She, the Kingdom (She #1)(47)

The old truck’s engine sputtered as Colton pulled up to the curb in front of my house. His hand left my thigh, the absence evident immediately as my skin cooled. He slid his hand under my hair and behind my neck, tilting his head, but pausing just before he kissed me. “I don’t have to be good forever, right?”

“Colton,” I said, pulling away. “I had a good time…”

“But…?” he said, wary.

“You’re young, and—”

His expression made me pause, and he turned, looking out the window. “Here we go. I’m younger. Not young,” he said, facing me again. “I’m not a kid, Morgan. I’m a grown ass man.”

“I was just going to say that we should probably think about this. Do you really understand what my agreement with Kingstons means if you and I continue?”

“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “Best-case scenario for all involved, you’re pregnant with someone else’s baby for the better part of a year. That’s in addition to the kids you have. You think I don’t understand that? Or that I haven’t thought about it? Morgan, you’re all I think about,” he blurted out, seeming even angrier for putting all of his cards on the table. He gripped the steering wheel and looked away again.

I gently turned him to face me, looking up at him from under my brow. “I just… I like you. I don’t want to put you through anything unnecessarily hurtful. You’ve been through a lot already.”

“And having a kid’s crush on the woman who was nice to my mom got me through it. It’s not…” he sighed, “it’s not a crush anymore, Morgan. I’ve sat back and watched you divorce, watched you raise your kids on your own…”

My eyebrows pulled in. “What do you mean?”

“I’m one of three electricians in town. I’ve worked at the hospital, at the school, at your neighbor’s, the grocery store. I see you around a lot. It never seemed like the right time. Then, I hear you were laid off from the hospital, and the next day, get a call to your house. I was sure that meant something.”

“Colton… slow down a little bit. This is all new to me.”

He looked wounded. “Yeah… yeah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dump all of this on you tonight. I’ve just been looking forward to it for a long time.”

I smiled. “It was fun.”

“Fun,” he said, disappointed.

I leaned in, moving my mouth against his, reminding him about the minute of fun we’d had on his worn quilt on the edge of his uncle’s hay field. When I finally let go, he sucked in a deep breath.

“You are definitely worth the wait.”

I couldn’t help but grin. I kissed him once more on the cheek, and then bounced across the bench seat, pulling on the handle and stepping into my front yard. I waved to him as he pulled away, and tried to rid myself of the giddy feeling overwhelming me as I climbed the steps of my front porch.

“He should’ve waited to leave until you got inside,” Max said from the shadows.

I jumped and yelped at the same time. “Jesus! Christ! Bitch!” I yelled, curling over.

Max stepped into the light, an amused smile mostly covering the hurt look on his face. “You know, in case of strange men lurking in the shadows.”

“What are you doing here? Don’t you have a house full of people?”

“I’m not sure. I left.”

I pushed the key into the bolt lock and turned the knob. Max followed me in, looking sullen. “Nothing happened, if that’s what you think. Colton’s very conscious of me keeping my job.”

“It didn’t look like nothing from where I stood.”

“You mean when you were stalking me from the shadows? You shouldn’t be here just because you’re fighting with your wife.”

“I’m not fighting with Sophie. She’s fighting me. Everything appeared to be fine. She asked me if I was planning to come here tonight. When I said no, she picked a fight over nothing. She all but drove me here.”

“I don’t understand.”

He made a face. “Me, neither.”

“Have you been here this entire time?”

He ran his fingers through his hair. He was still wearing his party clothes: a black button down with dark jeans. “You wouldn’t answer your phone. I didn’t know where you were. I was worried.”

“I’m a big girl, Max.”

He followed me into the bedroom, watching me kick off my heels. “So it was a date?”

“We watched the fireworks.”

“Where?”

“Max…”

“Where?” he asked again, this time more insistent. His eyes were closed tight, subdued anger boiling just below the surface.

“His uncle has land.”

“The hay field?”

I nodded, wondering how he knew about that place.

He rubbed his fingers back and forth on his lips. “Did he touch you?”

I stood silent, getting angrier by the second. It was too much to be humiliated twice in the same night.

“Morgan…”

“No. I mean, yes, but not the part of me under contract.”

“Where?”

I frowned, confused. “Pardon?”