AVA
It’s three p.m., and I’m still at his place. We continued going at it in his bedroom until we both realized we were hungry. After we had lunch and showered, we went to the living room to watch Sherlock. I like that show, but not as much as I enjoy cuddling with Colton.
“What do you usually do in your free time?” he asks, his breath hot on my skin. His arms are wrapped around my waist from behind as I nestle comfortably between his long legs.
“Read books.” My gaze flies to a little bookcase near the door. There are a few comics and three really thick books on the shelf. I know nothing about them, but based on the titles, they seem like detective novels.
“And what is your favorite genre?”
“Romance, of course.” I sneak a glance at him over my shoulder. “Fictional men never disappoint me, unlike real ones. My book boyfriends set the standard, and it’s really high.”
“Can your book boyfriends do this?” Colt coos, gliding his hand up my chest and lightly pinching my nipple. “Or this?” He nips on my throat, and a quiet moan slips out of my mouth. “Can they make you come even when you feel like you’ve had enough?”
I shiver. My clit pulses, and tingles spread all over my skin. The memory of my last orgasm is vivid, and it makes my heart go insane. It’s not enough to feel him. As my body grows warm, I want to look at him. Colton lets me turn around, and now I’m sprawled on his chest, my eyes locked on his.
“They can’t,” I tell him as his hands slip down to my ass. “But books are my safe place.”
“Just like hockey for me. Always,” he says, tracing my cheekbones with his fingertips. “And sometimes movies. I love a good mystery, and psychological thrillers.”
“I think you’re lying, Colt. Disney is your favorite.” I’m pushing my luck, but after I saw his watch history, I’ve been dying to comment.
“A very funny joke, Ava. Just like the one about the three-humped camel.” He took the bait.
“That’s one of the best scenes. Flash’s reaction was adorable.” I shrug, barely bottling up my excitement. He frowns, as if he can’t believe what he’s hearing.
“The best scene? That’s when they fool Bellwether,” Colton argues. I hold his gaze and then break into giggles, hiding my face in the crook of his neck. “What?”
“It’s called a hustle, sweetheart,” I murmur, my body shaking with laughter. “Ever since the movies, I knew Zootopia was your favorite.”
He blinks, and then a sly smile crosses his face. “You hustled me, and I didn’t even notice it. But it’s true. Of all the cartoons I watch, I like that one the most.”
“Me too.” I lean forward and plant a light kiss on his lips. “But it’s not my all-time favorite.”
“And what is that?”
“Who knows?” I tease him, closing the distance between us. Colt smirks knowingly, wraps his arms around me, and kisses me again.
A few hours go by. We talk, we kiss, we laugh, and the more we do it, the more normal it starts to feel. As if it’s something we do all the time.
“Is that your phone?” Colt whispers in my ear, and I freeze for a second, listening to the sound. Someone is calling me. My purse is in his room, so I untangle myself from him and go get it.
The second I see the name on the screen, I answer. “Hey, Layla.”
“Hey hey,” my best friend singsongs. “I’m in your room and you’re not here.”
“Yeah.”
“Can we meet?”
“Of course. When? And where?” I saunter over to my clothes and grab them from the chair I put them on last night.
“At our usual coffee shop.” I’ll need about thirty minutes to get there. “What time works for you?”
“Forty minutes?” I offer.
“Cool. I’ll be waiting.”
“See you.”
I hang up and quickly change my clothes. Colton lingers in the doorway, staring at me nonchalantly. It slipped my mind what I had been doing just minutes ago.
“Leaving already?”
“Uh-huh.” He steps aside to let me out of his room. As I head to the bathroom, I hear him follow me. “Layla called. She wants to gossip.”
“About us?” he asks with humor in his voice.
“Probably,” I tell him, washing my face.
“Do you need a ride? I can drive you.”
I flash him a tiny smile in the reflection of the mirror. “No, it’s all good. I can walk.”
“Okay.” He whirls around, strolling to the front door. I turn off the faucet, dry my face with a little towel, and go after him.
I put on my boots and my jacket, and only then do I really look at Colton. His gaze is intense and focused on me. I step closer and curve my hands around his torso.
“Thank you for today. I had an amazing time with you.”
The corners of his mouth quirk up, and he beams. “Is there anything I can do to make you stay?”
“Nope.”
“Thought so.” He hugs me tightly, bending down and capturing my lips with his. I’m melting. Literally. His kisses arouse all sorts of feelings inside me, from happiness to longing, and I don’t know what to think about it.
“I need to go, or I’ll be late,” I murmur as he kisses my jaw.
“Then let me give you a ride.”
“No. I’ll walk.” I put my hand on his chest and gently push him away. Colt releases me and walks up to the door.
“Bye, Colt.”
“Bye, Ava.” But neither of us moves, enveloped in our own bubble. The world outside his apartment didn’t exist not long ago, but it can’t be like that forever.
I wave and edge to the stairs, feeling his gaze on my back. Getting all tingly when he looks at me is my new normal. I have no idea what’s going to happen next between us. Something is telling me I made some kind of deal with the devil when I agreed to this enemies-with-benefits arrangement. But in all honesty? The devil never looked more attractive than he does right now.
“Hey. Sorry I’m late,” I say, sitting down on the chair across from Layla.
I would have been on time, but I decided to stop by my dorm and change my clothes. Showing up in yesterday’s clothes wasn’t an option. I put on my favorite washed-out jeans, pairing them with a red hoodie and Colton’s bomber. It still smells like him, and it quickly has become my favorite article of clothing.
“I ordered you an almond milk flat white.” She pushes a mug in my direction.
“Thanks.” I take the coffee between my palms. It’s a bit colder than I’m used to, but that’s because I am late. “How was the party?”
“The party? You want to talk about the party?”
“Yeah, why not?”
“Bitch, you better be joking,” Layla huffs. “I created a distraction, made sure Thompson had a chance to follow you when Drake confronted him, and you want to know how the party was?”
“What did you do?”
Layla tells me what happened after I walked out of Moore’s house, and I instinctively want to smile. Colton has a problem with putting his foot in his mouth, having no control over his words when he’s angry or stressed. He should start doing something about it. I’m not that patient.
Once she’s done, she looks at me with her eyebrow raised. I put my mug on the table and lean back in the chair, stretching my legs and allowing my mind to go back to Colton’s place. I tell Layla about the time I spent with him, watching movies and talking, but I keep the details about our sex to myself. That’s between him and me.
“You hit the jackpot,” Layla comments.
“Maybe. For all I know, it could be a one-time thing.” I’m such a pathetic liar.
“Yeah, of course.” Her voice drips with sarcasm, and she looks at me. “The guy is whipped, and he truly has never dated a girl in all the time he’s been in college.”
Has he ever had a girlfriend? Or a relationship? Has he ever been in love? We spent a lot of time together, but I still know very little about him. Only some glimpses. Some small pieces. It’s not enough to get the whole picture. I want to change that. I want him to open up to me. I feel that he needs it, to have someone he can trust and talk to. About anything.
“Okay, Ava, let’s change the subject.” I meet her gaze, which is full of mischief. “I want you to focus on being here with me and not in Colton Thompson’s oblivion. Turn it off.”
“Only for you,” I utter. We spend the rest of the evening drinking coffee and chatting about college, books, and our plans for the holidays. It feels like heaven.
