Page 142 of Worth the Fall
My heart fell a little. The thought of him leaving already made me want to cry. “Oh, that’ll be fun. When do you leave?”
I already missed his family so much. Jo had called me three times since we made it to Chicago, and once right after the presentation to hear all about how it went. She had sent pictures of the grandkids and their drawings, promised to FaceTime on Sunday, and asked when we were planning to come back to Oklahoma for a visit.
It was a beautiful feeling to be so loved.
He looked down at his plate, most of his steak already eaten. “Tomorrow mornin’.”
I could feel Martha staring at me.
She cleared her throat. “All right, we need some more drinks!” Martha called the waiter. “These kids are celebrating, and we intend to celebrate right!”
~~~
I watched Colton kick his boots off beside my door and smiled.
I could get used to seeing him so comfortable in my house.
He slipped his blazer off and hung it up on my coat hook. “I don’t think I got the chance to compliment your apartment.”
The apartment was sad compared to the cozy Nash home and the warm trailers we had spent the past few weeks in. I had no decorations, except for a few throw pillows and generic hotel art on the walls.
“Thank you,” I said, staring at the boring gray and white colors. “It’s kinda depressing though.”
He looked at me with surprise but laughed. “You think?”
I nodded. “It’s soulless.” Colton’s warm presence was the best thing that had ever happened to this place. “It needs some Nash love.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Oh, I can help with some Nash love.”
He stormed across the hardwood floor, in his purple socks with a big hole in the toe, pushed me against the wall, and crashed his lips into mine.
I gasped.
He kissed me like a starving man, his hands on my waist, his body pressed against mine. I didn’t resist. I put my hands on his face and brought him even closer.
His five o’clock shadow was scratchy on my skin, but it brought my senses alive.
The wall was cold against my back, the floor hard against my bare feet, my hair draping down my neck. He tasted like peppermint and smelled like cedar cologne. His chest was warm, and he was breathing hard. His tough hands snagged on my dress. My fingers danced through his hair.
I was addicted to him.
An hour or so later, we lay on the expensive rug I had bought the day I moved into the apartment. We were still in our nice clothes, too tired to get up and get ready for bed, but still wanting to be close to each other. My lips were sore, probably swollen from Colton’s rough kisses. He was lying on his stomach, staring at me.
“What?” I asked, my hands folded on my stomach.
He sighed. “I really like lookin’ at ya.”
I blushed. Even though we had spent the last hour making out, I couldn’t believe he would say something so sweet to me. “I really like looking at you.”
He ran his hand through my hair. “I’ll move to Chicago if it means I can be with you every day.”
I waved my hand. “I don’t want to talk about that right now. I just want to be in this moment with you.”
He nodded as best he could. “Deal, but I need you to know I want a future with you, Ally, a very long future.”
“I need a future with you, Colton,” I agreed. “We’ll figure it out, I promise.”
“I love you,” he said, his eyes sparkling in the low lights.
