Dark Sexy Knight (A Modern Fairytale)(40)

“Oh, hiiiiii,” said one of them in a singsong voice.

“Hey, Verde,” said the other.

Her cohort snickered, then adopted puppy-dog eyes. “I hope you didn’t hear what we were talking about.”

“I did, in fact,” said Verity, putting her hands on her hips.

“Aw,” said the first, shrugging with a sorry-not-sorry grimace. “We didn’t mean it. He’s not that bad-looking.”

Her friend smirked at Verity, then turned to her pal and whispered loudly behind her hand, “In the dark.”

Verity chuckled softly, nodding her head at them for a moment before freezing her face in disgust and narrowing her eyes.

“Just remember . . . his King Kong dick belongs to me.” She leaned closer, lowering her voice to a purr. “And mark my words, girls, that’s no exaggeration.”

They both stared at her with their jaws dropped and eyes wide, and she left them like that, walking past them into a far stall and slamming the lock shut.

After a moment of silence, one of them said, “I take it back. I wouldn’t f*ck him. I wouldn’t even want to be alone with him. I heard he killed somebody in high school.”

Verity winced, holding her breath as she sat down on the toilet fully dressed.

“True dat. He only got off because of a technicality.”

“Google it, princess,” one of them called loudly, over the stall.

“Come on,” said her friend. “Let’s go.”

No. Way.

Killed someone?

Impossible.

Totally f*cking impossible . . . right?

She listened to their retreating footsteps, hating it that their words had sown a seed of doubt when the man they were discussing had been nothing but kind to her and Ryan. But she gulped, thinking back to the motel parking lot where he’d broken that guy’s leg for harassing her brother. He’d barely thought about it—just brought down that crowbar like the hammer of Thor and smashed the guy’s leg to smithereens.

“Did he kill someone?” she whispered, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

Well, it wouldn’t be hard to find out. Her phone was in the purse under the counter at the gift shop, but she was suddenly torn between wanting to look up his name and refusing to lower herself to such malicious gossip.

Then again, she was living with him. Could she be placing herself and Ryan in danger? She rubbed her forehead and clenched her eyes shut because the idea was beyond troubling. It was . . . frightening.

By the time she left the bathroom, her heart was galloping, and her freshly washed palms were sweating. She walked back down the hallway, totally consumed by her own thoughts. So consumed, in fact, that she didn’t notice anyone else was in the corridor until he’d grabbed her hand and pulled her back up against his chest.

“Oh!” she cried, assuming it was Artie and ready to fight him off until she took a sharp breath through her nose and recognized his smell. Soap and clean laundry, a little sweat and a whole lot of man. That was all Colton. And whatever misgivings she’d had a moment before were traded for a crashing wave of lust and affection and relief. He was here. Holding her. Anchoring her. Suddenly she wasn’t adrift in dark waters anymore. Just like that, she was safe again, just as he’d promised her last night.

“Come with me,” he whispered close to her ear.

“I have to get back,” she protested weakly.

“Two minutes,” he said.

She nodded, letting him drag her into a janitor’s closet. It was pitch-dark and smelled strongly of bleach. She couldn’t see anything, but Colton still held one of her hands, and she reached out with the other to touch his chest, flattening her palm over his heart.

“I missed you today, sunshine,” he said, pulling her into the warm haven of his arms.

Sunshine. Oh, my heart.

She knew that she should ask him about the terrible rumor she’d just heard, but she couldn’t. All she could do was close her eyes and lean into him, forgetting about Artie’s crude offer and the catty bitchiness of the girls in the bathroom.

He was hard and strong but somehow managed to be gentle, rubbing her back as she rested her cheek against his chest.

“Long day?”

For just a second she thought about unburdening her heart, but he didn’t deserve her suspicion. After everything he’d done for her, he deserved her trust.

“How’s Melody?” she asked.

“She’s fine. We had breakfast together, I drove her to work, and then I went back to her place to update and fix a few things before coming here.”

“You’re a good cousin.” A good man, regardless of what she’d overheard. Even if it was true—even if he had, God forbid, killed someone—there had to be a reason, a story, a logical explanation for what had happened, and until she had all the facts, she wouldn’t allow her imagination to run wild.

“I can’t stop thinking about last night,” he murmured, and she felt his lips press down on the top of her head.

“Me either.”

“I want a repeat,” he groaned as she wound her arms around his waist.

“Me too.”

“Sunday?”

She nodded against his chest, taking a deep breath and smiling next to his heart. “Sunday.”

***