Colt’s body became an impenetrable wall in front of me.
Travis reached to reassert himself, but Colt advanced a single step and grabbed his forearm. He pushed it firm to his sternum and used it to guide him back.
Travis lost his footing and stumbled backward into some shopping carts. Metal screeched across the empty lot. A loud, clanging alarm for anyone within earshot.
My heart thudded as adrenaline flooded my veins.
“Colt!” I shouted.
I hoped the sound would be enough to make Travis think twice about what he was doing. But Colt glared at Travis, daring him to move.
“Touch him again,” Colt said, his voice a low, commanding snarl, “and you won’t touch anything for a while.”
Travis clutched his wrist. His eyes were wide and watery; all of his swagger drained into the lightless night. He mumbled something low and unrecognizable—a curse or a promise—and staggered off into the void, his footsteps uneven as he wobbled.
I didn’t move. Couldn’t.
My entire body locked with tension, caught between the echo of fear and something heavier.
Heat, coiled low in my stomach, hidden from polite view.
Colt turned and faced me. His chest lifted and fell, the rhythm of a man just off the ice after a hard game.
He glared at me. “You need to be more careful.”
My throat finally worked, and I swallowed. “Were you… were you following me?”
Colt’s eyes held mine for a long, burning moment. But he didn’t answer.
And somehow, that was worse than yes.
6
COLT
I hadn’t plannedto see her again.
But when Lindsey texted me a selfie outside her favorite restaurant in a skin-tight black dress and heels that made her legs pop, I said yes right away.
The woman across from me was beautiful. Tall, tan, glossy, and stunning. The type of woman who made men feel they should give thanks for being seen in the same establishment as her.
We sat across from each other at the overpriced rooftop bar. Warm light spilled over her glass of red wine, and her laughter tinkled, a sound built for a television commercial.
But tonight wasn’t about her. Not really.
She was hot, sure—curvy and blonde, with a smile that made guys trip all over themselves.
But, unfortunately for me, she was also the complete opposite of everything I craved.
Which, fortunately for me, made her safe.
I showed up fifteen minutes late right after a workout and still felt the burn rippling through my arms and chest. My shirtstuck to me, and I could smell the salt of dried sweat on the cotton. I didn’t apologize, and Lindsey didn’t care.
She leaned in for a kiss that I dodged before I gently squeezed her shoulder.
Dinner was fine.
Lindsey talked about herself… a lot.
