A Very Merry Bromance (Bromance Book Club #5) (83)

Gretchen had no appetite for anything, but she sat anyway. She smiled in thanks when Mary set a glass of milk in front of her. Colton walked up behind her and set his hands on her shoulders. “You’re still cold,” he said, sliding his hands down to her bare arms.

“Are you hungry, honey?” Mary asked him. “I can make something for you too.”

“No, thanks. I just want to get her to bed.”

“Good idea. You both must be exhausted.”

Colton bent and kissed the top of her head as he squeezed her arms. “Ready?”

Embarrassment flooded her limbs to have him discuss their sleeping arrangements so openly with his mother. Which was dumb. They were adults. But it was so foreign—this unconditional acceptance as part of the family.

Gretchen stood up. His mom hugged her once again. “I’ll make a big breakfast in the morning. Everything will look better after some sleep.”

Colton’s hand settled on her back and led her away. The upstairs was dark and silent, but Gretchen wondered if his sister, dad, and brother were all lying awake and listening.

Colton flipped on the overhead lights in his bedroom before quietly shutting the door.

“I don’t suppose you have an extra toothbrush?”

Colton untucked his shirt. “I’ll set it out for you. Do you want a T-shirt or anything to sleep in?”

“Sure.”

He dropped a kiss on her lips. “Top drawer of my dresser. Grab whichever one you want. I’ll be right out.”

He walked into the bathroom. When the door clicked quietly, she went to the dresser and grabbed the first thing on top—a gray Legends T-shirt. Feet aching, she kicked off her heels and fumbled with the zipper on the side of her dress. She never wanted to wear this thing again. If she didn’t hate the idea of wasting something that could be donated, she might even consider tossing it in the fireplace and watching it burn.

It pooled at her feet as she unclipped her strapless bra, leaving her in just her panties as he walked out of the bathroom.

Colton let out a reverent breath behind her. “It’s probably the wrong time to say this, but you could bring me to my knees right now.”

She turned around and found him staring at her with unmasked desire. He’d removed his shirt in the bathroom, and all she could think was, Same. “I don’t think there’s ever a wrong time to say something like that.”

“There is. You need to sleep tonight.” He closed the distance between them. The T-shirt she’d chosen was on top of the dresser. He picked it up. “Arms up.”

She obeyed and he threaded it over her head. She wiggled into it until it draped over her body. He kissed her briefly again. “I set everything out for you in there.”

Not just a toothbrush, she discovered. But anything else she might need. A clean washcloth. A towel. Facial cleanser and moisturizer. Which she desperately needed. She stared with a grimace at the mess of her reflection in the mirror. Mascara streaks darkened the area under her eyes. Her long-stay lipstick had faded into a dry pink. Her updo had shifted atop her head into a loose, frizzy bun.

And somehow, Colton still found her sexy.

He deserved better than this mess. And she didn’t mean how she looked right now. He deserved better than the destructive cyclone she and her family created every time they breathed.

She brushed her teeth and washed her face and then answered nature’s call. When she finally emerged, she found him already in bed, one arm hooked under his head and the covers up to his waist.

He rolled his head to smile at her. “Ready for bed?”

“You should’ve told me I looked like Medusa.”

“You look beautiful.” He followed her with his eyes as she walked to the other side of the bed. “You’re giving me heart palpitations in that T-shirt.”

He was trying to lighten the mood by flirting with her, but it had the opposite effect on her. By the time she slid beneath the covers, her heart was fully in her throat. He rolled toward her and caressed her cheek, but when his fingers met the tears, he rose up on one elbow.

“Tell your parents I’m sorry about all this tonight. All of this is so embarrassing and humiliating and—”

“And none of your fault.”

“But your parents are such good people. They deserve better than that . . . So do you.”

His hand stilled on her face. “Better than what?”

“Than this.” She waved her hands around. “Me and my sordid, toxic family.”

“You’re exhausted, Gretchen. You need to sleep.”

He lifted his hand to brush the hair from her face, but she caught his fingers in hers. His knuckles were purple and red and swollen. “Does it hurt?”

“Not anymore.”

“How was Evan when you left?”

“Does it make me a bad person if I say I don’t really give a shit?”

Did it make him a bad person? No. But it made him not him. “You hit my brother tonight, Colton. You. Who has never gotten in a fight in your entire life.”

“And I’d do it again.”

“That’s what scares me. That wasn’t you tonight. But this is what happens when you get involved with me. My family stains everything.”

His jaw hardened. “If you’re about to say what I think you are, just stop.”