searched my face for some sort of a clue to how I was feeling.

I felt sick. Knowing I was the reason she had been so hurt and upset. I was the reason she had been pushing me away and fighting with me. All the things I said to her, I egged her on.

“Oh God.” Turning, I leaned over and placed my hands on my knees and dragged in deep breaths. “I’m the reason you were so angry. I was the one who was pushing you away the whole time. It was because of me.”

Lauren quickly started talking. “No, Colt I should have talked to you or Daddy. I should have told my father how I was feeling. Instead, I took it out on you and let my hurt and anger push you away. I was also upset about you turning me down that night in your truck.” Tears streamed down her face as she attempted to keep talking. “If only I had stopped for two seconds to see that maybe we could do this . . . we could do this together.”

I made a vow to myself that Lauren would always be first in my life. I’d wake up every single morning with one goal in mind. Make her happy always.

Pulling her into my arms, I held her tight. “Lauren, I love you.”

Her body shook as she let out her tears. “I don’t deserve your love, Colt.”

Pulling back, I pushed her hair from her tear-soaked face. “Yes, you do. We deserve each other and I’m not going to let either one of us waste another second. Lauren, I want you to be happy and I need you to know that I will do whatever it takes to make you happy. If that means going and working for my father or Jeff, that’s what I’ll do, baby.”

Shaking her head quickly, she wiped her nose. Her eyes lit up and she threw herself against my body. “Colt, I love you so much.” She wrapped her arms around me tightly. “No, I want you to work for Daddy. You’re so important to him, and he loves you like a son.”

When she let her grip go, I pulled back and looked into her eyes. They were no longer sad, but filled with love. “Once he finds out I took his little girl’s virtue, he won’t love me like a son.”

Laughing, Lauren dropped her head back. Knowing I was making her smile made the pain in my heart hurt a little less. “We better get going or he will be finding out tonight.”

Quickly kissing Lauren on the lips, I started to walk but was stopped when she reached for my hand and pulled me back to her. “Colt, I don’t want you going and working for your daddy or Jeff. I want to do this together. Me and you.”

Relief coursed through my veins. “Baby, you have no idea how happy that makes me to hear you say that.” Kissing her nose, I whispered, “Me and you. Forever.”

PULLING INTO THE
driveway of the house we shared with our friends, Colt and I quickly grabbed our bags and flew inside. Running upstairs, I dumped my clothes on the floor in an attempt to make it look like I had been here. Running in to the hallway, Colt and I slammed into each other. He had already changed his clothes as my eyes ran over his body.

“The project!” we both shouted at once.

Turning, we ran downstairs.

“Colt, I don’t really have a project!”

Colt stood in the middle of the living room. Spinning.

God he looked so cute all freaked out. I had wondered what would happen if I just jumped on him right then and demanded he fuck me up against something? Women were always talking about being taken up against something. The whole orgasm against the hotel door was nice. Really nice. Really, really nice.

“Lauren! What are you standing there daydreaming about? Our parents will be here soon.”

My eyes moved over Colt’s body. The way he was walking around in those Wranglers was sinful. His ass looked amazing.

Focus, Lauren. Project. Parents on the way. Colt’s ass. Taking me up against something. No, no, no! Focus.

An idea came to me, and I yelled out, “I got it!” Running upstairs, I looked around my room for the scrapbook paper I had bought for the baby book I made Luke and Libby. Grabbing a few pieces, I ran back down the stairs. Colt was still standing in the middle of the living room. Taking a quick peek at him, I attempted not to run into anything.

Yep. Still looking hot as hell.

“Colt, can you stop standing there looking all hot?”

Pulling his head back with a confused look upon his face, Colt said, “I’m not hot. Do I look hot? If I’m sweating, it’s because I’m sure your father is going to see it all over my face.
I had sex with your daughter.
It will be like a giant imprint on my forehead.”

Letting out a giggle, I opened the pantry and looked around.
There they are!
Reaching for the bag of pasta, I pulled it out and tossed it down on the paper. Shutting the door, I walked up to Colt, who was leaning against the island. “I mean you looked hot as in handsome, or I want you to take me up against a wall or a door. Oh! Holy sheets! In the shower!” My mouth dropped open and I looked at Colt.
Why hadn’t I thought of that back at the hotel? Damn it!
Oh, I’m so mad at myself.

“W-what?”

“Yes! I totally want to have hot, fast, give it to me hard sex in the shower.”

Colt wet his lips and let out a small moan. I was just about to kiss him when I remembered the project. “The project!”

Spinning on my heels, I quickly skipped over to the junk drawer, as Grace calls it. Pulling it open, I grabbed the glue stick.

Making my way back over to the scrapbook paper, I opened the box of pasta.

Looking at Colt through my eyelashes, I couldn’t help but chuckle at his expression. I knew my sex in the shower comment probably had him going insane.

Using the glue I drew the number one and then started putting pasta on it. Colt continued to gaze at me with an incredulous stare. “Want to help?” I asked.

“Um . . . sure. What in the hell are you making?”

“My project.”

Colt’s head snapped up and he slowly tilted it as his eyes moved from the pasta to me, then back to the pasta. “Um . . . what is it?”

Drawing the number four with glue, I put more pasta on it. “Seriously? You don’t know?”

Pursing his lips as he took in my project, he shook his head. “Lauren, I have no fucking clue what you are doing.” Picking up the pasta, he began mindlessly pushing it onto the glue number.

