For You (The 'Burg #1)(156)
She nodded and looked to the floor, taking in a breath that hitched before she lifted her eyes to his again.
“Tell me one thing.”
And he knew where she was going so he stopped her. “Don’t ask that either.”
“Colt –”
“We split and we did it amicably. You ask that shit, it’ll piss me off.”
She leaned forward and her voice went higher when she said, “I have to know.”
Colt crossed his arms on his chest and leaned back, asking, “You think I’d f**k around on you?”
“She’s Feb.”
“We’re not talkin’ ‘bout Feb now, we’re talkin’ about me and you think I’d f**k around on you?”
She threw her arm out. “She’s back in town and then,” she snapped her fingers, “she’s livin’ in my house.”
Okay, now he was pissed off.
“It’s my house, Melanie, been my house and my house alone now for years.”
“We bought it together.”
“I remember, I also remember you leavin’ me in it alone.”
She hid her hurt behind burgeoning anger. “Well, it’s a good thing for you now Feb’s back I did that.”
“You act like she drove into town yesterday. Feb’s been back years.”
“Yeah, you’re right, so I guess I’m surprised it took this long.”
“I’m not surprised, Mel. At this point, I’m kickin’ myself in the ass for waitin’ that long.”
She reared back and clamped her mouth shut so hard, he could hear her teeth crash together.
“This what you came to do?” Colt asked. “Piss me off?”
“No, of course not.”
“Well, that’s what you did.”
She shook her head again and started, “I just…” then stopped, still shaking her head.
Colt turned, walking to the table, pulling off his suit jacket and hooking it on the back of a dining table chair then he turned back to her.
“Mel, there’s been a string of homicides, two of ‘em to be exact. A robbery last night. I been awake and on the go since before five and I’m f**kin’ dog tired.”
She looked at him and her face went from upset to gentle with memories. “That used to happen a lot.”
Colt didn’t feel like reminiscing so when he spoke his words were short and clipped. “Still does. Never stopped.”
She sucked in her cheeks again before she nodded. “I shouldn’t have come.”
No, she f**king shouldn’t have.
“We done?” he asked and he’d used the wrong words. They stung too; he watched her flinch with the sudden, acute pain. It wasn’t that he didn’t care it just wasn’t his place to care anymore, he’d gotten used to that, he’d gotten over it and he’d moved on. She obviously hadn’t. He had enough problems. He wasn’t going to add hers to them.
“We’re done,” she said softly.
He walked to the door, opened it and held it for her.
She stopped and tilted her head back to look at him before she whispered, “It was nice of her… to try and stop people from talkin’.”
“That’s Feb,” he said because it was.
She nodded again and said, “Take care, Colt. Sorry about…” she trailed off and made a gesture with her hand.
“You got a long drive, Melanie,” he replied, “be safe doin’ it.”
She watched his face a moment before she dropped her head and walked out the door. He stood in its frame and waited until she made her way across the yard, got in her car, started it up and drove away.
Then he closed and locked the door, went to his suit jacket, pulled out his phone, flipped it opened and called Feb. He didn’t know if Tina Blackstone or anyone on his street was watching and he wasn’t having that shit hit Feb’s ears before he explained it.
“Hello?” she answered, the bar noise loud in the background.
“Baby, you got two minutes?”
“Everything okay?” The noises were changing behind her and he knew she was on the move.
“In the grand scheme of things, yeah. Just wanted you to know that Melanie was sittin’ outside in her car when I got home. She wanted a few words, I gave them to her and she just left.”
There was no response and then the bar noise significantly muted. She was in the office.
Then, she asked, “Melanie?”
“Yeah.”
“She okay?”
“My guess? No.”
Again no response before she asked, “You okay?”
“Be better around three when you crawl in bed with me.”
His name was soft and sweet when she said it. “Colt.”
He wanted to explore that soft and sweet but she couldn’t and he didn’t want to fall asleep halfway through doing it.
“I gotta hit it, honey, practically asleep on my feet.”
“Okay.”
“Later, baby.”
“Later, Colt.”
He flipped his phone shut, armed the alarm for windows and doors, took his gun and phone to the bedroom, got ready for bed and he fell asleep about five seconds after her cat, laying on his chest with Colt’s hand scratching his ruff, started purring.