Drawing the number three, we repeated the process. I held up the paper and smiled. “My project,” I proclaimed with pride.

“It looks like something we had to do in grade school. What is with you and the numbers one, four, and three?”

Feeling my face blush, I started cleaning my hands to get the glue off. “You really don’t know what it means?”

“Nope. I know I’ve seen you write it on a bunch on your notes in high school.”

Closing my eyes, I shook my head. Another missing piece. That stupid idiot had no idea what I had been saying to him all through high school.

Turning and leaning against the sink, I gave Colt the sexiest smile I could. “I only wrote that in your notes, Colt. No one else’s.”

There went that damn smile of his.
God, does he have any idea how sexy that crooked smile is? Does he know it melts my panties instantly?

“Oh yeah?” Colt asked as he pushed off the counter and made his way to me. Pulling me into his arms, he lifted me up and set me down on the countertop.

Slipping his hand through the leg of my shorts, Colt asked in almost a whisper, “What does it mean, Lauren?”

Dropping my head back, I felt him brush his fingers over my panties, causing my lower stomach to clench. “Oh, Colt. Yes.”

Pushing on my clit, I jumped. “Tell me, Lauren or I’ll stop.”

“It stands for I love you!” I called out as I attempted to get more friction against my sensitive numb.

Colt let out a growl and slipped my panties to the side, pushing his finger into my hotness. Letting out a hiss between my teeth, I begged for him to take me.

“Colt, please take me. Oh God, take me right here, right now!”

His lips moved to my neck as he kissed me tenderly. “Sweetheart, I wish like hell I had known what the three numbers meant because what we did today would have been done about three years ago.”

Placing my hands on his broad shoulders, I moved my hips. “More!” I panted out. Colt lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around him.

“Tell me what you want, Lauren. I don’t want you to be sore, sweetheart.”

Every time Colt called me sweetheart, my heart felt as if it was about to burst. No one had ever treated me the way Colt had in the last eight hours. I felt as if he adored not only my body, but my heart and soul as well.

“I want . . .”

Just as I was about to be brazen enough to tell him to fuck the shit out of me, the doorbell rang and Colt practically dropped me to the floor. “Your dad!”

Damn it all to hell!
Just when I get all worked up.
Letting out a frustrated moan, I walked somberly to the door, but not before I adjusted my panties and shorts. Stopping for a quick second to put my game face on, I pulled the door open. Standing in front of me was my mother, father, Gunner and Ellie. All four of them peering at me with wondering eyes. “Long time no see, family!” I said as I stepped out of the way and gestured for them to walk in. Looking over my shoulder, I did a double-take. Colt was walking down the stairs yawning, like he had just woken up.

Attempting not to laugh, I asked, “Did you sleep good, Colt?”

Giving me a naughty smile, he gave a jerky nod and said, “Yep.”

Gunner and my father both walked up to Colt and shook his hand. “How was the drive?” Colt asked as he flopped onto the sofa. I wanted desperately to sit next to him. To show our parents that we were together, and happy. Peeking over to my father, I couldn’t help but notice how he stared at Colt. Glancing at my mother, she was staring at me.

Dear God. Do they know? Can they tell?
Placing my hands up to my cheeks, I could tell they were on fire. One look to my mother’s left and Ellie was staring at me. Swallowing hard, I jumped up. “I’m starved! Who’s down for some pizza?” Looking around the room, everyone stared at me. Snapping my head over to Colt, I widened my eyes and tried to give him a signal. I had a feeling we needed to be in a very public place . . . and fast.

Colt stood up quickly. “Yeah, pizza, my treat.”

As the two of us stood there, our parents just stared at us. Finally, the silence was broken.

My father cleared his throat and asked, “How long have the two of you been dating?”

Oh. My. Glitter.
I’m pretty sure I just saw my entire life flash before my eyes. Taking one last look at Colt before my father beat him into the ground, I gave him a weak smile. Colt’s eyes were calm. They didn’t have the look of fear in them like I thought they should have. Returning my smile with a drop-me-to-my-knees smile of his own, he started walking over to me. The entire room seemed to have disappeared and it was only Colt and me. My senses went into overload as I smelled his musky scent before he even reached me. The memory of his lips on my skin caused my body to shudder. Walking up to me, Colt placed his hand on the side of my face and I instinctively rested my head in his hand. His thumb gently brushed across my skin, leaving a trail of tingles in its place. Colt’s smile grew bigger, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. His mouth parted open and he began to speak.

“For about nine hours, I would say.”

Letting out a giggle, I found myself lost in his beautiful blue eyes. It was if he was looking into my soul with the way they pierced my eyes.

Hearing someone clear their throat, my eyes snapped over to my father, who was trying like hell to keep his smile hidden.

“That must have been an interesting drive home then,” Gunner said with the same silky smooth voice Colt possessed.

Nodding my head, I spoke just above a whisper. “It was.”

Walking up to me, my mother placed her hand on Colt’s shoulder and gently looked into my eyes. I sucked in a breath when I saw tears in her eyes. “Mom, why are you upset?”

Colt took a step back and I wanted to yell out in protest. I instantly missed his warmth. “I’m not upset, darling; it’s just that you’re all grown up.” Pursing her lips together in an effort to not cry, she said, “I just miss you I think.”

Wrapping my arms around my mother, we held each other tightly. “I love you, Mom. I miss you and Daddy so much. I’m so glad you came to visit me.”

Pushing me back at arm’s length, my mother looked me up and down. She raised her eyebrow as if she was acknowledging something.